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destiny-smasher · 4 years ago

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My personal 2020 GOTYs

1) Hades

This game, dudes. THIS GAME. A fraction of the budget, a fraction of the dev team size, reportedly HEALTHY development schedule and management...and imo it offers at least some of everything I want out of a single player video game. I have poured over 60 hours into this and I see myself putting in some more over time and ALL of the time I have spent has felt rewarding and edifying. Clever design, smart writing, organic voice acting, sharp gameplay, and all done at a fraction of the resources of these big budget, bloated games. You love to see it.

2) Final Fantasy 7 Remake (Part 1?)

I went into this year not caring much about this game at all. FF7 was a game I played as a teen, enjoyed, respected, and moved on from pretty easily. This Remake, so far, has done more than I could’ve expected in terms of actually REMAKING a game. It’s literally a new adaptation, and I as pleasantly surprised at just how hard it went. From realizing the world of Midgar into something so full of detail and plausibility, to reiterating and doubling down on its postmodern anti-corporation themes, to making Barret the character I loved the MOST somehow?? Combining everything I love about real-time RPG action with a tactical strategy element long missing from the genre, reimagining and fleshing out characters and concepts into something deeper and more meaningful...I’ve never considered myself a huge FF7 fan but this game was really something, and I absolutely cannot wait for more (and praying they do my girl Yuffie justice). I’ve been super skeptical of Nomura as a director given...the mess that has become Kingdom Hearts, but as it turns out, when he has others to reign things in, some surprisingly nuanced stuff for an anime game can come out of it. It has its flaws, to be sure, but it’s still the most enjoyable experience I had with a big budget game this year.

3) The Last of Us Part 2

I feel conflicted over this one in particular - I feel Neil is not longer a director I respect the way I did back with the first game. I feel Naughty Dog is falling victim to all of the late capitalist issues plaguing big budget game dev. But I also love this game. It’s much more flawed than the first, but that’s mainly because it’s more ambitious and complicated. It’s THE most flawed game on this game, honestly, but overall as a game I am compelled to respect its writing, its gutsier decisions, its art direction, acting, presentation, etc. It’s an impressive game and the most technically impressive game I played all year if not all generation. Props where they’re due, but at the same time, I think this game was poorly directed and I love it in spite of issues with its production, rather than because of some strong vision. That’s the big Sony bucks, I suppose, matched with a dev team willing and apparently somehow able to fulfil what they want to create. I still get the impression there was a bit of ‘design by committee for a mainstream audience’ kind of shit going on - how could there not with something this big? - and as a result I think the game is a bit bloated. Shave off about 3-5 hours from a few spots and it’d be a more focused game, and maybe I’d feel more edified and satisfied rather than weirdly conflicted. Even so, a huge accomplishment and I hope to see more games tackle premises as ambitious as this down the road.

4) Bug Fables

This game technically launched last year but it debuted on console in 2020, and I didn’t play it until then. This is as close to a follow-up to old school Paper Mario as it gets, while simultaneously doing a lot to forge its own identity and even improve on the formula presented in the previous games. Its rough around the edges but that’s mainly because it’s an independent game, and it’s amazing just how well the dev team was able to reproduce the scope and details of this specific subgenre of RPG, all while continuously implementing new game design elements and multiple features that make it feel more modern in its direction. Fantastic stuff, I’m still not even finished with it because I’ve been taking my sweet time, though I intend to finally finish it this month, and I have to say, it’s quite a special game in my opinion.

5) Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Absolute banger of a multiplayer game, really love the presentation, the concept, the overall execution, the way the team has been updating the game every month or so in response to feedback and implementing new content. So good to see the battle royale genre FINALLY pushed beyond just...arena shooting. Can’t wait to see where else this game can go over time.

6) Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Somehow this one slipped my mind when I first wrote this up, despite having poured well over 100 hours into it this year. I think part of it is that New Horizons did a lot of things I’ve wanted the series to do for so long, and yet is still far behind in terms of so many other things I wish they would do. Quality of life things prevent me from really re-investing into it, and yet despite that I have to admit it REALLY sucked me in for a solid few weeks and I continued to play off and on for months. It was the perfect game we collectively needed right when it came out and graphically I can’t think of how to really improve on that style. A really relaxing getaway I needed earlier this year, though like with previous AC games, I don’t find myself going back to it as much as I’d think I would.

