Capitalism ho! Let's Read Kengan Asura
- Thread starter Manic Dogma
- Start date
- Discussion Manga
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
He's in a whole separate tier from everyone else, ascended beyond the limits of human beings by virtue of not actually existing.
...I mean, none of these people exist, but you know what I mean.
That's kinda like saying that JJK lets player characters create their own magic items. It's trying to compare two power systems while ignoring the differences between them.
The similarity between bankais and domain expansion pretty much starts and ends with "powers which symbolize something about the character". And they aren't the only powers in either series that do that! (I think bankais are closer to cursed techniques? I only got like 40% of the way through Bleach, and the power system details didn't really stick with me.) Domain expansion is usually used as a finishing move, because it's generally not practical to use it more than a few times. And there are a surprising number of exceptions to the no-one-can-dodge-or-block rule.
That's off-topic, though. Sorry.
Nah, Cursed Techniques are Stands
Bankai is just a nice term for the setting-specific Proper Noun which badasses have that remixes their powerset once the fight gets a bit stale.
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well, that makes cases where a setting has more than one Proper Noun kinda awkward. Arguably, all of Jujutsu Kaisen's proper nouns fall under the broader umbrella definition of "cursed technique," but so do a bunch of generic techniques.Nah, Cursed Techniques are Stands
Bankai is just a nice term for the setting-specific Proper Noun which badasses have that remixes their powerset once the fight gets a bit stale.
...Actually, I'm not sure whether heavenly restrictions count as cursed techniques. But again, off-topic.
Chapter 124 - Torture
Manic Dogma
This, I can't deny.
- Location
- The far side of tired
- Pronouns
- Whatever
CONTENT WARNING: The title of the chapter is not fucking around. Content warning for torture and physical helplessness. I'll try and keep visuals of those moments vague, but it's kind of central to the chapter so I'm gonna have to talk about it.
It has as many names as there are contexts where it matters. It's foundational to so many things, so many shapes that conflict can take. Psych, grit, stability, focus, each with their own nuances but all pointing to the same underlying idea. For the purposes of this work, however, I'm going to take a page out of the FGC. Fighting Game Community, for those unfamiliar.
Let's talk about Mental.
"How dare you try to win this match what we're in."
Mental is another one of those hard-to-quantify factors that lead to people online, especially those with a hard calcs and feats based approach to judging characters and their strength, either grossly overvaluing or completely forgetting the impact. Which on the one hand, isn't surprising. It's an extremely nebulous collection of influences on elements of a fight that can be as abstract as why or where. On the other hand, when it's significant, it can be very significant. On occasion, fighting styles utilise these ideas as strategic levers. One historic example is the spanish Destreza style of fencing which, aside from emphasising a lot of lateral, circular movement, is also notorious for practitioners which needle their opponents with pointed, verbal barbs. Why? To get the opponent mad. To what end? Their opponent's.
Or rather, in a non-meme-ey answer, because the vast majority of anger isn't good mental. People angry enough to lash out aren't thinking through their approach. They tense up, lose flexibility. Their strikes become more linear. You see where I'm going with this?
Good mental is, in short, keeping your psychological balance. Because, with rare exceptions, stepping outside that balance makes you predictable and strips you of tactical and physical flexibility. Even if your fighting style already generally leans in a particular direction in terms of tactics or aggression, losing your mental can very easily end in hitting the same maneuvers repeatedly, going for the same angles, or just acting purely on incensed or fearful reflex. And regardless of what shit like Ultra Instinct might insist, attacking or defending autonomously is just begging to get baited.
Now, with all that said, perhaps its clear what a state Cosmo is in. Boy isn't angry, but by god fear isn't any better for someone in a fight. Worse, arguably, since any pressure you might exert via offence is probably gone. By contrast, Akoya is a pillar of focus. Manic, absolutely-off-his-gourd focus, but a laser all the same.
And now we leave the first page. Good for this update's wordcount at least, eh?
The next page all but confirms the comments I ended the last update with, and makes a statement. When someone possesses the resolve to die for their convictions, the battle is no longer one of win or loss, but life or death. But, this is Cosmo's first fight where he seriously stands to die. He wasn't expecting it, he wasn't ready for it. He doesn't have that kind of resolve.
Akoya takes a step forward. And Cosmo utterly loses his shit.
The blows are fast, it's still Cosmo we're talking about here. But as I said before, broken Mental has thrown off his fundamentals. He's leaning back, away from his punches. They aren't targeted or considered. He's flailing, and thus failing. Even if Akoya didn't have the reflexes he does he'd have an easy time dodging them, as is he almost looks bored while he's doing it. It's the work of a moment for him to find a punch hesitant enough that he can catch it by the wrist and elbow. Then, with an ominous crack, he throws Cosmo to the floor…and mounts him. "Let me tell you what Justice means" he says. Cosmo, will fully broken, screams. And almost surrenders.
Okay, so this is uh…this is where the content warning starts. Time to use this forum's handy dandy spoiler function.
In the here and now, it at least helps that the reactions from the rest of the cast seem genuine. The audience, the theoretically bloodthirsty audience, are visibly sickened and losing their shit over this. The peanut gallery, most of whom are experienced fighters who've experienced unthinkable pain themselves, are fucking mad as hell and howling at the ref to fucking do something. Akoya's gonna kill the boy! The ref, down in the arena, cites helplessness. He can't do a thing, he claims. He's not allowed to stop the match unless Imai is clearly unable to continue, or shows clear intent to surrender. Which is obvious bullshit, he fucking passed out just a second ago, and audibly tried to surrender only a moment before that. Which almost stands as an awful bit of writing, or at least a conflict with how the story is drawn, if not for this second thought on the other side of the panel. And hoo boy, buckle your ass. This one's amazing.
Corporate reputations…and profits. Are the things on the line. The important things, the things that come first.
Perfect, fucking immaculate. I don't know if it's intended that way, or an accidental consequence of Sandro's attempts to invoke a grim and bloody mood, but this might be the most singular and beautiful indictment of capitalism in the manga so far. A petrified 19 year old boy is being fucking tortured in front of this man, visibly weeping in mortal terror and unthinkable agony, and his fucking ass is like "but what about the profit margins."
And oh boy, if you thought Adam was mad before, you ain't seen nuthin'. He grips Hiyama by the shoulders and screams into her face that she'll throw the fucking match already, or he'll honest to god kill her. Actual threat on her life in Cosmo's defence. Unfortunately, while she seems willing, it's more of an "I would if I could" situation. With blank, sleepless trauma eyes she notes that if she forfeits now Akoya will definitely kill Cosmo and then keep killing people until he dies. Committing suicide by…cop? Bodyguard, I guess. Or fighter, considering plenty of those are watching. Either way, stopping the match now won't save anybody, and stands a good chance of getting even more people killed.
Then Nishihonji tells him to stay calm, Cosmo hasn't lost yet.
You know, as what comes out of his mouth is less slurs and more impassioned defences, Adam grows on me. Is that weird? This guy is legit scared for Cosmo's life.
Nishihonji is unphased, though, asking if Adam really thought he was a good person. Which is fair, a guy from America should know better than to expect a CEO to be anything but the scum of the earth. He does go on to clarify though, listing off his sins against Cosmo. Taking a bright young boy and throwing him into the underworld without hesitation. He rambles on a bit more about hard decisions and the pointlessness of being "weak but good", but the important part of the page is this. As Adam clearly notices, at the end, Nishihonji is shaking. Shaking and sweating.
What does it mean? Fucked if I know. It could be that everything he's saying is bullshit and he's also scared for Cosmo's life, but in that case why does noone countermand anything he says? Unfortunately, I think we're being struck with CEOs Being Cooler And Smarter Than Anyone syndrome again, which is a shame after the beautiful takedown of capitalist priorities earlier in the chapter. Or perhaps just more evidence that it was an accident. I think we're supposed to take this as, yes, Nishihonji is scared but he's not letting it shake his powerful manly judgement. Which is unspeakably fucked, given this match stands a good chance of crippling Cosmo for life even if it doesn't kill him, rendering all of his Big Man posturing meaningless on multiple levels. Fuck you man, I'd respect you more if you started trying to plan a way around Akoya just killing Cosmo on a forfeit from either side.
Back down in the arena, to keep things vague, Cosmo's becoming delirious. He apologises to Nishihonji, and to his master…who speaks back. Cosmo blinks. He's seeing his gym, his master taunting him after another spar.
End chapter.
Anyone else smell a second wind coming? Of course, we know from experience that those don't necessarily mean anything in Kengan Asura. Are we about to get another dose of reality? Can youth and talent overcome experience, raw power, and fist-through-a-wrought-iron-fence insanity? I guess we'll find out.
See you all next time.
