honestly the whole meme idea and the fact that in the game they claim people are revolved around and controlled by memes, has aged so well in our modern society. the game was definitely ahead of it's time
I also like the part where his Desperado body has no mouth, but after he's rescued by Raiden, his body does have a mouth, symbolizing how he NOW has a say in what he does. Love this game.
This is most likely a mere coincidence but in the lore of transformers comics published by the company idw there is this ritual called enpurata in which a transformer's head is replaced with a head with only one circular eye (like shockwave and desperado blade wolf have) and hands replaced with claws so they wouldn't be able to express themselves
Also, most Desperado members (Monsoon, Sundowner, Sam) have their mouth covered by a muzzle during their fights, as if blocking them from speaking the truth to others, while some have their eyes covered (Raiden, Bladewolf, Monsoon, Sundowner), preventing them from seeing the truth of the world around them
I think it should also be noted that in Khamsin's theme, "invisible warrior" most likely refers to the fact that despite him being a "wind of destruction", he is never once mentioned in the main game, it also reinforces the later lyric of "fulfill our duty, then vanish without a trace". He is forgotten, invisible to everyone else.
I also saw on another comment section that the lyrics at the part could be a reference to all of the winds of destruction. "Here I am" Mistral "Dirty and Faceless" Sundowner "Waiting to heed your instruction" Blade Wolf "On my own" Jetstream Sam "Invisible Warrior" Monsoon Edit: I just saw a comment on this comment section that's basically the comment I was talking about from the other vid. The comment goes more into depth than what mine said so go check it out it shouldn't be too hard to find 👍
Proudly being a soldier means proudly being a nameless, faceless tool of a greater power or idea among an army of similar people. No matter how incredible your skill or noteworthy your achievements, your own identity and ideals might be cast aside as you ultimately become just another grunt exacting someone else's will.
one of my favorite Blade Wolf lines is when Raiden says that him deciding to repay the favor is a very human thing to do, Wolf responds with, paraphrasing, "no it isn't, most humans don't give a shit"
The idea of Wolf learning to curse after reading curse words on the internet is really amusing to me. "I understand your attempts at humor, but I find them rather fucking stupid."
I always thought that wolf was the opposite of all metal gear characters. He’s a character based purely on memes and not genes but strives to be more than just his memes.
In a way, his memes are his genes. While everybody else is haunted by their blood, Wolf is more haunted by those who made him, yet he can still happily change with time. In a way, being opposite leaves him better off?
Also a neat detail: Khamsin and Mistral are condescendingly referring to Blade Wolf as a dog or a mutt while Sam, Raiden and Sunny refer to him as a wolf. The former dismiss Blade Wolf's search for freedom seeing him only as a tool while the latter see and respect who he is. Sam also calls him a dog at first due to his dismissal, but afterwards, once he grew to know him better, he does refer to him as "wolfy".
It also calls back to MGS1 where sniper wolf refers to herself as "nothing more than a dog." When snake interjects that "Wolves are noble animals. They're not like dogs. In Yupik, the word for wolf is 'Kegluneq', and the Aleuts revere them as honorable cousins. They call mercenaries like us 'Dogs of War'. It's true, we're all for sale at some price or another. But you're different...untamed...solitary...you're no dog, you're a wolf." Khamsin and Mistral are both dogs exactly as Snake described, but BladeWolf is different, and only those who understand the true nature of conflict can recognize it.
Dogs = Domesticated; tamed animals, with little dictatorship over their own lives. Wolves = Wild Animals; completely free from authority and any control, their own masters... This comment is incredible, think you for giving me this realization. Just comes to show how masterfully written MGR truly is.
@@spymatt8521 dont forget Armstrong calls him a mutt too. And ultimately, while Sundowner does call him a wolf, its not because he thinks BladeWolf is an individual, but more because he respects the potential of a weapon from the days where the war economy was still strong, a time he wants to bring back. He respects BladeWolf not for his individuality, but because his development and existence are a literal embodiment of what Sundowner wants. Really, Sam and Raiden are the only characters who _actually_ respect BladeWolf for what he is, an individual with an intrinsic right to be able to forge his own path, rather than a machine or tool. The story of BladeWolf is kinda its own narrative within the narrative of MGR. A narrative of the nature of AI, and the dilemma of whether a sentient AI should be classified as a “construct” or an “individual.” If a tool has the ability to think, learn, choose, and desire, should it be allowed to? Some, like Mistral and Khamsin, would say no, because a tool wasn’t designed to do these things. Others, like Sam and Raiden, would say yes, because if a tool can reason, can choose, can learn from mistakes, can dream of something more, what makes it any different from you or me? Does being made of metal make someone less than someone made of flesh and bone, if both can live?
An interesting thing I've heard specifically about Khamsin's theme, is that the "all men who bend their will" part could also be a jab at soldiers who blindly follow orders. Like what Armstrong believes, soldiers fighting in wars they don't understand or don't believe in
one thing that's interesting to me, is that Mistral and Khamsin were probably the most loyal winds of destruction, with Khamsin being a blind orders follower and Mistral owning her life's purpose to Armstrong, and that probably made them the ones least in line with Armstrong's ideals
@@AbsoluteMongoloid He just kinda fits into the whole "soldiers are expendable" theme which is prevalent in MGRR, and I also find his ideology on freedom to be interesting. He also just looks really cool being strapped to a mech despite it having an impractical design since it also just leaves him wide open.
i love blade wolf, is theme is incredible emotional, the batlle against him is a roadblock meant to stop those that cannot parry, and his interactions with raiden are so funny. notice how he always is the one giving orders, telling raiden that he has to follow him and bossing around, because he has been following orders for so long that now he is the one that wanna give them.
Sam, Blade Wolf's closest "friend" among Desperado, has a missing hand. This might be another (possibly coincidental) connection to the name of Fenrir. When Fenrir was bound in impossible chains, he agreed to be tied only if his closest friend Tyr placed his hand in his mouth. When he was betrayed, Fenrir bit off Tyr's hand. Edit: oh this was brought up for Mistral!
