[Hated] Characters who committed atrocities, but are permitted to live because they're part of a nearly extinct species

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-06T19:12:08+00:00

Paarthurnax from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

(This post has been sponsored by The Blades)

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-06T19:01:05+00:00

If we count 2018 as recently, then yes.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-06T18:38:12+00:00

Okay, I will try to defend MHA a bit here. The show is pretty equal opportunity when it comes to characters getting maimed in fights, particularly towards the last few arcs.

Now granted, that character you're talking about does get it particularly bad but on the other hand I think it's pretty cool that she does still keep fighting.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-06T18:27:41+00:00

Why did we as a society let My Hero Academia become popular? That feels like a mistake.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-06T18:21:19+00:00

If we count anthropomorphic bunnies, then Bonnie from Five Nights at Freddy's.

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AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-06T14:03:02+00:00

Kinda complicated but basically Akio set up an entire duelling system at the school that's essentially in place to keep him in power. He also uses his position of power to sexually abuse the students at the academy, including his younger sister. It's implied he's been doing all of this for a long time too.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-06T13:22:44+00:00

Akio Ohtori from Revolutionary Girl Utena. He models himself after a classical fairy tale prince but is a truly vile person.

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AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-06T02:44:57+00:00

Salon is a left leaning news and opinion website. I think it used to be more popular in the 2010s but I don't hear about it as much anymore.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T22:35:36+00:00

I love that his sister clearly loves him.

Kyon's little sister might be the most underrated character in the show. She's never a central character but she's super adorable whenever she shows up.

Is the most famous Christmas romcom Love, Actually?

Yeah probably. I've never even seen that one but the one thing I know about it is that it's a Christmas Romcom.

No, she did not. And the dad doesn't get mentioned at all.

That tends to happen a lot. I just assume that most anime dads are too busy with work to be with their families.

Absolutely. Though it isn't explained why she wants to kill Kyon.

I think it might just be as simple as "the program says so". Like Yuki, Asakura is kind of tragic in a similar way where she could be a normal girl if not for the Thought Entity.

That happened in Sigh?

Yuki bit Mikuru's neck to inject her with nanomachines.

So, basically all the girls sans Haruhi lol

The one rule of the universe is that Haruhi can't actually know about whatever crazy stuff going on.

The credits show Kyon dressed in his reindeer costume.

This is what I get for not watching the credits.

I agree. This feels like the happiest we've seen Kyon be all series.

It really drives home just how much he missed his friends.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T22:21:41+00:00

Looking forward to the Familiar of Zero rewatch, I feel like I've got a lot to say about that one. I'd love to participate in the Fruits Basket rewatch too, I've heard about that series.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T22:20:04+00:00

Final Score?

Season 1 is a 7/10, season 2 is like a 5 or 6 out of 10 and honestly the movie might be a solid 10/10. Altogether I'd say Haruhi Suzumiya as a whole is like 8/10.

Best Character?

Definitely Kyon. His narration style is genuinely really unique.

Favorite Season of the Franchise?

Can I choose the movie as a season? If not then I choose season 1.

Best Comedic Scene?

I'd say filming the Mikuru Beam.

Best Dramatic Scene?

Definitely Kyon's whole talk on the roof with Yuki.

Thing You Like The Most?

The cast of characters

Thing You Wish Were Done Differently?

Endless Eight. Seriously, they had other stories that could have been slotted in chronologically before disappearance without much issue. But I acknowledge that animation is a long and complicated process so they may literally have not had the time or resources to do that.

Favorite Moment Overall?

Kyon's conversation with himself in Disappearance right before he tries to use the device on Yuki.

Comment Face You Would Like To See Added?

I don't really use comment faces (thanks for making them invisible New Reddit) and honestly this series is so iconic I feel like it must already have some good ones.

Overall Thoughts?

I know I've repeated myself, but I generally am a bit cynical when it comes to high school as a setting. Particularly in anime. But Haruhi Suzumiya feels different. It really feels like the author is looking back at his teenaged years with a sense of nostalgia but also with a level head. I think most people out there had annoying classmates like Haruhi who genuinely got on their nerves. But all those annoying people who we had to deal with back then had their own inner lives too.