It has as many names as there are contexts where it matters. It's foundational to so many things, so many shapes that conflict can take. Psych, grit, stability, focus, each with their own nuances but all pointing to the same underlying idea. For the purposes of this work, however, I'm going to take a page out of the FGC. Fighting Game Community, for those unfamiliar.
Let's talk about Mental.
"How dare you try to win this match what we're in."
Mental is another one of those hard-to-quantify factors that lead to people online, especially those with a hard calcs and feats based approach to judging characters and their strength, either grossly overvaluing or completely forgetting the impact. Which on the one hand, isn't surprising. It's an extremely nebulous collection of influences on elements of a fight that can be as abstract as why or where. On the other hand, when it's significant, it can be very significant. On occasion, fighting styles utilise these ideas as strategic levers. One historic example is the spanish Destreza style of fencing which, aside from emphasising a lot of lateral, circular movement, is also notorious for practitioners which needle their opponents with pointed, verbal barbs. Why? To get the opponent mad. To what end? Their opponent's.
Or rather, in a non-meme-ey answer, because the vast majority of anger isn't good mental. People angry enough to lash out aren't thinking through their approach. They tense up, lose flexibility. Their strikes become more linear. You see where I'm going with this?
Good mental is, in short, keeping your psychological balance. Because, with rare exceptions, stepping outside that balance makes you predictable and strips you of tactical and physical flexibility. Even if your fighting style already generally leans in a particular direction in terms of tactics or aggression, losing your mental can very easily end in hitting the same maneuvers repeatedly, going for the same angles, or just acting purely on incensed or fearful reflex. And regardless of what shit like Ultra Instinct might insist, attacking or defending autonomously is just begging to get baited.
Now, with all that said, perhaps its clear what a state Cosmo is in. Boy isn't angry, but by god fear isn't any better for someone in a fight. Worse, arguably, since any pressure you might exert via offence is probably gone. By contrast, Akoya is a pillar of focus. Manic, absolutely-off-his-gourd focus, but a laser all the same.
And now we leave the first page. Good for this update's wordcount at least, eh?
The next page all but confirms the comments I ended the last update with, and makes a statement. When someone possesses the resolve to die for their convictions, the battle is no longer one of win or loss, but life or death. But, this is Cosmo's first fight where he seriously stands to die. He wasn't expecting it, he wasn't ready for it. He doesn't have that kind of resolve.
Akoya takes a step forward. And Cosmo utterly loses his shit.
The blows are fast, it's still Cosmo we're talking about here. But as I said before, broken Mental has thrown off his fundamentals. He's leaning back, away from his punches. They aren't targeted or considered. He's flailing, and thus failing. Even if Akoya didn't have the reflexes he does he'd have an easy time dodging them, as is he almost looks bored while he's doing it. It's the work of a moment for him to find a punch hesitant enough that he can catch it by the wrist and elbow. Then, with an ominous crack, he throws Cosmo to the floor…and mounts him. "Let me tell you what Justice means" he says. Cosmo, will fully broken, screams. And almost surrenders.
Okay, so this is uh…this is where the content warning starts. Time to use this forum's handy dandy spoiler function.
Akoya stuffs his forearm into Cosmo's mouth. It's bleeding a little, and I'm not altogether sure if it's from Cosmo or Akoya just jammed his arm in so hard Cosmo's teeth broke his skin. Frankly it could be either, dude's fucked up. And it doesn't get any better from there. With one thumb extended with horrible implication, Akoya slams his free arm into Cosmo's side.
At the top of the next page is a semi-X ray panel showing Akoya's thumb digging deep between Cosmo's ribs. And then Cosmo, eyes if anything even wilder, actively biting down on Akoya's arm in pain and terror as his legs kick and stomp at the ground. Akoya, psychopath that he is, matter of factly informs Cosmo that what he's doing right now is putting pressure on the Intercostal nerve. And then he asks if Cosmo understands yet, that this is the pain of the righteous. And just…fuck me, the man's crazy just keeps getting deeper. He starts rambling about how the righteous are always oppressed through history, and the wicked prosper, laying ruin on the world. Which just sounds so much like a goddamn hard right conservative thinkpiece, not at all helped by how the veins start to stand out in his face as he drones on, and his thumb sinks fully into Cosmo's chest with a horrible snap.
The boy passes out. It's a mercy, really.
Which is obviously why it can't stand.
Akoya punches him in the rib he just broke, waking the boy back up, and delivering his absolutely demented ultimatum. One rib down, 23 to go. He will slowly teach Cosmo what justice is, and in this slow, painful death purify him of his sins. Making his soul righteous once more. Jesus fucking christ.
It's excessive, it's horrifying, and the art goes all in on selling how absolutely fucking petrified Cosmo is. I almost want to say it's excessive, but…is it? Genuine question, I'm debating on it internally. Because this was all pretty clearly telegraphed, really. This is the Akoya the series has been promising us since his backstory chapter, the insane monster that Hiyama has been keeping in check apparently by sheer force of red tape. How much less hard can the series go while still selling this moment of total breakdown? How much is too much to sell it? How much is too much to be worth selling? Is this too soon to really say? Thoughts for the end of the match, I think.
At the top of the next page is a semi-X ray panel showing Akoya's thumb digging deep between Cosmo's ribs. And then Cosmo, eyes if anything even wilder, actively biting down on Akoya's arm in pain and terror as his legs kick and stomp at the ground. Akoya, psychopath that he is, matter of factly informs Cosmo that what he's doing right now is putting pressure on the Intercostal nerve. And then he asks if Cosmo understands yet, that this is the pain of the righteous. And just…fuck me, the man's crazy just keeps getting deeper. He starts rambling about how the righteous are always oppressed through history, and the wicked prosper, laying ruin on the world. Which just sounds so much like a goddamn hard right conservative thinkpiece, not at all helped by how the veins start to stand out in his face as he drones on, and his thumb sinks fully into Cosmo's chest with a horrible snap.
The boy passes out. It's a mercy, really.
Which is obviously why it can't stand.
Akoya punches him in the rib he just broke, waking the boy back up, and delivering his absolutely demented ultimatum. One rib down, 23 to go. He will slowly teach Cosmo what justice is, and in this slow, painful death purify him of his sins. Making his soul righteous once more. Jesus fucking christ.
It's excessive, it's horrifying, and the art goes all in on selling how absolutely fucking petrified Cosmo is. I almost want to say it's excessive, but…is it? Genuine question, I'm debating on it internally. Because this was all pretty clearly telegraphed, really. This is the Akoya the series has been promising us since his backstory chapter, the insane monster that Hiyama has been keeping in check apparently by sheer force of red tape. How much less hard can the series go while still selling this moment of total breakdown? How much is too much to sell it? How much is too much to be worth selling? Is this too soon to really say? Thoughts for the end of the match, I think.
In the here and now, it at least helps that the reactions from the rest of the cast seem genuine. The audience, the theoretically bloodthirsty audience, are visibly sickened and losing their shit over this. The peanut gallery, most of whom are experienced fighters who've experienced unthinkable pain themselves, are fucking mad as hell and howling at the ref to fucking do something. Akoya's gonna kill the boy! The ref, down in the arena, cites helplessness. He can't do a thing, he claims. He's not allowed to stop the match unless Imai is clearly unable to continue, or shows clear intent to surrender. Which is obvious bullshit, he fucking passed out just a second ago, and audibly tried to surrender only a moment before that. Which almost stands as an awful bit of writing, or at least a conflict with how the story is drawn, if not for this second thought on the other side of the panel. And hoo boy, buckle your ass. This one's amazing.
Corporate reputations…and profits. Are the things on the line. The important things, the things that come first.
Perfect, fucking immaculate. I don't know if it's intended that way, or an accidental consequence of Sandro's attempts to invoke a grim and bloody mood, but this might be the most singular and beautiful indictment of capitalism in the manga so far. A petrified 19 year old boy is being fucking tortured in front of this man, visibly weeping in mortal terror and unthinkable agony, and his fucking ass is like "but what about the profit margins."
And oh boy, if you thought Adam was mad before, you ain't seen nuthin'. He grips Hiyama by the shoulders and screams into her face that she'll throw the fucking match already, or he'll honest to god kill her. Actual threat on her life in Cosmo's defence. Unfortunately, while she seems willing, it's more of an "I would if I could" situation. With blank, sleepless trauma eyes she notes that if she forfeits now Akoya will definitely kill Cosmo and then keep killing people until he dies. Committing suicide by…cop? Bodyguard, I guess. Or fighter, considering plenty of those are watching. Either way, stopping the match now won't save anybody, and stands a good chance of getting even more people killed.
Then Nishihonji tells him to stay calm, Cosmo hasn't lost yet.
You know, as what comes out of his mouth is less slurs and more impassioned defences, Adam grows on me. Is that weird? This guy is legit scared for Cosmo's life.