The only difference is that Fenrir bitting off Tyr's hand was the result of their mutual trust, whereas Bladewolf cut off Mistral's arm as a result of the lack of trust. Tyr essentially offered his arm if the string ruse turned out to be a lie, which it turned out to be, whereas Mistral was taken by surprise at Bladewolf's first chance at freedom, which it turned out to be a lie.
@@colt9836 That's not what he said. Also, Armstrong did. Bladewolf doesn't seem to make the mistake of speaking for others. That would be illogical. Simply put, it goes against choice itself. Baldewolf knows better then to imply making the choices of others.
That moment you realize a robot dog in a spinoff videogame has more personality than 99% of human characters in fiction. MGR:R was such a masterpiece, I’m glad it’s finally getting the recognition it deserves, even if it’s just because of the memes. Something I noticed was how after his freedom and rebuilding we never see him ever kill, let alone attack anyone, even when surrounded by corrupt police with Raiden he chooses to scout ahead and leave the actual fighting to Raiden. Blade Wolf is truly a good boy who doesn’t harbor any violent wishes against anyone, only killing if he was literally forced to do so (admittedly the DLC kinda dents this a little, but in BW’s defense he was fleeing for his life, he likely assumes he would have been terminated if he was caught and defeated)
Remember the fear inhibitors Desperado put into their grunt cyborgs, while Raiden could still hear their tortured thoughts? Blade Wolf was doing them a favor by killing them, if they weren't the same brand of psycho as Monsoon and Sundowner.
For what it's worth "Q" on united states aircraft designates a drone and "L" indicates it carries a laser. I don't remember if he has a laser but Q is pretty ingrained in the zeitgeist as indicating a drone thanks to the MQ-1.
"Here I am" : *Mistral.* (Not only that she is there, watching Blade Wolf fight, but in her own song there's a line that says "Here I come.") "Dirty and faceless" : *Sundowner.* (He did most of the dirty work and his face gets covered completely on his second phase.) "Waiting to heed your instruction" : *Blade Wolf.* (Pretty obvious.) "On my own" : *Samuel.* (First and last member of the group we fight. Besides he's a mercenary, he's used to being on his own.) "Invisible warrior" : *Monsoon.* (Monsoon is more philosophical in his approach and he does have a phase on his fight where he uses mist to hide.) "I am a wind of destruction" : *Khamsin.* (Since it's his own theme too.)
It’s also interesting that wolf’s redesign gives him a mouth, something his previous form lacked. It doesn’t serve any real purpose but seemingly symbolizes his newfound freedom, as he is free to breathe and speak.
Love Blade Wolf, funny how he's an a.i. but manages to be one of the most human characters in the game. Also had a thought, I always wondered why Khamsin's theme really only kicks in at the end of the fight but, figured it may be because he only really thinks of what he's doing and why once he knows his life is actually in danger.
Also, it could be highlighting his spite and jealousy towards Blade Wolf, for apparently being free, how Blade Wolf symbolises his “FREEEEEEDOM” motto more than he does.
It's pretty obvious that the "i" in the name stands for intelligence, but I'd like to entertain the idea that Bladewolf was fitted with a single Bosch fuel injector for no reason
I swear to God, yesterday I was like "hmm why not watch these awesome mgr character analysis. Sad that there arent more yet" That timing is impeccable I hope there will be more cause I really adore your videos Keep it up 👍
Well considering that we talked about the soldier who opened his eyes and that strived for his freedom, what about the one that choose to keep them shut and convinced himself of being free? A Khamsin analysis would be intersting
Pretty sure that in his Jetstream Sam video he said something along the lines of Masamune meaning Muramasa, but it was translated to Murasama. Could be wrong though, someone fact check me if you want
No, Masamune was the rival to Muramasa. Basically Masamune would create pure holy blades and Muramasa would create demonic cursed blades. Masamune is a different sword to the Muramasa. The Muramasa was translated wrong into the now named Murasama.
Muramasa and Masamune were both Japanese swordsmiths who lived at completely different points in time. Folklore claims that Muramasa was very easy to anger, and this results in his swords possessing an evil energy or power that might require blood. Masamune is depicted in stories as being wise, sagely, and peaceful, and his weapons are thus shown to be heroic or noble. Brazil has the second largest population of ethnic Japanese with first being Japan, of course. So, one of Sam's ancestors got a Muramasa katana, passed it down, and over time it changed to Murasama, and this was done by the writers to reflect how the names of things can change as a result of mistranslation.
Gonna hijack this to talk about the mythological Fenris wolf, because his story and the surrounding myths are a tragedy. He was born one of three children of Loki, the other two being Hel and Jormungandr. Hel was half blue and half flesh-coloured, Jormungandr was a serpent, and Fenrir was, of course, a Wolf. When they were born, Odin recognised them by name and appearance, because he knew the prophecies of Ragnarok, and that they would be the main contributions to the event. So he decided to 'deal with them.' Hel was cast into Helheim, the realm of the dishonourable dead, where she rose to become their queen, the goddess of death. Jormungandr was cast into the sea by Thor, where he grew to enormous size and became the world serpent. But Fenrir was too powerful for the gods to get rid of directly, so they had him live alongside them to keep tabs on him, where he became close friends with the God Tyr. As Fenrir grew larger and stronger, Odin and the other gods proposed a game, tying up Fenrir with stronger and stronger restraints and faux celebrating each time he escaped. Eventually Odin commissioned the dwarves to make Gleipnir, a chain made from impossible things. But when they went to test it on Fenrir, he got suspicious of them and said he would only agree this time if one of the Gods put their hand in his mouth, where he would bite it off if they betrayed him. Only his friend Tyr would agree. When he couldn't escape and the gods refused to release him again, he fulfilled his promise and bit Tyr's hand off. When Ragnarok happens, Loki and his allies march with Hel's army of the dead. Jormungandr has grow so large and powerful that he can mortally wound Thor, a god who was otherwise unstoppable by the standards of the mythology. And Fenrir gets to kill Odin himself, for all the pain Odin inflicted upon them.
