I really enjoyed your breakdown of The Transformers One fight. When I watched it something just felt off with the way they clashed. Looking back it was just a the lack of strategy that I was expected from the two leaders.
I definitely disagreed with your placement of the Gojo vs Sukuna fight. I agree with your points, but I don't understand why this fight deserves to not be held in a vacuum. Every other fight shown was not given the luxury of having anything not explained explicitly within the fight elaborated upon. I think that, given the same level of scrutiny, Netero vs Meruem has far more interesting moral implications, though, as the fight heavily relied on events around it to make sense, it was knocked down a few pegs. I understand that, but it seemed like your review of Gojo vs Sukuna focused too enormously on events not located directly in the fight. Hopefully, that comment didn't come off as rude, I absolutely adore your content, please keep making more of it.
I really think you're doing a good job, but this one needed more time in the oven. The Transformers One final fight was a bunch of boring BS for me. The whole second half was so rushed it killed the movie. And it was because narratively, Megatron's transformation and why the Decepticons followed him was so poorly done. They wanted a big bombasitc finale but it fell flat. The whole fight felt like a slap fight between two toddlers where you are trying to understand why they are mad at each other. Optimus also ended up being worthless when he didn't even want to put up a fight for people to follow him or convince his "friend". It was "You betrayed me. Go and "*TAKE THE HIGH GUARD*" (that's verbatim!).
i watched kill bill for the first time this year and didnt rly get why people like it so much. i also agree that the final fight was narratively and emotionally underwhelming
I lost my mind when Lionel Messi said “Are the strongest because you’re Cristiano Ronaldo? Or are you Cristiano Ronaldo because you’re the strongest?” And then Ronaldo hit his entire team with a Hollow Purple and they all died. Peak nonfiction.
I love how casually written and read the line "and they all died" is, just feels like everyone dies to unimaginable super strong techniques every world cup😂
12:42 This is one of my favorite lines from any animanga series, and I feel it goes over many people's heads. The word Netero uses is not in Japanese or English, though it's usually translated as evolution. In reality, it's a double meaning. The kanji used can be interpreted by Japanese readers/viewers as either evolution or malice. Meruem had underestimated humanity's potential for malice, resulting in Netero's self-sacrifice, culminating in the Rose's detonation. In a similar vein, he had underestimated humanity's potential for evolution through the use of malice. Meruem's journey, motivated by his interactions with Komugi, is based on the realization that the fragility and cruelty of humanity go hand in hand with its deep emotional depth and ingenuity. On another note, Gon's descent into unbridled rage and vengeance mirrors this idea, as his overwhelming malice against Pitou leads to his ultimate physical and emotional breakdown. It perfectly reinforces the concept that malice and progress are two sides of the same coin, as was hinted at throughout the arc. I've really never seen anything like it in media. Togashi is a genius writer.
yes thissss, also, there’s no clear winner cause the journey is the real prize for not only both meruem and netero, but also cause it’s the chimera ants literal entire lifetime, which is their height
I think Netero's last line is a big giveaway for the theme of the battle and the theme of the Chimera Ant arc as a whole. "You know nothing of the bottomless malice within the human heart... I will see you in hell... If there is one" This line actually chills Mereum down to the core, and the demonic looking face Netero makes before taking his own life honestly makes him seems more evil than Mereum, which is crazy because of the evil shit we see the Chimera Ant's do. Netero wanted to fight and he wanted to win, even giving up his own life to guarantee a tie, I don't think Mereum would have expected someone who valued strength like Netero does to do that move.
iirc the line in english is "i see now. checkmate was yours from the beginning" i don't recall if, or when, Netero told him his name, but under the assumption he didn't, it was that moment that Meruem knew that it was over. while he had no idea what the bomb would do, his instincts and Netero's words told him that this WILL kill him, that place will be his tomb (and would've if not for yuupi and pouf) it was that moment he knew he had lost.
@@aronsmith3417 I believe he utters “Meruem… King of Ants,” right before he speaks of humanity’s bottomless potential for malice/evolution. So either way, Meruem knew Netero’s final words were no mere boast (as the narrator might’ve also said, not sure).
You're not quite right about Netero's motives. Netero wanted to fight, yes, and he wanted to win, yes. But *he* did NOT want to win at all costs. Netero was seeking a fight where he could unleash his full strength and be evenly matched, as he had not met a worthy opponent since he was young. As he indicated in their conversation before the fight, Netero would have been happy to have the Mereum leave alive, if it were just a fight between the two of them. But since Mereum is clear that he will not end the ants' genocidal agenda, it becomes a fight not just between these two, but between the two species. The bomb that he was implanted with was not of his own idea or his own making, and he would have been happy not to use it. The malice that Netero talks about, the evil face that he shows, is not his own, but that of humanity as a whole. Mereum does not expect that move from Netero not because he thought Netero valued strength, but because Mereum thought of humans as a collection of individuals without the unified purpose that the ants possess through his existence as king, so the idea that humanities collective "malice" could even exist, let alone manifest itself so concretely was a complete shock.
@@mylesleggette7520 Netero dies much like an ant, sacrificing itself for the greater whole, while Mereum perishes the way a Human would - surrounded by the ones he loves. Ironic, for how much he speaks about himself being the pinnacle of evolution, derived from a collective purpose.
the gojo sukuna fight was so good, i loved that it showcased that they werent just the strongest because of their op techniques and raw power output, but it really showcased how deep their understandings of the power systems went and how good they are at strategizing the inverted barrier, 3v1 cheating, everything they did to claw and scrape to get the upper hand, i loved every second of it
I love how much you diversify your content among different forms of literature. Your scope isn’t just limited to live action, cartoons, drawn fiction, but rather a mix of all of those things. It really broadens the horizon of what good storytelling can look like and makes for enjoyable content
I think gege's message goes beyond resolve alone, and his point is that to live without regrets you have to be able to embrace variety in your worldview. Sukuna beat gojo because of his absolute devotion to his selfish ideals (which amounts to resolve), but that same resolve that helped him beat gojo is exactly why he lost to itadori. Itadori didn't beat him because he simply had more resolve, but because of where the resolve comes from. Sukuna's resolve to live selfishly is rooted in his hatred from his childhood (mahito calls him out in the final chapter and points out that he acted the way he did because of revenge) whereas Yuji's resolve is rooted in his desire to help other people. He offered sukuna mercy because he understands sukuna and why he came to his ideals, and he can ultimately empathize with him. It's because Sukuna's resolve itself was rooted in selfishness that he couldn't accept yuji's non-selfish ideals until after he already he was beaten, and its because Yuji's had immense resolve in an ideal that directly opposed his own that sukuna "respected" gojo when he hated itadori. I think it's especially reasonable to say this is what itadori had that gojo lacked because it also mirrors the canonical reasoning why sukuna beat gojo and lost to yuji - sukuna won against gojo because he was an incarnated sorcerer(being incarnated into megumi is what allowed him to use the 10 shadows), yet it's also why yuji's attacks were so effective against specifically him and why he lost in the end. Sukuna's resolve/devotion to such selfish ideals are at the same time the source of his strength and the weakness that let him be beaten by someone much weaker than him.
I agree with your analysis of Gojo vs Sukuna, but I had a completely different reading of the themes/morals of the fight than you did. This isn't to discredit your opinions, because when it comes to analyzing messages it can be pretty divisive, based on our own interpretations. In my opinion the reason why Gojo lost is the same reason why all of Sukuna's opponents lost, they ultimately were trying to thrust a role upon themselves and him. Jogo lost all of his self confidence after his fight with Gojo, as Mahito said since Gojo was sealed the sorcerers were outmatched and that Sukuna could cause them trouble. Jogo himself was capable of killing them all the sorcerers by himself, but he needed to be absolutely sure that their plan would succeed. Releasing Sukuna ended up killing him as he tried to use him as a WMD to ensure the age of curses would come, but Sukuna did validate his strength. Yorozu wanted to teach Sukuna about love. She took that role upon herself and due to her love, she didn't take out Sukuna when she opened her domain, Perfect Sphere since he wasn't using his Domain. His plan was to use Mahorga and she died because she was constrained by her love. Kashimo wanted to understand why and how Sukuna became the strongest. Whether being the strongest means you'll continue to be lonely. He wanted answers to that question and Sukuna indulged him, giving him the fight that he wants. This fight meant everything to Gojo. To prove his role as the strongest, to have a worthy opponent to fight, to give that opponent a good time, and to save Megumi. He lost because he had so much to prove, the pressure of his role was weighing on his shoulders and it finally collapsed. Gojo claimed himself to be the honored one, while Sukuna was called the honored one by the narrator. In all of these fights, Sukuna had nothing to prove or lose. He did never assigned a role to himself, his title as the king of curses is meant as a status not a duty or role. Gojo, Jogo, Yorozu, and Kashimo lost because they were all restrained by proving the roles they had. In my opinion this is why Sukuna lost at the end. In his hatred for Yuji, he gave himself a role to crush Yuji's resolve, betraying himself in the process. Yuji rejects all roles including the one he once gave to himself, to be a savior and protect everyone. A person's life isn't of anymore importance compared to one who has something to prove. All lives matter and Yuji wasn't trying to prove anything, he was simply being himself and saving his friend, unlike Sukuna who became blinded to spite him. That's what I think Shinjuku Showdown and Gojo vs Sukuna was about.
I kind of disagree. Gojo, Kashimo, Maki and Miguel didn’t really want to prove anything. Sure, Gojo came into the fight with some goals, but at the end of the fight, he’s just happy to have been able to go all out against someone who could take it. He doesn’t hold himself accountable for not meeting his other goals. Kashimo just wanted to fight Sukuna, and was happy even though he got clapped. He didn’t want Sukuna’s respect or love, though he was of course happy to have them. And Maki was just there to save Megumi and the world, but she didn’t really want to be “a savior”, she was just there to fight because she cared about Megumi and didn’t want the world to become a wasteland. Very similar case with Miguel, except he didn’t even care about Megumi. I agree that Yuji only beats Sukuna by discarding his roles as Megumi’s savior and Sukuna’s executioner, deciding to let Megumi die if that’s what he wants and to offer Sukuna mercy.
Gojo calls himself the honoured one but so does the rest of the world he exists in as well. Every characters opinion of Gojo is that he is indeed the honoured one, the strongest. After all, if someone’s birth is stated to shift the balance of the world, how can he not be the honoured one?
You should watch Arcane and the channel schnee that analyzes it. My writing and media IQ goes up like 10 times every new episode and video I watch of either.
Most people haven't watched World Trigger, but my favorite example of a world cup fight is Tamakoma 2 vs Ninomiya vs Yuba vs Ikoma, it's a fight between a total of 14 soldiers, and all of these characters have unique personalities and fighting styles, the battle is one of the most strategic and tactical fights in fiction.
