Canonical Power Creep in Fighting Games

[@SharPhoe]

The reason Master Roshi lacks a super dash is actually explained in canon: Roshi could absolutely fly just like every other character, but he outright refuses to because the technique was created by the Crane School's Master Shen, a man Roshi seriously dislikes. That's why in the show he would fly on Baby Gamera or have someone carry him, he won't learn to fly out of sheer spite. I love that ArcSys saw fit to keep that lore intact in-game when they could have just not bothered, it shows how much they care.

[@chaos_blue1089]

...and now I feel like filth for never watching Dragon Ball

[@brob657]

@@chaos_blue1089 Don't feel like that, it's fine! Dragon Ball Is too big and sort of too... Not great to watch even half of it really. Especially if you just aren't an anime fan!

[@src175]

@@chaos_blue1089 Dragon Ball by the time the Saiyans are introduced is kinda bad, honestly. Like Dragon Ball was never high art, but the sheer escalation and repetition of the Z saga is just... something else, really.

[@largemarge2098]

all of the frieza soilders were trained by the space crane school

[@winstonlewis5630]

@@Fisherman399t Akira toriyama doesn’t write the manga anymore

[@thefury770able]

Something else I like about Saitama in the one punch man game is that when he loses he isn't defeated, he just realized that there's a sale on the grocery store and has to go now

[@DarioKalen_Kagenui]

Lmao, nice.

[@SwerveStarEx]

I also recall reading that there is an unlockable "Dream Saitama," which is based on that scene where Saitama dreams that he encounters an alien race that can match him equally; He actually fights like he means it in that character, but he's defeatable, and it's justified because it's implied that the battle is his dream.

[@JAnne_Bonne]

I remember one person proved that you can beat him without a second Saitama by Time out (and SOMEHOW landing a hit or two on him without losing a member of your squad). Which makes sense in its own way: he REALLY isn’t trying to win and if/when he does there is literally no effort.

[@GameBreaker1055]

@@JAnne_Bonne Well... You CAN lower his healthbar, it's just impossible to do it before the time runs out.

[@opadrip]

If they do make another OPM fighter, rather than making him absurdly powerful, they could've given him the Slayer treatment where he's not really "taking damage" he just barely feels it or barely dodges but it registers as a hit in game. When he's "defeated" he could just run away after realizing there was a sale that day just like in A Hero Nobody Knows.

[@kevingriffith6011]

I feel like this is the tip of a much larger and more interesting iceberg that is "expressing character through mechanics" in fighting games. Want a character who fights dirty? Giving them great rewards off of high-low mixups and frame traps is one way to do it. Got someone smug who is aggressively punchable? Make them a zoner. Got someone reckless and untrained? Give them big, unsafe buttons. Veteran warrior with decades of experience? A vast and varied moveset will get you there. Got a focused and precise fighter? Parries, counters and strong reversals will get you there. Now of course this isn't a comprehensive thing, and some characters do this better than others, but I think it's good food for thought and helps to make a character play like they feel and act.

[@maagic2031]

One of the characters that I think is best at this is Akuma. He could have fit into this video due to how he kind of ignores the rules of his game/universe. He walks into SF2, a game which revolves around very limiting choices like giving up momentum to launch a fireball or risking an anti air to avoid the fireball/start a combo and he whips out an aerial fireball that he can advance with and it also covers his jump in. He gets tuned down later in the series, but he always has some move or mechanic that just flies in the face of the game's rules. It's very clear that he's much more powerful than the rest of the cast and that he didn't get this power through natural means.

[@eddventure6214]

I considered discussing this, but I believe someone already made a video on it (it was sugarpunch maybe?)

[@kevingriffith6011]

@@eddventure6214 Might be, yeah. I'll have to give it a look... I've had worse excuses to do another dive through their videos.

[@ttd0000]

@@eddventure6214 I've always felt that, "Somebody else already discussed it," is a terrible reason not to discuss something. Maybe you have a unique insight or some of your fans might not watch their channel. Just my two cents.

[@ocost3000]

I noticed villains like Bison and Gargos have similar "villain" characteristics. Slow walk speed but with tricky, unorthodox approaches. Bison has head stomp and Gargos a similar attack. Bison is rush down and will pressure you until you can't breathe, while Gargos is more zoning and will choke you down with minions. But both make for frustrating opponents. It really works with their character.

[@calabo3248]

Injustice's solution: Everyone took a pill to be as strong as Superman. Easy

[@Cheesedragon117]

In that case, i'd say, explaining it makes it seem stupider than not.

[@elcalabozodelandroide2]

Joker reaction us precious

[@christophergarcia9022]

@@Cheesedragon117 tbr, these are comics and there actually have been "Superman" pills of sorts.

[@ianopenskies]

It's the windmill arms animations. That is the secret to everyone's sudden power spike.

[@rud5101]

Doesn't DBFZ have a similar justification for why Yamcha can fight Jiren? It's also really jarring in Injustice when you see the Joker survive being tossed into space by Superman, and then seeing Superman get killed by a goofy Joker gag.

[@hadoke]

The exaggerated swagger of an immortal vampire.

