#mind: ryo ( hell kaiser )

[cpirits]

★ ━━━━━━ "You don't need normal answers when you're already mine~" He reached an arm around her shoulder, tugging her lightly to his chest.

( @eternalbxtterfly )

Elise has appeared! What to do? Kneel down Awkward hug Make them mine Ravish

"Apparently asking for normal answers is too much for this thing."

[deck-shuffler]

Saw a youtube comment that's in the line of "Sho should've become Hell Kaiser instead" and my mind just went on a scene where a confused Ryo revisits the Academy only to find Sho's friends in the Osiris Red dorm sitting silently, the room filled with an air of seriousness.

Ryo: Has any of you seen Sho?

Asuka: Have a seat, please.

*Ryo sits down.*

Manjoume: We messed up!! Big time!!

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Twenty Nine - 22

Ken was frozen, unable to look away from his older brother, his dead brother, the brother whose funeral he went to on the day he was discharged from the hospital. Even dressed up in the loathful costume of the Digimon Kaiser, Osamu was unmistakable.

Osamu had gone over this moment in his mind countless times. He worked over what he was going to say to Ken until he had every word memorized. He considered every possible way his brother might react and how he would respond to each one in a way that would cause Ken the least amount of grief.

However, when Osamu saw Ken’s face, frozen in a mute mixture of horror and shock, he found himself faltering to remember a single word. Seconds ticked by with agonizing slowness until he finally did the only thing he could think of in that moment - he willed his outfit to change, dropping his Digimon Kaiser regalia in an instant so that his little brother could see the truth underneath.

Osamu was alive. Ryo was alive.

Ken had witnessed both of them die in front of him. With the threat of Neemon serving as a distraction, it hadn’t fully sunk in that Ryo had survived being decapitated. Osamu survived being hit by a car. Bloody memories replayed themselves before his eyes, overlying with reality. Looking at Osamu now, he could see his brother from three years ago, body broken and soaked in blood. Ryo looked the same as back then when his head was removed from his shoulders, but Osamu was taller, the angles of his face a little sharper with age.

This wasn’t the dream world. Ken thought he came to his senses, but now he wondered if he ever woke up at all after Wormmon died and the Dark Ocean took him away.

When Ken started hearing the whispers, that was all the confirmation he needed that he was truly still trapped in that hell. Everything was an illusion, one he had never escaped from.

The glazing of Ken’s eyes was Osamu’s first clue that something was wrong - very, very wrong. But even he wasn’t prepared for the way Ken’s body glitched, going semi-transparent as if he were nothing more than a television broadcast being interrupted.

Osamu’s body moved before his mind caught up with him. He closed the distance between himself and Ken in an instant, seizing his little brother in his arms as he called upon the Darkness inside his heart. “No!” he roared as he used his power as the Chosen of Pride to sever the connection the Dark Ocean had in that moment. “You won’t take Ken again! Not ever again!”

Vaguely Osamu thought he heard screams and curses, but it might have been just his imagination.

[cyberends]

my issue with how hell kaiser is executed especially in ryo's death duel with his own brother includes the fact that prior to this, ryo DIED for sho,

there was no guarantee that the seven stars would be defeated, ryo knows he's the best duelist on campus and camula just pulled THAT shit on him and also he watched her fucking YEET chronos and with that in mind its not that he doesn't have faith in the others but he wasn't going to just assume things would be fixed

and he was given the ultimatum of "win and kill your brother" or "lose and actually die for real" and im p sure everyone expected him to pick win and kill sho but NO! he picked lose and actually die and truly he wasn't expecting to be saved from that shit,

now ok yeah hell kaiser is a product of the absolute dogshit nature of the pro leagues and also blackmail and torture and an entire mental breakdown, but ryo already has proven that he'd rather DIE than have sho die and that ... yeah. that's that thanks

[starlightshadowsworld]

"You did great Sho" smiled Judai, "carrying on my battle, ey?" Chuckled Ryo, a proud smile on his face that made Sho smile brightly. It was their joyous talk that distracted them all from the loud footsteps echoing throughout dual academy.

That was until the doors of the infirmary burst open. All three of them looked at the doors in surprise, expecting a threat before relaxing at who it was.

"Edo" greeted Judai, Sho waved while Ryo went pale. He knew Edo had escaped the other dimension like the rest of them, unlike himself without harm. But he had yet to see him in person, the other immediately needing to sort things out with his managers who had been looking for him.

He had promised to visit him as soon as he could, and apparently that was now.

"Judai, Sho" greeted Edo, a smile on his face. "My apologises for not getting here quicker to see your arrival Judai, I had a few pressing matters to attend to." Judai chuckled, waving him off "it's all good, your a busy guy."

"Would you mind if I had a private word with your brother, Sho if that's alright." Asked Edo, Sho looked at Ryo, who looked like he wanted to vanish than and there before looking back at Edo and nodding with a smile. "Sure, just no duals he can't really take any at the moment."

Edo nodded "of course, it wouldn't be appropriate to dual the great Kaiser in his hospital gown anyway. Thank you." He said, watching the duo leave. He didn't say anything to Ryo, didn't even look at him as he took one of the seats by the bed.

Oh yeah he was definitely in for it.

"It's good to see you again, Edo" Greeted Ryo, knowing that Edo could and would sit forever in silence if he chose to. Truly he was happy to see Edo, he really was. He missed hearing him talk, even just being in his presence.

"Is it? Is it really?" Asked Edo, his voice light and polite as if he was talking to a camera crew and not his boyfriend. "Tell me, Ryo I'm a tad confused by the rumour mill so would you mind clearing it up for me? I went to your dorm room to see you, and was told by Fubuki that you were in the infirmary. Had just undergone surgery in fact, I asked what had occurred and he said it was your heart."

He gave Ryo a stern look, his eyes locking onto his.

