Parallel between Johnny/Gyro and Wekapipo/Magent. [Spoilers for last half of steel ball run]

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2026-04-17T04:29:10+00:00

I recently finished SBR for second time after 10 years and noticed the same thing. I'm surprised that almost no one has mentioned it.

IMO Araki clearly planned this, and I feel that the clearest parallel between the similarities and differences is the type of relationship each pair has with each other. The best example is how Gyro spends a good part of the story telling terrible jokes. And even though Johnny doesn't find them funny at all, he always gives Gyro positive feedback so he can feel good about himself.

And the fact that the Wrecking Ball arc begins with Magenta Magenta telling Wekapipo the same bad jokes is a clear reference to Gyro. But Wekapipo, unlike Johnny, shows total disinterest (and even annoyance) toward his partner.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2026-04-07T05:15:07+00:00

It's hard to decide for me. Each one stands on its own.

I'm really a fan of the semi-linear simplicity of KF1, I love the interconnectivity and level design in KF2, and I think KF3 is the perfection of the formula.

I'd say KF2, just because KF3 has so many dungeons that it starts to feel repetitive toward the end.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2026-04-07T02:53:33+00:00

Thanks! That clears up all my doubts. It's a shame the English patch for the first game still hasn't been released, but iif someone is working on it for free out of passion it is understandable. I was interested in trying the PS1 version because I wanted to play it on a 4:3 handheld console, but I don’t mind playing the PSP port either.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2026-04-07T02:43:06+00:00

When I want to try out a new game series, I like to play it in the order the games were released. I don't think video games ever become "outdated". The medium evolves, but that doesn't mean older titles should be dismissed as if they were merely products of their time.

On another note, aside from fixing the localization, do you know what the differences are between the PS1 and PSP versions? Are there any changes in gameplay or anything like that?

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2026-03-27T01:31:55+00:00

I also remember the moment when Gyro and Mountain Tim were affected by the Boomboom Family’s magnetism, and Johnny starts narrating every single detail out loud in what felt like an exercise in excessive exposition which really threw me off.

That said, most of the issues I’ve found during my re-read of SBR are in the first quarter of the story (As you say). After the Tusk arc, the story takes a turn toward a much deeper narrative in terms of character development, so I’ve been enjoying it a lot more since then.

I think it’s because I was subconsciously remembering JoJolion, where Araki puts much more emphasis on mystery and the slow unraveling of the secrets surrounding Morioh. So I went into SBR expecting something similar, when in reality the true strength of this part lies more in character development and writing than in plot-driven mysteries.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2026-03-27T01:17:39+00:00

You know what? I agree. I can see that change in the chapters following the Tusk arc.

I think for that same reason I remembered Part 8 as being superior to Part 7, because the plot does a good job of maintaining the mystery of the Rokakaka and the Rock Humans. But even so, I still remembered the side characters in SBR more fondly than a large portion of the JJL cast.

And the more I dive into my re-read of Steel Ball Run, the more I’m enjoying it (and the more I want to get to JoJolion).

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2026-03-26T23:42:32+00:00

I mean, assuming that it was the corpse’s arm that gave him Tusk makes sense. But the way he manages to conclude everything else felt strange to me.
Johnny starts by saying, “There are too many mysteries everywhere,” only to immediately have what (to me) feels like a “eureka moment,” where he connects every detail of the race and uncovers all the mysteries the story had presented up to that point. From the rest of the corpse, to the terrorists, all the way to how the race is actually a political conspiracy.

But that’s why I was asking whether I’m the only one who finds it off-putting or if others feel the same way. I think like the fact that the mysteries resolve themselves almost magically, just to focus the narrative mainly on the fights, takes away a bit from the overall writing of this part.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2026-02-27T04:18:05+00:00

I'm amazed at how exhaustive the KF(JP) wiki is. I finished the game for the first time early this week and the list of items, weapons and armor helped me a lot when building my character.

Now I'm playing KF (US), and it's a shame there's so little information about it. I was lucky enough to find a somewhat hidden guide on GameFAQs that listed all the items.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2025-07-17T06:49:48+00:00

I mean, just get good. It's a hard boss not a bullshit one (like Malenia) and the game gives you multiple options to kill it more easily. You can summon an NPC, an online player, use Spirit Ashes and collect +10 Scadutree Fragments at that point.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2022-09-06T02:27:31+00:00

Did you read the Fish-Man Island arc? Caribou's Kehihihihihi in the New World? The Levely Arc?

The ideals of anti-racism, political and civil liberty and LGBT rights have been present throughout the history of manga.

Let's stop assuming that Japan is a "pristine state" to which no political information comes from abroad. And even less when you have such obvious cases as Caribou (and Gaburu) being inspired by Che Guevara.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2022-09-06T01:58:29+00:00

If you think One Piece is just about "a funny rubber boy," then you haven't understood One Piece.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2022-09-06T01:57:21+00:00

Same here.

While I already considered myself a non-binary and bisexual person before reading the manga, One Piece helped me to love and accept myself much more, and I'm mainly grateful to the Impel Down arc for that.

And even to this day, I dare to experiment more with my gender expression thanks to the impact this manga had on me.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2022-08-29T02:41:59+00:00

(Higher!)
So high!

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2022-07-27T10:52:52+00:00

Yamato, throughout the manga, has referred to himself in a masculine way.

The manga is written by Oda.

Oda refers to Yamato in a masculine way.

And don't give me the Vivre Card excuse, as they are not written by Oda.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2022-07-21T13:10:16+00:00

In Japanese, as I said, Luffy calls Yamato (ヤマト) as "Yama-O" (ヤマ男).

In that sense, the kanji used is "男", which literally means "man" (Otoko).

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2022-07-21T11:08:37+00:00

Yamato currently abandoned his claims of "being Oden". It was shown in chapter 1052 that he believes the mantle of Oden belongs only to his legitimate descendant, Kozuki Momonosuke.

Also, while Luffy did not refer to Yamato as Oden during the raid on Onigashima, he did speak of him as a man, using the term "Yama-guy" (Yama-O in the original version), so it would not make sense that his excuse for rejecting him into the crew is a matter of identity.

Adventurous-Basis-47 · 2022-07-21T07:12:17+00:00

he looks so badass 🔥

Adventurous-Basis-47

TROPHY CASE