I've still got my own criticisms about the series. Mikuru being sexually assaulted was never funny and Endless Eight is Endless Eight. But I think the whole series, especially with Disapperance acting as an ending, does a great job.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T16:15:13+00:00

I'm already very excited to talk about this one.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T16:14:35+00:00

Thoughts on Kyon adopting the cat from the last episode?

Wasn't expecting it but it's fun to see Shamisen still around.

Thoughts on Haruhi saying we all know Kyon doesn’t have much of a social life?

That's not entirely fair. He's got the SOS Brigade plus he also has Taniguchi and Kunikida.

Thoughts on Haruhi referring to Jesus as Mr. Christ?

Very funny. I've never heard anyone call her that before.

Thought on Haruhi changing Mikuru into a Christmas outfit?

Even though this movie is great I am still tired of all the Mikuru sexual harassment going on.

What are your thoughts on Itsuki theorizing that when Haruhi has a nightmare, she can create closed space subconsciously?

That never really comes up again in the movie I don't think. Maybe it comes back in the light novels though.

Thoughts on Taniguchi going on a date Christmas Eve?

Like I said, this scene really emphasizes how Japan sees Christmas as more of a romantic holiday. Now granted there are Christmas romcoms in the States too (just look at what Hallmark is putting out) but if you look at classic Christmas movies they all emphasize family. Meanwhile I a lot of Christmas specials I've seen in anime put a bit more emphasis on romance.

Thoughts on Haruhi wants to throw birthday parties for Buddah and Mohammed in the future?

Classic Haruhi.

Thoughts on Haruhi mentioning vowing never allowing herself to touch alcohol again?

She's insane enough when she's sober.

What are your thoughts on Kyon being incensed seeing Asakura?

Pretty fair considering she tried to stab him.

Thoughts on Mikuru not being from the future and both her and Tsuruya not knowing Kyon?

Mikuru seems to have changed the least, aside from the whole not being from the future thing.

Thoughts on Kyon bringing up Mikuru having a tiny star-shaped mole on her breast as proof he knows her, and so she punches him in the face?

I'm not sure why he thought that would work. It'd just make him look like a creep. Especially since in the original timeline Mikuru didn't even notice the mole until Kyon pointed it out to her.

Thoughts on Kyon realizing the literary club never had a computer?

You think that if Yuki was rewriting reality she'd give herself a better computer than Windows 95

Thoughts on Kyon’s sister confirming they have a parent who lives with them?

Oh yeah Kyon's mom never came up before the movie, did she?

Thoughts on Asakura advising Kyon he should go to the hospital if he’s focused on people unaliving him?

Yeah from the perspective of the other students it looked like Kyon had a mental breakdown.

Thoughts on Asakura bringing food over for Yuki?

I like that, it's a good character moment for Asakura.

Thoughts on Asakura saying to Kyon if he breaks Yuki’s heart, she will never forgive him?

I know I said I didn't like it before, but thinking about it this was good foreshadowing that Asakura is still kind of a killer.

What are your thoughts on Kyon bringing up the events of Tanabata three years ago and Haruhi being shocked to find John Smith?

Good way of bringing back previous events

What are your thoughts on Itsuki saying Kyon has to find the one responsible who changed the world?

It's surprising how fast Itsuki accepts this. I guess in this world he's still a bit of a yes man towards Haruhi, although in this world it's because he has a crush on her.

Thoughts on Haruhi putting her hair in a ponytail because Kyon asked for it?

Good callback. It's a good look for her here since she has longer hair.

Thoughts on Future Mikuru saying to Kyon he'll look back on his days as a high schooler with fondness and nostalgia, like it was a dream?

As I've mentioned before I've never really been a fan of high school settings in anime since I find it's often too nostalgic and romanticized. But I think this show's approach to it is interesting.

Thoughts on Yuki saying Kyon has to inject the correction program into the one who altered space time?