7) Going Under

A surprise hit for me, this rogue-like swooped in from ‘heh that looks amusing’ to ‘oh wow this is legit just a great game.’ Its weird visuals, funky 3D gameplay, and surprisingly sharp storytelling make for a rogue-like unlike any other and one totally near the top for me.

8) Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Squeezed this in just this past week or so, and this one also satisfied me greatly. I wish we’d see more big budget open-world games like this -- laser focused, not wasting any time, and not being repetitious aside for completionists. So cool to see another team’s take on Miles after how much I fell for Into the Spider-verse, and very glad the team both homages that movie while subverting some expectations fans of the film might have, all while continuing to adapt Insomniac’s take on Spider-Man from a couple years ago.

9) Demon’s Souls (Remake)

As a big fan of FromSoft who never got too far into this one originally, it’s been great to visit it as if it’s a new Souls game with an alternate art style. And a very clean art style it has. This was a good pick to be remastered because many, even FromSoft fans like myself, missed out on it, and it feels unique from its predecessors while still showing a solid foundation they’d go on to build from.

10) Crash Bandicoot 4

An amazingly well done follow-up to the original trilogy, this game GETS what makes old school Crash games good, and it improves upon things in a number of ways, from making Coco the alternate hero, bringing back old faces in new lights, going ham with the visuals both in raw art and unique filters when replaying stages, and giving incentive for completion with so many great costumes. Well done, great old school platforming with modern design sensibilities.

Honorable Mentions:

CrossCode

This also technically launched before 2020 but I didn’t play it until this year, and I don’t think it hit consoles until this year. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect going in, just remembering that I had enjoyed the demo well enough. This game delivers in most ways you could want from an indie game, with an expansive world of sidequests and RPG growth, a flexible combat system that can be nailbiting and engaging, and old-school dungeon designs with lots of environmental and elemental puzzles that really ask a lot of you. All of this capped with a surprisingly great narrative with characters I grew to love, including a much needed protagonist with a unique identity unlike any in games that I’ve played, as well as extra bits of detail and production values invested at JUST the right moments where the story needs it the most. It feels a bit tedious at times and part of me wishes more of the sidequest content involved direct interactions with the named, recurring characters, but it’s still one of the most impressive and well-done indie games I’ve ever played.

Katana ZERO

Razor-sharp game design, this one. It’s a brief but intensely focused experience that feels like the video game equivalent of a slick, experimental indie film. Could do with some more replayablity for those who want it but what’s here is just damn good and I gobbled this game down like a fantastic, hand-cooked meal at an atmospheric dive bar barely anyone knows about.

Necrobarista

Haven’t quite finished it yet but this is definitely one of the best visual novels I’ve ever experienced just due to how hard it goes on presentation and pushing for a more cinematic and thoughtful vibe than any other VN I’ve ever experienced. The characters and writing feel ripped out of an early 2000′s webcomic, for better and for worse, but all the same, it’s some fantastic stuff and it’s so refreshing to see a game set in Australia tackling a well-worn genre by giving it a new spin.

Slay the Spire

Another personal pick since this released in 2019, and I’m not quite sure which consoles it hit or when, but I didn’t get into it until early this year, and was totally hooked. Fantastically addictive, probably the most well-design deck-building rogue-like I’ve seen, certainly one of my favorite deck-building games in general. Apparently I’ve sunk 50 hours into it this year, more than most on this list, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that number spikes up again at some point.

#personal #GOTY #long post

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kennypurrson · 5 years ago

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hey hey for the ask game tell me about ur favorite ship uwu

My favorite ship is JackPrase/Pimms these idiots I love them, thank you for letting me gush about a ship you don’t know about bksbksbk

when I started shipping it if I did: After I finished the webcomic and went on tumblr and found more about Kent and fell in love with him and then found the ship and its been my OTP ever since.

my thoughts: I love love love this ship. It is my happy ship and makes me really happy and I’ve had the most ideas and things about them, they are the ship that really got me into writing more ambitious things (those which are saved on my google drive). Its really cute and sweet and I love it. It also is a ship that hurts because its sad and I don’t like how its represented in canon but that’s another story and I just hardcore relate so bad with it and that makes me even more upset...