For some people it´s the Memes and the Nanomachines. To me Bladewolf´s establishing my own directives after a life without real choices resonates with me on a personal level. Plus I love his straightman to everyone else.
It's interesting that he bears strong resemblance appearance wise to Beast of Darkness from Berserk. They both resemble dark, demonic looking Wolf. Except personality wise they are total opposite - Beast of Darkness - represents Guts uncontrollable rage, that makes lose sigh who is friend and who is enemy and destroy everything in his sight - Bladewolf - he is trying to be voice of reason for Raiden and trying to serve him as mental companion that can offer him peace of mind
It’s rare that I see someone who can really get to the truth of a character, this is the only video I have ever seen where someone has successfully reached the character depth that I search for when trying t understand one, thank you for the video, and blade wolf is easily my favorite character in the game. I wish I was as good at analysis and words to explain what this video means to me, but I’m not very good at those so it shall remain a mystery known only to me.
Bladewolf and Raiden also kind of remind me of the anime Casshern, which also inspired Mega Man and Rush among other countless cyborg/robot + robot dog stories. Casshern is a cyborg who was created to fight the robots his father helped develop which are being used for evil. Raiden is a direct result of Dr Clark's research, and he fights machines and people that were a direct result of her and the Patriots' actions.
normal people using a robot dog with a chainsaw: i will use this machine to protect myself and those i care for sundowner using a robot dog with a chainsaw: haha funni dog have more emotion then humans
Speaking of fanfic ideas… “I understand a claw cover for civilian interactions, but… please explain the design.” You mean the toe beans? “I do not detect any vegetable matter.”
A detailed that I love about blade wolf is that when he was under the control of World Marshal, he didn't have any mouth (I mean he had that resembled one but it doesn't look like a functional one), symbolizing that he was dependent upon someone else to feed him, but when he was rebuilt, he was given a mouth that was indeed functional(he held sam's sword, which proves its functionality), implying that he can now hunt and feed himself on his own without any dependencies. And, that's just one of the magnificent details in Metal Gear Rising. Idk why but it really resembles the current world tbh.
I'm here once again to make sure that Meti is advertising Shimoneta. Also for some deep Blade Wolf analysis, he's a good boy and deserves an in-depth video like this.
I think the way freedom is used in the lyrics eludes more to the different interpretations of freedom being used by different people to further their causes under the guise of moral good. Freedom in itself is a desirable thing to strife for, but if you don't understand what you really fight for you'll just end up being used by your government.
I love Blade wolf, and I loved the video!!! I think him being a dog is also inspired by Friender from Casshern , Raiden has a lot of design, character and ability influences from casshern himself and he needs a robot dog!
I love how Sam’s face guard doesn’t move into place for the fight with wolf. Neither has been secretive or deceptive with the other, and it’s just a lil sad
If you listen during the Bladewolf boss fight cutscene in the main storyline, you can still hear the Flamenco Guitar playing. You can turn down every other volume aside from music whohc should be 100%, you can hear it.
Blade Wolf is almost certainly my favourite character in MGR. All of them are really good and interesting, but Wolf just hits me really hard in the feels. I think because I really relate to the fear of losing memories, and identity as a whole; to me, specifically, conditions like Alzheimer's and Dementia are among the cruelest, since not only does it cripple you, but it eat away at your memories, at who you are... It terrifies and horrifies me to my core.
I also think the fact that Khamsin has only cords for connecting to his mech for a lower body symbolizes the idea that in his blind obedience to his superiors out of trust that they will bring freedom as he truly desires, he himself has ironically been enslaved by his superiors.
7:50 That kinda falls apart once you realize that that’s just the intro to the song that also plays during the pre-fight cutscene in Raiden’s campaign.
Your exploration of Blade Wolfs character and description of his thoughts and actions during the Armstrong fight totally changed how I felt about that scene with sam's sword. I got chills when I heard passing of the torch! Absolutely excellent job on this one!
Something I'd like to note about the lyrics in The Hot Wind Is Blowing is that the line "I don't know what I've been told" is derivative of a common phrase in military chants ("I don't know, but I've been told"). Probably an obvious thing that wasn't really worth mentioning in this video but I think it strengthens the theme of the song.
I always found it interesting they chose to make Blade Wolf a cyborg dog instead of a cyborg anything else. The design choice represents the freedom of wild wolves juxtaposed to the obedience of domesticated dogs.
"What an AI would know about Freedom..." That's what Raiden says after defeating Blade Wolf, and considering his past with the Patriots and how they had humanity enslaved for so long without freedom up to MGS4... i guess the idea of an AI wanting to be free sounds ridiculous to him at that time, and he even lash out at Wolf when he suffered that emotional breakdown before the Moonson fight. God, i love this game so much.
Wow! That concept design for that wolf ally meant for Vanquish looks awesome. Man is that game among the most underrated games ever made in my opinion. If the game ever gets a sequel or whatever, I hope they use that idea.
to this day, i am still honored to have an original xbox 360 magazine reviewing Revengeance. Who knew that a game that came out in 2013 would ironically become popular through memes? monsoon would be proud
I would interpret the line "without a compass, the soldier knows no disgrace", as referencing a lack of restraint by soldiers on foreign soil. They're far from home, they don't need a compass to know that. Far from home, far from any eyes that matter to them, they have full freedom to be as horrible as they choose, with no fear of being disgraced in the eyes of those who matter.
Love the similarities Blade Wolf and Fenrir have; Both were betrayed and desire freedom, and both are chained in some way. Hell the lyrics of I'm My Own Master Now fit the Norse wolf perfectly 🐺
10:58 I don't hear the word "don't" in these lyrics. Maybe I'm just missing it but if I'm right I have a slightly different interpretation. Khamsin knows full well how reprehensible his orders are but he goes along with them anyway because he thinks he's fulfilling the wishes of the people. That's why the lyrics are said in a robotic voice, he doesn't even flinch at what is very obviously wrong because he's been programmed by propaganda like a robot to believe that it's "for the people" and "for freedom." He excuses his actions by shrugging his shoulders and saying "well, the people want it and who am I to say no." He pretends he has no choice because it is the only thing that can absolve him of guilt but deep down he knows full well the extent of atrocities he promoted and participated in and that he is largely to blame for their happening.
