Forum - View topicCoolest Character Tournament - Post-Mortem
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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So, I worked a 12-hour shift yesterday. What's everyone else's excuse for not voting yet?
Group A-25 Balalaika, Black Lagoon vs. Izumi Curtis, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise Choosing: Balalaika Because Some people have raised the issue that Balalaika doesn't fight her own battles. While she does delegate much to her subordinates, it is a poor leader who must be at the front of every battle, but that's not really the point. The point is that she does fight. She used herself as bait for Hansel and Gretel, the only individuals in the entire series who demonstrated a true threat to Hotel Moscow. Her flashback showed her on the front lines in the Soviet army fighting in Afghanistan. In the Yokohama Gangster Paradise arc, not only did she personally thwart an attempt on her own life, but she restrained the would-be assassin while she had Rock translate a final insult to him before offing the man herself. Then there's the issue of the burn scars that appear to cover most of her body. Those aren't the kinds of wounds one gets while simply sitting at a desk. She has the capabality to back up the words she uses to instill terror and respect. That's why when Balalaika orders you to kneel, you ****ing kneel. Group A-26 Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise vs. Guts, Berserk Choosing: Roy Mustang Because So Guts has a really big sword and fights monstrously strong, inhuman creatures. Roy also fights monstrously strong, inhuman creatures, and ones that must be repeatedly killed at that. But he does it with fire. Fire is cooler than a big sword. Group A-27 Claire Stanfield, Baccano! vs. Black Jack, Black Jack Choosing: Claire Because After watching the clip of Black Jack, I wasn't really impressed. Despite performing three incredibly delicate operations on a small boat, there was no tension. Claire may be a bit crazy, bit he makes things exciting. He makes you believe what he does is incredible. He destroys his enemies with psychological tricks as well as his uncanny physical abilities. Claire puts the fear of death into an immortal. That is no easy task. Group A-28 Roronoa Zoro, One Piece vs. Mugen, Samurai Champloo Choosing: Mugen Because While Zoro is incredibly tough, and triple-wiedling swords is pretty impressive, it doesn't quite measure up to the flare of effectively incorporating break-dancing into sword play. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18458 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Group A-25
Balalaika, Black Lagoon vs. Izumi Curtis, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise Izumi's got plenty of attitude and some noteworthy accomplishments, but she simply doesn't project a bad-ass aura to the degree that Balalaika does. Put simply, I'd risk suffering Izumi's wrath before I'd risk suffering Balalaika's. Group A-26 Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise vs. Guts, Berserk In the past thirty years I have actually puked maybe twice (seriously!), but a third time may be coming if Mustang actually wins this round. Seriously, people, is Mustang really that cool? Oh, sure, he has his moments, but he also has moments where he acts and looks ridiculous - and that he's frequently the subject of the series' ridiculing humor doesn't help his cause as a bad-ass. If Teresa got defeated last round partly because Claire supporters were able to nitpick on her one (albeit significant) moment of weakness, what about Roy's numerous failings, such as the multiple times he's rendered useless simply because it's raining? Fewer characters in all of anime have as strong a reputation for bad-assery as Guts does and he has considerably less vulnerable points. Either is, on its own, enough for him to win this match. Group A-27 Claire Stanfield, Baccano! vs. Black Jack, Black Jack Why couldn't Teresa have gotten this match-up last round? Sorry, but if she can't beat Claire then Black Jack certainly doesn't deserve to. Group A-28 Roronoa Zoro, One Piece vs. Mugen, Samurai Champloo Meh. Zoro has his merits, but Mugen delivers a more complete package of cool. |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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Is Guts? Yes, he's far more badass, but you compromised the judging criteria when you proposed this tournament. Until this tournament, I thought EVERYBODY loved Roy. He's fun, he's funny, he's sexy, and he wields a primal element as his weapon. Two, if you consider that he's actually manipulating the composition of the air in order to direct the flames. How is it not badass when you not only have control over a globally recognized symbol of destructive power, but are two steps above it? |
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AbyssalOne
 Posts: 24 |
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DS's loss last round deeply disturbs me. DS, of all people, losing to Motoko in a coolest character contest. Jeeeez. And now Guts honestly needs help to win? The world really is ending.
