#danganronpa Old Ambitions

[wolfy-tda]

olden days

shoutout to the olden days of when I helped on shit like  Danganronpa Freedoms Revival, re:START and Despair Campus Course  feels so weird looking back on it all. one of them even has my old art retweeted. i wonder how everyone is doing now. shit dude even Old Ambitions

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Hajime Hinata VS Izuku Midoriya [Danganronpa Survivor VS My Hero Academia]

Hifumi: Hajime Hinata, the Ultimate Hope from Hope's Peak Academy.

Leona: Izuku Midoriya, the Symbol of Hope from U.A Academy!

Uchui: The masses need a savior when the world is in danger. In a society that consistently held them back, these incredible heroes began life with nothing and developed the charm, fortitude, compassion, and drive to defend the people they care about.

Hifumi: However, which one of them will prevail when everything is on the line?

Leona: He's Hifumi, I'm Leona and THAT'S Uchui! 

Hifumi: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, talents and skills, to see who will win a DEATH BATTLE!

Leona: So we've decided to have Uchui come back for another major role in an episode, and in case you're wondering why...This. This is why.

Uchui: Yes. After all, I happen to have quite a unique attachment to our combatant today.

Leona: Everyone strap in, because we are about to talk about one of the most convoluted and batshit crazy backstories in all Danganronpa lore...and yes, I ACTUALLY mean that this time.

Hifumi: To start with, let's once again go over Hope's Peak Academy, since it actually plays a pretty heavy role in this story, even more so than compared to our other combatants. There are definitely a lot of talented people in our world who have extraordinary skills that make them appear superior to others. People swarm to these gifted individuals, referring to them as prodigies, savants, or even geniuses.

Leona: And Hope's Peak is a school that focuses on these people, giving them Ultimate titles. Like the 77th Class of Ultimate Students, which were freshmen around the same time this story starts. They included characters like the Ultimate Gamer, Gymnast, Team Manager, Mechanic, Photographer...even Princess and Yakuza!

Uchui: Hope's Peak Academy and it's staff did not care about who you were or where you were from. Be you a poor slum dweller with barely any cash or power to your name, or the heir to a powerful empire with a criminal underbelly, it didn't matter. So long as you were the most talented high schooler in your respective field, you could be invited to attend Hope's Peak's main course as an Ultimate.

Hifumi: Emphasis on the "invite" part. Unlike most Japanese high schools, Hope's Peak Academy does not have an entrance exam, at least it didn't at the time. Modern Hope's Peak under the guide of Makoto Naegi is different and more welcoming, but back in the old days, you had to actively be scouted by the academy itself in order for a chance to attend.

Uchui: There WAS, however, more to this. In the year that Class 77-B enrolled, the Reserve Course was launched by the Academy runners. It was designed for students without talent who could attend classes for a hefty fee. Reserve Course attendance was required, and students were treated like regular students, in contrast to Ultimate students who could choose to attend classes or not. Only three Reserve Course students are currently recognized by name, but the most significant by far...was Hajime Hinata.

Hifumi: Like many of his kind, Mr Hinata had always admired Hope's Peak Academy and hoped to attend since he was a young child. It was a lofty ambition of his, comparable to becoming a superhero or celebrity. Being a part of something greater than himself would allow him to overcome his self-consciousness and grow into a person he could be proud of. Being a talentless person, he thought his life was boring, and that he himself was worthless.

Leona: But thanks to the Reserve Course, Hajime got to attend his dream school, lived a happy life, and enjoyed his studies to the fullest, right? Right?

Uchui: Not by a LONG shot. Even as a Reserve student with no talent, Hajime continued to feel inadequate. He was so resentful of his own limitations that it drove him to want to enroll in the Main Course, not be some backup student. And frankly, the Academy itself and the twisted bastards that ran it, the Steering Committee, did NOT help with this. In fact, they only ADDED to the emotional damage!

Hifumi: In the eyes of the academy runners, having talent was the key to success in life; without it, one can only lead a life of mediocrity and meaninglessness. The Reserve Course Students were despised as merely affluent children who gained admission to the Academy of Hope by buying their way in. 

Leona: Oh...Well...That's ok! 'Cause he made a friend! A friend in the form of a really cute and chubby main-course student, Chiaki Nanami! The Ultimate Gamer! They met on the first day of school and met at the fountain to play video games together on a regular basis. She once consoled him after he was upset about not having a talent, telling him that there is more to life than that and that spending time with others is was important.

Uchui: While I can get behind that, and while Hajime was happy to have her company, his obsession with being something greater did not lessen. In fact, the longer he stayed at Hope's Peak, the worse things got, especially when one of his fellow Reserve Course students was murdered by another, and the academy not only refused to do anything about it, but they actively COVERED IT UP to avoid backlash from the public.

Hifumi: When he tried to confront the academy about it, he was swiftly...beaten to the curb. It was here that whatever self-confidence he once had left his body entirely. He wasn't even HUMAN in the eyes of his heroes, just a money-bank! At least...that's what he thought.

Uchui: Truth be told, Hajime had caught the interest of some...suspicious individuals working on an experiment with the Steering Committee...This was the Hope Cultivation Plan, otherwise known as the Izuru Kamukura Project.

Leona: With this being the last straw, Hajime signed up for the project, where he, a young skinny kid, received superpowers to become CAPTAIN AMERICAAAA-This is the wrong script, isn't it?

Hifumi: Well, it DOES share some similarities, but the actual outcome could not have been more drastically different. This is the part you should explain Mr Porosen, assuming you're alright with it...

Uchui: It's perfectly fine. It's why I came on the show today after all...Ahem...Truth be told, the original plan for the Izuru Kamukura Project was proposed by Ryuichi Kamukura, a descendent of Izuru Kamukura; the original founder of Hope's Peak...He's also...my Father...

Leona: If you think that's a yowch, it'll hurt more to know that in spite of Izuru reportedly being a rather humble man, his descendants were anything BUT! The family is basically the Danganronpa equivalent of Umbrella Corp. reputed for their secretly evil and ruthless nature, sacrificing anyone and anything in their quest to achieve perfection. The only exception, and the only one of them who actually had a fucking conscience, was Uchui here.

Uchui: And the Hope Cultivation Plan was supposed to be my father's pièce de résistance. The purpose of the experiment that my father designed, oversaw, and received funding for from The Steering Committee, was to produce artificial hope in talentless students and create the "Ultimate Hope," a student possessing every talent Hope's Peak Academy has ever studied. In actuality, my father implanted pieces of artificial talents into me, making me a test subject who first demonstrated that it was possible. Hope's Peak was sought after by him because he believed that high school age was the ideal age, since I was still a child and my body was not suitable for it. B-But this isn't about me! Since Hajime on the other hand, they deemed was the perfect candidate. 

Hifumi: As you may have surmised, in order to accomplish this goal, immoralities such as human experimentation were needed. For this reason, the Steering Committee concealed the project from everyone, including Principal Jin Kirigiri and the other Hope's Peak Faculty members. As a matter of fact, the Kamukura Project was primarily funded by the Reserve Course, with the majority of students' tuition fees going toward it, and the project had enough money to start the human testing phase before the freshman year of Class 77-B.

Uchui: And for better or worse, the experiment was a SUCCESS! Hajime took this offer because he was so desperate for talent, and in the end he acquired every talent known to man. And so the "Ultimate Hope" came into being—the one and only human being who is flawless and whose abundance of gifts is intended to give others hope.

Leona: Great! So now he can basically do everything! And it's not just a matter of being as great as every Ultimate Student! Hajime actually EXCEEDS all of them in their latent abilities by a MILE!

Uchui: Ultimate Hope is the most powerful talent that our universe has ever known from how it culminates every ability. It includes the powers of Ultimate Analyst, Ultimate Clairvoyant, Ultimate Imposter, Ultimate Lucky Student, Ultimate Martial Artist, Ultimate Secret Agent, Ultimate Soldier, Ultimate Assassin, Ultimate Neurologist, Ultimate Detective, Ultimate Team Manager, Ultimate Gymnast, Ultimate Photographer, Ultimate Cook, Ultimate Animator, Ultimate Programmer, Ultimate Mechanic, Ultimate Musician, Ultimate Pharmacist, Ultimate Gambler, Ultimate Confectioner, Ultimate Blacksmith, Ultimate Pyrotechnician, Ultimate Nurse, Ultimate-

Leona: Stop! STOP! STOOOP! Are you seriously listing EVERYTHING!?

Uchui: Uh...yeah? Is that not the idea?

Leona: We will literally be here FOREVER if you list of EVERY skill he has, you nerd!

Uchui: Oh...I...Sorry...I got a bit carried away there...As dastardly as the circumstances are, I cannot help but marvel at the results.

Hifumi: Well, we DO have to at least explain SOME of them, otherwise our audience won't have much to work with. Why don't we go over the one's that are most notable and important; i.e. the one's that would help him in combat? Then we can elaborate on them and explain feats.

Uchui: Oh, I see! Well in that case, let's start with some basic combative talents like Ultimate Soldier. Because of his talents, Hajime is above superhuman in terms of physical strength, reflexes, and speed. This gives him Mukuro Ikusaba's talent, but to a much larger extent, so he should be able to accomplish all of her achievements and feats as well. Speaking of Ms. Ikusaba, he actually launched her with a backhand move not long after he unlocked his abilities. He can effortlessly dodge bullets like her too.

Leona: That's right! Remember that super badass and almost unbeatable Ultimate Soldier that has incredible instincts that we talked about in Round 2? Hajime was standing RIGHT in front of her, hit her with an attack that she DIDN'T SEE COMING, and ONE-SHOT HER! Holy shit! Where was your Ultra Instinct THAT time Mukuro!?

Hifumi: Speaking of strong characters and matching feats, Mr. Hinata is knowledgeable about and skilled in every martial art, just like Mrs. Sakura Ogami, and he is swift and strong enough to defeat the Monokuma that Junko Enoshima was using in the first Killing Game, whereas SHE could match it.

Leona: With his talents, Hajime should realistically be able to do everything the likes that Genocide Jill, Akane Owari and Nekomaru Nidai; other powerful characters in the series, some of which we've already gone over!

Hifumi: Remember how, without using any climbing equipment, Ms. Owari climbed the Hope's Peak building with ease, detected the smell of cooking meat while on the roof, and survived the fall from the roof to the ground? He can do that too!

Uchui: Remember how Genocide Jill used a pair of scissors to cut through robots the size of small houses, leaped from the ground to a monorail several stories above, shattered glass windows without a running start, cut through a steel door, and deflected blows from a robot the size of a skyscraper? He can do that too!

Leona: Remember how Nekomaru took a shit so hard that it carved a hole through a forest and screamed so hard that he generated three explosions the size of Hope's Peak Academy? He can do that too!

Uchui: Uuuuh...Yes! Yes he can! As much as I loathe to be reminded of that...!

Hifumi: As with Ms. Komaru Naegi, who we've already mentioned has an excellent eye and accuracy, Mr. Hinata also possesses marksman abilities and ought to be the world's greatest marksman. More importantly, he should outclass Kiyoka Maki, the ACTUAL Ultimate Marksman, in terms of dexterity and proficiency with a gun.

Leona: But of course, there's more to fight than just being able to move and punch super fast and hard. You also have to consider skill, tactics, and of course, bullshit. And BOY does he have some BULL-SHIT!

Hifumi: Ironically what may be Izuru's two most useful abilities originally come from less-than-desirable people. His eventual arch-enemy, Junko Enoshima, and his arch-rival, Nagito Komaeda. These talents of course being Ultimate Analytical Prowess and Ultimate Lucky Student respectively.

Uchui: Hajime's analytical abilities are nearly unopposed, much like Junko's, possessing a startlingly high degree of accuracy and speed in his prediction abilities. Additionally, he has the ability to read people the moment he meets them. He also has the talent Ultimate Lie Detector and has stated himself that he can detect dishonesty in others, which renders any attempt to deceive him futile.

Hifumi: Furthermore, he's demonstrated an overabundance of good fortune with the Ultimate Lucky Student talent, to the extent that it can rival that of Nagito Komaeda. He is among the very few individuals who are shielded from Komaeda's extreme bad luck as a result. The best example of this is when Komaeda pointed a gun at Enoshima not long after their first meeting. When he attempts to fire the at the Ultimate Hope, Mr. Hinata's good fortune overrides Komaeda's, causing the gun to jam.

Leona: Ok, but...wait a second...I think I get how this hypothetically COULD be possible. I mean, for performance enhancing and combat powers, you can fiddle with his brain, fuck with his genes or mess with his muscles and skeletal structure. I GET that. But how in the ever-loving fuck do you gift somebody LUCK!? Luck isn't a substance! It's an immaterial thing that has no conclusive sway, so...how is he able to do this?

Uchui: Good question! NEXT QUESTION...!

Leona: Um...alrighty then! So, at the end of the day, Hajime got his wish and then some! He had gone from being a nobody to being the icon that Hope's Peak's morals were grounded on! A symbol of Hope for the future of all mankind! And he was loving every second of it!

Uchui: I'm sure he would...if he had been around to see it...

Leona: I really need to stop jinxing myself...Ok, what happened this time?

Hifumi: Truth be told, a lot of the feats that we've just listed were, technically, not achieved by Mr. Hinata himself. As it turns out, the Steering Committee and the Cultivation Team, as they did VERY OFTEN, DECIEVED Mr. Hinata. In addition to being endowed with an abundance of abilities and boundless potential for greatness, he was also lobotomized in order to eliminate any memories, personality, or other emotional functions that might have impeded the development of talent. Not that they told HIM that.

Leona: Those dirty...FUCKING...BASTARDS!

Uchui: Quite right. Hajime was used as a lab rat by the very people he spent his whole life looking up to, who took advantage of his talent and feelings of admiration for hope. They eliminated every sense, feeling, thought, and pastime that would have impeded the development of talent. His memories of the past, including those of his best friend Chiaki, were all pushed deep into the back of his mind by force. The academy changed Hajime into an entirely different person whose specialty is talent itself by directly interfering with his brain. He was supposed to be the result of all the research done by the faculty at Hope's Peak Academy, a genius among geniuses with a variety of skills. He became an empty shell of a human stuffed with nothing but talent...He became...Izuru Kamukura...!

Leona: He became your granddad?

Uchui: No, he was named after my granddad, silly! Ryuichi wanted to make sure that our "family legacy" was recognized as such, so he and the Hope's Peak Steering Committee named him after the academy founder.

Leona: Ugh this is all...so fucked! How can this get any worse?

Hifumi: Well, three words...Junko...! Fucking...! Enoshima...!

Leona: UUUUUUUUUGH GAAAWWWD! What did she do THIS time!?

Uchui: At first, it seemed as though she was trying to kill him because he was the Ultimate Hope, but Junko's true goal was to attack him knowing she couldn't win in order to demonstrate Despair's unpredictable nature, peaking what little curiosity Izuru had. By forcing him to witness the student council members' mutual murder and many other forms of humanity at their worst, Junko coerced Izuru into leading the Remnants of Despair—a group made up of Chiaki's brainwashed classmates—and causing the Tragedy. Izuru changed his title from "Ultimate Hope" to "Ultimate Despair" after siding with Despair and leading to the total destruction of Hope's Peak and the world.

Leona: On the one hand...this guy is one of the main reasons why the Tragedy happened...But on the other, SWEET TASTY KARMA for the fuckboys at Hope's Peak! It's so REFRESHING MMM!

Hifumi: That's...weirdly psychotic of you...But I suppose it makes sense?

Leona: Ok, but to be fair, putting my lust for vengeance aside, this doesn't sound great...The Ultimate Hope is evil and Hajime is dead! ...OR IS HE!? Later on down the line, Izuru Kamukura got confronted by the Future Foundation and he and his cronies in the Remnants of Despair were placed in the Neo World Program, a program designed to undo Junko's brainwashing after her death.

Hifumi: Following Izuru's entry into the Neo World Program, Hajime's memories were recovered and his former personality was recreated using historical data, essentially resurrecting Hajime from his near-total erasure.

Leona: Awesome! Hajime's alive again, he and his friends are getting...questionable therapy, Junko's dead and everything's back to normal! ...I just did it again, didn't I?

Hifumi: It turns out that Izuru predicted in advance, likely using his analyst and clairvoyance talents, that the Future Foundation would attempt to go this route. He even knew in advance that Hajime would be brought back through these means. However, following Junko's passing, Kamukura devised a scheme to use the Neo World Program to enable Alter Ego Junko to take control of their bodies, with the help of the other Remnants of Despair. Junko's AI infiltrated the program and kickstarted the Jabberwock Island Killing Game!

Leona: Oh GREAAAAT! How the hell does the Future Foundation even contend with that!? The most powerful, intelligent and unstoppable person completely destroyed their master plan, and now nothing is going to stop them! ...Did I just jinx it again?

Uchui: In a positive spin this time, yes! It turns out that in spite of being responsible for Junko's presence in the program, Izuru's intentions DIDN'T align with hers. At least...not completely...

Leona: How so?

Uchui: Well, one interesting thing that many people forget about Izuru Kamukura is that in spite of his unmatched prowess of predictions and insight, he doesn't know EVERYTHING. In fact, Junko was actually able to surprise him by showing him the unpredictability of Despair during the slaughter of the student council. Izuru almost got shot in the face and didn't see it coming due to Despair's unpredictability. However, at the same time, he found out that Hope could be equally as unpredictable...When Junko masterminded the death of Chiaki Nanami, Hajime's best friend, and the main catalyst in brainwashing her classmates.

Leona: Aw, she died!? How could they be so...*sniff*...HEARTLESS!?

Hifumi: That's Junko Enoshima for you...But the real surprise was that when Izuru witnessed Chiaki's final moments...he cried. Something that he never expected he could feel. And it was here that Izuru really figured out what needed to happen. What he needed to do.

Uchui: Ultimately unable to make up his mind between Hope and Despair, he had chosen to sit back and watch the other members of Ultimate Despair. This was to determine if it would be in his best interest to pursue Junko's Despair or Chiaki's Hope. His personal objective, which even Junko was unaware of, was to watch the conflict between hopelessness and optimism and ultimately decide which side to support by uploading the AI into the program and seeing how things played out. To which Hajime found his hope again through Chiaki's AI counterpart, and was able to retake control of his mind, body, and very being.

Leona: And...he ACTUALLY came back this time, right? Like ACTUALLY? I don't want to jinx it again.

Uchui: Yep, he came back as himself finally. However, even though Hajime returned, Izuru didn't exactly leave. It turns out that Izuru and Hajime's identities merged into one by the time they arrived to save the Future Foundation with the revived Remnants following the Final Killing Game, as he recalled his memories before the project. Additionally, Izuru continued to exist in Hajime's mind for a while as a ghostly illusion, resembling a second personality that lurked in the shadows.

Leona: But Hajime still came back, and he got to live a happy life fighting for the future he believed in with his friends on Jabberwock Island; and he lived out his days in peace...

Uchui: At least until he almost died and Izuru automatically took over his body again...

Leona: OH COME ON!

Hifumi: We will likely be here forever if we break down everything Mr. Hinata has accomplished or what he's been through, but we should definitely get to breaking down feats and general stats as we always do.

Uchui: We've already kind of broken down some powers and the things that Hajime is capable of, but let's talk about some feats. Let's start with general strength.

Leona: Hajizuru is stronger, faster, tougher and smarter than every other Danganronpa character, including people who can fight skyscraper sized robots, dodge machine gun bullets, elbow drop the floor to make it collapse and survive the fall with no injuries, hold onto a vehicle moving at escape velocity, survive a barrage of missile hitting them with no damage and survive the roof of a building falling on them with no permanent damage. That's pretty neat!

Uchui: Now might be a good time to mention that Hajime is actually one of three people (not including Makoto Naegi because his is different) that holds the title Ultimate Hope, and is the first of three who have received these powers; though the other two did so through Organization Zetsubou's Hope Serum, a concoction that gives them a pseudo-powerful version of Hajime's overpowered abilities. These two are Ayumu Fujimori, a young man in a similar shitty situation to a young Hajime, who he sensed a kindred spirit in, and Nagito Komaeda, Hajime's long running arch-rival, who gained the powers to be on equal footing with him...Which turned out to not have been the case at all.