Nishihonji is unphased, though, asking if Adam really thought he was a good person. Which is fair, a guy from America should know better than to expect a CEO to be anything but the scum of the earth. He does go on to clarify though, listing off his sins against Cosmo. Taking a bright young boy and throwing him into the underworld without hesitation. He rambles on a bit more about hard decisions and the pointlessness of being "weak but good", but the important part of the page is this. As Adam clearly notices, at the end, Nishihonji is shaking. Shaking and sweating.
What does it mean? Fucked if I know. It could be that everything he's saying is bullshit and he's also scared for Cosmo's life, but in that case why does noone countermand anything he says? Unfortunately, I think we're being struck with CEOs Being Cooler And Smarter Than Anyone syndrome again, which is a shame after the beautiful takedown of capitalist priorities earlier in the chapter. Or perhaps just more evidence that it was an accident. I think we're supposed to take this as, yes, Nishihonji is scared but he's not letting it shake his powerful manly judgement. Which is unspeakably fucked, given this match stands a good chance of crippling Cosmo for life even if it doesn't kill him, rendering all of his Big Man posturing meaningless on multiple levels. Fuck you man, I'd respect you more if you started trying to plan a way around Akoya just killing Cosmo on a forfeit from either side.
Back down in the arena, to keep things vague, Cosmo's becoming delirious. He apologises to Nishihonji, and to his master…who speaks back. Cosmo blinks. He's seeing his gym, his master taunting him after another spar.
End chapter.
Anyone else smell a second wind coming? Of course, we know from experience that those don't necessarily mean anything in Kengan Asura. Are we about to get another dose of reality? Can youth and talent overcome experience, raw power, and fist-through-a-wrought-iron-fence insanity? I guess we'll find out.
See you all next time.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Yeah that title and content warning, that's all really really warranted. I'll be honest, I'm surprised you didn't cover the next chapter as well in this update just to get through it.
But anyhow. If you'll forgive me for giving my two bits on that question you asked a bit earlier than the end of the match, I'd like to offer a thought on that, purely because I actually had to stop once before when rereading this manga to think on how I felt about this. I'm also gonna spoiler it just in case.
This also makes me think that, while certainly not intended to be as scathing as it comes across, the criticism of this whole thing was in fact intentional. I don't even feel all that bad for the ref; if he stops this too early it's his head on the block as much as anyone else's. Figuratively, I mean, he's not aware he would likely be Akoya's first target if that happened. He's just kinda working here, not got a lot of choice.
But anyhow. If you'll forgive me for giving my two bits on that question you asked a bit earlier than the end of the match, I'd like to offer a thought on that, purely because I actually had to stop once before when rereading this manga to think on how I felt about this. I'm also gonna spoiler it just in case.
I think that this lies just on the edge of excessive. It's right there, almost reaching it, but not quite. The two primary points the story wants to depict here are Akoya's insanity and Cosmo's fear, and in that last point in particular, I do think the story goes overboard. It has good reason to do it, but I do think it still overeggs the pudding, so to speak. But in terms of the brutality of what's happening, of how it's being depicted, I think this chapter makes it work without crossing the line.
This draws back to that point I made last chapter about edge. To my mind, the difference between depicting grimness or darkness and being edgy lies on both intent and method, and this chapter exemplifies this well: the art here isn't trying to bask in what's happening. We've seen Kengan's art get showoff-y before. Big splash pages, long chapters of stylized movements and several panels of muscled bodies in motion. But here, the focus lies primarily on faces, on eyes, on small indicators of body language. Akoya's, let's call it work is depicted blurred, hits are hidden behind impact shots or slightly out of sight like happening behind an arm. The art doesn't linger on the moment, like it would if it was depicting, say, a bunch of women CEOs in bikinis, to pick a completely random example that I'm sure doesn't happen in a manga as serious as Kengan Asura. Hell, Muteba's eternal sex drive gets more lingered on than this.
That's all to say, while the art is very much interested in showing the mindsets of both characters in this chapter, it seems to shy away from the actual brutality, for once, as much as it can. And that restraint, I feel, is key to whether or not this is excessive. It's a restraint not shown in depicting Cosmo's panic, like one panel where the art makes a point of showing to us that Cosmo has in fact wet himself while this was all happening.
This draws back to that point I made last chapter about edge. To my mind, the difference between depicting grimness or darkness and being edgy lies on both intent and method, and this chapter exemplifies this well: the art here isn't trying to bask in what's happening. We've seen Kengan's art get showoff-y before. Big splash pages, long chapters of stylized movements and several panels of muscled bodies in motion. But here, the focus lies primarily on faces, on eyes, on small indicators of body language. Akoya's, let's call it work is depicted blurred, hits are hidden behind impact shots or slightly out of sight like happening behind an arm. The art doesn't linger on the moment, like it would if it was depicting, say, a bunch of women CEOs in bikinis, to pick a completely random example that I'm sure doesn't happen in a manga as serious as Kengan Asura. Hell, Muteba's eternal sex drive gets more lingered on than this.
That's all to say, while the art is very much interested in showing the mindsets of both characters in this chapter, it seems to shy away from the actual brutality, for once, as much as it can. And that restraint, I feel, is key to whether or not this is excessive. It's a restraint not shown in depicting Cosmo's panic, like one panel where the art makes a point of showing to us that Cosmo has in fact wet himself while this was all happening.
This also makes me think that, while certainly not intended to be as scathing as it comes across, the criticism of this whole thing was in fact intentional. I don't even feel all that bad for the ref; if he stops this too early it's his head on the block as much as anyone else's. Figuratively, I mean, he's not aware he would likely be Akoya's first target if that happened. He's just kinda working here, not got a lot of choice.
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- Location
- Leeds
Thats not evidence he was unable to fight. He was clearly about to unleash a super mode so dangerous that Akoya needed to wake him up.
No doubt people have tried to wiggle out of losing contracts by claiming the ref called it too soon and a rematch is needed
- Location
- Surrey
I think Nishihonji's lines here are him being torn between wanting Cosmo to live as his friend, and wanting him to win even if it kills him as his boss. So he tries desperately to justify what's going on to Adam and himself, and his justifications aren't actually wrong. He's already agreed to everything surrounding the Kengan Matches, already thrown a boy into the deep end, and a competitor going bugnuts is supposed to be the thing that makes him go 'shit this Kengan thing is too much'? If he wanted to be a moral man, he wouldn't be here by his own choice. So either he chases even the smallest chance of victory no matter the cost, or admits that everything he's done to get here was both evil and pointless.
His face betrays his internal conflict.
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This is especially silly because Akoya's saying it to Cosmo. There are a lot of cruel people in this tournament, people who don't care about human suffering or even relish it, and Cosmo is not one of them.
"How dare you try to win this match what we're in."
My understanding is that Ultra Instinct and the like are based on some martial arts philosophy, which I assume is more complicated than "Don't think and let your instincts guide you," because someone surely would have noticed the problems with that within a generation or two. (Surely eastern philosophy had its own Socrateses and Diogeneses, willing to mock bad contemporary philosophy?) That might be a decent way to wrassle a deer or something, but against a human opponent who has trained specifically to fight other human opponents?
You know, if this wasn't coming from a pig-brained cop, I might read this as a deranged framing of actual historical trends. But if I did, Akoya would be fighting on the side of the wicked, which is not what he has in mind.
Still, if I could lecture Akoya with enough Marxist theory while he's beating my face in, I might be able to throw off his mental for the rest of the fight. Not that that would be very long, since he spent several minutes beating my face in before I reached the conclusion.
Adam clearly has the capacity to be a decent human being. Which makes the slurs and stuff all the more frustrating.
That's a pretty good analogy. Unfortunately for Sandro, it's a lot harder to decouple CEOs from capitalism than it is to decouple the hardware of war from the institutions of war.
- Location
- Great Khanate of Scotland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Which is weird cause CEOs aren't that cool, while mechs are fucking awesome.
- Location
- The North
It's funny to me that Akoya has already won the fight. His opponent passed out. He could have just pulled back and let the ref realize Cosmo was unconscious, and bing bang boom it's straight to round 3. But he didn't.
I wonder if we'll see whether or not a physically superior fighter with every advantage can actually lose by acting like a complete idiot. After Raian vs Mokichi the jury is still out.
I wonder if we'll see whether or not a physically superior fighter with every advantage can actually lose by acting like a complete idiot. After Raian vs Mokichi the jury is still out.
WilyMachineKing1
Executive Manager of Limbus Company
- Location
- Reno Nevada
I like to think that Adam just uses slurs, swears and the like as a means of defense or a tough guy act for his self-esteem issues and has just kinda grown into it, and let's them go away when these kind of shit happens.
no.
Pink Flamingo Cabal Grand Vizier
- Location
- Pennsylvania
That's pretty much canon, isn't it? Like, it's practically spelled out that Adam's actually a pretty nice guy underneath the paper-thin layer of hostility he projects.
