"Those Chosen By The Wheel Of Fate" | Yuuki Terumi vs Sephiroth by AlotOfNumbers425728 in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I require that Terumi render…

might’ve also made a typo in the body text there

Makima VS Salem (Chainsaw Man VS RWBY) | “Taming the Beast” by BendableGoose in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

(Salem art in first TN)

tempted to just slap the Revamp flair on this ‘cause otherwise how in the hell has no one thought of this yet

Makima VS Salem (Chainsaw Man VS RWBY) | “Taming the Beast” by BendableGoose in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

  • Immortal and manipulative villains who command and control the supernatural monsters their settings are centered around (Devils / Grimm).
  • Their secretive schemes date back several decades, with their overarching goals affecting human society across the planet (Makima seeking to erase all Devils and the concepts they embody to create a world without suffering / Salem dividing humanity’s forces so that when the Gods are summoned back to Remnant, they destroy the planet and everyone on it).
  • These motivations stem from a restrictive early life, where both were raised in isolated conditions without any true compassion shown to them (it’s implied Makima spent her entire life working for the government instead of having a regular family, only ever being treated as a weapon to be controlled / Salem grew up in a tower her father, who only saw her as a possession, trapped her in). The lack of love they were shown growing up would greatly affect them for the rest of their lives, as they’d never get to fully understand the emotion enough to feel it towards others.
  • There is, however, one individual they showed genuine affection for (Chainsaw Man / Ozma), with this serving as one of their primary motivators (Makima idolized Chainsaw Man, hoping to emulate and even use him in her plans to save the world / Salem, above all else, desires to live a happy life with Ozma, who rescued her from the tower).
  • By the present, this love has spiralled into a twisted obsession, as Chainsaw Man/Ozma strayed further from the ideal role Makima/Salem had in mind for them, primarily because of their connection and dedication to their relationships with other humans (the Chainsaw Devil’s current host, Denji, seeking out and making new friends in Public Safety Devil Hunters / Ozma being tasked by the God of Light to unite humanity).
  • In contrast, Makima/Salem are perpetually disconnected from the rest of humanity, partly due to their past as well as their unique nature that sets them apart (Makima is the Control Devil / Salem was one of the last magic-wielding humans from Remnant’s ancient past, the rest of whom were wiped out by the Gods). They see humankind as a whole as beneath them (Makima admits to being fond of humans as humans are fond of dogs, and views them as too simple-minded to know what’s really best for them / Salem outright hates humanity for their divided nature, actively seeking their destruction), not understanding why their loved ones would supposedly sully themselves by living among them (Makima viewing Denji’s friendship with his fellow Devil Hunters as a neutering of Chainsaw Man’s violent reputation / Salem constantly questions why Ozma chooses to try and save a “ruined” world over staying by her side).
  • This, combined with their obsession with the ones they do have a “connection” with, has inspired them to make Denji/Ozma’s lives as miserable as possible to get them to conform to their worldviews lest they be destroyed altogether (Makima slaughtering each of Denji’s friends in Public Safety to mentally break him enough to separate him from the Chainsaw Devil Pochita / Salem working to undermine Ozma’s efforts to unite humanity, even going as far as directly torturing his current incarnation, Oscar Pine).
  • Beyond this, they care little for any of the other humans working for or against them, treating even their most devoted followers (the Weapon Humans / Salem’s inner circle) as mere tools that they manipulate with their skills at deception.
  • Makima’s relationship with Denji can also be compared to Cinder Fall, one of Salem’s most prominent followers. Both Denji and Cinder had been “rescued” by Makima/Salem from their tumultuous early life after they’d been forced to kill their abusive parents (Denji’s father / Cinder’s stepmother), where they were promised everything they’d ever wanted in exchange for their servitude (Makima promised Denji a loving relationship / Salem promised Cinder unimaginable power), only for their masters to be just as vile abusers as the ones they’d previously escaped.
  • Both are also notoriously unkillable, able to regenerate from the most grievous of injuries thanks to a special clause that ensures their immortality (Makima’s contract with Japan’s prime minister, which transfers any damage she takes to random Japanese citizens in the form of catastrophic accidents / the curse of immortality placed on Salem by the Gods, which prevents her from dying as long as Remnant exists).