Hifumi: During his fight with both Ultimate Hope's, Mr. Hinata seemed to be even with them, but as it turns out, once Kamukura took control of his body again, he revealed that Mr. Hinata had been holding back...MASSIVELY. And the following beatdown on Komaeda, he proved this.

Leona: Starting with Ayumu, even though he only had his powers for a few days, after being forced to watch Komaeda kill his closest companion...yeah things are really awkward between these three like that...purely out of rage, he let out a huge burst of energy that levelled a small town! So how does Hajime scale to that? Surprise! Turns out he's a NUKE waiting to happen!

Hifumi: To be more specific, after his fight with Komaeda in the city of Kyoto, when Kamukura took over, Chiaki Nanami stated that Izuru's natural potency has the potential to level ALL OF KYOTO, resulting in the destruction of many homes and facilities, and the potential deaths of tens of thousands. If we take this literally, it puts Mr. Hinata's natural power on the same level, if not slightly higher, as the Little Boy bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. That's about 15 Kilotons of TNT by the way.

Uchui: And he can recreate this explosion just...letting out all the power that's inside him! He doesn't even need to MOVE to do that! In that same fight against Nagito, his opponent tossed the top half of a skyscraper at him...And Izuru responded by COMPLETELY OBLITERATING the projectile and grinding it to dust...by simply FLICKING A PEBBLE AT IT. And in reality, we KNOW that Izuru is FAR stronger than this! He FAR surpasses some of the strongest feats of strength in Danganronpa, and right now, the most powerful calculable feat of strength Big Bang Monokuma's head being rocketed up so high, it blasted a hole through the clouds. This was briefly discussed in Komaru's episode, but scaling Hajime to that, it would increase his attack potency from 15 Kilotons to AT LEAST 173 Kilotons of TNT.

Hifumi: But by far his most potent feat is his latest and greatest. In the middle of a standoff with Matta Gyalusetsu, Izuru Kamukura, for the first time in his life, got MAD, and with it, kind of serious. And he pounded the ground so hard with his foot, that it sent a TREMOR ACROSS ALL OF JAPAN.

Uchui: With our current scaling, that bumps Izuru's raw strength aaaallll the way up! To absolutely IMPOSSIBLE levels at that!

Leona: Now I know what you're thinking. Something like that shouldn't be possible, right? And you're right! Anyway, aside from that, he also defeated a fleet of approximately 41 ships from the Future Foundation seemingly single-handedly, and then later in the same day took down 5 elite Future Foundation personnel single-handedly, apparently by himself and without sustaining any damage.

Hifumi: He is far superior to people like Sakura Ogami, Nekomaru Nidai, and Mukuro Ikusaba—whose destructive potential we have already spoken about at length—as the Ultimate Hope. Furthermore, Kamukura gave incredibly sloppy performances with little to no purpose for each of his shows of power. However, Mr. Hinata DOES possess that drive, so just think of the incredible feats of strength HE could accomplish with that ability!

Uchui: Hajime would have the ability to defeat armies and bring about the end of the world on his own if he didn't restrict himself to make sure he doesn't unintentionally cause wanton destruction or overwhelm his peers with his sheer power and talent.

Leona: But strength isn't everything. Let's talk speed!

Uchui: As we previously discussed, Hajime is significantly faster than Mukuro and was able to overwhelm her in their first meeting. In addition, he has avoided blasts from the FF Hacking Gun in the past and has managed to avoid a bullet that he was only just able to see coming, demonstrating that he is at least faster than light.

Hifumi: We can't exactly lock down an exact unit of Mr. Hinata's speed, but we know that it at least has to be above relativistic. Scaling him with his allies and creatures of his own caliber like the Monokuma's, we know he at least has to be Mach 23. However, we know that this is even higher, because Izuru has, on multiple occasions, moved so fast that it appears time is not moving around him, like he did when he shot Komaeda after their first meeting. This results in a speed that is just straight up incalculable, so we can only make estimations.

Leona: And, just for good measure, he possesses literally every talent known to man; and there are many talents that necessitate peak human reflexes and reaction time, as well as other brain-to-body reactions and coordination.

Uchui: Defense and durability is even harder to calculate, but he's been thrown through buildings and tossed around like a ragdoll with barely any scratches or signs of fatigue. But the BIG calculation that we can scale him to is the time that Akira Tsuchiya dropped an FF satellite on Jabberwock Island and completely DESTROYED it. Of which, Hajime was basically at the epicenter of.

Leona: Holy shit, WHAT!?

Hifumi: We don't know for sure just how big or how wide Jabberwock Island is, but assuming we take a look at the zoomed out map and scale 1 pixel to about...1 mile. That would make Jabberwock Island's full scale 828 miles wide and 408 miles tall, giving it a total area of 337,824 miles squared. And if we assume that the satellite is roughly medium sized, as it is depicted in the image of the chapter, that would put it's mass at about 2500kg maximum. Quantifiably, that would make the Jabberwock Island explosion tantamount to...21 Kilotons of TNT!

Leona: Holy...Fucking...Shit...

Uchui: This is all VERY subjective though. Without knowing the actual size of Jabberwock Island, force of the explosion, or what Hajime actually did to shield himself from the blast, since like I said, he can move faster than time permits, which would give him plenty of time to get to safety, we can't definitely say that this is his ACTUAL defensive ability. Hajime usually resorts to dodging attacks instead of tanking them, and even in situations where his speed and defensive talents don't work out, he can always fall back on his luck, which again, outlucks even Nagito Komaeda's.

Leona: But it is an INDESPUTABLE FACT that Hajime was ON THE ISLAND when it blew up. Besides, 21 Kilotons scales well with his Little Boy output equivalent. Really makes me wonder how someone this overpowered could ever hope to lose?

Hifumi: Well, it's not like Mr. Hinata doesn't have his limits. Though more motivated than Kamukura, he rarely ever has to push himself when it comes to fights, so when he DOES get caught of guard, he gets caught off-guard BADLY. Like he did against Fujimori and Komaeda when he first found out about their powers.

Leona: I guess in that regard, Hajime's greatest weakness may be his power itself. Not only does he have a shitload of baggage to carry as a result of his powers, but because almost nothing can threaten him, he is frequently vulnerable to being caught off guard and lacks a surefire solution to any opponents who may be stronger than him. But even so, can you BLAME him!? With his superhuman abilities and talents combined with his sheer prediction ability and intellect? How could you NOT get a little cocky like that.

Hifumi: I wouldn't say "cocky" Actually, in spite of how he's factually better than everyone, Mr.  Hinata has a tendency to hold back so that others can take the spotlight over him. In that regard, I don't think there's anyone more humble?

Uchui: That's why he's the Ultimate Hope. There is no title greater for someone like Hajime Hinata.

Leona: You know, sometimes I really do think we're living out a sci-fi drama every day of our lives guys. And it makes me laugh because I think the world of My Hero Academia is pretty normal by comparison.

Uchui: You probably don't realize how much you're exaggerating. The world of My Hero Academia, or Boku No Hero Academia (if you're annoying) is anything from normal, since 80% of humanity have developed supernatural abilities known as "Quirks". 

Hifumi: Formerly known as meta-abilities, Quirks are decided and gained by a person's genetic makeup, giving them superhuman abilities. They aren't just specific to each user either; they fall into several categories as well. Additionally, Quirk users can typically only develop one ability; as a result, they cannot naturally acquire any other powers besides the one they're born with.

Leona: And Heroes are people who have been granted permission to use their special abilities to defend the public against Villains who use their powers for evil, natural disasters, and other threats. Heroes are people who make their profession out of being heroic; the World Heroes Association overseeing all hero activity worldwide. That's right! Being a superhero is literally a way to make a living here!

Uchui: And it's because of the revolution of Quirks and the industry of heroes that places like U.A. High School, and many other schools like it, popped up. 

Hifumi: U.A. is regarded as Japan's best Hero Academy and is the top-ranked high school for heroics. Its teachers are free to conduct their classes in any way they see fit, and it does not follow conventional school procedures. In fact, All Might, the world's greatest pro hero, widely known as the Symbol of Peace, is just one of the many heroes that U.A. is known for having trained and produced.

Uchui: With his dramatic flair and charismatic smile, All Might naturally gained many fans who wanted to grow up to be like him one day: A hero who's presence could bring smiles to even the most tragic situations. One of those fans, arguably his all time biggest...Was Izuku Midoriya, AKA: Deku.

Leona: "Deku", by the way, is a pun on the Japanese word "Dekunobou", which means "good for nothing". A nickname "lovingly" given to him by his "best friend since childhood" Katsuki Bakugou.

Hifumi: And while not very nice, made sense as a nickname. Midoriya was originally born as one of the 20% of the population who did not possess a quirk, in spite of his parents both having one of their own. Because of this, he was initially tormented and bullied throughout much of his younger life.

Uchui: It struck particularly hard because Deku was such a huge fan of All Might and aspired to be just like him. Imagine being told that you are utterly incapable of becoming like your idol by almost everyone, including your own family, because you were born with a certain birth defect. I've been there, and trust me, that shit stings.

Leona: In spite of being a basic bitch, Deku didn't want to give up on his dreams. Even after that bitch Bakugou told him to swan dive off the school building's roof, Deku continued to reflect upon how he had come to his aspirations in the first place...WHOOPS, SLIME VILLAIN ATTACK WATCH OUT!

Uchui: While Deku very nearly lost his life, it all worked out in the end when he was saved from the slime villain by none other than All Might himself. Izuku asked if he could become a hero without having his own quirk when he had the opportunity to speak with him. All Might, however, went on to tell Deku that experts had to risk everything to save the day, so they couldn't honestly state whether or not a hero could exist without a quirk.

Leona: Damn...Even his idol is telling him to give up on his dreams...This kid's life sucks ass!

Hifumi: But the tides can change very quickly, and in this case the winds blew the other direction. Deku was thinking about giving up on his goals while strolling home when he approached the location of a villain attack. His body moved on its own when he realized Bakugou was the victim, possessed by the same villain who had attacked him earlier. Having looked at his old friend's pleading eyes, Deku rushed towards the villain, attempting to save Bakugou despite being Quirkless. Inspired by the boy's action, All Might appeared and stopped the Sludge Villain before he could harm Deku.

Leona: This was where the life of the Quirkless wimp that was Izuku Midoriya did a full 180. As it turns out, All Might's body was slowly decaying as a result of a grievous injury he suffered at the hands of his arch-nemesis, All Might needed someone that he could pass his legacy onto. Someone who could become the new Symbol of Peace after his time was up.

Hifumi: Moreover, All Might desired no ordinary person. There were a lot of people looking for fame and wealth in the hero world. To save someone, All Might desired a person whose body moved on its own. He chose to take on young Midoriya as a pupil after realizing that he possessed those qualities.

Leona: And surprise surprise, his legacy wasn't the only thing he was passing on. He ALSO gifted Deku his QUIRK. Wait, but I thought Quirks were genetic. How did All Might pass his quirk on? What's the story behind that?

Uchui: A long time ago, a villain by the name of All For One, a man with the ability to transfer other people's quirks to himself, forced his younger brother Youichi Shigaraki, who didn't seem to have any quirks at all, to have one; a Quirk that allowed him to accumulate power inside his body and increase his strength. But neither of them realized that Yoichi already possessed a Quirk; one where it's only ability was that it could be transferred to another individual through his DNA. A new, all-powerful Quirk was created when the transference quirk and the power stockpiling quirk united...The almighty One For All.

Hifumi: All Might himself was actually the 8th user of One For All, inheriting the power from his mentor, Nana Shimura. And once All Might transferred his power over, Deku became the 9th. Deku eventually enrolled in his dream school, UA High, and joined Class 1-A, the same as his now rival, Bakugou, thanks to All Might's support and extensive training. Along the way, he made some friends and partners for life, including Ochako Uraraka, Tsuyu Asui, and Tenya Iida.

Uchui: It feels good to see Izuku get this opportunity to fulfill his dream of becoming a hero after he was denied it for a full 14 years. It really makes you want to support him, doesn't it?

Leona: Yeah, for real! And when time came to establish his own mark as a hero, he turned the name Deku, a title that had only ever been used to make fun of him, into his own Hero name. Turns out "Deku" can ALSO be an abbreviation for "Dekiru", someone who can do anything. Ironic, right?

Hifumi: It's not all sunshine and rainbows of course. You have to be prepared to face off against a wide range of thugs and villains in order to be a hero. Some of these bad guys are capable of shattering buildings like they're made of twigs! Thankfully, it appears that Deku has far more potential with One For All than even All Might initially realized.

Uchui: All For One is unquestionably one of the most powerful quirks in the world of MHA, which is what allowed All Might to gain the prestige that he has. Deku was given the ability to control a vast reservoir of potent energy when he inherited it, and can stockpile that energy to gain  momentary superhuman strength at destructive levels, increased agility, increased hearing, and superhuman speed. In fact, when he first used this quirk, he was able to move faster than the human eye and defeat a massive villain bot with a single blow. However, One For All has a VERY notable drawback with it's use.

Leona: It FUCKING HURTS!

Hifumi: "Hurts" doesn't even BEGIN to describe it. A new user's body is not as naturally adapted to One For All's transfer as it would be if they had a Quirk from birth. For instance, it would be ineffective if a fire-breathing person burned their mouth while using their power. 

Leona: In addition, One For All is a lot to handle. If your body can't take the power, then you might as well kiss it goodbye! It's because of this, the successor must undergo intense and rigorous physical training to hone their body to make room for the quirk, which is why Deku had to buff himself up and go from lad to chad, just so he could contain it.

Uchui: Even then, it takes time for the new user to get used to One For All and figure out how to use it properly. It took Izuku ten months to prepare for the entrance exam of U.A. High, and, despite training his body to be a suitable vessel for the quirk, going anywhere above 20% of his max power can cause the recoil of his punch to shatter all the bones in his arm. The physical backlash at the time prevented Izuku from being able to fight properly or compete with his peers on an even playing field, and it even caused irreparable damage to his arms and hands. Of course, as things stand now, he's gotten leagues stronger and can handle the quirk more, but the weakness is evidently still there, since it happened to All Might at one point too.

Hifumi: The GOOD news is that Izuku happens to be VERY intelligent and observant. 

Leona: Yuh-huh! Deku's greatest asset prior to receiving his quirk was his vast knowledge of fundamental hero skills and tactics. He's been a Pro Hero nerd for years and is able to apply that knowledge during crisis situations in a practical manner. He even has a notebook studying people's quirks! 

Uchui: Thus, even with One For All's severe disadvantages, Izuku's cunning gives him ways to wield his power that are still useful in combat. He also has some basic knowledge of hand-to-hand combat and can still act instinctively based on his notes. Deku can even compete head-to-head with Katsuki Bakugou and Shoto Todoroki, two of Class 1-A's strongest students, by using those skills appropriately.

Leona: And one of the big ways he's learned to counter the weaknesses of his quirk is by using his big brain to develop new fighting styles and upgrades to his equipment. For example...Full Cowl!

Hifumi: Midoriya gained better control over his Quirk and was able to unlock this stage of his power thanks to his training with Gran Torino, one of All Might's old mentors. By allowing the power to flow through him rather than concentrate in one place, Midoriya is able to use a portion of the full power of One For All throughout his body.

Uchui: He gains incredible strength, speed, mobility, and agility when he uses this technique. Additionally, when he attacks, it keeps his bones from breaking. However, by dispersing the power throughout his body rather than concentrating it in one spot, Izuku spreads the power throughout his body, which lowers the damage of his attacks. This let's him use powerful punches like his signature Detroit Smash, and can even attack with pressurized air with his  Delaware Smash.

Leona: And yes, they're all named after American States. At this point in time, Deku is capable of bringing out about 30% of his maximum potential, 45% if he really wants to push it, without utterly destroying his body. Even then, 30% was combined with Melissa Shield's Full Gauntlet, which negated any disadvantages of using One For All at higher percentages. As a result, it is unknown how this state affects Deku's body under normal circumstances. Deku was able to easily blow away security bots with vast amounts of wind pressure created by the punch with 30%. Of course, if his back is against the wall, he can still access 100% of his power at the risk of breaking whichever body part he attacks with. 

Hifumi: When Midoriya reaches his maximum power, he can perform the 1,000,000% Delaware Detroit Smash, the strongest smash move in his repertoire. This move entails him using all of his energy to activate One For All at 100% before unleashing a full-swing attack on his opponent. Midoriya executes the move by first landing a full-handed Delaware Smash before unleashing a devastating Detroit Smash. In the pivotal moment of his fight with Muscular, he defeated the Villain by punching and propelling his enhanced opponent with enough force to leave an impact crater in solid rock with a single blow.

Leona: Furthermore, he possesses the renowned "United States Of The World Smash!" Izuku's rendition of All Might's "United States of Smash." Izuku starts this Ultimate Move by using Full Cowl at 100% to increase his power levels. Then, he launches a forceful barrage of punches. Subsequently, he maneuvers around his adversary, gaining speed and intensifying his lunge prior to unleashing a devastating kick. Originally, this was used to defeat Flect Turn.

Leona: Wait, we're counting the movies here!?

Uchui: Hell yeah we are! I mean, since we're counting Survivor, it's only fair we introduce Deku at his peak, right? Anyway, though Full Cowl was pretty revolutionary in terms of helping Deku grow with his quirk, it wasn't gonna be enough. Thanks to All Might's advice, Deku realized that he was trying too hard to imitate his hero, and so Full Cowl eventually evolved into a unique fighting style that Deku gained with the help of his friend Iida...Full Cowl SHOOT STYLE!

Leona: Because if punching with his arms was getting to be too much, why not just punch with your legs instead!?

Hifumi: Um...I'm fairly certain that is what we call..."kicking?

Leona: Hmph! I'm just quoting the show...

Uchui: Human leg muscles are inherently stronger than human arm muscles, and the Shoot Style fighting style takes advantage of this by emphasizing kicks. Izuku gains much more power and stability by focusing One for All: Full Cowl's effects on his torso and legs as opposed to his arms. Greatly aided by the distinctive Iron Soles that became a part of his outfit.

Hifumi: Originally designed by Mei Hatsume, Deku's Iron Armor Soles are fastened to his iconic red shoes. The impact strength of his kicks is increased when he kicks something because his soles absorb the impact and re-distribute the kinetic energy. 

Leona: Speaking of gear and best girl, she also invented Deku's Air Force Gloves, another vital tool on his hero costume. Remember how Uchui dropped that little tidbit of Deku being able to fire pressurized air by flicking his fingers? These gloves allow him to focus, build up and aim these pressurized bursts to deal devastating ranged attacks! Still though...

Hifumi: What?

Leona: I bet what a lot of people are thinking now is that in spite of it's sheer power, One For All seems a little bit of a one-trick pony, right? I mean, sure, it's strong, and he can break shit down with it, and launching bursts of air is cool and all, but...

Uchui: Well, prepare to be surprised. Remember how Hifumi said earlier that there's more potential in Deku than even All Might predicted? Well, it all started during a training match with Class 1-B, 1-A's rivals, when Deku's quirk went berserk, and started shooting black tendrils everywhere!

Leona: Black tendrils? What kind of power is that?

Uchui: As a matter of fact, it's a different quirk known as Blackwhip, which was originally possessed by Daigoro Banjo, the fifth user of One For All. With this quirk, the user can shoot dark energy tendrils that help with grappling from a distance and improve mobility. Izuku can use it to create incredibly powerful and long energy tendrils that he can use to tie up opponents and swing around the city, like Spider-Man, or, like Tsuyu, shoot one out of his mouth.

Leona: So he just straight up got ANOTHER quirk!? So he has two now!?

Hifumi: Actually, he has ALL of the previous users Quirks. Because One For All accumulates power, the Quirk Factors of all of its former users combined with its core have grown stronger over time. Even All Might was unaware of this, and Deku became the first person to be able to access the Quirks of earlier users.

Uchui: He has even more options in combat because he can utilize multiple of these integrated quirks at once. In addition to Blackwhip, there's Float, Gearshift, Fa Jin, Danger Sense, and Smokescreen.

Hifumi: Let's dissect these. The seventh user and All Might's late mentor, Nana Shimura, granted him the quirk Float. Due to this quirk, Midoriya is able to take flight and suspend himself in midair.