[@waow2859]

Lmao that was my immediate thought when he talked about Slayer's swagger

[@JGD44]

Just like Hellsing's Alucard

[@jimmykeffer7401]

I KNEW someone would say it...

[@studiobonessmosh]

Exaggerated dandiness*

[@sr.metang8193]

@Seth Baez This must be turned into a game mechanic somewhere

[@Sorrelhas]

It's like in League, where a boy scout squirrel is stronger than the dragon that created the universe

[@MrBoingus]

this is something i always enjoyed about league. what they did is they made the actual canon of the game itself be that it is... made up. it's fan fiction. all of the champions are literally "legends", with their physical and personal attributes based on what is the most popularly known in their legends, folklore, songs and etc. hell some characters like Kindred, the avatars of death itself, aren't even stated to directly exist within the game's fictional world; presumably ONLY existing in folklore as a "legend". its supposedly the reason a completely non-magical, traditional knight/warrior character like Garen possess an ability where he summons a gigantic, magic-constructed sword from the sky to impale his enemies and do unwarranted amounts of true damage. this allows the individual games themselves to be "canon" or feasible in a way, but also allowed the League team to construct a deep and personality-infused world outside of the game that encourages players to get interested in the characters. this is very much supported by tons of different characters having in-game voice interactions that reference their actual lore without defining hoe the game SHOULD go. in a game with Yasuo and his brother Yone, going by the lore, Yasuo literally killed his brother. so while its obvious who SHOULD win, even if Yone wins the game against Yasuo, they can still interact in a way that doesn't feel like it's ignoring the lore. maybe yone got revenge on his brother in this game, but thats only this match. next game yasuo might destroy yone. again. and etc league of legends as a game, with its mechanics and ""balancing"", is absolute rancid dogshit. but the way they do lore and characters was something that kept me playing until i was physically sick every time i logged on

[@Sorrelhas]

@@MrBoingus My League lore fix was Legends of Runeterra, but I'm absolute ass at card games, so it's mostly the official lore site now

[@brupts7297]

I don't want to constantly pick the strongest canon character....So i prefer the lack of canon powercreep

[@borederlands5387]

I just don't like how so many league champs still act completely different in game than in canon

[@MrBoingus]

@@borederlands5387 completely valid point. i cant think of many characters off the top of my head who are big offenders on that but like. Blitzcrank and Pyke being support characters is incomprehensibly bizarre to me. they both have great KITS for supporting but for me neither of their characters point to a support at all. though pyke IS badass

[@lskre]

I fell like the more I know about Guilty Gear, the less I know about Guilty Gear.

[@a_creatorsstuff17]

Thats how Guilty gear goes allright

[@Pokee154]

Welcome to GG buddy, get used to that

[@someguy4405]

The lore is a wild ride.

[@ryanm.8720]

Same for BlazBlue.

[@Ramsey276one]

I read Wikis I STILL don’t know XD

[@Vismund33]

Something interesting to mention regarding Slayer: the only reason he sticks around in the human realm and doesn't retire is because he enjoys the thrill of battle and wants to fight strong opponents. This then ties in to his fighting style which is about getting a ton of damage out of a single mistake of the opponent. It's like his fighting style is activly trying to grow everybody in becoming stronger so he gets to have better and more even fights

[@Ramsey276one]

Some will always wonder what Full Power Slayer would be like... Like a non-canon Challenge mode or something? I actually have thought of giving my game a “Reality Balance “ mode To paraphrase Lythero (will spellcheck after getting the link) “Videl dies from 2 Broly hits” But what if he didn’t land those hits??? 1:10 here kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3-ZeomCop2ZeMk XD

[@vivianelandim9483]

b ;

[@daisukedoi9284]

Another good example is Akuma and Oro. Akuma is a literal demon, but he only has so little health because he's basically holding himself back for a challenge. In street fighter 3, Oro literally is so strong, he prevents the use of one of his arms so he doesn't just sweep everyone

[@Regdren]

We get a glimpse of what happens when Oro uses both arms in his alternative supers. He briefly takes out the other arm for one quick move and it's always overwhelmingly powerful.

[@ryanm.8720]

And, when Oro gets released for Street Fighter 5, instead of keeping one arm hidden, he will fight his opponents while holding on to a turtle with one of his hands.

[@nonuvurbeeznus795]

I'm pretty sure he's holding himself back because he's sacrificing his resolve and vitality for power. Strong Satsui No Hado literally tears apart the user at the seams. We see this in Kage and some of Akuma's costumes in SFV.

[@ped3752]

@@nonuvurbeeznus795 Yeah like that is less holding back and more of a restriction due to the power

[@enguelberthbernal5341]

Oro use 1 arm because he is holding a tortoise

[@hazamaunlimited8131]

“Roshi is the only character to lack some of the core mechanics the game provides.” * Videl not having a reflect or her own ki blasts*

[@chrishansen1842]

From my understanding Videl essentially fights through The Great Saiyanman correct? Would he not provide such things as Ki Blasts in this relationship or am I assuming too much

[@hazamaunlimited8131]

@@chrishansen1842 yeah, he has like 1 ki blast but I think of it as technically his and not Videl’s

[@calvinmcneil9824]

In Dragon Ball Z I was hoping that she did learn how to do Ki blasts and other Ki based moves and not just learn flight

[@blamberton7893]

@@hazamaunlimited8131 lol that's like saying rosalina is bad without lum. No shit, that's the type of character they are.

