#wc fubuki

[the-gordianknot117]

About Acquaintances and Human Bonds.

In this post I want to take a look at the “I’m just an acquaintance” moment and examine what significance this line holds in the context of the Esper Sisters arc, its themes and all the characters involved.

This post only takes into account the webcomic version of the arc.

Disclaimer: this is my interpretation of the scene, the characters and the series in general given the current released material. Future updates can always change the meaning behind this moment and add further context to it, thus proving me completely wrong. By the way, I do not ship anyone in the series (more power to those who do, however) and none of what follows implies romance in any way.

First of all, before examining the scene, we have to take into account the arc it takes place in and what was revealed prior to Sataima’s line.

The “Esper Sisters��� is an arc entirely centered on the characters of Fubuki and Tatsumaki, whose relationship, already soured by a lifetime of trauma, estrangement and abuse, reaches its dramatic nadir in the confrontation that follows the events of the MA arc. For these reasons, the arc explores the backstories of both characters by featuring flashbacks set in the years of their childhood. In Fubuki’s case, this section of the story contains a crucial and essential episode from Fubuki’s troubled childhood days (Chapter 99: 1, 2, 3 and 4), where it’s explained why Fubuki grew up the way she did, what relationships (or lack thereof) Fubuki had during her growth, and what role her sister and the outside world played in her life (e.g., ”If they bully you, you need to bully them back”, mirrored by Blast’s advice to Tatsumaki). It's not an exaggeration to say that without this fundamental flashback, Fubuki’s character would utterly fall apart and cease to make sense - even the reason why Saitama’s line cuts deep would also fall flat without all the information provided beforehand by the story, as we will see: this memory from Fubuki’s past and everything surrounding it is the keystone holding together the entire narrative of the character and one of the two pillars of the Esper Sisters arc (the other being the Tatsumaki one).

If the flashback alone wasn’t clear enough, in the page that immediately follows, Fubuki explicitly states, with a smug Tatsumaki complementing her words, how she grew up with the only, terrifying company of an oppressive older sibling because no one else dared to approach her with Tatsumaki looming around. This image of Fubuki’s childhood, coupled with the high school flashback from the MA arc (I covered this topic in much more detail here, among other things), paints a rather lonely and gloomy picture of Fubuki’s backstory, a past characterized by a complete lack of significant relationships or personal bonds, aside from her sister Tatsumaki, who controlled Fubuki for most of her life (as stated by the S-Class psychic herself; Chapter 100) and whose shackles are still in place in the present, only slightly loosened but ready to tighten at any given moment (the Esper Sisters arc is a demonstration of this, I wrote a post about it). This isolated and sheltered background made Fubuki long for what was totally absent in her life, human contact, but, given the lack of social experiences and the isolation she suffered from the outside world, she grew up ignoring how to form relationships and with no idea of what a normal relationship looks like, something worsened tenfold by the fact that her only parental figure, the one responsible for her isolation, was also a traumatized and unstable person who rejected human connections and actively encouraged Fubuki to embrace her powers and use strength against others; additionally, in the few interactions Fubuki had with the outside world, reality was presented to her as nothing more than a hyper-competitive landscape dominated by violence and discrimination, where people used force as a way to interact with others and idolatred power as the only indicator of individual worth. Therefore, having been raised by someone who values power above anything else and having experienced firsthand how the outside world only understands strength and preys on the weak (i.e., the bullies who emarginated and harassed her, and Tatsumaki always resorting to violence and resolving any conflict with brutal displays of her telekinesis) warped Fubuki’s perception of reality and taught her that she had to embrace her powers and resort to violence at the first sign of a threat if she wanted to survive. A lesson that Fubuki learned and took to heart. And Fubuki was rewarded by doing so, seeing how people in high school started respecting her specifically and solely for her superior telekinesis, but not for Fubuki herself as a person. This conditioned her to view relationships only through a hierarchical lens and as an expression of the difference in powers between individuals, and that, in order to effectively interact with people, aside from employing force, she had to don a façade of haughty superiority, instead of being simply herself; at the same time, her psychological need for friendship never vanished and remained unfulfilled. This background shaped a damaged human being who, in an attempt to adhere to her “education” while, at the same time, trying to fill the void left by the lack of human bonds, resorted to establishing hierarchical dynamics that act as a replacement for real human bonds, where the role the members play in the organization codifies in terms of hierarchy the disparity in power between them, a template that is very reminiscent of Fubuki’s own relationship with Tatsumaki in a way. For most of her life, in fact, Fubuki was either powerlessly submitted to her sister, who dictated the terms of their relationship and held the power in it, or, later in her life and as a reaction to this, a leader with subordinates; beyond these templates, where it was either being subservient or superior to someone, Fubuki never met an “equal”, someone who, by existing outside of a hierarchically organized relationship/dynamic, didn’t fall under either of the aforementioned labels but stood on the same ground as her. As her experiences show, Fubuki only met an oppressive and tyrannic sister, bullies, followers, rivals and subordinates and for her, that was all there was in the world. People never formed connections outside of hierarchical structures, “power” was what attracted people and closer human connections, like even friendship, were totally out of the picture.

That’s where Saitama’s “group” comes into play. Its existence proves how Fubuki’s past experiences are only a partial representation of the world, that people can coexist on equal ground (so beyond the follower/subordinate templates Fubuki was aware of) and that there are alternatives to the toxic and unhealthy way of living Fubuki was following. The people at Saitama’s apartment do not obtain any immediate or foreseeable benefits from their gatherings; there are no rules or “hierarchies” and there is no grand goal that the group is carrying on following a particular agenda: they hang out simply because they want to spend time together. And Saitama himself is far different from any person Fubuki has ever encountered before: he doesn’t use others for his own gain, he doesn’t judge/value other people on the basis of their strength and he doesn’t take advantage of his incomprehensible power to impose his will or to submit and exploit others. As pointed out by Genos at the end of Fubuki’s introduction arc (Chapter 50), Saitama doesn’t antagonize or oppose anyone, but leaves them be, minding his own business without bothering anyone (unless they pick up a fight or represent a danger). Surprisingly enough, even with this particular attitude and his complete disregard for factions/rank/status, Saitama seems to naturally attract people. And yet he isn’t a “leader”, a “boss” or the “president” of a club. Instead of the usual boss/subordinate roles so ingrained in Fubuki’s mind to the point she can’t conceive of any other way to interact with others, Saitama is simply on friendly and equal terms with those who hang out with him, world-renown S-Class Heroes at that, despite him being only a B-Class rank-wise. Among those connections, what surprises Fubuki in particular are Saitama’s peculiar dynamic with Genos, which completely turns upside down anything Fubuki learned about status/ranking and the way these supposedly affect relationships (“D-disciple? An S-Class under a B-Class...”; Chapter 48), insomuch that later Fubuki asks about this “bizarre” dynamic directly to Genos himself in order to learn more about it (“Demon Cyborg, Genos... are you truly satisfied under that man?” Chapter 57), and Saitama’s friendship with the Strongest Man in the World, King (“How... is someone from S-Class so friendly with a B-Class...”; Chapter 50), that similarly ignores status as a factor that determines human interactions, much to Fubuki disbelief - there is also this little reaction upon learning about Saitama’s connection to Fang (“Bang? As in the S-Class Silver Fang?”; Chapter 51). But what’s more is that the unique rules of this group are applied to Fubuki as well: in this place, Fubuki spends her time and interacts with people outside of any social construct and logic previously known to the character and no one looks down on her with contempt nor up to her with reverence due to rank, status and/or telekinesis because these factors do not matter here, where she is neither a leader nor a subordinate, but “simply” a person; and despite the façade the character still resorts to, it’s always in this place that later we will see an extremely rare, if not unique, example of a relaxed and carefree Fubuki spending time in a casual and normal scenario like having a hot pot with other people to whom, beside working for the same organization, she has no actual affiliation (Chapter 57). All of this is completely unheard of and unprecedented for the esper. What the “group” ultimately represents for Fubuki is the importance of positive and healthy human bonds, of people being people, hanging out with no other goal than to stay together - all things that were completely missing in her life. Undescoring the utmost importance of this and establishing the core theme of Fubuki’s character arc (the importance of human bonds), Fubuki’s introduction arc ends precisely with Fubuki wondering if Saitama will allow her to join them (”Would he also let me...”; Chapter 50; in the official manga translation: “Maybe I could join them?”) - definitely not a casual or random choice from a writing standpoint.