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
And I find it frustrating that he does that. That he feels the urge to do that, never questions it, keeps moving forward all angrily because he doesn't think he should try to do better.
It would probably be less frustrating if it wasn't so familiar. Lots of Adams in the world.
WilyMachineKing1
Executive Manager of Limbus Company
- Location
- Reno Nevada
Fair enough mate.
BungieONI
Seven gremlins in a trench coat
- Location
- Lickwidget
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I've been thinking about this update in particular due to Manic's discussion of mental. I've read this manga through because of this let's read, and I think its going to be quite interesting revisiting the rest of it while consciously considering the mental of the fighters to come.
Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
@Manic Dogma
This is one of those cases of, how to word this. "Yes but also no, it's complicated." (Nailed it
)That is, in the heat of the moment in a combat sport if you're consciously thinking through "His elbow is framing here...so I need to shift my hips left....then post a foot on his hip and create space..." once you get into intermediate and higher levels that just won't fly, you have to be almost stringing together not just moves but sequences of moves on autopilot because if you're thinking through what to do you're slowing down and then you're getting handled.
That's why drilling, padwork, shadow boxing, all that is so important, you're creating "muscle memory" so you don't have to think about throwing a jab...then a cross....then a hook your body is sliding through the sequence as soon as the jab goes off, there's a ton of sports psychology and coaching theory that goes into trying to get the athlete into a "flow state" where the drilling and training is coming out without that conscious mind getting in the way, so to that extent Ultra Instinct is legit.
"To that extent" because it's not enough to just go into flow zone, you have to be doing the right things without consciously thinking about them because just flailing and spazzing wildly you're more likely to get yourself in deeper trouble than accomplish anything productive, so doing the technique drills correctly is hugely important (Quoth a thousand coaches "Practice doesn't make PERFECT, practice makes PERMANENT, PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.")
Also if you're going to be really good at this stuff you have to be able to change up and improvise on the fly while doing the right techniques but not consciously thinking about it because if you're just rote conditioned for example "Every time a left hook comes in I duck down and weave back up" then the other party catches on and feints hook before slamming an uppercut into your chin as you drop down.
So essentially, "Yes but also no, it's complicated" covers it.
- Location
- Leeds
You'd need at least a thousand words to correctly encapsulate the nuance... or one pictureThis is one of those cases of, how to word this. "Yes but also no, it's complicated." (Nailed it
I think theres an implicit assumption based on the timescales you two are talking at.
Yes when someone is punching at my face, and theres not a lot of distance, and they're already moving, then moving automatically is my best chance of not eating a fist.
When you begin to talk about exchanging a long series of blows, there is a strategy to this and being in a fight flight freeze reaction is not conductive to good planning skills.
Manic Dogma
This, I can't deny.
- Location
- The far side of tired
- Pronouns
- Whatever
I'd say there's a difference between the kind of autonomous pure reflex I was referring to (and which Ultra Instinct purports to be, because Toriyama doesn't actually know thing one about the ideas he's trying to emulate, and so makes extremely shallow, uninteresting and inflexible powerups rather than meaningful techniques.) and the sort of deliberate action-without-thought that happens when you're really good at something.
When you're in a proper flow state you act without prior thought, but still consciously, if that makes sense? You aren't flailing with your brain full of nothing but AAAAAAAA out of the way of a punch, you're deliberately evading it to get yourself out of harms way and position yourself to counter or defend against further attacks, it's a thought process that's happening as your body is acting. Seamless and unhesitating. Without thought, but not thoughtless, you know?
And that's why I dunk on Ultra Instinct at every opportunity, because "perfectly respond to any attack" is for one not even close to how a flow state, or state of mu, or any of the potential inspirations works and is such asinine, inflexible bullshit that I am genuinely glad it eventually devolved into just another number bonus. As these things always do.
This is not an invitation to start a new debate, I just needed to explain my thoughts and get that off my chest.
When you're in a proper flow state you act without prior thought, but still consciously, if that makes sense? You aren't flailing with your brain full of nothing but AAAAAAAA out of the way of a punch, you're deliberately evading it to get yourself out of harms way and position yourself to counter or defend against further attacks, it's a thought process that's happening as your body is acting. Seamless and unhesitating. Without thought, but not thoughtless, you know?
And that's why I dunk on Ultra Instinct at every opportunity, because "perfectly respond to any attack" is for one not even close to how a flow state, or state of mu, or any of the potential inspirations works and is such asinine, inflexible bullshit that I am genuinely glad it eventually devolved into just another number bonus. As these things always do.
This is not an invitation to start a new debate, I just needed to explain my thoughts and get that off my chest.
Chapter 125+126 - Master and Contrast
Manic Dogma
This, I can't deny.
- Location
- The far side of tired
- Pronouns
- Whatever
We begin in the past.
Not too far in the past, of course. Cosmo is young, there's no much past to return to. But still, he's visibly even shorter than he is right now, and that's not a small deal for the smallest fighter in the running. We're in a gym, a wide boxy room of the modern variety, with a ring in the middle, punching bags and weight training equipment surrounding it. A timer runs out, beeping the end of…sparring? Probably sparring, given how the first person we see is Cosmo, flopping down onto his back with a frustrated cry. Dammit! Why can't I win! He wails, as his master encourages him not to be too down. Cosmo is definitely a prodigy.
The multiple decade head start in experience probably helps, too
Damn, this guy's pretty. And kinda looks a lot like an older Cosmo, or is that just me? They definitely aren't related though, as far as I know. Anyway, Cosmo doesn't get what he means by that, and quickly moves on to wondering why he doesn't join the Kengan Matches if he's so sure of himself. His Master quickly brushes the idea off, he hates the thought of fighting for other people. He doesn't give us any insight into what he does actually fight for though, immediately moving on to dropping that this is why he set Cosmo up with Nishihonji. The CEO seemingly came to him first, and he refused but did offer an alternative. The 13 year old he was teaching. God damn, this guy's hard sell must be immaculate, to even get Nishihonji to take it seriously enough to set up some kind of test. Cosmo doesn't have the patience for his easy breezy attitude though, and exasperatedly makes to hit the showers and fuck off. At which point his master drops a bomb of a question.
"Cosmo, do you like fighting?"
Cosmo's not sure what to say at first. He hedges his bets some, musing that it kinda sucks to lose but…yeah? Fighting's pretty fun. Besides that, he also notes that his goal is to surpass his master some day. Said Master smiles, nods…and declares that means Cosmo never will. Cosmo's confused, hurt and probably kind of offended, which is fair, and pretty confused. Is he trying to demotivate him? What the fuck, man? His master protests that he thinks it's better to be blunt with him, and after some more yelling decides to clarify a bit. Cosmo will never beat him as he is now. He ain't Cosmo's dad, it's up to the boy to figure out what that means for himself. He doesn't say as much, but it's pretty clear at least he doesn't just mean training, that'd be so obvious it doesn't merit mentioning. Rather, there's something lacking about Cosmo in this moment that means, no matter how much he trains, he'll never win that fight.
Back in reality, the fight is still ongoing. Cosmo bites down on Akoya's arm, but this time he means it. Blood squirts from beneath his teeth and Akoya doesn't flinch, but he does take notice. He snarls, the boy still dare's resist, but then something pierces his blase aggression. His eyes go wild, alarmed, and he scrambles out of the mount.
Yep, Cosmo went for the nut shot. Something fundamental has changed, and for all his madness Akoya isn't blind enough not to see the miasmic killing intent wafting off Cosmo now. And it isn't momentary, the boy immediately lunges, not in the frantic frenzy of before but in a blur of violent intent. Akoya responds quickly and precisely, a jab that completely rocks Cosmo's shit, but it doesn't take him down. It doesn't even slow him really. It didn't so much hit as he accepted the blow to get ahold of Akoya's arm. He doesn't try to strangle him though, there's no time. Instead Cosmo rams his arm into Akoya's shoulder.
He fails to break it. Because of course he did, look at the thing, it's like trying to snap a tree trunk. But by god Akoya feels it, and he swats Cosmo away to roll across the floor, poised like a jumping spider. With a bit of distance Akoya thinks. Is adrenaline dulling the pain? He can't figure out what happened. Cosmo let Akoya punch him to get hold of his arm, and then attempted to break it without a moment's hesitation. It's a level of brutality, an angle of tactics Imai Cosmo has never explored. What happened? What changed?
The next page Cosmo darts back in. It's a low tackle, mirroring earlier exchanges in other fights, but instead of carrying it through he rams his head upwards into Akoya's chin when he tries to block it. And then takes advantage of the opening to try and blow his block off with a flying knee. More violence, immediate, uncompromising and messy. Not the clean chokes he's known for.