[@blamberton7893]

@valy0f ya, puppet characters are like that. I was referring to the "technically gohans and not videls" part, I think. Idk was a while ago, but anything gohan does counts as part of videls kit

[@modernwarrior24]

Remember the lore of the game is that android 21's machine created waves that weakened everyone, basically making everyone at the same level.

[@ezequielin5058]

But That Is technically only in The story mode

[@callumbreton8930]

“How does a vampire stand against gods!?” Buddy, this is Slayer, he’s pretty much Vampire Saitama with a pinch of ignoring physics

[@Sorain1]

Isn't his Destroyed move punching you into the void between galaxies or something insane like that?

[@brightestlight9462]

saying "he's a vampire" is enough tbh. vampires are generally insanely strong

[@bencegergohocz5988]

@@brightestlight9462 Well, vampires in fiction can greatly differ in power level. A skyrim vampire is basicly a shitier version of a mage while Alucard in Hellsing badicly turns every soul he absorbs (cause that's what blood sucking does apearantly) into a new life so he can just die and revive back instatpy millions of times. Slayer is clearly at one extreme of this scale.

[@brightestlight9462]

@@bencegergohocz5988 usually they are at the stronger end though i find, unless its a setting specifically about horde vamps, and even then, you get vamp lords which tend to be crazy

[@njnjco]

@@brightestlight9462 Not accounting for vampire specific weaknesses such as sunlight, running water, holy symbols, needing to sleep in native soil or grave dirt, etc. (A stake to the heart and decapitation will kill a lot of things, so that doesn't count) The weakest vampires are basically zombies. People who have been drained of blood and enthralled to serve their vampire master in undeath. The basic vampire skill set consists of super human strength, speed, reflexes, durability, healing, and immortality, along with all the skills an ancient being would have honed to perfection over the eons. More powerful vampires can shape shift, turn to mist, fly, perform blood magic, teleport, summon beasts and/or undead. From there the powers can get truly insane. You have things like true immortality, where they can never be truly killed, only sealed away to one day return. Soul magic with free reign over the under world or after life and stuff like that. Super powerful magic that dwarfs pretty much everything else. Then you have the vampire god tier stuff where they are a super powerful reality bender who can do whatever they want with basically no limits. Vampires run all the way from fodder enemies to god tier threats depending on the setting and the vampire in question. They can be beasts in the shape of men, your average joe, your goth gf/bf, pouty immortal brats, sophisticated aristocrats, noble souls fighting against the monster within, the final boss/BBEG, or some high and mighty vampire god with no internist in mortals. Vampires are so versatile that they can fit whatever mold you need them to fill.

[@Sin606]

You've got quite the eye. Hell I didn't notice him dodging, I just thought we was overacting.

[@JosephFlores-yn4yi]

id say its both

[@kelvincha5492]

Le 'Playing along'

[@nawfanial]

I mentioned this earlier in a Brian_F video regarding Seth in Street fighter: The problem with Seth is that, storywise, Seth is a combination of the best parts of just about every other character in the game. Seth was built to be the best, so Seth is (one of) the best. Now, it's not as crazy as reality bending or time manipulation, but in the realm of Street Fighter, it's enough to make you overpowered.

[@scozzbaggs9224]

Frax how is gg any different

[@scozzbaggs9224]

I see

[@cloude8496]

You are telling me this when i main gill?🤣

[@nawfanial]

@@cloude8496 Forgot the illuminati exists in SF 😅 i mean, atleast Urien is cracked

[@ocost3000]

@Frax i fail to see how there isn't a raw power gap between Sakura and Akuma lol.

[@tavrincallas3218]

I don't know if you watched it, but your description of Slayer's behaviour during fights and Lowain telling stories to his bros really reminded me of the "Why Do Fighting Game Stories Suck?" video Sugarpunch made. In a good way, I mean that it's an interesting aspect of fighting games that should be explored a bit more. Conveying a character's personality through their animations, victory poses etc. is always good game design and shows how much care has been put into making them :)

[@agentboi4794]

I feel like he could've used Videl for this instead of Roshi. She's literally carried by Gohan. He's helping and protecting Videl the whole fight. She can't shoot ki, her power level is definitely lower than Roshi's, and half of her supers are Gohan protecting Videl.