Group A-25 Balalaika, Black Lagoon vs. Izumi Curtis, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise Balailaka The head of Hotel Moscow is a strong and commanding leader, supported by moments of exemplary badassery. I'd give her the edge over Izumi just for the raw menace that she exudes. Group A-26 Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise vs. Guts, Berserk Guts It's really unfortunate that Guts's manga exploits do not count for this contest, as there are some truly impressive feats there. The crux of the argument for Mustang here seems to be that although Guts is more badass, "cool" encapsulates much more than that. Considering that Mustang's moments of greatest cool involve the use of his alchemy in battle, I would strongly lean towards categorizing them as badass moments. As for his out-of-battle attitude: it's honestly not terribly special. He has a lot of pretty uncool comic relief moments; that coupled with his long periods of inaction in face of the malevolent conspiracy in the military make me less than enthusiastic for calling his everyday demeanor "cool." Thus the grounds for comparison seem to be the battleground. And that comes down to the relative odds put against them. Guts is a byronic hero constantly struggling against back breaking odds and barely emerging victorious. He is branded for death and does his best just to survive day to day, let alone being anywhere close to exacting his justified revenge spoiler[against a god-like being]. Mustang is the most powerful alchemist in his series and has little trouble in battle, with his only reasonable opponent being precipitation, spoiler[as even homunculi and blidness] don't seem to be too troublesome. Simply put: Mustang must be judged on his merits as a badass, and on those terms he is a clear loser to Guts. Group A-27 Claire Stanfield, Baccano! vs. Black Jack, Black Jack Claire Our daring doctor has nothing on the suave, sollipsist killer-for-hire turned hobbyist conductor. And as Key said, Teresa was a much worthier opponent and her defeat entails Claire's victory. Group A-28 Roronoa Zoro, One Piece vs. Mugen, Samurai Champloo Mugen Mugen's devil may-care-attitude coupled with an unorthodox fighting style give him the stylistic edge over the rather simply shonen Zoro. |
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Olliff
 Posts: 550 |
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Group A-25
Balalaika, Black Lagoon vs. Izumi Curtis, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise Like Key has said, Izumi's has some attitude and isn't a pushover, but she simply doesn't project a terrifying presence and aura that Balalaika clearly has. Anger Izumi and you have an issue, but if you anger good ol' fry face, and you are as good as dead. Group A-26 Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise vs. Guts, Berserk Guts is the epitome of anime bad assery and he shows no major compromising moments of weakness. In contrast, Roy does falter, and he is occasionally goofy or foolish. Also Roy's powers can be almost turned useless when it rains -- a major drawback to say the least. Gut's swordsmanship works like a charm come either rain or shine. Again I agree with Key, Guts wins based on having fewer weaknesses and being overall more impressive as a badass. Group A-27 Claire Stanfield, Baccano! vs. Black Jack, Black Jack I'm a fan of Claire's type of badassery one note as it may be. It certainly has more pizazz and intensity than the sometimes dull Black Jack. Group A-28 Roronoa Zoro, One Piece vs. Mugen, Samurai Champloo I give kudos to Zoro for besting Kenpachi, but Mugen has more than just pure badassery going for him he has the entire package. Mugen has the style, attitude, and breathes in and out the essence of cool. It also doesn't hurt that he has mad fighting skills despite his non-traditional and anachronistic methods. Novel and unique, it will take more than a triple wielding shonen staple badass to take him down. Last edited by Olliff on Mon Mar 14, 2011 12:43 am; edited 1 time in total |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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Group A-25