So when Saitama says that he “is just an acquaintance” (Chapter 102: 1 and 2), in Fubuki’s mind, he is basically answering the question she was asking herself back in Chapter 50 (“would he also let me/maybe I could [join his group?]”) and she interprets it as “no”, that the only “group” of “normal” people she bumped into has the doors closed to her and won’t allow her to join this haven of “ordinarity”, even though that is not what Saitama meant there. After growing up in a toxic and sheltered environment, for the first time in her entire life Fubuki finally found a group that represents a healthy and positive alternative to all the deleterious experiences she had - an environment where power and hierarchies mean nothing at all, where people are simply themselves - and this made her desire to join this gathering, only to be reminded by the person who exposed Fubuki to this uncharted and fabled reality that she didn’t belong to the place nor, in the end, was she accepted in it - again, this is how Fubuki is perceiving Saitama’s words - due to being only an “acquaintance”. If Chapter 50 sparked in Fubuki the desire to join a group that represents everything that was always denied to her, Chapter 101 seems to put a roadblock in front of Fubuki that prevents the character from fulfilling (yet) what she has always deeply yearned for.

There is no better way to put Fubuki in front of the fact that her façade - the only way she believes it is possible to interact with others - and her mindset are actually keeping her distant from other people and affecting her life for the worse, sabotaging her chances at bonding with others and forming personal relationships. If we look back at her interactions with Saitama and co., in fact, Fubuki’s behavior there never actually manifested nor made apparent her genuine desire to spend time with the group and befriend them, despite the importance the place holds for the psychic and her actual intentions; if anything, whenever she (comically) opted for the defensive mechanism of the façade, which she used in order to fit in as the “new kid on the block” (more on this later), instead of being more genuine, it was something the members of the group didn’t find particularly endearing (Chapter 57; Chapter 98). It all goes to show how lacking Fubuki’s social skills are and how ineffective and inadeguate her way to interact with people also is (besides work, maybe), especially when it comes to ordinary and informal social settings such as this one; it also highlights to what degree Fubuki’s upbringing warped her ability to socialize with other human beings. While the Esper Sisters arc seemingly resolved the outside issue that threatened Fubuki’s freedom, Tatsumaki, Fubuki’s inner demons, spawned by that nefarious influence, are, by the end of the arc, something Fubuki will still have to face in the future. And if it’s true that, ultimately, the connection Fubuki forged as a leader will prove to be a strong and resilient bond once put to the test, Fubuki’s need for friendships, as in a non-hierarchical, not work/duty-related but informal and equal personal relationship, is still left completely unfulfilled, with a journey far from being completed yet. And, honestly, given how we are still in the middle of the story (?), it would be weird if such an important matter for the character was already solved.

For what specifically matters Fubuki’s reaction, in the past I have seen many write what essentially boils down to “what did she expect? Did she think they were friends or something?”. It’s frankly surprising how this confuses so many people because, once we look at the bigger picture and remember Fubuki’s characterization, the reasons behind her reaction become quite obvious since they are all ingrained into the very identity of the character. Again, Fubuki’s expression is symptomatic of the “fear” of having lost her chance at becoming part of something she always longed for - this also fits Fubuki’s insecurity and self-loathing issues, by the way. Sure, it could come off as an overreaction, especially as it is directed toward someone Fubuki met very recently and doesn’t have a strong connection with, but that is precisely the direct result of a sheltered backstory polluted only by unpleasant memories and isolation, to whom Saitama and his group represent an inedited and positive counterpoint; if Fubuki didn’t lack meaningful relationships (both in the past and her present) and her backstory wasn’t one of abuse and alienation, I very much doubt she would have reacted this way to Saitama’s comment or cared at all about about their relationship in general, but if that were the case, we would be discussing a very different character, and this moment would have no place in that story. Therefore, hearing from Saitama words that seem to lock away this dreamed oasis of normality and friendship is a major source of dejection for a person with her specific history, issues and hopes. Having no idea or knowledge of what a friend actually is and what a friendship/close relationship resembles made Fubuki think (or, better, hope) that the time spent at Saitama’s apartment was enough to forge a bond of that kind, a “mistake” that is quite reflective of how inexperienced Fubuki is in regard to people and how utterly ignorant she is about relationships and the way they actually flourish between human beings. 

By the way, thinking that Fubuki is only interested in Saitama's strength or that she is still trying to recruit him past her introduction arc would completely disregard Fubuki’s entire characterization and ignore several fundamental moments starring the character, like, for example, the one I linked from Chapter 50, one of the most important and character-defining pages featuring Fubuki in the entire series. Sure, given Fubuki’s background and the values the world projected into her, power is a main factor in what originally caught her attention in regard to this new, mysterious B-Class hero and surely affected how Fubuki’s perception of Saitama has changed over the course of the story. But Saitama as his own person and the precedent he sets is actually way more important to Fubuki than the physical strength he possesses, as he is the first source of positive influence Fubuki was ever exposed to: he is unlike any “strong” being Fubuki has ever met before (for the reasons stated above), and his mindset couldn’t be more different from her only parental figure/role model, Tatsumaki. During their fight (Chapter 48), Saitama didn’t fight back and retaliate, but was more concerned about reprehending Fubuki and reminding her what a hero is and what they stand for: he criticized her obsession with ranking and factions in a world where monsters run amok and few individuals stand against them, warning the esper against her egoistical mindset and predicting a scenario that Fubuki will later experience firsthand (the encounter with Garou; Chapter 78) - all things that will be proven correct and true as Fubuki can attest; even though Fubuki tried to recruit him into her group and then “lost” to him, Saitama never considered her someone he had “to bully back” or a rival/enemy who “must be destroyed”; in the interections following the fight, Saitama never demanded anything from her, he didn’t force her to join his “group”, he didn’t coerce her into following his goals nor did he try to dispose of this “rival”, but treated Fubuki as a human being and even admitted her into his apartment - where Fubuki stayed, or kept coming back behind the scenes, from Chapter 50 to Chapter 64, meaning that Saitama allowed her stay as much as she wanted. From this we can observe how Saitama is the one who finally snaps Fubuki out of her harmful way of living and warns her about the dangers of her conduct, leading the esper into a journey of maturation and improvement, whereas anyone else that Fubuki met before him directed Fubuki onto this very nefarious path, enabled her worst traits and encouraged the psychic to embrace the dangerous mindset that Saitama is criticizing and rebuking. More importantly, there is also the aforementioned existence of the Saitama’s group, which represents a gathering of people completely different from the ones Fubuki has ever experienced. As a testament to the peculiar role Saitama plays in her character arc and what sets him apart from those Fubuki met before, the dialogue in the elevator (Chapter 98) highlights (to me) how much of a high opinion Fubuki has of Saitama as a person, to the point that she lowers her façade and talks frankly, without resorting to the act she aways employs while dealing with others: in this scene, Fubuki is overtly praising Saitama while openly recognizing her own limits/shortcomings, right after he surpassed her in rank and Fubuki’s encounter with Garou proved Saitama right about her issues. None of this is something Fubuki would have ever done with someone she considers a “subordinate” or a “follower” (once again, I’m not implying anything romantic) - for a more in-depth look into the scene, the last section of my post about Fubuki in the MA arc contains an analysis of this conversation and what it means in the context of Fubuki’s character arc. This important dialogue makes all the more clear how much respect and admiration Fubuki holds for Saitama, hence why his comment has such a profound impact on her. Furthermore, when Tatsumaki seemingly killed Saitama, this was Fubuki’s reaction (Chapter 105) - ONE truly has a talent at portraying characters' expressions.