I've figured it out, Master, he thinks. He had it all wrong. Fighting is fun? His goal is to surpass him? Bullshit. That's not right at all. There is no next time if he loses. There may be another fight, but it's another fight. That fight you lost? Will always be lost. He rushes Akoya now, screaming his effort, blood trailing from his mouth and nose. It's not enough, because of course it isn't against a striking specialist. Akoya turns with a blow and uncorks a brutal kick into Cosmo's midsection, further ruining his already shaky ribs. Cosmo folds.
But he does not fall.
Akoya's still confused. That hit was clean as fuck. He reiterates his earlier points of confusion, still trying to reassess the fight, but Cosmo interrupts him. Finally voicing his revelation. He gets it now. It's not fighting he likes. He isn't a masochist, he hates getting punched and kicked and whatnot. What does he like?
I love the nonplussed Akoya moment.
Cosmo isn't Goku. He never was. He's a fightmonkey, certainly, but look at the moments of his fights where his face has really come alive. All moments of triumph, where he gets one over on the opponent and executes a winning strategy. That's the moment he lives for, where he snakes through an opponent's defences and feels their windpipe pulse and struggle against his arm. And in this revelation, all half-hearted notions of play fade away, to be replaced with singular focus and uncompromising will. He will win. He will win. He will fucking win.
This is the other side of mental. Finding what focuses you, what motivates you, and letting it carry you forward and obliterate all distraction. Letting it sustain you even in the horrible moments where all seems lost, giving you the energy and sturdiness to last until you can see that shining road to a comeback victory. One of the big things that separates contenders from the also-rans, an absolute refusal to give up until loss has already happened. Not a token effort from someone who already knows it's over, but pure and venomous thrashing in the jaws of defeat. For Cosmo, this isn't natural. Not intuitive, or positive. Not like Sekibayashi's dedication to his philosophy and aesthetic. Nothing of that sort gives him momentum, or pushes him through agony.
Cosmo is here for the thrill of victory. He's here to fucking win. And it's refreshing for such a base, and usually villainous source of inspiration to be presented with such nonjudgemental fervour.
Not a bad moment to end a Volume on, I think. We ain't done though.
So, Cosmo has overcome a mental barrier, found the source of his conviction and his motivating force. He's no longer helplessly terrified in front of an opponent who means to inflict pain and possibly kill him. This is all good! But Akoya's still there, still largely unharmed. All Cosmo's done is reach the starting line. He still has to, you know, actually win the fight. And that's a tall order, given all the damage he's already taken.
He leaps into motion, once again. And it's nothing like the inept flailing fear drove him to before.
HEEEELL YEEEEEAAAAAH
He's fast as fuck, boi! And aside from yet another visual trope I'm inordinately fond of, the sheer pace of his movement has even Adam in awe. This is nothing like the way he was moving last round. But then, that's how prodigies like this roll, isn't it? They put in the work, and then it all clicks into place in a single moment, sending them into the stratosphere. Nishihonji's still sweating though. Cosmo's going zoom, yeah, but he's operating on adrenaline and painkillers. How long can he keep it up? Well, we'll see.
The zipping ends and the two fighters clash. Cosmo's low kick collides with Akoya's raised leg, blocking it with his shin, but even in this panel we see their arms beginning to blur into motion. The next step in the exchange already underway before the last has has ended. Sure enough, the next page Cosmo actually manages to get a step ahead of Akoya. He doesn't hit him, Akoya still has the best reflexes going, but the larger man has to dodge backwards. Struck more by the sudden uptick in speed than anything else. Has his reaction time improved, Akoya wonders, and while that's not impossible I have a different theory in mind.
With conviction comes certainty. With certainty comes confidence. And hesitation evaporates in the face of true, honest confidence.
Not that Akoya twigs to this. He keeps on about how inconceivable it is that this sinner is still going, baffled by the spirit he broke repairing itself. Backpedalling under the boy's onslaught, a flurry of blows with every ounce of forward momentum Cosmo can squeeze out of his body. Of course, not everyone's quite so self-absorbed as Akoya. Up in the stands Sekibayashi laughs. The audacity of this bitch! Improving right at the last moment! Haruo doesn't get it, doesn't seem aware of who Cosmo even is, what the deal is. Sekibayashi, in lieu of list off the details, simply tells him one thing. That boy down there?
He's a Genius.
Back down in the arena, said Genius seems to be gaining ground. One of his punches glances off Akoya's cheekbones. It doesn't hurt, but he does notice, and so does Cosmo. He revels in it. He's hitting him! Akoya isn't a monster, he's a man, and if he's human he can be beaten. Cosmo can beat him. But is anything ever that easy? Akoya cuts off the assault, responding to a single, razor thing opening with laser precision, swatting away Cosmo's assault and snatching him by the throat. Hoisting him up one-handed like a dishrag. Adam yells in alarm, and Nishihonji seethes. He may have cut off Akoya's contact with Hiyama, but that still leaves him an unhinged psychopath with superhuman reaction speeds. The crowd is howling at him too, he's the most unironic heel imaginable and their reactions are equal parts fear for Cosma and venomous attacks on Akoya. He's not the sort of evil that gives a shit about that though, he's much too self-absorbed for the opinions of the public to penetrate. No, he deadass tells Cosmo he'll kill him slowly, while being screamed at. Once he's "convicted" Cosmo, he will beat the boy to death in front of thousands of people. I feel like that's probably beyond the pale even for the Annihilation tournament, and Akoya will end up committing suicide by bodyguard once it's clear Cosmo is incapacitated, but whatever. Cosmo isn't doing so hot. He's shaking, his teeth are gritted, but the fear is returning to his eyes. The sort of fear that comes from your bones.
But this time it doesn't stick. This time, as Akoya is just beginning to ramble about justice once more, Cosmo kicks him in the fucking eye like a BOSS. Akoya reels, drops him, and clutches at his eye. Such impudence he snarls, glaring through one weeping, gently bleeding eye. Preposterous even! Your evil tricks mean nothing to me, thinks a man replete with bullshit tricks as Cosmo dodges into the blind spot his kick just created. But that's an obvious trick, surely? Nothing to worry about there, not for the best reaction speeds in the tournament. Akoya spins on his heel, ready to obliterate the first person he sees. Following the shadow at the edge of his sight.
Right onto the referee.
By god he's done it. A clean, complete hold, his arm cinched tight around Akoya's neck. No zone, just trickery. Thankfully the manga doesn't linger on the trick, only a single panel laying out what happened in Akoya's blindspot as Adam congratulates Cosmo on the sick shenanigans. He's a street fighter, he's unlikely to give a shit it wasn't a straight fight. Nishihonji is also celebrating, with a little fist pump and everything, but his ass isn't unclenching yet. Cosmo can't have much left in him, this'll be his last shot.
Back down in the ring, Akoya strains against Cosmo's hold…but this is exactly what this shit is made for. He can't leverage his objectively superior strength with his joints pinched like this, and all the effort in the world won't change that. His mouth turns, his chin crumples and he growls like an eight cylinder motor before howling once more. Preposterous! Cosmo's shocked too, this is taking so long, he isn't passing out. And that's especially a bad thing because Akoya might be fucking deranged, but he isn't stupid, and an out immediately occurs to him.
He runs backwards.
Fuck. I think Cosmo's grandchildren felt that one. That can't be good for his ribs.
And Akoya isn't done, either. He steps forward, snarling like a cornered dog, and leaps backwards again. And again. And again. Over and over he slams Cosmo against the wall, enough that Jerry openly worries for Cosmo's life. But Okubo, canny, canny Okubo, notices something. No, he's not done yet, Cosmo still has his sleeper hold. It isn't loosening a bit. Even as the veins begin to stand out on Akoya's increasingly enraged face and he begins to seriously sweat. Even as one more ram into the wall sees a sheet of blood begin to fall down around Cosmo's face, almost looking like a domino mask around his eyes. The boy sees people in his head, people he's close to. His Master. His bro, Nishihonji. His…Adam? Promising he'll win. He will win. They just need to wait a little more.
Then Akoya doesn't ram him. He runs up the fucking arena wall, and bounces off it, some half dozen metres in the air. Landing on his back. And Cosmo.
He lands like a fucking meteorite, cratering the floor harder than he did the wall, in a full page spread lined with all the fearful faces of the commentators, Cosmo's friends, and the peanut gallery. That did it. Akoya rises to his feet, and Cosmo doesn't follow him. It's entirely possible Cosmo physically couldn't keep his hold, being crushed like that.
Akoya is apoplectic. He only hesitates long enough to catch his breath, eyes absolutely fucking manic as breath heaves out of him in great, incendiary clouds of steam. Sweat and blood trailing down his face. He turns on the boy, the prone, surely defeated boy, and screaming his fractured Justice to the heavens he turns the heaviest haymaker he can muster on Cosmo. It is a blow with all his strength behind it. All his effort, all his fury. All his focus.
All colour inverts. White becomes black. Blood becomes light. Victory becomes defeat.