Uchui: The second user, Kudo's quirk is Gearshift. Izuku can alter the velocity and/or speed of any object he touches, including himself, thanks to this quirk. This enables him to significantly increase the impact force of his own blows and accelerate both his own and his target's velocities. Gearshift is now so strong that Deku only ever uses it as a last resort due to its unusual nature, which has developed over the years from being empowered within One For All.

Leona: Danger Sense is...It's literally Spider-Sense! It originally belonged to the fourth user, Hikage Shinomori, and it basically sends a sharp tingle through his head whenever he's about to be attacked. What, was Spider-Man one of the OFA users? I feel like Horikoshi might just be plucking powers from the web-slinger.

Hifumi: Not that outlandish. Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero's Mangaka, is famously a very big fan of Spider-Man. Deku's character writing is actually primarily based on Peter Parker himself. Even Blackwhip bares similarities to Spider-Man's web swinging.

Uchui: Bruce, the third user, gifts the Quirk Fa Jin. This Quirk enables Deku to accumulate and store kinetic energy through repetitive movement. He can then unleash this stored energy in the form of an explosive burst of speed and power. Combined with his other quirks, this can yield some deadly results.

Hifumi: Lastly, Smokescreen, the sixth user En's Quirk, is quite simple. This Quirk enables Deku to emit a dense cloud of purple smoke from his body. This smoke can cover a large area and impair people's vision.

Leona: And these quirks, once he mastered them at least, gave Deku WAY more combat options, and a new handful of Ultimate moves at his disposal! Like...OVERDURIVUUUU!

Hifumi: We already HAD the JoJo episode!

Uchui: This is obviously not some Hamon ability. Using Overdrive, Deku applies Gearshift and Fa Jin to himself, enhancing his strength and speed to overtake adversaries and launch devastating blows at them. In fact, the force he unleashes is characterized like One For All at 120%.

Leona: Talk about going Plus Ultra!

Uchui: He also possesses moves like Blackchain, which is a combination of Blackwhip and Fa Jin that launches and ensnares opponents far into the air. Additionally, there is Transmission, in which he charges at his opponent and hits them multiple times, increasing Gearshift's speed with each strike.

Leona: With all these powers at his disposal, Deku really had what it took to become Number 1 and carry on his retired mentor's legacy, and with him now on the field fighting villains, the world was a much safer place because of it...Is what I WOULD be saying, but I'm not about to jinx it again. 

Hifumi: The truth is that All Might was not the only person who was passing his legacy onto a protégé. All For One was secretly doing the same thing to Nana Shimura's secret grandchild, Tenko.

Leona: Tenko?

Hifumi: Not THAT Tenko! Taking on the name Tomura Shigaraki, he rose to prominence as the head of the League of Villains, and the Paranormal Liberation Front, with the ultimate objective of emerging as Japan's most formidable villain and obliterating any obstacle in his path.

Uchui: In many ways, Shigaraki's story parodied Deku's own. Both of them relied too much on their teachers at the beginning of their stories and lacked a clear conviction or path to their objectives. However, through One For All and All For One, they both acquired numerous powers and developed into each other's greatest adversaries as heroes and villains respectively.

Leona: But shit really hit the fan when they first unleashed these powers in a war that resulted in a lot of death, and hero society itself to fall apart at the seams. It became clear to Deku that even though All Might had only ever shown him love and encouragement, he was always under an unbearably intense amount of pressure. Especially since Shigaraki could track him and know his every move.

Hifumi: Midoriya became more aloof and cold toward people as a result of the trauma he had endured from the war, witnessing innumerable innocent people have their lives destroyed by the now broken status quo of Hero Society, having All For One and Shigaraki constantly target him because of his Quirk, and having to take on the duty of defending his friends. He grew more and more afraid of the harm he would do to people around him after All For One threatened to break him both mentally and physically, and thanks to his extreme stress and burden, he rushed into battles, leaving All Might, his classmates and the other Heroes behind so no one else would be harmed.

Leona: But...and trust me, I'm saying this from experience...running away from home leaving just a note NEVER goes down well.

Uchui: Izuki had become completely monstrous in his appearance by the time Class 1-A found him, covered in blood and filth from all the non-stop fighting he had put himself through. Thus came probably the hardest challenge he'd faced that entire night.

Hifumi: Even the classically trained bully Bakugou was determined to help his childhood friend, and his classmates weren't about to take no for an answer. They were even willing to use force to bring their friend home, but thankfully, everything turned out okay in the end.

Uchui: Izuku was able to be brought back to reality by Class 1-A, despite his best efforts to flee, and they informed him that although his decisions were sound, he was no longer able to manage things on his own. He knew that his friends would be there for him in times of need, and that the only way to defeat All Might was for everyone to work together to defend their school and the civilian population.

Leona: Friendship is magic baby!

Hifumi: We did My Little Pony already too! Stop making references to past episodes!

Leona: As we often do, let's end this by breaking down a few of Midoriya's feats, starting with strength. Now going by the original DB analysis brought up a rather notable one, so let's get that out of the way first and...why it's kinda bullshit, but also pretty impressive!

Uchui: Izuku's most powerful feat is when he passed the power of One For All to Bakugou in the second movie, and they combined their powers to split an absolutely huge cloud formation above them. We can calculate their dispersion over 63 trillion kilograms of water by sizing the island and comparing it to the clouds above. That is equivalent to the mass of 12,000 Great Pyramids of Giza, meaning that each blow would have needed almost 80 Teratons of TNT. However, we'll cover that in more detail in the post-analysis. It is somewhat complicated.

Leona: The power of One For All allows Deku to take down buildings just with his punches, launch himself hundreds of meters into the air, and tank point-blank explosions. Despite being inferior to both, he managed to send a Full-Power Muscular flying with a single blow and injure the Incomplete Shigaraki's stomach with a kick.

Uchui: And when combined with his other Quirks, these can be even stronger. The combined power of his Detroit Smash Quintuple and Fa Jin results in a release of energy that is at least five times more potent than usual. Deku can increase his power even further by using Gearshift to unleash his Overdrive technique, which was strong enough to punch a hole in Shigaraki's torso, who in his complete form is way stronger than All Might in his prime.

Hifumi: Now let's talk speed. The explosive detonation velocities table indicates that Bakugou can detonate explosives at velocities of Mach 20 or more, a speed that Deku has demonstrated he can at least avoid. On top of that, he reacted to Nine's attacks—another Villain with multiple quirks—and sidestepped a laser with a higher percentage of power. In addition, he has the ability to move and respond to Lady Nagant's bullets, which have a velocity of 5884420.20 m/s.

Uchui: And again, he managed to maintain a pace with Complete Shigaraki, whose velocity is comparable to Prime All Might, who is said to be able to travel more than 200 kilometers in an instant. And with Gear Shift, he quickly and easily defeated Shigaraki before he even realized what had happened.

Leona: Durability's nothing to scoff at either. Even though the recoil of One For All tears his body apart, Deku still keeps on fighting and throwing punches even when his bones are all cracked! And he's capable of taking brutal blows from the likes of Shigaraki and Overhaul at max power, both of whom can easily level a city block on their own.

Hifumi: His extraordinary endurance has only increased as he worked to finish One For All. He has demonstrated levels of stamina comparable to his mentor in his heyday, defeating villains and traveling the entire nation for several weeks, if not a month, without stopping while maintaining Full Cowl activated. These feats occurred following the events of the All-Out War.

Uchui: Even when exhausted to the point of collapse, he was still stronger than all of Class 1-A put together. His extreme pain tolerance has increased even more, to the point where multiple broken bones hardly seem to stop him from fighting. Additionally, he has survived the agony of bullet wounds for roughly a month.

Leona: Deku is an analytical wizard in his own right, since he is well-versed in Quirks and constantly assesses their advantages and disadvantages during combat. But even with all these crazy ass powers and abilities under his belt, Deku's true strength lies in  the teamwork between himself and his friends.

Uchui: And with their assistance, Deku will undoubtedly grow into the ray of hope he always imagined himself to be.

Hifumi: The Symbol of Hope...All For One...and One For All...

Hifumi: Alright, the combatants are set! Let's end this debate once and for all!

Leona & Uchui: IT'S TIME FOR A DEEAAATH BAAATTLLLLLLEEE!

Two lightning-fast individuals are seen flying across the screen and parkouring their way over the horizons of an uninhabited island archipelago in the middle of the ocean.

Hajime Hinata, the leader of the Remnants of Despair and the Ultimate Hope, is one of these individuals. The other is Izuku Midoriya, the head of Class 1-A and the Hero, Deku.

When they come into contact with the rocky, mountainous terrain of the archipelago, both heroes come to a grinding stop. As they take their positions on opposite hilltops, Hajime turns to look at Deku, his expression halfway between excited and stern.

Hajime: Alright. We should be far enough away from any civilization or infrastructure that we could risk damaging.

Deku: Yes! Thank you again for agreeing to let me spar with you! I hope to learn a lot!

Hajime: Don't get your hopes up. Really, I'm just a regular guy in the grand scheme of things...

Deku: I'm not sure I believe that! I think you'll make for a great opponent!

Deku drops into a fighting stance with a smile on his face.

Deku: You'd better not hold back! Because I know I won't!

Hajime: Heh...Whatever you say, kid...

As Hajime adopts a fighting stance of his own, Deku lunges forward to land a blow. Even though the punch is light, Hajime is pleasantly surprised to feel its sheer power as he catches it with his hands.

He acknowledges the strength of his opponent with a smile before snatching his arm, turning, and flinging him into the hills, where he crashes into the top of a crag. After that, he runs after Deku, creating a dust cloud in his wake.

Deku: Heh...!

Deku's Iron Soles grind him to a stop, but his smile stays broad even after he's sent flying. When he recovers, he sees Hajime flying in his direction, trying to hit him with a strong haymaker. Deku counters by activating Full Cowl at 8% and delivering his own haymaker back.

The mountainous terrain around them crumbles as their fists collide. At a breakneck pace, they continue punching without missing their target until the very last moment of their combination, when they land a blow so strong it knocks the other person flying backwards.

Deku: Delaware...SMASH!

Hajime: Think again...!

Deku, charging in to take up arms, launches a cloud of compressed air from a distance. In response to the attack, Hajime appears to catch and deflect the air.

Hajime: Funny...I know someone else who's used similar techniques before...Oh, that's right! ME! 

Hajime gestures with his fingers as though he is brandishing a gun at Deku. He launches his own pressurized air blasts at the rising Hero, surprising Deku, who is only able to avoid with the help of his Danger Sense.

Deku: Woah!? Delaware Smash Air Force!

Taken off guard, but thoroughly impressed, Deku ups the ante. He fires a burst of compressed air at his opponent using his special gloves. The blast has enough concussive force to completely shatter the ground beneath Hajime, even though he can see it coming from a mile away and easily avoids it.

Deku looks up in awe as Hajime perches atop another cliff. He looks back, also impressed.

Deku: Incredible! How about we take it up a notch!?

The Ultimate Hope is about to be struck by the Symbol of Peace, who cocks his fist back, but Hajime effortlessly deflects it with a casual wave of his hand.

The Hero launches another attack, taken aback by how easily his first one was parried. Hajime repays the favor by sending Deku hurtling over a different cliff, where he uses Blackwhip to stop himself.

Hajime: Fine by me...! I was beginning to get bored already!

Deku: You're...surprisingly fickle...AH-!?

Hajime: HYAAGH!

Deku: UUGH!

Without even a moment to think, Deku is met with an uppercut and a barrage of punches from the Ultimate Hope's fist. Hajime quickly brings Deku back down after sending him skyward by grabbing and pulling on his Blackwhip. He swings him around like a throwing hammer, and flings him across the mountain range, landing him on a different island with a forest landscape!

Deku crawls back to his feet, but Hajime moves like a bolt of lightning, and is already standing over him by the time he does.

Hajime: Disappointing...Excuse my rudeness...

Deku; Trust me...I'm just getting started...! FA JIN!

Hajime: Guh!?

Deku activates the third users' quirk and erupts with the kinetic energy stored up from his and Hajime's attacks, powerful enough to blast the Ultimate Hope back. Hajime stumbles through the forest, but Deku is fast to react, landing another blow before an uppercut launches the former Reserve Course student skyward!

Deku: One For All...! Full Cowl...! SHOOT STYLE!

The Hero outcast then leaps toward him and kicks Hajime back to the ground with a Manchester Smash while wearing Iron Soles. Even though the impact blows away several trees and craters the forest, Hajime gets up and gets ready to go again.

*CRUNCH!* 

Hajime: Hold THIS!

Hajime then lifts a big tree out of the ground, leap several feet into the air, and slams its trunk into Deku. With ease, the Symbol of Hope breaks the makeshift weapon and flies in Hajime's direction, grabbing him and sending the two of them plummeting back towards the earth.

Deku: Wyoming SMASH!

Deku uses another one of his trademark attacks, giving his opponent a powerful shockwave by spiking him on the head. Hajime is propelled downward, but he catches himself with a display of acrobatics and lands coolly, smirking and scratching his nose.

Deku: You're amazing...! It's like you're not even trying yet!

Hajime: I gotta admit, this is more than I was expecting...Still, hardly a challenge...

Deku only smirks in response to this taunt.

Deku: Then LET LOOSE! TEXAS SMASH!

*WHA-BOOOOM!*

As Hajime ducks under Deku's attack, the forest behind him is completely destroyed by a blast of wind pressure. Without breaking a sweat, he starts hitting Deku with a barrage of punches and kicks, repeatedly knocking All Might's student into a tree with enough force to uproot it. Then, in the middle of flying, Hajime grabs the tree, stops, and tosses it in Deku's direction. Deku is knocked backward by the tree, but he bounces back quickly.

Deku: Give me EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!

Hajime rushes after Deku as he falls back to the ground, and the battle rages throughout the forest. Following a brief exchange of blows, Hajime gains the upper hand and knocks Deku back with a forceful blow. Hajime then tries to follow through, but Deku stops him.

Deku: Go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!

Much like he once did to his rival Bakugou, Deku shoulder-throws Hajime, smacking him into the ground and sending him rolling through the trees. Hajime brushes off the pain, the dirt, and Deku's concerns.

Hajime: Give me something exciting to work with...and maybe I'll consider it...!

He is able to support his claim by leaping ahead and casually punching Deku all the way to the island's coast through the forest. The Hero prodigy's body crackles with energy as he builds even more power, and he floats in the air to avoid colliding with the ocean.

Deku: If you say so...! ONE FOR ALL! FULL COWL 45%

He barely avoids the next blow from Hajime and kicks him into the water, then reels back and uses Texas Smash once more. But the attack and the pressure it releases are FAR more powerful, to the point where it manages to smash into Hajime and split the coast of the ocean.

But shortly after the attack, Hajime leaps out of the water, blasts away the ocean surrounding him, and sprints back towards the island along the water.

They fight across the ocean, exchanging quick blows until they come into contact with yet another island, where they end up locking arms with one another. This island is more barren and flat, made of solid rock and stone with few mountains and cliffs. 

Hajime: Now THIS is more like it...! THINK FAST!

Admittedly having at least a little bit of fun, Hajime picks a pebble up with his foot kicks it into the air, and flicks it with his thumb. Midoriya barely manages to avoid the pebble's railgun-like blast, and he just stares in wonder at its power.

Deku: Fast? I can do that...! GEARSHIFT!

Deku uses Gearshift on himself to quickly outrun the Ultimate Hope and kick him in the stomach. He then uses Transmission to quickly take Hajime down a peg with a series of punches that are made more powerful and swift by Gearshift.

Hajime: Hah! Not bad! That one actually hurt a bit!

Deku: There's more where that came from! St. Louis Smash Air Force!

Hajime: Why do all these attacks...? Eh, whatever...! HRUUGH!

Now that he is farther away, Deku fires a powerful vertical roundhouse kick while arching his leg back and releasing a massive burst of compressed air. But Hajime's own supersonic air punch manages to dissolve it. Deku counterattacks by soaring into the air and parrying a second blow.

Deku: SMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSHH!!!

*WHOOOOOOMM!*

He strikes down towards Hajime with a powerful punch, launching multiple enormous flaming fists at him in an overwhelming display of force, similar to the attack that destroyed Overhaul.

Hajime: Hm...Hoo...RRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*

As he sees the massive flaming fist hurtling towards him, Hajime clenches his fists, stiffens his body, and lets out all of his energy at once, accompanied by a supersonic scream! Deku's attack and the pressure from his body collide, causing a catastrophic nuclear explosion that engulfs the island, resulting in it's complete and total destruction!

There is a pause in the fight as the ocean collapses into the area where the island once was. A large burst of water rises up suddenly near the coast of another island, as Hajime leaps out and drops and rolls onto the sandy beach of the fourth island, gasping for air and pounding his chest to steady his breathing. Deku meanwhile, swings down with Blackwhip and lands on the sand, awkwardly chuckling.

Deku: Well...it's a good thing we decided to take the fight out here, right?

Hajime: Yeah...out here...Wait...Hang on a second...How did we even get out here without a boat?

Struggling to recall the circumstances, Hajime looks back towards the slowly filling crater. But then, he spots something...What appears to be a crack in reality with lines of code fraying off of it like strings.

Hajime: Oh...that's right...Now I remember...

He stands up with a smirk and dusts himself off.

Hajime: Hey, Deku? You wanted to see me go all out, right?

Deku: No! I want you to go BEYOND that! Surpass your limits! Plus Ultra!

Hajime laughs as Deku confidently thrusts a fist towards him. He then ducks down and clenches his own.

Hajime: Well, I can promise I'll try...! Let me show you how powerful I can be!

Red bio-electricity starts to radiate Hajime's body, and his red eye starts to glow, matching Deku's own green electric aura. 

Deku beams with anticipation but is instantly struck in the face with a blow so forceful that it tears apart reality once more. And then another, and another, and another, as Hajime, fighting with at least half his strength now to match Deku's, begins to destroy him with every move he can think of, slowly but surely shattering the digital world around them.

After dealing Deku a powerful blow, Hajime appears to teleport there as he moves so quickly. Deku is sent flying. He tries to strike back, but Hajime appears to pause his blow before launching another terrible strike that shatters the world even more.

Deku charges forward, his costume beginning to come apart from the constant attacks. He creates a Blackchain with Blackwhip, which Hajime collides with and is thrown back by. Then, in order to get some hits and knock Hajime into a canyon, he uses Gearshift and Fa Jin. Hajime retaliates, exchanging blows with Deku until the latter throws him into the air.

Hajime counterattacks, sending Midoriya back down to Earth with a devastating axe handle as Deku flies upwards to continue his attack. As Hajime dive bombs to pursue Deku after he lands in the canyon, he crashes into the earth, pushing pebbles out of the ground due to the pressure and aura surrounding him.

Deku then uses Air Force before smashing Hajime once more before the two engage in a fierce fight that ends in an explosion, further widening the fissure. Then they begin to trade blows, with Hajime coming out on top. He unleashes a lethal combo on him that includes some extremely powerful punches to his face that cause the surrounding area to collapse. Hajime then grabs Deku, leaps out of the canyon as everything comes crashing down, and tosses him into a rock formation. Deku is exhausted and drops out of One For All 45% as he faceplants into the ground.

Even under his mid-gauntlets, Deku's bones seem to be slightly fractured from the constant fighting. Hajime decides to talk to him now as he stands up gasping.

Hajime: Well? Is that "Plus Ultra" enough for you?

Deku: Amazing...! You're AMAZING! This has gotta be the most incredible superpower I've ever seen!

Hajime: O-Oh...um...thank...thank you...

Hajime becomes bashful in the wake of Deku's earnest enthusiasm and compliments, as the young Hero himself pulls a notebook and pen out of his tattered costume.

Deku: U-Um...I-If you don't mind, could you explain to me how your Quirk works? I'd like to take notes so I can apply your techniques in my future battles!

Hajime: Huh? Y-You're sure? Well...alright then.

The camera pans out and the fight awkwardly pauses as Hajime quickly explains the logistics of his Talent to Deku, and how Talents and Quirks are slightly different. Deku excitedly scribbles down notes next to a hastily drawn diagram of Hajime. By the time he's finished, he exhales an ecstatic breath, smiling like an innocent child.

Deku: Wow...! It's so...incredible...!

Hajime: Thank you...Still, I really hope it doesn't deter you from trying to reach the top or anything...

Deku: Haha...Of course not...

With a solemn smile, Deku pockets his notebook, straightens his posture, and furrows his brow at Hajime.