So, personally, I don’t think the subordinate angle matters at all in her reaction about being called an “acquaintance”: after all, Fubuki’s recruitment attempt failed and Saitama made abundantly clear to her that he wasn’t interested in her group (for example, this exchange, Chapter 50: 1 and 2; Saitama even remarked it at the start of the Esper Sisters arc), so, unless we want to believe that Fubuki is a dumbass with short-term memory, something not supported by the story in any way, I think there are other factors at play here and the character has other reasons to care for this person by the point the statement is made. It is important to note that, leading to Fubuki’s reacting to Saitama’s acquaintance comment, ONE specifically decided to depict Fubuki’s reactions growing more and more dejected at being called “not a friend” (“友達” [tomodachi]) and “not a companion” (“仲間” [nakama]) - both indicating a close and/or equal relationships between two persons that share a bond - which, for Fubuki, sounds like he was denying her the “right” (for the lack of a better word) to join; meanwhile, ONE didn’t include any reaction panel to Saitama stating he doesn’t work for her/isn’t part of her group because, since she is not delusional or stupid, Fubuki already knew that and recruiting Saitama is a non-thing by this point in the story. By the way, the recruitment stuff doesn’t even qualify as a recurring gag in the webcomic (at least so far) and the “Fubuki’s group” shtick is barely a thing in the webcomic, consisting of a couple of lines at most, which prevents the character from coming off as a stale and obnoxious parody of herself (unless in the future she gets turned into a rather sad and disappointing comic relief background entity). As mentioned before, the only time in the webcomic Fubuki has tried to recruit Saitama for real (up until now, at least) happened back in her introduction arc; past that point, the leader’s antics are a psychological denfensive mechanism she employs in order to hide her doubts and insecurities, to navigate unknown new dynamics and fit in a “foreign” environment, to compensate for her inability to deal with people in “normal” social settings (the hot pot and the Saitama group in general) or her way to ask for help while putting up appearances (the start of the Esper Sisters arc), instead of actual attempts to get him or others into her group. What draws Fubuki to Saitama and his group is not the egoistical aim to have these powerful beings under her tumb, but a desire that stems from personal reasons deeply rooted in her past. Once again, the fundamental page I linked above (Chapter 50) couldn’t be more explicit and unambiguous in its meaning: on it, Fubuki is expressing her true, sincere desire to join this group of people, wondering if Saitama and co. will permit her to do so; she is not, instead, secretly plotting to make them join her group and use them for her own ends. Surprisingly enough, Fang trying to have Saitama join his dojo is just as much a recurring joke as Fubuki's leader stuff (and way more one-note too, lacking all the subtext present in Fubuki’s case), let alone Flashy Flash’s attempts at becoming Saitama’s teacher in the post MA chapters. Once again, believing that Fubuki is only after recruiting others would completely ignore a core aspect of Fubuki’s character - her subconscious desire to form real human connections with people, compromised by the education that was imparted to her, by her traumas, and by the psychological defense mechanisms she employs in order to not appear “weak” - for the sake of boring flanderization that erases what makes the esper interesting and complex. 

Therefore, considering how character-related the topics tackled in this story-beat are for Fubuki, for the reasons stated above, it’s quite reductive, I believe, to label Saitama’s statement as a throwaway gag. Again, ONE made sure to reveal Fubuki’s entire backstory - a backstory specifically centered on a dramatic lack of positive and meaningful relationships and also isolation - before this scene, where, from Fubuki’s point of view, she is denied the right to join a social circle that she is drawn to. This statement ties perfectly into themes that have been linked to Fubuki from the very start (Chapter 50), but also plays into what constitutes the Esper Sisters arc narrative: the “acquaintance” line serves in fact as a lead-up to what Saitama states to Tatsumaki soon afterward, which is emblematic of the core message of this arc and its thematic backbone (again, all things I will elaborate on soon enough). If this was a simple comedic moment unrelated to Fubuki’s personal history, like, for example, how the door gag (Chapter 111) is a joke independent from Flashy Flash’s character and the story of the Ninja arc, then I wouldn’t stress over the importance of this page, but that clearly isn’t the case. Moreover, comedy serving a greater purpose and contributing to the narrative is a trademark of OPM and ONE’s style in general, and while not every single gag in the series accomplishes that, like the aforementioned Flashy Flash joke for example (and nonetheless, it serves to kickstart the Ninja arc and fits the characters), the scene in question between Fubuki and Saitama arc is clearly representative of that principle since it respects everyone’s characterization, takes into consideration their background, has a greater narrative purpose and develops the story accordingly. Beside, I don’t think this statement represents an end point but, rather, a source for future developments for the character(s). Now, I obviously don’t know if there will be a follow-up to it or not, but considering how this scene leaves things open and unresolved, it’s fair to expect progressions regarding this matter. In fact, I don’t see how leaving this relationship in its current state without ever bothering to advance it would make any sense narrative-wise, especially in the context of Fubuki’s character arc.

Before getting to Saitama’s side of things, there is another thing I want to point out in regard to Fubuki because I think it is paramount in order to understand the character and the scene in question.