What makes me happy about them: DORKS! They are huge dorks and I love that. They are best friends that fell in love and I just *heart face emoji* I know the one bffs to bfs i have (well they technically have a rivals to lovers again with some of the fics so like best of both worlds bkss) just i love a lot and it would be too much to type and this is already long bsksb but really they are cute and i love it and they make me so happy cause really theyd be happy together and i just uwu

What makes me sad about them: How things are handled in canon and how idk if its as bad but people were very angry about this ship and liking Kent that people i followed got death threats and stuff like the fandom is crazy and that was a big no, but i don’t interact and only talk about them with my friend who i got into it and shipping them with me because how you not wanna ship these idiots. And now you and anyone else who sees this bksks but mostly canon and how kent holds on and still loves and its like ahh bb ;-;

things done in fanfic that annoys me: When post is a tag. Don’t give me that shit. I don’t want it. Im in the tag for them not for anyone else. It annoys me so bad.

things I look for in fanfic: Endgame, fluff, soulmate aus. I really read anything and all with these two thats them together and have done anyhing.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Kent-Swoops. This is a cute lil ship and I love it too but like pure JackPrase stan. Jack - eeehh im bad but i don’t ship jack with anyone other than Kent, sorry.

My happily ever after for them: Getting their shit together and talking and coming together again. Like I just want a happy ending where Kent is in his sweathearts arms again smiling and happy. I just want Kent to be happy.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: Jack is big and Kent is little. I hc Kent as a cuddlewhore, he loves affection and like touch is his love lang. and will do anything to get into Jack’s arms and Jack is happy to provide and takes comfort in knowing Kent is there with him. Sometime they’ll switch it up, esp when anxiety flares.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Watch bad reality tv. Kent loves it and grew up on it, Jack never watched before Kent. Now on days just relaxing they will watch it. A lot of house reno shows. Mostly its something to wind down with and just cuddle on the couch together. Also Jack loves putting snow down Kent’s jacket in the winter to fuck with him,because these two prank and tease each other a lot. So they have a lot of snow fights and tumbles in the winter everyone is like ew stop being so sweet and sickening you’ve been together forever you’re not teenagers anymore, once they get back together as adults

#liv asks #fae ily

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comicteaparty · 5 years ago

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December 21st-December 27th, 2019 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from December 21st, 2019 to December 27th, 2019. The chat focused on the following question:

Without heavy spoilers, describe the worst thing you’ve put one of your characters through?

carcarchu

for a comic i haven't released yet (this happens in literally the first chapter so i don't really consider it a spoiler) the main character in this story has a rough life. she's saddled with enormous debts and gets fired from her job, then when things finally start looking up for her she gets hit by a car and "dies" the whole premise of the story is that people who die and get brought back to life by doctors (dead for just a few seconds) get powers

Cronaj

Hmmm.... I won't say whose, but probably the death of their child, and I've done some awful things to my characters. For some reason, all the pain and suffering in the world does not amount to the loss of one's child. To be fair, I don't usually consider it my fault that these horrible things occur in the story, because I couldn't change it if I wanted to. To do so would feel like a lie. These stories exist in my mind independent of what I want, and I'm simply telling them to the world. But yes... that child is the saddest creature I've written.

eli [a winged tale]

Torn apart, watched their friends die, forced to live forever... you name it, we got it In all seriousness, I also like focusing on the small (but not insignificant things) like not having your love reciprocated and questioning your worth. Sometimes it’s the small things that can collectively be destructive.