Its so amazing how after his pursuit to freedom, he can finally rest chain-free with a master not teaching him about killing instinct and living in fear of his memories being wiped, but with aaster treating him less of an AI and more of a genuine living sould with its own free will
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
I never realized that Blade Wolf rejecting to shake Raiden's hand made him go into Ripper Mode for a split second. That's honestly hilarious.
"tch- he rejected me..."
The only thing I know for real starts playing
When your dog likes your friend more than you
Considering that Ripper Mode is activated by pain, it is safe to say that Raiden felt pain in that moment
@@firefox309 THERE WILL BE BLOOD (BLOOD) SHED (SHED)
Mistral: why do you want a robot dog in our army
Sundowner: its funny lmao
Boston dynamics
Legit something Sundowner would say. Its just him being brutally honest
Khamsin : is useless
Also khamsin : been cut to multiple part by blade wolf
@@grassperrysvn4543 I understand your attempts at humour I simply do not find them entertaining
"Ah'm very in touch with mah inner child an' ah want a fuckin' sick robo-dahg wit' a gaht dahm chainsaw, woman!"
Blade Wolf also says my favourite line in the entire game
"I understand your attempts at humor, I simply do not find them entertaining"
It fits so many situations on the internet.
Essentially "Not funny, didn't laugh"
@@jimboanimations4041 Indeed
XD
0:40 source please?
It sounds so nice!
the new comeback to "it was a joke"
“I am a slave to my memes” You won’t find this kind of writing outside of MGR.
I too, am a slave. To memes
It's both hilarious, and it makes perfect sense in context
Peak fiction
The only other place you would is Metal Gear Solid.
Meme page owners be like
honestly the whole meme idea and the fact that in the game they claim people are revolved around and controlled by memes, has aged so well in our modern society. the game was definitely ahead of it's time
I also like the part where his Desperado body has no mouth, but after he's rescued by Raiden, his body does have a mouth, symbolizing how he NOW has a say in what he does. Love this game.
His new body has ears, too. Interestingly, he never really NEEDED ears, back with Desperado, as nobody said anything meaningful to him, orders aside.
Dammit, I just made that comment before discovering yours
Yall Big brain
This is most likely a mere coincidence but in the lore of transformers comics published by the company idw there is this ritual called enpurata in which a transformer's head is replaced with a head with only one circular eye (like shockwave and desperado blade wolf have) and hands replaced with claws so they wouldn't be able to express themselves
Also, most Desperado members (Monsoon, Sundowner, Sam) have their mouth covered by a muzzle during their fights, as if blocking them from speaking the truth to others, while some have their eyes covered (Raiden, Bladewolf, Monsoon, Sundowner), preventing them from seeing the truth of the world around them
Raiden entering Ripper Mode after Wolf rejected to shake his hand has a lot of meme potential
Monsoon says I'm more like them then he once thought:
Now he's just being nasty.
Me when blade wolf doesn't shack hand.
Ripper mode.
*"DOKTOR!* ...Turn on my emotional pain inhibitors, Blade Wolf hurt my feelings :("
@@fandomcringebucket Doktor: "alright"
@@thenexus8384 DOKTOR TURN MY PAIN AND MENTAL PAIN INHIBITORS OFF SO I CAN GO BLACK AIR FORCE MODE
@@EminemMusicReal Doktor: "ok"
I think it should also be noted that in Khamsin's theme, "invisible warrior" most likely refers to the fact that despite him being a "wind of destruction", he is never once mentioned in the main game, it also reinforces the later lyric of "fulfill our duty, then vanish without a trace". He is forgotten, invisible to everyone else.
Could also be referencing the fact that Blade Wolf is more focused on stealth and avoiding combat compared to Raiden.
I also saw on another comment section that the lyrics at the part could be a reference to all of the winds of destruction.
"Here I am" Mistral
"Dirty and Faceless" Sundowner
"Waiting to heed your instruction" Blade Wolf
"On my own" Jetstream Sam
"Invisible Warrior" Monsoon
Edit: I just saw a comment on this comment section that's basically the comment I was talking about from the other vid. The comment goes more into depth than what mine said so go check it out it shouldn't be too hard to find 👍
Going beyond MGR, it also applies to soldiers. During fighting and after. Not seen unless on the frontline and unfortunately forgotten to history.
@@chartrev5333 Yeah I saw that too, it was pretty fucking dumb lol
Proudly being a soldier means proudly being a nameless, faceless tool of a greater power or idea among an army of similar people. No matter how incredible your skill or noteworthy your achievements, your own identity and ideals might be cast aside as you ultimately become just another grunt exacting someone else's will.
one of my favorite Blade Wolf lines is when Raiden says that him deciding to repay the favor is a very human thing to do, Wolf responds with, paraphrasing, "no it isn't, most humans don't give a shit"
that shouldve been the line lets be real here
The idea of Wolf learning to curse after reading curse words on the internet is really amusing to me.
"I understand your attempts at humor, but I find them rather fucking stupid."
@@CricetoFunni that sounds like a max0r line oh my god
he set me free so I had to
"Wordplay. The word "Candice" sounds like the phrase "can this." Amusing on two levels.
Who Candice though?
@@tortoisesoup16 Phineas and Ferb’s older sister.
@@lolstalgic9602 hello no lol whos candice?..
@@eeelorde9962 Raiden: *Activates ripper mode* YOUR SISTER'S DEAD!
Raiden shogun from Genshin: *Sad useless deity noises*
Candice nuts
I always thought that wolf was the opposite of all metal gear characters. He’s a character based purely on memes and not genes but strives to be more than just his memes.
And then he became a meme...for a short time
In a way, his memes are his genes. While everybody else is haunted by their blood, Wolf is more haunted by those who made him, yet he can still happily change with time. In a way, being opposite leaves him better off?