I have to say for your jjk thing (big spoiler warning ofc for anyone who skipped that part of the video), I think a lot of people felt shocked or let down by the ending of the Gojo vs Sukuna fight because it doesn’t do a great job of communicating that thematic weight that makes the difference in the fight and the moments leading up to it make it look like Gojo hitting hollow purple just means that in that moment he won. Like your explanation about resoluteness being the central theme of jjk is honestly fantastic and you’re making me retroactively like the story more because of that. But I don’t think that the series did a great job on the whole of communicating that in any kind of consistent way, and especially during the really complicated fights I find this to ring true. It’s a very good fight still and one of the biggest highlights of the series, but I still feel like it had room to improve.
That is a "problem" throughout most of JJK. It tells some themes with a high level of subtlety. There is an amazing amount of depth to be found, but it really has to be found first. Like how Megumi actually has a lot of character progression, but most people aren't aware of it. All of the characters have to be understood for their thematic relevance, otherwise you miss the entire point of them. This also makes it so that even minor characters can have a lot of depth without much time spent. Since the themes do the heavy lifting, Gege doesn't spend time on explaining the characters. So if you don't have a good understanding of the themes, you will probably think JJK is a basic shonen that is only good for hype.
thank you for covering Gojo vs Sukuna, one of my favorite fights from one of my favorite manga of all time. I think you really did the fight justice for it being just another section of a video covering multiple fights
Yeah I think his narrative breakdown was actually really on-point and i appreciate the deeper dive into the context of the story as opposed to the people just malding about how their favorite character lost a fight to an “asspull”.
@@PoTateoBTW The fight can be mechanically dysfunctional while also fitting the thematics of the stories. It is not a mutually exclusive phenemonen. Especially not within this fight or the later ones for that matter.
Your discussion of fight choreography playing a part of strategy in kill bill made me think of a World Cup fight that does that really well, despite how short it is. Maul vs Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars rebels great strategy and characterization shown only through the fight itself. Obi wan leads with his distinctive clone wars stance with his saber raised on instinct as a reaction to maul’s jab at luke, before calming down and switching to his new hope form 3 stance. Then he gets an idea and switches to a form 4 stance like qui gon right before he died in episode 1. Maul takes the bait and tries to finish obi wan the same way he did qui gon but obi wan is ready and defeats him in one clean blow before they share a moment as maul dies.
Netero vs Meruem is a fight packed with so many details that every time you watch it you learn something new, like how the first thing Netero tried was crushing Meruem... Like an ant, or how the arm and leg he lost during the fight were the same ones that he forbade himself from using when playing with Gon and Killua all the way back in the Hunter Exam, or how during the final scene Netero's eyes look like those of an ant, meanwhile Meruem's look like those of a human.
I loved the Netero v Meruem fight too! Probably my first real exposure to a genuine World Cup fight. I broke it down on who was the real winner in the fight, and still couldn't say a real victor happened because Netero died, but got the last laugh in the end while Meruem finally found the value in humanity and a compassion in a different character, and was satisfied with just learning his name. They both got what they want as their fight, as awesome and narratively decisive, can boil down to a squabble.
And I do disagree that Meruem and Netero don't have a difference, I think you can apply the idea that Meruem became more human because he desired to find his name. He fought for his desire, a very human-like and individual goal, while Netero fought to kill Meruem. He was more ruthless, more willing to do whatever it took to win. Netero won the fight because he was more merciless. Meruem lost the fight because he was more human.
As a writer, this series has been (and will continue to be) super helpful to me in my creative process. I've always been able to point out good fight scenes, but I've never really been able to see what makes a fight scene good, or what makes one more effective than another Thanks for making these and I'm excited to see what else you have cooking
i just want to say thank you to this man his scale and method of analysis in a fight scene has VASTLY impacted my own writing the fights i make now have a coherent explanation to why the winner wins and why the loser loses this mini series of the “fight archetypes” has GREATLY helped me with motivation to write and quality of story writing thank you so much love this channel million subs one day ❤❤
"If there is a hell I will see you there" -the man who prayed 10 thousands time a day for 2 years straight. The fight really transcended the two of them and got to a greater whole. If Shinjiku showdown is a movie the East Gorteau invasion would be a damn documentary
When I watched HxH, I considered Netero's win condition to be "kill the King no matter what". Since it is the last in a series of duels to determine which species ends up dominant, and the others ended with the humans overall dominant, Muriem was the Ant's last bastion. If he died, no matter who died with him, the humans would be victorious.
I don't know how you did it, but you flipped my opinion on the final JJK fight. Your thoughts on both fighters' resoluteness changed me from thinking it was just a lame ass pull to an actual clash of ideology like it had been postured as. The ending is still rushed overall, but this fight is good. Thank you for the new perspective
I'm still not entirely convinced. In a vacuum, the fight really wasn't all too special. It was defined by the events outside of it, and inside, neither character truly grew. Neither Gojo nor Sukuna had character growth for a large portion of it, and it ended with a strangely out-of-character reflection by Gojo. A majority of the fight is merely a spectacle, while the hard-hitting moments are left in the dust. It dazzles in the moment, but as a self-contained fight, any of the others mentioned in this video supersede it massively. It's honestly the first time I've disagreed with this guy, but his description of the fight felt closer to "connect vague strings," rather than anything concrete. I don't understand why he didn't delve deeper into the narrative implications of the events surrounding something like the Netero vs Meruem fight, but he did for the Gojo vs Sukuna fight. I feel he went into the video with a clear winner in mind, even though Togashi's representation of human ideologies was far better.
@@meklpeckle1936 Squam just got me thinking about what Gojo could have done both in this fight and throughout the series to stay true to his ideals, because Gojo does often go against his own nature. We're told constantly how Gojo feels lonely and is treated as a monster as the strongest, but I don't think he had to be. Before the Toji incident Gojo and Geto never went on missions without the other. His heart tells him to stay connected to others, and that is one of his defining traits, but he constantly works against that ideal by always fighting alone and keeping a blindfold on at all times. He strictly works alone and perfects his limitless so that nothing (and notably, nobody) can get close to him. When Geto asked "Are you the strongest because you're Satoru Gojo? Or are you Satoru Gojo because you're the strongest?" I think that hurt him so badly because he knew that he HAD let himself be defined by his strength. No matter how many times Gojo acted in service of others, he would never let them do the same for him. His only goal throughout the present day of JJK is to ensure the future of his students at JJ High, but he'll also fight Sakuna in a 1v1 to determine who the strongest is instead of treating him as a problem to be dealt with as a collective. He's deeply selfless and wants to be surrounded by those he loves, but he pushes them away at every turn. This is a pretty disjointed comment from me, and I don't necessarily disagree with your opinion on Netero vs Meruem being better, but this video did help me wrap my head around how inconsistent of a character Gojo is (in a good way) due to his internal turmoil.
@meklpeckle1936 I'm gonna have to disagree with you. Yap session incoming: Gege's writing style has always been characterized by his minimalistic style of storytelling requiring the audince to form their own conclusions, and throughout the fight we got just that, both through the utilization of the power system with things like Mahoragas adaptation, and character development of Gojo (not sukuna but I will talk about that later). Through the fight, the idea of "content" was thrown around a lot. When Yuta wanted to intervine, he was stopped by Kashimo, not just for logistical reasons, but because Kashimo knew exactly what gojo was feeling. Kashimo was longing for fufillment, some kind of greater understanding that would only come from fighting someone as strong as him.We even see the narrator weigh in on this, "The Loneliness that comes with absolute strength, the one who will teach you is...". The difference between Gojo and Sukuna is that one needed "filling", and one person didn't. We even see some direct commentary on this, both in Gojos postmortem dream state and in Sukuna conversation with kashimo. Unlike Gojo and Kashimo, Sukuna didn't yearn for connection because he viewed that isolation as natural. What makes makes the fight so much more interesting is the way it shapes the rest of the shinjuku showdown, with characters like Yuta following Sukuna's isolationist ideals and failing, while characters like Yuji fully resolve their humanity and end up winning. Anyway yeah, this fight has a ton of writing both within it and surrounding it.
@@anklumous5263 While I don't think you're wrong, I can't entirely agree with Gege's real intentions. He intended all these things, but they weren't properly established. There were too many holes in it all. Gege spreads Gojo's character moments too far apart. It leaves viewers to interpret his true intentions and inner struggles with little direct guidance. For example, his relationship with power and isolation is hinted at in his backstory; his distance from others and his belief that strength isolates him are poignant ideas. Despite that, these themes are rarely revisited with enough clarity to make his internal conflict feel like a constant thread throughout the story. The result is that by the time his fight with Sukuna rolls around, the emotional weight of his loneliness isn’t as impactful as it could be because it hasn’t been given enough narrative presence. Gojo’s inner world is touched upon but not fully explored in the fight itself. His excitement at being able to fight an equal like Sukuna is a fascinating glimpse into his psyche; he’s someone who thrives on challenges but has rarely encountered anyone who can truly match him. Yet, this thrill is never juxtaposed with his fear of failure or the consequences of losing. That's why 263 irritated so many people. It was an interesting retrospection, one that was very needed, but it felt out of character. You could argue that his lack of worry for his students stemmed from his belief that they were safe, but, that's yet another plot point that's given zero evidence for or against. Gojo's character feels incomplete, I can't reasonably claim Gojo vs Sukuna was the greatest World Cup fight ever.
@@bruhfunny8123 Also gonna yap a little, but here goes: I agree that Gege's minimalist storytelling invites interpretation, but in this case, it might have worked to the detriment of the emotional impact of the narrative. There's a fine line between subtlety and underdevelopment, and Gege's handling of Gojo's character arc and resolution in this fight arguably falls on the latter side. I find it interesting how "contentment" is explored in this fight, especially considering Gojo's and Sukuna's contrasting ideologies. Gojo finds fulfillment in challenges that match his unparalleled strength, while Sukuna embraces his isolation as natural. However, this dichotomy could have been better emphasized throughout the fight rather than relying so heavily on interpretation after the fact. It's good, then, that Kashimo can understand Gojo's longing, but it's mostly just a peripheral observation and feels a lot less like an active core thread within the battle. That's to say, Gojo's desire for fulfillment might have been expressed more clearly through internal monologue or interaction with Sukuna rather than in an audience-inferred sort of way through secondary characters or narration. You bring up the line, "The Loneliness that comes with absolute strength, the one who will teach you is." which does add weight to the idea of Gojo as a character defined by his isolation. Yet, that plot thread feels incomplete. Sukuna, the supposed "teacher," doesn't actually interact with Gojo on that level during the fight. Instead, Sukuna's character remains cryptic throughout the series, and all his actions aim more to show his tactical superiority rather than provide any real contrast to Gojo's loneliness. If Sukuna is supposed to be that foil that finally shows Gojo has not found contentment, this needed a much stronger, direct confrontation of their ideologies on the part of the narrative. Otherwise, I'm left feeling the fight was more like a mechanical display of their abilities rather than a thematic clash. You also mention Gojo's post-mortem dream state being a direct commentary on his character. While his musings over his students and satisfaction with the fight provide some closure, it still feels jarringly detached from the narrative stakes. For a life defined by loneliness and the burden of being the strongest, his musings don't feel weighty enough to match his death. Instead, they feel like a deflection of his deeper struggles, which left me feeling his arc was entirely unresolved.