Capitania do Azar

In some ways, I think I have already done the worst I possibly could to my characters (war, being unable to help and losing their loved ones in darkness and loneliness). But on the other hand, I do plan to extend the mechanics of mind intrusion to the point of completely mangling up people's psyches, so I guess I'll have to wait and see which one feels worse

FeatherNotes

So far in GJS, we've had a character go through some, well, explosive limb loss There's quite a lot of hard things the chars go through / will go through, but i def see the brutality of the leg loss as something pretty huge for the character!

taterviking

I threw my main character under a semi, off a cliff, and shoved a tree branch into his brain. And then when he woke up I gave him long term memory loss and stole 80% of his memories from before he was 12

Kelsey (Kurio)

Boy am I glad none of us are gods heh

taterviking

I kind of treat writing like the Sims: which one am i torturing and which two did I build specifically to get naked together.

eli [a winged tale]

Omg Tater that’s a perfect analogy (edited)

taterviking

the only difference is that I can follow them to work and they're alllllll the money slave/work horse

Also, Viking is my father's name, you can call me Tater ;P

snuffysam

the worst thing that has happened to one of my characters canonically is something i have not and will not describe in-comic, so i'm not about to describe it here. there are certain... types of trauma... where even if a story depicts things realistically, respectfully, and with properly directed condemnation, fans romanticize the hell out of it. and i want no part of that. so, like, i'm keeping this stuff in the character's backstory, because i want to depict living with and growing past traumatic experiences, but i refuse to actually describe/depict what happened so fans don't get the wrong takeaway. the important thing isn't what happened, it's how she deals with it. as for things that actually happen in the comic - one character does get tortured by a government for information?

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Oh boy. So I am rather known for torturing my characters. I don’t even know what the worst thing is, but ‘dying horribly’ or ‘very dark and tragic backstory involving abuse and/ or terrible loss’ describes 95% of my casts.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Several of my characters get horribly bitten/eaten by hungry spirits. If they aren't already completely wrecked by the attack, the resulting cursed bite leads to quarantine and ostracization. Even little kids get abandoned or sent away. And those who are eventually totally consumed by the curse... basically become half-dead. ...Yeah, I got a lot of 'worse than death' stuff going on

Nutty (Court of Roses)

Won't say who, but i don't think i could do much worse than giving a character the perfect life and then taking it and everyone they've ever loved away from them in one fell swoop, leaving them to wander aimlessly.

Deo101

I've put all of my characters through different things that I think aren't really comparable as far as saying one is "worse" than the other. Though, I think that I'll probably say making one of them essentially live through a genocide is pretty undeniably the worst thing, and also the only one that I've really canonically discussed.

DanitheCarutor

I'm lowkey into character torture porn, so I like putting my OCs through some shit. Apollo probably has the most cushy life of every character I've ever made, the spoiled brat! The worst thing that will happen, in TGtaHR at least, will be related to death and/or near death. Not so much the subject in itself but how it is used, which may or may not be the worst thing from a reader perspective, but from the character's perspective. I mean...? I guess anything relating to death is pretty bad, but I've kind of seen situations where the person would have considered it a luxury, soooo. I don't know where I'm going with this!(edited)

Deo101

sounds like you're going towards "my comic is the meanest thing I've put my characters through"

you big meanie.

DanitheCarutor

Ah! I'm such a bully! Nothing like putting your characters through the worst to make the positive payoff more worth it.

khkddn

is psychological or physical pain more impactful to readers? prolly depends heavily on the context huh

anyway for my comic I think it is a tie between a psychologically hurtful thing and a physically hurtful thing

the psychological one is a little something I like to call The Dress Arc, and the physical one is called Cold Swiss Cheese

Deo101

Incredible

khkddn

what is the point of having painful scenes if one does not give them cool names amirite

Deo101

Absolutely. You know whats up

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I’d say psychological pain is much worse. A broken leg can heal in a month, but trauma stays with you. Of course, the former can cause the latter, but I always find it much more emotional when the character is feeling internally tortured rather than externally.

DanitheCarutor

I'm no expert but from personal experience with my comic, it's kind of depends on the reader? But physical is more universally comprehensible. A lot of the pain depicted in my story so far is psychological, with a little physical, and I've noticed people who have experience and/or are educated with the psychological aspect are more impacted by that than people who have never experienced or learned about it. Or to be more straightforward, people who have never experienced or have no knowledge of mental/emotional abuse have no idea what's going on in the story. Although when I had a scene where my frail, mentally unstable MC got punched in the face, everyone flipped out equally.

Of course this is just relating to abuse, when it comes to other stuff relating to pain I can't really give an opinion. I would say it's similar, since most people generally need to have a certain level of understanding of something to be impacted by its depiction of fiction, but I have no idea. Lol(edited)

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

No, you make a really good point. People generally can’t comprehend a pain they haven’t experienced, so I admit it would make sense to only feel empathy for physical pain if you’ve never known psychological trauma.