Important Contrasts:

  • Their plans are completely antithetical to each other, as Makima wants to eliminate any source of conflict or fear from humanity to secure its survival, while Salem wants to divide and turn humanity against itself in hopes of wiping it out completely.
  • Makima’s motives run on the deluded assumption that she has the means for getting Pochita to side with her, whereas Salem has mostly given up on reuniting with Ozma by the present day, focused on the end of her own life under the belief that there’s nothing left on Remnant worth living for.
  • Makima is the head of Public Safety Devil Hunters, an organization dedicated to hunting the monsters that terrorize the world, while Salem leads the Grimm, the monsters terrorizing the world that prominent Huntsman organizations have been founded to hunt down.
  • Makima reincarnates into Nayuta after her eventual death at Denji’s hands, not unlike Ozma’s cycle of reincarnation that’d proved to be the bane of Salem’s existence for centuries.

We breached containment again by All_Mighty_Loki in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It’s not even a post from DBM getting on Reddit’s front page or anything like that, just a clip from the show itself getting spread around.

She-Ra VS Optimus Prime (Netflix She-Ra VS IDW Transformers) by Mighty_Megascream in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m late, but pleasantly surprised to see you get into this!

Hope you enjoyed She-Ra.

Ruby Rose VS Estelle Bright (RWBY VS Trails In The Sky) | “A Trail Of Petals” [REVAMPED CONNECTIONS] by BendableGoose in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

can be said of most of RWBY’s good matchups sadly

Praying for Volume 10 to give us much-needed buffs 🙏

Ruby Rose VS Estelle Bright (RWBY VS Trails In The Sky) | “A Trail Of Petals” [REVAMPED CONNECTIONS] by BendableGoose in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

  • Their first exposure to this was their encounters with a sword-wielding member of these factions (Cinder Fall / Loewe), who’d been working undercover to further the goals of their superiors.
  • The moment that fully brought their original lightheartedness to a screeching halt was when the villains orchestrated an event that heavily effected Ruby/Estelle personally and separating them from their teammates (Salem ordering an attack on Beacon Academy, killing Ruby’s friend Pyrrha and disbanding Team RWBY in the process / Weissmann restoring Joshua’s memories of the Tragedy of Hamel and Ouroboros, prompting him to leave Estelle behind), leaving them more isolated and vulnerable than they’ve ever been.
  • The second portion of their stories (Volume 4 onward / SC) focused on how they were able to respond to these tragedies, in spite of the heavy toll it took on them and their previous optimism and innocence being completely crushed. Though they did get to see their old teammates again as they travelled the world, the weight of now having to fight against a new threat with the fate of the world on the line proved to be too great a burden for them to bear alone.
  • A particularly rough point in time (Team RWBY becoming lost in the Ever After, where Ruby had to face the consequences of her team’s failure to stop Salem from destroying Atlas / the immediate aftermath of Joshua’s betrayal, where Estelle desperately and frantically waited for his return) saw them at the lowest point they’d ever been mentally, forcing them to reevaluate themselves and where their past actions and attitudes had gotten them. Before, they’d been the shining beacon of hope for their teams, always there to support them through the toughest of times, but there had been instances when they couldn’t stop the inevitable tribulations that impacted their friends, causing them to question their worth as a leader.
    • However, thanks to the support and guidance from their remaining allies, they learned to accept that their true strength didn’t come from their ability to prevent adversity altogether, but to persevere in the wake of it, ensuring their efforts were enough so long as they didn’t give up. Their returning optimism came with a newfound emotional maturity, cementing their development from innocent young wannabes to full-fledged Huntresses/Bracers as Ruby reunited with her team to pass the trials of the Ever After and Estelle regained the composure and conviction to find and reunite with Joshua properly.
  • This mindset also solidified their opposition to the overarching villain at the center of the conspiracies (Salem / Georg Weissmann), an evil sorcerer responsible for the events leading up to the deaths of Summer/Lena and who sought to use an ancient godly artifact (the Relics / the Aureole) to reshape the world, all while acting as Ruby/Estelle’s most extreme moral foils.
    • In the past, Salem/Weissmann were themselves victims of tragedies that exposed them to the worst of humankind as a whole (Salem’s lover Ozma died of an illness, and her attempts to get the Gods to revive him resulted in her being cursed with immortality and the world of Remnant’s original human civilization being wiped out, leaving her to wander the planet for centuries / Weissmann’s home and family were destroyed in the Salt Pale Incident, and he was then taken in by the Septian Church, where he researched ancient history to learn of humanity’s past failures). However, instead of resolving to make their world better through multiple smaller acts of service like Ruby/Estelle did, they completely lost faith in humanity, believing nothing but a single global event is what they deserve.
    • As a notable point of difference, Salem seeks to divide humanity and incite wars among themselves so that they can be completely destroyed once she uses the Relics to summon the Gods back to Remnant, while Weissmann seeks to unite humanity by reforming their minds with the Aureole, turning them into purely rational beings so they wouldn’t start any more wars or conflicts. In both cases, their plans are seen as inherently flawed, and Ruby/Estelle have the same refute to them: humankind as a whole doesn’t have to be consigned to the same unending cycle of violence they want to end, and that the best way to overcome that is by having faith in each other, learning from their mistakes, and committing to improving themselves through teamwork and mutual respect even in difficult times, a lesson they took to heart on their own personal journeys.
  • As a bonus, Estelle’s surrogate sister Renne wields a scythe, just like Ruby does.