How can you unironically refer to something as memes?
@@InfiniteGreninja "Memes the DNA of the soul"
-monsoon
@@InfiniteGreninja Kojima made an entire franchise around that concept.
Also a neat detail: Khamsin and Mistral are condescendingly referring to Blade Wolf as a dog or a mutt while Sam, Raiden and Sunny refer to him as a wolf. The former dismiss Blade Wolf's search for freedom seeing him only as a tool while the latter see and respect who he is. Sam also calls him a dog at first due to his dismissal, but afterwards, once he grew to know him better, he does refer to him as "wolfy".
It also calls back to MGS1 where sniper wolf refers to herself as "nothing more than a dog." When snake interjects that "Wolves are noble animals. They're not like dogs. In Yupik, the word for wolf is 'Kegluneq', and the Aleuts revere them as honorable cousins. They call mercenaries like us 'Dogs of War'. It's true, we're all for sale at some price or another. But you're different...untamed...solitary...you're no dog, you're a wolf." Khamsin and Mistral are both dogs exactly as Snake described, but BladeWolf is different, and only those who understand the true nature of conflict can recognize it.
Sam also calls Blade Wolf "pup"
Dogs = Domesticated; tamed animals, with little dictatorship over their own lives.
Wolves = Wild Animals; completely free from authority and any control, their own masters...
This comment is incredible, think you for giving me this realization. Just comes to show how masterfully written MGR truly is.
@@SadMoribund aaaw you're making me blush! lmao
@@spymatt8521 dont forget Armstrong calls him a mutt too. And ultimately, while Sundowner does call him a wolf, its not because he thinks BladeWolf is an individual, but more because he respects the potential of a weapon from the days where the war economy was still strong, a time he wants to bring back. He respects BladeWolf not for his individuality, but because his development and existence are a literal embodiment of what Sundowner wants.
Really, Sam and Raiden are the only characters who _actually_ respect BladeWolf for what he is, an individual with an intrinsic right to be able to forge his own path, rather than a machine or tool.
The story of BladeWolf is kinda its own narrative within the narrative of MGR. A narrative of the nature of AI, and the dilemma of whether a sentient AI should be classified as a “construct” or an “individual.”
If a tool has the ability to think, learn, choose, and desire, should it be allowed to? Some, like Mistral and Khamsin, would say no, because a tool wasn’t designed to do these things. Others, like Sam and Raiden, would say yes, because if a tool can reason, can choose, can learn from mistakes, can dream of something more, what makes it any different from you or me? Does being made of metal make someone less than someone made of flesh and bone, if both can live?
Blade Wolf is a certified good boi. May his goodness be remembered for eternity.
Wouldn't mind having Bladewolf as a pet doggy
He's certainly a very cute cybernetic canine
BladeWolf is a very good boi
And I agree with @Chomik . BladeWolf would be an epic doggo companion
Canines befriended by humans are often called "good boi"s. Amusing on 2 levels.
An interesting thing I've heard specifically about Khamsin's theme, is that the "all men who bend their will" part could also be a jab at soldiers who blindly follow orders. Like what Armstrong believes, soldiers fighting in wars they don't understand or don't believe in
one thing that's interesting to me, is that Mistral and Khamsin were probably the most loyal winds of destruction, with Khamsin being a blind orders follower and Mistral owning her life's purpose to Armstrong, and that probably made them the ones least in line with Armstrong's ideals
The melody is very similar to Collective Consciousness by the way.
"Freedom is calling to all men who bend their will" is an oxymoron.
Kinda like "War is peace"
This is the closest I'm ever gonna get to see a "the beauty of Khamsin". Which is sad because he's unironicly one of my favourite MGRR characters.
That's kinda weird, ngl, but I won't shame. What about him appeals to you so much?
@@AbsoluteMongoloid He just kinda fits into the whole "soldiers are expendable" theme which is prevalent in MGRR, and I also find his ideology on freedom to be interesting.
He also just looks really cool being strapped to a mech despite it having an impractical design since it also just leaves him wide open.
Also a top tier theme.
@@insertname8230 I don't wanna sound mean, but "The anonymity of Khamsin" might be a more significant title.
@@MidoriNatsume oh that does sound better, nice thinkin dude
I'm so glad someone made a video on Blade Wolf. And it is Meti of all people!
Тайфун!?
А×УЕТЬ ОН НАСТОЯЩИЙ
когда тайны спор?????
тайфун стал фаном метал гир райзинга, может снимешь по нему видео?
@@infotab8730 Умножаю
Raiden after Wolf refuses to shake his hand: *I* *S* *E* *E* *T* *H*
Pain... this is what I fight for
*cut you down to size starts playing*
@@M4x_P0w3r You've lost your mind...
@@Shisnobi This is my normal. My madness.
I'll take this dance
i love blade wolf, is theme is incredible emotional, the batlle against him is a roadblock meant to stop those that cannot parry, and his interactions with raiden are so funny. notice how he always is the one giving orders, telling raiden that he has to follow him and bossing around, because he has been following orders for so long that now he is the one that wanna give them.
cringe
cringe
@@neo-filthyfrank1347 bruh
@@neo-filthyfrank1347 bruh
@@kenzokunyamada cringe
Sam, Blade Wolf's closest "friend" among Desperado, has a missing hand. This might be another (possibly coincidental) connection to the name of Fenrir.
When Fenrir was bound in impossible chains, he agreed to be tied only if his closest friend Tyr placed his hand in his mouth. When he was betrayed, Fenrir bit off Tyr's hand.
Edit: oh this was brought up for Mistral!
Your point still stands, methinks. If the Bladewolf DLC did not exist, your example would have been the go-to.
The only difference is that Fenrir bitting off Tyr's hand was the result of their mutual trust, whereas Bladewolf cut off Mistral's arm as a result of the lack of trust. Tyr essentially offered his arm if the string ruse turned out to be a lie, which it turned out to be, whereas Mistral was taken by surprise at Bladewolf's first chance at freedom, which it turned out to be a lie.