DanitheCarutor

Yeah, it's a douchey thing to do since this is subjective (there are people who have experienced trauma who lack the ability to empathize with others who go through something similar and vice versa), but I like to make a game out of figuring out who has and hasn't been in a really bad relationship based on how they respond to my comic irl, and online to an extent. Admittedly I'm hardcore into getting feedback half due to wanting to psychologically evaluate my readerbase.

Kelsey (Kurio)

Wait what?

DanitheCarutor

"What what" what? Don't worry, I don't do anything or judge based on stuff like that since it's so little info, I just like psychology... even if I may not be very good at it.

But yeah, I'm kind of a creep.

DanitheCarutor

Oh yeah, don't be scared to go back to posting in this channel? Thing? I won't be hanging out here, unless someone talks to me directly. I just responded originally because I had a tiny bit of knowledge on the subject asked.

Cronaj

I get that. I'm also kind of creepy. Plus, I kind of feel like webcomics are a bit of a social experience to begin with, which often involves a lot of studying the readers' emotional responses to the story.

keii4ii

Human beings automatically judge each other alllll the time, so part of it is inevitable. I think the most important thing is to acknowledge that you can be a little, very, or even totally wrong. ...The other important thing is, I do think there's a difference between subconsciously judging others and actively looking forward to it? If you are actively looking forward to judging others, that sort of turns your comment section into a social experiment of sorts, and I don't feel comfortable about that. If I knew the creator of a comic I follow was like that, I would be like "uhhhh you do you, but I want no part in that" and never comment.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Just.... ideally should be consensual?

I know some people who actually enjoy that kinda stuff, like even if they found out, they'd be like "ohhhhh SMART! :D"... Then there are people who would feel upset if they found out. So yeah, ideally this would be all consensual so people can opt in or out, but I don't know how you can do this while fully informing prospective participants.

DanitheCarutor

It sounds like a lie, but really, I don't judge. I make up fantastical concepts of what kind of person this is based on the little info I get from body language, facial expressions, what they say, and tone of voice but it's all thrown out the window because people are more complicated than that. At the end of the day I'd rather actually get to know the person before I truly judge their character. Also when it comes to normal comments I don't analyze unless the commenter is analyzing, usually the "judging" is when I ask for feedback... like, more than a couple sentences worth to get a good idea of how the story is mentally processed by that person. For example when I was asking for feedback after finishing chapter 4. While I was asking for critique, I also wanted to know how the story affected that person, get a vague idea of what kind of people the story draws in or what kind of people it drives away, etc. And yeah, I kinda go the extra mile with it because that's just how my brain works, it just runs all the time. I assume that person consents to me analyzing them and their experience when they respond to me asking for their opinion, but I dunno. Maybe I'll just... teach myself to not think when it comes to my comic or audience, I don't want to scare people off just because I'm an overly analytical weirdo. <_<'

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

I like when you use the physical pain for psychological pain. like someone is in heavy dangers, and comes out with only a broken leg. the other characters can feel guilty, hurt, etc other feelings. For me, physical pain is not enough, it is the reaction it sparks

DanitheCarutor

Oh uh, also @keii4ii, I can vouch that being analytical doesn't make you smart. My dad is like that and he's a complete moron, also I'm not the brightest bulb in the box either, I'm just a slave to my thoughts. Sorry, just wanted to clear things up to make myself look less bad.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I can understand that side of analysing. I’m often curious about my readers because I don’t have very many; my comics tend to be quite niche. So I wonder about what sort of demographic I’m attracting. From the people who have commented and shared a bit about themselves, it seems to be a lot of European and American adults in the 20-40 range who have received higher education (med students, professors, people in STEM, etc), which to me is kind of wild because I’m not writing ‘smart’ comics. There’s no real science or anything in my dark and morbid fantasy comics, so I’ve wondered what about them appeals to this demographic. This isn’t counting my new WT audience I’ve gained over the last couple of years, which is a very different demographic from those who follow on my site, but it’s really interesting to think about ‘What kinds of stories appeal to certain groups of people?’.

keii4ii

@DanitheCarutor Oh, I didn't mean to imply it was a bad thing. I apologize if that's how it came across. I meant it as a "thing I want vs thing I don't want." Just because I don't want a thing for myself, doesn't make it a bad thing.

