#Ryomon

[gofancyninjaworld]

Ryumon is a piece of shit, but he's a straight-talking piece of shit. And he's no fool.

Everybody else is excited about Mosquito Girl's return, and Webigaza's shadowy, heated arrival.

But me?

I'm excited for one new face in particular.

Here comes the boooooy~

[gofancyninjaworld]

The OPM Webcomic in 2023

This is late: it's deleted itself three times, damn!

By the Numbers

There is a reason I call ONE the bad boyfriend. He’s exciting, unpredictable. Swans up, love bombs us with interesting webcomic updates, then ghosts us for months and we can’t say anything as we see him gallivanting around working on other things… and just as we start giving up, he’s back! It makes everything he gives us feel extra precious.

On the other hand, Murata is the good boyfriend. Steady, reliable, shows up when he says he will, lets us know if there’s been a change of plans, and we often have an idea of what to expect from him. It’s easy to start taking him for granted, or even to feel entitled, but that’s a mistake.

So, after ghosting us all of 2022, ONE has returned in 2023 and given us 8 updates! All have been between 16 and 20 pages long.

By the Story

The only game in town is genocide

The problem that Genos has is that he is so very easy to dismiss. He has come to us with wild stories about out-of-control cyborgs destroying absolutely everything in sight, improbable survivals, mad scientists, and blood quests. In a world that is to all intent and purpose a sober, serious, modern world. One that yes, is plagued by monsters, but where apocalyptic destruction by cyborgs is nowhere in sight. So it's easy to think less of what he's got to say. His stories since have only gotten wilder and more improbable… only they're absolutely true.

Finally, the truth of what Genos has been saying, and the thing he's been desperate to prevent, is evident. And it's too late to say that he's right. I'm going to stop here for a second to invite the reader to consider what it takes to kill. Go to a mall with a gun and shoot at least one person? Easy. Shoot and kill at least one person? Probably not too bad. Kill several? Harder. Kill EVERYONE given that there are lots of exits? Are you kidding? It would take sustained bombardment, not a guy with a gun. We see in OPM world that scary and terrifying as monsters are, the death toll they inflict is much smaller than you'd initially expect, even allowing for the presence of heroes. It is really, really hard to kill a lot of people -- people don't sit still and wait for death. So for one individual to walk into town and leave nothing standing and no one alive is an extremely deliberate action of incredible violence. Back to the story. Now, we're no longer talking about the extermination of one town full of people. We're seeing the simultaneous, systematic destruction of multiple entire cities.

Not a single one of the owners of these voices is left alive.

Against such evil, who can prevail?

Well, heroes will, of course. But what's this? Something a couple of Neo Heroes (Ryomon in an interview and Accel when he pressed a suit onto Mumen Rider) said earlier on in chapter 138 about pro-heroes getting culled is coming to pass literally. We've seen for a while that the Neo Heroes appear to be on scene first to deal with monsters. Appear to have the right tools to defeat the monsters effortlessly when it's a brutal struggle for the pro-heroes. Child Emperor has been giving the situation the side eye for a long time as he's noticed that many of those monsters appear to have been modified.

Now it all comes together. While the robot army appears largely hapless in front of the Neo Heroes, it's a different story for the Pro Heroes. The S-Class heroes are managing but the other pro heroes are being overrun. Lightning Max gets not just targeted, but his feet, his specialty weapons, shot out from under him. Fortunately for him, Mumen Rider, no, sorry, Neo Mumen, comes to his rescue. Some other heroes are not so lucky: Bun Bun Man is killed. :( As the surviving pro heroes note, this is a systematic slaughter.

Things are no better at Hero Association HQ. There is nothing half-assed about the robots being sent to target them: at least four million mill around, hemming in the few heroes there and preventing any help from reaching them. Not that there will be help coming their way...

It's a different story for the Neo Heroes. They're working hard to save people, but increasingly, we realise they're in no danger. Even when they can't cope with the robots, all that happens to them is that the robots blow past them. Webigaza is so outraged and stricken by the sight of the neighbourhood she grew up in being obliterated that she pushes herself far too hard -- we hope someone grabs her before it's too late for her.

There is one hero who doesn't appear to be working. Drive Knight appears to be just robot spotting. Maybe he works when we're not looking but he seems to be just enjoying the show.

And what about the people who aren't heroes? Well, anyone with the means to fight back is being targeted too: a group of vigilantes who sometimes take out monsters were eliminated first thing. The Machine Gods are also active, targeting S-Class heroes and powerful individuals like Garou (yes, he's found another job!) and Sonic alike.

Why? Ah, you'll have to see the next section.

In war, truth is the first casualty

A lot of what's happening isn't entirely surprising to us as readers having the luxury of seeing things from high up, but our knowledge doesn't matter. It's how the characters within the story, particularly the characters with the wherewithal to do something about it, make sense of what's going on.

As you might imagine, the tables being tipped in favour of the Neo Heroes means that they're getting cheered on by the general public while the pro-heroes, even those strong enough to make a difference, are increasingly scorned.

The Machine Gods have no trouble explaining what's going on, if you care to ask them a direct question. Zombieman willingly allows himself to be beaten down and be taken to their headquarters to find out. Eguro tells him that in the new world, humans won't have their pesky free will and will thus be happy. They're here to capture and eliminate or reform the 'irregularities,' the exceptionally strong individuals capable of giving them problems.

Elsewhere, we have Genos going through Metal Knight's laboratories. As of the end of the year, he'd gotten through the first one.