Deku: After all...I know just what I need to do to defeat you now...!

Hajime: Oh...?

Deku: One For All...ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!

Hajime: Guh!?

Deciding to risk it all out of nothing but respect for his opponent, Deku pushes past his limits, uses his Quirk at 100% of it's full power, and the sheer force of his presence blasts Hajime back!

Now emitting a green aura and crackling with lightning, Hajime can barely stand to look at Deku when suddenly, Deku stamps on the ground so hard, the ground beneath his feet erupts, throwing him up into the air!

*WHOOSH!* *BANG!*

Hajime: Gugh! GRAGH!

Deku: HUUUUAAAGH!

*WHAM!* *WHAM!* *WHAM!* *WHAM!**WHAM!* *WHAM!*

Deku: I want you to SMILE! 

Hajime: GRRGH!

Deku unleashes a multitude of punches that slowly but surely cause his own bones to break apart, and yet despite that, he doesn't even slightly relent! He gives everything he has into battling Hajime, beating him at 100%, and even adding the effects of Gearshift and Fa Jin on top of it, increasing his power even further beyond!

And yet, despite facing the brunt of the biggest thrashing he's faced in his life...Hajime grins ear to ear...

Hajime (internally): When was the last time...I felt this much pain?

Deku: UNITED STATES...!

Hajime (internally): My muscles are killing me...That punch hurt like hell...If I get hit with something stronger than that, it might kill me...! So why...?

Deku: OF THE WORLD...!

Hajime (internally): Why am I...so HAPPY right now...!?

Deku: SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSHHHHH!

Hajime breaks out of his bliss when Deku unleashes one of his best Ultimate Moves, with enough force that not one, but TWO of the archipelago islands are completely and utterly destroyed by it! Hajime however, withstands it, even though he suffers several broken ribs and torn muscles. Deku for his part is also gradually falling apart, but regardless...neither smiles are broken.

Hajime: LET'S GOOOOO!

Deku: YEAH!

Hajime also decides to put his full weight into the fight; his body glowing a white aura. To Hajime's delight, Deku manages to stay ahead of him despite him reaching his maximum and evade his blows, unleashing even more powerful counterattacks.

Hajime's aura only intensifies as he and 100% Deku trade blows all over the archipelago at blinding speeds, gradually tearing apart what's left of the islands. His clothes are torn, and he is now taking the fight more seriously.

Hajime finally hits Deku hard with a punch that hurts him a lot, but it doesn't upset him. Deku catches Hajime's fist and punches him to the side as he tries to follow up. To the point where their latent energies are released and begin to rip the world apart at the seams, Deku and Hajime throw as many attacks at each other as they can, repeatedly countering, blocking, and dodging each other's blows.

Hajime: Wait...that's right...! This is the digital world...! Then...Haha...I wonder how far I can take this...!?

Deku is surprised as Hajime suddenly leaps high up into the sky, silhouetted by the virtual sun. The Ultimate Hope looks beyond the endless horizon, and then up at the sky above him. The silhouette of his best friend, Chiaki Nanami, wearing her Hope's Peak uniform hovers in the air above him. She reaches out her hand, and Hajime takes it...

From Deku's perspective, Hajime's the scene is honestly, somewhat haunting. It appears as though Hajime's presence alone has the power to destroy the world as his body glows and his hair stands on end, causing the waves surrounding him to become restless and red lightning to strike everywhere. Eventually, his body flashes white, his hair turns whitish-gold, and both of his eyes turn a piercing red as he screams with will and power. But, Deku only notices Hajime's mouth when he looks down from above, ignoring every other feature on his face.

Hajime: YOU WANTED MY BEST?!?! HERE IT IS!!! 

Deku: Now THAT'S a smile...! ONE FOR ALL!!

Hajime: I'll never let myself be bored again...!

Deku: ONE MILLION PERCENT!

Hajime: I'll never let anyone CHOOSE AGAIN...!

Deku: DELAWARE...! 

Hajime: I am NOT Izuru Kamukura!

Deku: DETROIT!

Hajime: I AM HAJIME HINNAAATAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Deku: SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSHHH!!!

Deku soars through the sky while Hajime soars back down! He unleashes the strongest SMASH he has while Hajime uses all of his strength-related abilities to deliver his devastating blow!

Both characters understand that they must go above and beyond PLUS ULTRA if they hope to succeed! So they both give it their all one last time, screaming as their fists finally make contact!

The impact alone proves to be so powerful that what remains of the archipelago is straight up DELETED! Despite Deku increasing the power of his attacks even further with his other quirks, Hajime is still able to endure it as he pushes forward! Neither of them want to let up, not necessarily out of a drive to win, but a desire to show their opponent the respect they well and truly deserve!

Their two unstoppable powerhouses collide in a way that destroys the digital world entirely, shrouding everything in darkness until reality cracks open and emits a brilliant white light...And at that point, the godly clash finally ends, and the game shuts down entirely...

...When Deku's arm finally gives way...

------------------------------------------------------------------

Deku: AGH!?

Deku suddenly lurches awake, looking around in a panic as he realizes he's not on the archipelago anymore. He sits in a round-shaped pod and looks down at his arms to see that they're still intact. He then looks above him to see the pod he's sitting in connected to a large computer in the center, with a bluescreen on the monitor.

Hajime: Heh...Chihiro's gonna kill me...

Deku looks up to see Hajime, now back to normal, leaning on his pod. They both look up towards the computer.

Hajime: It's called the Neo World Program. Future Foundation modified it so that we could use our full strength without the risk of causing any lasting damage or hurting anyone. 

Deku: Hahaha...You weren't kidding about being careful. I almost forgot I even got in this pod...Still, I guess this means I lost, huh?

Hajime: Well...

Hajime crosses his legs and sits comfortably.

Hajime: If you want me to be honest...You are the most powerful person I've ever had the pleasure of fighting...And that was the most fun I've had ever since I got these powers. Even if I'm "perfect," you're smart, strong...kind...and you're not done growing yet...

Deku: Meaning, what?

Hajime: I'm saying...I can't wait for the rematch...!

Hajime raises his hand for a fist bump...

Deku: Haha! Me neither!

...And Deku returns it...

Leona: And THERE WE HAVE IT! We have PEAKED PEOPLE!

Uchui: I have to agree! That was nothing if not glorious! Though I guess we're gonna have to use the backup simulator for the final battle...This one got totalled...

Hifumi: Given the vast array of skills and abilities that these two fighters have, there are a lot of ways that this fight could turn out. Factors such as the environment, circumstances, timing, and continuity have the potential to significantly alter the outcome of this battle. So let's analyze each category to take into account when it comes to Death Battles and determine our winner. Strength is the first and most evident.

Uchui: There is a fair bit to consider when scaling their individual powers here. First of all, while Deku at his maximum power, and Hajime/Izuru at theirs has done similar things, like the time Deku disintegrated a gigantic block of solid matter or destroyed an entire building with one of his strongest smashes, while Izuru disintegrated a skyscraper that Nagito Komaeda threw at him by using a pebble as a bullet. 

Leona: Let's start with Deku, whose most notable feat is actually the one that was calculated in his canonical Death Battle episode; parting the clouds with Bakugou. At the time, Death Battle calculated this feat would require a force of 80 Teratons of TNT. And we're willing to stick by them on that one. In contrast, Izuru struck the ground during his brief, but powerful clash with Matta Gyalusetsu so hard, it caused earthquakes across all of Japan! So how big a gap is that?

Hifumi: Calculating it from Deku's canon Death Battle episode, Deku VS Asta, Death Battle calculated that Asta could dish out a power equal to about 480 Teratons of TNT, because he scaled to an attack that could wipe out the Clover Kingdom, which is about half the size of Great Britain. Japan is approximately 1.6 times bigger than the entire united kingdom, so doubling up and scaling that calculated result from Death Battle's analysis, it puts Izuru on the level of 1536 Teratons, or 1.54 Petatons of TNT!

Leona: That's 15 Zeroes by the way! Basically, that would mean Izuru is about 19 times stronger than Deku, so he undoubtedly takes the win in terms of strength!

Uchui: Well...not EXACTLY...Unfortunately, it's near impossible to lock down just how powerful Hajime is as his maximum potential, since he rarely ever uses his full strength in a fight. Unlike Deku, who can be scaled to other One For All users like All Might, as well as his classmates like Bakugou, Hajime is above and beyond every powerful feat in Danganronpa, and can't even be properly scaled to the other two Ultimate Hope's. Plus, at the time of that cloud-splitting feat, Deku didn't have Fa Jin or Gearshift, so who knows how much power he would have on his own if he had applied those at the time?

Hifumi: Izuru confirmed that during his fight with Komaeda that Hajime was massively holding back the entire time they were fighting, and even Izuru seemed to merely be toying with him at first. While an exact unit hasn't been given, the fact that he was able to throw Komaeda around like a ragdoll and completely undermine him in spite of how he was able to defeat every other member of the Remnant's of Despair means it's far greater than that, and he must have been using NOTHING on Fujimori!

Uchui: Makes sense. They were fighting on a cruise liner filled with hostages and Hajime didn't want to hurt Ayumu either. So of course he was holding back. But even without a total number, Deku achieved that cloud feat with 100% of his power, AND coupled with Bakugou who was using the same thing. Using quirks like Gearshift and Fa Jin means Deku has likely gotten even stronger since then, being able to bring out 120% of his Quirk's full capability, and he's not done growing yet.

Leona: Even if Izuru is multiple times stronger, it probably won't be long before Deku finds a way to properly catch up with him. Our safest bet for this analysis is to say that they tie in strength.

Hifumi: In that case, we move onto speed. This stat on the other hand, is fairly clear cut. Deku would have a reaction time close to lightspeed if he could scale to Shigaraki. In addition, he has reacted to Lady Nagant's bullets caught them, and avoided lasers and if he applies Gearshift, he can accelerate even further.

Uchui: In contrast, Hajime is casually able to move so fast that it feels like the flow of time itself has stopped. And it's not that ridiculous in context. Characters like Mukuro Ikusaba and Sakura Ogami have done the same thing, even without Ultimate Hope powers; and Hajime is leagues beyond both of them.

Leona: For sure! Even without the whole time-stoppy BS, Izuru would just be leagues faster. Deku is able to respond to Bakugou's explosions of Nitroglycerin, but that Mach 20 is far less than Sakura Ogami's feat, which places her at Mach 26,475, which is easily Sub-Relativistic! In fact, it even beats the powerhouses like All For One and All Might! Izuru CLEANS in speed, and even with Deku's keen battle instincts and reactions, it's unlikely even Danger Sense would be enough to save him!

Uchui: Deku and Hajime do have very similar styles of fighting though, so they should both realistically know how to react to each other's attacks and abilities. The next thing to go over is durability. 

Hifumi: Both Hinata and Midoriya have taken the full brunt of some DEVASTATING attacks, especially Hinata's feat of surviving the nuclear explosion of Jabberwock Island. Deku surviving attacks from terrifying villains like Shigaraki, Overhaul and more also implies unbreakable defenses, and yet despite all of that, we still have to give this point to Mr. Hinata.

Leona: The reason being that while Deku has trained to suit himself for it, as things stand now, he can't even bare the brunt of his OWN ATTACKS! Every time he attacks with 100% of his max power, he ends up breaking his bones, almost to the point of destroying the use of his arms and legs entirely.

Uchui: Hajime on the other hand shares absolutely no such weakness. He's more than capable of unleashing the full capability of his talents with no serious drawbacks. In fact, his only weakness is his mentality, something that Hope's Peak knew would get in the way, thus removed upon Izuru's creation. All in all, Deku's most glaring weakness is the only thing that makes him lose this particular comparison, but removing it, they're actually dead even, just like strength.

Leona: The same cannot be said in terms of stamina, where Hajime just completely outclasses him. After the events of the All-Out War, Deku demonstrated that he is capable of taking down villains and touring the country for a few weeks, if not a month, without taking a break while keeping Full Cowl activated at all times. Despite being completely exhausted, he was able to repel Class 1-A's combined efforts, and while his broken bones are undeniably a weakness, they rarely ever significantly impair his fighting prowess.

Hifumi: On the other hand, with all of his athletic prowess, Mr. Hinata ought to be even more resilient than Genocide Jack, who, in contrast to her other half, never seems to tire and can take on a great deal of Monokumas with ease. In fact, even without his powers, Nekomaru Nidai mentioned that he had the makings of an athlete, despite his seemingly slender appearance. He is surprisingly muscular when he isn't wearing a shirt, and he's able to run a great distance around Jabberwock Island without seeming to get tired.

Leona: Now let's talk intelligence! This one's also pretty straightforward.

Uchui: Deku is unquestionably a GENIUS when it comes to both academics and combat. On top of studying famous heroes quirks and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of people's powers his whole life, in his few months at U.A. High, he has fought several different villains, which has given him invaluable experience. His prognostication abilities are so advanced that, even in the dark and during torrential rain, he could discern Lady Nagant's movement patterns and pinpoint her location based only on the trajectory of her bullets. And despite only having used Fa Jin for a few minutes, he quickly became proficient with it in combat. He has also demonstrated the capacity to carry out several mental tasks concurrently, or multitasking, an ability that is thought to be beyond human capability.

Hifumi: But as impressive as all that is, it's NOTHING compared to Hajime Hinata. Mr. Hinata was a successful student in his own right even though he was enrolled in the Reserve Course. He demonstrated his skill as an amateur sleuth during the Neo World Program Killing Game by leading the charge to solve every murder case, even the ones that involved devious tactics and scant evidence, just as Makoto Naegi had done before him.

Leona: And that's not even mentioning the fatass Elephant in the Room that is the talent of Ultimate Analytical Prowess.

Uchui: Junko Enoshima's Ultimate Analytical Prowess talent bestowed upon her monstrous analytical abilities, rendering it remarkably effortless for her to forecast events and expeditiously acquire the proficiencies of other talent holders. For example, she was able to produce brainwashing videos by merely observing Ryota Mitarai at work, learned how to perform neurosurgery to lobotomize and/or erase others' memories by perusing Yasuke Matsuda's research, and acquire programming knowledge by looking at Chihiro Fujisaki's programs. And Hajime, having this talent, is just as capable of doing all that, if not moreso.

Leona: Deku may have more on-field combat experience, but with Ultimate Hope that just automatically gives you the power to do everything, who really needs all that crap? Hajime's uncanny ability to analyze even allows him to easily see through most of Deku's attacks, as well as easily identifying his weaknesses like his bone-breaking punches.

Hifumi: Which ultimately leads us with one more, glaringly obvious category to go into...Powers!

Leona: One For All, Gearshift, Fa Jin, Danger Sense, Float, Blackwhip, Smokescreen, all those United States of Smash attacks, Full Cowl, Shoot Style, Air Force...Deku's got so many awesome and powerful attacks, techniques, powers, gear and moves under his belt, it's honestly amazing to think he doesn't win with any of them!

Uchui: It doesn't matter. Deku may have a handful of superhuman attacks and feats, but he's facing an opponent who is essentially unstoppable and can do EVERYTHING! And not just on a human level! Something FAR ABOVE even that! Hajime was endowed with every human talent by the experiment that transformed him into Izuru Kamakura. Imagine battling an opponent who possesses almost any skill. Do you believe you could succeed?

Hifumi: That's not even taking into account the more ridiculous powers like Ultimate Luck, which is shown to make him virtually untouchable. Mr. Hinata has extraordinary luck, which allows him to quickly influence most situations to his advantage, particularly those involving conflict. For example, the gun was perfectly working moments before Komaeda tried to shoot Kamukura, but it jammed.

Uchui: Nagito and Hajime engaged in another battle in which the former used a ball to knock out all of the nuts and bolts that held up the building, bringing it to an entirely new level. However, Izuru was unharmed by pure luck. Additionally, he should have better luck than Makoto, who even people like Junko Enoshima find unpredictable due to his special luck pattern that enables him to survive near-death experiences.

Leona: And if JUNKO couldn't figure out how to work around Izuru's luck, then DEKU certainly couldn't!

Uchui: And again, Deku can't unleash his most powerful attacks without severely hurting himself in the process. And that concludes our discussion! Hajime gains the upper hand in power because he has an excessive number of counters and hacks, and in the end, he prevails!

Leona: Well, I think there's something else...If you really think about it, both Hajime and Deku's powers involve them using percentages of their full power. But the difference is that Deku multiplies his strength to get stronger, while Hajime DIVIDES his to get weaker, especially since there aren't many people in the world of Danganronpa who can actually touch him. At the end of the day, this fight isn't about who would win, but about finding someone who can bring out the best in each other, even if it's through bloody battling. And I think Deku had everything he needed to bring that excitement and joy back to Hajime's life. Saving him with a smile and bringing one back to his face.

Hifumi: In that regard...I suppose Midoriya DOES win.

Uchui: Well, if that's not the pinnacle of Death Battle, I don't know what is...

Uchui casually fist-bumps Leona.

Hifumi: Izuku Midoriya proved to be a worthy heir to the title of Symbol of Hope, as his cunning strategy and unwavering determination gave his opponent the fight of his life. However, Hajime Hinata's unmatched strength, immense abilities, and boundless potential proved to be too much for All Might's student to overcome.

Leona: Deku gave it his All, but he simply couldn't Hope to compete with Hajime, the pinnacle of humanity!

THE WINNER IS HAJIME HINATA!

[rambly-fandom-thoughts3]

✨Danganronpa Sorting ✨

Makoto strained his eyes against the words on the page. The paper seemed like an old type, crinkled and discoloured.  “Welcome to Hogwarts!” it read, in a looping inked scrawl. Beneath was a doodle of a bear wearing robes and a witch’s hat, pointing up to the words with a… stick in its hand??

-

Let’s go, people. This has been rattling around in my head for a while, so here’s a compiled list of the Danganronpa characters in their respective Hogwarts Houses! (imo). I’ve explained my reasoning for each character, and used process of elimination for less obvious ones. THH only (for now!)

Class 78

Sayaka Maizono— Slytherin: 🐍

Sayaka is a good example of a Slytherin. She’s ambitious, doing whatever it takes to achieve her dream of becoming a pop star. She is also cunning with her murder plan and manipulation of Leon and Makoto, resourceful with her use of the sword and dying message, and has a keen sense of self-preservation, with the nature of the killing game sending her into panic and causing her to become willing to kill to escape. She also shows some Hufflepuff traits with her compassion, work ethic and loyalty to her friends, but this can also be seen as Slytherin fraternity, and her work ethic due to her ambition.

Leon Kuwata— Gryffindor: 🦁

Well, he’s definitely not a Ravenclaw. For some reason, my gut says Hufflepuff, but I can’t really explain why. He shows some Slytherin traits, with his ambition for music despite not having a musical related talent, and also shows a certain amount of cunning and self-preservation given his showdown with Sayaka and the trial breakdown at the prospect of his imminent death. Ultimately, however, I would place Leon in Gryffindor as he’s pretty rash, impulsive, daring etc with a keen sense of chivalry. He may not be all that brave or noble, but that’s not to say that he doesn’t value or want to be these things. 

Chihiro Fujisaki— Ravenclaw: 🦅

I don’t really see any Slytherin traits in Chihiro. He seems to embody some Hufflepuff traits, being kind, fair and hardworking. I wondered whether or not to put him in Gryffindor, seeing as he really values traditional Gryffindor traits like bravery and desperately wants to embody them. The sorting hat is more about what you value, but in the end I decided to put him in Ravenclaw as Chihiro seems to both embody and value creativity, imagination and intelligence. He single-handedly invented the program that allowed both sides of hope and despair to succeed in their respective goals, which is a very revolutionary Ravenclaw thing.

Mondo Owada— Gryffindor: 🦁

Again, definitively not a Ravenclaw. Mondo seems pretty ambitious, becoming the head of a gang, but this isn’t a goal he actively works towards— rather a role that he accepts. He doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of cunning, given how he murdered Chihiro and his acceptance in admitting it. He seems to have a strong steak of Hufflepuff loyalty to people he cares about, but doesn’t really embody other traits of the house. Mondo is impulsive, brave and daring, preferring to solve problems with his fists and being the one to attack Monokuma first. He’s also noble and chivalrous, honouring a lifelong promise to his dead brother, feeling guilty for punching Makoto, offering to help Chihiro grow his strength and bravery and feeling shame at the trial for what he’d done. Mondo is very much a Gryffindor. 