[@ninjafaceify]

More than half, 2\3 lol

[@caiorocha1049]

So Videl is a stando user, noice

[@WickedKnightAlbel]

My favorite of these is Justice League Heroes where Superman's block animation is just him puffing out his chest and taking no damage at all

[@ezequielin5058]

Pretty much Gogeta SSJ4 In Most Dragon Ball Games

[@Ebola-Kun]

@@ezequielin5058 crossed arms as he bicycle kicks the shit outta you… toooo nice

[@seratarsybagusibrahim5018]

Yoo... I can't believe there's anyone else who played that game And true about Supes, he likes to flex hard

[@evernewb2073]

funnily enough Saitama is straight up the worst character in the game: short version is that the drawbacks to picking him mean that in almost every possible situation where he actually gets to come into play you would have already won the fight or at least be in an overwhelmingly advantageous position if you had picked literally any other character in the game. on top of that he is surprisingly weak when he does come out: there is only a limited time to the end of the match for him to do anything and every single character in the game has the toolkit to simply run out the clock, and since the guy who did not pick saitama is basically guaranteed to be ahead at this point if both opponents are anywhere close to the same skill level you pretty much straight up loose if you don't get mileage out of mister One Punch. this leaves you with an utterly overpowered character which is somehow the least useful option due to how they interact with the situation, which is pretty much perfect for Saitama.

[@rud5101]

So he's basically like a way worse Dark Phoenix? lol

[@ryanm.8720]

And, instead of giving a badass one-liner when he wins, Caped Baldy thinks out-loud about what he'll have for dinner.

[@JosephFlores-yn4yi]

in general i just always loved how lore influenced the way the characters play, like how ryu is more calm and stoic cuz he is a shoto with no flashy shit, while ken is more agressive and cocky hence why his playstyle, altought still counting as a shoto, is more focused on the rushdown side maybe you could make a video similar to your segment with Axl but with other characters? just a suggestion

[@ExeErdna]

You can kinda say the same with Sakura and Akuma too which creates cardinal directions of the shotos

[@JosephFlores-yn4yi]

@@ExeErdna definetly

[@rafaelcastor2089]

Wait, people don't think Ryu is flashy?

[@Martin-yh7vi]

@@rafaelcastor2089 He's a lot more straightforward in his movements. Not really playful or such a trickster imo.

[@rafaelcastor2089]

@@Martin-yh7vi He throws fireballs, floats doing spinning kicks and throws people in the air with an uppercut, all that while screaming his move's names. How isn't that flashy?

[@Tristan_jpg]

The funniest part about Slayer for me is how he reacts to Dizzy's instant death compared to the reactions of the rest of the cast.

[@gamefreaknitro]

I watched a compilation and his reaction is just like “oh nooo you got me” 🤷‍♂️ and I knew that this dude had unfathomable amounts of swag

[@Zefar77]

In Guilty Gear XX2 or whatever it was called, Slayer goes up against Dizzy and the one thing Dizzy says is "Tell me when you've had enough". After the fight Slayer is actually out of breath when saying something like "Okay, I'll give up" where as Dizzy is not tired at all. But Slayer will happily fight Sol and to the point where Sol just not wanting to deal with him and rather talk it out.

[@AffyMoon]

@@Zefar77 Ye Dizzy is surprisingly strong, makes sense, she's Sol and Justice's daughter.

[@Goose_BooseYT]

Seriously hope that sub to view ratio gets better for you, man. Loving your content

[@hazelv.a.7976]

6:10 Isn't a good ratio? Or do you just want that to be even better?

[@mintmintmintmintmintmintmint]

I agree. This is gold. Hi Goose!!!

[@floatinsardines8104]

Eyyy

[@makotoyuki345]

Sup goose

[@clover4522]

Hi Goose!!

[@Akay4444444444444444]

"three characters that control time and space" isn't Faust a reality warper and Raven able to travel through space

[@vovabars1234]

Well Faust seems more of a gag character than a reality warper

[@MrJapanUnderground]

@@vovabars1234 Nah. He ain't no gag character. He warps time, space, and everything.

[@MrJapanUnderground]

To be fair, Axl is Raven.

[@uandresbrito5685]

@@vovabars1234 He is a gag character, but his powers are actually true and plot-relevant. They make no sense, but the story treats them by what they are

[@vovabars1234]

Uandres Brito this always confused me

[@thebigcheese5536]

Gotta be honest, I'd love to see more of stuff like 2:10, where you explain the mechanics/tools a character has at their disposal, and how it effects their gameplay. That's probably my favorite part of fgs.

[@skyslashnova4308]

I think it's cool to see how a character's animation can express a lot about the character. When keeping a fighting game balanced, it's usually left to the animation to deal with how a character can show their experience and technique in battle.

[@MrJapanUnderground]

Let's not forget how Faust is able to do everything he can do and is HUMAN at that.

[@TheCrewExpendable]

Faust is basically a Looney Toons character in an anime world.

[@XONTH1]

Game & Watch mains in super smash bros : now this looks like a job for me

[@vivelespatat2670]

"Oh so your back-air is -5 on shield and have top priority on every other attack ? That's a super unsafe move bro." *up b oos*

[@MSCDonkeyKong]

well, of course! if he is a TRUE 2-dimensional being existing in a 3d space, game and watch would have a power creep beyond the rest of the smash cast. being infinitely thin with the mass comporable to other fighters (tied with squirtle for third lightest, also the fact that he doesnt die instantly sorta shows this) would mean that he could cut through ANYTHING. potentially even the ground, if he is bound by gravity and doesnt have any external powers keeping him in place (which sorta seems to be the case? look at his entrance animation). being infinitely thin would also potentially mean that he could dodge anything if he was facing the right way. (like slim from super paper mario). cry some more, kirby fans. game and watch is canonically strongest smash character

[@Plum1300]

@@MSCDonkeyKong Kirby would litterally look in that paper plates general direction and it would be oblitarated tf are you on about?