I would probably argue that the existence of the ants as a colony is tied to the rule of Meruem. He is the leader and provides order and meaning for all other ants. He was the culmination of a whole species, which means by dying his species would fall apart. Additionally, Netero knew this would be his final battle. He was ready to put everything on the line to sacrifice himself and prove the power of humanity and it’s resilience, while simultaneously saving it. This is why I would give the characterization block to Netero.
Wow, your conclusions on the Jjk fight really made me see that ending in a new light. From the moment I heard about Gojo losing, I reasoned that it was only because the main character must defeat the main villain, no matter what, so it couldn’t have been different on a technical level. But now, with the idea that one was stronger because they were more “resolute”, I’m willing to believe it, and it honestly gives me a little more closure on the fight that’s left me bitter since it came out.
I really love the Gojo vs Sukuna fight and think it was basically the best a fight can possibly be. From the beginning it was clear that Gojo had to lose because Sukuna HAD to fight Yuji at some point. The problem for me is that I feel like the fight was so good that Gege the Author did not know how to end it on a note that would be reasonable with the way the fight went. Doing it from one chapter to the other without caring to explain further than "I did this" did not help. This also clearly showed in the fights happening afterwards where Sukuna was just constantly getting more and more power boosted to the point where it was not fun to speculate or keep up anymore.
Omg after being recommended to me on his very first video, after watching all of the other videos on this magnificent fighting spectre, the anger of not being able to watch the end of the video because I am not up to date with jk makes me so sad. But a great video(and channel xD) for the rest thanks for the work😁.
Very good video! During the strength and strategy section of the JJK fight, I was rather lost as I haven't seen the show or read the Manga. I followed the narrative advantage section fully though, so I was able to make sense of the example.
This fight was extremely complex even for those who followed it closely. Even now when the manga is over people are still arguing about what moves the characters did and why. The power system of this series can go quite deep, but these 2 characters repeatedly pushed it further with new techniques no one had ever seen before. For example, destroying your own brain and then repairing it to regain your trump card faster. That is about as dangerous as it sounds too, which is why no other character except those 2 ever even attempted it. The we have how often they switched up the conditions of their trump card to get an advantage. To make an analogy, imagine you have a gun as your trump card which you are decent at using. These 2 would be swapping weapons damn near continously while still having perfect aim.
throughout the dozens of videos i have seen about gojo v sukuna. i feel like this is the best, atleast in making me understant the point. not just justifying sukunas win through power-scaling
This series started with one of the first fights in jujutsu kaisen and ended with one of the last ones in jujutsu kaisen You are a sly sly man Squampopulous I see what you did there. The narrative was really good.
Really glad you decided to cover Gojo vs Sukuna. I didn't expect you to because it hasn't been animated yet, but I think you did a really good job covering what makes it such an amazing fight. And I think you're 100% right about the narrative, we see a very similar story play out with Yuji vs Mahito. It's not about who's right necessarily, but abiding by your beliefs and having no regrets. Before the fight, Yuji saves people without having a concrete reason why, and Mahito kills without any reason either. But in the end, Yuji realizes the mistake they've both been making, and his actions begin to take on new meaning. Which is why he won. And without that experience, Yuji never could have beaten Sukuna, because he wouldn't have had the resolve.
I just have to say your channel and specifically this mini-series regarding fight scenes has been one of the best RUclips discoveries I've made in the last year. Not only do I love the content, but I agree fully with your made up rules. Watched Gladiator II this weekend; I have a sneaking suspicion that the final fight of the movie was the epitome of a bad world cup fight scene. Edit: I was correct, there was a severe lack of strategy and only some characterization. On top of that the displays of force made absolutely 0 sense (the older former slave beating the young, supremely talented gladiator). In a way it was a microcosm of the movie as a whole.
Loved your takes on the fights and wholeheartedly agree with your take on the last one. I think you could definitely make a series periodically covering fight scenes of these types as just the analysis itself is genuinely entertaining. I'll continue to watch whatever you put out. Side note: I understand your point about Meruem and Netero's fight but I also think the ambiguity of the outcome feeds into the narrative of the fight and the entire arc in that there is no ultimate right or wrong in the Chimera Ant situation.
Meruem vs Netero also furthers the theme of the Zoldyck philosophy Zeno does not fight meruem because he knows he cannot win, Netero fights Meruem BECAUSE he knows cannot win It is an indictment of Illumi's philosophy he instills in Killua's mind, because in taking on the 1v1 that he knows he cannot win, Netero finds the least destructive path to victory Thats why he is the one commissioned by the V5 nations to take out the Ant King, despite his own admission that there are 5 nen users in the world that are stronger than he is His desire to push himself in battle without fear of death or defeat is what allows for the defeat of the ants while limiting human casualties Without him, the bomb would have been detonated on the city, killing everyone Netero mirrors Komugi in being the only humans to ever surprise Meruem, and both doing so by willingness in sacrificing their lives over a simple game of skill I think a major theme of HxH is that satisfaction in life is impossible without struggle, and the key to self development is to take on the hardest challenges, find what you want and go for it no matter what
Another spectacular video, I'm glad to see it! Even if you switch to content about other topics, I'm sure I'll still love your videos as I love your style of video essays, your breakdowns just as much as the quality you put into them. Great work! Back on the note of fighting, those last two fights really make one stop and think, don't they? Longer than many other fights might. Here's a bit of a tongue twister for you; I love that the Netero vs Meruem fight is "We need for no one to get the Narrative Characterization Block" and not "No one really needs to get the Narrative Characterization Block". A crucial difference between writing an incredible message, and an unsatisfying, poorly developed fight. As for the Gojo vs Sukuna fight, even I am a bit hesitant to pour my heart and mind out into a youtube comment that no one might see, so I'll leave it at this; It is a beloved fight, it is masterfully written, it's highly entertaining to watch, and I am truly happy with the resulting winner. Couldn't be happier in fact.
I love the sukuna vs gojo fight but I still was left with a bad taste from the ending. I'll use a similar metaphor to the "world cup ending in a draw" metaphor you used for the meruem vs netero fight. If the world cup came down to a penalty shoot out but the broadcast cut off for the shootout and only returned as the winner was hoisting the trophy it would be a letdown. Regardless I still like the fight and I really loved the video.
Liked and subbed. Good stuff man! Hunter hunter and jjk are great examples. I disagree with your jjk analysis though, sukuna 100% won because of plot armor, dude pulled like 4 binding vows out of his ass. I feel like that was a big moment where jjk went from being a unique new thing back to generic shonen.
Hey man I just found your channel bad I wanna say that I think your analysis of the gojo v sukuna fight is one of the best I’ve seen!!! It’s really well done and I think it accounts for Gege’s fantastic writing
Such a good video. Saved the best for last too lol The breakdown of Gojo v Sukuna fight gave me chills i almost felt like I was watching it already animated but not only that, I think u brought up key points about they’re fighting strategy and motivation that many would probably miss (me included) just watching it unfold onscreen. Masterfully done. Thank u for this
Bro i literally just found your channel today, watched the other two vids, and then you drop this one at the same time. Thanks so much, these are very informative and entertaining!
This tool you made is very good and useful, but to the people watching is always good to remember that this is a tool and one can make a good fight scene without following strictly (or at all) these guidelines. The how to accomplish that could make one (or several) video(s) on its own but it still good to have this kind of thing guideline when writing a story. The more tools the better. Amazing video series with many good examples.
Can’t watch the full video bc JJK spoilers, I’ll be back someday! I will say the other fight scenes were excellent choices for this video! I will also say that I can’t wait to see what other videos you do after this! I started watching on one of your first videos and admittedly didn’t expect to particularly care for this channel as there are a lot of video essayists out there. But then you began your examinations of fight scenes and I was hooked. Thank you for some of the most enjoyable content I’ve found on RUclips!
JJK MANGA SPOILERS As much as I would like to appreciate the Gojo vs Sukuna fight, the lack of ever knowing the limits or how to apply a binding vow (which I believe was never elaborated on how binding vows can be granted), the change in Hallow Purple being an assumed black hole ability (as seen when used against Toji and the debris), the inside of Gojo's domain not being shown and the final off-screen attack that was the conclusion, with Sukuna somehow adapting Mahoraga's technique into his own slash. For how much explaining there was that kept taking me out of the heat of the fight, I wish there was an elaboration on the limits of the two so each of these moments felt achievable in the universe. Fantastic video nevertheless and this is one of my favorite RUclips series to watch :D
Sukuna using maharga as a blueprint is something megumi has done with his the techqunie as well it was just a matter of time to actually adapt to limitless. Also hollow purple was never that strong toji has no defense against it because he can't reinforce his body and thus was completely destroyed but Hannahmi the disaster cure survived said attack.
@ Do you know when specifically Megumi had one of his attacks altered using Mahoraga? I don't recall that ever being a possibility. Also with the Hallow Purple, I believe it still wiped out half of Hanami, but similar to how Jogo survived with just his head that's how they were able to keep living. It still possessed the void potential but with Sukuna it was just a burn which wasn't explained how Sukuna could have dulled the effect to just that.
It always annoyed me how sukuna copied an entire different technique ( mahoraga adaptation ) and did it offscreen , and a lot of People Just went : yeah that sounds reasonable . IF an author makes a character i like do something like this , i would be pissed
@pablox2139 he didn't copy it he tamed maharga after taking over megumi's body and then he literally used the techqunie as a test drive vs yoruzo read the culling games...
While the points brought up in the fight between Meruem and Netero are valid for them respectively, I think it needs to be looked on a deeper level, it was not Meruem VS Netero, it was "Humanity VS Chimera Ants" and I'd say that "HUMANITY won because they were more MALICIOUS" which ties into the theme beautifully, similar to Parasyte: The Maxim, the monsters were never a threat to humanity as a whole, they were just scary animals that hunted humans until humans made them extinct. Something else I dislike about many fights is when they over-do it with the strategy bars. So many twists and turns just make it feel more anxious and drawn out, it's like the whole: "I knew you were gonna do that, so I do THIS" and the other guy says, "I knew you knew about THAT, so I did THIS to prepare for THAT", and it just continues until someone wins.
