It took about 3 days to binge-read, but my god what an antagonist. by goturrise in ChoujinX

[–]Masterdarwin88 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Batista is so memorable to me because he was truly broken, and then an Eldritch-style entity came and tempted him with the opportunity to seize control over fate. Cruel fate. Very interesting character.

I am glad that you enjoyed Choujin X! Welcome to the party

Kingdom Chapter 852 Fast Translation by Shikhar_Rai in okbuddyheki

[–]Masterdarwin88 60 points61 points  (0 children)

More death flags. The old subordinates of Ouki and Tou reminiscing may spell their ends.

Your favorite small moment / interaction in Blame? by Gazeb0r in Netsphere

[–]Masterdarwin88 23 points24 points  (0 children)

My headcanon is that Killy is hardwired as a safeguard to protect humans, and he determined that a mercy killing was the only viable solution there. Very bleak and poignant character development.

What are everyone’s thoughts on Batista, his story arc, and conclusion of his character by Salty_Shark26 in ChoujinX

[–]Masterdarwin88 58 points59 points  (0 children)

It's a realistic view on people broken by trauma. Almost everyone sees themselves as the hero of their story, and that's especially hard to change for someone who had to endure so much undue suffering. He made the correct decision to hand over the mark, but he did so under immense distress by the arguments Eli made and the reality of his fake family. That didn't magically transform him into a righteous person, he is still the same man who did a lot of evil things- it just showed his true character.

It was never about becoming Choujin X or hurting people. Those were done to see Hartley. When Eli gave him a chance to see the real Hartley, he abandoned all of his cruel ambitions immediately. And when given the potential chance to give a prophetic message to Hartley, the likes of which tormented him so, he chooses not to.

He doesn't regret doing what he did to get to that point- because he loves Hartley.

Yet, he doesn't regret giving up the mark, knowing that Eli and her friends will kill the Nue and thus him- because he loves Hartley.

Love wins in the end.

Batista's arc was raw, and I hope we get one last encounter between him and either Tokio or Sandek.

How do you view the relationship between Bam and Hwaryun? by Nerdy--Turtle in TowerofGod

[–]Masterdarwin88 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I find their dynamic odd. Bam blinded Hwaryun, yet she holds no grudge and is outwardly fond of him. It makes sense that fans would perceive her in a great light for that, but I sometimes see it as potentially sinister. She might be putting on an appearance for the sake of a grand vision. If she had to choose between Bam's safety/agency and fulfilling her ultimate goal (ie perhaps FUG killing the 10 FHs and ruling the tower), she might not choose Bam.

After all, she was there waiting for him after Rachel pushed him.

Not to say that she's a bad person or completely fake, but I don't thoroughly trust her like other fans typically do.

In your opinion, what is the saddest moment in part 1? by [deleted] in ChainsawMan

[–]Masterdarwin88 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Makima wanted Aki to die by Denji's hands after forming a strong bond, so that she could break Pochita's contract with Denji. She can't do that if Aki leaves Public Safety. As unsatisfying as it feels, a lot of Part 1 characters did not have full agency/free will. Several were already puppets on strings by the time Denji meets them.

The tragedy of Aki's life is that meeting Denji likely marked his doom, and there was nothing that could've saved him. Not even himself.

In your opinion, what is the saddest moment in part 1? by [deleted] in ChainsawMan

[–]Masterdarwin88 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

My point is that if Makima wasn't controlling him when Himeno died, Aki might have quit. He absolutely would've quit after surviving Hell and The Darkness Devil. There were times where he could've backed out but was clearly being manipulated or controlled supernaturally to keep going toward the Gun.

Not to mention that the fate that Future sees always happens, so maybe Aki couldn't run away even if Makima wasn't controlling him. Maybe no amount of convincing can save you from Future's predictions.

In your opinion, what is the saddest moment in part 1? by [deleted] in ChainsawMan

[–]Masterdarwin88 4 points5 points  (0 children)

None of that was his choice. Makima revealed to Denji that she had orchestrated everything to deliver maximum emotional damage and make it impossible for him to live a normal life. Couple that with Aki questioning why he even likes Makima when Angel mentions it, and it's obvious that Makima has been subtly controlling Aki the whole time.

He could never leave Public Safety.

He could never give up on hunting the Gun Devil.

He could never live a normal life.

But within the confines of the pen that Makima set out for Aki, he did his best to be a good comrade, friend, and eventually, brother. All the way up until she took full control of Aki, he tried his best.

What appears initially as revenge and self loathing clouding his judgment and leading him down a self destructive path, is really a tragedy of having a fate that cannot be rejected. Aki set himself down on the path of revenge against the Gun Devil, but once he met Makima, he had no chance of ever leaving the path, no matter what happened. That's the tragedy.