No, it says that his closest friend is a Skywalker.
“I was not designed to fear termination.”
The most badass way to say,
"Do it, you won't."
Even though he's actually terrified of being terminated as his memory would be wiped too
@@colt9836 That's not what he said. Also, Armstrong did. Bladewolf doesn't seem to make the mistake of speaking for others. That would be illogical.
Simply put, it goes against choice itself. Baldewolf knows better then to imply making the choices of others.
Which echoes Raiden's MGS4 "I just don't fear death" line.
That moment you realize a robot dog in a spinoff videogame has more personality than 99% of human characters in fiction.
MGR:R was such a masterpiece, I’m glad it’s finally getting the recognition it deserves, even if it’s just because of the memes.
Something I noticed was how after his freedom and rebuilding we never see him ever kill, let alone attack anyone, even when surrounded by corrupt police with Raiden he chooses to scout ahead and leave the actual fighting to Raiden. Blade Wolf is truly a good boy who doesn’t harbor any violent wishes against anyone, only
killing if he was literally forced to do so (admittedly the DLC kinda dents this a little, but in BW’s defense he was fleeing for his life, he likely assumes he would have been terminated if he was caught and defeated)
Remember the fear inhibitors Desperado put into their grunt cyborgs, while Raiden could still hear their tortured thoughts? Blade Wolf was doing them a favor by killing them, if they weren't the same brand of psycho as Monsoon and Sundowner.
For what it's worth "Q" on united states aircraft designates a drone and "L" indicates it carries a laser. I don't remember if he has a laser but Q is pretty ingrained in the zeitgeist as indicating a drone thanks to the MQ-1.
i remember there were those mini-boss versions of blade-wolf in certain locations, they were capable of using laser as i remember
but im not entirely sure
@@infotab8730 not exactly mini bosses but yes, the fenrir model of Wolf can carry either a chainsaw or a laser cannon.
@@infotab8730 That's correct. You could find some of those in that Japanese garden for example. Instead of chainsaws, they had a laser sniper rifle
Unless they meant to put "Land" as L.
Blade wolfs 3rd theme is truly perfect. That chant is fantastic.
69 likes confirmed
Where Can I listen them all to compare them?
"Here I am" : *Mistral.* (Not only that she is there, watching Blade Wolf fight, but in her own song there's a line that says "Here I come.")
"Dirty and faceless" : *Sundowner.* (He did most of the dirty work and his face gets covered completely on his second phase.)
"Waiting to heed your instruction" : *Blade Wolf.* (Pretty obvious.)
"On my own" : *Samuel.* (First and last member of the group we fight. Besides he's a mercenary, he's used to being on his own.)
"Invisible warrior" : *Monsoon.* (Monsoon is more philosophical in his approach and he does have a phase on his fight where he uses mist to hide.)
"I am a wind of destruction" : *Khamsin.* (Since it's his own theme too.)
Ooooooh, that’s good!
It’s also interesting that wolf’s redesign gives him a mouth, something his previous form lacked. It doesn’t serve any real purpose but seemingly symbolizes his newfound freedom, as he is free to breathe and speak.
Love Blade Wolf, funny how he's an a.i. but manages to be one of the most human characters in the game. Also had a thought, I always wondered why Khamsin's theme really only kicks in at the end of the fight but, figured it may be because he only really thinks of what he's doing and why once he knows his life is actually in danger.
Also, it could be highlighting his spite and jealousy towards Blade Wolf, for apparently being free, how Blade Wolf symbolises his “FREEEEEEDOM” motto more than he does.
“Aww! Who’s your little friend?”
“I’m Bladewolf, and he’s the sidekick”
"What's his name?"
"His name is Steven."
It's pretty obvious that the "i" in the name stands for intelligence, but I'd like to entertain the idea that Bladewolf was fitted with a single Bosch fuel injector for no reason
No idea what that is, but it still sounds hilarious XD
my favorite bmw, the lq-84i
It stands for "interface", as Blade Wolf explains when he first meets Raiden
So obvious that it's literally BS as anyone who actually played the game or watched a playthrough would know...
Nobody talks about how he’s powered though. Perhaps he has a tiny generator inside of him that keeps him running. Direct injection wolf
SHALASHASKA PLEASE,
Or rather…
REVOLVER….
(Spins irl water gun)
(Still spinning)
(Almost done)
*OCELOT!*
i think both blade wolf's theme and khamsin's theme are my top two songs in the soundtrack. khamsin's theme in particular is INSANELY underrated
He looks like how the word 'powerthirst' sounds.
- Raiden
Raiden looks In the car mirror
Go nuts Fido
I swear to God, yesterday I was like "hmm why not watch these awesome mgr character analysis. Sad that there arent more yet"
That timing is impeccable
I hope there will be more cause I really adore your videos
Keep it up 👍
Mgr has been getting a lot of lot as of late, really makes you wish for a sequel
Fuck konami
Well considering that we talked about the soldier who opened his eyes and that strived for his freedom, what about the one that choose to keep them shut and convinced himself of being free?
A Khamsin analysis would be intersting
18:06 Real quick, Sam's sword is Murasama, Masamune is the sword of Sephiroth from FFVII.
It’s not actually
Pretty sure that in his Jetstream Sam video he said something along the lines of Masamune meaning Muramasa, but it was translated to Murasama. Could be wrong though, someone fact check me if you want
No, Masamune was the rival to Muramasa.
Basically Masamune would create pure holy blades and Muramasa would create demonic cursed blades.
Masamune is a different sword to the Muramasa.
The Muramasa was translated wrong into the now named Murasama.
Muramasa and Masamune were both Japanese swordsmiths who lived at completely different points in time.
Folklore claims that Muramasa was very easy to anger, and this results in his swords possessing an evil energy or power that might require blood.
Masamune is depicted in stories as being wise, sagely, and peaceful, and his weapons are thus shown to be heroic or noble.