I don’t keep up with the fan discourse anymore, so I don’t know if this is still a common interpretation of the character or not, but in the past I often saw a few readers describing Fubuki as a sociable and extroverted character. I find it very strange, because every single thing shown about her in the webcomic, from her general demeanor to her backstory, remarks how profound Fubuki’s psychological issues are and how distant and estranged from others she is as a result of her past: Fubuki is shown to have no close connections and to be unaware of how to be socially competent, hence her reliance on a removed and cold façade and the default template of hierarchies as substitutes for real human connections. In the sole instance where Fubuki interacts with people outside of work and under “normal” circumstances (already significant by and in itself), the hot pot with the Saitama’s group (probably the closest thing she ever got to spending time at a friend’s house or a sleepover), she comes off as incredibly ankward and naive, almost socially inept, due to her lack of experiences/social knowledge. I believe that the aforementioned confusion stems from the manga adaptation and, in particular, from its bonus/side art material, but this isn’t the right post to elaborate on the matter. In any case, even the presence of a group of subordinates doesn’t take away from what I stated above; if anything, it somehow accentuates it. Nowhere in the webcomic is it ever implied that Fubuki and the group spend time together outside of missions or work-related matters; their bond is strictly and consistently portrayed only as a boss-subordinate kind of relationship, albeit a positive and ultimately healthy one, in the light of the Esper Sisters arc. The only moment where their relationship progresses past the boundary of a boss-subordinates/work dynamic into a more “personal” territory occurs only at the very end of the Esper Sisters arc, when the Fubuki’s group members show their unwavering loyalty and profound gratitude toward Fubuki, going as far as to be ready to die against Tatsumaki for their leader’s sake (Chapter 105): from what we can see from Fubuki’s reaction, it’s evident how deeply touched she is from hearing their words of resolve and affection, to the point of shedding tears, because nothing of the sort - like someone genuinely complimenting her as a person - has ever happened to her before. If that moment sticks out, it’s because this exchange constitutes the poignant resolution of the Esper Sisters arc, driving home its message while at the same time refuting Tatsumaki’s distrust for others and her nihilistic outlook on humanity. But even then, that lasts only for a brief moment and Fubuki immediately speaks to her subordinates only as a leader, not as a “friend”; furthermore, she turns around and gives them her shoulders, thus hiding her tears and concealing her genuine emotional response to their words, because, as much as deeply she cares about them, she can’t afford to expose her true self and what she perceives is her most vulnerable side. As for the rest, thanks to Tatsumaki, Fubuki was socially isolated, and her only exposure to others as a child were the bullies who tormented her because of her psychic powers (a gift that Fubuki refused to use offensively at the time, before embracing the lesson the world taught her). Meanwhile, in regard to her high school years, ONE outright stated that Fubuki was a dark and unpopular girl (from “Other ONE-Bukuro 3″) - on the same page, Murata then comments that it was very important for him to depict Fubuki with lingering traces of her past emerging from the leader façade, since, after all, the manga was still following quite closely, at the time of the chapters covered by this behind-the-scenes self-published book, the general footsteps of the webcomic, where Fubuki retains the overall vibe she had in high school, and so he had to be very careful at making sure this element of her characterization was preserved in the remake and matched the source material, despite the differences between the two versions of the character (the leader façade being a detail much more prounounced in the manga version, well, in the early manga at this point); and speaking of that time period, the MA arc flashback underlines, through clever visual and narrative choices, how detached Fubuki was from the other members of the “Society of the Study for Supernatural” school club and, by extension, from anybody else: for the entirety of the flashback, which takes place exclusively in a school setting and in its immediate surroundings, Fubuki is consistently shown to be alone and on her own (more on this topic always here), she is never seen befriending anyone or even talking to people at all (obviously, she must have talked to them off-screen, nonetheless, this narrative omission is very deliberate, I believe), but, instead, she is constantly immersed in her solitude, an element the panels perfectly convey by having Fubuki always out of frame, far from others and/or visually separated from anyone else (a few examples) - I think it is worthy to compare how disinterested and annoyed Fubuki is toward the members of the club, an environment she was founder of and frequented for at least some time, compared to Saitama and his connections, people she is drawn to already by the end of her arc despite knowing them for a very limited timeframe. As for the reason people followed her, it wasn’t due to popularity (as a matter of fact, she wasn’t popular, as per ONE’s statement), “looks” or anything like that, but due to her superior telekinesis (as one of the panel I linked above showcases), which further convinced Fubuki that the sole value the world sees in a person is their power and that human connections are born and hierarchically organized only under this aegis (again, I talked about these fundamental topics in the post linked above). And while it is certanly a much more healthy relationship, this applies also to the Fubuki group: they follow Fubuki because she is their vastly more powerful superior who takes care of them and leads them. Power is still a major factor in their dynamic, whereas in regard to Saitama and his group it doesn’t matter at all. [EDIT 23/03/2024] I might as well include Fubuki’s relationship with Tatsumaki on top of what has already been mentioned. The Esper Sisters arc as a whole is centered around the lifelong issues and traumas of two estranged sisters. Dialogue between them is made impossible due to Tatsumaki’s total reliance on force as a way to resolve any dispute or personal problem. Any reasoning with Tatsumaki is therefore impossible, since, after all, the only language she seems to understand is force and Fubuki never dared to defy Tatsumaki before the Esper Sisters arc precisely due to this (Chapter 99).  Furthermore, Tatsumaki has no consideration for Fubuki’s personal feelings or understanding of her sister in general; it becomes apparent when we remember how the two sisters have polar opposite recollections of their past. The detachment from reality is so severe that Tatsumaki has no idea how compromised their relationship actually is, which reveals how Tatsumaki lives in a world of her own, unable to even perceive the fear she evokes in Fubuki, whom she considers a little helpless kid she can forcefully impose her will on. This demeaning attitude toward Fubuki exposes another detail: Fubuki’s shocked reaction after being (apparently) acknowledged by Tatsumaki (Chapter 101; soon afterward, the true meaning of Tatsumaki’s statements will dispel any sense of relief this moment gave to the B-Class) proves that Fubuki was never praised or complimented by the most important person in her life, to the point that the esper is flabbergasted of simply hearing a positive comment coming from the older sibling. But approval from Tatsumaki isn’t simply a matter of self-esteem for Fubuki, it also means that Tatsumaki will stop interfering and looming over Fubuki’s life and freedom, finally liberating Fubuki from that nefarious presence and influence. Regarding their life together, the webcomic depicts a very depressing family dynamic: besides what has already been discussed, in the flashback Tatsumaki’s presence frightened and concerned Fubuki more than the bullies themselves and, in the present, every time Tatsumaki looms nearby Fubuki is shown to be concerned and uncomfortable; even the mere prospect of Tatsumaki taking once again complete control over her life leaves Fubuki utterly terrified (Chapter 100) - this reaction implies so much in such a coincise way, like why would Fubuki be this traumatized and afraid of Tatsumaki if she was actually a lovely sister and the time spent together pleasing? So, overall, not a very edificating picture of a sibling dynamic, and this in addition to Tatsumaki being an unstable, violent person whose common rage outburst and psychotic temper make her a nightmare to have around (as Fubuki can attest in Chapter 102), especially for a person like Fubuki, who, growing up under her threat and being the object of her obsession, had no means to defend herself against Tatsumaki. But, more importantly, Tatsumaki is the most important person in Fubuki's life, the one who raised the B-Class, isolating her from the outside world, and the source of several lessons Fubuki learned long the course of her life, like how to always rely on violence instead of dialogue, disregard human bonds, retaliate to any opposition, and never show any weakness, among other stuff [End of the EDIT]. 

So, considering what has been shown so far, the story depicts Fubuki as a socially stunted adult incapable (at the moment) of living a normal life, and pretty much anything about the esper evokes her friendless, isolated background and communicates Fubuki’s unfulfilled longing for human bonds.

This facet of the character directly ties to the topics of the Esper Sisters arc, where isolation and a lack of human relationships are explored through all the main characters’s experiences and how they deal with them:

for Fubuki, the point has been made abundantly clear already, and it comes down, essentially, to a sheltered and friendless background, paired with a harmful upbringing that cemented and reinforced warped worldviews, and being exposed solely to extremely negative experiences and power-obsessed-people perpetuating a distorted imagine of reality, all of which resulted in the development of what is a very damaged individual, whose traumas hinder her ability to open up to others and form bonds, among other things;

Tatsumaki, who, scarred from her past at the lab and misguided by a poor-timed advice, keeps anyone at a distance and disregards the value of human relationships by following an insane way of life that damages others (her sister in particular) and even herself, to the point that this has created a desert around the esper;

and finally Saitama himself, who, even prior to acquiring infinite strength, lived an unfulfilling and detached existence as a young salaryman in search of employment, completely alone and estranged from anyone else. The result of his training, after the fight against Crablante, only further heightened his alienation and led him to an almost jaded state, incapable of finding any fulfillment or satisfaction in life. Meeting Genos and all the other people who gather around him started to mitigate his condition, but Saitama has yet to understand the value these relationships have and find meaning in other aspects of his life.

Isolation and estrangement from other human beings are recurring elements in all three characters’ backstories and lives (with differences due to their individual histories and personalities). Similarly, everyone of them gets called out or receives a wake-up call by the end of the arc, which highlights how this situation is hindering their lives and puts them in front of their inability/unwillingness to open up to others: for Fubuki, it is the acquaintance moment; for Saitama and Tatsumaki, it occurs in their final conversation, Chapter 106. 

End of the digression.

As for Saitama, he is simply stating the truth. He first met Fubuki at her worst, and, in the interactions they had following it, Fubuki employed her façade the majority of the time - with that being said, while he doesn’t enjoy her company, Saitama in the webcomic actually pays attention to what Fubuki has to say (despite seemingly busy reading a manga, Saitama actually listens to Fubuki’s talk in his apartment and responds to her remaining on topic, unlike, for example, in Flashy Flash’s case, where Saitama only caught on to a single word out of the ninja’s entire monologue, which wasn’t even relevant to Flashy’s recount of his past; Chapter 115), admits her into his apartment and is even willing to follow Fubuki instead of outright avoiding her, which is not exactly negligible stuff if we compare it to how he treats several other characters (he remembers her name and who she is, for starters). Anyway. Only in the Esper Sisters arc did Saitama see a more admirable side of the esper, learning a bit more about her past and her situation with Tatsumaki (Chapter 99 and the followings); besides that, the first time Fubuki was actually genuine and direct with him only happened right at the start of this arc, in the elevator. Therefore, it’s obvious why Fubuki doesn’t represent anything more than an acquaintance to him, and, to be fair, it would be strange if this wasn’t the case. At the same time, I don’t think Saitama is saying this line with the ulterior motive of hurting or insulting Fubuki; if anything, it’s yet another case of Saitama’s trademark blunt honesty and his statement represents a fatual observation more than anything else. As I previously mentioned, in Chapter 99, Saitama is repeatedly shown listening to the sisters’s conversation, and he later acknowledges Fubuki’s efforts after all she went through during the fight (Chapter 102). So, I believe that the real narrative meaning of the “acquaintance” comment and its relation to the core message of the arc become apparent only in the light of the follow-up lines. Soon afterward, in fact, Saitama tells the older esper, who arbitrarily decided that Fubuki didn’t need any human connection in her life and thus was forcefully imposing her own decision against her sister will (Chapter 102), how nobody should dictate the life choices of someone else, that the value of human relationships shouldn’t be underestimated, and then he adds: “This is the power of Fubuki’s acquaintance! You better remember that, you shitfaced brat”. After hearing the reason behind the sisters’ conflict and having witnessed it unfold, Saitama decided to step in and take Fubuki’s side, assisting the B-Class esper fight an overwhelming and unfair battle against a toxic person who looms menacingly over her life and freedom, right when the S-Class psychic was about to re-take control over Fubuki’s life and cut any ties she has with the rest of the world (Chapter 101). Instead of a motivation unrelated to the core message of the arc and its characters, what actually brings Saitama to “fight” against the S-Class is his willingness to help Fubuki against her abuser (Chapter 103; Chapter 104), after the B-Class hero proved her growth as a person. Saitama’s actions, in fact, follow Fubuki’s bravest moment in the entire series (so far) and grant her the deserved assistence she is worthy of after giving her all for the sake of others, the human connections she feels responsible for as a leader. Now, make no mistake: Saitama would have helped anyone else in Fubuki’s place, but I think it is very important that Saitama witnessed Fubuki’s heroic side, understood what she was going through and personally ensured that she could confront her sister without an unfair gap of power on the side of the older sibling, making his involvement in the arc totally earned and organic.