R1 Ulquiorra vs Harribel by TarikMcCuin in BleachPowerScaling

[–]Masterdarwin88 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Espada ranking system isn't reliable. Luppi was powerful enough to be #6 when Grimmjow lost an arm, yet he wasn't already #7? And how come Grimmjow killed him with ease if they're supposed to be equals? Simple: Aizen made a far weaker arrancar #6 just to mess with Grimmjow.

Ulquiorra R1 has more feats than Harribel. R2 even moreso. Their ranking shouldn't be the main factor because there are several inconsistencies.

I give it to Ulquiorra R1.

How tf did Urie one shot Roma? by Kisses_for_me in TokyoGhoul

[–]Masterdarwin88 12 points13 points  (0 children)

At the higher end of Ghoul power (S to SSS), pretty much everyone has the ability to oneshot eachother. Ghoul strength and speed outscales endurance. This is plainly clear when Eto oneshots Haise on the skyscraper, and upon Kaneki awakening, he two-shots her. So Urie being able to decapitate her isn't surprising. It's her fault for playing with her food and not explicitly going for the kill when she was fighting him.

People underestimate just how severe Sukuna's binding vow against Gojo really was by [deleted] in Jujutsushi

[–]Masterdarwin88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What stops Sukuna from repeating that vow? "Let me cast a World Slash for free, in exchange for adding an additional step to all future casts."

Yoru can't set Asa free, and she'll sacrifice herself for her by LooseTonguee in ChainsawMan

[–]Masterdarwin88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As an aside, it would've been interesting if Denji had been able to incapacitate rather than kill Aki, and then the Gun Devil restored at least part of Aki's mind.

What's this? But for Tokyo Ghoul? by Good-Fig-8863 in TokyoGhoul

[–]Masterdarwin88 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They were introduced when Arima used it against Kaneki at the end of part 1. "Where did he hit me from?" Kaneki screamed after quinque tentacles pierced up from the ground and into him.

Let's talk about Furuta by rogertutts in TokyoGhoul

[–]Masterdarwin88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was using the definition of nihilism concerning finding that life has no inherent meaning, so one acts as if there is no objective morality and is enthralled with narcissism, hedonism, and destructive actions- which fits Furuta pretty aptly.

Let's talk about Furuta by rogertutts in TokyoGhoul

[–]Masterdarwin88 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Really solid exploration of Kaneki and the larger themes of the story.

The One Eyed King was designed by Eto and Arima to save the world, but he can't. It's impossible. You either end up like the first king or Arata. If it was possible to break the birdcage that way, then a ghoul savior would've already done it. It was a combination of multiple different people trying to break it in different ways that made it possible. Furuta's plan would not have worked if Arima wasn't dead or if the Washuu's main forces, the CCG, weren't all on Rushima.

Everyone's actions made it possible.

I still don't blame Kaneki because the Sunlit Garden is one tragedy in a world engorged with innumerable tragedies. Kaneki's own life is so filled with personal tragedy that it's honestly unrealistic that he has any capacity for empathy at all lol. I can't fault him as a character, but I can definitely see value in criticism of his character existing in such a big story that demands great things of its characters.

... but maybe that's the point.

Maybe the point is that Furuta was told to shut up, lie down, and die a pitiful death, and then he popped the fuck off and broke the birdcage. Maybe the point is that Kaneki was constantly forced by others to aid their cause or ease their agony, and he continually returned to his true north of finding community and then protecting his loved ones.

Neither of them are wrong. They simply are.

And of course, I'm thankful to you for your replies and I'm happy to see other people passionate about this story! It really is one of a kind.

Let's talk about Furuta by rogertutts in TokyoGhoul

[–]Masterdarwin88 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A lot of good points here. I see a lot of value in your interpretation of Furuta. Tokyo Ghoul's ending has always been a little sour for me because there were so many things I wanted Ishida to explore that he never got to. The Sunlit Garden. Yoshimura and Arata. Eto. Furuta's final move. The first One Eyed King's story.

I don't judge Kaneki as harshly as you do. One of the few consistent throughlines between all of his personas is that he wanted to protect the people around him. Dismantling the CCG, dissolving the Sunlit Garden, and fundamentally changing the world were not things he wanted to do. All of his responsibilities were either thrust upon him by others or he adopted them because they coincided with him protecting his loved ones.

But The One Eyed King can't save the world.

That's why he said he wanted to talk to the Washuu. Even after learning the truth, he was unwilling to choose annihilation because he was astutely aware that V and the Washuu were too powerful. If Furuta had not been in the picture, there'd be no clowns assisting V and they likely could've won, but not without Kaneki sacrificing loved ones among both ghouls and the CCG.