"But I was sure that I had been informed, over a month ago that you had been cleared to leave. That your heart was on its way to recovery... So long as you didn't push yourself. And it appears your worsen condition coincided with a member of a rival martial arts school showing up." At this point, Edo's false politeness had melted away into something cold.

Ryo sighed, knowing that he had been found out. Not that he was going to hide it from Edo, but he wouldn't preferred explaining it himself. "I dualed him, which put my heart under strain... A lot of strain..so much so I collapsed before the dual ended." He explained.

Edo closed his eyes, let out a loud exhale before getting to his feet "come on..." Ryo raised an eyebrow "to go out? Where?" He asked, confused.

"Oh I don't know to find a hill to bury you on! Seeing as you're so desperate to die. Hell maybe we should just launch you into the volcano and get it over with!" Edo said, and now he was yelling. "Edo..." "Maybe I should just grab the flowers while I'm at it, get the obituary written up while I'm here. He said, cutting off Ryo and glaring at him.

"I'm sorry, that was idiotic. I never meant to worry you" said Ryo, he felt bad he really did. Hearing Sho's cries that he didn't want to see him die again and Edo's own rage really made him realise.

"Yeah well maybe don't dual power crazed lunatics at midnight with a heart condition?" Snapped Edo, looking away. Ryo smiled "alright" he said simply, watching Edo blink in surprise and look at him incredously.

"You don't want me to do that so I won't." Said Ryo as if it was as simply as that.

"What? No yelling, no arguing that the king of the cyber arts cannot be contained and can dual with and whoever he pleases?" Asked Edo, folding his arms and studying Ryo with surprise. Ryo smiled, shaking his head "nope. Not today."

".... Damnit, I'm trying to be mad..." said Edo with a huff. Ryo chuckled, he shuffled slightly and gently pulled Edo into his arms. The other relaxed into his embrace, resting his head on Ryo's shoulder and looking all for the world like a disgruntled cat.

"Still mad at you..." He mumbled, Ryo smiled "I know."

"But... Please don't, do that again." Edo whispered, there was a hint of fear in his voice. He could've lost Ryo in the dark dimension, the man had been holding on by a thread and to think he could've lost him again...The thought was unbareable.

Ryo frowned, holding Edo in his arms. "You have my word" He said, and he meant it. They stayed that way for a while before it was Edo's turn to pale.

"... Now what's this about you facing Exodia?"

[rainbowoverdragon]

Thoughts on Ryo

This is an analysis of Zane Truesdale/Ryo Marufuji, focusing on his mindset as well as his relationships with other people. As I am basing this off the original Japanese version for standardization, all names likewise are their sub counterparts.

When Sho obtains a rare and powerful card from his brother, he believes he has it made. After this, Sho finds the courage to confront his bully in a duel. So after he draws Power Bond, Sho thinks he has it made. He gloats to the bully, insulting him, making outlandish claims out of the arrogant belief that he can't lose. Before he can use it, Sho is interrupted by the very person who gifted him that card. "You aren't worthy to use that card yet. Until you have what it takes to be called a duelist, I declare that card off-limits.'' Devastated by this statement, Sho proceeded to view himself as incapable of dueling for years; unworthy of Power Bond. It’s an establishing character moment for both Marufuji brothers, setting Ryo up as an impossible standard to reach in Sho’s eyes. However, for Ryo, his intentions are revealed to be more well-intentioned than Sho is led to believe. In episode 8, Sho realizes that Ryo wished for Sho to treat his own power with respect: towards both his opponent and his high-risk high-reward cards. This constant cycle of good intentions and misplaced words leads to a negative feedback loop between the brothers that seems impossible to resolve. Ryo struggles to convey his own observations to others in a way that doesn’t come off as condescending. Sho cannot take things past face value, and places his brother upon a pedestal that he cannot surpass. After all, how can you beat perfection itself?

During his years in Duel Academy, Ryo is the embodiment of perfection. He is the opposite of his brother, never missing a single mark in any area. Everyone constantly refers to Ryo as “perfect”, from his teachers to his peers to even the Kaiser himself. He even soundly beats Judai in the first duel they have together, a feat seen as impossible by the audience. But it’s this very idea of perfection that haunts Ryo, as he believes that perfection implies stagnation. If Ryo has perfect scores in class, there is no way to improve them. If he reached the peak of his potential in one duel, that means it’s all downhill from there. His greatest fears are confirmed when he loses to Edo in the Pro Leagues, starting a chain of losses that ruins his career beyond repair. Ryo is perfect. He is so perfect, that during his school years he never truly struggled against an opponent (Aside from Judai in Episodes 51-52 however he maintained the advantage for the majority of the duel). In fact, he suffered from the opposite problem. As Ryo is too powerful, he’d purposely hold back until his peers could unleash their trump cards against him. Only then did he defeat them with just enough power to avoid humiliation. His first loss wasn’t only his first loss, it was the first time Ryo found himself in a disadvantaged position. His inexperience with failure led to him associating the mere act of struggle with the idea of loss. Ryo’s inability to move past this is his own self-fulfilling prophecy. Being afraid of failure makes people play to not lose. Playing to not lose instead of playing to win causes chokes, which results in losses. Unable to break from this cycle, Ryo is abandoned by his sponsors. Which is why the idea of Underground Duels, a place where he can start over and regain his bearings is so enticing. At least, until they reveal the condition.

