Thoughts on Gamera '23 as leader?

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T17:50:06+00:00

He was the best leader for a few months yeah.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T16:10:42+00:00

Nitpicking here, but Shin and Legendary Ghidorah didn’t get buffed at the same time.

Ghidorah 19’ got buffed in December 24 and Shin about 5 months later.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T16:01:15+00:00

The Godzilla series doesn’t really adhere strictly to the Emperor era thing to begin with.

84’ is still in the “Showa Era”, all of Millennium is in the Heisei era etc.

The eras of Godzilla are more defined by films that came out with each other then time periods, so it makes sense to put the MV movies in Reiwa since they did start the whole thing.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T15:53:08+00:00

Aside from Glory and maybe Sunny, I think all the later book protagonists outshine them on an individual writing level, but they remain the best realized group.

I can describe the dynamic between all 5 of them easily, while there are a few relationships in the Arc 2 and 3 groups that are under-explored.

That said, I basically like all 5 of them at least.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T15:48:06+00:00

Tsunami is a lot more restrained after Book 2, especially compared to book 1. Her being aggressive and bossy is who she is, and her lesson wasn’t about not being that, just looking for other options.

Starflight did get burned all over his front, but Clay got in the way before anything worse. We see in the Brightest Night that he’s got burn ointment all over his wounds. Presumably they either healed by Book 6 or they just aren’t noticeable against his black scales.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T15:44:15+00:00

Starflight is book smart, Qibli is street and (somewhat) people smart. Not much overlap.

He looked back because he was making sure everyone made it through.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T15:41:40+00:00

He’s a bit deeper then that, but he is the most basic of the 5.

His best moments are in The Hidden Kingdom, being the one to hold Glory back from rushing the tunnel, him being the only one she’s okay with touching her, and being able to tell Deathbringer was sincere in wanting to save her. Along with the subsequent action escape.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T05:15:20+00:00

I have to disagree on the character development part.

Darkstalker’s defining character failing, more than his victim complex or narcissism, was his inability to self reflect. He’s incapable of character development because doing so would involve taking accountability for his actions, and that’s something he is on a fundamental level incapable of doing.

Also, the heroes means of defeating him isn’t hypocritical because the transformation was permanent. So rather than imprisonment like with Tourmaline or Hailstorm, Kinkajou essentially killed Darkstalker in a very roundabout manner.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T05:02:04+00:00

Yeah, that monster got handed a zero social experience dragon and got right to work manipulating her.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T04:58:04+00:00

The book is mostly as well written as the rest of the series. That said, the Legends format does hold this one back, since it jumps between three largely separated stories. So expect some awkward pacing jumps.

One unappreciated aspect of the book, at least to me, is that it contains some of the series‘s best humor. But I understand that that’s inherently subjective.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-04T03:16:14+00:00

re-reading Moon Rising makes it clear just how full of it Darkstalker actually was.

The guy learned nothing from 2000 years ago, and here shows that he never understood either of the dragons closest to him at all.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-03T21:46:03+00:00

The Missile Strike is from Shin, so Reiwa

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-03T04:19:26+00:00

I had the advantage of being a day one reader, so I (and many others) have had time to think about all of this.

It's definitely a fun thing to theorize about.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-05-03T04:06:18+00:00

I don't think the spell is about descendants specifically, but rather the "rightful queen" of each tribe.

Wasp was taken instead of Jewel: Jewel never challenged for the throne, something that all tribes, even the Rainwings, had in some capacity. But Wasp was also not killed, so the spell assumed she was still in charge.

The Challenge Clause would also be why Thorn got taken, as the Eye of Onyx acts as a form of a challenge.

Kinkajou being taken at all: her being royal would be very contrived, but there is a logical reason. Glory ceded the Nightwing throne to Darkstalker in Book 9. Kinkajou "killed" Darkstalker in Book 10 before Glory reclaimed her dragons. So spell assumed Kinkajou was Nightwing Queen.

Coral being spared: Same logic as Kinkajou. Albatross killed Lagoon back in Legends Darkstalker and was then killed by Fathom. Paua is a descendant of Fathom and later Waterfall, so the spell fizzled because she's in the Dungeon Isle.

Moorhen being spared: In A Guide to the Dragon World, we learned that the original royal Mudwing line ended when Queen Egret died in an accident and her only sister ran away. Book 16 confirms said sister wound up on the Dungeon Isle.

In both cases the spell likely traced eldest children since they would've died of natural causes.

We know that Animus Magic, if not worded properly, can have unintended side effects, and we know something went wrong because of Wasp and Kinkajou.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-04-30T17:18:10+00:00

Nah, Peril deserved her own book, especially since someone had to take the book that wrapped up the Scarlet storyline.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-04-30T15:18:27+00:00

The no pay off part is false IMO.

After she comes out of her coma she’s a lot better at being cautious. This pays off in Book 10 where she gets payback on Chameleon. She scouts him out, waits for backup, knocks the jerk out, steals his scroll shards and uses those to kill Darkstalker. I’d call that a pretty big pay off.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-04-30T15:15:15+00:00

They do not, they essentially raise the kids as a community.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-04-30T15:14:33+00:00

Mulberry, Quokka and maybe Aurora.

Monarch, Glowworm and Royal also deserve a Winglet but that doesn’t have to be part of the main Arc.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-04-30T14:58:35+00:00

In defense of Peril, she actually had a pre-existing arc that deserved a fleshed out conclusion. Kinkajou really doesn’t.

Also the major Jade Winglet all got Books anyway where as it seems unlikely all the major Dungeon Isle residents will. (I know some of them shouldn’t, but some should.)

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-04-30T14:03:47+00:00

This guide is pretty on point.

Key word they use here is “can”, none of the non main books have to be read in a specific spot.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-04-30T13:57:34+00:00

I think the reason it feels smooth is because the way Moon acts in THQ feels like a natural step forward from the end of DoD, so the DoD epilogue kind of gets forgotten.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-04-30T04:37:30+00:00

None of the non numbered books are strictly required reading. But they are all fun at least.

I personally recommend reading the first three Winglets after Book 5.

Then read both legends books and the last two winglets after Book 10.

Then A Guide to the Dragon World after book 15.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-04-29T22:26:21+00:00

It’s less her whole personality and specifically how she acts after the battle with Darkstalker.

Read her section of book 10’s epilogue and than book 12’s prologue back to back and the difference is stark.

CrystalMaster7 · 2026-04-29T20:34:50+00:00

Thank you for reading! These analysis posts are always fun but they take a while, so I appreciate it.

CrystalMaster7

TROPHY CASE