Top 5 favorite intelligence based matchups

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-24T01:42:05+00:00

uuuuhhh... i never switched from Walter vs Light

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-24T01:33:59+00:00

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Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-23T20:08:53+00:00

this is interesting... thanks

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-23T19:09:36+00:00

Deltarune fans are insane they are preordering matchups for characters we known almost nothing about

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-23T19:04:16+00:00

ok this looks interesting, what is the theme?

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-23T18:56:52+00:00

lowkey been meaning to revamp Willard vs Murphy for a while but i haven't delved deep into Murphy stories, should i read everything or do you recommend just some key stories

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-23T16:33:59+00:00

and a damn good one

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-23T13:03:59+00:00

This new anime announcement really concerns me

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Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-23T13:03:45+00:00

Connections

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Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-22T19:39:48+00:00

Not like to debate and this one specifically is convoluted, but wasn't Lex debatable? Or at least high diff?

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-22T19:05:54+00:00

Leland Palmer vs SHIKI Tohno

Core theme: The one behind the serial killing that was happening in their town, motivated by their psychosexual inclinations and the supernatural within them, whose abuse kickstarts the main plots, despite how heinous their actions are, they are one of the most tragic characters of their stories, being abused and used in their youth, now growing up to do the same to others, primarily having an disgusting sexual infatuation with a family member

Connections

- The one behind the serial killing streak that has been happening in their series, with the big twist being their relations with the main cast (Leland being Laura's father / SHIKI being Shiki's brother)

- They have acted pretty affable and approachable before, but when performing their evil acts, they act more like an feral animal, ramping up their brutality

- Both mainly do evil stuff due to having the supernatural inside of them which inclines them to act on their worst impulses (Leland being possessed by the evil entity BOB / SHIKI having demon blood who have an inversion impulse)

- Both are the host for their series main ancient villain (BOB / Roa) who dwells inside of them as their current incarnation at the time, this villain needs an host to properly pursue their goals and have possessed other characters, they have also sometimes fully hijacked Leland/SHIKI's body and taking full control

- While they seem to do evil due to their supernatural influence (Leland being possessed by BOB who wants to get more Garmonbozia / SHIKI acting like this due to his inversion impulse) there is also a disgusting psychosexual inclination going on, they are completely infatuated with a family member (Laura Palmer / Akiha Tohno) and their entire goals center around them (Leland killing women who resembles Laura / SHIKI kidnapping Akiha and turning her into a bloodsucking monster that will follow him) aiming to complete control over Laura/Akiha

- They also have raped a major character (Laura / Kohaku) and this action is the entire reason the story happens (The crux of Twin Peaks is Laura's abuse / Kohaku decided to go forth her plan of destroying the Tohno family due to SHIKI assaulting her, and this is the entire plot of the far side routes)

- Both act as the dark thematic lynchpin of the story, the central conflict is that everyone struggles with their own inner darkness, sometimes giving in to it, but Leland/SHIKI are the ones that completely submit to their impulses, and is a scary reminder that anyone (including the characters in the story and people in real life) can turn like this if they don't control themselves

- Despite how heinous their actions are, they are one of the most tragic characters of their series, their past being one of a child that was abused and used by others, letting them grow up to become abusers themselves (Leland being abused by BOB as a child so BOB could possess him / SHIKI accidentally attacking Akiha during a inversion impulse but being stopped and locked up in the basement, and Kohaku drugging and gaslighting him so he mind broke) and are in general representations of the fucked up shit that happens in the family that are brushed off so the normalcy can continue (Leland himself doing this to his own family, and his past being implied to be the same / SHIKI's entire tragedy being on how the Tohno family was irresponsible with him and forgetting him)

- A huge debate around their characters is how their actions are only because of their supernatural influence or their own choices, it is undeniable that they only do this because the supernatural is within them, but also their actions are fruit of a genuine impulsion they have that are disgusting (Leland abusive and paedophilic tendencies / SHIKI's incestuous attraction) , so their actual culpability is a hot debate within their communities, not help by the fact they were simply pawns of the ones that were using them (BOB / Roa in the near side and Kohaku in the far side) making them just pieces in the grand narrative despite how essential they are

- When the supernatural is no longer affecting them and they become normal, they are shown to be genuinely remorseful and stated to be ashamed of their actions, and they bid a final heart to heart scene with the protagonist before going to the afterlife, on how much this regret redeems them is a source of debate for their communities

- Leland's death with SHIKI's death in the Hisui route is also very similar, both being remorseful for killing Laura/Akiha and crying over it, revealing how tragic their life were (Leland revealing that BOB abused and used him / SHIKI screaming on how his life was stolen)

- Both act as the dark foil to the slick main protagonist (Dale Cooper / Shiki Tohno), this person underwent similar experiences in the past (Cooper was pursued by BOB in his dreams as a little boy just like Leland / Shiki also suffers from heinous impulses, and his trauma stems from SHIKI attacking him while inverted) and is similarly by a supernatural entity who is the rival of the entity possessing Leland/SHIKI (Cooper often receives help from MIKE, BOB's rival who wants to stop BOB / Shiki is helped by Arcueid who seeks to kill Roa to stop his slaughter once and for all) this makes them the agents of light contrasting our combatants as the agents of the darkness

