#ryumon

[taki79]

OPM SPOILERS!!!

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THE TRUTH HAS BEEN REVEALED IN THE NEW WEBCOMIC CHAPTER!!! FELLOW ONE PUNCH MAN FANS RISEEE!!!!

IT WAS FRICKING NEO THE WHOLE TIME????

WAIT- OMGGGG- GENOS NOOOOO DONT BELIEVE THE ATTACK WAS ALL METAL KNIGHT’S DOING!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! JUST TALK TO BOFOI LIKE SAITAMA SAID!!! DAMMIT GENOS!!!!! YOU RECKLESS IDIOT!!! (I still love u though pookie but rn your consumed by rage!!!)

((OMG WAIT- DRIVE KNIGHT IS 100% IN ON THIS OR SOMETHING!!! MAYBE MY OLD THEORY WASNT ANOTHER GROUP, BUT NEO HEROES THEMSELVES!! (Maybe)))

ALSOO!!! This is so sweet that they look up to Metal Bat and were able to protect his sister Zenko, that actually touched my heart, awww! 🙏

Also this down here is low-key crazy and kinda of a deeper look about hero’s and monsters. (I also really love character development and this was just super interesting reading this)

I really do wonder where this will lead too…..

I hope Ryumon, Metal Bat, and the other heroes (like dark shine cuz wdym he disappeared from the face of the earth 😭), will be okay 🙏

….But I’m also concerned for Genos well-being if he ever finds out that metal knight actually did nothing wrong and that it was neo heroes doing the whole time (and possible maybe drive knights) 😭

((I also just miss genos a lot, where is he man 😭))

[gofancyninjaworld]

An actual case of retconning in One-Punch Man

Wind up

The One-Punch Man manga series has seen several rewrites of chapters and parts of arcs, and several fans have taken to calling the revised chapters 'retcons'. That this isn't correct is something that has been getting on my nerves forever, but I've ignored it for two reasons. One, damn, but I do have more to do in life than carp on terminology in online fandom, and two, I've not minded the irony that One-Punch Man isn't big on retconning. However, in the most recent webcomic chapter, 152, there is a bona fide example of retconning, and so I've got to say something.

First, Let's Define Terms

First thing, what *is* retconning? It's short for 'retroactive continuity': when something that should have been established earlier in the story is written in and explained as if it was always there. If you want more on that, you can waste a few hours on TV Tropes. It's often used as a pejorative, especially with regard to mainstream Western comic book writers, where discontinuities, reboots, and retcons are common as the long-in-the-tooth properties pass from one writer to the next. However, it's rather stupid to use words wrongly as it deprives us of the ability to accurately describe and analyse what we see. It's additionally stupid because retconning is a tool, and it can be used well, even though it's easier to remember examples of poor use.

Specifics

As I've said, ONE hasn't been big on retconning. Notably, he's been happy to let the OPM manga and webcomic develop their own continuities. For example, it would have been easy for him to introduce Suiryu in the webcomic by having him recall having met Saitama and been inspired to become a hero: that would have been a retcon as we never saw the two meet earlier in the webcomic, but no. He started Suiryu as the unreformed guy he started out as and let him develop his own way.

So what's different here? Well, *nowhere* in the webcomic have Ryumon and Metal Bat had any interaction. They were introduced to each other in chapter 125, and that was it. Nowhere in the webcomic do we see Ryumon questioning his role in society, mentioning Metal Bat, or even watching Metal Bat in action from afar. However, in chapter 152, he reveals that he's been an admirer of heroes from childhood, admires Metal Bat, has been talking to Metal Bat, and has changed his MO as well as that of his group. THAT. IS. RETCONNING. 100%.

So, is it BAD? FUCK NO. IT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE. Let us dig into why it's so good. The cure for retconning is rewriting, as happens in the manga. It doesn't always pay to do so: sometimes you can't or won't go back. And you have to consider carefully whether it's worth tearing up a partially-written work to establish a new fact. In this instance, it's definitely not worth it: the FACT that Ryumon is an ally to Metal Bat is much more important than whatever PROCESS he went through to become one.

The story *needs* someone like Ryumon to act as an ally: the way the webcomic is set up, Metal Bat left on his own tod to join the Neo Heroes, so there's no one back at the Hero Association to support him. The other pro-heroes who joined with him are all either too isolated or too miserable to be of use -- yes, the selfishness of the heroes in the wc is coming back to bite them. And with his sister being held hostage, merely breaking out without an ally able to move freely within the Neo Heroes to look out for Zenko's safety would have doomed her. The story needed a 'lucky' break like this, or it'd be hopeless.