Kiyotaka Ishimaru— Hufflepuff: 🦡

Once again, Kiyotaka is likely not a Ravenclaw. A Gryffindor argument could be made due to his outspokenness and chivalry, especially after he becomes closer with Mondo, but I don’t think Gryffindor really fits as Kiyotaka hates impulsivity and doesn’t really seem to value bravery. I think he is a strong Slytherin candidate, though. Taka is very ambitious, his life practically revolving around his goals. He leans heavily into Slytherin fraternity with his comradery with Mondo, and appears to be resourceful due to his attempt at leadership on both the student council and throughout the killing game. However, Taka doesn’t really display any sense of cunning or notable self-preservation, instead seeming to detest deception or underhanded tactics. As the ultimate moral compass, Kiyotaka is a good example of a Hufflepuff— he’s kind, loyal and extremely hardworking. He has a very strong sense of justice and relies on trustworthy, comfortable methods. Breaking the rules would kill him. 

Hifumi Yamada— Ravenclaw: 🦅

Hifumi shows a little of every house, displaying cunning in his plan with Celestia, bravery and chivalry in his going through with it, and some loyalty and compassion towards her. However, I decided he is probably a Ravenclaw, as he’s very imaginative and creative, and therefore also pretty quirky. Fiction motivates Hifumi, along with general knowledge. Unlike the traits of the other houses, which only appear at certain times, these remain pretty consistent throughout his characterisation, and so places him in this house. 

Celestia Ludenberg— Slytherin: 🐍

Slytherin Slytherin Slytherin all the way, baby!! Celestia is EXTREMELY ambitious, with a goal of winning every game, amassing as much money as possible and achieving a lavish lifestyle. She’s incredibly cunning, deceiving everyone else surrounding her entire identity, and creating the nighttime rule specifically to have people lower her guard around her. She has no problem manipulating Hifumi into sacrificing himself for her, owing to her high sense of self-preservation. She may or may not show a few traits of other houses, but it doesn’t matter because she’s just so slithery Slytherin!! 

Sakura Ogami— Hufflepuff: 🦡

Sakura is clearly not a Ravenclaw or Slytherin. She shows strong Gryffindor traits with her impressive bravery, nobility and chivalry, however she’s very disciplined, lacking the impulsive recklessness that defines so many Gryffindors. Sakura is kind, fair and just. She’s incredibly hardworking, tied heavily to her morals and is very loyal to those she cares about. It was only through this loyalty that the mastermind was able to take advantage of her, rather than her bravery. 

Aoi Asahina— Hufflepuff: 🦡

Another “definitively not Ravenclaw.” She shows a good amount of Slytherin cunning in chapter 4, which even Byakuya— the quintessential Slytherin— comments on. However, she lacks the ambition and self-preservation to go with it, and she seems to really disvalue cunning, getting upset when Byakuya calls her that. Like Sakura, she’s a strong Gryffindor candidate, as she’s impulsive, hot-headed and reckless. However, this impulsiveness is done in the service of justice. Aoi is sweet, fair and loyal— even if she’s not particularly hardworking. The reason behind her cunning was due to her compassion and loyalty to Sakura— and her getting upset when someone calls her cunning was due to thinking she was a bad person— through questioning her morality, which is what makes her a Hufflepuff overall. 

Byakuya Togami— Slytherin: 🐍

As stated, Byakuya is the quintessential Slytherin. He’s very ambitious, accruing a ton of wealth and with the goal of dominating his own siblings in a cutthroat competition to own his family’s corporation. He shows a good amount of cunning, with his interference of case 2, and a LOT of self-preservation with his distancing from the group and trying to establish himself as a threat to potential attackers— though never directly killing anyone himself. He is highly intelligent, and his interference of case 2 due to his goal of keeping things interesting, and thirst for knowledge throughout the game is very Ravenclaw, however, this knowledge was sought specifically to enhance his self-preservation, which is what makes him a Slytherin. 

Toko Fukawa— Ravenclaw: 🦅

This one was difficult to sort. Toko doesn’t seem to be much Slytherin or Gryffindor. She shows a strong sense of loyalty to those she cares about, and might be hardworking given she’s a best-selling author, but she’s also unpleasant and can be pretty unfair at times. She doesn’t even really seem to show that much Ravenclaw in her, as she doesn’t seem to be curious or knowledge-driven, but she’s clearly highly imaginative and creative, which are quintessential Ravenclaw traits, and does seem to be very witty given her interactions with Komaru— another quintessential Ravenclaw trait.

Yasuhiro Hagakure— Ravenclaw: 🦅

This one was REALLY difficult to sort. Yashiro has a strong sense of self-preservation and a little bit of cunning— but he utterly lacks ambition, being laid-back and preferring to go with the flow. He shows some Gryffindor traits, as he can be impulsive and kind of reckless, but he definitely isn’t hot-headed, or brave or noble, and nor does he seem to value any of those. He doesn’t really seem to have any Hufflepuff in him, although it is the house that accepts those who don’t make the cut for others. Yasuhiro initially seems like the furthest thing from a Ravenclaw— he’s notoriously stupid, and isn’t driven by knowledge, however he does seem to hold a certain curiosity for his own field, and is obviously pretty quirky and imaginative. Ravenclaw is known for embracing those who just think differently. 

Makoto Naegi— Hufflepuff: 🦡

Another Hufflepuff-Gryffindor cusp! Makoto definitely isn’t a Slytherin. He’s pretty clever, being heavily involved with the trials, and could be said to be imaginative given his vision for a better world, but he doesn’t seem all that creative or knowledge-seeking in any traditional sense. In fact, he’s extremely normal, which is a very Hufflepuff thing— though it’s not why I placed him there. Makoto could be seen to embody strong Gryffindor traits, like bravery and nobility in the face of all hope lost. However, like Hina, this bravery comes more from his inner sense of justice and morality than recklessness or chivalry. Makoto stands up for what he believes in. He’s kind, fair, loyal and hardworking in order to inspire hope and make people happy. You don’t get more Hufflepuff than that.

Kyoko Kirigiri— Ravenclaw: 🦅

Although goal-oriented and put-together in a way that typically conflicts with Ravenclaw’s scatteredness, Kyoko is very much in the house of the eagle. Her talent is related to solving mysteries, and unlike other characters who solve the trials due to justice or self-preservation, Kyoko does it because it’s a personal interest of hers. Her thirst for knowledge and thrill of problem-solving is what motivates her. She’s shrewd and highly intelligent, and is used to thinking outside the box. Although maybe not as artistic or imaginative as some Ravenclaws, Kyoko is creative in her own ways and certainly earns her Ravenclaw title.

Mukuro Ikusaba— Hufflepuff: 🦡

Again, this took some thinking. I wouldn’t say she’s a Ravenclaw. There are definitely some Slytherin arguments to be made. I think Gryffindor makes a lot of sense as she’s clearly very brave and somewhat(?) reckless— like attacking Izuru without assessing him as a threat beforehand (but the anime kind of butchered her character anyway). I would probably say that this isn’t normal behaviour for Mukuro though. Being a soldier would probably require a level of discipline that is not really in your average Gryffindor’s comfort zone, and I don’t see any examples of nobility or chivalry from her that doesn’t surround her sister. Ultimately, she’s a Hufflepuff because her sense of loyalty is astounding. Beyond that, she practical, focused, hardworking and seems to value sweetness and compassion given her love for Makoto, even if she doesn’t necessarily embody it herself. 

Junko Enoshima— Ravenclaw: 🦅

I know! I know, I know. “But rambly-fandom-thoughts3, Junko is evil! How is she not a Slytherin?” Well, sit down, sweet summer child, and let me explain. (Get ready for an essay!)

It’s true that Junko has a ton of Slytherin qualities. She is probably the most cunning character in the series, exploiting societal structures and stereotypes to effectively disguise her role in The Tragedy for a long time. She’s dangerously charismatic and manipulates so many people to her side for a cause that seems entirely nonsensical and benefits absolutely no one, and does it so well that they worship her and permanently disfigure themselves. (And no, we do not count the anime— SDR2 indicates it was a slow, individual process and even emphasizes that everything they did was of their own volition, and having her just lie about that and simply brainwash them is a cheap cop-out). Her goals include world dominion and destruction, and well, you don’t get more ambitious than that!  However, it’s important to consider the motives behind these goals. Junko destroys the world because she’s bored. She has powers of analysis that cause her mind to become this endless black hole, constantly consuming any form of mental stimulation just to keep it from devouring itself. She craves the chaotic, unpredictability of despair. They’re based on an entire philosophy. She wants knowledge for knowledge’s sake— not knowledge to achieve a wider goal, unless that goal is to gain more knowledge for knowledge’s sake. She is an evil, mad genius, and is Ravenclaw through and through. 

Plus, her self-preservation skills are notoriously non-existent. Her impulsive, reckless behaviour and self-sabotage is honestly more reminiscent of Gryffindor rather than Slytherin. 

[crimsondoesstuff]

Hello. Yes. Hi hello.

So technically this isn’t my first post, because I had to go through all the trouble of creating a new account and deleting my old one yada yada so on and so forth (for some reason, it wasn’t my main blog, and I kept posting/commenting/reblogging as the one specifically dedicated to a project I’m working on)

Anyways long story short (too late), hello hello.

For those who don't know much about me, I'm Crimson. I'm a Youtuber and a writer, as well as an artist- but most importantly, I made a whole bunch of OCs in my free time. I have ambitions to one day make a manga, and make my wide collection of OCs the main characters of it! I tend to be over ambitious, but I think I have the skills in both art and writing to make an engaging story. If I don't end up making a manga, I'll probably end up making a murder mystery novel instead. I really really like murder mysteries.

I am invested in fandoms like Danganronpa, Deltarune, Demon Slayer, Red vs Blue, The Stanley Parable, and the Backrooms Wikidot/Fandom pages, but that'll change drastically at random times. Seriously, my interests fluctuate like crazy. And if you bring up a topic with me about a fandom I used to be invested in, you can probably expect I'll suddenly pick up that same passion for it and I WILL ramble endlessly. Every time. Without fail.

If you'd like to learn even more about me, or anything I might not have said here, I suggest checking out my carrd! I have my original character's information there, along with some of my own artwork, although I haven’t updated it in a while. There will also be my other social media, like my Pinterest, Youtube channel, AO3, and personal Discord.

My carrd, if you wish to find out more about me.

My alternate Tumblr account, based solely on my WIP series. (@morishirossweetobsession)

My secondary blog, where I reblog stuff I like. (I didn’t want to crowd up my main page.) I fucking love Spamton.

Thanks for stopping by. Don’t lose your sanity.

(I had to edit this like thirty times to fix mistakes)

[wispisstillverybored67]

https://picrew.me/image_maker/332600

[Name]: Hisa Albright

[Gender]: Female

[Age]: 20 (physically) 67 (chronologically)

"Born" on May 5th.

[Height]: 4"7

[Weight/Build]: 65 pounds (as most Constructs are)

[Birthplace]: Unknown town.

[Hair]: Pink.

[Eyes]: Solid purple.

[Physical peculiarities]: Lots. Her frog eyes, a tiny pinky finger despite her big hands and feet, her very late puberty kicking in, her abnormally small heart (how it beats is beyond me), her crooked nose, and her vaguely malformed limbs.

[Power or any magic ability]: Intense dark magic skills, skill with manipulating the dead souls. Moderate sword skills. Somewhat below average horse riding. She can keep on it, but that's about it.

[Dressing style]: "Don't touch me" and uber-casual.

[Education]: Well educated, surprisingly.

[Sexuality]: Straight.

[Enemies]: Practically every non-Aomogura, anyone who hurts her brother.

[Family]: Only living relative is Zarichas, her brother.

[Core need]: Security.

[Pathological maneuver]: Kill it or run away from it.

[Ambition in life]: To marry and adopt a child.

[Gestures when talking]: Fiddles with her sweater or clings to the nearest person she trusts.

[Gait]: Angy little kid.

[Positive Character trait/s]: Honest, sweetheart to those she trusts, devoted to her cause, endearing like a child.

[Negative character trait/s]: Intense trust issues, mercilessness to the enemy (which changes often), deeply pessimistic and something of a hypocrite.

[Wish]: I want my brother to live! Pretty Please?!

Likes: Her brother, coffee, frogs, animals in general, her new home, festivals, drawing.

Dislikes: Surface mortals, Juno's lectures, those who hurt the weak, ruined plans, hypocrites, anyone who hurts her brother.

[Prized possession]: A knitted sweater, with several adjustments to it's size

[One-line characterization]: "So if that's how they REALLY want it... then I'll never rely on anyone else again."

[Extra details]: She is based off of Hapi (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Acadamia), Daki (Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc), Chiaki Nanami (specifically her portrayal in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School) Ess (Puyo Puyo Tetris) and Sacramouche (Genshin Impact)

[Backstory]: The highly embittered little sister of Zarichas, anyone who knows her will tell you that her love is reserved for him alone. And you will soon know why. She is one of the Constructs, artificial humans who seamlessly blend robotic efficiency and efficacy with human emotion and biology. They are usually created to mimic a person in appearances, based on either the taste of their creator or on a specific order, and Hisa is no exception. Her creator adored anime of any kind, and was thinking of a highly loved one during her creation. She resembled their favorite character, the frog-looking girl originally, and while it meant that her look matching was somewhat of a success, it still left her with some... interesting defects because it was unstable. The group of scientists that created her and many others to order, thus decided to do an experiment on how Constructs develop, if it's the same as normal human children. They paid various families large amounts of money in stipends in exchange for taking care of one child for 7 years. To ensure that anyone who caught on with their plans would be punished, each child was fitted with an anklet that would go off, and it gives away the wearer's location. And they were only ≤7 at the time.

Hisa was placed into the Albright household, and although she was a little sad to leave her creators, her "real" parents, she soon grew attached to the new home. Now, I won't bore you with any heavier details (well, not 'til I release Zarichas' ref), but I'll skip to the good part of it. She was particularly attached to the 11 year old (youngest) son. While she adored her family, and they loved her, fate would take another turn... Curiosity overcame both of them, and the two of them consequently fled to the underground. She had suffered a broken leg from the fall down, and he was already poisoned from an attack on the way. Hisa just didn't care anymore. She willingly took the blue spider lily juices, and gave some to him. It saved their (mostly his) lives, but it permanently turned them into Aomogura. Now they'll never be able to go home, but if it means that they have to survive in THIS new home, so be it. They've been living down there ever since.

[linkspooky]

This is kinda random, but what is your top 10 favorite otps?

Sure.

#1 of All Time SPUFFY

Spuffy, it wrote the book on both beauty and the beast archetypes, and enemies to lovers. For me the most important thing in a ship is the character development it brings about. Spike's redemption doesn't work without Buffy, because it's meeting the one person who expects better than him and won't put up with his selfish crap, that forces his character arc. Buffy's development is also nothing without Spike, it's meeting Spike that makes Buffy confront her dark side, and realize that being a good person isn't something you are, but something you work towards for the sake of your loved ones. The ideal ship should inspire this permanent character development and chane (Unless it ends tragically), they should be an inseperable part of each other's character arcs.

#2 Kumagawa / Ajimu

This is what I was talking about when I said "unless it ends tragically". Sometimes you ship two people who should never end up together, because they probably won't accept their differences. However, even in a failed relationship, two people can be important to each other. There's not really a hapyp ending for Ajimu and Kumagawa, despite their similiarities when they're together they just seem to make each other worse. In Medaka Box they are the anti-Zenkichi and Medaka. However, for Ajimu Kumagawa represents her only human connection, and for Kumagawa Ajimu represents the first person to be "good" to him even though their relationship soured at one point. Therefore I find the ship interesting because despite the fact that they are permanently separated they are still an incredibly important part of each other's identities and who they are now.

# 3 Matsuda / Junko

Basically for the same reason as what I said above. There is no universe where Junko and Matsuda end up in a happy relationship, as long as Junko is still Junko. However, Matsuda and DanganRonpa Zero as a whole add so much to Junko as a character. As long as Matsuda exists, Junko's more than just a black hole that only cares about despair, and I think together the side materials like IF and Zero show that Junko actually is capable of caring for people outside of her natural tendency to want to throw everything into despair, however, humanizing Junko in this manner doesn't actually make her a better person. She can have feelings like romantic, and familial love, and she still chooses to destroy those things and the people in her life. It just adds so much to Junko as a character, which is what I like ships as, an extension of characterization through character interaction.

#5 UIHAI

I love Ui and Hairu because it's like a broken fairy tale. It was a love that could have saved Hairu, but it didn't, because for Ui he always realized his feelings too late to save anyone. Hairu was obsessively chasing after Arima for the smallest amount of approval, when Ui was right there, and already in love with her. They seem like the perfect couple that could never get together, because Hairu is too fixated on Arima, and Ui is too fixated on his job. They are perfectly suited to giving each other what they wanted, and even in lots of side materials and sketches they seem like a pair, or Ui's feelings for Hairu come across as pretty clear but it never came to be in canon.

#6 ZACK / AERITH

Once again for the same reasons as above, it seems like a fairy tale romance of a knight, and a girl he wants to protect, but it fails completely to live up to that story. Zack and Aerith is a tragic story of first love for both of them, and it's also really formative for who Aerith is now as a character. Zack tried to be there for her, and he tried to be a hero to Aerith, only to very consistently not be there for her, and then disappear from her life all together. Much later on, Aerith is incredibly isilated, unable to fall in love with the real cloud without projecting Zack onto him. It's a relationship where in a better world they could have been there for each other, but also the failure of the relationship develops them as much as characters as them getting together might have. Zack and Aerith are one of those relationships that seems ideal on the surface but they are very different people with different wants, Zack wants to be a hero, Aerith just wants to be a person first.

#7 LINK / MIDNA

The best zelda ship period. Once again the most important part of a ship interaction is the change that both characters inspire in each other. Midna begins not caring about Link at all, never referring to him by name, only seeing him as an object, an old legend, a hero to be used instead of a person. Midna's a manipulative freak, and Link breaks through to her because he actually isn't interested in being the hero of legend, he just wants to save the people closest to him at the village because he feels indebted to them, and Midna inevitably becomes one of those people. Link and Midna's partneship makes the game, because it's Midna who pushes him and makes him into a hero, but it's Link through his unfledging acceptance of her who inspires her to be a person once more, and not just the twilight priness.

#8 Morrigan / Warden from DRAGON AGE ORIGINS

This and Spuffy are like the only two on this list who actually end up together, so let me just have this. Once again my favorite aspect of a ship is the transformation the relationship brings baout in a character. The warden is a non-character, but for Morrigan herself, her relationship with the warden is what allows her to escape an abusive household, and beyond that decide not to repeat the cycle of abuse with her new family. What made this ship an all time fave was in witch hunt when the Warden gets to ask her what she wants, and she's just completely confused. Even with her mother dead, Morrigan is still a tool of her mother's ambitions, it's still all about her mother wants. It's her love with the warden, either through friendship or romance that awakens Morrigan to the fact she's allowed to exist as a person with wants and needs outside of what her mother wants her to be.

#9 Kaine / Nier

It's the Most Humanizing Ship Ever Between Two Mass Murderers. As a story, I think Nier is about finding the life, and love, in a story that is ultimately, fatally doomed. Nier only worse and worse as the game goes on but that doesn't mean there was never any love in his life. For every bad thing Nier does, he was not bad to every single person, specifically Kaine, it was Nier's love and belief in her that allows the wounds in her heart to start to heal. As Nier and Nier gets worse, Kaine's own shadow self says, that her feelings in her heart are no longer hatred, or even revenge, there's just a pure white light of love left. In a game where everything only rots, Kaine has healed to the point where she can love again when she never thought it was possible. It's why I like ending D the best, because it's Nier knowing he can never escape his own sins, but he can use his last action to heal Kaine fully all the way and allow her to live on a few more years.

#10 SATOSUGU

Once again, there's no universe where they end up together, and yet still on opposite sides of a conflict they remain each other's closest friends. The most important thing about a ship is the character development it leads to and Gojo would not be who he is today without Suguru. I generally get the sense that Gojo's idea of a good person isn't himself, but rather who Geto used to be before he broke. Gojo actually relied on on Geto for a lot more than he realized, considering it was the one connection he had that seemed to humanize him. Geto provided the chosen one who can do literally anything in the world with his powers, support and guidance. He was the jade, and the foundation of their two person friendship, and then the jade broke.