And at first, Ryo despises the Underground. He appeals to be released, he states it’s not what dueling is, it’s nothing like he could ever imagine. And how could it be? Ryo’s life is on the line, and for no good reason. The shock collars are there to make things fun for the audience, not for any other benefit! In his duel with Sho, who says that 'this isn't dueling', Ryo even admits he thought the same thing. It spits on the very concept of respecting your opponent. The collars humiliate you, egging you on to forget about the other person. And in general, is amoral (as well as a human rights violation). Underground Duels are almost always life or death, because nobody fights harder than people who are convinced they are going to die. And Ryo is convinced that if he duels the way that he always has, if he clings into his morals, he will die. His opponent, Mad Dog, purposely created a deck to counter him. So why should he respect him? Why should he not aim to win? Why can’t he aim to survive? After crawling from hell, nothing is the same for the Kaiser. Because every duel is another reminder that he survived. He is unable to see any match he takes for fun, every duel to him is life or death. In the real world, there are people who lose and wither away, and people who win and thrive. And by god, he wants to feel alive. He spent so long losing, something utterly unthinkable for the Kaiser of Duel Academy. Ryo was undefeated before, now he truly wishes to not experience it again. If forcing himself to feel that every fight of his is to the death, literally or mentally, then so be it. He continues dueling in the Underground, continues to utilize the shock collars he once despised. No matter what cost, health or mind, Ryo requires victory.

When Ryo is told that his health is failing from his shock collars, he doesn’t seek medical attention. Because to Ryo, being alive is more important than living. He transformed into Hell Kaiser achieved the great power that comes from becoming a monster, at the cost of self-destruction. He flirted with death, and finally has to pay the price. And he doesn’t care. As long as Ryo obtains what he wishes, he is happy. And what the Hell Kaiser wants more than anything else, is one last duel to surpass all others. Ryo would rather reach the limit of his capabilities, and die meeting them than waste away quietly to be forgotten forever. Thus he seeks Yubel, the strongest monster spirit in the Universe. If he meets an opponent of his caliber and 'shines' during the mattle, then he’d have nothing to fear in death. But he does. After entering his long-awaited match, Ryo admits to not wanting to die. He wants to live, he wants to leave a mark that can never be forgotten. Yet he doesn’t want to die. Ryo has achieved everything he wanted, shown the strongest he has been or will ever be. Before he duels Yubel, he comes to a revelation. At first, Ryo wished to fight the strongest being to win. He doesn't care anymore. Ryo is dying, win or lose the result is the same. Since he turned Hell Kaiser, Ryo only respected victory. The joy he obtained by knowing he survived another duel is utterly meaningless against Yubel. What happiness does he obtain knowing he survived….when he isn’t going to live to begin with? He understands that the duel itself is what makes Ryo feel alive, doing the most with what remaining time he has with his life. As Ryo tells Judai, his death is the end of the road for people who glorify power. And thus it’s no surprise that Ryo is taken out by the card he is associated with most: Power Bond. A card that lets you receive unthinkable amounts of power, at the price of self-destruction.

Out of all the people who save Judai from himself, the Kaiser’s impact is one of the most apparent. It takes someone who knows the suffering someone else goes through to achieve empathy, especially in Judai's case. Judai struggles with sympathy, as shown with his interactions with Sho in Seasons 1-3. Whenever Sho asks for help with his confidence, Judai gives him the helpful advice of "Don't be anxious!" Judai cannot comprehend being insecure with one's capabilities, thus he cannot help Sho directly. In contrast, Judai is more receptive to empathy. Manjoume's crisis in Season 1 revolved around the pressure others placed upon him to succeed. Judai deeply understands his strife, and helps him fight for himself. This is why Misawa's speech about accountability fails to help Judai utilize Polymerization. Misawa has no fundamental basis to understand Judai's feelings. In contrast, Kaiser's duel with Yubel awakens Judai's character growth. Ryo is Judai's cautionary tale, a warning of self-fulfilling prophecies. During the Graduation Duel, Ryo tells Judai that he possesses infinite potential compared to himself. This rings true in watching Ryo's belief of his own lack of capability to change, resulting in his inability to change because he destroyed himself beyond repair. In contrast, Judai has not fallen to this path. Watching Ryo's descent as well as his late realization means everything to Judai: especially someone so responsive to empathy. This is because they are mirrors of each other, to the point their character’s arcs are entirely parallel to one another. Both are idolized for the power they hold over others, both of them experience the loss of the pedestal they once stood upon. Both achieve the sharpest fall from grace (against an opponent with ‘Mad’ in their title), which leads to them glorifying their own power and abusing it against others. Despite their friends trying to help them, it is ultimately up to themselves to self-actualize their shortcomings. However it is Ryo, who thinks he cannot change, who succumbs upon his own revelation. And it is Ryo, who always believed in Judai’s infinite potential even in the Graduation Duel, who changes Judai’s path. Without Ryo, Judai would be unable to utilize his power responsibly. Because Judai now knows what happens to people who push themselves too far, just like how he used to. Power is not something to be afraid of or abused, but to use responsibly.

The Hell Kaiser doesn’t entirely work for others; he even states he fought Yubel out of selfish motivations. However, Ryo is also constantly associated with lighthouses. To the people that mean the most to him, Ryo is a light that tries to guide others to safety. However lighthouses are far away from the people they try to save, and thus it takes the initiative of others to help themselves after seeing the light from afar. This is shown by Ryo’s relationships with the people he’s closest to remaining fundamentally the same from his own side: regardless of his actual guidance being positive or negative. Ryo’s actions and intentions around Sho remain the same across both his younger self and Hell Kaiser: each time trying to guide Sho to become the best version of himself. "Until you have what it takes to be called a duelist, I declare that card off-limits."", is the devastating statement Ryo told Sho as kids. But Ryo believed his brother needed to understand true power in respect, guiding Sho away from arrogance and towards the light of good. His brother's weakness required defending. This concept is twisted on its head once Ryo becomes Hell Kaiser, who only views power or meaning in victory. Thus he employs the same tactic, because Ryo does not see the difference between restricting Power Bond to teach respect, and having Sho experience the same pain he did to ditch it.