Is Ryumon the right character to use? Oh yes indeedy. First, as a stock character, we, the audience, like the idea of a gangster with a heart of gold, someone who may exist outside the law but still has a clear sense of right and wrong and who has standards about who may and may not be targeted. We're prepared to accept Ryumon in a way that we would not have been able to accept Zaedats having a change of heart (well, if he still had a heart to change... poor bastard). Second, Ryumon hasn't kicked any puppies; we haven't seen him do anything horrific. He may not have done much that is good, and it's clear that he'd been happy to regard the eventual culling of pro-heroes as no bad thing, but he doesn't come across as the sort of guy who'd applaud a completely subjugated world. It's right that he rebels.

He may be no devil, but he's no angel either: the pro-heroes being a rival gang whose demise is no bad thing is his view. Note, however, that he does want to be respectable.

His rough speech and his desire for respectability make it believable that he'd get along with Metal Bat, and so we're ready to buy that he'd be influenced by the young hero to actually be heroic rather than just mime being one. Along those lines, ONE established in the wc that as the various Neo Heroes came into contact with the various pro-heroes -- Webigaza with Child Emperor, Raiden with Puri Puri Prisoner -- they have not been able to avoid being impressed and moved by their examples and testimonies.

Given all of these factors (the right character, a process we've accepted for other characters, and a strong in-story need for the character to take action), Ryumon's heel-face turn fits in beautifully, and that's how a retcon is supposed to work.

This is very unlikely to happen in the manga for three reasons. Reason 1 (the most important): ONE knows where he wants to go with the character so he can just get on and write an organic story. It is also the case that many of the pro-heroes we're following into the Neo Heroes are doing so with a plan and are working together, rather than the scattershot individualism of the wc: they have more resources. Reason 2: as a paid-for work, ONE isn't going to expect us to be happy with after-the-fact handwaving. That's why he's willing to spend months rewriting if need be. Reason 3: Ryumon in the manga has much dirtier hands than his webcomic equivalent, having organised hero betting and planning worse. We are going to have to see him change. And with him already butting heads with Metal Bat, there is plenty of scope for just that to happen. Not too easily, I hope! :D

Not only is he no angel, but he's still actively criminal.

We don't need the webcomic to know that this is going to be interesting, but now we can look forward to this being INTERESTING.

Call to action

Please, for fuck's sake, can we use the right words? The no longer canon chapters are SCRAPPED or REDACTED. Their replacements are REVISIONS. Otherwise, we're just babbling nonsense.

[badjohnspeakeasy]

I just hate him so much :'D

[chernobog13]

Ultraman Blazar, Ultraman Decker, and Ultraman Dinas hanging out backstage with their alter-egos and the GUTS-Select team.

[riot-in-bloom]

i will forever appreciate how much ichika and kanata like bullying ryumon when they can, they love him so much.

[sheltiechicago]

ma_japaaan.travel.guide

Echizen Daibutsu: The Tallest Seated Buddha Statue With The Shortest History

Japan’s Taishizan Seidaiji Temple in Katsuyama hosts Echizen Daibutsu (Echizen Great Buddha), one of the tallest seated statues of Buddha. It was based on the seated statue of Ryumon Hosenji Temple in China and was built on May 28, 1987.

With a height of 17 meters, 2 meters taller than the Great Buddha of Nara, it is the tallest seated Buddha statue in Japan. Although Echizen Daibutsu is taller than the other seated statues, it is not as famous as them because of its short history, making it the tallest and the youngest seated Buddha statue in Japan.

geograko

japonalternativo

bbkaorun

_mi.j14

[n-antarctica]

I've been busier than expected, but don't worry! ^^ I'm making entries on both manga (waiting on next week's update here) and Webcomic as soon as I can. Same with more art sharing!

For now though, I wanted to point at something I didn't see much people commenting on:

This is honestly scary and super worrysome.

I loved that the manga already added more context, with the kids rightfully pointing out what becoming a teacher involves, and we'll probably see even more during the arc.

I'm super happy with how the manga is adding more content, more interactions, more buildup in alot of things that are barely shown, and sometimes only mentioned in the Webcomic. Needless to say, I'm super looking forward to see the relationship between Metal Bat and Ryumon evolve, as we've already had an introduction in he Manga. Those chapters better be kept in the redrawn version! expanded if they want, but I strongly hope they get kept as I loved them-

Anyway, there'll hopefully be another entry coming tonight, as there's something I've wanted to talk about since the chapter came out.