Eyes hard as flint, Cosmo activates the Zone and kicks Akoya's leg out from under him. The cop lands on his front, right into the boy's grasp, as he promises he isn't letting go this time. Choking, coughing blood, Akoya is flabbergasted. He still had the strength for the Zone? PREPOSTEROUS. Immediately he goes nuclear, eyes whiting out with heart-searing fury, hammering Cosmo's cracked ribs with the heaviest hooks he can make from this posture. And however hard that is, he can't help but feel it. The pain's coming back, the adrenaline and possibly painkillers are fading. His eyes bulge almost all the way out of his skull, teeth bared in a deathly rictus as his victim hammers at his abused ribcage again and again. But still, again, even with teeth gritted so hard I'm shocked they don't crack he refuses to let go. Even as Akoya's face pinches and shrivels into a prune of rage hot like the heart of a star Cosmo swears, even if it tears his arm of he is not. Letting. Go. Because…
All goes quiet. All goes still. The commentators hesitantly note the silence, and blood gently pools on the concrete.
The peanut gallery stare, pale.
The audience sit in breathless silence.
We don't even get to see Urita and Inaba's expressions.
Adam sweats. Nishihonji looks like he's trying to swallow an entire apple core.
Sekibayashi grins.
See, Haruo? What'd he tell you.
This is what a genius looks like.
End chapter.
Well fuck me, what a fucking way to start off the second round, holy shit. What a demonstration of just what Kengan Asura can do now that the introductions are out of the way and the series can just go fucking nuts.
Cosmo's first match in round one was good, don't get me wrong, but this was fucking incredible. Easily the equal of any of the best first round fights. The stakes were high and dramatic. It made excellent use of the established skillsets and special properties of the characters involved. It made even better use of the established extralegal chicanery Akoya was up to, and the way it was acting as a limiter on his psychopathy. Which is especially powerful, since the first round kind of failed to deliver on that! Not in a way that's especially a problem, necessarily, but it got cut off before Akoya could really flip his shit. It was setup for what this match delivered on in spades. This match even broke that limiter in a very distinct and dramatic way, leveraging the fucked up relationship at the core of it for even more impact.
The real showstopper of the piece though is definitely the use of Cosmo as a character, and the unique set of qualities he brings to the table. He's not the only character in the running who's improving as the tournament goes of course, both Ohma and Agito are doing that, but Cosmo is the only Kengan Fighter here whose youth is a central element of his presence. He's young, but more than that he's incomplete as a fighter. Getting by on effort and sheer talent to compensate for the relative lack of time he's had to train and accumulate experience. But those gaps in his mental, his repertoire and his training are still there, and still stand as excellent sources of drama. Not just because of the threat they pose, but because of how they interact with his nature as a prodigy. As I noted earlier, this is kind of how people new to a skill improve! Magic leaps in skill don't really occur, but as they spend time with a skill an underlying substrate of fragmented understanding forms, bits of knowledge and muscle memory sifting around chaotically. This stuff isn't necessarily visible, though. They make mistakes they theoretically know better than, they miss things they've seen before. Because none of that stuff has really settled. And so, you get moments like this. Where some section of those fragmentary shards of knowledge click together, and suddenly things just make sense. In this case, seeds set up over time by his master and by watching the previous round finally sprouted, and put the last piece in place to form a truly biblical leap in Cosmo's solidity as a fighter.
And let's not understate just what a good heel Akoya is. He's the most outspokenly hateable fighter in the roster, and it's almost certainly on purpose. He's deluded and hateful, but especially he's obnoxiously self-righteous and entirely unwilling to self-reflect. How many things piss you off more than someone asserting something ridiculous is actually true, and not only that but you're stupid and or morally lacking for not agreeing? It's a rare case of a character being generally hated by the entire cast and it not coming off as forced, or a case of a wanky author pushing an idea with undeserved weight, he's honed to a razor's edge as a character with absolutely no redeeming qualities beyond his strength, and plenty of extremely good and compelling reasons to hate him. The cop is out of the running now, and good fucking riddance to him. And hey, bonus points! He's unconscious too, so he's unlikely to be a threat to the medical staff.
God, that one was a rush, wasn't it? I'm not as confident about the next match, but I do know there's certain highlights coming related to it. So out of respect to the people who're sick of hearing about it, I'm going to try to keep my whinging about Raian to a minimum. God give me strength.
Speaking of the Kure though, this chapter gives us the profile of Karla of all people. Which is notable because it confirms (and is probably the source for) people's previous notes of the inspiration for the Kure. The Gracie family! Spreading from Carlos Gracie, the founder of Brazilian Jiu jitsu. Karla particularly being based on his great grand-daughter, Kyra Gracie. Presumably. I don't know shit about these people, so I can't comment on the accuracy or lack thereof, but whatever. Also apparently early on the idea was floated of Karla getting slit-pupiled eyes when she uses Removal? Apparently that could still happen, who knows. I guess you Omega readers will have to tell me if we ever see it.
Oh, this is also where we get the bit where Sandro assures us she's super strong, and would clean house in a women's division of the Kengan matches. Because, you know, the Kengan matches already clearly care so much about weight divisions and power gaps. Definitely a fighting league that would separate out the poor, fragile flowers so the invincible Alpha Males don't accidentally obliterate their entire skeleton with a single flex of the pectorals mid match. I'm not bitter, fuck you.
See you all next time, for the aftermath of this absolute slobberknocker.
Not too far in the past, of course. Cosmo is young, there's no much past to return to. But still, he's visibly even shorter than he is right now, and that's not a small deal for the smallest fighter in the running. We're in a gym, a wide boxy room of the modern variety, with a ring in the middle, punching bags and weight training equipment surrounding it. A timer runs out, beeping the end of…sparring? Probably sparring, given how the first person we see is Cosmo, flopping down onto his back with a frustrated cry. Dammit! Why can't I win! He wails, as his master encourages him not to be too down. Cosmo is definitely a prodigy.
The multiple decade head start in experience probably helps, too
Damn, this guy's pretty. And kinda looks a lot like an older Cosmo, or is that just me? They definitely aren't related though, as far as I know. Anyway, Cosmo doesn't get what he means by that, and quickly moves on to wondering why he doesn't join the Kengan Matches if he's so sure of himself. His Master quickly brushes the idea off, he hates the thought of fighting for other people. He doesn't give us any insight into what he does actually fight for though, immediately moving on to dropping that this is why he set Cosmo up with Nishihonji. The CEO seemingly came to him first, and he refused but did offer an alternative. The 13 year old he was teaching. God damn, this guy's hard sell must be immaculate, to even get Nishihonji to take it seriously enough to set up some kind of test. Cosmo doesn't have the patience for his easy breezy attitude though, and exasperatedly makes to hit the showers and fuck off. At which point his master drops a bomb of a question.
"Cosmo, do you like fighting?"
Cosmo's not sure what to say at first. He hedges his bets some, musing that it kinda sucks to lose but…yeah? Fighting's pretty fun. Besides that, he also notes that his goal is to surpass his master some day. Said Master smiles, nods…and declares that means Cosmo never will. Cosmo's confused, hurt and probably kind of offended, which is fair, and pretty confused. Is he trying to demotivate him? What the fuck, man? His master protests that he thinks it's better to be blunt with him, and after some more yelling decides to clarify a bit. Cosmo will never beat him as he is now. He ain't Cosmo's dad, it's up to the boy to figure out what that means for himself. He doesn't say as much, but it's pretty clear at least he doesn't just mean training, that'd be so obvious it doesn't merit mentioning. Rather, there's something lacking about Cosmo in this moment that means, no matter how much he trains, he'll never win that fight.
Back in reality, the fight is still ongoing. Cosmo bites down on Akoya's arm, but this time he means it. Blood squirts from beneath his teeth and Akoya doesn't flinch, but he does take notice. He snarls, the boy still dare's resist, but then something pierces his blase aggression. His eyes go wild, alarmed, and he scrambles out of the mount.
Yep, Cosmo went for the nut shot. Something fundamental has changed, and for all his madness Akoya isn't blind enough not to see the miasmic killing intent wafting off Cosmo now. And it isn't momentary, the boy immediately lunges, not in the frantic frenzy of before but in a blur of violent intent. Akoya responds quickly and precisely, a jab that completely rocks Cosmo's shit, but it doesn't take him down. It doesn't even slow him really. It didn't so much hit as he accepted the blow to get ahold of Akoya's arm. He doesn't try to strangle him though, there's no time. Instead Cosmo rams his arm into Akoya's shoulder.
He fails to break it. Because of course he did, look at the thing, it's like trying to snap a tree trunk. But by god Akoya feels it, and he swats Cosmo away to roll across the floor, poised like a jumping spider. With a bit of distance Akoya thinks. Is adrenaline dulling the pain? He can't figure out what happened. Cosmo let Akoya punch him to get hold of his arm, and then attempted to break it without a moment's hesitation. It's a level of brutality, an angle of tactics Imai Cosmo has never explored. What happened? What changed?