Balalaika, Black Lagoon vs. Izumi Curtis, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise Pick: Izumi Curtis - I'm standing behind her through to the end as long as she's in the tournament. I admired her blend of drill instructor and motherly type of guidance for Edward and Alphonse. She seems very wise and strong-willed that I could look up to as well as a cool friend. Group A-26 Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise vs. Guts, Berserk Pick: Guts - my vote is going to have to go to Guts. While Roy is a strong supporting character in FMA, he has kind of a mean and cold side. Despite Guts being such a hard core fighting machine, the anime credits him as being noble, heroic, sensitive and we just saw so many more sides to his character development in Berserk than can be said of Roy in FMA. Group A-27 Claire Stanfield, Baccano! vs. Black Jack, Black Jack Pick: Black Jack - no contest for Black Jack in my opinion here. He is in many ways the ideal doctor because he isn't limited by all the bureaucracy and strict ethics complications likely if he was assigned under an institution or company. He's a renegade and his practice is illegitimate, but that is only because he uses such unorthodox methods that end up working miracles that no other doctor is capable of. It's the system that is most often corrupt, not Black Jack. Group A-28 Roronoa Zoro, One Piece vs. Mugen, Samurai Champloo[/quote] Pick: Mugen - poor Zoro, the only thing he had going for him that kept me voting for him against other contenders was the 3 sword thing. It's cool and all but Mugen's got attitude, style and is a quick thinker which I admire alot. He puts up with Fuu because he cares for her deep down, but he doesn't put up with anything else and gets stuff done when needed. |
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DarkRoseFairy
Posts: 271 Location: Alberta, Canada |
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Group A-25
Balalaika, Black Lagoon vs. Izumi Curtis, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise Based on the arguments Dorcas_Aurelia makes Vote For Balalaika Group A-26 Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise vs. Guts, Berserk Vote For Guts I have not seen Berserk yet but from what I have seen of Fullmetal Alchemist, Roy doesn’t impress me that much. Group A-27 Claire Stanfield, Baccano! vs. Black Jack, Black Jack Vote For Claire Stanfield I am very surprise Black Jack got to this far in the tournament and I don’t think he deserves it. Yes he does have some cool moments but for the most part I find his personality to be very boring and bland when he not performing surgery. So my vote goes to Claire, I find his style and attitude far more interesting. Group A-28 Roronoa Zoro, One Piece vs. Mugen, Samurai Champloo Vote For Mugen This one is the hardest for me to decide, since I like both of the characters and the shows that they came from very much. I thought Zoro fighting style with three swords is more cooler but I like Mugen attitude more. |
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~~EpiC~~
 Posts: 243 |
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Made it back from overseas just in time to vote. Let's see.
Group A-25 Balalaika, Black Lagoon vs. Izumi Curtis, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise Vote For Balalaika To me, she is one of the finest examples of a badass in anime. Why does she need to be at the forefront of every battle? I don't know about the rest of the world, but in my eyes, if you are so badass that you can have other badass people fight for you (not through money or force, but through respect), you are pretty darn cool. And like Dorcas said, when she needs to (or rather, when she feels like it, she never really needs to) she puts herself in harms way. Izumi... just meh. Group A-26 Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise vs. Guts, Berserk Vote For Guts I really don't understand Roy's hype. Like Key said, he can't even use his powers in the rain. He's also got numerous other uncool tendencies. I wouldn't really care to hang out with the guy in real life if he existed. Yes, fire is cool. But, nowhere near as cool as Guts. I mean, this guy just doesn't give a ****. Doesn't matter if your 7 feet tall or 16 feet tall with wings and horns and a red eyes. He'll fight it all. He's considered one of anime's greatest badasses for a reason, folks. And if Roy somehow manages to beat Guts, It'll be the biggest travesty I can remember in any of these tournaments. Group A-27 Claire Stanfield, Baccano! vs. Black Jack, Black Jack Vote For Black Jack Well, I don't really care for Claire. I actually rather Teresa have gone forward. That being said, I haven't seen Black Jack, but from what I've read, seen, and heard, he's more cool than a psychopath. Psychopath is rarely cool. He is badass though, but the crazy surgeries I've heard about win me over. Group A-28 Roronoa Zoro, One Piece vs. Mugen, Samurai Champloo Vote For Mugen Beat boy sword fighting is pretty damn awesome. Three swords impresses me just a little less. I'll go for the samurai here. |