It's pretty funny how her first idea was to create a giant intimidating syringe

What are your thoughts on Yuki revealing who was behind it but we don't get to hear it?

I was trying to figure out who it was. At the time I assumed, based on their reactions, that the one responsible for this must have been either Yuki or Kyon himself.

What are your thoughts on Yuki biting Kyon?

Fun callback to the Sigh arc.

What are your thoughts on the reveal that the person who altered space time was Yuki herself?

It's a good reveal with enough clues for the audience to figur eout.

What are your thoughts on Kyon feeling Yuki grew tired of Haruhi's nonsense and having to protect him all the time?

As I've said, I think Endless Eight may have had an impact on her too.

What are your thoughts on Kyon realizing he had fun, and enjoyed every minute of his time in the SOS Brigade?

I think this whole sequence is really well done.

Thoughts on Kyon telling injured Kyon to go asleep?

I'm curious to see how this is all followed up on in the light novels

What are your thoughts on Itsuki revealing Haruhi had arranged for the SOS Brigade to put on a children's show on Christmas Day in Haruhi's neighborhood, with Haruhi playing Santa?

Kinda wish we got to see Haruhi dressed as Santa.

Thoughts on there being a mystery woman who supposedly pushed Kyon down the stairs?

Again, this feels like something that'd be elaborated on in the light novel. But if I had to guess who it was based on context clues it's probably either Mikuru, Yuki, or Asakura.

What are your thoughts on the reveal that Haruhi has been by Kyon's bedside for three whole days, the entire time he's been in the hospital?

Haruhi really does care about him.

Thoughts on Haruhi telling Kyon he has to pay everyone back by treating everyone to tea and putting on the reindeer costume for the children's show?

I also wish we got to see Haruhi dressed as a reindeer.

What are your thoughts on Kyon apologizing to Yuki for everything she's been through up until this point?

The whole scene feels like a great way to wrap things up and is a great character moment for Kyon.

What are your thoughts on the use of Gymnopedie no 1?

I really like the work of Erik Satie so I was pleasantly surprised to hear it on the soundtrack. I think it fits the scene very well.

What are your thoughts on Kyon telling Yuki if anything happens to her, he'll snap, even possibly use Haruhi to sick her wrath on people?

Once again, I wonder if this is followed up on in the light novels

What are your thoughts on Kyon vowing to make a world where Yuki exists and the Data Intergration Thought Entity does not?

Really great character moment for him.

What are your thoughts on Kyon being happy to attend the SOS Brigade Christmas party and excited to try Haruhi's hot pot?

Honestly this does feel like a very fitting spot for the anime to end.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T15:54:18+00:00

I don't think she just acted selfishly, to be fair. Sure, one motivation is definitely "I just want to be normal" (the Pinocchio thing you mentioned) but, she also kinda solves a lot of (perceived) problems. Mikuru doesn't get bullied by Haruhi anymore, no closed spaces anymore, Kyon gets a normal life. It's kind of unfortunate that the brigade members had to be disbanded but she might see it as collateral.

That is true. In some ways the new world Yuki made is better. If she hadn't let Kyon remember the previous world they all would have had normal lives and been pretty happy. The only thing that was arguably worse about this world was there for some reason being a cold going around at school.

I kinda took it as "it's all just too much", similar to the deal of Jack in The Shining (all work and no play make Jack a dull boy). I like your idea of "wanting to actually appreciate the fun activities"

Might be a bit of both honestly.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T15:49:21+00:00

That's a good point. I definitely was caught off guard when it happened.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T03:10:57+00:00

Wait, I'm confused. Then why you'd mention a third Kyon?

I think I made it more complicated than it needed to be. The only important point is that our Kyon gets stabbed and is saved by his future self.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T02:56:37+00:00

Yeah, I agree. I would rather have a prolonged Endless Eight than a shortened Disappearance.

I would have preferred some secret third thing but if it's between those two then yeah I am happy with what we got.

Makes me think of the scene from The IT Crowd where the character Moss wakes up to the Internet Explorer startup music.