The next page Cosmo darts back in. It's a low tackle, mirroring earlier exchanges in other fights, but instead of carrying it through he rams his head upwards into Akoya's chin when he tries to block it. And then takes advantage of the opening to try and blow his block off with a flying knee. More violence, immediate, uncompromising and messy. Not the clean chokes he's known for.
I've figured it out, Master, he thinks. He had it all wrong. Fighting is fun? His goal is to surpass him? Bullshit. That's not right at all. There is no next time if he loses. There may be another fight, but it's another fight. That fight you lost? Will always be lost. He rushes Akoya now, screaming his effort, blood trailing from his mouth and nose. It's not enough, because of course it isn't against a striking specialist. Akoya turns with a blow and uncorks a brutal kick into Cosmo's midsection, further ruining his already shaky ribs. Cosmo folds.
But he does not fall.
Akoya's still confused. That hit was clean as fuck. He reiterates his earlier points of confusion, still trying to reassess the fight, but Cosmo interrupts him. Finally voicing his revelation. He gets it now. It's not fighting he likes. He isn't a masochist, he hates getting punched and kicked and whatnot. What does he like?
I love the nonplussed Akoya moment.
Cosmo isn't Goku. He never was. He's a fightmonkey, certainly, but look at the moments of his fights where his face has really come alive. All moments of triumph, where he gets one over on the opponent and executes a winning strategy. That's the moment he lives for, where he snakes through an opponent's defences and feels their windpipe pulse and struggle against his arm. And in this revelation, all half-hearted notions of play fade away, to be replaced with singular focus and uncompromising will. He will win. He will win. He will fucking win.
This is the other side of mental. Finding what focuses you, what motivates you, and letting it carry you forward and obliterate all distraction. Letting it sustain you even in the horrible moments where all seems lost, giving you the energy and sturdiness to last until you can see that shining road to a comeback victory. One of the big things that separates contenders from the also-rans, an absolute refusal to give up until loss has already happened. Not a token effort from someone who already knows it's over, but pure and venomous thrashing in the jaws of defeat. For Cosmo, this isn't natural. Not intuitive, or positive. Not like Sekibayashi's dedication to his philosophy and aesthetic. Nothing of that sort gives him momentum, or pushes him through agony.
Cosmo is here for the thrill of victory. He's here to fucking win. And it's refreshing for such a base, and usually villainous source of inspiration to be presented with such nonjudgemental fervour.
Not a bad moment to end a Volume on, I think. We ain't done though.
So, Cosmo has overcome a mental barrier, found the source of his conviction and his motivating force. He's no longer helplessly terrified in front of an opponent who means to inflict pain and possibly kill him. This is all good! But Akoya's still there, still largely unharmed. All Cosmo's done is reach the starting line. He still has to, you know, actually win the fight. And that's a tall order, given all the damage he's already taken.
He leaps into motion, once again. And it's nothing like the inept flailing fear drove him to before.
HEEEELL YEEEEEAAAAAH
He's fast as fuck, boi! And aside from yet another visual trope I'm inordinately fond of, the sheer pace of his movement has even Adam in awe. This is nothing like the way he was moving last round. But then, that's how prodigies like this roll, isn't it? They put in the work, and then it all clicks into place in a single moment, sending them into the stratosphere. Nishihonji's still sweating though. Cosmo's going zoom, yeah, but he's operating on adrenaline and painkillers. How long can he keep it up? Well, we'll see.
The zipping ends and the two fighters clash. Cosmo's low kick collides with Akoya's raised leg, blocking it with his shin, but even in this panel we see their arms beginning to blur into motion. The next step in the exchange already underway before the last has has ended. Sure enough, the next page Cosmo actually manages to get a step ahead of Akoya. He doesn't hit him, Akoya still has the best reflexes going, but the larger man has to dodge backwards. Struck more by the sudden uptick in speed than anything else. Has his reaction time improved, Akoya wonders, and while that's not impossible I have a different theory in mind.
With conviction comes certainty. With certainty comes confidence. And hesitation evaporates in the face of true, honest confidence.
Not that Akoya twigs to this. He keeps on about how inconceivable it is that this sinner is still going, baffled by the spirit he broke repairing itself. Backpedalling under the boy's onslaught, a flurry of blows with every ounce of forward momentum Cosmo can squeeze out of his body. Of course, not everyone's quite so self-absorbed as Akoya. Up in the stands Sekibayashi laughs. The audacity of this bitch! Improving right at the last moment! Haruo doesn't get it, doesn't seem aware of who Cosmo even is, what the deal is. Sekibayashi, in lieu of list off the details, simply tells him one thing. That boy down there?
He's a Genius.
Back down in the arena, said Genius seems to be gaining ground. One of his punches glances off Akoya's cheekbones. It doesn't hurt, but he does notice, and so does Cosmo. He revels in it. He's hitting him! Akoya isn't a monster, he's a man, and if he's human he can be beaten. Cosmo can beat him. But is anything ever that easy? Akoya cuts off the assault, responding to a single, razor thing opening with laser precision, swatting away Cosmo's assault and snatching him by the throat. Hoisting him up one-handed like a dishrag. Adam yells in alarm, and Nishihonji seethes. He may have cut off Akoya's contact with Hiyama, but that still leaves him an unhinged psychopath with superhuman reaction speeds. The crowd is howling at him too, he's the most unironic heel imaginable and their reactions are equal parts fear for Cosma and venomous attacks on Akoya. He's not the sort of evil that gives a shit about that though, he's much too self-absorbed for the opinions of the public to penetrate. No, he deadass tells Cosmo he'll kill him slowly, while being screamed at. Once he's "convicted" Cosmo, he will beat the boy to death in front of thousands of people. I feel like that's probably beyond the pale even for the Annihilation tournament, and Akoya will end up committing suicide by bodyguard once it's clear Cosmo is incapacitated, but whatever. Cosmo isn't doing so hot. He's shaking, his teeth are gritted, but the fear is returning to his eyes. The sort of fear that comes from your bones.
But this time it doesn't stick. This time, as Akoya is just beginning to ramble about justice once more, Cosmo kicks him in the fucking eye like a BOSS. Akoya reels, drops him, and clutches at his eye. Such impudence he snarls, glaring through one weeping, gently bleeding eye. Preposterous even! Your evil tricks mean nothing to me, thinks a man replete with bullshit tricks as Cosmo dodges into the blind spot his kick just created. But that's an obvious trick, surely? Nothing to worry about there, not for the best reaction speeds in the tournament. Akoya spins on his heel, ready to obliterate the first person he sees. Following the shadow at the edge of his sight.
Right onto the referee.
By god he's done it. A clean, complete hold, his arm cinched tight around Akoya's neck. No zone, just trickery. Thankfully the manga doesn't linger on the trick, only a single panel laying out what happened in Akoya's blindspot as Adam congratulates Cosmo on the sick shenanigans. He's a street fighter, he's unlikely to give a shit it wasn't a straight fight. Nishihonji is also celebrating, with a little fist pump and everything, but his ass isn't unclenching yet. Cosmo can't have much left in him, this'll be his last shot.
Back down in the ring, Akoya strains against Cosmo's hold…but this is exactly what this shit is made for. He can't leverage his objectively superior strength with his joints pinched like this, and all the effort in the world won't change that. His mouth turns, his chin crumples and he growls like an eight cylinder motor before howling once more. Preposterous! Cosmo's shocked too, this is taking so long, he isn't passing out. And that's especially a bad thing because Akoya might be fucking deranged, but he isn't stupid, and an out immediately occurs to him.
He runs backwards.
Fuck. I think Cosmo's grandchildren felt that one. That can't be good for his ribs.
And Akoya isn't done, either. He steps forward, snarling like a cornered dog, and leaps backwards again. And again. And again. Over and over he slams Cosmo against the wall, enough that Jerry openly worries for Cosmo's life. But Okubo, canny, canny Okubo, notices something. No, he's not done yet, Cosmo still has his sleeper hold. It isn't loosening a bit. Even as the veins begin to stand out on Akoya's increasingly enraged face and he begins to seriously sweat. Even as one more ram into the wall sees a sheet of blood begin to fall down around Cosmo's face, almost looking like a domino mask around his eyes. The boy sees people in his head, people he's close to. His Master. His bro, Nishihonji. His…Adam? Promising he'll win. He will win. They just need to wait a little more.
Then Akoya doesn't ram him. He runs up the fucking arena wall, and bounces off it, some half dozen metres in the air. Landing on his back. And Cosmo.