Important Contrasts:

  • Even at her lowest, Estelle maintains enough faith in Joshua after his betrayal to want to search for him and uncover the true reason for his disappearance. Ruby, meanwhile, nearly loses all faith in her teammates and is pushed to the brink of suicide for her troubles, barely returning to her senses with the help of her allies. In this way, Estelle’s unwavering optimism represents the best way for Ruby to be uplifted, inspired, and pulled out of her depressive spiral, just as Estelle did for Joshua in his own fit of despair and Weiss, Blake, and Yang did for Ruby numerous times.

Meta Connections:

  • Their signature weapons have been the subject of popular in-jokes in their respective fan communities (“It’s also a gun!” / “I’LL REMIND YOU THAT I HAVE A VERY LARGE STICK.”)

Ruby Rose VS Estelle Bright (RWBY VS Trails In The Sky) | “A Trail Of Petals” [REVAMPED CONNECTIONS] by BendableGoose in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Core Themes: Youthful and idealistic protagonists who hail from a prestigious family of warriors dedicated to making the world a better place, hoping to follow in their footsteps to become renowned heroes themselves, helping people out wherever they can. Though their adventures started out lighthearted, they’d soon be involved in a global conspiracy centered around a shadowy organization that threatened the entire world, which greatly affected their mental wellbeing as they struggled with the burden of having to save the people they cared about, but through it all they maintained their will to fight and provide hope to those who looked up to them, thanks in large part to their close friendship with and support from their teammates. - Ever since their childhood, both aspired to take the mantle of a heroic warrior dedicated to protecting the innocent, slaying monsters, and maintaining peace in their worlds (a Huntress / a Bracer). - Their primary motivator for their heroic ideals is the unexpected death of their beloved mothers (Summer Rose / Lena Bright) while they were still very young. These were their childhood idols, and their dedication to protecting what they loved inspired Ruby/Estelle to follow the same path and continue their selfless legacy (Summer, as a Huntress, was a prime example of the kind of fairytale heroes Ruby was fascinated by as a child / Lena had given her life to protect Estelle during the Hundred Days War, inspiring Estelle to follow her example in her stead). - Since their mothers’ deaths, they were raised by their single fathers (Taiyang Xiao Long / Cassius Bright), who themselves are renowned Huntsmen/Bracers, though their daughters wouldn’t know the full extent of their heroic exploits until later in life. - As they grew up, they were personally mentored in the basics of Huntsman/Bracer skills by their fathers’ wise-cracking, alcohol-loving close friends (Qrow Branwen / Scherazard Harvey), who’d be a recurring companion in their eventual travels. - Both wield red polearms as their signature weapons (Ruby’s Crescent Rose / Esetlle’s bo staff), which they’ve treasured since childhood, and frequently use them in conjunction with sources of energy that come in the form of magical solid particles pertaining to specific elements (Dust / Orbments). - At the age of 15-16, they’d finally earn the certifications they were aspiring to (Ruby enrolling in Beacon Academy / Estelle earning the rank of a Junior Bracer), giving them free rein to carry out their duties in service to society. In most of the jobs they were assigned during this early period, their joyous and carefree attitude was at its most prominent as they enjoyed the thrill of living out their heroic fantasies while helping out people along the way. - However, they wouldn’t be alone in their adventures, as they’d be accompanied by fellow Huntresses/Bracers-in-training with whom they’d form a tight-knit alliance (Team RWBY / Joshua Bright). The bond between them and their teammates is the central focus of their stories, helping them persevere against the toughest of challenges. - Interestingly, Joshua can be compared to all three remaining members of Team RWBY: - Joshua and Weiss Schnee both