Gojo and Geto's broken relationship is not only the most emotional thing in the series to me, it's also an incredible part of who they are ten years after the fact. Gojo straight up didn't bother to make friends for ten years later after the fact even though he could have, Geto still told his daughters that Gojo and him were best friends, they just had a fight. He couldn't comperehend in Volume Zero that Gojo would still regard him as a friend after everything that they had done.

It's like one of those "Can't live with them, can't live without them" pairs. They want to be each other's one and only but it just won't work because they don't understand each other, and neither of them is willing to compromise. They are also each other's perfect yin / yang complement. Gojo is the opposite of Geto, and still carries a part of Geto within him, and Geto even after becoming the enemy of the sorcery world while Gojo is the savior, still carries that friendship with Gojo inside of him as well. While their relationship is a failed one, it's also a past I hope that the next generation Megumi and Itadori both learn from, even if Geto never truly comes back.

[immediately-regrettable-art]

DESCRIPTIONS OF MY FAN DANGANRONPA GAME CHARACTERS!!!

Alburn Silver is the Ultimate Warrior. Hope's Peak is the first school he's ever attended! His mother was the Ultimate Seer, and had an awful vision about the future. She took him into the forest with her, living a life of seclusion. It was not until the Hope's Peak scouts found him and saw his abilities that she allowed him to return to the civilized world without her. Despite his Ultimate, he believes that almost everything can be solved nonviolently. He's confused about the world, but excited to learn. He's got a heart of gold and tries to keep everyone else calm and protected during the killing game

Allan Scorpio is the Ultimate Scientist. His mother died and his father left him at a very young age, so he was raised by the previous Ultimate Scientist, Chris White. He has a very intimidating, cold nature, but it's all on accident. Though he prefers silence, he enjoys spending time with others as well. Anyone who knows him well knows him as a big softie. He uses his intelligence to try and solve the murders alongside James and Taye.

Andrew Thompson is the Ultimate Inventor. After an accident he will never talk about, he began to cover the lower half of his face with a metal mask. It requires a code to open, along with a fingerprint scan. No one will ever be able to open it that he doesn't want to. After a life full of abuse, he believes that being mean is the only way to avoid being a victim. However, it's just an act. He cares deeply for others and uses his inventions to help improve the world and protect those he loves. He has a strong friendship with Taye seemingly immediately, and the two even finish each other's sandwiches sentences.

Avery Rose is the Ultimate King. His father is the current king of a not so distant land. However, in their country, the royal family creates a counsel where they discuss issues together. That being the case, Avery was recently able to join his father's side as a king. He cares deeply for his family, but little for anyone else. He's intimidating by nature and size alone, but he has the strength and anger to back it up. He will do anything to protect Persephone and James in the killing game, but could not care less about anyone else.

Claire White is the Ultimate Assistant. Her father was the previous Ultimate Scientist, Chris White. She's helped her father from a young age, but doesn't have the brains required to be a scientist herself. She now assists the new Ultimate Scientist, Allan Scorpio. With a near perfect memory, but a timid nature, she helps in trials by recalling evidence or keeping track of alibis, but rarely investigates or puts the pieces together herself.

Flora Murray-Richardson is the Ultimate Singer. That's about all she'll tell you about herself. No one really knows why, but she usually only speaks in short, few word sentences. The only people who get to hear her talk normally are family and close friends. However, she will sing almost anything perfectly, with a beautiful voice to match. Her mother, father, and uncle were all Ultimates as well, a tradition her and her sisters have kept up. With such a long family history, it's a lot of pressure on Flora. She seems to know more than she tells in the trials, but will often give one word clues to James to push him in the right direction.

James Greene is the Ultimate Doctor, and also your protagonist! Trained from a young age to be a future king, he has great fighting abilities. However, he prefers to help others, and studied to be a doctor all his life. With a nearly 100% diagnosis rate, and a survival rate just as high, he's in high demand. His father raised him, as his mother was an Ultimate as well, and always missing due to work. He resents her for this, but he would never admit to it. He also is sure to hide his royal nature, not wanting others to treat him differently for it. Not yet old enough to be king, James is a prince who resents the queen and hates the crown. He tries his best to keep everyone safe during the killing game, and is the main detective in the trials. Will he lead everyone to safety? Or die alongside the others. That part is up to you.

Janet Murray-Richardson is the Ultimate Fashionista. On the cover of countless magazines, she has quite a reputation as a celebrity. However, she doesn't consider herself an Ultimate. With a family full of Ultimates, she considers her own talent as worthless. This doesn't stop her though. Full of endless ambition, she is determined to prove herself as a real Ultimate. She loves her sisters dearly, but is too squeamish to do much to protect anyone else. She doesn't do much in trials, but still tries to help put the pieces together.

Lilac Murray-Richardson is the Ultimate Florist. She's sweet as can be, or is she? As the oldest of her siblings, she remembers her parents' life of crime the most. Raised by the mafia, she is stronger than she appears. She'll do anything to protect her sisters, even kill. Despite this, she sees the best in most people, and will only become hostile if she's given a reason. During trials, she mostly listens, deciding who is and isn't worthy of her trust.

Lizzy is the Ultimate Swimmer. She goes with the flow most of the time, and thinks the killing game is a prank all the way until the first victim. A sweetheart by nature, she's always willing to make friends. She's an open book, willing to talk about any and everything if given the chance. During trials, she tries to help, but usually ends up being confusing.

Lucy Bradshaw is the Ultimate Medium. She also hates everyone. Used to fending for herself, it's difficult to become her friend. She considers most people to be beneath her, and is most comfortable talking to ghosts. She has many secrets, and you'd have to be very close to her to know them. She dislikes James and Avery most of all, calling them meatheads. However, she seems to have a soft spot for Alburn. During trials, she really just yells at anyone who gets things wrong.

Patricia Vixen is the Ultimate Track Star!!! Call her Patty or she'll punch you!!! Full of endless energy, Patty is constantly sprinting. When she's angry, sad, or happy, you can find her running laps around the school. She wants to make friends, but the killing game has her scared. She trusts easily, which might not be a good thing. During trials, she just yells about things.

Persephone Rose is the Ultimate General. Too young to be queen yet, she makes a name for herself by always being willing to fight. With her strength and swordsman skills, few opponents stand a chance. She is a master of strategy, never losing a single soldier in battle. She cares deeply for her family, and little for anyone else. The only thing that keeps her from killing is the fact that she family would perish as well. During trials, she accuses others without evidence.

Rikanaro Jr. Rohan is the Ultimate Painter. A ball of sunshine, he has trust in everyone. He believes that everyone will escape alive, and holds out hope for as long as he can. During trials, he tries to encourage everyone and keep them going!

Rook Smith is the Ultimate Entomologist. He is mute, but luckily, James knows sign language. In fact, despite not knowing how they learned it, everyone seems to. He's very intelligent, and helps look for evidence. However, he's also very friendly, and chooses to see the best in people, even if they're the killer. During trials, he helps display evidence.

Taye Wilson is the Ultimate Trickster. She loves to play pranks on others. Born with disfigured eyes, she uses her visor to see. She is James's self proclaimed assistant, and helps him investigate. However, she's not the smartest, and has trouble putting the pieces together without him.

Buzzball is a sweet bear, wasp, thing. There are plenty of her all over the school. She talks like a baby and seems to not fully comprehend what she's doing.

[drmedicsgamesurgery]

Danganronpa Togami Volume 3 Part 2 (Summary)

Happy new year everyone! What better way to start it off then with a new summary?

Thanks to @enoshima-pyon @shockersalvage​ @jinjojess​ @hopeymchope​ for helping out!

WARNING: MAJOR DANGANRONPA KIRIGIRI VOLUME 2 SPOILERS AHEAD.

5.

After a while, they switched the helicopter for a train, and they continued their journey to the Netherlands, where the international tribunal is. Shinobu is separated from Byakuya, the Impostor and Kazuya and put in a prison-like-wagon. There are many UN and WHO soldiers guarding it. There, she eavesdrops a conversation between the Impostor, Ibuki Mioda and Gundham Tanaka by using Borges. 

"Hey--the number here is almost the same as the hall of Yokohama Stadium. Ooh, is this where they’re going to hold the New Year’s concert!?” [1] wonders Ibuki. 

"No matter how well these human beings work together, they can't stop the Supreme Overlord of Ice… mwahahahahahaha!"  which came from Gundham.

“Shut up. Because you two are so useless, we ended up being caught by such a boring group like the United Nations.” reprimanded the Imposter.

Shinobu asks herself how many people are working for the Super High School Level Despair, and since Ibuki, Gundham, Sonia and Souda are already working for them, she thinks that maybe her whole class/year has fallen into despair. She then asks herself why the Despair High didn’t ask her to join.

Although this idea is crazy, this reality is so crazy, I think that it is possible the reason is: because I belong to Byakuya-sama. I felt sad for a few seconds, before I thought about it. It didn’t matter. I have my God. Although, I don’t know who their God is, but they can’t be compared to Byakuya Togami.

A soldier brings Shinobu to a luxurious cell room, then leaves.

Fixed bed, fixed sofa, folding table, painting on the wall, good air conditioning... I have no interest in rail travel, it seems to me that this is just a luxurious single cell. After I sat down at one end of the bed, the door was locked. The soldier just gave me a drink, orange juice. I don't know who he regarded me as. I took a sip of orange juice with dissatisfaction. The long-lost water made my stomach irritated, and I found myself hungry. Speaking of which, I haven’t had a decent bite to eat since I was attacked in the Church of Bones. Although I may be irritated by Mishima Yukio, I began to want to drink hot miso soup and eat plum dry rice balls. [2]

Kazuya enters the room, holding a prosthetic arm.

"I’m finally able to be alone with you, my sister, after four years of being alone," he put the right hand on the table and sat down on the sofa. "The train is about to leave, just like our future."

"..."

"From the Czech Republic to the Netherlands will be a long journey. I originally wanted to fly, but we have to go through Germany on the way and they are not willing to give us a flight permit."

"..."

"Please, sister, don't tease me. Just because I wanted to see my sister, I wanted to hear my sister's voice, I worked hard to live up to today."

"...So, you think you have won."

"I’m not that conceited. I’m not the winner yet, but I will win soon."

"Let me see Byakuya-sama."

"That’s a scary thought, how could I allow that? I have to let my sister sit in the special seat to watch my victory... Hehe."

"What's so funny."

"Oh, of course it's funny, having to speak such villainous lines when I am clearly the hero."

"We don't have time to waste like this right now."

Kazuya responds by saying that she shouldn’t worry, now that everyone involved with the World Domination Proclamation have been captured, that she should just sit back and relax.

"You think you have won?" I repeated. "So far, all you’ve done is somehow come back from the dead, and reversed everything.."

"Oh no, I’m not dead. I have hands and feet and heart, but I have no hope."

“Where is Byakuya-sama?” I asked.

“Byakuya Togami, the Despair High School, Class 78, they are all locked up.”

Shinobu thinks that it regrettable that Sakura Oogami was captured, but at the same time if she can move freely there should be a way to get out of this situation.

The train started. The steel dragon started to move slowly, and then the speed gradually increased, as if to show that he was carrying our will, driving forward with violent momentum. The shock from under my butt was unexpectedly comfortable, perhaps because I was too tired and sleep came to me. 

However sleep could not come to her because Kazuya brings her a new prosthetic arm to replace the broken one. Shinobu knows that it’s for the best, so she takes off her shirt and extends her left arm from the elbow to him. 

"Sister... I’m sorry, I have not protected you."

Although the wound has healed, the skin there is very thin. I almost cried out to prevent it Kazuya from seeing it, and quickly said, “It’s not me that you need to apologize to.”

“Who else should I apologize to then, sister?” asks Kazuya. 

“Go and apologize to those you have murdered.”

“Those that I have murdered?”

His tone sounded completely confused. If this were an old-time novel, this sentence may be written with a very unsavory katakana.

Shinobu reminds him of the siblings that he murdered and the villagers that he killed. Kazuya believes that in the world of the Togami Family it’s “kill or be killed” to justify himself. Plus, it was his “big sister” that brought him into that world anyway.

This causes Shinobu to think back about the events of Kuchinashi Village. However, she can’t seem to recall the events clearly, most likely due to her young age. I suddenly had a question: At that time, which hand did I reach out to Kazuya, the left hand or the right hand? As such, she has to ask Kazuya details about it.

Shinobu asks "Do you remember when I saved you in the village?"

"Yes, for me it is a precious memory." he says

"Which hand did I extend to you at that time?"

"Of course, it was the left hand." he said confidently. With that said, Shinobu couldn’t say anything else and let her be at his mercy. After the installation of the prosthetic hand, I moved it a little. Compared with the latest prosthetic hand made by the Togami Conglomerate, it felt more like my own arm.

Kazuya explains to Shinobu his plan to conquer the world. He will spread the Despair Novel even more and make the world fall into chaos. Then he will accuse Byakuya of everything and arrest him. This way he will be acclaimed as the hero who saved the world from the Despair Disease.

Shinobu refused to accept this and declares that as long as her work remains unfinished, she isn’t finished and, by extension, Byakuya Togami will not be finished.

Even if Byakuya loses and disappears from the world, as long as I am writing “Journey Under The Midnight Sun”, Byakuya Togami won’t be finished. I won’t let him be finished.

Kazuya claims she’s just being arrogant and no one would want to read the biography of a “loser”. He asserts that as the main protagonist of this story, he’ll take back everything that was stolen from him and steal everything from everyone else. That way he gets to enjoy the world, while also being the center of it.

“You’re just an ordinary person,” Shinobu says quickly. “You are just a general staff member of the United Nations. They cannot allow you to have the ambition to conquer the world."

“It’s because I am a general staff member of the United Nations that I will arrest Byakua Togami and kill that Imposter who pretended to be Byakuya Togami. Once I eradicate Despair Disease, I will be hailed a hero by the world! Then, once I get the Kudan, I will become Byakuya Togami!”

Shinobu notes that if Kazuya was able to pull this off then it wouldn’t just be empty words. He would have really conquered the world and without the use of the traditional style like territories or nuclear weapons.

But would Kazuya really be able to do this?

Then suddenly, Shinobu feels like she’s being lifted up, as her glass of orange juice flies up in the sky and shatters on the ceiling. 

The next moment, everything around me seemed to be tumbling like a washing machine.

 6.

When I woke up, the whole world was reversed. The bed and sofa in the room were above, and I fell on the ceiling, now the floor.

Shinobu asks Borges what the situation is like and it answers that she was in a coma for three minutes and eleven seconds and she reported a few light injuries. The window of her room is broken and the iron bars covering have been bent from the impact so she is able to get out of the train.

There she sees countless dead soldiers and a group of “Tentacles Soldiers”. They are checking if all the soldiers are dead, and if they find someone who is alive they proceed to kill them. Shinobu looks around and sees the Uragan (#41908870) (which is most likely the cause of the train crash) and Taeko Kanai from the Hasegawa Research Institute.

“It’s no use trying! Resistance is futile! Hand over Byakuya Togami or we’ll keep up our bloodbath!” declares Taeko while playing her guitar atop the Uragan. The Hasegawa Institute seemed to be back...no the Kasamori [3] Drug Manufacturers were back again.

Borges = Search Results #21291600 

Item: Company

Title: "Kasamori Drug Manufacturers"

Was created by Kasamori, founded in the 32nd year of Meiji (1899). Mainly selling professional medical supplies, it merged with Germany's NEO GEHIRN in 1902, becoming the de facto number one in the pharmaceutical industry. After the defeat of the German-Japanese alliance in World War II, the company lost all of its foreign assets and equipment, and later achieved a V-shaped recovery through the manufacture and sale of the red-haired fern tablets 220, which were hailed as “epoch-making anticancer agents”. However, the drug caused many patients to die due to its side effects. The company lost the group lawsuit filed by the patient's family (Red-haired Fern lawsuit, 1998), not only to pay huge compensation, but also to damage the reputation. There are rumors. It is said that the current operating conditions of the company have deteriorated drastically.

Naturally, the WHO/UN soldiers refuse, causing both groups to fight. Kazuya suddenly comes out of the train and reaches to Shinobu. Both come to realize that their attackers are also after the Kudan. She asks him where Byakuya is and he reluctantly tells her that he is in the first wagon, but that the security measures of the train will protect him no matter what.

“A pharmacy actually dares to make life difficult for the WHO, the world is really hopeless. They were probably brought up by dogs, with the way they are acting.” Kazuya says.

“When did you discover Kasamori was posing as the Hasegawa Research Institute?

"What? Sister, what are you talking about?"

"Kasamori is posing at the Hasegawa Research Institute."

Was I the only one to hear about this organization? What is this unspeakable emotion? I remembered that when the classmates in the previous class discussed "Sinking of Japan," [4] I thought they were talking about a very old movie, but soon I found out that they were talking about the remastered version of the movie. Although the plot is the same, it is different from the original version that I am familiar with. Having these almost similar plotlines described to me made me feel like I was transported to some Unreal parallel world. It wasn’t an easy topic for me to handle. For example, it is like an elementary school talent show. When I was performing a children's play at the show, I was about to come on stage. I suddenly found that only the script I had in my hand was different. At that time, I shuddered. 

"Well one thing is clear. It is Kasamori that blocked the road in Germany. Although their name is Kasamori Drug Manufacturers, most of the stockholders are German.”

Shinobu turned around, as to not show her anxiety.

"But aren’t their overseas assets all gone?"

"Just turned underground, and many of the high-ranking officials of Kasamori are now German political figures."

Kazuya explains that Germany likely didn’t give them passage by air, just so that they could stage this train attack on the UN and the WHO to get Byakuya and the Kudan. They will do everything they can in order to obtain the immense power of the Kudan.

"Where is Byakuya-sama?" Shinobu pipes up with.

“You might as well worry about yourself first. Byakuya was handed over to my army, with no problems."

"Where is Byakuya-sama ?"

"Just give it to me..."

"Where is Byakuya-sama?"

"Quit being annoying," Kazuya muttered under his breath. "Byakuya Togami is in the first car."

"I want to save him."

"No need for that, although things have developed to this point, but the physical security measures of the train are impeccable, the windows of the first car are all secured with iron bars, the door is locked from the outside with a padlock, and the outside world can't interfere with the inside."

"I want to save him."

"Are your ears blocked? I said that the safety measures are impeccable, but it’d still be dangerous for you to enter, sister.”

“But I still have to save him. This is the reason why I am alive. I want to look at him, write down his deeds, guarantee his safety. If not, then I will lose the meaning of my existence”

"What a silly fantasy. "

“If you are jealous then you can be quiet.”

“...If my sister must save him, then you mustn't care much for me then.”

“Stop worrying about me.”

Shinobu runs towards the first wagon, but Taeko sees her and several “Tentacles Soldiers” start approaching her.

“Found you, Blue Ink!”

The Uragan comes closer, creating a hole in the ground from the force, and Taeko asks Shinobu to choose between her life and revealing Byakuya’s position. Shinobu asks her about the Hasegawa Research Institute but Taeko has no clue what she’s talking about.

From the attitude of Taeko, she does not seem to be lying about herself. That is to say: she doesn't understand what I am talking about. What I said is very abnormal. I couldn’t believe it…

"Since you aren’t telling us what we need, then you are useless. We don’t have time for playing around anymore, so I will personally send you to hell!!" 

The jet engines began spinning. I was pulling Kazuya’s hand and was going to run behind the carriage to avoid it, but the carriage was blown away like paper.

"You have nowhere to run!"

Taeko’s words are quite right. I can’t find a place to hide. Because of the fierce battles around me, the bullets have now covered the whole area. 

Kazuya then calls all the surviving soldiers and now the two factions are facing each other while the Uragan is coming closer.

Can this be called fighting, isn't it just a matter of ending life without meaning? This is a mutual killing, until one side is the last man standing. A good image of Hell itself.

Then moving so lightly and skillfully, in the sky above such a hellish scene-

“Sorry to keeptcha waiting!!!!~”

Was my brother.

 7.

Suddenly a sightseeing bus jumps from the forest and over the hellish scene. It’s Suzuhiko Ootsuki, first off by singing a small nursery rhyme [5] and then ‘Ai wo Torimodose!!’.[6]

The former SHSL Hitman crashes the bus into the Tentacles Soldiers and the UN Soldiers, killing them and entwining the corpses within it’s wheels. 