Someone else with beef with Metal Knight is Child Emperor. He has finally put together the source of the robots and goes to confront Metal Knight. We leave off without a conclusion, but what transpires is interesting. Reasoning that it's unlikely that Metal Knight would be so careless as to leave his fingerprints on the robots now attacking the world, it's likely that someone is trying to frame Metal Knight. However, his erstwhile mentor isn't off the hook. Has he abandoned his humanity in an attempt to finish an uncontrollable AI?

We leave off with a tense standoff between Isamu and Bofoi, the old man giving nothing away as he faces off against the increasingly agitated boy.

No idea when ONE will return to this. No idea if Genos will crash the party before we can get those answers.

When you chase sweetness, you drink antifreeze

McCoy is at the nexus of the great deception. His help was instrumental in undermining the Hero Association, stealing data and plans, helping recruit pro-heroes and give vital information on manipulating those heroes. As the attack has progressed, he has been having increasing misgivings. He wanted money and the sweet benefits of enjoying a top position with a hero organization. But he never intended to facilitate evil. He's greedy, not evil.

Everywhere he looks, things are increasingly suspicious. Starting with Mr. Fuzzy, whose precognition appeared to have mysteriously failed just when it would have been most useful. What if he isn't actually a psychic at all? The implications are bothersome, but they fit all too well with the rest of the occurrences. The cold refusal to help the Hero Association in any way, not even to save them. The way the Neo Heroes have been stockpiling fuel, raw materials and an insane quantity of weaponry. The way the two wealthiest heroes have mysteriously started preaching becoming cyborgs and giving away their manpower and wealth to the Neo Heroes. The way he McCoy is being pressured to become a cyborg himself as the way Mr. Fuzzy puts it, there's not going to be a place in this world for anyone who hasn't accepted his (Fuzzy's) implementation of cyborgization.

We end 2023 with the sight of McCoy scrambling in vain to try to get either Superalloy Darkshine or Metal Bat to help. The former refuses and the latter is locked up in a self-healing prison. McCoy tries to retrieve Metal Bat's original metal bat, but he's caught by A and Ryomon. The sweet juice he sought to sip now turns out to be poison. Poison that he notes is going to kill a lot of people. Including himself.

I'm praying 2024 sees this arc reach its climax and end! Pray our Bad Boyfriend is in a generous mood this year.

[fddarchive]

“Ryomon digivolve to ... Romanomon, the Dragon of Nature!” - from Lilaʻs Gallery page of Lila and Thundamon's Digital Realm  

[ryourikaatsuo]

【蟹のロワイヤル】 ・ 久しぶりのリョーモン ・ 友達のおかげで 蟹のロワイヤル いただけました。 🙏😭🙏 ・ これ本当美味しいけど 裏メニューで 事前にお願いしてないと 食べられません。 ・ ・ 今年も美味しいもので 締めくくれて幸せ。 ・ ・ #リョーモン東山 #リョーモン #ryomon #金沢グルメ #金沢旅行 #東の茶街 #蟹のロワイヤル #蟹 #🦀 #金沢 #金沢市 #金沢旅行 #金沢観光 #金沢女子旅 #石川県金沢市 #kanazawa #石川 #石川県 #インスタ映え #北陸 #ishikawa #instagood #街並み #街 #ひがし茶屋街 #風景 #photography #写真 #japan #夜景 #東山 (Ｒｙｏｍoｎ) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6qRx4wANO3/?igshid=3qcnaosb0fzm

[gofancyninjaworld]

The Neo-Hero Crew

i miss them  (╯︵╰)

[akban]

Ryomone dori no kata, Shoden level, Takagi Yoshin Ryu from AKBAN academy on Vimeo.

Yossi Sheriff, the Akban Academy headmaster, and Dr. Dan Hashimshoni, document Ryomone dori , a Shoden level Kata from Takagi Yoshin Ryu. akban.org

[fddarchive]

Reedmon, Thundamon, and Ryomon - from Lilaʻs Gallery page of Lila and Thundamon's Digital Realm  

[fddarchive]

A drawing of Ryomon and Statorimon (Thundamon’s armor digivolved form with the crest of Compassion), drawn by Lexxy - from the Gift Art page of Lila and Thundamon's Digital Realm

[fddarchive]

Thundamon and Ryomon's head, drawn by Megan F - from the Gift Art page of  Lila and Thundamon's Digital Realm    

[fddarchive]

Thundamon, drawn on Bonnie's Digital World, Ryomon and Thundamon, and angry Lila - from the Oekaki Art page of  Lila and Thundamon's Digital Realm    

[fddarchive]

Rakokomon, Ryomon's Champion, Angeskymon's fighting mode - from Lilaʻs Gallery page of Lila and Thundamon's Digital Realm  

[fddarchive]

A design sheet of Ryomon, one of Lila’s Digimon drawn by SaltyKumquats   (Lila) - From Lilaʻs Deviantart gallery (SaltyKumquats)

[fddarchive]

An email banner featuring Ryomon and Thundamon - from the Art page of  Lila and Thundamon's Digital Realm

[fddarchive]

Kiriban hit banners featuring Lila and Lily, Ryomon, Thundamon, and Reedmon, Alexʻs Sonic OC Mitzi Prower, and Reedmon 03 evo theme version - from the Hit Pics page of Lila and Thundamon's Digital Realm    

[fddarchive]

Rakokomon and Dracomon, drawn by Lina (Coolest Mew) - from the Fan Art page of Lila and Thundamon's Digital Realm

[fddarchive]

A Valentineʻs Day drawing featuring AquaDragymon, Birdsimon, Ryomon, and Diratimon in front. Drawn by Lina (Coolest Mew) - from the Fan Art  page of Lila and Thundamon's Digital Realm