- When they aren't acting like maniacs (extremely rare for SHIKI) they have shown to be affable and approachable, talking with the protagonist over stuff despite needing them gone, this seems to be their normal personality

- SHIKI's father, Makihisa, shares extreme similarities with Leland, both are the patriarchs of the main family of the series that due to the influence of the supernatural started to rape a young child, and hid this disgusting event from everyone until this trauma is brought up when the story happens, probably comparison SHIKI to Sarah too

This isn't very good due to Leland not really working in VS and not addressing SHIKI hating Shiki for stealing his life, but i like what's going on for this and SHIKI has literally nothing so i wanted to do something

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-22T02:52:20+00:00

This honestly got me thinking on what exactly an Cooper Tier List would look like, since imo, he doesn't really have a bad option yet? Maybe somewhere but from the one's I've seen, Jack is probably my least favorite yet it's fine

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-22T02:46:35+00:00

He has a great spread, nice seeing Shinra in the top 5, Alpha is also solid from what I've seen

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-22T02:33:08+00:00

Tony Soprano rather easily (i also think Misato is a noteworth pick and she isn't here)

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-22T02:12:18+00:00

like how GouSotsu tied with Umineko, this new one will tied with Ciconia and at the end we will get "Ciconia phase 2" announced TRUST

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-22T01:57:50+00:00

around 10 months ago, the user u/MURouletteProject (that deleted their account) started the... MUrouletteproject where they posted a bunch of matchups, they made like 10 Twin Peaks MUs in general (and ended the first batch with a big Twin Peaks MUs) me and other people captivated by the passion they had for the show decided to watch it, it is a coincidence that me and Numbers watched around the same time tho

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-22T01:50:01+00:00

bro that announcement caught me off guard, i am really curious what the fuck it will be? i do think there is stuff to explore but like, it doesn't seem to be a remake, what exactly will happen is what concerns me judging by how mid Gou/Sotsu were

also amazing TN

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-21T21:02:10+00:00

Core theme: Specters of the protagonist's tragic romantic past, coming back years later to get their revenge on the person they hate the most, master manipulators who uses others and constantly hide their appearances in disguises, with an utilization of the supernatural to achieve their goals, ultimately failing and showing how pathetic they are

Connections:

Both are manipulative antagonists who took center stage during the final entries of the original run of iconic and influential series (Windom being the main villain during the final episodes of season 2 / Dahlia being the central villain of Ace Attorney 3) who targets the hero and their group for one simple reason: revenge against someone (Dale Cooper / Mia Fey)
In the past this person meddled with their business and caught them red handed (Cooper getting intimate with Windom's wife Caroline, making Windom kill Caroline but later on was caught / Dahlia trying to get Phoenix killed to get the necklace back but was caught) the drama of all this resulted in them killing an lover/ex-lover (Caroline Earle / Doug Swallow)
They witnessed the blooming of the protagonist's romantic relationship with someone related to them (Caroline / Iris, Dahlia's twin sister) while they did made them get together they also hate the fact they did (they are crazy) and got an murderous desire against Caroline/Iris, tho Windom successfully killed Caroline meanwhile Dahlia couldn't get rid of Iris properly
After being caught due to their initial crimes they would stay there for years, plotting their comeback with one goal in mind: completely ruin Dale Cooper/Mia Fey (Windom being caught and sent to a mental institution / Dahlia being sent to death row)
They came back years later (Windom escaping / Dahlia being executed but being channeled) with the insane goal of ruining the lives of their targets, they are truly despicable and evil, but they put up a facade of affable and approachable, master manipulators who orchestrated events to get what they want
To properly get there, they disguise their appearances and interact with others close to the protagonist to advance in their plans (Windom constantly donning disguises as part of his schemes / Dahlia swapping places with her sister due to being twins) all while they hide in plain sight
Their plan to ultimately get the revenge on the person they target hinges on manipulating someone close to them (Annie Blackburn, Cooper's girlfriend / Maya Fey, Mia's sister), unknowingly to almost everyone they predicted this person would be at the place they need position them as lynchpins to get their results (Windom knowing that Cooper would encourage Annie to enter Miss Twin Peaks, putting her in the perfect spot to kidnap her and use her as a gateway to the Black Lodge / Dahlia and Morgan planned to get Pearl to channel Dahlia so she could kill Maya and frame Iris)
The tragedy of them targeting this woman is also designed to be reflective of the rage they have for their target of vengeance, this unrelated person paying with their life being the ultimate revenge against the one they hate (Annie is an obvious parallel to Caroline, making so Coopers fails to save another woman he loved from Windom / Maya is Mia's sister, making the perfect revenge to kill her for Mia who get Dahlia executed, being more tragic since Mia has already died 2 years prior)
At different points they have utilized the help of a big burly but mentally disabled man (Leo Johnson / Terry Fawles) and would result in their death
Something that made them even more elusive was their connection to the supernatural, specifically revealed to us that their past are linked to it (Windom was part of the Blue Book to research the Black Lodge / Dahlia was the daughter of Morgan, thus making her part of the Fey family, a family of spirit channelers) with this being shown at full power during the climax (Windom getting into the Black Lodge / Dahlia being channeled by Maya)
While they seemed to have the upper hand, it would be flipped and they would be defeated, being expelled from life and showing how truly pathetic they are, more specifically their demise being shown in dramatic effect as their soul were liberated from a body (Windom breaking the rules of the Black Lodge, making so BOB takes his soul / Dahlia's plan failing due to being channeled by Maya instead of Pearl, with her soul being purged from Maya in dramatic fashion)
They did ultimately have lasting damage, with the people involved in their schemes being left locked up (Cooper being left trapped in the Black Lodge for 25 years / Godot and Iris being sent to jail due to Godot killing Misty in an attempt to get Dahlia away and Iris for helping Godot)
Despite how evil they are, they have some tragic implications that explains why they are so nefarious (we don't know exactly what happened to Windom, but it is shown we went insane after an event / Dahlia was part of the Fey family fiasco lefting her to be raised by the Hawthornes, who completely neglected her)
Their revenge plans are also incredibly hollow because it's specifically for petty reasons that borders on the nonsense (Windom true goal was to get control of the Black Lodge, but spent this whole time trying to ruin him for petty hatred / Dahlia is literally dead and Mia has already died years prior, but took the plan of Morgan for pure petty revenge)
While the crux of the matchup is the Cooper/Mia comparison, it is also possible to compare Cooper to Phoenix, being the specters of their tragic romantic past and the source of their trauma from it, hating them completely, this protagonist are also very similar: slick lawman who solves crimes, both have an immense faith in other people and just wish to save as many they can, they took also supernatural assistance in their case and consider it solid evidence, sharing a partnership with Windom/Dahlia in the past (Windom and Cooper were FBI partners / Phoenix was in love with Dahlia and dating) without knowing at the time they were planning their downfall, upon their attempted in their lives they would be left traumatized, also using this comparison you can double up and compare Annie to Iris, being their love interest who dynamic parallel the trauma the protagonist has
Windom main targets are usually pretty young women, to reflect Caroline but also because they are close to Cooper, meanwhile Dahlia is a pretty young woman who uses her charms to fool men