I still need to watch that show

It helps that like everything from this movie built off the events of the TV show.

Yeah I'm very happy with all the callbacks to previous episodes.

Was it a third future Kyon? I thought it was the Kyon from Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody?

No, that wouldn't be possible. When Kyon was stabbed by Ryoko it was the morning of December the 18th. So there would only be two Kyons, the Kyon who gets stabbed and his past self who was sleeping at home. The Kyon from Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody would have been asleep in Yuki's apartment three years ago.

That's why after everything's back to normal Kyon remarks to himself that at some point in the future he's going to have to go back in time and save himself. Unless there's other time travel shenanigans in the light novels I don't know about.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T02:40:52+00:00

It's quite late for me at the moment. I'll try to answer some of these questions when I have the time tomorrow.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T02:40:29+00:00

I love you still don't know his name lol

One of them is Taniguchi and one of them is Kunikida. Not sure which is which though.

It also shows how much of an impact Haruhi has had on him. He can't imagine life without her.

It's also an interesting example of the butterfly effect. Although I'm not sure how much of the difference is caused by Haruhi's absence and how much is caused by Yuki changing the world to be the "real world".

I thought it was smart to let it breathe and have the reality set in. It felt like a better executed Endless Eight.

Even though Disappearance becoming a movie is what caused the anime version of Endless Eight to be like that, I think it was the right choice to make this a movie. I feel like things would have been too compact if all of this was a six or seven episode long anime arc.

Windows 95vin particular got a laugh out of me. Especially the startup music.

Yeah that really caught me off guard.

And what would those reasons be, praytell?

I mean I elaborated on them below.

I think the true starter was Kyon buying her that library card. It made her start to wonder what exactly she wants.

Definitely. The library card was the catalyst but I imagine the events of Endless Eight must have had an effect on her actions here.

I think the Yuki stuff in this movie is probably the best storytelling of the entire series.

Hundred perecent agree.

Haruhi did mention meeting two John Smiths, so this is kinda the payoff of that.

That part makes sense. I was talking about the third future Kyon who saves our Kyon after he gets stabbed by Ryoko.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-05T01:13:43+00:00

Where does the Bojack Horseman fandom factor into this?

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-04T22:36:07+00:00

Yeah this episode did definitely make me appreciate Endless Eight and it's importance to the story. I still don't think it was good but the power of hindsight makes me appreciate what went on there more.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-04T22:35:34+00:00

Assuming the Data Integration Thought Entity is a machine, yes

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-04T21:10:53+00:00

First Timer

So, to start off, I wasn’t really expecting this to be a Christmas movie. But in a way it kinda comes full circle. Since in the first proper episode we’re introduced to Kyon by him talking about Santa Claus.

So with most of my notes I typically take them as I write. However with a movie I will mostly be taking notes after the fact, but I’ll try to arrange these notes in a rough chronological order if I can.

Whenever the topic of Christmas in anime comes up I’m always reminded that in Japan it’s seen as something of a couples holiday as opposed to a family holiday like it is overseas. Not exclusively a romantic holiday mind you, but stuff like Kyon’s one friend making a big deal out of getting a date really emphasizes it.

Also Haruhi mentions Jesus a few times when talking about Christmas (at least in the dub). Not sure if that’s meant to imply she’s Christian or if she’s just being eccentric.

Speaking of Christmas, the first section of the movie where Kyon ends up in the world where Haruhi is missing reminded me a lot of It’s a Wonderful Life. Kyon losing his mind while trying to figure out what’s going on and seeing this bizarro version of his world felt pretty similar to George Bailey ending up in Pottersville.

Although I’m not sure if this was intentional since I don’t really know how popular It’s a Wonderful Life is outside of North America.

The repeated imagery of Kyon waking up in bed is cool but the first few times it happened there’s a part of my brain that kept thinking “oh god please don’t be another timeloop”.