Both Ryo and Hell Kaiser sing the same song. Ryo intends on ‘protecting’ his weaker brother by teaching him right from wrong. Both times, Sho and Ryo misunderstand each other. At first, Sho doesn’t comprehend the real reason why Ryo forbade Power Bond. The second time, Ryo doesn’t understand how Sho can cling to his own beliefs of respect even if he loses because of it. However, the one time Ryo’s words connect is when he saves Sho in season 3. And even then, it’s an admission of distance between the two. Ryo sees Sho’s pain inflicted by Judai far outweighs what Ryo had done to Sho. Thus Ryo advises Sho to follow Judai, since it’s what his heart truly desired all along. He then leaves, to force Sho into walking his own path. Ryo cannot spell out Sho's wishes any more than he does. And if Sho is alone, then he is forced to swim instead of sink.

Ryo’s association with lighthouses in canon directly correlates to Fubuki. As much as Fubuki is associated with darkness, Ryo is quite literally the light that shines through to him. When Fubuki was overtaken by Darkness in the first arc, we later find out that Ryo regrets being unable to find Fubuki no matter how much information and effort he scrounged up. Fubuki then replies that the mere act of trying saved him, as he could see Ryo’s feelings in spite of the darkness that consumed him. To Fubuki, Ryo is the lighthouse that guides people through the darkness. And when Fubuki is overtaken by the Darkness in an attempt to save Ryo from it, Ryo’s feelings once again vanquishes Fubuki from the dark. However, instead of the Kaiser saving Fubuki, Hell Kaiser explicitly protects him from Darkness. Because the two are friends, even after everything Ryo’s been through. This leads Fubuki to a revelation that no one else understands: Hell Kaiser is not fundamentally different from Ryo. Fubuki realizes that even as Hell Kaiser, Ryo respected Fubuki. Why else would he save him from Darkness? Indeed, every interaction of Ryo’s major interpersonal relationships are fundamentally the same. It’s simply his worldview that shifted. As much as Ryo wishes to respect others, he doesn’t think he can in a world where everyone must take advantage of their life to the fullest extent.

And Ryo, who cannot change because he thinks he cannot change, stayed as he was until it was far too late to be saved.

[booksanditsseriesormovies]

GX Month Day 5

September 4th: “Pass The Salt” 

No story is perfect. So what is something you wish you could have seen in the story of GX?

Oh boy where do I start

While I love GX there are quite a few things a would have done differently.

The case of Daichi Misawa

We are all more than familiar with Misawa and his fall from grace, from one of Judai’s potential top rivals, to a recurring joke even for the other characters (”Oh, Misawa, you’re here”). I get it, GX has a HUGE cast, like seriously huge. And we went from having 5 to 7 important characters in DM to around 15 in GX. Not everyone was going to survive the chopping block. Another victim of this was Hayato, but he was gone so soon (and with dignity) I didn’t really mind it. But Misawa’s case in S2 and S3 is just sad. I wish they could have done something better for him. At least he helped everyone get back from the other dimension and got Tanya in the end.

Johan vs Hell Kaiser Ryo

So, I don’t think I am the only one who thinks the duel between Ryo and Yubel (Possessing Johan) is one of the best if not the best in all of GX. It’s absolutely mind blowing. 

But I think that the duel between Ryo and Johan in the first arc of S3 to bring everyone back from the other dimension is one that goes under a lot of people’s radars. Call me biased because Johan is my favorite GX character, but I was really digging that duel. Like even without Rainbow Dragon, Johan was putting up a serious fight against Ryo with the way he used the Crystal Beasts. So I am forever salty that they could never revisit this duel (vs actual Johan, not Yubel). 

I get it, this duel served more as a preview for what was to come when we saw they would duel again. And Johan was barely in S4 and Ryo could hardly duel anymore given his heart condition. But for Ryo to have said that Johan had been the only one besides Judai to make him feel excited in a duel and who could have Judai’s unlimited potential...I think it would have been very very fun and exciting to watch, specially with Rainbow Dragon.

“Everyone’s dead....JUST KIDDING”

I know it’s a kids’ show, and it would have been extremely tough to follow another season without like 3/4 of the cast. But having everyone come back alive from the Hell Dimension felt like a bit of a cheap move that also makes some of Judai’s character development lose some significance. 

So everything he went through from the moment his friend’s died (becoming the Supreme King out of pure helplessness and desire for revenge, then coming back from that with a terrible, terrible case of PTSD basically leaving him unable to duel, coming to terms with everything he had done and learning to use the strength of the Supreme King without letting it overtake him), it was all for nothing? Then all the people the Supreme King killed are alive and well?

It also takes merit from the other characters’ themselves and the circumstances of their deaths. Kenzan, Manjoume, Asuka and Fubuki being sacrificed, victims treated as collateral damage to create a super powerful card, right in front of a collapsing Judai as their hearts were corrupted too. Jim and O’Brien (the two most emotional deaths in S3 for me), who sacrificed themselves to bring Judai back and bury the Supreme King away. Edo, who sacrificed himself to try and save Echo (who gave her life away for someone who took advantage of her feelings), and Ryo, who even though he said was only looking for the ultimate opponent, tried until the last minute in the duel to separate Yubel and Johan. Hell, Ryo basically died twice (because of his heart failure and losing the duel), yet he survived. 

As I said, I know the show would have been extremely hard to keep going. But it took away from the serious, dark story S3 was becoming. It takes away from Judai, and the ones who died because they all came back brand new. 

Reincarnation

It’s not that I didn’t like it, Reincarnation is a trope that I LOVE. But in GX we literally got it dropped on us out of absolutely nowhere. We literally had no clue Judai could have had a past life and that’s where his story with Yubel came from. 

Like idk, maybe some flashbacks or random shots of the Supreme King’s backstory (which wouldn’t make sense until we find out it’s Judai and would have made it pretty cool) would have made it better, IMO. 

PTSD? Only Judai can relate

Another thing that I found weird was how quickly everyone got over what happened in the Hell Dimension except for Judai. We can see he is depressed and dealing with the aftermath of what S3 did to him. But what about everyone else? Weren’t they supposed to be in like a dimension of pain and suffering even if they were alive? I am glad so many main characters got their time to shine in S4, but, as we wrapped each story, a nod to what happened to them in S3 would have been nice. It’s all part of the process of growing up, too, learning to deal and cope with out most painful moments.