Therefore, Saitama stepping in only as a mere acquaintance emphasizes the central theme of the arc - one of the most recurring themes in ONE’s works in general - which is the importance of human bonds and the unhealthiness of cutting ties with the rest of humanity. In this arc, Saitama is intervening not as a friend, not as her “nakama” nor as any other kind of more personal relationship, but simply as an acquaintance of Fubuki, and nonetheless, he is trying to help her against a toxic person who had (and keeps having) an extremely negative role in Fubuki’s life.  As an acquaintance, Saitama is showing Tatsumaki that no matter the degree of intimacy in a relationship, even a not-so-close connection between two human beings can make the difference in a time of need. Sometimes (like in this case), people who have no personal interest or involvement in a conflict might decide to help others without expecting anything in return or without having anything to gain. This nice subversion of the “power of friendship” is a major slap in the face of Tatsumaki’s toxic ideology and her twisted interpretation of Blast’s original advice, because it proves that not all people are egoistical and that not always human contact ends in exploitation, betrayal and mistreatment. The finale, when, in deliberate contrast to how people used to avoid Fubuki out of fear of Tatsumaki (I mentioned this already), the members of the Fubuki group courageously choose to stay at Fubuki’s side despite being up against a psychotic and immensely powerful S-Class esper (this and the following pages, Chapter 105), and then, when the latter wounds from the MA arc opened again, refused to fight Tatsumaki even though they had the perfect opportunity to finish off the person who wanted to maim them (or worse) up until that point, voicing instead their resolve to get stronger for the sake of their leader, further demolishes Tatsumaki’s biases, her idea of relationships as merely parassitic in nature and her complete distrust for people. The fact this showcase of humanity comes from an extension of Fubuki’s character, her group, makes it all the more poignant in the context of this arc and the sisters’ conflict, where the driving force that leads Fubuki, the heart and soul of the arc, to confront and fight Tatsumaki are, specifically, her human connections: in order to protect them, Fubuki finds the resolve and the courage necessary to face her own fears and traumas, in what represents the culmination of her character arc up until that point. It all goes to illustrate the healthy and positive role human bonds can play in our lives, and the profound impact they might have on our process of growth and maturation. And while the arc does acknowledge that relationships can be harmful and damaging as well (as Fubuki and Tatsumaki’s backstories and conflict demonstrate), it also proves how that is far from being the only case, that human connections are a fundamental part of what makes us humans and that no one, not even all mighty heroes, can live, or should live, on their own, isolated from anyone else.

Concluding the post, I believe the “acquaintance” moment has way more meaning to it than what it might appear at a first glance, because it’s actually deeply tied to the core message of the arc and the storylines of these characters. Removed from its context and without that specific lead-up, it can make for a boring and shallow “meme”, but its significance changes drastically when considered within the narrative framework provided by the arc.

[meteorcrab]

Fully convinced that saitama and genos' communication issues will be solved in the silliest way possible or with a fight. No in between

[popflythesky]

i love genos, look at him nodding along to saitama's bull

i also love what flashy's bringing to the table, he's surprisingly refreshing (especially his dynamic with saitama)

[gofancyninjaworld]

new chapter thoughts

Once again, just a few quick thoughts. I’ve not forgotten that I mean to review this along with the chapter before, but not just yet.

So, we know from the previous chapter that Saitama’s robot-destroying antics happened two days ago.  And here’s what he’s done with his precious pets:

No food, water, shelter?  Shame on you Saitama -- this is why Genos didn’t want him to take on a dog.

Grandma got run over by a reindeer, Millennial Edition:

The banality of evil on display. I have a lot more to say about this, but the guys selling Psykos down the river aren’t out to enrich themselves. They just see themselves as pragmatists ensuring that the Hero Association has its much-needed money. In a real way, that’s scarier than people who are actual evil-doers.

Psychic Sister Battle? OUT.

New Enemy Battle? IN.  This moves the narrative forward nicely!

Sealed With A Kiss (literally).  Hoo yeah, canonically gay!

And of course, Flashback Battle!

All I can say is that I’d love it if Murata cared to relent and give us another chapter to round out the year, but damn, if anyone’s earned a rest after a long year, Murata has!

[theomnicode]

Burden of prophetic sight

I'm checking out our national hymns and shit because it's our national day in 3 days and all of a fucking sudden, I'm punched in the gut about the knowledge of what could have scared Psykos so fucking badly that she refused to talk about and she wanted to stop remembering it and she looked like death warmed over in webcomic.

What would be the worst thing you could see in the future? To you personally and not distantly enough to just ignore if it's too impersonal and wanting to forget it?

What would evoke your survival instincts down to the core in effort to prevent it from happening?

Your own inevitable death and your worst fears.

That is the burden of possessing the ability to see to the future. To see not just your own death, but also the death of everyone else and your loved ones.

She probably saw her own death at Tatsumaki's hands here or Fubuki's death. Or both.

And in the manga...I wonder if it's the same but this time, false memory that were implanted to her head. Or she saw her own demise in the hands of the Tsukuyomi group.

Lady shibabawa died after she had looked into the crystal ball and predicted Earth was in danger, because she took on a cough drop after that and then choked on it, but was still able to write down the prophecy.

Somehow. Not likely.

I think...she made her own prophecy to come true. Or that she wanted to avoid a far worse fate because the prophecy scared her so and she wanted to go out on her own terms because she was already old. She even had assistants around who would've made sure that she'd get help upon seeing she was choking. But that did not apparently happen and they just...let her choke and write her message.

So what is the timeline when she made that prophecy again?

The moment when Saitama realized that he had started caring about potential casualties again. That he would do anything in his power to prevent it from happening.

(haha ominous moon haha)

When the sky was still dark with clouds during daytime.

(Saitama does not consciously even remember Satoru, because he never sees his full face I bet. And Satoru does not remember Saitama back from school because Saitama does not have hair. But the subconscious does.)

(Inb4 Saitama and Satoru used to date too, like Psykos and Fubuki have implied relationship.)

(Purple colour scheme is often used to depict evil in japanese anime, like sasuke's curse mark had evil purple aura on it, but also: "As in the West, purple stands for royalty in Japanese culture. It is also considered the color of warriors, symbolizing strength. Purple flowers are very popular too" So you could say that Saitama gets strenght to protect in that scene from his conviction to care.)

--

I thought of this because my SO shared with me his thoughts about:

Michael Hartnett's poem of Sibelius in Silence.