Re: demographic analysis, more power to you if you're naturally into it. I'm like 'no..... let me just sit here and make this comic in peace.........' and even that's hard enough!

I do think about that stuff from time to time, but when I do, it's usually because I'm sad and am trying to think of non-worst-case-scenario explanations. So yeah, not something I enjoy pondering.(edited)

DanitheCarutor

@Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios) Same, even though my comic has gotten more readers than I imagined, it's still niche. Honestly don't know the age range, but I've gotten a range from psychology and medical students, or people with PHDs to normal 9to5ers who've been through similar experiences. (People who live with schizophrenia or clinical depression, or who have been in bad toxic relationships.) It's really interesting too because some of the readers who comment are very open about sharing intimate stuff about their lives without me even asking, which I'm not sure is due to the type of comic it is or because they relate to it? Either way I don't mind, it's kinda nice that someone feels comfortable enough to share that kind of info despite me being a total stranger. That's really interesting with your comic, though! Like, it's cool the types of people your work can attract, maybe your comic is smarter than you think. Lol

@keii4ii Yeah, but I don't want to discourage readers from interacting with my comic just because I'm into that stuff. Even though the work itself is far from safe I want people to feel comfortable enough to leave comments or discuss amongst each other.

keii4ii

Yeah, I think that's the dream for pretty much all of us, cultivating a comment section where everyone feels comfortable and welcome to interact

keii4ii

Getting back to the question, I really don't think I could answer, given the theme of my comic: "your pain matters, even if it doesn't affect the fate of the world/ even if it seems insignificant in the grand scheme of things." I don't have it in me to go against that and say to my characters, hey, guess what! Your pain pales in comparison to [this other character]'s!

Cronaj

That's an interesting thought. I mean, I spoke of what I consider the saddest scene, but really, in regards to the characters, they might not see it that way. That scene makes me cry, (and probably the character(s) directly involved), but the other characters have other sorrows weighing on their hearts, and those sorrows are also powerful in their own way.

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #creator interview #comic creator interview #creator babble #comic tea party #ctp

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recentanimenews · 8 years ago

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How Master Roshi's Sacrifice in "Dragon Ball Super" Keeps the Original Manga's Lessons Alive

Spoilers for Dragon Ball Super episode 105 follow!

When you think about Dragon Ball's Muten Roshi-sama—AKA Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit, Kame-Sennin, or whatever you've grown up calling him personally—you probably think about "pichi-pichi gals," or nosebleeds, or any other manner of perverted musings. If you've been following Akira Toriyama's series from the beginning, though, you also think about one of the strongest martial artists, and best teachers, of all time. In the original Dragon Ball manga, Roshi went to extreme lengths to teach Goku and Krillin how to better themselves, and it all came to an impressively emotional head in episode 105 of Dragon Ball Super.

While we're smack dab in the middle of Super's high-stakes Tournament of Power arc, there's no better time to look back at Toriyama's original tournament scenarios. The Tenka'ichi Budōkai, or World Martial Arts Tournament, first kicked off in chapter 34 of Dragon Ball, way back in July of 1985, and was adapted in the anime starting with episode 20. While Goku seemed like a pudgy, non-threatening child at the time, none of his opponents could possibly predict how powerful he actually was. Muten Roshi put both him and Krillin through the wringer as far as training was concerned, from moving colossal rocks to transporting milk jugs and performing the type of farm work typically reserved for heavy-duty machinery.

But the true lesson Roshi bestowed upon our squat little heroes would come closer to the end of the tournament. Under the not-so-subtle guise of a contestant named Jackie Chun, Roshi entered the arena himself, going up against a hodge-podge of enemies while attempting to divert any suspicion that he may, in fact, be the invincible master himself. I mean, seriously, who could possibly get these two mixed up?!