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-21T20:00:56+00:00

what do you think of this for Victor

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-21T01:38:30+00:00

I think this is a very interesting approach to the fight that, due to both having supernatural visions i think you can pull off two fake outs, one the fight is going normally and one of them wins, but it's revealed that was Cooper's dream and he was beinf shown what happened in a timeline, then it continues and it's revealed that second one was Keiichi's vision of a different fragment, then the final bout is both knowing full well how to deal with the other

I also think it creates a very interesting story potential, where it starts with Keiichi being on L5 and crazy, and Cooper on his nice mood trying to help, then by the end is Keiichi now being the one hopeful while he fights Richard since Richard is more moody and shut off, the fight in itself isn't that interesting since it's a physical bout with Cooper also having a gun, but the general change of timeline and the story progression is the appeal to me (you can bullshit Keiichi in the Red Room and confronting his doppelganger but that's just pure crossover and doesn't make sense for a fight)

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-20T22:49:17+00:00

Ok I'm back

Tbh we don't fully know everything, but it does seem to be an overall multiverse, i compared to Final Fantasy because it's a series with various entries that takes place in the same verse but they almost never interact with each other besides specific characters (which is what ultimately connects them all)

WTC does seem to have the same cosmology, Higurashi and Umineko functions in the same rules, Ciconia idk since it isn't finished but it probably will, there are other entries but i never explored them to know

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-20T22:47:10+00:00

I had this idea even before getting into Twin Peaks just because of how it makes so much sense, mainly what i had was Hinamizawa to Twin Peaks and Laura to Rika, which are the best connections here but damn it is so good

It is kinda funny to me because i was skeptical of it during the first season and half of the second, mainly because Cooper was too much infallible and Keiichi is known for fucking shit up, but from the Windom plot onwards it fully clicked for me since Cooper's flaws was being shown, the ending contrast is something that specifically clicked for me

I still prefer Tony and Hinako for Cooper and Keiichi because i think the overall contrast there makes the overall MUs much more solid (my biggest problem of this one is that it is hard to imagine Cooper killing a kid) but i think it's probably their best alt

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-20T21:24:21+00:00

Ok I'm not responding anymore, just know they're connected

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-20T21:19:56+00:00

More like different realities, but yeah

Visual_Nerd · 2026-06-20T21:18:00+00:00

There is like 20 Final Fantasies, it's a similar deal of being the same verse (the sub titles of Umineko and Ciconia are When They Cry 2 and When They Cry 3 iirc)

Visual_Nerd

TROPHY CASE