Irish drunk and disorderly writer writes from Finland and about himself and sibelius at the same time hartnett is Irish but grew up in England, speaks English and never felt welcome among the Irish irish was not his mother tongue Sibelius was a Finn but grew up in Sweden, spoke Swedish, never felt welcome among Finns… both were alcoholics who drank themselves to death and hartnett foresaw his own death and equated it with the death of Sibelius in that poem there's nothing left but hands shaking with drunkenness, no swans of hell, no sketches (luonnotar, virgin of air, this is a wordplay), no compositions

(The black swan of tuonela reference and Saivo-lake, tuonela as concept meaning both heaven/hell, the afterlife)

"vodka ebbs in tremors from my hand" is fucking brilliant that part of yourself that hasn't disappeared yet, no matter how ethereal, you still feel it when it's still there despite everything. OR ether (aether) no matter how puffed up you are, yeah, I'm still there, yeah, hic wakes up at night at odd hours because genius is a burden and inspiration comes at any moment and voila, finlandian magic is just out of thin air OR can't sleep because drunken insanity ruins your sleep completely and solves the problem by pulling out a bottle of Finlandia

Me: or did he get his strength from the concept of finlandia that hasn't left him yet? SO: or the fact that it listens to finlandia, if you think from hartnet's point of view yeah me: what did he want the anthem to represent SO: you can think of it that way but that whole last verse is a double-meaning at the same time that it hasn't lost itself and is still creating art which was true for both of them. and at the same time that he has completely lost himself to alcoholism and is nothing more than that which was also true for both of them fucking brilliant and rough as fuck ;_;

SO: I suppose that being undead there's not much to life, a soul is needed for loving, feeling

Funnily enough, my SO also pointed out that Saitama's dream being a forewarning of Saitama losing himself, things that are important to him and his being when I said that he prolly foresaw the loss of his self and people who were important to him like Genos, is akin to conspiracy theory and ahaha...this personality type has a tendency to get caught up in conspiracy theories.

I mean, I can pull out outrageous meta which sound like conspiracy theories (like this one) out of thin air. Woosh.

Because cognitive bias is seeking out patterns even when there is none. xd

(I swear I'm just doing this for fun and not seeking out if there is a hidden conspiracy theory. I am making up shit though)

--

Unfortunately, how does this relates to Saitama?

Chances are, he has already intuitively foreseen his own death, at some subconscious level. Because he started to care again. Since he knows himself well enough that he would know that if he started to care about people again to the degree that he now cares for Genos, he would sacrifice himself for them, because of his caring nature and not having any self-worth.

(Thanks Murata-sensei, I can now see the tired, dark bottom eyelids that are only more pronounced in versus Garou.)

(Ugh now I'm crying again)

(The wounded healer archetype is to be self-sacrificial.)

Or that he will come to consciously see his own demise/fears at some point, when his third eye that is referenced to exist in the Orochi fight opens.

(I bet we will revisit the demise of Orochi as well....thanks Murata-sensei for the hint...)

Saitama is willfull. But what he is susceptible to doing is chasing dopamine highs and addictions. Adrenaline. Gambling. Spontaneously buying some weird shit. Indulging himself with his favourite foods. Because depressed people often are susceptible to doing that stuff because of dopamine deficiency to get dopamine fix.

Including binge drinking alchohol.

Fate can be changed though, due to intervention. Just like Saitama is intervening on Psykos' fate.

But yea, turning to alchoholism would probably be the way for Saitama to try and forget if say, he somehow accidentally managed to kill Genos, if Genos happened to be say, not in complete control of his faculties. Saitama is motivated to forget all sorts of bad stuff even at the cognitive level.

Or hell, feeling guilt over pushing Genos into being a bloody hero, like how Genos decided to confront Awakened Garou while only being a torso. Or worse, compelling him to be self-sacrificial and heroic because of his divine power.

--

One thing for sure though, Saitama seems to be a person who has the capacity of changing the fate of people around him.

Because conveniently, prophecies can't be trusted. But they sure can become self-fulfilling.

[the-nysh]

Do you think manga Tatsumaki would approve wc Tatsumaki's action? For me, the biggest difference from her sociopath self is her relationship with Fubuki. In the manga she knows Tatsumaki is ruthless but she is sure she would never put a scratch on her, whereas in the wc she's shitless scared.

That's a good question - bc the biggest telling difference for me was when her manga child-self inwardly pleaded to Blast how she didn't want everyone to fear her. (And yes, to me this very much applied to Fubuki; I read this as manga Tatsu does not want her baby sister to fear her! ;o;) But manga Fubuki's powers awakened in fear while child Tatsu was only trying to protect her from their enemies. :'))) (Huge ouch;;; bc Tatsumaki realized then, how she was really trapped in this role's responsibility with no other choice...) And we know that manga Tatsu would never willingly try to hurt Fubuki with malice (although we saw her warp the poison pill out of Fubuki's gut, which she did warn Fubuki first how it would sting a bit), plus manga Fubuki herself asserted how her sister would never hurt her either. That's a big confirmation on their level of trust/comfort/sense of safety around each other.

So yes, there's a pretty big notable difference compared to their wc relationship, where wc Fubuki is petrified in fear of her sister - in an oppressive, smothering, hurtful way where Fubuki deliberately fights her to win her own independence (vs how they have no need to fight each other Like That in the manga.)

So interestingly.....if manga Tatsu saw her wc self deliberately fight and hurt her baby sister like that....whoa;; D: Perhaps yeah, she'd protectively snap and ferally punish 'herself' for it, wow.

[moonstone210]

wc names for rain code

Yuma - Snowhaze Shinigami - Cora (ghost cat) Yakou - Troutstripe Halara - Graydusk Desuhiko - Lightningtuft Fubuki - Splashpetal Vivia - Oliveshadow Kurumi - Doveheart Number One - Onestar

Yomi - Scorchclaw Martina - Larktail Swank - Eagletalon Seth - Shadebush Guillaume - Sparkwing Dominic - Heavystrike

Makoto - Palemask

Zilch - Foxear Aphex - Mothfang Pucci - Petalwhisker Melami - Goldenpelt Zange - Blizzardfur

[scary-senpai]

“I fought him too, so I know.”

Things I thought / ways I interpreted this panel, in the order they came to me

Fuck, did I miss something important? Brain fog strikes again 😔

Translational nuance ? (“I’ve been in a battle with him” AKA “I was there too, witnessing” or “I’ve seen him in battle” AKA “I fixed people he’s broken”)… although Garou did almost hit Fubuki while asleep, but Bang blocked him

Continuity error? (Some scenes / storyboards were prepared earlier and one was cut)

Continuity omission? Maybe we’ll get a cut scene

This is the ripple effect of a broken reality: when Saitama pulled a Back to the Future fucked up the time-space continuum somehow.

Dunno, it’s always stuck with me that the OPM high school AU (which many animes have, but do not bother to explain) is prefaced with “there are many different universes, and this is one.” So maybe the wc is its own alternate universe.

Anyway, file under ‘crack theory’ alongside “Mumen rider is Gojo Satoru” and “Tareo isn’t real” and “Saitama and Reigen were on Improv team together.”

Update: please check out the re-blooped version, in which @gofancyninjaworld puts this mystery to rest.

[acidproofnotebook]

The restuarant scene in update 221 (ch 174/176) is more interesting than it looks

Thanks to @touchreceptors for this quick translation:

Okay, so the restaurant dinner is revealing a LOT. I don't know about WC content but at the moment I don't think Tatsumaki is really there to wring Psykos's neck. Yet.

Quick TL of the key moments from this page:

from the top left panel:

Tats: "They're after Psykos."

Tats: "She might be a monster but i'm not handing her over to those guys. I'm gonna put on an act, so cooperate with me."

Fubuki: "Sis, you're actually planning on shielding* Psykos....??!" (*verb used is "shelter, shield, hide away" )

[fubukiswifenoimnotjoking]

So! Finally caught up on opm manga!!! Gotta say I’ve loved these last few chapters and I missed reading it so much, college has taken away the time to read my fav series regularly :( Anyway, my thoughts aren’t completely sorted yet but I’ll say a few things! (MANGA AND WEBCOMIC SPOILERS BEWARE)

1. OH MY GODDDD the Blast reveal about why he’s been away? So fucking cool!! It’s weird bc that’s like the one thing I haven’t been spoiled on lately so it was a fun reveal and makes me extra interested in his character and where he’ll go from here, especially when Blue gets introduced.