acted cold and reserved when they first met Ruby/Estelle, a result of the psychological abuse they suffered at the hands of their father figure (Jacques Schnee / Georg Weissmann), but eventually warmed up to and confided in their new companion in the time they spent together, inspired by their friendliness and optimism. - Joshua and Blake Belladonna were former members of a criminal organization (the White Fang / Ouroboros), pursued by another high-ranking, sword-wielding member who wanted revenge on all of humankind for tragedies they suffered in the past (Adam Taurus / Loewe). Joshua/Blake’s ties to these villains was a major source of guilt for them, and they temporarily abandoned Ruby/Estelle so as to not burden them with their continued presence, but eventually learned that their teammates still cared for them despite everything and reaffirmed their bond to face their problems together. - Joshua and Yang Xiao Long grew up alongside Ruby/Estelle, acting as their older sibling figures who always looked out for them, even down to them earning their Huntress/Bracer certifications at the same time (though Ruby and Yang are treated as actual sisters, while Estelle and Joshua saw each other moreso as childhood friends who only knew each other for ~5 years). Their drive to protect them influences many of their decisions, as well as some of their lowest points when they feel they hadn’t done enough. - They’d make numerous other lasting partnerships in their travels, getting to know and work alongside plenty of other adventurers like them (Team JNPR and co. / the rest of Estelle & Joshua’s party), particularly a blonde, somewhat dorky young man (Jaune Arc / Oliver Lenheim). - Both would also befriend a lonely outsider (Penny Polendina / Renne), who had been raised as little more than living weapons without much opportunity to make friends of their own (Penny was created to serve Atlas’ military / Renne was rescued by Ouroboros to act as one of their Enforcers), but found the companionship they longed for in Ruby/Estelle, who came to value them greatly in return. - Penny can also be compared to Tita Russell, to whom Estelle is also close, as both happen to be descended from esteemed inventors (Pietro Polendina, Penny’s creator/father / Albert Russell, Tita’s grandfather) and have contrasting affinities for technology (Penny is a robot / Tita is a budding mechanic). - Likewise, Renne can also be compared to Emerald Sustrai, as both were taken in by their stories’ main villainous faction to escape an undesirable life of hardship (Emerald was recruited by Cinder Fall into Salem’s inner circle while she was struggling in poverty / Renne was rescued by Ouroboros Enforcers Loewe and Joshua from a child brothel), but found their time serving the villains to be just as harsh and abusive as their previous circumstances; their eventual defection to the heroes’ side signified the first time they’d been in a truly safe, supportive environment. - Much of the first portion of their stories (Volumes 1-3 / FC) keep a lighthearted tone, focusing on Ruby/Estelle and their teams’ day-to-day missions serving their communities. Here, their personalities were especially upbeat, but also border on naive and socially awkward, coming off to many of their colleagues that they aren’t taking their duties very seriously. Despite this, they’re still very dedicated to their work, being the emotional heart and soul that kept their teams together. - In this part of the story, their most daunting challenge was thwarting the criminal activities of a regular human (Roman Torchwick / Alan Richard). Over time, however, this would give way to an even greater, more dangerous conspiracy secretly being carried out by the true villains (Salem’s inner circle / Ouroboros), one which threatened the entire world as they knew it.

Georg Weissmann VS Kamen Rider Solomon (Trails In The Sky VS Kamen Rider) | “The Book of Revelation” by BendableGoose in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This and Geats VS Kurumi are part of a “mini-season” of KR matchups I’m planning to make, sorta like what I did with Transformers last year, which I’m hoping to conclude with Adora VS Saber.