[@sptflcrw8583]

@@MSCDonkeyKong that’s not how that works lmfao

[@sptflcrw8583]

@@Plum1300 Kirby’s not even the strongest smash character

[@_Adie]

Never noticed Slayer dodges the attacks instead of actually being hit by them. That's neat.

[@syrelian]

"A tale Lowain was making up, one that his brothers were not having I might add" Actually... for some bizarre reason, the Lowain bros are so fucking good at spinning tales that they entrance not just themselves, but others into deeply visualizing the nonsense, which has created the plot for multiple joke events

[@garretwoeller7669]

Slayer and Nagoriyuki are vampires that are on par with these reality bending opponent because as much a I-No Bedman and Axl are weak physically compared to him.

[@a_creatorsstuff17]

I think we all noticed Slayer's fall pose but thanks for showing the "pretend to be hit" Thing, he does such dramatic poses dodging the attacks, i didnt noticed!

[@rapidemboar4625]

I really like how Gundam Versus takes the approach to power creep- Mobile Suits that are canonically more powerful, such as all your super-powered prototype Gundams, really are considerably more powerful than mass-produced grunt suits. However, each suit has a cost, and being defeated will decrease your team's lifebar by that cost. So here the power creep is used to introduce a layer of strategy to a 2v2 team fighting game, and different team compositions of different costs demand different strategies to be employed from the players.

[@Kakomss]

This topic is storytelling through gameplay and animations. A fine art not often talked about, specially the gameplay area, bc animators have a lot of content online, but how to present a character through their gameplay is often overlooked Thanks so much for this video

[@hayato1669]

“Master Roshi is the only character lacking some of the core mechanics.” Videl: Am I a joke to you?

[@thebleachbartender1312]

I think Roshi's lack of a super dash isn't the case of power level and more of the case of his character. Master Roshi refuses to learn how to fly out of sheer pettiness since it was a technique used by his Rival Shen. And even then, he's still really strong canonically. He fights in the tournament of power and even dodges Jiren's punch in the manga. Even Toriyama says Roshi is as strong as he wants him to be.

[@SuperKidSonic]

What about Scarecrow from Injustice 2 where his entire fights basically boil down to giving his opponents a 5 minute nightmare that they either need to shake off before hitting the real Johnathan Crane or succumb to it and turn into a cationic husk with a deep fear of Scarecrows.

[@cake7068]

My babe woke me up for this new Eddventure! I was not disappointed!

[@jesfest]

This title misled me for the longest time and was the reason I didn't click it sooner. If I knew it wasn't about fighting games having power creep, and instead the reflection of canonical power creep in fighting games, I would have been here day 1, lol. This stuff is really neat, and I am now interested in seeing even more examples

[@ye-lm1183]

Dio: „ ZA WARUDO!!! 1 Second 2 Seconds 3 Seconds 4 Seconds 5 Seconds“ Axel : „ 6 Seconds 7 Seconds.........

[@brendonbraz2515]

Amazing video! I love exploring the "characteristics of a characters" through animation, gameplay, etc. Would love more videos on the topic. And that growth of Axl as a character showing up on a gameplay level is so awesome, I wish fighting games start giving more attention to narrative bc it rlly opens up a lot of posibilities like that.

[@Xelae93]

This is one of the many great things about fighting games, and I'm glad that you're highlighting it here. Great video.

[@bagofalltrades9044]

Not even that much of a fighting game person and I can say with honesty that this was a very fun watch.

[@Jaffersin]

I'm surprised this glosses over Dizzy in Revelator and how most characters have an instant kill technique: basically letting you style on an enemy by offing them with a long cutscene of your character doing some huge attack Dizzy just misfires one of her stronger attacks and the damage she causes accidentally scares her opponent into surrendering. Maybe double relevant since if Slayer is on the receiving end of this technique he simply watches and shrugs.

[@jy2049]

Surprisingly, master roushis power level is stated right at the beginning of z. I just started dragon ball z and saw it.

[@Sorain1]

Is it through? I wouldn't trust Roshi not to be suppressing his power, we know his 'bulking up' is him going to his maximum power. Scouter's have issues with Ki suppression and assuming this was Raditz's scouter, he didn't have one of the better models. (or likely maintained it well.)

[@jamainegardner4193]

Isn't the canonical weakest character in FighterZ Videl?