S4: “Overseas champions? I don’t know them”

Yeah, so given the HUGE (LIKE REALLY HUGE) role the Overseas Champions played in S3, barely seeing them in S4 was a bit of a whiplash. I am glad we got O’Brien dueling Mr. T and him playing with his mind with false memories was heartbreaking yet super interesting to watch. But we got literally no Jim and Karen, at all. The guy gave his life and his supernatural eye to try to bring Judai back. I had hoped we would have at least seen some of him in S4. We literally have no idea what the hell happened to Amon, my theory is that he stayed in that other dimension to build his perfect world and become its Monarch. But we literally have no clue about what became of him. And did Echo come back, too? Is she with Amon in the other dimension?

And then we have Johan. Considering Judai went to basically Hell to rescue him, I thought we would see a bit more of him in S4. Like at least bidding each other farewell? You know “Thanks for rescuing my soul from my card and saving me from your eternal guardian who was corrupted by evil and almost ended the Universe as we know it”? No? Okay then. I am so so glad we got him in that Battle Royale against Fujiwara tho, that kind of made up for it :)

Edo’s fate

From the start we know Edo is one of those characters that know they are fucking amazing at what they do and make a point of it. He is at the top of the food chain. The young pro duelist, talented beyond his years (for Pegasus to say he was just below Yugi, Kaiba and Joey?!), rich, refined, confident and a bit arrogant. 

Then how is it that the last we see of him is receiving a direct attack from Ojama Yellow straight to the face? I know Manjoume was meant to win this duel, but it would have been great to see him summon Plasma and that Manjoume had summoned Armored Dragon, or maybe using the Ojamas with the Spell Cards to banish monsters from the field or to summon Ojama King. Like Edo didn’t even want to duel, it was all a scam from his former manager and they still made him go out like that :( I wanted a more epic goodbye duel for our Edo tbh.

Then again, I am biased because Edo is my second favorite character in GX.

Season 4 rushing

5D is very cool and all....BUT WHY DID THEY HAVE TO CUT GX SHORT FOR IT. 

S4 is so obviously rushed and for me it Darkness was a bit of an underwhelming villain after the AMAZING villain that Yubel was for S3. Fujiwara just popped out of nowhere and we got no development of him in comparison to Yubel or even Saio (I won’t say that of Mr. Chairman because he literally popped out of nowhere in S1). 

I just wished we had gotten a proper, full S4. More GX to fawn over.

Wow that was a lot of salt now I sound like I hater but I promise I love GX as much as Manjoume loves Asuka (lol).

[spiritsncrystals]

Zane/Ryou?

Sorry for the wait but i can do that!

What i like/dislike about them

He went from "i respec my opponents" to a fuckin machosist- and pretty much went goth lmao, also his nicknames Kaiser (s1) to HELL KAISER and considering that a few of the cyber dragons names are German (numbers or something) and having learnt in history that kaiser practically means Emperor (bc before a government there was a kaiser) so that would practically translate it to HELL EMPEROR its kinda a pretty badass nickname

I'll be honest I didn't like the whole thing of his heart being weak and on the verge of a heart attack thanks to (apparently cyberdark dragon??) it was just concerning, and i hate how dying in the darkworld didn't mean that the heart could be still bc when they brought him back in s4 he still had that weak heart it was annoying, and why did it only just get so bad in season 4 that he needed operation then, they should've dealt with it as soon as they first knew there was an issue with his heart.

What i like about their appearance

That edgy goth outfit 👌🏻

it's a pain to draw but it's legit cool.

Also the fact that he's a dark teal definitely sheds light that teals not always light (metaphorically and actually at the same time)

Do i prefer to use dub or sub names for them?

Excuse me if you went with the dub you don't get the cool nicknames! So definitely Ryo over zane bc hell kaiser is a superior nickname.

Favourite card they used

Cyber end Dragon. I've even got about 4 or 5 copies of it irl, its that iconic (also i just happened to have the cyber legendary dragons deck and of brought packs of Leg duelists 4)

OTP

Proshipping- AGAIN THE SHORT N TALL DYNAMIC IS SUPERIOR.

Idolshipping- i don't mind this one considering it makes sense considering that Ryo and fubiki were/still are close friends in/since their first year at DA.

Machosistshipping yeah in a sense it's a crack paring but they do kinda have similar mindsets in terms of pain n suffering i guess (one feels alive with pain) (the other believes pain and suffering is a way to share love) it does work

NOTP

Marufujishipping- again i said when I did sho this isn't a show where incest is wincest infact there's very very few animes where it is wincest

OT3

If he were gonna be a part of a ot3 I'd probably have it be ryo x fubiki x fujiwara

I think you'd understand why.

Favourite scene they were in

HIM AND EDO PLAYING HOUSE IN DARKWORLD

well other than that it's gotta be in 146 when he's just going through dueling the PTSD judai practically having the will to actually let him die due to loss although making him realise of judai's hesitation and how its affected how he duels, right before the duel he asks judai this. "Can you save Johan?" and as the audience we know as he was currently he wouldn't be able to despite the determination, the refusal to use polymerisation in a deck that specifically relys a LOT on fusion just affects his dueling ability on a whole serious level, and the hell kaiser was going to make sure judai knew how far he'd fallen. (and im glad that his heart did stop him from actually killing judai that time even though im not exactly sure what stopped the duel his heart or cyber end Dragon being concerned)

Least favourite scene they were in

Having camula beat his ass, and she even got sho involved just to be a bitch, i mean hey neither him or chronos deserved to loose to her but yeah. It's just annoying that happened.

Would i fuck marry or kill them?

He's too edgy for any of them.

[blueeyeswhitegarden]

Arc V Anniversary Day 14

Day 14: Do you have any AU ideas? Any characters from other YGOs, or even other series, that you think would have made good additions to the story?