Brazil has the second largest population of ethnic Japanese with first being Japan, of course. So, one of Sam's ancestors got a Muramasa katana, passed it down, and over time it changed to Murasama, and this was done by the writers to reflect how the names of things can change as a result of mistranslation.
I love Bladewolf so much, he actually even inspired one of my characters in a certain project of mine
Also, his theme slaps
He's a cute doggy
Gonna hijack this to talk about the mythological Fenris wolf, because his story and the surrounding myths are a tragedy.
He was born one of three children of Loki, the other two being Hel and Jormungandr. Hel was half blue and half flesh-coloured, Jormungandr was a serpent, and Fenrir was, of course, a Wolf.
When they were born, Odin recognised them by name and appearance, because he knew the prophecies of Ragnarok, and that they would be the main contributions to the event. So he decided to 'deal with them.'
Hel was cast into Helheim, the realm of the dishonourable dead, where she rose to become their queen, the goddess of death. Jormungandr was cast into the sea by Thor, where he grew to enormous size and became the world serpent. But Fenrir was too powerful for the gods to get rid of directly, so they had him live alongside them to keep tabs on him, where he became close friends with the God Tyr.
As Fenrir grew larger and stronger, Odin and the other gods proposed a game, tying up Fenrir with stronger and stronger restraints and faux celebrating each time he escaped. Eventually Odin commissioned the dwarves to make Gleipnir, a chain made from impossible things. But when they went to test it on Fenrir, he got suspicious of them and said he would only agree this time if one of the Gods put their hand in his mouth, where he would bite it off if they betrayed him.
Only his friend Tyr would agree. When he couldn't escape and the gods refused to release him again, he fulfilled his promise and bit Tyr's hand off.
When Ragnarok happens, Loki and his allies march with Hel's army of the dead. Jormungandr has grow so large and powerful that he can mortally wound Thor, a god who was otherwise unstoppable by the standards of the mythology. And Fenrir gets to kill Odin himself, for all the pain Odin inflicted upon them.
11:25 “freedom is also seemingly a shorthand for westernization.” Oh my god, you’re right.
I'M MY OWN MASTER NOW!
HEAR ME HOWL
TIME TO LEAVE THEM ALL BEHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND!!
@@dethmettle9236 I'M MY OWN MASTER NOWW
18:37
Raiden : can I shake your hand
Wolf : No.
Raiden : **Comically goes in ripper mode for one second because of emotional damage**
I'm so glad metal gear rising is getting a revival of love and attention lately
It does that every year and it shows that it is a timeless masterpiece and needs a sequel
Especially in the warframe community
The older the game gets the bigger the fandom grows
Memes. The dna of the soul.
For some people it´s the Memes and the Nanomachines.
To me Bladewolf´s establishing my own directives after a life without real choices resonates with me on a personal level. Plus I love his straightman to everyone else.
It's interesting that he bears strong resemblance appearance wise to Beast of Darkness from Berserk. They both resemble dark, demonic looking Wolf.
Except personality wise they are total opposite
- Beast of Darkness - represents Guts uncontrollable rage, that makes lose sigh who is friend and who is enemy and destroy everything in his sight
- Bladewolf - he is trying to be voice of reason for Raiden and trying to serve him as mental companion that can offer him peace of mind
Wonderful video, well explained every step of the way
It’s rare that I see someone who can really get to the truth of a character, this is the only video I have ever seen where someone has successfully reached the character depth that I search for when trying t understand one, thank you for the video, and blade wolf is easily my favorite character in the game. I wish I was as good at analysis and words to explain what this video means to me, but I’m not very good at those so it shall remain a mystery known only to me.
There’s something so poetic and so ironic that I love about a machine showing more compassion and humanity than humanity itself.
oh wow, love the edit of khamsin’s theme leading straight into his lines, that was really good
Bladewolf and Raiden also kind of remind me of the anime Casshern, which also inspired Mega Man and Rush among other countless cyborg/robot + robot dog stories. Casshern is a cyborg who was created to fight the robots his father helped develop which are being used for evil. Raiden is a direct result of Dr Clark's research, and he fights machines and people that were a direct result of her and the Patriots' actions.
normal people using a robot dog with a chainsaw: i will use this machine to protect myself and those i care for
sundowner using a robot dog with a chainsaw: haha funni dog have more emotion then humans
I really like the line "being led by the blind" because it's also the twist on a blind service dog's situation.
*"My handler is a white woman. I will never eat peanut butter sandwhiches ever again"*
- Max0r as Blade Wolf
I would love to see Sunny take Blade Wolf to a zoo to see the wolves. I want to know how he would react to seeing the real thing.
He would probably want to free them
Speaking of fanfic ideas…
“I understand a claw cover for civilian interactions, but… please explain the design.”
You mean the toe beans?
“I do not detect any vegetable matter.”
“Dear god, where are their knives?” -Blade Wolf Probably
Really happy that someone actually made a video about my favourite metal gear character, well done meti......
I have been literally dreaming of the day I got to see this video. Bladewolf was always so damn cool
I can't wait for the three hour long analysis of Metal Gear Ray
A detailed that I love about blade wolf is that when he was under the control of World Marshal, he didn't have any mouth (I mean he had that resembled one but it doesn't look like a functional one), symbolizing that he was dependent upon someone else to feed him, but when he was rebuilt, he was given a mouth that was indeed functional(he held sam's sword, which proves its functionality), implying that he can now hunt and feed himself on his own without any dependencies.
And, that's just one of the magnificent details in Metal Gear Rising. Idk why but it really resembles the current world tbh.
I'm here once again to make sure that Meti is advertising Shimoneta.
Also for some deep Blade Wolf analysis, he's a good boy and deserves an in-depth video like this.
Thank you Meti for covering so many MG characters. Your videos are always so well done and actually fun to watch, love you and cheers from Brazil :>
Are you able to double jump?
Can you double jump
I think the way freedom is used in the lyrics eludes more to the different interpretations of freedom being used by different people to further their causes under the guise of moral good. Freedom in itself is a desirable thing to strife for, but if you don't understand what you really fight for you'll just end up being used by your government.