Awesome stuff! Gonna watch more on these series as I wait for what you'll whip up next! One thing, though, don't knock the "always be prepared" win, man😂😂😂, some of my favourite fights have been won thanks to that and always in super effective, non lame ways!
im sad these fight videos are done but i look forward to what else you post, you do a great job of analyzing narratives and characters dude, keep it up
Honestly amazing video, but I would've loved it if you talked about Luffy vs Kaido. This fight has so much to offer and if you know the story of One Piece, it might as well be one of the best fight in the series, because of it's narrative impact, it's depiction of both characters' ideals, and the character development it brings to both Luffy and Kaido. I don't know if you know One Piece, but honestly I think you should really look into it, it's an amazing fight and watching your videos makes me really think you'll like it.
I think the fact that the hunter x hunter fight didn’t have a difference in characterization because it supports the result of them taking each other out
Hey, i wanted to convey how much i enjoyed this series, i have been exited for every installment since the beginning. i hope that you continue to make content that i get exited about
(Jujutsu Kaisen spoilers) I think part of why Sukuna won was because he strived to grow. Gojo would have creamed Sukuna if he hadn't schemed to take Fushiguro's power, and Sukuna's final blow was not from just relying on Mahoraga, but rather by observing Mahoraga to master the ultimate slash himself. Gojo relied on being the strongest, but Sukuna sought growth even during the fight, becoming powerful enough that in a rematch, he would win easily with his new technique. Gojo rested on his laurels, but Sukuna committed himself to surpassing Gojo. This doesn't contradict what you said about conviction determining the winner, but rather may explain exactly how commitment gave Sukuna the win.
there's another key point, Sukuna was not the strongest when he was born, he was a disgrace, Sukuna for his whole life wanted to be the strongest. Gojo born as the strongest and for all his life felt lonely and wanted to raise students that are equal to him if not stronger. Gojo succeed in his life goal raising Yuji, Sukuna failed being the strongest by losing to Gojo collective power being his students and comrades.
@@MohamedAshraf-fv8jkthis is actually not true. Sukuna was born with the largest cursed energy reserves throughout the entire jjk history of the world, the strongest and best suited body for jujutsu sorcery, and arguably one of the best cursed techniques in the series. He was also born in a time where sorcerers were generally weaker than the modern day meaning for his strength, he didn’t have much competition. Gojo on the other hand came near to death because of toji and worked throughout his teenage and early adult years to master his domain, blue, and purple, work on infinity and limitless to be automatic, and also grew when he was able to use his experience in the prison cube during his fight with Sukuna
I agree and also disagree one one point which is the framing that Gojo stagnated and lost because he didn’t choose to adapt and evolve whereas sukuna only did. It’s true that sukuna doesn’t care where he gets new strength from, if he can, he’ll do it, whereas Gojo is less reliant on using the talent and potential of others to grow stronger, yet we see that Gojo does evolve and adapt in his own way. He relies on the information of his students about Sukunas abilities and techniques and information about maharoga, and also utilises his experience in the prison realm to adapt his own domain when fighting Sukuna. I agree that Sukuna truly is the epitome of evolving jujutsu sorcery, yet Gojo doesn’t soley rely on himself being the strongest. He also trained and put in arguably as much work as Sukuna, with even a prodigy like yuta questioning just how much hours he put in to master hollow purple, it’s just that Sukuna sacrifices and uses others for his evolution in strength, whereas Gojo improves through his own self and experience and the helpful experience of those around him.
Officer Rama vs the Karambit Assassin. No drama, no dialogue, no meta commentary, just pure character driven choreography where you can feel how far the protagonist has come by how survives, bullies, clashes, and overcomes this assassin who we literally saw make another MadDog type character seem trash
The Kill Bill's fight made remind me another final fight. The one at the end of Sword of the Stranger. I think it can be called as a World Cup. The stakes are important, strategy is absolutely important and characterization explains why it ends the way it ends. If you didn't see it, I clearlt recommend you to do so. It last for less than 2 hours so it won't cost you much time ! ;) Oh and great job on this video again ! Keep up the good work ! (Even tho I didn't watch the end since I only saw JJK anime part)
Honestly never thought i would learn more about the message of JJK in this video but for sure that fight is the best one i've ever read in manga or ever seen anywhere. And honestly, this makes sense. JJK SPOILERS As Yuji learns about his own goals and what he himself believes is "living", he finds an answer that Sukuna can't match. He actually admits it after losing too, which is even more clever. Also thank you for talking about it, amazing video too as always. Looking forward to see what's next!
i agree, as someone whos succumbed to all the discourse of “JJK ending was mid” this video covering world cup fights covered the thematic meaning of the final conflict really REALLY well
I think the pattern here is that movie fight scenes usually use less blocks than manga or show fight scenes, probably because shows can take the proper precautions to build up the fights and to be able to make the fights last longer, thus giving the opportunity to use more strategy
Loved the video, what did you think of the yuji vs sukuna or just jjk after the gojo vs sukuna fight? To me, it felt way worse and though sukuna did concede his beliefs, it still seemed like yuji won because he punched harder.
I would also put Ekko vs Viktor in this category. Both Viktor and Ekko's Z-drive are OP. Strategically, the fight doesn't have much to offer, it's over too quickly. Ekko uses his Z-drive whenever he needs it and Viktor tries to react to Ekko's movements as best he can while he's busy doing other things. But what ultimately brings Ekko victory is his will. He really tanks everything Viktor throws at him and pushes himself beyond his limits.
I think what makes The Bride vs O-Ren such a good fight is that it's shot like an art piece. We have the scenery and choreography that resembles more of a dance than a fight etc, something zen-like. The movie already gave away that Bride's going to win at the beginning of the film (her name was crossed over), so it's more of a matter of seeing *how* The Bride defeats her opponent. Guess it's just the spectacle that people love in this case, but I say it's a definition of "cinema", despite its flaws.
Great video, but just wanted to say Netero completely and unequivocably won against Meruem and it's not really even up for debate. Netero had two objectives 1. Give his all and have the greatest fight of his life 2. Stop the Ants to save humanity. Meruem on the other hand completely failed in his goals which were 1. Subjugate the world 2. Use his strength to Create a peaceful society based on merits 3.Have a dialogue to decide what to do with humanity. Meruem refused to even fight, to the point he had to be essentially gas lit into actually throwing hands. That's why he said Netero had him into checkmate from the beginning. He couldn't foresee any circumstance in which Netero and therefore humanity, would have any chance to defeat him. He thought Netero was just an old man itching for a pointless fight, but didn't realize the depth of Netero's resolve. Netero went into that battle not just be willing to die, but planning to. He was going to be able to go all out in a fight with strongest opponent he ever faced , and then his life would end, the rose would go off and humanity would be saved. He met every single one of his win conditions, while Meruem met none of his. Meruem had lost the second Netero set foot in his castle.
I think it’s also notable that Gojo actually wins his fight with Sukuna in the long run. The value he is certain in is his students. We see his entire philosophy surrounding this earlier in the manga. Gojo despises the old traditions of the current system, and how a small group of elders decide the way the world should be. Of course, they always decide it should stay the same. That is one of the key reasons why Gojo becomes a teacher. He believes in the next generation to lead. He instills his own strength into his pupils. It is that strength that eventually defeats Sukuna. It is the unwavering ideals of the next generation in Yuji that finally defeats him. The selfish side of Gojo, that which fights purely to understand his own strength, could never beat Sukuna. I don’t even think it would if he committed to that, or was certain of it. What won him the fight was the part of him that cares about people, and about the future of this world.
Been a joy to watch this series as you make it! With JJK being in my top 1 series I can only hope you might revisit it in the future! Keep up the great work!
One of my favorites was Supergirl and Superman vs Darkseid in Superman/Batman apocalypse, the fight scene is a great showcase of Darkseid's brutality and Supermand and Supergirl's love for eachother, and the way the win is very clever
I think an important thing that isn't missed but is perhaps mixed in to the other points is ideological purity. The character willing to bet the absolute most on their ideals, or the one who stands with the strongest resolve in their ideals, has a significant edge in a brawl that otherwise doesn't care about these non physical elements. this can be seen in the bride vs oren strongly enough to merit mentioning as its own separate category. That is to say: Rather than being decided by chance I see the outcome as the fact that the bride's resolve to win this fight is as hard and sharp as her sword, meaning it can get past oren's strike which is informed by her lesser resolve, resulting in a lethal blow. They were matched in everything but this, making the bride the winner. This is just a minor observation of my own appreciation for fight scenes and not at all a criticism of this video. You've got a new subscriber here.
Hope you all enjoy this one, there were a few hot takes in there so let me know what you agree and disagree with!
This is a really great series. Thank you for the content!
I really enjoyed your breakdown of The Transformers One fight. When I watched it something just felt off with the way they clashed. Looking back it was just a the lack of strategy that I was expected from the two leaders.
I definitely disagreed with your placement of the Gojo vs Sukuna fight. I agree with your points, but I don't understand why this fight deserves to not be held in a vacuum. Every other fight shown was not given the luxury of having anything not explained explicitly within the fight elaborated upon. I think that, given the same level of scrutiny, Netero vs Meruem has far more interesting moral implications, though, as the fight heavily relied on events around it to make sense, it was knocked down a few pegs. I understand that, but it seemed like your review of Gojo vs Sukuna focused too enormously on events not located directly in the fight.
Hopefully, that comment didn't come off as rude, I absolutely adore your content, please keep making more of it.
I really think you're doing a good job, but this one needed more time in the oven. The Transformers One final fight was a bunch of boring BS for me. The whole second half was so rushed it killed the movie. And it was because narratively, Megatron's transformation and why the Decepticons followed him was so poorly done. They wanted a big bombasitc finale but it fell flat. The whole fight felt like a slap fight between two toddlers where you are trying to understand why they are mad at each other. Optimus also ended up being worthless when he didn't even want to put up a fight for people to follow him or convince his "friend". It was "You betrayed me. Go and "*TAKE THE HIGH GUARD*" (that's verbatim!).
i watched kill bill for the first time this year and didnt rly get why people like it so much. i also agree that the final fight was narratively and emotionally underwhelming
I (a stoppable force) meet immovable objects (minor inconveniences) daily
David vs Goliath
my world cup fight today was when i dropped some ice i was gonna put in my drink and had to kick it under the fridge
@@misterbluebanana8191 David vs David. They are both inside you and gay
And you still clear it somehow, respect🔥
@@merlinsux4492 my banana refused to peel properly and it got smushed in my attempts. I've yet to recover
I lost my mind when Lionel Messi said “Are the strongest because you’re Cristiano Ronaldo? Or are you Cristiano Ronaldo because you’re the strongest?” And then Ronaldo hit his entire team with a Hollow Purple and they all died. Peak nonfiction.
this writing so beautiful
I love how casually written and read the line "and they all died" is, just feels like everyone dies to unimaginable super strong techniques every world cup😂
Inazuma level be like
12:42 This is one of my favorite lines from any animanga series, and I feel it goes over many people's heads. The word Netero uses is not in Japanese or English, though it's usually translated as evolution. In reality, it's a double meaning. The kanji used can be interpreted by Japanese readers/viewers as either evolution or malice. Meruem had underestimated humanity's potential for malice, resulting in Netero's self-sacrifice, culminating in the Rose's detonation. In a similar vein, he had underestimated humanity's potential for evolution through the use of malice. Meruem's journey, motivated by his interactions with Komugi, is based on the realization that the fragility and cruelty of humanity go hand in hand with its deep emotional depth and ingenuity. On another note, Gon's descent into unbridled rage and vengeance mirrors this idea, as his overwhelming malice against Pitou leads to his ultimate physical and emotional breakdown. It perfectly reinforces the concept that malice and progress are two sides of the same coin, as was hinted at throughout the arc.