Later!

[kabutoraiger]

ryumon ready to take agams out with a sniper shot to the head!? ultraman sure is different nowadays

[cosmosrebellion]

The contrast of Yuna using a laser gun while Kirino and Ryumon use more realistic guns is really funny to me.

[donotdestroy]

The Real Miracle

When Bankei was preaching at Ryumon temple, a Shinshu priest, who believed in salvation through repetition of the name of the Buddha of Love, was jealous of his large audience and wanted to debate with him.

Bankei was in the midst of a talk when the priest appeared, but the fellow made such a disturbance that Bankei stopped his discourse and asked about the noise.

“The founder of our sect,” boasted the priest, “had such miraculous powers that he held a brush in his hand on one bank of the river, his attendant held up a paper on the other bank, and the teacher wrote the holy name of Amida through the air. Can you do such a wonderful thing?”

Bankei replied lightly: “Perhaps your fox can perform that trick, but that is not the manner of Zen. My miracle is that when I feel hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink.”

[lowcountry-gothic]

Ryumon Waterfall, Tokugawaen, Nagoya, Japan.

[gofancyninjaworld]

Most of the Neo Leaders are Complicit

I had been getting a bit suspicious of Accel seeking Mumen out to give him a special body suit just before things started getting really bad, but I thought too, well, it could be a coincidence. After all, hero work is dangerous at the best of times.

However, I was rereading the relevant chapter (138), and in light of what's been happening since, Accel making specific mention of culling the weak is no longer innocent:

'The age has come where the powerless will start being culled,' speaks to a plan rather than mere accident.

It's intensified by what Ryumon says in an interview in the same chapter, saying that pro-heroes ought to join the Neo Heroes while they're still alive. Again, in isolation, it could just be him speaking to the harshness of hero life, but in the round, it's a threat.

They know. The fuckers knew this was coming. So much for not wanting to be corrupted by the Hero Association, Accel: we see you buying in to much worse.

Across the board, various Neo Hero leaders have bought into the evil to different extents.

We have those who are 100% for it, like A. He's just in it to see how many people he can kill before he dies, and seeing Zaedats and Infelsinave (poor patsies) turned into meat puppets to be milked for every last dollar pleased him.

We have Raiden and Suiryu, who may not be outright evil but see nothing wrong with rounding up outlaws for cyborgization. Don't you dare give these fuckers a pass just because you think they're cool.

For all his highfalutin talk, Blue can't see evil when it's staring him right in the face.

Significantly, the former pro-heroes *don't* seem to have been entrusted with the Neo Hero true agenda.

Child Emperor is suspicious and is trying to investigate, but he's being kept under close surveillance. There's a good reason Metal Knight doesn't want Child Emperor anywhere near him.

Metal Bat has realised that the Neo Heroes are evil. Unfortunately for him, he's under house arrest as they're holding his sister hostage. Seems the free babysitting came at an unacceptable price.

Superalloy Darkshine is uneasy, but currently, he has his head down and is busying himself with his trainees. He knows nothing.

I don't think that Max's feet being shot out from under him was an accident: his feet are his main weapon and taking them out inflicts the maximum devastation, even if he survives. There's only 500 pro-heroes at most: uploading a database of their identification and key attributes would be trivial.

I'm sure that there's a lot more to come, but don't imagine the Neo Heroes are innocent fools being bamboozled by a super-slick evil. A lot of them know. And are fine with it.

[badjohnspeakeasy]

Maybe I'm too mean to Accel, but I think it's only fair that someone goof on him.

[chernobog13]

The GUTS Select team clowning around when they should be fighting kaiju and/or the Sphere.

[riot-in-bloom]

today's the day we can post our pieces for @ultra-zine, so here's mine, "the truth is merely universal." digital orders are out now, so please get yours, because everyone did a fantastic job!

(and a special thank you to @eclipse-song for doing the art for this, because it captures it perfectly.)

here's a snippet!

Which raises the problem: the dilemma of Agams. Even if Kanata's long gone in the future Agams calls home, stagnant nights still bring wonders on if he could have done anything different.

To save him would mean to attack the mindset. Playing defence could only bring ruin and utter uselessness upon himself.

Then there's the can of worms Decker's opened-

How do I save him?

"You're overthinking it," a masculine voice prompts.