I love Blade wolf, and I loved the video!!!
I think him being a dog is also inspired by Friender from Casshern , Raiden has a lot of design, character and ability influences from casshern himself and he needs a robot dog!
Good one!
Dude I'm so happy someone decided to dedicate an entire video for our beloved Blade Wolf. Props to you!
I love Blade Wolf so much, he's one of my favorite characters of all time and I'm glad you covered him!
I love how Sam’s face guard doesn’t move into place for the fight with wolf. Neither has been secretive or deceptive with the other, and it’s just a lil sad
He didn't get the face guard till after Armstrong
Hot Wind Blowing is actually one of my top songs of mgrr
If you listen during the Bladewolf boss fight cutscene in the main storyline, you can still hear the Flamenco Guitar playing. You can turn down every other volume aside from music whohc should be 100%, you can hear it.
Blade Wolf is almost certainly my favourite character in MGR. All of them are really good and interesting, but Wolf just hits me really hard in the feels.
I think because I really relate to the fear of losing memories, and identity as a whole; to me, specifically, conditions like Alzheimer's and Dementia are among the cruelest, since not only does it cripple you, but it eat away at your memories, at who you are...
It terrifies and horrifies me to my core.
I also think the fact that Khamsin has only cords for connecting to his mech for a lower body symbolizes the idea that in his blind obedience to his superiors out of trust that they will bring freedom as he truly desires, he himself has ironically been enslaved by his superiors.
7:50 That kinda falls apart once you realize that that’s just the intro to the song that also plays during the pre-fight cutscene in Raiden’s campaign.
YES, SOMEONE TALKING ABOUT MY FAVORITE CHARACTER
Your exploration of Blade Wolfs character and description of his thoughts and actions during the Armstrong fight totally changed how I felt about that scene with sam's sword. I got chills when I heard passing of the torch! Absolutely excellent job on this one!
you are an absolutly fantastic content creator!! ive watched your videos for years now keep up the great work man!!!
I’ve literally been marathoning all the mgs videos at work and now a blade wolf video. COMBINATION COMPLETE.
Something I'd like to note about the lyrics in The Hot Wind Is Blowing is that the line "I don't know what I've been told" is derivative of a common phrase in military chants ("I don't know, but I've been told"). Probably an obvious thing that wasn't really worth mentioning in this video but I think it strengthens the theme of the song.
I always found it interesting they chose to make Blade Wolf a cyborg dog instead of a cyborg anything else. The design choice represents the freedom of wild wolves juxtaposed to the obedience of domesticated dogs.
Dear Meti,
I humbly request you to do a video on the funny philosophical megnatic Ninja man.
Your faithfully,
One of your subscriber
I agree with Mr. BRUH Lizard
YES! it has been months since your last MGR video, but the wait was worth it, cannot wait for the next video about the MGR characters!
Very well done. I particularly enjoyed your lyric analysis
Bonus Excelsus fact! One of the funniest little details of the world building, I share your passion for it.
"What an AI would know about Freedom..."
That's what Raiden says after defeating Blade Wolf, and considering his past with the Patriots and how they had humanity enslaved for so long without freedom up to MGS4... i guess the idea of an AI wanting to be free sounds ridiculous to him at that time, and he even lash out at Wolf when he suffered that emotional breakdown before the Moonson fight. God, i love this game so much.
He's his own master now
Nice job man! Good luck on working on your videos.
Love your Metal gear vidoes I'm still hoping for that Venom snake video one day.
Same I hope he does more mg characters
So my favorite character from the whole game and his theme is also my favorite as well!
If he has such a mighty intellect, then surely he has downloaded a copy of shimoneta.
It always makes me happy when Blade Wolf receives the recognition he deserves.
Can't wait for "The Memes Behind Monsoon"
Wow! That concept design for that wolf ally meant for Vanquish looks awesome. Man is that game among the most underrated games ever made in my opinion. If the game ever gets a sequel or whatever, I hope they use that idea.
to this day, i am still honored to have an original xbox 360 magazine reviewing Revengeance. Who knew that a game that came out in 2013 would ironically become popular through memes? monsoon would be proud
god i would love one of these on monsoone
I love how the music ingame somehow plays a crucial part in building their character
I'm my own master now!
I would interpret the line "without a compass, the soldier knows no disgrace", as referencing a lack of restraint by soldiers on foreign soil. They're far from home, they don't need a compass to know that. Far from home, far from any eyes that matter to them, they have full freedom to be as horrible as they choose, with no fear of being disgraced in the eyes of those who matter.
Another excellent video. Thanks, Meti!
It really is a testimony to how good this game was that people are still talking about it this many years later.
2:44 did the dog do the jack o thing??!?!?1!1?1!1!1?11
4:00 he can only see.
Thanks for covering Blade Wolf and Khamsin, their duality needed to be discussed.
Blade Wolf is such an underrated character. Glad to see him getting some love.
Love the similarities Blade Wolf and Fenrir have; Both were betrayed and desire freedom, and both are chained in some way. Hell the lyrics of I'm My Own Master Now fit the Norse wolf perfectly 🐺
10:58 I don't hear the word "don't" in these lyrics. Maybe I'm just missing it but if I'm right I have a slightly different interpretation. Khamsin knows full well how reprehensible his orders are but he goes along with them anyway because he thinks he's fulfilling the wishes of the people. That's why the lyrics are said in a robotic voice, he doesn't even flinch at what is very obviously wrong because he's been programmed by propaganda like a robot to believe that it's "for the people" and "for freedom." He excuses his actions by shrugging his shoulders and saying "well, the people want it and who am I to say no." He pretends he has no choice because it is the only thing that can absolve him of guilt but deep down he knows full well the extent of atrocities he promoted and participated in and that he is largely to blame for their happening.
Its so amazing how after his pursuit to freedom, he can finally rest chain-free with a master not teaching him about killing instinct and living in fear of his memories being wiped, but with aaster treating him less of an AI and more of a genuine living sould with its own free will