2. OH MY GOD GENOS BEING A LITTLE SHIT AT THE MEETING AND EVERYONE BEING LIKE ‘this bitch is gay’ WAS EVERYTHING IVE EVER WANTED OH MY GODDDD. Also, the way everyone played off of each other in the meeting, especially Genos being a snarky bitch to everyone and Zombieman trying to mediate was so funny. I love Genos oh my FUCKCJCJCJX 😭😭😭😭🧎🏻🧎🏻🧎🏻🧎🏻

3. AND THE FUBUKI AND PSYKOS FLASHBACKS?? So impressed with the way Murata has really brought One’s art to life in his own way once again! Amazing work, and I won’t mention the gay shit between them bc that’s all I’ve been talking about lately. I will say, I was worried the Psykos and Fubuki fight had been cut out or something but I gotta say, making it a short flashback that also foreshadowed God was genius and a great solution to having the fight without conflating the MA battle even more.

4. Arguably one of the biggest deviations from the wc, Tatsumaki herself. Seeing that her fight with Fubuki over Psykos is now “staged” in some way bc of Tatsumaki, it absolutely drives another wedge between wc Tatsu and manga Tatsu as completely different people. In the wc, the fight over Psykos was extreme and Tatsumaki put Fubuki down more than usual, threatening to seclude her and it painted her as overprotective and downright cruel. I imagine that she’ll still play up the whole mean vibe as an act, but that’s just it! The fact that she isn’t going to plain kill Psykos out of the whole “she must die because I say so” idea, even tho she has another idea with what to do psykos in relation to the ones who once experimented on Tatsu completely distinguishes her as the kinder, more well rounded Tatsumaki here, both because of her actions and the larger amount of insight into her past that we’re given in the manga. The only thing this will change, tho, is her fight with Saitama, which was born of pure anger because of his words that supported Fubuki and told Tatsu she was being shitty. Now that it’s an act, will she get as angry and do the whole side fight with him, or will he get involved bc of the Tskyuomi guy? (I’m sorry Idk how to spell it😭). If so, it won’t be bad, but I’m worried it won’t be as good as the og fight, that one’s a classic.

Regardless of changes, I’m so so interested in the way this arc is going down and the way the changes of the MA battle are making bigger and bigger ripples! Also, sorry for being so MIA, promise I’ll try to talk to some of my mutuals and asks and stuff, y’all are very fun to talk to and I feel mad at myself for not finding more time to exist in the community again :(

[the-gordianknot117]

When I was first introduced to Fubuki (I read the manga first) I was so excited because not only was I grabbed by her aesthetic apperance but also I was expecting a hidden depth to just her annoying facade. What with her relation to Tatsumaki, the strongest esper in the story, there has got to be a story behind her too, right? But no, they did her dirty. It makes me sad and mad both at the same time. It hurts to see her existence a mere comic relief without a semblance of redeeming traits in the manga. Where did her inferiority complex go towards her sister, the one I related myself to the most? Reducing her to this annoying character that nobody could relate to. It's so insulting, for me, a person who had inferiority complex towards an older sibling. Someone, save her from this infuriating situation, un​sal​vage​able it may be.

I don't want to get mad at her sister but the way they went with her characterization painting her as the good-natured sister with almost no flaws doesn't set well with me. Maybe it's just me and my past insecurities but, oh well, I've digressed lol

Nonetheless, thank you for your posts about Fubuki. I haven't touched both materials because I was salty and still am lmao

First of all, thank you for sending me this message!

Much like you, my first exposure to Fubuki was in the manga and her introduction arc (and in particular, its conclusion) left me very intrigued about the character and really curious about her future (and past); the bonus chapter "Numbers" then further confirmed this positive first impression. Later, I read the webcomic and Fubuki became my favorite character in the series. With precedents like these, I couldn't wait to experience certain moments of the source material in Murata's art style (or brand new original scenes/developments, why not?); but questionable choice after questionable choice, bizarre addition after bizarre addition, I slowly started to realize that something was off and that Fubuki was becoming a character I didn't not recognize: a comic relief character with little to no presence in the story, a far cry from her webcomic counterpart and what made me like the character in the first place - this made me also re-evaluate the way Fubuki was handled from the outset of the manga, in particular with baffling additions like "A New Wind Blows" and the fight against Do-s.

So I totally share your disappointment. There is something uniquely infuriating about this character being constantly humiliated and ridiculed, used almost exclusively to prop sympathy towards her sister or provide unfunny gags at the expense of her character. And I completely agree: the fact that Fubuki in the webomic (and, to be fair, even in the early parts of the manga) is a character whose story and struggles feel real and human, insomuch that many readers can relate to and empathize with her even for personal reasons, makes this all the more insulting.

And I feel like you about Tatsumaki, honestly. I didn't mind her in the webcomic, but the special treatment reserved to Tatsumaki in the manga made me dislike this version of the character, which apparently requires Fubuki to always be sidelined and undermined for her sake. The favoritism towards her couldn't be more blatant than it is, as everything bends backward towards Tatsumaki and the narrative always takes her side. With the original narrative framework behind the sisters's relationship being thrown out of the window - after all, the antagonist of Fubuki's character arc became a paragon of all virtues and nearly all Tatsumaki's flaws and less-than-flattering moments disappeared - Fubuki's backstory was never properly addressed and her traumas were never explored but completely glossed over, with the sister "conflict" being also resolved literally overnight, in a brief conversation that took place in the middle of the MA arc of all times (and apparently that was all it took to mend their soured and falling-apart sibling relationship). All of this resulted in a character that is impossible to relate to, as you perfectly said: after all, any single element that originally made Fubuki's sympathetic and endearing was straight-out removed, including something as important as Fubuki courageously confronting and fighting her sister (or Fubuki's flashback set in her childhood years, and the list goes on and on).

Therefore, considering how mean-spirited the treatment reserved for Fubuki has been in the manga, I completely understand you for not keeping up with the series anymore. I haven't read any new chapter of the manga since the end of the Esper Sisters arc, which was almost painful to read, and, right now, I have no interest in doing so - I gave them a glance just out of curiosity, but that's pretty much it. As for the webcomic, I still have hope and so I'm still reading it every time it updates. My only issue with Fubuki in the source material is her "recent" lack of screentime, which in itself wouldn't be a problem at all since the current arc doesn't directly involve her (not yet, at least), but with the terrible precedent set by the manga I can't hide that I'm a bit worried about her future.

In any case, seriously, thank you again! I very much enjoyed reading your message and I'm glad you appreciated my posts! Also, sorry for the late reply!

[theomnicode]

Saitama and difficulty labeling relationships would be pretty classic for infj who likes to categorize people and put them into boxes. But not knowing who is in what category comes from uncertainty on the level of emotional closeness. The labels denote the emotional closeness level.

However, I can tell my level of emotional closeness to people. If asked to explain, it would be more difficult for me to explain why this person is labeled like this in my mind rather than what they are and because I fear they might misunderstand or get hurt, than putting them into boxes. Well, most of the time. Because I'm in touch with my emotions and how I feel about people.

WC Saitama really demonstrates this on two occasions, once when he just lists what Fubuki can't be to him and then when Tatsumaki shouts that he probably doesnt have friends outside hero work, he's unsure.

In the manga, Saitama thought of Genos as more like family. I do think he did get an upgrade from family to something more though after moon, but now he's a bit unsure about what he himself feels towards Genos because he doesn't consciously remember.

--

…. I can make a well-educated guess as to what the magnet's identity is.

Well, yes but...also in the context of a haunted house like in the audiobook. You're not wrong no, very much right, but context matters.

If Genos is the definition of a warm, positive and inviting household and he has the keys to it and like a magnet was pulled towards Saitama because of his self...someone else has the second key to the haunted house version, cold, negative and untoward and like a magnet, also gets pulled towards Saitama.