I don't really have a lot of AU ideas, but I've seen a lot of interesting ones from other people. The ones that tend to stick out to me the most are the putting the cast in different series or movies. The magical girl AU settings for the Bracelet Girls is a pretty neat one too. The AU setting where the other protagonists or other characters from the various series exist within Arc V is also a pretty interesting idea. I have thought of a few other Yu-Gi-Oh! Characters that I think would have been at least neat to see in Arc V though. Out of the then four completed series, the only one where I don't think characters could have worked was DM. I like DM, but I like that Arc V focused more on the spin-off series. They don't get nearly as much attention as DM from the fans or merchandise..The Dark Side of Dimensions was also in the works during Arc V's run, so I don't think that DM really needed the extra exposure. Besides that, all of the DM characters would be too popular or too tied into the storyline to really work in Arc V. Not to mention Standard was basically the stand in for DM like the other dimensions represented the other spin-off series.

I would have liked to see Sho from GX appear in Arc V. This is based entirely on my personal preference since having three of my favorite characters in the franchise, the other two being Yuya and Jack, all in one series sounded really amazing. It would have been interesting to see how his more timid nature clashed with the Academia mindset, if he tried to become more aggressive in order to fit in or if he would have quickly tried to escape and join with Yusho's Fusion You Show Duel School. Plus, I would have liked to see him get more of a shoutout in the series than a nameless character using his cards only to be defeat fodder for Yuri. Although, Asuka being the GX character who chose to leave Academia behind once she learned the truth is a more natural fit given her personality and I liked that this gave her a more personal reason to become a Ritual user too. Sho definitely wouldn't have been comfortable with carding other people and I think he could have bonded nicely with Yuya too, but I'm not sure if he would have had a huge role in the series as it is.

A more realistic option would have been Sho's older brother Ryo, or I as prefer to call him Kaiser. I was pretty surprised when he wasn't chosen to appear in Arc V. He seems to be a pretty popular GX character. Kaiser may not be Judai's rival exactly, but I think he fit the mold a bit better than Manjoume did, at least in terms of his design. His Cyber Dragon cards are still pretty popular too and I figured that they'd want to make new support cards for that archetype. He apparently does exist in the Arc V universe given that his name was shown in an Academia classroom after Yugo is teleported there. It could have been just a nod, but since the Synchro arc was fill of cameos from minor/one-shot characters from 5D's, I think that there's a good chance that he does exist in Arc V too. Kaiser would have been in his Hell Kaiser persona and it probably would have felt more natural given that the idea of a respectful duelist wouldn't have entered his mind during his time at Academia. He still would desire only victory, but it would be a bit different since there wouldn't be something like the underground dueling scene to traumatize Kaiser. He could have enjoyed carding people too much, even compared to the other Academia students, and meeting Yuya could have led to a change of heart for him. As neat as that could have been, I was pretty happy that they chose Ed instead. He was a much more unexpected choice, it gave them a chance to make new Destiny Heroes and it was the next best option to Elemental Heroes since Hero monsters were one of the most prominent archetypes in GX. I remember seeing some comments where people would have preferred for Kaiser to take Ed's role in Arc V instead, but I don't know if dueling against Yusho would have resulted in the same kind of emotional breakdown for Kaiser as it did for Ed or have Kaiser hold that anger for a year. If anything, Kaiser would probably lash out even further and potentially be more difficult for Yuya to reach. Not to mention Kaiser would fit more as a high ranked solider rather than a commander like Ed originally was. Kaiser could have been an interesting fit for an Academia soldier, but I really liked Ed's storyline and appreciate how unexpected he was to begin with, so I'm glad that they chose Ed to appear in Arc V.

I was really happy with how both Jack and Crow were handled, so I don't think that they needed to have another 5D's character with a major role in the series. However, I would have absolutely loved a Carly cameo. Similar to my desire to see Sho in Arc V, this is entirely based on my personal preference. Fruitshipping is my favorite pairing in the franchise, but I still love Scoopshipping too and just having a silent Carly cameo would have been enough for me. Knowing that she does exist in this universe and could potentially meet Jack would have made me overjoyed with pure happiness. I'm not surprised that this didn't happen. Given the situation with Carly's original voice actress, they probably didn't want to bring too much attention to her through even a silent cameo. A part of me wonders if they would have fallen in love in this universe too. Jack is in different and arguably better emotional and mental place than he was during 5D's. He still isn't happy as the unopposed King, but he didn't have to betray his friends or hide his identity in order to get that position. It's also hard to tell how different Carly would be if she lived in the City, especially when she was not known for being a particularly good duelist. But my inner hopeless romantic says that they would fall in love again. Characters falling in love regardless of what universe they're in is just such a cute concept. Plus, I would love to see one of my favorite pairings get a happy ending through a new beginning.

As for Zexal characters, I thought that Shark would have been a good choice as another Resistance fighter. Admittedly, I'm not sure what role he could have had that wasn't already filled by Shun and later Kaito, especially when he would have been aggressive towards his enemies and probably trying to avenge/save his sister too, but I always thought he'd help with the Resistance fighters and be another strong duelist from the Xyz dimension. He might have been a bit too connected with Zexal's storyline to fit in a different universe, especially when his most popular cards were Numbers. While the writing behind Kaito's storyline was a bit shaky at points, I really liked it and I grew to like Kaito more than I thought I would. He worked as a mirror to what Shun used to be before meeting the Lancers and he had one of the most popular archetypes from Zexal too. His interactions with Ed and Shun were pretty nice, so I was generally happy with his role in the series.