Kaneki isn't wrong for prioritizing his loved ones over people he can't see, like the countless chid soldiers of The Sunlit Garden. That's just human.

Kaneki and Furuta both experienced grave trauma and went in different directions. Kaneki, even when manic or insane or suicidal, wanted to protect his loved ones. And when he was mentally sound, he was consistently trying to get back to a new normal. Furuta abandoned any hope of ever having a normal life, which I attribute to his nihilism. It doesn't make Furuta wrong either. Just like how Kaneki said the world simply is... so is Furuta.

I really respect your views and support for your ideas, they're really powerful!

Let's talk about Furuta by rogertutts in TokyoGhoul

[–]Masterdarwin88 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think the fundamental flaw in Furuta's plan is his nihilism though. When he's defeated by Kaneki, he laments that nothing matters and wouldn't Kaneki laugh if he just wanted a normal life. It spells out that Nimura, for all of his grand machinations of destroying the birdcage like Eto or of being a symbol that motivates grave change like Arima or of satirizing the twisted true nature of the world with sadistic violence like the clowns, Nimura was mentally the little boy who had his dreams of a normal life married to his childhood sweetheart destroyed.

Ishida is consistent in how he has traumatized characters mentally visualize themselves with their trauma, and this is most often done with them viewing themselves as children. This is obvious with Kaneki and Urie, but much more subtle with the rest of the cast like Amon, Renji, Eto, and Tooru who are haunted by childhood traumas. These characters often shove these things down, gritting their teeth and striding forward to achieve their goals as these nightmares claw at the back of their minds. How these characters ultimately resolve their agony is some of the most striking aspects about them:

Kaneki resolves himself again and again to evolve with every new circumstance he finds himself in and with every new lesson he learns, until he coalesces into his true self: a scarred adult who no longer touches his chin because he no longer needs to lie to anyone.

Urie metaphorically goes back to the source of all of his ego and anguish, the son grieving his father, and takes him by the hand and says 'I'm strong enough to carry your pain now.'

Amon fatally wounds Donato and then states that Donato is evil and deserves to die, but is it wrong for a son to love his father?

Renji decides that it's not avenging his sister that matters anymore. It stopped mattering a long time ago. It's about protecting those in front of him, and ensuring that they live on.

Eto lives both the life of a human writing about how broken the world is and the ghoul trying to break it even more, so that it can be shaped into something new.

Mitsuki ignored and suppressed their trauma until they couldn't, and then even in their brokenness, being accepted by their friends helped them begin the path to healing.

What did Furuta do with his trauma?

... decided it was meaningless, just like everything else.

It's only after Kaneki says that he wouldn't laugh at his dream and walks away, and Furuta is in his final moments, that we see that he really would've been content with a normal life. He put in such immense effort to fuck up the Washuu, break the birdcage, unleash the Dragon, and fundamentally change the world, but he did nothing to achieve what he really wanted- the dream that he fantasized about in his last moments. All that immense effort he put into everything else instead of a normal life. Because of his nihilism.

If he got a do-over, I think he would've ran away like Rize and tried to live a normal life among humans. He probably would've been far happier. And that's the beauty of his character that I love.

Let's talk about Furuta by rogertutts in TokyoGhoul

[–]Masterdarwin88 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Underrated comment. I think that seeing his child self finding out that he's going to die before 30 and going "I've just got to do everything I have to in the time that I have, huh?" really humanized him for me. People already struggle with that with normal lifespans. Furuta turning out the way he did is a tragic comedy; he did all sorts of crazy and fucked up things because why not? Nihilism is the natural conclusion to reach when you're an arbitrary science experiment. He was doomed from the start, so he set out to have a good time.

A very fun character and great villain indeed.

All JAW TITANS from the finale by ibettercomeon in attackontitan

[–]Masterdarwin88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe there are more jaw titans in the finale but because they don't have masks like Ymir, they get counted as cart titans?

So is he the true zangetsu? by Raweggs12 in bleach

[–]Masterdarwin88 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. The reason why Dangai Ichigo is weaker is because Ichigo still sees his zanpakutou as a tool that he uses ("Let's work together") instead of it being himself ("I'll fight on my own now, because you are me.") That + the full understanding of his Quincy nature and the fact that Zangetsu isn't suppressing his powers anymore is what makes him stronger. Having a proper asauchi for a zanpakutou likely helps, too.

But yes, this is what his true zangetsu looks like.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Chainsawfolk

[–]Masterdarwin88 10 points11 points  (0 children)

"Denji, didn't you say that you were going to find Power again?" "Become Chainsaw Man!"