I've really never seen anything like it in media. Togashi is a genius writer.
Man i love HxH. Doesnt get the appreciation it deserves
@@TheLetterH111HxH gets a pretty damn good amount of support
This
yes thissss, also, there’s no clear winner cause the journey is the real prize for not only both meruem and netero, but also cause it’s the chimera ants literal entire lifetime, which is their height
@@genieinthepot2455 Too bad it doesn't get a good amount of releases...
I think Netero's last line is a big giveaway for the theme of the battle and the theme of the Chimera Ant arc as a whole. "You know nothing of the bottomless malice within the human heart... I will see you in hell... If there is one" This line actually chills Mereum down to the core, and the demonic looking face Netero makes before taking his own life honestly makes him seems more evil than Mereum, which is crazy because of the evil shit we see the Chimera Ant's do. Netero wanted to fight and he wanted to win, even giving up his own life to guarantee a tie, I don't think Mereum would have expected someone who valued strength like Netero does to do that move.
Meruem hasn't seen the Battle of Stalingrad, or the Battle of Ypres.
What humans will do to *actually* win at any cost.
iirc the line in english is "i see now. checkmate was yours from the beginning" i don't recall if, or when, Netero told him his name, but under the assumption he didn't, it was that moment that Meruem knew that it was over. while he had no idea what the bomb would do, his instincts and Netero's words told him that this WILL kill him, that place will be his tomb (and would've if not for yuupi and pouf) it was that moment he knew he had lost.
@@aronsmith3417 I believe he utters “Meruem… King of Ants,” right before he speaks of humanity’s bottomless potential for malice/evolution. So either way, Meruem knew Netero’s final words were no mere boast (as the narrator might’ve also said, not sure).
You're not quite right about Netero's motives. Netero wanted to fight, yes, and he wanted to win, yes. But *he* did NOT want to win at all costs. Netero was seeking a fight where he could unleash his full strength and be evenly matched, as he had not met a worthy opponent since he was young. As he indicated in their conversation before the fight, Netero would have been happy to have the Mereum leave alive, if it were just a fight between the two of them. But since Mereum is clear that he will not end the ants' genocidal agenda, it becomes a fight not just between these two, but between the two species. The bomb that he was implanted with was not of his own idea or his own making, and he would have been happy not to use it. The malice that Netero talks about, the evil face that he shows, is not his own, but that of humanity as a whole. Mereum does not expect that move from Netero not because he thought Netero valued strength, but because Mereum thought of humans as a collection of individuals without the unified purpose that the ants possess through his existence as king, so the idea that humanities collective "malice" could even exist, let alone manifest itself so concretely was a complete shock.
@@mylesleggette7520 Netero dies much like an ant, sacrificing itself for the greater whole, while Mereum perishes the way a Human would - surrounded by the ones he loves. Ironic, for how much he speaks about himself being the pinnacle of evolution, derived from a collective purpose.
the gojo sukuna fight was so good, i loved that it showcased that they werent just the strongest because of their op techniques and raw power output, but it really showcased how deep their understandings of the power systems went and how good they are at strategizing
the inverted barrier, 3v1 cheating, everything they did to claw and scrape to get the upper hand, i loved every second of it
It's gonna go so hard when they animate it.
@ man i HOPE, by then maybe animators wont be overworked n such
I love how much you diversify your content among different forms of literature. Your scope isn’t just limited to live action, cartoons, drawn fiction, but rather a mix of all of those things. It really broadens the horizon of what good storytelling can look like and makes for enjoyable content
8:55 "last semester of undergrad"?? Brother i thought you were 30 💀
It's *possible* he just started uni/college later in life. Happens.
Probably not the case here though, but IDK.
@@alansmithee419 no I have a funny feeling that this is like a 21/22-year-old black guy
@@GavinLeeVlogsface revealed, he is on the FAR end of that spectrum (hes white)
u tripping bro
Some people are just built diff, time to realize your own potential.
I think gege's message goes beyond resolve alone, and his point is that to live without regrets you have to be able to embrace variety in your worldview. Sukuna beat gojo because of his absolute devotion to his selfish ideals (which amounts to resolve), but that same resolve that helped him beat gojo is exactly why he lost to itadori. Itadori didn't beat him because he simply had more resolve, but because of where the resolve comes from. Sukuna's resolve to live selfishly is rooted in his hatred from his childhood (mahito calls him out in the final chapter and points out that he acted the way he did because of revenge) whereas Yuji's resolve is rooted in his desire to help other people. He offered sukuna mercy because he understands sukuna and why he came to his ideals, and he can ultimately empathize with him. It's because Sukuna's resolve itself was rooted in selfishness that he couldn't accept yuji's non-selfish ideals until after he already he was beaten, and its because Yuji's had immense resolve in an ideal that directly opposed his own that sukuna "respected" gojo when he hated itadori. I think it's especially reasonable to say this is what itadori had that gojo lacked because it also mirrors the canonical reasoning why sukuna beat gojo and lost to yuji - sukuna won against gojo because he was an incarnated sorcerer(being incarnated into megumi is what allowed him to use the 10 shadows), yet it's also why yuji's attacks were so effective against specifically him and why he lost in the end. Sukuna's resolve/devotion to such selfish ideals are at the same time the source of his strength and the weakness that let him be beaten by someone much weaker than him.
I feel like gojo won because well. He won in the ideology segment. He might have been killed, but his students beat sukuna
I agree with your analysis of Gojo vs Sukuna, but I had a completely different reading of the themes/morals of the fight than you did. This isn't to discredit your opinions, because when it comes to analyzing messages it can be pretty divisive, based on our own interpretations. In my opinion the reason why Gojo lost is the same reason why all of Sukuna's opponents lost, they ultimately were trying to thrust a role upon themselves and him.
Jogo lost all of his self confidence after his fight with Gojo, as Mahito said since Gojo was sealed the sorcerers were outmatched and that Sukuna could cause them trouble. Jogo himself was capable of killing them all the sorcerers by himself, but he needed to be absolutely sure that their plan would succeed. Releasing Sukuna ended up killing him as he tried to use him as a WMD to ensure the age of curses would come, but Sukuna did validate his strength.
Yorozu wanted to teach Sukuna about love. She took that role upon herself and due to her love, she didn't take out Sukuna when she opened her domain, Perfect Sphere since he wasn't using his Domain. His plan was to use Mahorga and she died because she was constrained by her love.
Kashimo wanted to understand why and how Sukuna became the strongest. Whether being the strongest means you'll continue to be lonely. He wanted answers to that question and Sukuna indulged him, giving him the fight that he wants.
This fight meant everything to Gojo. To prove his role as the strongest, to have a worthy opponent to fight, to give that opponent a good time, and to save Megumi. He lost because he had so much to prove, the pressure of his role was weighing on his shoulders and it finally collapsed. Gojo claimed himself to be the honored one, while Sukuna was called the honored one by the narrator.
In all of these fights, Sukuna had nothing to prove or lose. He did never assigned a role to himself, his title as the king of curses is meant as a status not a duty or role. Gojo, Jogo, Yorozu, and Kashimo lost because they were all restrained by proving the roles they had.
In my opinion this is why Sukuna lost at the end. In his hatred for Yuji, he gave himself a role to crush Yuji's resolve, betraying himself in the process. Yuji rejects all roles including the one he once gave to himself, to be a savior and protect everyone. A person's life isn't of anymore importance compared to one who has something to prove. All lives matter and Yuji wasn't trying to prove anything, he was simply being himself and saving his friend, unlike Sukuna who became blinded to spite him. That's what I think Shinjuku Showdown and Gojo vs Sukuna was about.
type shi
Finally, a literate jjk fan 🥹🤧
I kind of disagree. Gojo, Kashimo, Maki and Miguel didn’t really want to prove anything.
Sure, Gojo came into the fight with some goals, but at the end of the fight, he’s just happy to have been able to go all out against someone who could take it. He doesn’t hold himself accountable for not meeting his other goals.
Kashimo just wanted to fight Sukuna, and was happy even though he got clapped. He didn’t want Sukuna’s respect or love, though he was of course happy to have them.
And Maki was just there to save Megumi and the world, but she didn’t really want to be “a savior”, she was just there to fight because she cared about Megumi and didn’t want the world to become a wasteland.
Very similar case with Miguel, except he didn’t even care about Megumi.
I agree that Yuji only beats Sukuna by discarding his roles as Megumi’s savior and Sukuna’s executioner, deciding to let Megumi die if that’s what he wants and to offer Sukuna mercy.
THIS IS ABSOLUTE FIRE 🔥🔥 BRO COOKED
Gojo calls himself the honoured one but so does the rest of the world he exists in as well. Every characters opinion of Gojo is that he is indeed the honoured one, the strongest. After all, if someone’s birth is stated to shift the balance of the world, how can he not be the honoured one?
you’re single-handedly keeping me in the writing industry.
You should watch Arcane and the channel schnee that analyzes it. My writing and media IQ goes up like 10 times every new episode and video I watch of either.
@@e2b265 on god
@@e2b265 arcane is truly next level.
Most people haven't watched World Trigger, but my favorite example of a world cup fight is Tamakoma 2 vs Ninomiya vs Yuba vs Ikoma, it's a fight between a total of 14 soldiers, and all of these characters have unique personalities and fighting styles, the battle is one of the most strategic and tactical fights in fiction.
Absolute banger. Especially the finish with just the OG tamakoma 2 vs Ninomiya squad.
I have to say for your jjk thing (big spoiler warning ofc for anyone who skipped that part of the video), I think a lot of people felt shocked or let down by the ending of the Gojo vs Sukuna fight because it doesn’t do a great job of communicating that thematic weight that makes the difference in the fight and the moments leading up to it make it look like Gojo hitting hollow purple just means that in that moment he won. Like your explanation about resoluteness being the central theme of jjk is honestly fantastic and you’re making me retroactively like the story more because of that. But I don’t think that the series did a great job on the whole of communicating that in any kind of consistent way, and especially during the really complicated fights I find this to ring true. It’s a very good fight still and one of the biggest highlights of the series, but I still feel like it had room to improve.