(If psykos was being creepy when she gazed into the forbidden book and started talking mad stuff, oh man...we're only in the epicenter of the quake, which is located directly above the hypocenter, the source of madness. First we need to cross the faultline though when we dive deep into the rabbit hole. Or idk, the fault points towards the source.)

Speaking of rabbit holes...

I can now see why Saitama's face looks slightly bit weird. Dear me... looks like something out of asian horror movie. And why Garou got so spooked.

--

A lot of people are drawn towards Saitama, because of himself but also because of divine power.

Saitama is just kind of sandbag who will get constantly hit with impunity because he's er, emotionally vulnerable. Genos protects that vulnerability with his umbrella shield but he can't do it all the time or forever.

He has to become "not emotional sandbag".

Saitama and difficulty labeling relationships would be pretty classic for infj who likes to categorize people and put them into boxes. But not knowing who is in what category comes from uncertainty on the level of emotional closeness. The labels denote the emotional closeness level.

However, I can tell my level of emotional closeness to people. If asked to explain, it would be difficult for me to explain why this person is labeled like this in my mind rather than what they are and because I fear they might misunderstand or get hurt, than putting them into boxes. Because I'm in touch with my emotions and how I feel about people.

WC Saitama really demonstrates this on two occasions, once when he just lists what Fubuki can't be to him and then when Tatsumaki shouts that he probably doesnt have friends outside hero work, he's unsure.

--

This went from cute if bit sad genosai to creepypasta and I apologize.

GenoSai idea that hit the brain:

Saitama having a crush on Genos, and knows Genos likes him back, but doesn't say anything for months. Not because he was afraid of misinterpreting Genos' feelings, worried the relationship won't work, or anything like that. He didn't doubt they'd make the greatest power couple ever. He just didn't say it because he knows he's shit with words and feelings and doesn't trust himself to get a confession out properly, so he's slowly trying to coerce Genos into confessing to him instead.

And it is so difficult to get him to.

[popflythesky]

!!?? OvO??

[gofancyninjaworld]

So, the upcoming chapter (update 230) gives me some thoughts

One change from the webcomic is obvious: the Tank Toppers are doing their best but are utterly outmatched by the Forest King.

Yes, that's Tank Top Girl in the lower right corner. I'm glad Reddit hasn't twigged or the sub would be swarmed with tentacle porn jokes.

We're anticipating that it's Genos who will come save them, but it won't make sense if the Forest King is still a demon-level threat like it was in the webcomic.

Genos is far too strong for that in the manga. This isn't recent; in fact, demon-level monsters have been a non-issue for Genos since chapter 64, when even the most defensive, sneakiest ones couldn't win against him, even when he was making mistakes.

Last we met him, demon-level threats were the trash he'd kill with a single kick.

ON WE GO! ONE has many evil challenges for Genos yet! We have well-organised, incredibly evil outfits (plural) that pose an existential threat to society. The monster irruption is getting worse, there are absurdly powerful monsters in existence (much worse than in the wc). And there's a god on the warpath. Genos has experienced this first-hand, much more so than most people.

And that's before we start on the destabilising effect that a new land popping back up is going to have. Also, how sure are we that the monster-weapon development project Drive Knight has been collecting specimens for is actually going to be used for anything good?

Not wasting time scrapping with regular monsters is good. Let's move this story forward!

However, I can think of two possible scenarios in which the Forest King could be a demon-level threat. Neither scenario is good.

Scenario 1: Dr Kuseno is having financial difficulties

Being a combat cyborg is expensive, and goodness knows that the last few weeks have meant that Genos has run through upgrades and weapons like cheap clothing. I don't care how rich Kuseno is, Genos's war body must have taken a significant bite out of his wealth. Even a billionaire would weep.

It might be possible that what Genos is coming back with is not what he wants but what the doctor can afford to give him, and it's a hell of a lot less than he'd be happy with.

If Genos is lucky, it's a cashflow problem in that he just has to take it easy on the demands until the doctor can rebuild his war chest. If Genos is unlucky, it's a running-out-of-cash problem and there's nothing for it but to make do with less, permanently.

Scenario 2 (less likely): Genos has lingering health problems that have forced him to downgrade

Even though the worst thing that happened to him in the last arc has been undone, Genos took a hell of a battering. Only some of that battering came from the monsters: the rest came from his very body. He's lucky that Fubuki can heal bodies as well as she can cool machinery off. Without that healing, he might well have perished before Cosmic Garou hove on scene.

It's not unreasonable for Dr Kuseno to decide that Genos's state of health doesn't allow him to safely wear a souped-up body, never mind a more powerful iteration of the same. He has no interest in supporting a dead hero.

Genos wouldn't take either scenario well but I think scenario 2 would be particularly devastating. His questions for Saitama would be pretty angsty -- how is he supposed to get stronger under such circumstances? Heck, how is he even going to survive with the kinds of threats now rearing their ugly heads?

Personally, I'm hoping that the 31st brings up a progressive story where demon-level monsters are no issue and we can move on with what's going on in this world, but I can see the mileage ONE could get out of regression. Either tack would take the manga story further away from the webcomic which works for me. :D Gimme two cakes, any day.

Of course, another hero altogether could save the Tank Toppers. And that would be another change from the webcomic, one that'd leave us to wonder about Genos a bit longer.

[theomnicode]

So, who wants to see more fun OPM God stuff that makes ya shit bricks?

(opm wc spoilers below cut)

Remember this panel and all those speech bubbles for Godrou being distinctly different looking? When he sounded off-character and when he got normal speech bubbles, he sounded more like old Garou like "Later, LOL" and such?

Well, I've revisited some earlier chapters and not only I've noted there being a reference to Saitama being watched by OPM God early on with the lamp reference, that much ya know about...

...but also being sent subliminal messages from OPM God early on.

Oh lookie, sowing distrust in other heroes early on.

Despite civilians around him praising them. Making him think he has to do everything by himself and push himself to the absolute brink of death and surpass it and surpass the limitations of human.

Gate 7, Luck, is open. But idk if it's so lucky after all, to be secret spy of OPM God. Or worse, sleeper agent. Just biding the right time.

Heath Ledger's "Joker" is what comes to mind when I look at Garou and his serrated "mouth" smiley face. No wonder Sai thought it was so creepy. Below as well, Tsukuyomi with the nice ref to Batman.

So, who wants to see 007 Saitama? The Fist that turned against Mankind? Or... Agent Smith?

Maybe black suit Saitama is a bit closer than we think it is. Just not the kind we expected though, like having fun dancing in a ballroom...not the tie version lol.

Subtle brainwashing starting from such early age would be very hard-pressed to shake away.

It would also be utterly ironic in a cruel, twisted way if Saitama uttered Garou's line from the webcomic. Because if anyone has been cruel to Saitama personally from the beginning...it has always been humans, not monsters.

Monsters are cruel because it's in their very nature to become bloodlusted once they turn monsters...but us humans are not genetically modified to be cruel to others just because. Especially to 12-year old kids like Saitama.

Just more parallels with Garou.

Tatsumaki treating houses like rags is oddly specific choice of words indeed, reference to how she wrung out Orochi like a dishrag and the above. And indeed, Saitama probably has the third eye just like Psykos and so, vulnerable.

Tbh I just want to see Saitama go all Shimazaki mode.

And it doesn't seem like they're the only ones being conned either.

Fubuki is breaking 4th wall and spouting lines from Blasticide team Esper chick and it seems like she's being affected as well, being an esper herself, but it would seem like getting Saitama and Garou to the moon was part of the plan or part of some massive illusion that many people, especially Saitama, fell prey to.

So yeah, this is quite possibly very insidious plot going on here.

[the-nysh]

compare webcomic to manga

this applies to fubuki since I hear that she looked tomboyish

Hmmm...honestly not much to say here, other than typical Murata when drawing his voluptuous women, since the chapter was pretty 1:1 with the wc in content anyway. :O The lady also became an instant fan crushing on Tatsumaki just like in the wc too. (Except I missed the part where Fubuki flew away carrying Psykos...hmm what happened with that.)