[@andrethegiant972]

that is correct, yes

[@gogokowai]

Videl was stronger than anything Roshi showed at the end of DBZ. There's go to be some metaphysical changes in the universe going on during Goku's lifetime (aka inconsistent writing) because Roshi's power level after multiple lifetimes worth of training was ~180 in DBZ? Then super rolls around and he's on par with everyone's base form again. Krillin keeps up with base form Goku and isn't entirely useless vs his normal SSJ forms, and can force Goku to use SSJGSSJ. SSJs were legendary entities form long long ago, and now after they're all but wiped out we see that 100% of the Saiyan population can SSJ. It goes from Goku having to lose his best friend and use rage to unlock SSJ to Super's "focus on a tingly sensation on your back". The only explanation (besides bad writing) is that something happens between each arc to the fabric of the multiverse that makes training to attain godlike power easier. Basically my point is the character's powers fluctuate wildly on the whim of the writers. If there's another season and Goku becomes "UI SSJGSSJ JSJSJSJSBS" then the side characters will receive some sort of poorly explained boost up to literal god level in order to keep them relevant.

[@Robeebert]

Here's some Guilty Gear stuff you should know: Axl has no control over his power. He is afraid of it, but he never showed the ability to activate it of his own volition. Even some story mode routes in the XX series make you repeat a fight if you don't finish it with an overdrive.(At least he had no control up to now. He might have control in Strive.) Slayer may not be "just a vampire." We see that he has no issue going out during the daylight hours. He's either more than a vampire, or a vampire so powerful that vampire weaknesses do not bother him. A large part of his story in older games is trying to retire, and in some non-canon ending he starts up a multi-dimensional fight club and recruits Baiken. Ky Kiske never fights with his full potential. He is a "duelist" in-game, but in story it is revealed that he reserves a special fighting style for fighting gears and monsters exclusively that we only get a peak at during the end of Revelator. Sol Badguy went back in time and survived killing his younger self which was supposed to result in a time paradox.(but that's stupid) Johnny is American with fast hands.(Very cool) Chipp is American with fast legs.(Cool.)

[@TheSaival]

Sol is literally one of the reasons of all GG even happening in the first place

[@diobrando9163]

Sol did WHAT!?

[@cake7068]

for some inexplicable reason, I feel compelled to comment again!

[@navadax4541]

Feed the algorithm

[@DeronHargrove]

This was a pretty unique concept and got me interested in how the games I play do this. As a side note, your passion for Guilty Gear led me to get XXAC Plus R. I have only played Sol and Order-Sol but with how different they are, I'm excited to learn new characters.

[@BigWorm2077]

Love your content, man. Glad to have hopped on the sub train early, because it’s obvious you’re gonna do big things.

[@pietroopendragon]

The fact that Yamcha gets his ass chopped off and served for him in a silver plate EVERY FUCKING TIME he fights someone with a bit more power in the manga/anime is wonderful. Because not only turns him into a surprisingly good character in games ( I actually like playing with him in the games, as he is one really fast boy) but puts in check characters like Jiren to get their own asses beaten to a pulp.

[@magicalgirl1296]

Rachel Alucard from BB is even more extreme than Slayer. She basically never gets hit and never really bothers to act either, her two minions take every hit for her. It's easiest to see this when she's hit with an electricity based attack, where her two minions are electrocuted while she just stands there.

[@kriemhild9425]

Yeah but it is implied Vampires in BB and GG came from the same dimension so they are probably at the same power level

[@magicalgirl1296]

@@kriemhild9425 I didn't mean specifically canonical strength, just sheer level of BM.

[@MrLemon-zs2wf]

I had no idea that slyer was just faking, but it’s so funny to me that I might have to start playing him

[@crocworks]

8:26 If you've played Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Elizabeth does the exact same pose when she's knocked down. Canonically she'd be the strongest cast member, but they have to make her hold back to make the fighting game balanced... though they may have gone too far with it considering she's bottom tier...

[@r.j.tammaro8383]

I’ve been on an FGC KZbinr binge and you’re one of the really entertaining ones. I’ll sub dude :)

[@jayb8934]

I actually like how the Capcom Vs. games just don't give a crap and have that Phoenix Wright can beat up Galactus. The absurdity adds to the fun. In Dragon Ball FighterZ I would say that they don't really address it either. Sure, they give the fighters move sets that don't contradict their abilities in canon (ie. Roshi not being able to fly), but it still doesn't acknowledge the fact that some of the characters in the game canonically would not be able to harm or survive a single blow from some of the other characters.

[@Maravillante]

Great topic man. Im in the 8%, I believe in your potential =D

[@coyraig8332]

Roshi's power level was stated in the anime. Bulma was fiddling with Raditz's scouter near the start of the saiyan arc

[@tbc1880]

And it ain't like he hasn't gotten stronger in Super.

[@ghoulbuster1]

@@tbc1880 Didn't he get stronger in the tournament of power? Since you know, he got over being a pervert with extreme training.

[@brothatsneat6231]

Ok I've had the last 3 analysis videos in my recommended every time they've come out and I've enjoyed every one I have to sub

[@bigpoggers6507]

Every single vampire in fighting games have exaggerated swagger.

[@src175]

Slayer being super strong has much to do with how Japanese media tends to treat vampires as basically gods, and not just pale people who drink blood and turn into bats, like western media would. Age=strength, so vampires are strong because they're old. This concept doesn't really extend to more native concepts like immortal sages and oni though, since those are also said to grow in power through the passing of time, which is kinda weird.