That is a "problem" throughout most of JJK. It tells some themes with a high level of subtlety. There is an amazing amount of depth to be found, but it really has to be found first. Like how Megumi actually has a lot of character progression, but most people aren't aware of it. All of the characters have to be understood for their thematic relevance, otherwise you miss the entire point of them. This also makes it so that even minor characters can have a lot of depth without much time spent. Since the themes do the heavy lifting, Gege doesn't spend time on explaining the characters. So if you don't have a good understanding of the themes, you will probably think JJK is a basic shonen that is only good for hype.
thank you for covering Gojo vs Sukuna, one of my favorite fights from one of my favorite manga of all time. I think you really did the fight justice for it being just another section of a video covering multiple fights
Yeah I think his narrative breakdown was actually really on-point and i appreciate the deeper dive into the context of the story as opposed to the people just malding about how their favorite character lost a fight to an “asspull”.
@@PoTateoBTW The fight can be mechanically dysfunctional while also fitting the thematics of the stories. It is not a mutually exclusive phenemonen. Especially not within this fight or the later ones for that matter.
Very relieved when you covered gojo vs sukuna I didn’t know if you would because it wasn’t a film, amazing analysis
Your discussion of fight choreography playing a part of strategy in kill bill made me think of a World Cup fight that does that really well, despite how short it is. Maul vs Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars rebels great strategy and characterization shown only through the fight itself. Obi wan leads with his distinctive clone wars stance with his saber raised on instinct as a reaction to maul’s jab at luke, before calming down and switching to his new hope form 3 stance. Then he gets an idea and switches to a form 4 stance like qui gon right before he died in episode 1. Maul takes the bait and tries to finish obi wan the same way he did qui gon but obi wan is ready and defeats him in one clean blow before they share a moment as maul dies.
Netero vs Meruem is a fight packed with so many details that every time you watch it you learn something new, like how the first thing Netero tried was crushing Meruem... Like an ant, or how the arm and leg he lost during the fight were the same ones that he forbade himself from using when playing with Gon and Killua all the way back in the Hunter Exam, or how during the final scene Netero's eyes look like those of an ant, meanwhile Meruem's look like those of a human.
First off, amazing video. Second off, I can’t wait for the Gojo vs. Sukuna fight to get animated (they better cook with this)
I loved the Netero v Meruem fight too! Probably my first real exposure to a genuine World Cup fight. I broke it down on who was the real winner in the fight, and still couldn't say a real victor happened because Netero died, but got the last laugh in the end while Meruem finally found the value in humanity and a compassion in a different character, and was satisfied with just learning his name. They both got what they want as their fight, as awesome and narratively decisive, can boil down to a squabble.
Been waiting for this video since forever, Netero vs Meruem is genuinely a top 5 fight in all of fiction to me
And I do disagree that Meruem and Netero don't have a difference, I think you can apply the idea that Meruem became more human because he desired to find his name. He fought for his desire, a very human-like and individual goal, while Netero fought to kill Meruem. He was more ruthless, more willing to do whatever it took to win. Netero won the fight because he was more merciless. Meruem lost the fight because he was more human.
@clouds570 hey yo my boy so when you gonna drop a RUclips video explaining your take because damn you explained that so perfectly well
@clouds570This exactly
As a writer, this series has been (and will continue to be) super helpful to me in my creative process. I've always been able to point out good fight scenes, but I've never really been able to see what makes a fight scene good, or what makes one more effective than another
Thanks for making these and I'm excited to see what else you have cooking
i just want to say thank you to this man his scale and method of analysis in a fight scene has VASTLY impacted my own writing the fights i make now have a coherent explanation to why the winner wins and why the loser loses this mini series of the “fight archetypes” has GREATLY helped me with motivation to write and quality of story writing thank you so much love this channel million subs one day ❤❤
Awake up man, Squam P just dropped another one!
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
"If there is a hell I will see you there" -the man who prayed 10 thousands time a day for 2 years straight. The fight really transcended the two of them and got to a greater whole. If Shinjiku showdown is a movie the East Gorteau invasion would be a damn documentary
When I watched HxH, I considered Netero's win condition to be "kill the King no matter what". Since it is the last in a series of duels to determine which species ends up dominant, and the others ended with the humans overall dominant, Muriem was the Ant's last bastion. If he died, no matter who died with him, the humans would be victorious.
I like your analysis of shows and movies. Along with how you present it to the viewers. Its very good and entertaining to watch.
I don't know how you did it, but you flipped my opinion on the final JJK fight. Your thoughts on both fighters' resoluteness changed me from thinking it was just a lame ass pull to an actual clash of ideology like it had been postured as. The ending is still rushed overall, but this fight is good. Thank you for the new perspective
I'm still not entirely convinced. In a vacuum, the fight really wasn't all too special. It was defined by the events outside of it, and inside, neither character truly grew. Neither Gojo nor Sukuna had character growth for a large portion of it, and it ended with a strangely out-of-character reflection by Gojo. A majority of the fight is merely a spectacle, while the hard-hitting moments are left in the dust. It dazzles in the moment, but as a self-contained fight, any of the others mentioned in this video supersede it massively. It's honestly the first time I've disagreed with this guy, but his description of the fight felt closer to "connect vague strings," rather than anything concrete. I don't understand why he didn't delve deeper into the narrative implications of the events surrounding something like the Netero vs Meruem fight, but he did for the Gojo vs Sukuna fight. I feel he went into the video with a clear winner in mind, even though Togashi's representation of human ideologies was far better.
@@meklpeckle1936 Squam just got me thinking about what Gojo could have done both in this fight and throughout the series to stay true to his ideals, because Gojo does often go against his own nature. We're told constantly how Gojo feels lonely and is treated as a monster as the strongest, but I don't think he had to be. Before the Toji incident Gojo and Geto never went on missions without the other. His heart tells him to stay connected to others, and that is one of his defining traits, but he constantly works against that ideal by always fighting alone and keeping a blindfold on at all times. He strictly works alone and perfects his limitless so that nothing (and notably, nobody) can get close to him. When Geto asked "Are you the strongest because you're Satoru Gojo? Or are you Satoru Gojo because you're the strongest?" I think that hurt him so badly because he knew that he HAD let himself be defined by his strength. No matter how many times Gojo acted in service of others, he would never let them do the same for him. His only goal throughout the present day of JJK is to ensure the future of his students at JJ High, but he'll also fight Sakuna in a 1v1 to determine who the strongest is instead of treating him as a problem to be dealt with as a collective. He's deeply selfless and wants to be surrounded by those he loves, but he pushes them away at every turn. This is a pretty disjointed comment from me, and I don't necessarily disagree with your opinion on Netero vs Meruem being better, but this video did help me wrap my head around how inconsistent of a character Gojo is (in a good way) due to his internal turmoil.
@meklpeckle1936 I'm gonna have to disagree with you.
Yap session incoming:
Gege's writing style has always been characterized by his minimalistic style of storytelling requiring the audince to form their own conclusions, and throughout the fight we got just that, both through the utilization of the power system with things like Mahoragas adaptation, and character development of Gojo (not sukuna but I will talk about that later). Through the fight, the idea of "content" was thrown around a lot. When Yuta wanted to intervine, he was stopped by Kashimo, not just for logistical reasons, but because Kashimo knew exactly what gojo was feeling. Kashimo was longing for fufillment, some kind of greater understanding that would only come from fighting someone as strong as him.We even see the narrator weigh in on this, "The Loneliness that comes with absolute strength, the one who will teach you is...". The difference between Gojo and Sukuna is that one needed "filling", and one person didn't. We even see some direct commentary on this, both in Gojos postmortem dream state and in Sukuna conversation with kashimo. Unlike Gojo and Kashimo, Sukuna didn't yearn for connection because he viewed that isolation as natural.
What makes makes the fight so much more interesting is the way it shapes the rest of the shinjuku showdown, with characters like Yuta following Sukuna's isolationist ideals and failing, while characters like Yuji fully resolve their humanity and end up winning.
Anyway yeah, this fight has a ton of writing both within it and surrounding it.
@@anklumous5263 While I don't think you're wrong, I can't entirely agree with Gege's real intentions. He intended all these things, but they weren't properly established. There were too many holes in it all. Gege spreads Gojo's character moments too far apart. It leaves viewers to interpret his true intentions and inner struggles with little direct guidance. For example, his relationship with power and isolation is hinted at in his backstory; his distance from others and his belief that strength isolates him are poignant ideas. Despite that, these themes are rarely revisited with enough clarity to make his internal conflict feel like a constant thread throughout the story. The result is that by the time his fight with Sukuna rolls around, the emotional weight of his loneliness isn’t as impactful as it could be because it hasn’t been given enough narrative presence. Gojo’s inner world is touched upon but not fully explored in the fight itself. His excitement at being able to fight an equal like Sukuna is a fascinating glimpse into his psyche; he’s someone who thrives on challenges but has rarely encountered anyone who can truly match him. Yet, this thrill is never juxtaposed with his fear of failure or the consequences of losing. That's why 263 irritated so many people. It was an interesting retrospection, one that was very needed, but it felt out of character. You could argue that his lack of worry for his students stemmed from his belief that they were safe, but, that's yet another plot point that's given zero evidence for or against. Gojo's character feels incomplete, I can't reasonably claim Gojo vs Sukuna was the greatest World Cup fight ever.
@@bruhfunny8123 Also gonna yap a little, but here goes:
I agree that Gege's minimalist storytelling invites interpretation, but in this case, it might have worked to the detriment of the emotional impact of the narrative. There's a fine line between subtlety and underdevelopment, and Gege's handling of Gojo's character arc and resolution in this fight arguably falls on the latter side.
I find it interesting how "contentment" is explored in this fight, especially considering Gojo's and Sukuna's contrasting ideologies. Gojo finds fulfillment in challenges that match his unparalleled strength, while Sukuna embraces his isolation as natural. However, this dichotomy could have been better emphasized throughout the fight rather than relying so heavily on interpretation after the fact. It's good, then, that Kashimo can understand Gojo's longing, but it's mostly just a peripheral observation and feels a lot less like an active core thread within the battle. That's to say, Gojo's desire for fulfillment might have been expressed more clearly through internal monologue or interaction with Sukuna rather than in an audience-inferred sort of way through secondary characters or narration.
You bring up the line, "The Loneliness that comes with absolute strength, the one who will teach you is." which does add weight to the idea of Gojo as a character defined by his isolation. Yet, that plot thread feels incomplete. Sukuna, the supposed "teacher," doesn't actually interact with Gojo on that level during the fight. Instead, Sukuna's character remains cryptic throughout the series, and all his actions aim more to show his tactical superiority rather than provide any real contrast to Gojo's loneliness. If Sukuna is supposed to be that foil that finally shows Gojo has not found contentment, this needed a much stronger, direct confrontation of their ideologies on the part of the narrative. Otherwise, I'm left feeling the fight was more like a mechanical display of their abilities rather than a thematic clash.