"I have to get off at the next stop~! But this all night tour ain’t stopping since the breaks are broken!"

The bus then flew into one of the trains causing a large explosion. It seemed to be filled with gunpowder. Shinobu and Kazuya were blasted into the air by the giant explosion, like puppets whose strings had been cut. But after the crash, Suzuhiko wasn’t in the driver's seat anymore and there was a big hole cut in the bus door.

Then the sound of intermittent screamings stopped the soldiers from fighting and after a few seconds all the soldiers from both parties were on their knees, spilling blood from their necks of their chests. None of them were a match for the former SHSL Hitman.

Suzuhiko seemed to be tired of hide-and-seek, jumped out of the pasture, and rushed over to the Uragan in one breath. He stood in front of Taeko in the blink of an eye. Then everything is over.

"H-hey… "

Taeko spat out her last pitiful sentence, perhaps only because her neck was already cut to her vocal cords. Suzuhiko violently ripped away his knives and the body of Taeko was torn apart. Her hands, feet, internal organs and underwear fell like a ripe fruit from the Uragan. [7]

"Oh... Dahahahaha! I have to say that the gap between talent here is too big."

No one interrupted him because the "Tentacles Soldiers" and the United Nations Soldiers had been completely wiped out.

"Heeey, you can come out now. You are both still alive, right? Let's talk business." Suzuhiko said, with his knife gleaming.

Suzuhiko looks down on Shinobu and Kazuya from the top of the Uragan, then he gets off it and starts walking towards Kazuya and Shinobu. As Suzuhiko puts it they have a “family reunion”, which mostly consists of angry shouting and a recap exposition dump. Kazuya blames Suzuhiko for hindering his job, to which he responds he saved Kazuya's life so it's no good to talk to his big brother that way. He has saved it before and now he has saved it again. 

“I just said that what you did hindered me. I am the captain of the World Health Organization’s Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Committee. I am not who I was four years ago.”

"Are you going to rub your own ass? Oh, Dahahahaha! I’ll wait for you to wear a diaper so you can say that again!"

“I am no longer a child.”

They continue to argue, Suzuhiko bringing up the point that they are not blood related so he didn’t have to save him. 

"Why did you even come to the Czech Republic? Don’t tell me you are after the Kudan, too."

"Nah, I'm not interested in the prophecy your little cow girl, I just accepted the commission to the assassination of Byakuya Togami." 

“Who commissioned you?”

"Do you think I’m really gonna tell you."

"Are you lying, them?" Kazuya said. "You spontaneously came to the Czech Republic and spontaneously blended into this incident."

"Well~ why do you think so?"

"Intuition."

"Intuition alone can't refute someone, Kazuya. It's because of this reason that you were destroyed by that detective in that incident."

"Do you know what happened to that detective? I heard that he is dead, like a dog."

"I'm not interested."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not either. Once I heard Nanamura was dead, my heart didn’t even waver once. It’s really strange to say but, I hate him so much that I can’t ever forgive him." [8]

"It means you haven't let go from the beginning."

“I didn't expect that I actually understood my feelings after so long... Can you understand your own mood?”

"Then now, there is only one purpose for me here. That is to reconcile with you." Suzuhiko said as he jumped off of the Uragan, onto Taeko’s mangled corpse and came over to stand in front of us.

Suzuhiko recites an old japanese saying and continues with, “This is how it is. Our brothers and sisters are all dead, only us are alive. The Togami name can no longer bind us, and the Togami name cannot be the motive for us to fight. So, we should naturally reconcile.”

"Are you serious?"

"Of course."

"Then you are crazy, you just ruin everything."

"Do you really think so, Kazuya? Then you are the crazy one, you destroyed everything."

Shinobu believes that this fight will be the end of the relationship between them all. It will be ruined as both Suzuhiko and Kazuya have ruined her, and she them.

Obviously, if the three of us are together, the destruction will come again, but my brother’s can't understand this. It has always been this way.

Shinobu lashes out at the both of them, saying she will not go back to either of them, as they are no longer Togami’s. Suzuhiko Ootsuki, Orvin Elevator: Both of them are now outsiders to the family.

"What you said is really sad, my dear little sister," Suzuhiko was unmoved. "Our name is not important at all. The relationship between me and you is enough to surpass the name Togami."

"The Togami name is very important. I am a Togami, I am the 'Super High School Level Secretary', belonging to Byakuya-sama only. So I can't really say it’s good to see you again."

"Oh, haha, don't mention the small stuff, let’s forgive and forget, and become as close as we were before all this, sound good?"

"Don't you dare."

It’s Kazuya. Taking a step forward, he let the lightsaber appear on his right hand and stopped in front of our big brother.

"Come on, Kazuya, how could a younger brother be able to beat his older brother? Put away that dangerous thing, and play some easier games. What do you reckon. chess or poker? Or I guess we could play UNO but, with me, well..."

"I want to save my sister, let her get rid of your curse, and use my own strength to do it."

And with that, Kazuya’s lightsaber, shining like a fluorescent lamp, grazed his older brothers throat. However, Suzuhiko continued to smile happily, like some hippie. He screamed, "Oho, guess it’s a change of heart~" He raised his bloodstained knife.

At that moment I heard a sound. A large flame was burning around us, and the fire ignited by the incendiary bomb surrounded us. The heat was almost enough to burn my throat, the crimson-colored [9] fire wall appears around, and the surrounding is covered by a brand new hellish scene. Moreover, this does not seem to be having a positive effect on Kazuya. He looked at the sky with an incredulous look, and screamed "This can’t be-," and Kazuya-

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ah ah ah ah ah ah"

He was shaking.

Borges = Search Results

#90908892

Classification: Symptom

Title: "Flashback"

Post traumatic stress disorder, a mental disorder caused by intense psychological stress due to disasters, accidents, emergencies, etc., causing psychological fake events or the situation which caused the trauma reappearing in the brain and, when the symptoms are severe, it may even cause confusion.

After two fires in Kuchinashi Village and at Touajou Castle, Kazuya was indeed insane. I didn’t know when his sword disappeared, and a shameful liquid flowed out of his eyes and mouth, making him lose the strength to support his body, and he fell on his knees. Kazuya is suffering, but I intend to use this gap to escape. I fully understood my indifference and ran away at the same time. Although it is not clear what happened in the end, there is only one thing I have to do, and that is to go to the first train car where Byakuya-sama is, and that's it.

Shinobu runs to the first wagon of the train, ignoring Suzuhiko who is calling for her. More incediary bombs fell, as she walked to the first car, but it was already burnt to a crsip. She tries to open the door of the wagon, but it’s locked by a padlock. Suzuhiko then steps forward and cuts a hole through the wagon door and Shinobu gets inside.

“Byakuya-sama!”

The train car had been burnt and the heat has reached dangerous levels. I walked quickly, but I couldn't see him anywhere. I thought he might have escaped from another door, but I tried to pull the door, it was locked by another padlock, but Byakuya-sama was gone. Byakuya-sama, Byakuya-sama, Byakuya-sama, Byakuya-sama... I called his name, but never found him. How could this be, he couldn't get out...

At that moment, I heard the roar of an engine. I suddenly had a strong sense of foresight and quickly jumped out of the first train car. I know, I know this, I know what will happen next, and after that too. Then, the Mercedes stopped at the side that I expected, and the window of the driver's seat did not open as I expected.

"Heyyy, rich kid! Need a lift?" [10]

The man in the driver's seat did not know why I looked so happy. "Hey, so where we goin’?"

There was no other choice.

I pulled the rear door and jumped into the Mercedes.

"Coming in!"

"Thank you, my pleasure, Miss."

The Mercedes darted forward as the throttle was pressed. I saw Suzuhiko run over at a frightening speed, but the man in the driver's seat said "BOOM-OFFFFF!"[10], pressed the skull button, and there was a jet engine behind the car increasing our speed. The landscape, the sky, the flames, and my brothers all disappeared in the violent acceleration, and I could not see anything with my dynamic vision or Borges.

While bumping about in the car, my memories felt like they were starting to see the Unreality of this situation.

<CHAPTER 11·End>

Translation Notes:

[1] Yokohama Station s a major interchange railway station in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. It is the busiest station in Kanagawa Prefecture and the fifth-busiest in the world as of 2013, serving 760 million passengers a year. 

[2] Kimitake Hiraoka known also under the pen name Yukio Mishima, was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, film director, nationalist, and founder of the Tatenokai. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, but the award went to his countryman Yasunari Kawabata. His works in question here is Apollo’s Cup: a collection of many travel stories by Mishima in Europe, and lots about the food eaten there. Mishima's work is characterized by its luxurious vocabulary and decadent metaphors, its fusion of traditional Japanese and modern Western literary styles, and its obsessive assertions of the unity of beauty, eroticism and death Mishima's personal life was controversial, which makes him still a contested figure today. Ideologically a right wing nationalist, Mishima formed the Tatenokai, an unarmed civilian militia, for the avowed purpose of restoring power to the Japanese Emperor. On November 25, 1970, Mishima and four members of his militia entered a military base in central Tokyo, took the commandant hostage, and attempted to inspire the Japan Self-Defense Forces to overturn Japan's 1947 Constitution. When this was unsuccessful, Mishima committed seppuku.

[3] Wasn't sure if its Kasamori or Kasanori so we just went with Kasamori

[4] Sinking of Japan is a 2006 tokusatsu film directed by Shinji Higuchi. It is an adaptation of the novel Japan Sinks and a remake of the film Tidal Wave, both made in the year 1973.

[5] The title is something like “sitting on the bus” but I can't translate the names of the composer or lyricist, and can't find anything about it online either but it’s probably real.

[6] ‘Ai wo Torimodose!!’ is one of the openings to Fist of the North Star.

[7] RIP Taeko, you will be missed you glorious bastard.

[8] So Kazuya hates Suisei. All the more reason to hate Kazuya lol. Also RIP Suisei, you will be missed you glorious bastard.

[9] It translated as peridot not crimson but I doubt there was enough copper for that to happen.

[10] AAAAAAAA HIROYUKI IS BACK. The exact lines I changed a tiny bit to resemble two of his notable lines from the first book just for clarity. “Do you need a lift young master” and “I pressed it” honestly don’t do his character justice, so they were replaced.

To Be Continued.

https://drmedicsgamesurgery.tumblr.com/GameSurgeryDRTranslations

[bathunterofdevon]

Update - New Year, New Me.

Hello everybody. I’d like to apologise for my radio silence for the past few months. I imagine many of you have been itching to find out if or when I will release a new video. And I’ve been longing to make one. There is currently one in production. It’s not special or anything, but it should be enough to keep you satisfied for a little while. There’s a lot I’d like to get through in this letter: Firstly, This is the start of a New Year, and a New Decade. I have resolved that from now on, and for the rest of the decade, I am going to abandon all negative, dreary and depressing thoughts. I’m no longer going to wallow in despair. One of the main reasons why I have been feeling down lately, is because of the underwhelming response my pièce de resistance received - Dirty Danganronpa. I know that making lengthy YTPs with plenty of sentence mixing are somewhat old-fashioned and very niche, but I worked for nearly an entire year on that. And while I am relieved that this monster is no longer consuming and draining any more months from my life, I feel a little disappointed by how little attention is has garnered. I swear, even my video updates have received more views and likes than that. But in any case, I’m going to try and work harder on my video output and if possible, fight harder against my cynicism and perfectionism.  I will try to, if possible, at the very least, release one video per month. It may seem like a grand ambition of course, but nonetheless, I will do my best. But, more to the point, there have been other reasons as to why I’ve been quiet lately. First of all, is work. I have a wonderful job - but it does get to me at times. Sometimes, I make silly mistakes which really haunt me and make me dread and wonder if the company will finally get rid of me. I try to be as sharp as possible, but it is not easy. My default state of being is daydreaming. It takes tonnes of focus to maintain concentration and follow instructions properly. And when I make mistakes and misunderstand people, most of the time, people tend to think that it’s happening on purpose.  It’s really not easy having a brain that likes to go to sleep every once in a while. However, there is another reason. I have recently started getting involved in a couple of voice acting projects. And at some point, I would absolutely love to introduce you to my real voice, and my real self. But I just don’t feel ready for that yet.  I promise that at some point, I will introduce you to my awkwardness, and the fruits of my long-term obsession with Danganronpa, and the nice, lovely friends I have made along the way. I love Danganronpa to pieces. To me, it’s more than a game franchise. It is a religion. And it has consumed and taken over my life.  I’m beginning to forget what my life was like before I discovered it. Tbh, though, there isn’t really much to go on. Anyways, stay tuned for my next video - coming soon. - Bat Hunter

[deyadee]

Pills

I started taking diet pills to make me lose weight. I’ve tried dozens of other methods before but none of them have worked.

I’ve tried Apple Cidar Vinegar. A spoonful after every meal so I didn’t snack. It just made me sick to my stomach and rush to grab food or drinks to get the taste out of my mouth.

I’ve tried the Sleeping Beauty Diet. Just sleep as much as you possibly can so you can’t just constantly eat throughout the day. I felt fatter than I ever have. I was even more depressed. I felt like an asshole because I never spent time with my family because I was asleep whenever they were awake. I got more depressed because all I could think about was dieting and how much of an disgusting human being I was.

I’ve tried Green Tea and Apple Cidar Vinegar pills. Both together and separately. The Green Tea pills only made me stay up forever and made me anxious after taking them. They did nothing.

I’ve finally been prescribed Citalopram for my depression and Phentermine for my weight. They both helped at first. But now… now whenever I take them together they do nothing. Citalopram by itself does nothing. Phentermine by itself at least makes me eat less but makes me feel worse than depressed. I feel like a soulless robot. I don’t hate myself. I don’t love myself. I don’t care about anything. Nothing matters anymore and I just do things because I’m told to do things by others. I’m empty. I thought I was miserable before but this is a feeling beyond misery. Complete apathy is hell. This is not being neutral or not being one way or another. It’s like I actually can’t think or emote.

Do I ask for a larger dosage? Do I just accept nothing will work?

I just want to make it all end. End everyone else’s suffering. They pretend they love me because it would be an inconvenience for me to die. My parents and sisters may love me, but I can tell that I’m a disappointment to them.

I asked my father to his face if I was a disappointment while we were on a bike ride but I’m sure he only tried to cheer me up so I would bike back to the car and not drag anyone behind further. He said I would never be a disappointment to him as long as I was a good person, and that I was a good person so it didn’t matter I wasn’t talented.

But I’m not a good person. I’m an awful person. I just do everything because I feel like I’m in debt to everyone. I’m a burden to everyone that has to put up with me. I’m seen as annoying, a waste of space, “special”, idiotic, lazy, talentless and without ambition to change anything.

Every major friend group I’ve had has left me, at this point my latest group I don’t want to interact with because I’m seen as the “extra.” I know what will happen eventually and I just want to end this cycle before it starts yet again.

I can’t do anything. I have no talent. I drew commissions for Danganronpa art and all of it had traced elements. I can’t act or sing because every drama teacher/instructor I’ve had will give me a somewhat decent role then when I try to get a main role I think I would fit well I am always shoved to the back and thrown into a background role. The only time this hasn’t happened is when I finally said “I only want this role. If I don’t get it I’m not going to be in the play.” because I was slightly busy at the time and I was tired of being so dedicated to theatre when I’m just shoved into a background role the second I try to step into the spotlight.

In my culinary classes I would try to lighten the mood since the people always seemed so tense and depressed. So afterwards every person in my culinary class would treat me like they would treat a “special” person. You know, like “Aw, how are Ya doin’ Buddy? Havin’ fun? Sure, I’ll let you do the fun part. I know you don’t have the mental capacity to do the grown-up people things. Don’t forget not to drown yourself in the hand washing sink! It’s not the same thing as a bath.” The snarky, patronizing way you would treat a five-year-old. I’M THE SAME AGE AS YOU, IN FACT I’M A GRADE ABOVE YOU STOP TREATING ME LIKE I’M FUCKING STUPID! SEE IF I TRY TO BE NICE AND JOKE AROUND WITH YOU ALL AGAIN YOU FUCKING BITCHES!

I have countless examples of all of these things I’ve been called. My own parents have acted in ways as I’ve previously listed. I wanna go back to when I was playing Life in my basement by myself, against myself. Everything was so much happier. I wasn’t a complete failure. I wasn’t helpless. I had a friend who I thought didn’t think I was beneath them. When I could just set up my toys into a little town for three days straight and never really play with them, just set up little dioramas to make myself happy.

But it can never go back to that. I already know the truth of my existence. I already know everyone would have wished for someone else to have been born in my place.

[hawk-in-a-jazzy-hat]

Dual Anime Review: Flip Flappers, Magical Girl Raising Project, and the Post-Madoka Magical Girl

The Magical Girl Raising Project is a popular social network game allowing people all over Japan to create their own magical girl heroes, fight monsters and collect points and items. But what most people don’t know is the game’s secret; if you’re lucky enough to be chosen by the admins, you can actually become a real magical girl, complete with enhanced physical abilities and extraordinary magical powers. So it is for Snow White, who takes it upon herself to be a force for good, while getting to know the many other magical girls throughout her city, some of whom are friendlier than others. All’s well and good, until the game’s mascot, Fav-pon, suddenly announces that he’s cutting the number of magical girls down by half...

Meanwhile, in a different show...

Cocona is a middle-school girl with good grades but low self-esteem or ambition. While she struggles to figure out what to do with her life, the eccentric wild-child Papika literally flies into her life and whisks her off to a wondrous and magical dimension known as Pure Illusion. Cocona soon meets the people behind Papika’s journeys, the mysterious organisation FlipFlap, who wants the two of them to travel throughout Pure Illusion and gather the Amorphous fragments said to be able to grant wishes. As they encounter ever more dangerous worlds and even more dangerous organisations, Cocona ends up finding out more about herself, and her own wishes, desires and past, than she could ever imagine...

So, I’m gonna do something different. On the surface, these are two very different shows with very different styles and approaches, and for the longest time I was debating on how best to tackle them. But honestly, despite how different they are they are both magical girl shows. And while there are massive differences between them, both of their approaches can both be tracked back to a single show which, for better or for worse, has completely reshaped this genre for the foreseeable future.

That would be the 2011 show, and my personal favourite, Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

There have been loads of magical girl shows throughout the years, some of which have made their way over to our kid’s TV channels, and some which are lying on the back half of obscurity. Pani Poni Dash, Cardcaptor Sakura, Magical Knight Rayearth, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, and of course, the many many incarnations of Sailor Moon. The main premise is often similar; an average Joe schoolgirl comes across a magical power and becomes a superhero, fighting for justice and looking pretty at the same time. She often gathers a series of friends with their own powers who support her and follow their own storylines, and the stories tend to focus on the power of friendship, positive attitudes and actions, and just generally being a nice person. Yeah, it sounds corny, but honestly as kids’ shows go they range from harmless to actually quite exciting; I remember really enjoying Cardcaptors back in the day (despite the questionable dubbing) and frankly the stories told could be just as epic or intense as your normal superhero show. The magical girl genre was no stranger to dark stuff, or complex stuff, as can be seen with Princess Tutu or Revolutionary Girl Utena. It is, after all, a genre like any other, and you can do what you like with it.

But then came along Madoka Magica, and suddenly, to the anime-creating masses, magical girls could suddenly be a new and unexplored territory.

Madoka Magica took the genre and flipped it on its head. Whimsical fantasy gave way to brutal reality, the power of friendship gave way to the flaws of human nature, and the bright, pastel worlds suddenly seemed far more dangerous and foreboding than they’d ever been before. Whether you like the show or not, there’s no doubt that it did for magical girls what Evangelion did for super robot shows. Madoka Magica has become an icon, and ever since, magical girl shows have and will be judged by that standard, whether unfairly or intentionally.

There’ve been a few definite attempts to cash in on Madoka’s popularity in the ensuing years. Day Break Illusion was one of the first, coming out in the summer of 2013 to the raucous sound of people not caring. Whereas Madoka was subtle in its approach, Day Break Illusion was a blatant attempt to be ‘dark and edgy’ just because Madoka did it. Of course, as I’ll explain later, that doesn’t necessarily make it a bad show. No, it’s the bad cliche characters, terrible plot twists, lack of focus, contemptible fanservice, 2deep4you attitude and general messy aesthetic that makes it a bad show. But I digress.