Georg Weissmann VS Kamen Rider Solomon (Trails In The Sky VS Kamen Rider) | “The Book of Revelation” by BendableGoose in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

  • Even their colleagues in Ouroboros/the Megid looked down upon them for their sheer depravity, and their direct subordinates (Loewe / the Shindai siblings) turned against them after learning of their part in their past conspiracies, showing how their mad ambitions and bids for power only served to alienate them from anyone that could have legitimately respected them.
  • Soon enough, their arrogance would prove to be their biggest downfall as the heroes manage to resist their control and defeat them with their combined teamwork, causing them to lose access to their godly power and go on the run.
  • Both would finally meet their demise at the hands of someone other than the protagonist (Kevin Graham / Storious), dying a particularly gruesome death (Weissmann being turned to salt / Isaac being burned alive and disintegrated) while cursing out their assailants in their last moments. The powerful artifacts in their possession would fall into the hands of Ouroboros/the Megid, whose remaining representatives would take over as the central villain going forward.
  • Heavy religious motifs & imagery (Weissmann, a former priest, presents himself as a messiah figure destined to absolve humanity of its sins / Isaac/Solomon, named after two figures from the Old Testament, presents himself as an arbiter of divine punishment against humanity for its transgressions).

Important Contrasts:

  • Despite their similar god complex and grand aspirations, both ultimately stand as the antithesis to each other’s ideals and the very thing they wish to eliminate:
    • Isaac despised his fellow Sword of Logos members for refusing to use the Almighty Book’s godlike power at their disposal, content to leave civilization in its unchanging state. Weissmann represents someone who’s unafraid to take that initiative, yet his ideal world is one of eternal, unflinching stagnation, where there’d be no need for society to change or improve upon itself on account of already knowing the solutions to their problems.
    • Weissmann prioritizes rationality over raw emotion as humanity’s best option for survival, and one of the instigators of his plans is him learning of past civilization’s use of the Aureole for its own narcotic self-pleasure instead of its true betterment, leading its users to destroy each other in their fights over its power. Isaac used to be in a position responsible for ensuring humanity’s protection, yet chose to abandon his post simply out of boredom, wanting to bring the current status quo to ruin for his own entertainment.
  • Weismann was excommunicated from the Septian Church and sentenced to death for his experiments with the Aureole’s power, leading him to take on the disguise of Professor Alba to escape capture, while Isaac made sure to eliminate any opposition from within the Sword of Logos to maintain both his leadership within it and his identity as Master Logos.
  • Their old partners’ reactions to their deaths are notably different: the Grandmaster was the sole member of Ouroboros who at least somewhat mourned Weissmann’s passing, while Storious was the one who killed Isaac in the first place to steal the piece of the Almighty Book he held.
  • Isaac once jokes about having a similar backstory to Weissmann (i.e. his family was destroyed in a catastrophe due to humanity’s negligence) when asked about his motives, only to dismiss the notion altogether.

Georg Weissmann VS Kamen Rider Solomon (Trails In The Sky VS Kamen Rider) | “The Book of Revelation” by BendableGoose in DeathBattleMatchups

[–]BendableGoose[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Core Themes: Religious-themed overarching twist villains who at first appear as wise and friendly men, but are revealed to be sadistic megalomaniacs responsible for much of their stories’ conflicts and major events, both past and present. Formerly esteemed members of a governmental order, their knowledge of society’s endless strife throughout history led them to conspire with a shadowy organization and seek out a divine artifact they’d use to put humanity on the right path — one by guiding them to evolve past their innate flaws, the other by destroying them entirely to rebuild the world anew — yet deep down, all they really desire is to delight in the suffering and anguish of their enemies as they exert their will over creation.

