#and more importantly if these changes to Fubuki's character will affect her webcomic counterpart

[the-gordianknot117]

Remake Fubuki and Flanderization.

I was reflecting on the differences between manga Fubuki and webcomic Fubuki and, among other things, I noticed how in the former there is way more insistence on the whole “Fubuki group” shtick (like Fubuki acting goofy around others and pretending to be the leader of Saitama’s posse). To tell the truth, even webcomic Fubuki acts like she is the one in charge, like during the Hot Pot or at the beginning of the Esper Sisters arc, but it’s limited to a couple of instances and always before the situation derails, when the characters don’t fear for their lives or world-ending threats. Furthermore, it’s not as pronounced as in the remake.

In the manga the importance of the Fubuki Group recruitment gag has basically monopolized Fubuki’s characterization, to the point where she basically only babbles about that (at least when she is her own character instead of being used as a way to hype others or provide comic relief moments). This made sense narrative-wise up until a certain point (around chapter 93) because it reflected her personality* and Fubuki’s way to deal with others, but then it just became the main topic of her every single dialogue or even her thoughts, which is a clear symptom of flanderization. 

Like, compare this “new” Fubuki to the Fubuki of the Special Chapter “Numbers”: the plot of that story was basically another Fubuki attempt to recruit Saitama and co., which could have limited the entire focus of the chapter to the “Fubuki Group” gags, and yet the chapter explores Fubuki’s real self under the facade she puts upfront, her obsession for appearance and status, her fear of appearing “weak” and so her insecurities, her “role model” and how this affects Fubuki’s life, and so on; in summary, “Numbers” is first and foremost a Fubuki’s “character study”, on top of being one of the funniest and most entertaining chapters in the series. I can understand how a bigger cast requires to associate certain characters with specific traits/shticks in order to make them stand out, but I think there is a limit to how far this can go before turning the character into caricatures: Fubuki thinking about her group before being ready to sacrifice herself for Fang and Bomb it’s ok (I would have preferred the sequence to be a little longer and more character focused, but good enough), but going back to her “funny” recruitment attempts right after her “sacrifice” and turning her into comic relief, it’s too much. It’s difficult to take the character seriously, especially if every scene she appears in ends up with her being a joke.

Moreover, the webcomic Monster Association arc wasn’t about “leader” Fubuki but putting Fubuki out of her comfort zone, breaking the bubble she built for herself: thrown in the middle of a war between the top-ranked Heroes and a powerful organization of monsters, without preparations or plans to get her out of it, Fubuki had to fight amidst that chaos. And she ended up providing an impressive performance during this war. But these achievements didn’t come without a price to pay: Fubuki had to confront a shadow from her past, Psykos, a character that will be important for Fubuki’s future developments, and Garou, the manifestation of her deepest fears - an overwhelming power she can’t do anything against.  

Fubuki’s role as a leader, as well as other sides of the character, came into play only in the Esper Sisters arc. Anticipating those developments or exploring this facet of her character earlier isn’t bad in itself (actually, the opposite), but the way it’s been handled leaves me perplexed, because what we got is a dumbed down version of Fubuki’s character, whose entire personality rotates around the “Fubuki Group” - when she isn’t reduced to doing nothing for dozens of chapters, hyping her sister or both. It’s an oversimplification that reduces the character to an exaggerated and quirky trait. 

And I’m ignoring the rest of the changes: manga only gag moments, the fact that making her cower now deprives the “Fear” scene of all of his importance (because that’s what she has been doing for dozens of chapters, compared to the webcomic, where this moment represented a narrative shift for the arc and the character), Fubuki’s relationship with her sister and nu-Tatsumaki in general. To be honest, flanderization is one of several issues affecting remake Fubuki right now.

I think her leadership skills and planning abilities could have been shown in a more organic and natural way if, instead of following TankTop Master while supposedly buffing him (I’m not so sure anymore), Fubuki was the one who came up with the strategy to take down Jet Psykorochi: for example, we don’t know, rebus sic stantibus, who told Atomic Samurai, Pri Pri Prisoner and Superalloy Darkshine to stay in a building, waiting for TankTop Master to throw them against their target. Considering how the combined attacks went and how well coordinated they were, it would have made sense for Fubuki’s character to have played a role in it. And given the insistence on her “leadership role”, it would have been a case of “show, don’t tell”. 

*which in reality is a defense mechanism employed by the character every time she has to deal with other people, “legacy” of her background and upbringing.