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nightjuan
 Posts: 1473 |
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Group A-25
Balalaika, Black Lagoon vs. Izumi Curtis, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise Voting for: Balalaika I almost felt like giving Izumi a chance here but, unlike what's probably going to happen with another character further down the line, that's not going to be the case. She lacks the sheer power of Balalaika's presence despite arguably being physically stronger and, in addition, Izumi's ability to influence others is comparatively restricted beyond her role as a mentor. Group A-26 Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise vs. Guts, Berserk Voting for: Guts There's no way around it...I'm still a little bitter because Simon would have been my personal choice in terms of overall "coolness" but I'm not going to hold that against him. Granted, I'm not necessarily voting for Guts over Roy because he has fewer weaknesses either (if the manga ever came into play -which it obviously isn't going to- I'd argue he just has to deal with a completely different set of issues), but mostly because he's far superior in other areas. In particular, Guts is certainly much more of a badass than Roy. He regularly demonstrates his fighting skills against all manner of foes and even puts his life on the line against seemingly impossible odds. I believe Roy never had to deal with anything remotely comparable. Group A-27 Claire Stanfield, Baccano! vs. Black Jack, Black Jack Voting for: Claire Stanfield We've got two very different individuals here that pretty much represent their respective extremes. Black Jack surely has a lot more class and heart, no question about it, which together with his ridiculously impressive medical exploits makes him an iconic figure throughout anime and manga alike for a good reason...but, on the other hand, Claire has a terrifying presence and is capable of torturing or killing people in some of the most gruesome ways and with such a degree of ability and gusto that, at least in my opinion, he became one of the most memorable characters in the already colorful Baccano! cast. I'd say they are roughly equivalent in terms of coolness but, as long as we bring the concept of "badass" to the table...I find it very hard to vote against Claire here, despite my ultimately acknowledging Teresa from Claymore as a better choice the last time around. Group A-28 Roronoa Zoro, One Piece vs. Mugen, Samurai Champloo Voting for: Zoro Not that it's going to change the result at this point in the match but the combination of Zoro's sheer determination even in the face of several handicaps and his ability to make what should be a ridiculous fighting style look quite cool strikes me as more worthy of appreciation than Mugen's unorthodox attitude and his arguably more stylish set of moves. |
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3966 Location: New York state. |
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Make my votes quickly before calling it a night for work!
Match A-25: Balalaika (Black Lagoon franchise) Izumi isn't a pushover when it comes to delivering punishment with both martial arts and alchemy. But Balalaika has a more intimidating presence considering her military background and ruthless tactics against any threat that crosses her. Match A-26: Guts (Berserk) One of two matches where I'm baffled at the support going for the opposition. Beyond whatever else has been brought up by Key and others regarding Roy, he hasn't had the kind of hard life Guts has had to endure since childhood where spoiler[he killed his drunk, abusive adoptive father in self-defensive as a child], regularly puts his life at risk just to survive and spoiler[lives with being regularly hunted by demons following his survival of the events of the Eclipse.] Match A-27: Claire Stanfield (Baccano) Another match where I'm dumbfounded at how close it is when it shouldn't be. Black Jack should have been gone way back in the First Round as beyond his miraculous surgeries, his personality is quite bland compared to the other seven entrants in this bracket. Match A-28: Mugen (Samurai Champloo) This one's actually a bit tricky for me to think about as both have the personalities and skills to be worthwhile badasses to see in action. But I have to give Mugen a slight edge for spoiler[being able to cheat death twice] in Samurai Champloo. |
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ccdx
 Posts: 312 |
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Gotta make this quick.