He lands like a fucking meteorite, cratering the floor harder than he did the wall, in a full page spread lined with all the fearful faces of the commentators, Cosmo's friends, and the peanut gallery. That did it. Akoya rises to his feet, and Cosmo doesn't follow him. It's entirely possible Cosmo physically couldn't keep his hold, being crushed like that.
Akoya is apoplectic. He only hesitates long enough to catch his breath, eyes absolutely fucking manic as breath heaves out of him in great, incendiary clouds of steam. Sweat and blood trailing down his face. He turns on the boy, the prone, surely defeated boy, and screaming his fractured Justice to the heavens he turns the heaviest haymaker he can muster on Cosmo. It is a blow with all his strength behind it. All his effort, all his fury. All his focus.
All colour inverts. White becomes black. Blood becomes light. Victory becomes defeat.
Eyes hard as flint, Cosmo activates the Zone and kicks Akoya's leg out from under him. The cop lands on his front, right into the boy's grasp, as he promises he isn't letting go this time. Choking, coughing blood, Akoya is flabbergasted. He still had the strength for the Zone? PREPOSTEROUS. Immediately he goes nuclear, eyes whiting out with heart-searing fury, hammering Cosmo's cracked ribs with the heaviest hooks he can make from this posture. And however hard that is, he can't help but feel it. The pain's coming back, the adrenaline and possibly painkillers are fading. His eyes bulge almost all the way out of his skull, teeth bared in a deathly rictus as his victim hammers at his abused ribcage again and again. But still, again, even with teeth gritted so hard I'm shocked they don't crack he refuses to let go. Even as Akoya's face pinches and shrivels into a prune of rage hot like the heart of a star Cosmo swears, even if it tears his arm of he is not. Letting. Go. Because…
All goes quiet. All goes still. The commentators hesitantly note the silence, and blood gently pools on the concrete.
The peanut gallery stare, pale.
The audience sit in breathless silence.
We don't even get to see Urita and Inaba's expressions.
Adam sweats. Nishihonji looks like he's trying to swallow an entire apple core.
Sekibayashi grins.
See, Haruo? What'd he tell you.
This is what a genius looks like.
End chapter.
Well fuck me, what a fucking way to start off the second round, holy shit. What a demonstration of just what Kengan Asura can do now that the introductions are out of the way and the series can just go fucking nuts.
Cosmo's first match in round one was good, don't get me wrong, but this was fucking incredible. Easily the equal of any of the best first round fights. The stakes were high and dramatic. It made excellent use of the established skillsets and special properties of the characters involved. It made even better use of the established extralegal chicanery Akoya was up to, and the way it was acting as a limiter on his psychopathy. Which is especially powerful, since the first round kind of failed to deliver on that! Not in a way that's especially a problem, necessarily, but it got cut off before Akoya could really flip his shit. It was setup for what this match delivered on in spades. This match even broke that limiter in a very distinct and dramatic way, leveraging the fucked up relationship at the core of it for even more impact.
The real showstopper of the piece though is definitely the use of Cosmo as a character, and the unique set of qualities he brings to the table. He's not the only character in the running who's improving as the tournament goes of course, both Ohma and Agito are doing that, but Cosmo is the only Kengan Fighter here whose youth is a central element of his presence. He's young, but more than that he's incomplete as a fighter. Getting by on effort and sheer talent to compensate for the relative lack of time he's had to train and accumulate experience. But those gaps in his mental, his repertoire and his training are still there, and still stand as excellent sources of drama. Not just because of the threat they pose, but because of how they interact with his nature as a prodigy. As I noted earlier, this is kind of how people new to a skill improve! Magic leaps in skill don't really occur, but as they spend time with a skill an underlying substrate of fragmented understanding forms, bits of knowledge and muscle memory sifting around chaotically. This stuff isn't necessarily visible, though. They make mistakes they theoretically know better than, they miss things they've seen before. Because none of that stuff has really settled. And so, you get moments like this. Where some section of those fragmentary shards of knowledge click together, and suddenly things just make sense. In this case, seeds set up over time by his master and by watching the previous round finally sprouted, and put the last piece in place to form a truly biblical leap in Cosmo's solidity as a fighter.
And let's not understate just what a good heel Akoya is. He's the most outspokenly hateable fighter in the roster, and it's almost certainly on purpose. He's deluded and hateful, but especially he's obnoxiously self-righteous and entirely unwilling to self-reflect. How many things piss you off more than someone asserting something ridiculous is actually true, and not only that but you're stupid and or morally lacking for not agreeing? It's a rare case of a character being generally hated by the entire cast and it not coming off as forced, or a case of a wanky author pushing an idea with undeserved weight, he's honed to a razor's edge as a character with absolutely no redeeming qualities beyond his strength, and plenty of extremely good and compelling reasons to hate him. The cop is out of the running now, and good fucking riddance to him. And hey, bonus points! He's unconscious too, so he's unlikely to be a threat to the medical staff.
God, that one was a rush, wasn't it? I'm not as confident about the next match, but I do know there's certain highlights coming related to it. So out of respect to the people who're sick of hearing about it, I'm going to try to keep my whinging about Raian to a minimum. God give me strength.
Speaking of the Kure though, this chapter gives us the profile of Karla of all people. Which is notable because it confirms (and is probably the source for) people's previous notes of the inspiration for the Kure. The Gracie family! Spreading from Carlos Gracie, the founder of Brazilian Jiu jitsu. Karla particularly being based on his great grand-daughter, Kyra Gracie. Presumably. I don't know shit about these people, so I can't comment on the accuracy or lack thereof, but whatever. Also apparently early on the idea was floated of Karla getting slit-pupiled eyes when she uses Removal? Apparently that could still happen, who knows. I guess you Omega readers will have to tell me if we ever see it.
Oh, this is also where we get the bit where Sandro assures us she's super strong, and would clean house in a women's division of the Kengan matches. Because, you know, the Kengan matches already clearly care so much about weight divisions and power gaps. Definitely a fighting league that would separate out the poor, fragile flowers so the invincible Alpha Males don't accidentally obliterate their entire skeleton with a single flex of the pectorals mid match. I'm not bitter, fuck you.
See you all next time, for the aftermath of this absolute slobberknocker.
no.
Pink Flamingo Cabal Grand Vizier
- Location
- Pennsylvania
For all that Kengan can be sexist, I don't really have that much a problem with all the Kengan Fighters being male. The difference in strength between men and women matters more in some sports than in others, but in combat sports it's a huge factor. Kengan treats weight classes like a big deal, and generally aims for a feeling of heightened reality more than it does outright fantasy(barring a certain J. Lee, but fuck him), so it makes sense for that difference to also be respected. I do wish women got to do more in this series in general though.
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- Location
- Wörms, the half continent
I'M RIGHT! IT'S HAPPENING! THIS IS WHAT THEY DID ON THEIR DAY OFF. THIS IS WHY ADAM STAYS IN JAPAN UNTIL OMEGA. VINDICAAAAAAAAATION!
I love this fight. This fight is... it's not my favourite in round two, but it's third, I feel, and it's just so powerful. In art alone, the brutality, the pacing, it might actually be the best in round two, honestly. What a way to bring us back from the post-first round lul.
Imari Cosmo.
King of the Stranglers.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
You tortured him and tried to kill him, you dumb motherfucker, what do you think happened?
Akoya's chin, I am fairly certain, has more muscles in it than the entire human body.
While not mine personally, I know this fight is a lot of people's favorite in the entire manga, and holy shit do I get it. What a mood change to start us back up with. This here is what makes Kengan such a good manga despite all those caveats. It's these moments, where things are already established and everything just clicks for the story.
I mentioned two updates ago that, by all accounts, Akoya had already won the fight. And he had. Twice, in fact, Akoya won this fight just fine. He countered Cosmo's ultimate move all by himself before snapping, and then after snapping he still had enough in him to outperform Cosmo, throw him into terror, and dominate the fight.
It's also fitting then that Akoya himself is by and large the reason Akoya lost.
The entire manga has this overall point, which we've all noted several times, about keeping true to one's path, about devoting oneself to improvement and growing from that determination. And while Akoya is nothing but devoted to his own path, improvement is the exact opposite of what he represents. That, I think, is Sandro's criticism of him (aside from the obvious ones): Akoya has stagnated. He's let his insane morality distract him from everything else, which means that despite him being by all accounts a formidable fighter, formidable enough to still be a massive threat even in his madness, he's just as easily manipulated as a young, fresh, inexperienced fighter jumping into a big ring full of veterans.
And that's where Cosmo's victory comes from. Once Akoya's obsession gave Cosmo enough time (and suffering) that he caught on to some of what he was lacking, he bridged the gap immediately, enough so that Akoya's obsession became exploitable. Cosmo won because of his potential and his realization, but Akoya lost because he abandoned himself for his own corruption.
The manga is going to spell that out next update, but I am also a writer, and goddamn does this fight inspire me to write.
Gods, what a fucking fight.
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