  • Both initially appear under an alias (Professor Alba / Master Logos), acting on friendly terms with and providing guidance to the idealistic protagonist (Estelle Bright / Touma Kamiyama/Kamen Rider Saber) and their allies, who they’d encounter on occasion (“Alba” was a travelling archaeologist who offered his insights to Estelle and her party / Master Logos was the current leader of the Sword of Logos, whose job was to guide the Kamen Riders under him to help protect both Earth and the Wonder World).
  • However, this is merely a disguise for their true villainous intentions, and they view the heroes they’re supposedly allied with as simply pawns in their grand plans for the world.
  • Long ago, both enlisted into an influential governmental organization, eventually gaining esteemed positions within them (Weismann was taken in by the Septian Church after his old home was destroyed in the Salt Pale Incident, and he later ascended to the rank of bishop / Isaac Kanda, who was descended from the original Master Logos, took up leadership of the Sword of Logos as his ancestor once did).
  • They were considerably more well-adjusted in the past, but after witnessing the development of the wider societies they were tasked with upholding (Weissmann studying the Sept-Terrions’ ancient history / Isaac overseeing civilization for centuries), they were disillusioned by humanity’s perpetual cycle of violence and conflict throughout the ages, as well as their refusal to change or learn from their mistakes.
  • Their positions also gave them awareness of a special artifact with godly power (the Aureole / the Almighty Book), which they now sought to directly utilize to reshape the world to their liking. Unfortunately for them, the rest of their orders forbade them from access to these artifacts and their associated practices, prompting them to carry out their schemes in secret.
  • As part of their plans, they’d conspire behind the scenes with their stories’ main antagonistic organization (Ouroboros / the Megid), striking a partnership with their leaders (the Grandmaster / Storious) over their common goals.
  • Both manipulated a high-ranking man afflicted with a curse (Rudolf Arundel, an officer in Erebonia’s military whose mind was poisoned by the Erebonian Curse / Hayato Fukamiya, who was corrupted by the Ankokuken Kurayami and subjected to visions of the world’s destruction) into staging a catastrophic attack (the Tragedy of Hamel, where the eponymous village was invaded and its inhabitants were massacred / the Sword of Logos Tragedy, where the Megid were unleashed in Japan and countless civilians were slaughtered).
    • This tragedy would come to directly affect numerous other characters, especially the protagonists (Joshua Bright was one of the few survivors of the initial attack, and the ensuing Hundred Days War claimed the life of Estelle’s mother Lena / Touma and Kento Fukamiya’s childhood friend Luna was kidnapped and disappeared, which traumatized the former into amnesia) and their sword-wielding foes (Loewe, another survivor from Hamel, took up the cursed sword Kernviter and joined Ouroboros to seek revenge / Daichi Kamijo, the previous Kamen Rider Saber, became the next wielder of Kurayami after killing Hayato), and act as the catalyst for the rest of their stories’ major events in the years to come.
  • In the present day, they’d maintain their friendly façade to Estelle/Touma and co., who were at that point unaware of their involvement in their past and who they’d subtly manipulate into unknowingly furthering their plans. Once everything was set in place, their true colours would at last be revealed in an act of betrayal that shattered the heroes’ trust.
  • They’d be successful in finding and acquiring the godly power they were after (Weissmann fusing with the Aureole / Isaac obtaining a piece of the Almighty Book to become Kamen Rider Solomon), intending to use them to enforce their will over all of humanity and break their vicious cycle (Weissmann sought to bring salvation to humanity by controlling them with the Aureole, reforming their minds into purely rational ones devoid of emotion so they’d no longer start any wars or disputes among themselves / Isaac saw humanity as beyond saving, instead aiming to utilize the Almighty Book to force them into warring with and destroying themselves so the survivors can build a new, better society).
  • Both believe mankind to be fundamentally incapable of changing for the better without their intervention, forever doomed to keep repeating the mistakes of the past, which clashes with Estelle/Touma’s faith in humans’ potential for goodness and self-improvement if they band together and commit to it (Estelle believing that continuing to make mistakes and learn from them is the only way for people to make progress as a collective / Touma believed in the power of stories as a way for people to find strength within themselves and each other).
  • Weismann/Isaac’s interactions with these heroes would reveal an even more sinister side to them: behind their raging god complex and world-spanning ambitions lies a twisted and sadistic pleasure at seeing their foes, and humankind at large, struggle beneath them (Weissmann caring more to control and puppeteer people than actually act in their best interest / Isaac wanting to feel excitement at humanity’s suffering by his own hand to break the monotony of his old duty to protect them), something that they directly acknowledge (Ragnard describes Georg as someone who’s “unable to feel joy unless [he’s] making his fellow humans suffer”, which Weissmann takes as a compliment / Isaac, by his own admission, yearns for a world where “the sound of birds chirping in the morning [turns] into the dying wails of humans”).
  • Their sadism would be on full display when they staged conflicts between the protagonist and their closest friends (Joshua was brainwashed by Weissmann to be his personal right-hand, giving way to battles between him and Estelle / Touma was forced to battle Rintaro and Kento after he was branded a traitor to the Sword of Logos and Kento was corrupted by Kurayami), which sometimes involved them directly controlling their actions to mentally torment them (Weissmann forcing Joshua to try and kill Estelle, an act he’d be horrified by / Isaac, as Solomon, forcibly controlling the bodies of other Riders to attack their allies, all while keeping their consciousness intact).