You also mention Gojo's post-mortem dream state being a direct commentary on his character. While his musings over his students and satisfaction with the fight provide some closure, it still feels jarringly detached from the narrative stakes. For a life defined by loneliness and the burden of being the strongest, his musings don't feel weighty enough to match his death. Instead, they feel like a deflection of his deeper struggles, which left me feeling his arc was entirely unresolved.
I would probably argue that the existence of the ants as a colony is tied to the rule of Meruem. He is the leader and provides order and meaning for all other ants. He was the culmination of a whole species, which means by dying his species would fall apart. Additionally, Netero knew this would be his final battle. He was ready to put everything on the line to sacrifice himself and prove the power of humanity and it’s resilience, while simultaneously saving it. This is why I would give the characterization block to Netero.
meruem vs netero has to be one of my favorite fights of all time, and hxh is my fav anime as a whole
Wow, your conclusions on the Jjk fight really made me see that ending in a new light. From the moment I heard about Gojo losing, I reasoned that it was only because the main character must defeat the main villain, no matter what, so it couldn’t have been different on a technical level. But now, with the idea that one was stronger because they were more “resolute”, I’m willing to believe it, and it honestly gives me a little more closure on the fight that’s left me bitter since it came out.
I really love the Gojo vs Sukuna fight and think it was basically the best a fight can possibly be. From the beginning it was clear that Gojo had to lose because Sukuna HAD to fight Yuji at some point. The problem for me is that I feel like the fight was so good that Gege the Author did not know how to end it on a note that would be reasonable with the way the fight went. Doing it from one chapter to the other without caring to explain further than "I did this" did not help. This also clearly showed in the fights happening afterwards where Sukuna was just constantly getting more and more power boosted to the point where it was not fun to speculate or keep up anymore.
8:25 Ah yes, Netero won because he was more Tactical Nuke than Meruem
Omg after being recommended to me on his very first video, after watching all of the other videos on this magnificent fighting spectre, the anger of not being able to watch the end of the video because I am not up to date with jk makes me so sad. But a great video(and channel xD) for the rest thanks for the work😁.
0:58 why does that sound like minos prime is yelling in the other room
JUUUDGEMENT
THY END IS NOW
CRUSH
PREPARE THYSELF
Very good video! During the strength and strategy section of the JJK fight, I was rather lost as I haven't seen the show or read the Manga. I followed the narrative advantage section fully though, so I was able to make sense of the example.
This fight was extremely complex even for those who followed it closely. Even now when the manga is over people are still arguing about what moves the characters did and why. The power system of this series can go quite deep, but these 2 characters repeatedly pushed it further with new techniques no one had ever seen before. For example, destroying your own brain and then repairing it to regain your trump card faster. That is about as dangerous as it sounds too, which is why no other character except those 2 ever even attempted it. The we have how often they switched up the conditions of their trump card to get an advantage. To make an analogy, imagine you have a gun as your trump card which you are decent at using. These 2 would be swapping weapons damn near continously while still having perfect aim.
throughout the dozens of videos i have seen about gojo v sukuna. i feel like this is the best, atleast in making me understant the point. not just justifying sukunas win through power-scaling
This series started with one of the first fights in jujutsu kaisen and ended with one of the last ones in jujutsu kaisen
You are a sly sly man Squampopulous I see what you did there. The narrative was really good.
This is not the end but the beginning of a new era, I look forward to seeing every new video that you put out
Really glad you decided to cover Gojo vs Sukuna. I didn't expect you to because it hasn't been animated yet, but I think you did a really good job covering what makes it such an amazing fight. And I think you're 100% right about the narrative, we see a very similar story play out with Yuji vs Mahito. It's not about who's right necessarily, but abiding by your beliefs and having no regrets. Before the fight, Yuji saves people without having a concrete reason why, and Mahito kills without any reason either. But in the end, Yuji realizes the mistake they've both been making, and his actions begin to take on new meaning. Which is why he won. And without that experience, Yuji never could have beaten Sukuna, because he wouldn't have had the resolve.
I just have to say your channel and specifically this mini-series regarding fight scenes has been one of the best RUclips discoveries I've made in the last year. Not only do I love the content, but I agree fully with your made up rules.
Watched Gladiator II this weekend; I have a sneaking suspicion that the final fight of the movie was the epitome of a bad world cup fight scene.
Edit: I was correct, there was a severe lack of strategy and only some characterization. On top of that the displays of force made absolutely 0 sense (the older former slave beating the young, supremely talented gladiator). In a way it was a microcosm of the movie as a whole.
Loved your takes on the fights and wholeheartedly agree with your take on the last one. I think you could definitely make a series periodically covering fight scenes of these types as just the analysis itself is genuinely entertaining. I'll continue to watch whatever you put out.
Side note: I understand your point about Meruem and Netero's fight but I also think the ambiguity of the outcome feeds into the narrative of the fight and the entire arc in that there is no ultimate right or wrong in the Chimera Ant situation.
A true unstoppable force when met with an immovable object, will simply find another way around.
A true immovable object when met with an unstoppable force, will simply find another way (someone pls insert a word here)
Meruem vs Netero also furthers the theme of the Zoldyck philosophy
Zeno does not fight meruem because he knows he cannot win, Netero fights Meruem BECAUSE he knows cannot win
It is an indictment of Illumi's philosophy he instills in Killua's mind, because in taking on the 1v1 that he knows he cannot win, Netero finds the least destructive path to victory
Thats why he is the one commissioned by the V5 nations to take out the Ant King, despite his own admission that there are 5 nen users in the world that are stronger than he is
His desire to push himself in battle without fear of death or defeat is what allows for the defeat of the ants while limiting human casualties
Without him, the bomb would have been detonated on the city, killing everyone
Netero mirrors Komugi in being the only humans to ever surprise Meruem, and both doing so by willingness in sacrificing their lives over a simple game of skill
I think a major theme of HxH is that satisfaction in life is impossible without struggle, and the key to self development is to take on the hardest challenges, find what you want and go for it no matter what
Another spectacular video, I'm glad to see it! Even if you switch to content about other topics, I'm sure I'll still love your videos as I love your style of video essays, your breakdowns just as much as the quality you put into them. Great work!
Back on the note of fighting, those last two fights really make one stop and think, don't they? Longer than many other fights might. Here's a bit of a tongue twister for you; I love that the Netero vs Meruem fight is "We need for no one to get the Narrative Characterization Block" and not "No one really needs to get the Narrative Characterization Block". A crucial difference between writing an incredible message, and an unsatisfying, poorly developed fight.
As for the Gojo vs Sukuna fight, even I am a bit hesitant to pour my heart and mind out into a youtube comment that no one might see, so I'll leave it at this; It is a beloved fight, it is masterfully written, it's highly entertaining to watch, and I am truly happy with the resulting winner. Couldn't be happier in fact.
I'm glad you had fun with this series cuz I had a blast. I hope you continue to share your writing hot takes.
I love the sukuna vs gojo fight but I still was left with a bad taste from the ending. I'll use a similar metaphor to the "world cup ending in a draw" metaphor you used for the meruem vs netero fight.
If the world cup came down to a penalty shoot out but the broadcast cut off for the shootout and only returned as the winner was hoisting the trophy it would be a letdown.
Regardless I still like the fight and I really loved the video.
It's about damn time, I've been waiting, Squampopulous!!
For real though this video is such a banger, can't wait to see what you cook up next!
W reference
Liked and subbed. Good stuff man!
Hunter hunter and jjk are great examples. I disagree with your jjk analysis though, sukuna 100% won because of plot armor, dude pulled like 4 binding vows out of his ass. I feel like that was a big moment where jjk went from being a unique new thing back to generic shonen.
fantastic breakdown of the gojo sukuna fight, completely changed the way i see it
Best fight scene advice out here! keep it up!
Hey man I just found your channel bad I wanna say that I think your analysis of the gojo v sukuna fight is one of the best I’ve seen!!! It’s really well done and I think it accounts for Gege’s fantastic writing
Such a good video. Saved the best for last too lol
The breakdown of Gojo v Sukuna fight gave me chills i almost felt like I was watching it already animated but not only that, I think u brought up key points about they’re fighting strategy and motivation that many would probably miss (me included) just watching it unfold onscreen. Masterfully done. Thank u for this
Damn friend, this whole series was really excellent. Thank you so much for putting so much time and care into it!
Did not expect to see the best take on the Gojo vs. Sukuna fight I've seen to date. very cool
Loved this video, was extremely useful in writting one of THE climatic fights of my story. Seriously amazing content you have in here :)
Bro i literally just found your channel today, watched the other two vids, and then you drop this one at the same time. Thanks so much, these are very informative and entertaining!
This tool you made is very good and useful, but to the people watching is always good to remember that this is a tool and one can make a good fight scene without following strictly (or at all) these guidelines. The how to accomplish that could make one (or several) video(s) on its own but it still good to have this kind of thing guideline when writing a story. The more tools the better.
Amazing video series with many good examples.
Can’t watch the full video bc JJK spoilers, I’ll be back someday!
I will say the other fight scenes were excellent choices for this video!
I will also say that I can’t wait to see what other videos you do after this! I started watching on one of your first videos and admittedly didn’t expect to particularly care for this channel as there are a lot of video essayists out there. But then you began your examinations of fight scenes and I was hooked. Thank you for some of the most enjoyable content I’ve found on RUclips!
Yes! THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!
JJK MANGA SPOILERS
As much as I would like to appreciate the Gojo vs Sukuna fight, the lack of ever knowing the limits or how to apply a binding vow (which I believe was never elaborated on how binding vows can be granted), the change in Hallow Purple being an assumed black hole ability (as seen when used against Toji and the debris), the inside of Gojo's domain not being shown and the final off-screen attack that was the conclusion, with Sukuna somehow adapting Mahoraga's technique into his own slash. For how much explaining there was that kept taking me out of the heat of the fight, I wish there was an elaboration on the limits of the two so each of these moments felt achievable in the universe. Fantastic video nevertheless and this is one of my favorite RUclips series to watch :D
Sukuna using maharga as a blueprint is something megumi has done with his the techqunie as well it was just a matter of time to actually adapt to limitless. Also hollow purple was never that strong toji has no defense against it because he can't reinforce his body and thus was completely destroyed but Hannahmi the disaster cure survived said attack.
@ Do you know when specifically Megumi had one of his attacks altered using Mahoraga? I don't recall that ever being a possibility. Also with the Hallow Purple, I believe it still wiped out half of Hanami, but similar to how Jogo survived with just his head that's how they were able to keep living. It still possessed the void potential but with Sukuna it was just a burn which wasn't explained how Sukuna could have dulled the effect to just that.
@@survivoroo1088 plot armor
It always annoyed me how sukuna copied an entire different technique ( mahoraga adaptation ) and did it offscreen , and a lot of People Just went : yeah that sounds reasonable .