There have been other notable ‘post-Madoka’ works throughout the years as well, including Wixoss and Yuki Yuna is a Hero, both of which I’ve heard mixed things about but sadly have not seen yet. I daresay there have been others as well that have slipped under the radar. But the point is, magical girls have not gone anywhere, as is evident from the two shows that came out last season. But even though Madoka is over five years old now, its influence isn’t going anywhere either.

In some ways, this is utterly obvious, as can be seen with the first of these shows, Magical Girl Raising Project. Now, this is actually an adaptation of a light novel that was published in 2012, only a year after the release of Madoka. I can’t and won’t say whether the novel itself was directly inspired by the show; there may have been enough time but I daresay the idea was there before Madoka came out. What I can say though is that even if the novel is definitely not inspired, the anime certainly is.

Let’s take a break and mention the production, as I usually do at the beginning. The studio behind this is Lerche, probably most famous for Assassination Classroom and DanganRonpa the Animation. The look of the show pretty closely follows that formula; it’s...decent. Characters are always on model, but often look a little stilted and wooden. The animation is good but nothing spectacular. The direction is very by the books and straightforward, but at the very least it’s not bad. Just unambitious. The music is the same; the pieces do the jobs they’re supposed to, and are never particularly standout or particularly distracting. It’s weird how mundane the production feels considering how dark and brutal the subject matter gets, and honestly I think that works against the show; it’s one thing to pretend the show is all happy-clappy and jolly and then hit the Sudden Dark Turn button, but if the show’s already kinda muted and, let’s face it, bland, the brutal twists don’t hit as hard.

And yes, this show is brutal. Whereas Madoka is sort of ambiguous until the infamous episode 3 (and even then, is nowhere near as dark as some people like to make out) MagiPro gives you only one episode of Shiny Happy Funtimes before it hits you with dark twist after dark twist after dark twist. The fights are brutal and bloody, the characters are pushed to their limits, and just when you think it can’t get any more messed up, you get proven wrong the very next episode. This show is utterly vicious.

Normally, this would put me right off. Vicious and brutal for the sake of vicious and brutal can very easily come off as tasteless and offensive if done even vaguely right (see: Elfen Lied), and utterly laughable if done wrong (see: Mirai Nikki). I was ready to go into this show and tear it a new one; I had virtually no expectations. But the funny thing is...it works. As much as the production is bland,  the actual story itself has a heck of a lot of thought put into it. About four episodes in, I found myself really enjoying it, and wondering where it was going to go next. I was interested. I was excited. It was trash, but it was lovingly crafted trash, and such trash demands my attention.

There are a couple of reasons. Part of that is the characters, although not because any of them were particularly deep or complex or anything. They were just fun. Some very unique designs, and all of them had unique personalities, stories and interactions. It certainly helped that, although Koyuki was supposedly the main girl, the show actually gave sufficient screentime to...pretty much everyone now I think about it. The balance is just right, with the slightly more troubled characters staying around for longer and ‘leaving’ just at the right time. It wasn’t perfect (I’ll get into that in a minute) but it was far better handled than, say, Mirai Nikki, where half of the ‘contestants’ had barely any screentime, character, or both. And there were 16 magical girls (plus Fav-pon) mingling around here, and only 12 episodes to do it all in. I’ll admit, that’s impressive.

That’s the other thing though; the pacing was absolutely spot-on. Right from the get-go, the stakes were there, and you got to see what everyone was up to. It’s hard to describe how essential good pacing is to storytelling, but MagiPro is the show to bring up as evidence for why. Even at its trashiest, the handling of the story itself was really rather masterful. And that’s the other thing; the show was very self-aware. Not in the way that it was constantly turning to the camera and making 4th wall jokes, but rather that the tropes that usually come up in these things kinda did...but then got twisted around at the last second. If I were to give you all of the characters at the beginning of the show and ask you to guess what happened, chances are you’d make a few wrong guesses. As I said, the characters themselves aren’t particularly complex, but the way they’re used feels fresh and new. For the most part.

It’s easy to see the influence from Madoka Magica here, but does it actually work as a successor? In many ways, it gets a lot of things right. It takes the Dark Magical Girl tone and plays around with it, making a show that is actually entertaining, which is always a good start. And of course, it’s far darker and more brutal than Madoka ever was. So is this really the second coming? Eeeh....no. Not really.

For a start, MagiPro has problems. And when MagiPro shows its problems, it really goes downhill. Whereas most of the characters are handled well, one or two really miss the mark. There’s a character called Top Speed who, while a fun character in her own right, has one of the most predictable and hammered-in ‘stories’ I’ve ever seen. They try, lord knows they do, but it’s really difficult to feel any sort of emotional attachment when all she’s doing is spouting clumsy foreshadowing. And where she gets a bit too much, there are a few girls who really don’t get enough, especially with all the build-up some of them get. There’s an attempt there, and most of them get backstories or context (albeit often quite clumsily), but there gets to be a point when they really don’t have much reason to be there.

And that’s the biggest problem with MagiPro; for all of its clever writing and excellent plotting...it really doesn’t have a point. The story just starts, people die...and then it kind of stops. At a stopping point, yes, but it almost feels like a prologue. Maybe they’re waiting on a second season, I don’t know, but as it stands it definitely feels unfinished.

But you could say the same thing about Madoka Magica if you look at it objectively; that has quite an open end as well. But the thing is, the characters are rounded off. The themes reach a natural conclusion. MagiPro doesn’t really have any themes; it’s just pointless violence for the sake of pointless violence. It’s easy to see the influence from Madoka, and the good plotting from Madoka, but unlike that MagiPro just doesn’t really have anything to say. It’s like a bloody fireworks display; pretty and impressive at times, but nothing really substantial.

Despite what many people may think, Madoka Magica is not a great show just because ZOMG DARK SUBVERSION. That’s certainly an aspect it has, but it’s not what makes it special. It has a story to tell and a moral to show and characters and a world to explore while doing so. The problem with most so-called ‘ripoffs’, no matter how good they are, is that they fail to actually understand what makes the original so iconic in the first place. It’s just an attempt to cash in on the popularity, without the effort needed to actually understand them. It’s not just an anime thing either; look at the DC vs Marvel thing going on right now. The MCU, for all its problematic elements, has a definite direction, character arcs and subtle elements and foreshadowing to make everything feel that much more real. The DC cinematic universe is just trying to slam together as many things as they can, get the big events and the big villains and...it doesn’t work. Even if the film itself has good elements (Suicide Squad) it doesn’t feel natural, or real, or integrated in the way that it really should in the bigger picture.

Basically, Magical Girl Raising Project feels like the anime version of Suicide Squad; a decent flick with great elements that ultimately misses the mark on what it’s actually trying to be. And that’s almost a shame, because there’s obviously a lot of effort going in.

So that’s the obvious Madoka ripoff, but what about the other show? On the surface, Flip Flappers seems like something completely different and new. But I promise, the influence is still there; just implemented a little differently.

So how is Flip Flappers’ production? Well, the studio behind it is the relative newcomers 3Hz, who haven’t really got a lot on their backlog; I think the only major thing they’ve done is Dimension W from early 2016. That being said, it’s clear they pulled out all the stops with this show because it looks absolutely phenomenal. I’ve always preferred the rougher, sketchier animation style to the real smooth polished stuff that tends to come out nowadays; Flip Flappers kind of has the aesthetic of a studio Trigger show, but without the off-model characters and clear budget cuts, making it a feast for the eyes alone. Even the real-world stuff is pretty, with very unique and wide-eyed character designs, and once we actually get into Pure Illusion? Ooh boy...every world looks different and every one is a fireworks display of colour and sakuga, and the occasional batpoop insanity. If you want to get a taste of the show at its best looking, watch the third episode. Just the third one is fine; the backgrounds, locations, characters, and especially the fight scenes are glorious to behold. The music is also unique...ish. It definitely has a style all of its own but I’m struggling to think of any tracks that really stood out to me. I will say that there are one or two that I swear sound like something from Spyro: A Hero’s Tail, but that’s just me. The opening’s pretty, and the ending is just adorable, with a little bit of a sinister edge in the fairytale setting. Flip Flappers has a look and a sound all its own, so when it sneaks the slightly darker tones in (say, a living brain in a robot, or a creepy as all heck goop witch), you don’t quite realise the Madoka influences are there, but they are.

Because behind the bright colours and the whimsical adventures is actually quite a mature story, and one that might well have gone over a lot of people’s heads. The amount of fanservice (some of which is admittedly unnecessary, although also quite creatively symbolic), sexual themes and the interactions between the two mains might suggest this is nothing but crass yuri-baiting, but honestly there’s more to it than that. This isn’t just a fantasy adventure; it’s a coming-of-age story. It’s the development of a young relationship through the eyes of an adolescent, and how the worlds of children, adults and those inbetween collide. It’s really quite clever and I should really rewatch it to see if I can pick out some of the symbolism in the background. Certainly there are some great bits of direction and allusions to optical illusions (hehe) that are well-handled and, again, give the show its own style.

I’ve been talking about Madoka but the far clearer comparison to make is with a Kunihiko Ikuhara show, with the bizarre locations, character development done through symbolism and action rather than exposition and dialogue, and the general otherworldly, almost fairytale-esque nature. Also, lesbians. You can argue yuri-baiting all you want, but just like in those shows, the symbolism and intent is definitely on a gay relationship. It doesn’t have to be explicit like in Yuri!! On Ice to be effective or heartfelt, and the characters do not need to kiss in order to make the relationship ‘proper’. Yes, I’m looking at you Tumblr.

Is the show perfect though? Weeeeell...no. Apparently the head writer left halfway through and somebody else took up the reins, and it shows. The writing never gets bad but it suddenly leaves behind the clever symbolism and relationship building and instead focuses on a deep conspiracy plot that honestly comes out of nowhere. Ideas which were built up in the first half are kind of sidelined for a lot of really confusing backstory and some scenes which are just blatantly ripped from Evangelion, and as much as they try to tie everything together, there are big gaps in the final story. What is the deal of the other amorphous child, and the twins? We never really find out. What are Hidaka and Sayuri’s stories? We never really find out, although you could make a solid case that episode 8 delves into Hidaka’s mindset through Bu-chan. That’s not to say it’s ‘bad’, but all the build-up and subtlety from the first half is just sort of forgotten. Thankfully the series does eventually get back to its roots and the main focus it should be on; the world according to Cocona, and her relationships (familial, platonic and romantic). There’s a character I’ve neglected to mention called Yayaka, who honestly has a brilliant arc from beginning to end, and may even be more interesting than Cocona. Even when the show’s writing does lose track, the solid base is still there.

In many ways Flip-Flappers is the antithesis to Magical Girl Raising Project; it’s a visually ambitious production with a lot of great ideas and some marvellous character study, let down somewhat in the end by some lacklustre plotting and pacing. And yet both shows are good. Really good, in fact, despite the flaws. And definitely a product of the post-Madoka anime world.

See, while MagiPro is a clear spiritual descendent of Madoka, I’d argue that Flip-Flappers has been influenced even more. Because as I said, the entire point of Madoka is never that it was dark. The point of Madoka was to take a magical girl, and explore the humanity behind her. It does for magical girls what things like The Dark Knight and Iron Man did for superhero movies, or Evangelion did for mecha shows. Magical girl shows prior could be complex, and could be dark, and could be undoubtedly human. But Madoka Magica took that concept and showed it to the world, and frankly, Flip-Flappers is far more its child than MagiPro is in that regard. Flip-Flappers is a show so in tune with human nature and human relationships that it kinda sorta works to its detriment, although not enough to stop it from being a great show.

But of course, this is all just conjecture on my part. What I can say though is that, despite being remarkably different, both of these shows are really very good and you should watch them. If you’re a person who prefers solid storytelling, shocking twists and thrilling entertainment, Magical Girl Raising Project is the show for you. If, however, you prefer ideas to stories, and would rather explore a character than see them in a fight to the death, or you just want to marvel at the fantastic worlds, then you’ll probably prefer Flip-Flappers. I definitely fall into the latter category myself.

Still, whichever you prefer, it’s reassuring to know that magical girls aren’t going anywhere soon. As proven with superheroes, they are not just kids stuff, or lazy shows with simple characters and lessons on friendship. They never have been. They have the potential to be something great, and in a community changed by a show about a shy, pink-haired girl in a big nasty world, we’re certainly going to see a lot more of that greatness coming soon.

I’ll say it here so I’ve got it in writing; I love magical girls. They are incredible heroes. They are inherently human. And they are utterly magnificent.

My scores:

Magical Girl Raising Project: 7/10

Flip-Flappers: 8/10  

[tocountonbothhands]

soo jin: the sinnamon roll

Soo Jin Takeda nonbinary, http://pronoun.is/ze/hir or they/them

born Nov 6 1989 5'4" half Korean (mother's side), half Japanese (father's side) born in Groveport, Ohio, later moves to Pittsburgh or Boston or New York old charahub page; has pictures

At first glance, Soo Jin is very much the "uwu" type. Ze's almost always smiling or laughing, and ze has a very light and airy look, both in terms of style and how ze carries hirself. Ze wears a lot of big sweaters and hoodies, fluffy skirts, loose jumper dresses, and knee socks. Ze's very affectionate with friends, and always seems to give off a casual, carefree vibe. But any idea of hir being a soft sweet waif is basically shattered once you hear hir speak. Ze's very crass--swears all the time, very candid with both insults and lewdness, and won't take anybody's shit. But smiling still, even as ze tells you to go shove a cactus up your ass.

Soo Jin is an artist and a storyteller, and lives for exploration and inspiration and discovery. Ze admires whimsy and change, but knows how to be patient and persistent enough to get things done. Mainly, ze's into drawing comics--silly cute cartoony shit, or cosmic horror, or porn. Ze's infatuated as much with cute and soft things as with horror and the grotesque. Especially mixing the two; ze was way into the whole creepy-cute, Invader Zim kind of aesthetic back when that was a popular thing. Soo Jin also has approximately 74686326 kinks. Also, a gamer, a dedicated shitposter, and weeb trash. Ze plays some tabletop RPGs and hir favorite character to use is an evil tiefling sorcerer who wants to get a castle and become a deity.

Ze's the kind of person who acts very differently toward the people they love and everyone else. If you're close, ze's going to coddle the fuck out of you, but if not then there's an even chance for hir to save your life or steal your car. It's not an 'inner face vs. outer face' kind of deal; they're all authentic--in fact, Soo Jin can hardly stand to be insincere. Ze just can't be bothered to give a fuck about most people, doesn't have the spoons for that shit. Ze's compassionate to a degree, but doesn't much care about morals or justice, and isn't very sympathetic to suffering that ze isn't directly witnessing. Although ze's somewhat active in social justice, it's motivated less by the idea of justice and more by direct concern for hir friends' safety. Ze's plenty good at lying to authority, though (which ze distrusts inherently). Ze hates following anyone else's rules, but will play along when ze knows it's the way to stay safe.

Ze likes to be seen as the caretaker, the strong one, the one all hir friends can rely on. Ze's terrified of being weak, and can't bear being seen when vulnerable--ze always holds the others when they're crying, it's never the other way around, it can't be. Hir doting, casual demeanor, and lack of judgment mean that ze winds up holding onto everybody's secrets, for better or worse. And ze takes pride in that. Even though it's tough to say whether everyone's secrets are truly safe with hir.

Soo Jin grew up upper middle class, and is the youngest of 3 or 4 kids. Ze doesn't have any ill will toward hir family, but doesn't get on especially well or feel very close to them. They're overwhelmingly practical people; ze's something of the dreamer of the family, and never felt understood, even though ze's well aware that pretty much everyone feels that way about their families. Ze's always been much closer with friends though, and had a big network of friends; even in childhood ze spent most of hir time at hir best friend's house next door. Ze was always a bright student, in the gifted program and whatnot, but never had much ambition. Still, ze was good enough at just quietly doing what was expected of hir to be successful. Ze ends up going to school for and working in biomedical engineering or pharmaceuticals, something that ze's good at but doesn't really care about, and that's close enough to hir parents' medical backgrounds for them to say they're proud. Soo Jin was born with a different (more gendered) name and changed hir name to this sometime around college. It's the name that hir mother told hir she used to imagine growing up and giving to her child someday.

AUs/Incarnations

Most of the time, Soo Jin is just a high school or college student with normal life circumstances, like mild anxiety/depression and going on 4chan with hir best friend in his basement and being in a complicated d/s relationship with hir roommate. Usually ze goes on to get a job ze hates but is good at and pays well enough to continue funding hir dorky hobbies like gaming and cosplay and having 583542 kinks. Ze's usually a passably ""good person"" or like at least within the range of acceptable behavior, but in some stories has occasionally been more cruel or even villainous. In most versions ze just saves that for the bedroom, though. Ze's been a professional dom in one story.

In a superhero AU, ze's an extremely amoral information broker who makes shady deals with heroes and villains alike.

In a Homestuck AU, ze's a Prince of Space, which equates to 'destroyer of matter' and meant being able to telekinetically tear apart the fabric of the (game?) world. Also a Derse dreamer.

In my brief deliberation I decided that hir Digimon crest thing might be Trust or Freedom.

In a Danganronpa AU, ze's Super High School Level Guro Artist (or webcomic artist or something), running multiple popular webcomics under different aliases, most notably a cosmic horror comic and an eroguro comic.

Back in high school I had this idea I yanked off of somebody's Deviantart OCs, about characters being personified 'Influences', ghosts that sort of haunt mortals with a certain feeling, and it was usually related to how they died. Soo Jin was the Influence of Laughter, who was violently murdered but laughing hir ass off the entire time because the killer was the last person ze would have ever expected to do something like that. And from that grisly place, ze went on to? spread laughter and joy??? idfk

[astudentnamedoka-blog]

Identity boards and examples

Colors: the psychology of color how each color is associated with meaning. red is the color of fire and blood.means power strength, blue is with death, stability,yellow is joy and intelligence, purple royalty and ambition mystery, black elegance evil death and mystery. white means purity cleanliness and innocence, green means of nature and harmony, Orange combines red and yellows meaning. in particular the generation of miracles from Kuroko no basket use this well.   

Lighting tone: tonal values of an artwork that can imply importance or power like Murasakibara’s offence. or the dark lighting from the Tokyo ghoul characters to strengthen the dark story.

Body shapes and types: how if they show if character is athletic it can imply they are healthy. young or old happy or sad. strength of weakness. 

Clothes:the way dress if someone is dress clean and upright it builds the impression wealth like Byakya. or how each of the generation of miracles once all wore the same basketball uniform to show that they were all on the same team once.and now that they are wearing different ones to show they are no longer teammates.

Stances and facial expressions: imply skill and confidence or lack of it.like Manami from assassination classroom of the characters see is the only one who you can tell lacks confidence by her stance and the unease facial expression. 

Accessories:items that characters have can tell a lot about them. like for Mukuro Ikusaba has a m-16 and and rocket launchers. given how she goes to a school that only accepts talented students it strengthens her ultimate solider talent. 

Symbols: a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object. Byakya Togami if see in his design on his suit he has a pin of his family’s corporation. or how the numbers in basketball determine positions.

Story telling designs:characters with designs them selves imply a story for a character. like if one has missing a limb or has scars. like Juuzou Suzuya and Kaneki Ken both of them are awfully young to have white hair. they didn't dye it they both got hit with what is known as Marie Antoinette syndrome. in which the person goes under so much stress it whitens their hair.see their character designs create a story in of it self 

Names: a name in it of it self has a meaning something. the reason to a person has certain can create a story in it of self.like Nagisa shiota and Koro-sensei. Nagisa is a name can be given to ether gender but it is generally given to girl so if a boy it can cause confusion.with this character we end up finding out that his mother actually wanted to have girl and really tired to make Nagisa go with it.

Atmosphere:where a person is shapes who they are.all of these characters the atmosphere they are in shapes them. in kuroko no basket the atmosphere is the basketball court so it makes sense for the characters to be athletic and wearing exercise clothes.in Danganronpa all of the students are talented so their designs should all be different and should have a hint of their talent.in tokyo ghoul it is a dark story so the characters should all have power and darkness in their designs. assassination classroom takes place in junior high school so the characters should be young no extreme body types and since they are in school probably have on school uniforms.