I don't think that there was a biased against Zexal for only choosing one character to return. At the time, Zexal was the most recent completed series, so more kids would have been aware of those characters compared to the GX and 5D's casts. That being said, I was surprised that they didn't give Haruto a silent cameo after the dimensional war. I can understand why they didn't have Kaito's father appear even as a silent cameo since his voice actor passed away a few years ago, but Haruto would have been the only one out of the two most Zexal fans would have wanted to see anyway. I don't think that Haruto was that tied into the plot for Zexal either given he was really only relevant for the first half of the series. I was more disappointed that Kaito didn't get any lines during the last few episodes, but they already had quite a bit of ground to cover during those last few episodes and his voice actor could have been busy too. Despite some of its issues, I really did like Kaito's role in Arc V, so I didn't mind that he was only Zexal era character they chose.

Ever since Jack and Crow were announced to return in Arc V, fans spent so much time speculating on who else could appear and it was a lot of fun. Just the idea of seeing different fan favorite characters in a new series was such an unexpected treat. For the most part, I think that they did a pretty great job with the legacy characters in Arc V, especially with their roles and characterizations. There was more than enough of their original personalities so that they were recognizable, but there were also clear differences as a result from living in a different universe. Crow was initially much less hopeful in regards to the Commons finding a better future than he was with the Satellite conflict in 5D's, Jack was more calm and mature to become one of Yuya's mentor figures, both Asuka and Ed accepted the Academia mindset to different degrees and Kaito was a bit more cold and tried to distance himself from his remaining friends in the hopes that he wouldn't lose them like he lost his family. It really showed that the writers put in the effort to make these characters recognizable to long time fans, but give them some noticeable differences. They live in a different universe with different histories, so that would have significant impact on their personalities.They put in a lot of effort into writing the legacy characters so that they would fit within Arc V’s world building and storyline. It was especially great that it never got the point where people had to watch the previous series in order to understand the legacy characters. Knowing about the previous series added more enjoyment to seeing them in Arc V, but they fit within Arc V's world building and storyline that people could follow along even without seeing the previous three series. I loved that they didn't take attention away from the Arc V cast either. They played important roles, but they were prominent supporting characters instead of becoming the new main cast. As cool as it would have been to see more characters from the other spin-off series, I think that they chose a good amount of previous main characters to appear in Arc V and fit within its storyline.

[dheroes-blog1]

"you know, i never imagined i'd ever be here... " ryo never thought he'd get married, have a family, anything like that. when he was in his first year at duel academy, he had a crush on fubuki, but never thought it would actually go anywhere. he thought the same with edo. even when their relationship blurred the lines of friends and lovers, he still never expected they'd end up like this. though he wasn't complaining. he leaned over, brushing his lips against edo's and smiled. "i love you, edo."

                                    edo watched ryo as he spoke. normally, he would’ve interjected sooner, but he liked that look in ryo’s eyes too much to ruin it ( just yet ). he never thought anyone would look at him with such love in their eyes, least of all hell kaiser. even when they started using each other as allies, to survive, to stave off the loneliness, edo thought they would go back to whatever they had been upon returning home, but then ryo didn’t return, and edo couldn’t face a reality without him. edo would’ve been fine remaining friends ( ryo deserved someone better ), but they quickly returned to more than that. there was a force ( destiny? ) constantly bringing them together, and no matter how much edo tried to follow his mind, his heart led him back to ryo every time.

                                  he smiled as he felt ryo’s lips against his. the kiss barely lasted a second, but it conveyed such deep love that didn’t even need anything else for the feeling to reach edo. but ryo said it anyway. “ i love you, too. ” edo whispered, leaning his head against ryo’s chest to listen to his heartbeat. he took ryo’s left hand, rubbing a finger over ryo’s ring finger. “ i couldn’t imagine it, either. if you had told me back at duel academy that you’d end up married, i would’ve laughed in your face. it’s still surprising even now. to think hell kaiser is truly so gentle inside ... be careful, i might start thinking you’re a teddy bear. ”

[cpirits]

★ ━━━━━━ He thoughtfully looked at the message and smiled, he'd see Elise soon, and they'd spend much needed time together.

( • @eternallyserpentinebutterfly )

[cpirits]

★ ━━━━━━ He hummed softly as she leaned into his touch, her smaller hands combing through his hair-- he liked that, and didn't allow many to touch his hair.

"I may have taken a number from Tenjouin, the sappy fool. He gives good advice though; I'll give him that." Sometimes the elder sibling of Asuka's spoke with Ryo on matters Hell Kaiser cared not for, but he loved Elise, and sometimes cornered Fubuki for words.

@cpirits Continued from a post.

"Ah hello there master.That is true i am yours after all."

She smiled before leaning into his touch as Elise brushed her soft fingers through his hair right afterwards.

"Still...when did you learn to flatter me like that?It's honestly odd hearing it from you,you know?"

[xduelon]

xxxthequeenofobeliskblue

  “If you are here to change the Master’s mind, then please take your leave. He will not change how he is.” He knew well of these ‘friends’ that Ryo claimed he had, until it went downhill. He knew the man wanted power, even when he knew it came with a sacrifice, Hell Kaiser still went along with it - as if he didn’t care. It was then, they won many duels together, he even disposed of his best, Cyber End.

  “If it is me you wish to know more of, there is little any could know of other than what I am.”

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Twenty One - 09

Witchmon and FlaWizarmon were on the boy’s side. Neemon hadn’t expected that, not after the child turned into a tyrant overnight and not after how ridiculous it would sound for an utter brainless fool like the one he portrayed to be any sort of threat to anyone. Frustratingly, the two actually believed Ken that Neemon murdered Ryo, and they guessed immediately that he was responsible for Keiko’s death as well. They had no evidence for the latter, but they didn’t need it, not when they were so simperingly pathetic in how they doted on her. They were looking for someone to blame, and Ken gave them just that.

So Neemon was locked away. For the first time, he experienced being on the receiving end of torture, though he made sure that whatever pain he suffered was turned right back around on that child and his friends.