While one might initially suspect Roshi's intention was to prove he can beat up his own students—or maybe just find some roundabout way to get Bulma to give him a cheeky peek at something—his deceptive plan had a much more potent purpose behind it. After all, if he just wanted to wallop Goku and Krillin he could have entered under his own identity. Instead, Roshi wanted to show these young, incredibly bright and powerful students that, no matter how strong they get, there will always be a bigger challenge on the horizon. Rather than letting this tournament go to their heads, he wanted to show just how dangerous the world is, encouraging them to work harder and bounce back from defeat.

In case you couldn't tell from the hundreds of planet-leveling and evil-defeating episodes that followed, it worked. Thanks to Roshi's clever means of instruction and encouragement, Goku was eventually able to stand up against the first true world-dominating threat of the series, the mighty Piccolo.

These and other lessons came flooding back in Dragon Ball Super episode 105, "A Desperate Battle! Master Roshi's Sacrifice!!" While it seemed as if Roshi was on a roll in this one—handily taking down Universe 4 warrior Caway, despite the fact that she briefly managed to break through his supposedly newfound willpower against seduction—the situation turned dire rather quickly.

His second opponent, also hailing from Universe 4, was talisman user Dercori. She proved to be a more formidable foe thanks to her illusory powers, which had an immediate impact on Roshi's ability to fight effectively.

A victory pretty much seemed in the bag for Dercori when she used Roshi's own shadow to lock him in place like a far-flung alien version of the Nara Clan's Shadow Imitation Technique. That's when Roshi reached way back into his Dragon Ball bag of tricks to bust out the legendary Mafūba, or Evil Containment Wave, which was first used to trap King Piccolo in a rice cooker. The second time he attempted to use the move on King Piccolo… he died! Such is the power of this containment technique, for those wondering why Krillin was so concerned when he attempted the same against Dercori.

This isn't the only time the Mafūba has reared its head in Super. It seems like a decade ago that we were dealing with the fearsome Zamasu, but Future Trunks eventually managed to use the move against him in episode 64, however temporary the solution may have been.

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2016:

2017:

As taxing as this may have been on Roshi, he managed to move on to fight his third opponent of the day after going 2-0 in the tourney. And, as if to smooth out Krillin's furrowed brow in one fell swoop, he showed just how fresh he was feelin' after that bottle-poppin' Mafūba.

Unfortunately, his next opponent was another Universe 4 bruiser, and he wasn't happy at all about watching his two friends face defeat. Yes, it's true, Ganos looks like a 'roided-up reject from Duckburg when he transforms, but he's also one of those enemies who gets progressively stronger as the clock ticks away.

As predictable as his moves were, Ganos ultimately pushed Roshi to the edge, nearly pummeling him to dust before forcing him to bust some of his most fearsome moves. Roshi even tried to put Ganos to sleep through hypnosis, another throwback to the original series, but we know that only really works on Goku.

1986:

2017:

When the time came to use the ultimate Kamehama, the legendary blast appeared to be his final undoing. Despite a clear victory that shot Ganos straight into the stratosphere, Roshi collapsed shortly after. The moment prior, however, gave him plenty of time to call out to his former students, encouraging them once more, and even echoing the lessons he learned from them in turn. "You two are the ones who taught me that this old man still has a future and it's too early to decide my limits," he said with pure determination. "You're the ones who taught me that by continuing to aim for higher heights."

They were able to do that, of course, because of the lasting lesson Roshi taught them as Jackie Chun.

His parting advice; words to live by:

Roshi didn't die, of course. Major characters rarely die in the Dragon Ball universe, and when they do we know there's a good chance we'll see them again one day. It might have been a powerful death for the character otherwise, but it'll take more than a strong-stronger-strongest clod like Ganos to spell the end of the Turtle Hermit.

His sacrifice remains just that, though; a fitting tribute to his legacy in Toriyama's long-running series. Just as he once did under the shroud of Jackie Chun, Roshi pushed himself beyond his limit to protect Goku, Krillin, and the rest of the Universe 7 team (yes, even Freeza, I suppose). He knew an enemy that gets more powerful by the second would end up proving a potentially unstoppable force at some point, so he took him out by any means necessary.

Muten Roshi: For that, and for the decades of dedicated teaching that somehow even manage to overshadow your legendarily lecherous livelihood, we salute you!

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his webcomic, BIG DUMB FIGHTING IDIOTS at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

By: [email protected]

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