Group A-25 Balalaika, Black Lagoon vs. Izumi Curtis, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise No contest here. Balalaika is strong, fearsome, devilishly cunning, and a force to be reckoned with. She commands respect and is a bit crazy to boot. The perfect recipe for the ultimate badass. Group A-26 Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise vs. Guts, Berserk
Well said. I agree. Mustang is sometimes a badass, but most of the time silly and quirky. I think the clip shows this quite well. Guts gets my vote. Group A-27 Claire Stanfield, Baccano! vs. Black Jack, Black Jack Both seem kinda weak to me. Even though Claire is an egotistical psychopath, whose only real skill is killing, he gets my vote for now. Group A-28 Roronoa Zoro, One Piece vs. Mugen, Samurai Champloo Mugen is waaaay cooler and more of a badass than Zoro. Mugen has a strange style all his own that fits his unique personality. Plus, Shinichiro Watanabe knows cool, that is a fact. |
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The Naked Beast
 Posts: 1028 Location: A Blue Planet |
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Group A-25
Balalaika, Black Lagoon vs. Izumi Curtis, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise Without Izumi, Ed and Al would not be as badass as they are. It was Izumi who taught them the basics of alchemy and martial arts. Though she finds out that the two are recently orphaned, she treats them with motherly love, tough motherly love. One of the principles that she wants the brothers to follow is to do as she says not as she does. A reunion with the brothers will later show that like teacher, like pupil. My vote goes to: Izumi Curtis. Group A-26 Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist franchise vs. Guts, Berserk I remember a scene where Guts fights Griffith because he does not want to join the Band of the Hawk. Despite having a bigger sword, Griffith easily fends off Guts' attack with slim saber. Every passing moment is pointing towards Griffith as the eventual winner. In an act of desperation, Guts bites the pointy end of Griffith's sword to create an impromptu confusion technique. As Guts is reluctantly in the Band of the Hawk, the outcome of that battle is clear. The sword biting is pretty desperate but badass at the same time. My vote goes to: Guts. Group A-27 Claire Stanfield, Baccano! vs. Black Jack, Black Jack Black Jack is seemingly able to get himself out of tough situations with surgical instruments and his quick thinking. What makes him more interesting is that he has his own moral code. He will help those in need even if they can not afford his fees. My vote goes to: Black Jack. Group A-28 Roronoa Zoro, One Piece vs. Mugen, Samurai Champloo To vote for an aimless swordsman or one with determination, will, and goal? Never have I seen a more badass First Mate whose determination to never lose guide him towards victory. The goal to be the best and strongest swordsman in the world is an arduous path. I know a three-sword wielding pirate who has a similar goal. My vote goes to: Roronoa Zoro. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18458 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Round 3 Group A is now closed.
For a while this group looked like it was going to set a record low for vote totals, but a flood of late votes eked it up to 18 total. As expected, all four matches were blow-outs; in fact, with winners averaging 73.6% of the vote, this may have been one of (if not the most) imbalanced third round set we've ever had. Winners: A-25: Balalaika crushed Izumi Curtis, 13-5. A-26: Guts sliced and diced Roy Mustang, 14-4, after taking the last 10 votes. A-27: Claire Stanfield made a mess that even Black Jack couldn't put back together, 13-5. A-28: Mugen's swordplay proved too much for Zoro, 13-5. Next round will, I think, be much more competitive, especially at the bottom end of the bracket. Next Group will be up soon. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18458 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Round 3 Group B: Mixed Group #1 is now closed.
Results can be found here. Have we got some quality matches for you this time! Anime’s ultimate pirate-type vs. anime’s ultimate vampire hunter! A deadly swordmaster vs. a puissant spear-wielder! A formidable leader vs. a formidable rocker! And finally, one of anime’s most bad-ass female action stars vs. one of anime’s most devastating pure martial artists. Who will win? Any way you cut it, this Group is certain to be far more competitive than the last one. Oh, and we have a nice set of video clips this time, too. Remember to check them out if you're not familiar with the characters. Group B-25 D, Vampire Hunter D vs. Captain Harlock, various (see Guide entry) Group B-26 Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit vs. Kenshin, Ruroni Kenshin Group B-27 Lady Eboshi, Princess Mononoke vs. Nana Osaki, NANA Group B-28 Revy, Black Lagoon vs. Kenshiro, Fist of the North Star Last edited by Key on Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:11 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Aylinn
 Posts: 1684 |
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Group B-25
D, Vampire Hunter D vs. Captain Harlock, various (see Guide entry) Captain Harlock leaves an indelible impression. He is smart, a born rebel and an inveterate individualist made of unalloyed coolness, moreover he is one of a kind. Group B-26 Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit vs. Kenshin, Ruroni Kenshin Balsa and Kenshin share similar qualities: bravery, protecting people, trying not to kill anyone. What makes me choose Balsa over Kenshin is her ability to take good care of Chagun, in other words she didn’t fail as a parent. Group B-27 Lady Eboshi, Princess Mononoke vs. Nana Osaki, NANA Nana Osaki Nana’s attempt to achieve her dreams just impresses me more than Lady Eboshi. Group B-28 Revy, Black Lagoon vs. Kenshiro, Fist of the North Star Ok, it seems like I cannot understand what is so cool about muscle-men, so my vote goes to Revy, at least her comments are cooler and more entertaining than muscles. |
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