[@trietle3026]

i just discovered your channel through this video, and while i don’t play fighting games myself, this was still a great enjoyable video, instant subscribed!

[@shrikelet]

Forget time-stopping powers; I'm just happy to see Axl wearing big boy pants again.

[@matti.8465]

I like how they handle Roshi, he's very crafty and creative to make up for his limitations. It shows experience and technique alone can get you pretty far.

[@rayeon]

Cool topic I haven't seen anyone make a dedicated video of, nice stuff man

[@squidin9347]

Loved the video :) Seriously though, the way you make these videos just makes them really entertaining.

[@re-crafted2993]

Slayers animations are one of my favourite things about Xrd so i'm glad you covered it!

[@erichbauer3991]

I like that they kept the vampire swag pose with nagoryuki

[@CommandoPixel]

Since you brought that up with the Slayer segment Nagoriyuki does the same thing in Strive. Well sort of at least. I only noticed that he casually lies down in his round loss animation.

[@mohamedbelbaali659]

1:48 ''obviously Master Roshi is way weaker than anyone in the game'' Videl and Yamcha : *sweet nervously*

[@blamberton7893]

Roshis power level is waaaay higher than 180. He's the one that taught everyone to hide their power levels.

[@MatheusNiisama]

Dan Hibiki would've been a fun character to talk about, tho I guess he's already been talked about plenty.

[@nebiyuesayas5600]

Street Fighter always comes to mind, so of course I think of Sean, Sakura, and Dan (Ken and Ryu's students and Gouken's former student, respectively). They use the same Ansatsuken style, but Dan's training is incomplete, while Sean and Sakura never had any real formal training. As such, their versions of the fighting style are different. Also, Akuma is a good example of being much stronger, while I'll throw in Guy as an extra Take their Hurricane Kicks: -Ryu uses the normal Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, but because he focuses on power, his version hits once and knocks down -Ken also uses the normal Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, but because he focuses on style and flair, his version hits multiple times but doesn't KD -Akuma's version, the Tatsumaki Zankukyaku, is powered up (both due to his higher skill and Dark Hado), so his both hits multiple times and KDs (its my favorite version) -Gouken's Tatsumaki Gorasen KDs and multi hits like Akuma’s, since he too has more skill, but his is vertical, to account for his more unique version of the martial style -Sakura is small, not physically strong, and not formally trained. Her Shunpukyaku doesn't go as far, and while she uses one leg like normal, she bobs up and down (multi hit, but no KD) -Sean is stronger, but he's less focused and also untrained. His Tornado requires both legs to stay airborne (again, no KD, but multi hit) -Dan's is similar to Sean. However, while he does rotate slower, his Dankukyaku actually hits KDs and goes pretty far. Even before SFV, Dankukyaku was actually a decent special -Guy's Bushin Senpukyaku is similar to Gouken's. However, Gouken tosses his opponent into the air and Tatsu's them, while Guy just does it from the ground (Guy is a good example because while he doesn't use the same fighting style, he has a similar move I could go on, but you get the idea

[@Reilly-K]

Most of the tricks used to portray Slayer's power are also employed with the velvet attendants in the Persona 4 Arena games. One difference, though, is that they don't "pretend to dodge" attacks like Slayer does - they just take the hits nonchalantly, with Elizabeth having a particularly deadpan delivery in her sarcastic exclamations.

[@sonnytapman]

8:28 Actually my favorite thing in fighting games. Rachel in BlazBlue does it, and the Velvet Room sisters in P4A also do it, it’s so good.

[@SirKapa]

I did enjoy your video overall, and I did think you did fairly well when covering the basis of "canonical power creeping" in fighting games. But you did miss out on a few details when you were speaking on the UI Goku Segment. -First, his 6H (or forward heavy for those who aren't familiar with number notations) is a move that can side-switch any move in the game (aside from supers or grabs). -Second, Yamcha doesn't have a slower Kamehameha than UI Goku. Though visually it looks slower, they have the same start-up of 26 frames, but UI Goku's Kamehameha has different purposes and frame data by comparison. The first being that his hits at a downward angle, which you can choose to flip backward or forward while doing this move by inputting 214S or 236S (quarter-circle back or quarter-circle forward special). The second thing is that this move can be used both grounded and air-born, meanwhile Yamcha's is very linear and stationary by comparison. And lastly, it can be used during his flips, which leads to terrifying mix-ups if you aren't careful. -Third, UI Goku doesn't really have heavily reduced frames. It's just that punishing him can be quite a chore or a challenge given that he has so many tools or options to get him out of jail if he winds up making a mistake. It also doesn't help that he's the only character in this game who has a unique wake-up tech that hits opponents who aren't blocking (which is only that much worse when you realize that he can cancel into counter super, vanish, level 2, or level 3). -Fourth, his key-blast is more like Jiren's given that his move-set is almost similar. His j.236x (jumping quarter-circle forward) variations are very similar to Jiren's Infinity Rush (granted UI Goku only does them in the air and has different purposes altogether, meanwhile Jiren does them both air and grounded). His special is similar to Jiren's given that it beats all manner of ki blasts, but UI Goku has more hits on his version. UI Goku's 2S (down special) is essentially Jiren's 2S, but this doesn't combo from anywhere else naturally outside of the corner (unless you have a C assist or vanish) unlike Jiren's. -Fifth, his counter super doesn't work against other supers. -Finally, UI Goku is busted when it comes to counters or defensive options. If you so choose to, you can counter supers of any kind by inputting 214H (quarter-circle back heavy). His light and medium flips can phase through projectiles, beams, as well as supers (so long as they're not physical hits). But who cares if they don't counter physical hits if his 214H counters every single move in the game. Whether it be normal attacks, special moves, reversals, dragon rush, possibly vanish, and supers. And the worst part of it all, almost every move in UI Goku's move-set can be used on the ground or in the air, whereas a majority of the cast doesn't even have that luxury. I'll say it again, this wasn't meant as a means to bash on your video in any case or use this as an opportunity to rant about the character (contrary to what I just typed in the comments). I just wanted to fill in some gaps in the video that I personally and hopefully correct so there weren't any misunderstandings or any information left out. Keep doing what you're doing, and have a great day.