IF an author makes a character i like do something like this , i would be pissed
@pablox2139 he didn't copy it he tamed maharga after taking over megumi's body and then he literally used the techqunie as a test drive vs yoruzo read the culling games...
While the points brought up in the fight between Meruem and Netero are valid for them respectively, I think it needs to be looked on a deeper level, it was not Meruem VS Netero, it was "Humanity VS Chimera Ants" and I'd say that "HUMANITY won because they were more MALICIOUS" which ties into the theme beautifully, similar to Parasyte: The Maxim, the monsters were never a threat to humanity as a whole, they were just scary animals that hunted humans until humans made them extinct.
Something else I dislike about many fights is when they over-do it with the strategy bars. So many twists and turns just make it feel more anxious and drawn out, it's like the whole: "I knew you were gonna do that, so I do THIS" and the other guy says, "I knew you knew about THAT, so I did THIS to prepare for THAT", and it just continues until someone wins.
2:31 hey, that's literally the beginning of helck
The thumbnail keeps changing everytime I see this in my feed.
Good video, very interesting
can't wait for the "flea market" fight where both parties are equally ass
I just made popcorn, thank you for giving me a worthy video
Really enjoyed the video. Hope you keep making awesome videos but don't burn yourself out. Have a good one.
Awesome stuff! Gonna watch more on these series as I wait for what you'll whip up next! One thing, though, don't knock the "always be prepared" win, man😂😂😂, some of my favourite fights have been won thanks to that and always in super effective, non lame ways!
I just wanted to say that I’ve loved this series and look forward to what you do next ❤
im sad these fight videos are done but i look forward to what else you post, you do a great job of analyzing narratives and characters dude, keep it up
huyu msee hukuwa na vida tamu "his videos are awesome and cover a unique classification of character"
Hey man, what’s the song used at 0:37 and throughout the video? It goes so hard
Generic hip hop loop #3553
Honestly amazing video, but I would've loved it if you talked about Luffy vs Kaido. This fight has so much to offer and if you know the story of One Piece, it might as well be one of the best fight in the series, because of it's narrative impact, it's depiction of both characters' ideals, and the character development it brings to both Luffy and Kaido. I don't know if you know One Piece, but honestly I think you should really look into it, it's an amazing fight and watching your videos makes me really think you'll like it.
Tbh id say luffy vs doflamingo was better
"live without regrets" you instantly made the jjk ending better tbh
I think the fact that the hunter x hunter fight didn’t have a difference in characterization because it supports the result of them taking each other out
Hey, i wanted to convey how much i enjoyed this series, i have been exited for every installment since the beginning. i hope that you continue to make content that i get exited about
(Jujutsu Kaisen spoilers)
I think part of why Sukuna won was because he strived to grow. Gojo would have creamed Sukuna if he hadn't schemed to take Fushiguro's power, and Sukuna's final blow was not from just relying on Mahoraga, but rather by observing Mahoraga to master the ultimate slash himself. Gojo relied on being the strongest, but Sukuna sought growth even during the fight, becoming powerful enough that in a rematch, he would win easily with his new technique.
Gojo rested on his laurels, but Sukuna committed himself to surpassing Gojo. This doesn't contradict what you said about conviction determining the winner, but rather may explain exactly how commitment gave Sukuna the win.
totally agree
13:51
there's another key point, Sukuna was not the strongest when he was born, he was a disgrace, Sukuna for his whole life wanted to be the strongest.
Gojo born as the strongest and for all his life felt lonely and wanted to raise students that are equal to him if not stronger.
Gojo succeed in his life goal raising Yuji, Sukuna failed being the strongest by losing to Gojo collective power being his students and comrades.
@@MohamedAshraf-fv8jkthis is actually not true. Sukuna was born with the largest cursed energy reserves throughout the entire jjk history of the world, the strongest and best suited body for jujutsu sorcery, and arguably one of the best cursed techniques in the series. He was also born in a time where sorcerers were generally weaker than the modern day meaning for his strength, he didn’t have much competition. Gojo on the other hand came near to death because of toji and worked throughout his teenage and early adult years to master his domain, blue, and purple, work on infinity and limitless to be automatic, and also grew when he was able to use his experience in the prison cube during his fight with Sukuna
I agree and also disagree one one point which is the framing that Gojo stagnated and lost because he didn’t choose to adapt and evolve whereas sukuna only did. It’s true that sukuna doesn’t care where he gets new strength from, if he can, he’ll do it, whereas Gojo is less reliant on using the talent and potential of others to grow stronger, yet we see that Gojo does evolve and adapt in his own way. He relies on the information of his students about Sukunas abilities and techniques and information about maharoga, and also utilises his experience in the prison realm to adapt his own domain when fighting Sukuna. I agree that Sukuna truly is the epitome of evolving jujutsu sorcery, yet Gojo doesn’t soley rely on himself being the strongest. He also trained and put in arguably as much work as Sukuna, with even a prodigy like yuta questioning just how much hours he put in to master hollow purple, it’s just that Sukuna sacrifices and uses others for his evolution in strength, whereas Gojo improves through his own self and experience and the helpful experience of those around him.
Great video as always!! I am really curious to find out what you'll do in the future!
Officer Rama vs the Karambit Assassin. No drama, no dialogue, no meta commentary, just pure character driven choreography where you can feel how far the protagonist has come by how survives, bullies, clashes, and overcomes this assassin who we literally saw make another MadDog type character seem trash
Loved this whole series of yours, can’t wait to see what you do next
Been looking forward to this video!
The fact that Gojo believes in nothing is a really good point. He doesn't have a strong, clear belief. Nothing that motivates him.
The Kill Bill's fight made remind me another final fight.
The one at the end of Sword of the Stranger. I think it can be called as a World Cup. The stakes are important, strategy is absolutely important and characterization explains why it ends the way it ends.
If you didn't see it, I clearlt recommend you to do so. It last for less than 2 hours so it won't cost you much time ! ;)
Oh and great job on this video again ! Keep up the good work !
(Even tho I didn't watch the end since I only saw JJK anime part)
Just watched the toss-ups video yesterday and I never clicked this fast on a video in a while
Honestly never thought i would learn more about the message of JJK in this video but for sure that fight is the best one i've ever read in manga or ever seen anywhere. And honestly, this makes sense.
JJK SPOILERS
As Yuji learns about his own goals and what he himself believes is "living", he finds an answer that Sukuna can't match. He actually admits it after losing too, which is even more clever. Also thank you for talking about it, amazing video too as always. Looking forward to see what's next!
i agree, as someone whos succumbed to all the discourse of “JJK ending was mid” this video covering world cup fights covered the thematic meaning of the final conflict really REALLY well
Beautiful series dude. This has been amazing
I think the pattern here is that movie fight scenes usually use less blocks than manga or show fight scenes, probably because shows can take the proper precautions to build up the fights and to be able to make the fights last longer, thus giving the opportunity to use more strategy
your analysis of gojo v sukuna made me a subscriber
Loved the video, what did you think of the yuji vs sukuna or just jjk after the gojo vs sukuna fight? To me, it felt way worse and though sukuna did concede his beliefs, it still seemed like yuji won because he punched harder.
I would also put Ekko vs Viktor in this category. Both Viktor and Ekko's Z-drive are OP. Strategically, the fight doesn't have much to offer, it's over too quickly. Ekko uses his Z-drive whenever he needs it and Viktor tries to react to Ekko's movements as best he can while he's busy doing other things. But what ultimately brings Ekko victory is his will. He really tanks everything Viktor throws at him and pushes himself beyond his limits.
But yeah this video was phenomenal man, great work breaking down the stories and key details enough to explain the narrative of the fights
I think what makes The Bride vs O-Ren such a good fight is that it's shot like an art piece. We have the scenery and choreography that resembles more of a dance than a fight etc, something zen-like. The movie already gave away that Bride's going to win at the beginning of the film (her name was crossed over), so it's more of a matter of seeing *how* The Bride defeats her opponent. Guess it's just the spectacle that people love in this case, but I say it's a definition of "cinema", despite its flaws.
Great video as always! Keep it up
I hope dude makes something great of this channel. I love it
Great video, but just wanted to say Netero completely and unequivocably won against Meruem and it's not really even up for debate. Netero had two objectives 1. Give his all and have the greatest fight of his life 2. Stop the Ants to save humanity. Meruem on the other hand completely failed in his goals which were 1. Subjugate the world 2. Use his strength to Create a peaceful society based on merits 3.Have a dialogue to decide what to do with humanity. Meruem refused to even fight, to the point he had to be essentially gas lit into actually throwing hands. That's why he said Netero had him into checkmate from the beginning. He couldn't foresee any circumstance in which Netero and therefore humanity, would have any chance to defeat him. He thought Netero was just an old man itching for a pointless fight, but didn't realize the depth of Netero's resolve. Netero went into that battle not just be willing to die, but planning to. He was going to be able to go all out in a fight with strongest opponent he ever faced , and then his life would end, the rose would go off and humanity would be saved. He met every single one of his win conditions, while Meruem met none of his. Meruem had lost the second Netero set foot in his castle.
I think it’s also notable that Gojo actually wins his fight with Sukuna in the long run. The value he is certain in is his students. We see his entire philosophy surrounding this earlier in the manga. Gojo despises the old traditions of the current system, and how a small group of elders decide the way the world should be. Of course, they always decide it should stay the same. That is one of the key reasons why Gojo becomes a teacher. He believes in the next generation to lead. He instills his own strength into his pupils.
It is that strength that eventually defeats Sukuna. It is the unwavering ideals of the next generation in Yuji that finally defeats him. The selfish side of Gojo, that which fights purely to understand his own strength, could never beat Sukuna. I don’t even think it would if he committed to that, or was certain of it. What won him the fight was the part of him that cares about people, and about the future of this world.
Been a joy to watch this series as you make it! With JJK being in my top 1 series I can only hope you might revisit it in the future! Keep up the great work!
Excellent vid, glad I caught it
One of my favorites was Supergirl and Superman vs Darkseid in Superman/Batman apocalypse, the fight scene is a great showcase of Darkseid's brutality and Supermand and Supergirl's love for eachother, and the way the win is very clever
I think an important thing that isn't missed but is perhaps mixed in to the other points is ideological purity. The character willing to bet the absolute most on their ideals, or the one who stands with the strongest resolve in their ideals, has a significant edge in a brawl that otherwise doesn't care about these non physical elements. this can be seen in the bride vs oren strongly enough to merit mentioning as its own separate category. That is to say: Rather than being decided by chance I see the outcome as the fact that the bride's resolve to win this fight is as hard and sharp as her sword, meaning it can get past oren's strike which is informed by her lesser resolve, resulting in a lethal blow. They were matched in everything but this, making the bride the winner.
This is just a minor observation of my own appreciation for fight scenes and not at all a criticism of this video. You've got a new subscriber here.
the bride won the fight because she's the protagonist; which id argue is even weaker of a reason than simply winning via strength