It was all too easy to remain silent when Digimon tortured him - he had spent countless millennia never revealing a single word of his true self no matter what indignities he suffered. He only spoke, only gave the ‘answers’ that Ken was so very desperate to hear when he made that child get his hands dirty. Only when Ken brought out that damned whip and used it did Neemon drip feed information, bit by bit. While it drew out Neemon’s pain, Ken felt it more. Even with those silly goggles in the way, Neemon could see the agony in Ken’s eyes every time the child struck him and he let out a pathetic cry of pain.

It was the only real pleasure Neemon could experience in his captivity, and even that couldn’t last. Once Ken learned all he could stand, Neemon was left to rot in that cell in his own filth with nothing to entertain him but his own mind. That, above all else, was true torture.

That was why Neemon took delight in watching every flinch, every whimper, and every fearful glance that hated child made while skittishly bumbling his way through the fortress of the current Digimon Kaiser.

Ken would suffer. He would suffer more than Keiko did in her final moments, more than the fearful grief and rage that drove Ryo temporarily mad, and more than the agonizing tedium Neemon had to endure in that dungeon.

Only when Neemon was satisfied would he grant Ken the mercy of death… though that mercy would be brief. This hated child, like all humans who died in the Digital World, would have his soul swept away to the hell of madness and agony that was the Dark Ocean for the rest of time.

Neemon almost couldn’t wait for that end. What helped him be patient was being able to savor the present, where he could torture Ken up close and personal until he was finally ready for that ending.

It would be absolutely glorious.

“Feel the vengeance of heaven!”

“Eh?” Neemon said as he was knocked out of his self-indulgent monologings by a booming shout. He looked up just in time to see a Digimon - Gladimon, specifically - lunge down from the rafters at Ken. The Chosen of Kindness was able to dodge the strike as the sword sliced into the ground, stumbling backwards. To his credit, he barely avoided falling on his butt, but it was still a pathetic sight regardless.

[cyberends]

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐌 𝐈 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 [ . . . ] ?

ryo marufuji of yu-gi-oh! gx. by percival (he/him, 30+)

⎛ dossier ¹ verses ² relationships ³ tbd ⁴ ⎠

affiliated with [ . . . ] tba

𝐨𝐧𝐞. #CYBERENDS is an independent, private, highly selective and mutuals exclusive writing blog for ryo marufuji of yu-gi-oh! gx! this blog focuses on post-gx things, but i'll have verses for things during the plot!

this blog is 18+. please do not follow me if you are under 18!

on this note, this blog will feature dark and triggering themes. idk what to tell you but hell kaiser didn't happen without violence involved! i will make sure to tag these things with the format of #trigger so that they can be filtered out!

𝐭𝐰𝐨. shipping is not the priority here- but for reference my ship preference is ryo and asuka- i'm not going to force that on anyone, i don't auto-ship, it's just my preference! i also love the ryo fubuki yusuke polycule. i do not ship ryo and edo. anyway, please plot with me about shipping, i like knowing what the heck is going on and where we are going.

i don't ship with muns under 21. i write ryo post s4, making him 21.

i am very open to other sorts of bonds, though! because it isn't just romance when people talk about ships- i am open to seeing how things go nonetheless!

i should also note that i will accept mains and exclusives!

𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞. please DO tag #trypophobia for me, it makes my brain do big bad.

𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫. i am known for writing metas across the blogs i have. in the wise words of a friend:

with this in mind, the metas i write are portrayal specific to this blog, so please give them a read! i know i can be rather wordy- anyone who has followed me elsewhere may know this, but for my first time followers, worldbuilding is one of my favorite things to do. i am particularly fond of analysis of character psychology.

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞. to the point above, i do have other blogs! and i have no organizational skill so im all over the place ... and i have a job that steals my energy

and by this, i mean i work 32-40 hours as a registered nurse in an inpatient psychiatric unit. i am busy, i am tired, and i can't keep letting my focus go all over the place. inevitably, it still may do that because i have a tendency to be scattered, so if i don't get to something immediately, it isn't you, it's me!

also related to that, i do love communication! i struggle with reading the room (it's the Autism tm) and so if something's up or if you're bothered, please be direct with me! i will not take offense, i quite appreciate feedback so that i can be better as a person! in return, i will communicate back! i am learning to curate my space (after 10+ years of being on tumblr).

𝐬𝐢𝐱. there are people i won't interact with due to various reasons- my dni list is on the carrd of my other blogs. i won't interact with genderbent versions of characters, people who are Real Life Individuals (not counting fictional depictions like in the typemoon franchise or whatnot because those really have nothing to do with the actual individual they're supposedly based on?).

please stay far away from me if you fall under the following categories (i'm censoring things because god knows tumblr just picks shit up idk): proshipping, writing inc*st, p*dophilia, r*pe/n*ncon, are transphobic/homophobic- the usual gross behavior! use your moral compass!

on top of that, i am a firm believer that we learn from the media around us. full censorship is just as dangerous as the aforementioned things- the world isn't all sunshine and rainbows! please refer to this post which essentially summarizes the gist of what i'm trying to explain.

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧. anyway, hello, i'm percival. i am 30+ and use he/him pronouns exclusively! i am a hobby artist (it's my side-gig from nursing) and sometimes i post my art, tagged #whats my art tag considering i constantly forget my art tag if it's fancy. please do not repost my art without my permission.

mutuals, feel free to ask me for my discord, since i am much easier to reach there!

i look forward to writing with you!

[starlightshadowsworld]

Hottake: Yugioh GX Season 3 is about the fashionable gay Edo, along with his chaotic gay and disaster husband Kaiser Ryo going to screw with the Hell dimension (the whole house s ene where Edo is pretending to be a servant is gold) and find their wayward son Judai. And stop him from destroying everyone just because he's head over heels in love with Johan and begun his emo phase (there supportive but haven't had the coming out talk with him yet.)

And everytime they see any carnage Ed just sighs "you know he gets this from you" and all he gets is a grunt because they know he's right

Change my mind... I dare you

(Supreme king: You will all die before me

Ryo:... Okay fine thats on me)