[@jksanrio]

First time to this channel. Great video, very clear points, and subscribing!

[@trainerwsm]

Babe wake up new eddventure video essay

[@jeremyc4786]

Definitely enjoy your and Leon Massey's fighting game videos. Looking forward to both of you going onward and upward.

[@Thundersz]

I subbed for the video essays and not the tourneys, what held me back from subbing was the fact that every other upload, I didn't care about. If you make this channel purely fighting game video essays or something similar and have another channel for the tourneys, i believe you'd see more subs. Good luck though, great video.

[@Gep_05]

Slayer isn't just a vampire! He's a dandy vampire! (And a good drinking buddy)

[@salems00t86]

This video was genuinely super interesting. Keep up this fantastic content

[@hamd8375]

This was a fantastic video. I wish I'd have found out about your channel sooner.

[@AlbusVacuus]

All ArcSys vampires are actually fundamental entities to the multiverse Rachel Alucard from blazblue does the same thung as slayer.

[@sagacious03]

Very neat analysis! Thanks for uploading

[@samfivedot]

Sol Badguy is comparable to Slayer in power level, but while Slayer is clearly just playing around with you, Sol is literally too lazy to put in any work. Not only is he holding his sword the wrong way, he barely even uses it -- most of his attacks are either punches with his free hand, kicks, or headbutts. When he does decide to use the sword, he usually just kind of smashes it over your head. Even in his idle stance, he's just nonchalantly standing there. It's like kicking your ass requires absolutely no effort from him whatsoever

[@AE-jo2fy]

Once again very perceptive and highly creative and articulate!

[@GrayderFox]

Oh shit, I didn't know Axel had a character arc, or that his time stop power was a culmination of that! I'll have to check out the story.

[@mr_1wr572]

This gotta be one of the best videos I ever saw, never thought about that before.

[@proximity1105]

When you were talking about Slayer, it reminded me heavily of the Velvet Room attendants from the Persona 4 Arena/Ultimax games, specifically Elizabeth do acts extremely similar to him even just relaxing on the floor when she loses.

[@soversetile]

Can you please make another video like this??? I love a fresh look at games through a lore lens!!!

[@Gell-lo]

Well that was a satisfying experience. Thanks for the vid!

[@Thee_Znutz]

I loved this video of fighting games, you're breath taking!

[@EndermanPrince]

still good every time i watch it, love u eddie

[@HuascarRadio]

Awesome video dude!

[@Slender_Man_186]

Lythero and his friends put it best in DBFZ “Every fighter has the same health.” “Yup!” “Like, Videl should be two tapped, and not two combos, literally light, medium, dead.” “And then Jiren just doesn’t die.”

[@VrginityTheft]

my favorite example of this concept of power reflection in gameplay has to be narukami versus adachi in both p4au and bbtag, and with the context of p4au his moves and visuals in tag make him much scarier from a powerscaling perspective. adachi has narukami's supers as regular specials and *even normals*, and his supers are displays of raw, uncontrolled power and killing intent. in his transition to bbtag he even further pushes the strength he has in his visuals and kit by having old supers on his 214 series and retaining his strong fullscreen super, but his alternate super was changed to a cross slash to better match the duality between him and narukami (as well as win rounds using the same OD super, it feels cool).

[@thepicausno5561]

For context, Slayer is like, the Bearus of Guilty Gear. He's super over powered and comes from some weird vampire dimension and that's why when he fights you he always feigns harm. Canonically, he is one of, if not, the most powerful character in the series.

[@miguelmedina7395]

Really good video as always

[@Ape_Tero]

In Hokuto no Ken Revive, there's Baki the Grappler guest characters. In that game, Yujiro auto-blocks every attack, and when you knock him down he just bounces back up. When defeated, he doesn't fall down, he gets up and walks away out of stage.

[@AffyMoon]

Typical Baki stuff

[@alfroblox1]

Guys look granny is doing the Yamcha challenge, Saibaman Stairs 100-0’d her with the combos

[@MayHugger]

"Roshi is unable to fire ki blasts" Incorrect, he can use them in the air, just not on the ground.