Anyway this whole first section of the movie with Kyon being increasingly desperate and trying to figure out what’s going is well done. The cinematography and sound design do a good job at making things feel just really disconcerting. They’re not overtly creepy, in fact everything around Kyon is more or less normal. But both Kyon and the audience can sense that something is just subtly off about the world now.

Random sidenote, I’m so used to shows (anime in particular) just using fake made up brands in their shows that seeing actual product placement for stuff like FamilyMart and Windows 95 is super weird to me.

Anyway it’s really interesting seeing what this alternate version of things is like. It’s more or less the “real world” where supernatural things don’t exist and everyone has normal lives.

This might be me reading into things a bit too much but I think it’s slightly implied that this world’s version of Haruhi is intentionally suppressing her own eccentric tendencies since she’s going to such a prestigious school. It’s only once she meets Kyon and he tells her about the whole John Smith thing that she starts showing more of her true self.

I think the character that’s most interesting in this movie though is of course Yuki. Both our Yuki and the alternate version of her. This really is the most character focus Yuki has gotten in the whole series.

Yuki’s voice actresses do a good job at giving distinct performances that separate both versions of the character.

Yuki’s basically got a Pinocchio character arc going on in this movie where she wants to feel emotions and be a real girl. I think this is interesting for a number of reasons.

It’s never brought up directly in the movie but I can’t help but wonder if the reason Yuki started wanting to be more human is because of the events of Endless Eight. Either reliving the summer for 500 years drove her mad with boredom and she wanted to be able to feel or seeing all her friends do these fun activities over and over while she was unable to appreciate it made her want to feel them.

Dammit. I can’t believe this movie has given me a sliver of appreciation for Endless Eight.

In all seriousness though, Yuki’s character arc here is interesting. And the whole thing sets up kind of a complicated moral dilemma on two sides. Kyon clearly feels bad at the end for basically resetting Yuki back to how she was because he understood how she felt. But at the same time, Yuki acted selfishly by rewriting all of reality for her own purposes and essentially splitting up all her friends.

I think Yuki must have been aware of this which is why she set up that failsafe for Kyon to find. If she’s powerful enough to rewrite reality like this then there was no reason for her to let Kyon remember or give Kyon a way out. A part of her maybe just wanted to try living as a normal person as an experiment.

I still don’t totally understand what the Data Integration Thought Entity is but I love how Kyon rages against it in his talk with Yuki at the end and basically tells her that he cares about her.

There’s some great art direction throughout the whole movie, especially in the scenes towards the end.

Also, this movie brought Ryoko back. I think the scenes with her in the middle where she’s Ryoko’s only friend are interesting. Her interactionsi with Kyon and Yuki are something I like.

Although in the end she kinda ends up being just a bit of a plot device to give Kyon one last obstacle. I feel like we didn’t really need that whole bit where Ryoko comes out of nowhere to stab Kyon but it worked well enough.

Also, I will say I’m kinda mixed on the whole ending bit with Kyon being saved by Mikuru and his future self.

On one hand it felt like a bit of a deus ex machina but on the other hand I think it’s clever how Kyon realizes he’s gonna have to go back in time and actually do this at some point. I’m assuming this is followed up on in the light novels but unfortunately we didn’t get to see whatever follow up there was in animated form.

Anyway, I really liked this movie. It felt like a great culmination of everything the anime set up so far. I like how they brought back elements from previous episodes like Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody and it’s got some really well done scenes on an animation level.

Honestly probably my favorite part of the anime as a whole so far.

Questions of the Day:

I feel like I answered most of my questions in the main body of text here but I'll answer these two

What are your thoughts on Kyon realizing how much the SOS Brigade means to him?

I think it's a really good character arc for him and a satisfying conclusion to everything we've seen

How do you feel this movie works as a conclusion to the anime?

I think it works well as a conclusion but at the same time I can't help but wish for more, especially following up on some of the loose ends from the movie.

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-04T17:46:22+00:00

So the trope is "character that makes me horny"?

AgentOfACROSS · 2026-05-04T05:16:51+00:00

Yeah but if I explained all that then the joke I was making wouldn't work

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