Could Ben’s Repeating Character Arc WORK?

[@TheInkTank]

Go to buyraycon.com/inktank to get 15% off your Raycon purchase this holiday season! Brought to you by Raycon.

[@kingshadow8782]

😮

[@kingshadow8782]

Ben 10 will forever be my Cartoon after the Reboot.

[@artisticsmeargel]

At the beginning of the generator Rex cross over Ben says he came from a tv interview or something that’s the public appearance he’s talking about

[@CarlosPerez-s2l]

Ben 10 will always be my favorite

[@catdogfishdogcats]

I think Ben kind of has like a bit of a narcissistic and Addiction related personality, so he has to often fight within himself relapsing into chasing fame, and stimulation, which is why these themes repeat. Like being an alcoholic is taboo, but being a fame Junkie isn't, so itst kinda hard to shame Ben in universe to not chase fame as much, and Ben can justify to himself that's it's fine that he chases fame, like he did in the beginning of the episode. It's not being instilled that Fame is a shallow virtue, and being a famous person is just a job like anything else, like how Ben had to sit there above the dunk tank. Also, he doesn't control that he's so inclined to chase fame, which is why around 24:59 he admits to himself that it's not the way.

[@Door3234]

i love the amount of fear and surprise Ben has when he first sees malware again, it feels like he's genuinely about to break down and cry from what malware did to him, it perfectly sets him up as a massive threat and leaves us with a solid amount of mystery as to what a villain could do to cause Ben to genuinely sound scared

[@everburn]

Absolutely. As someone who isn't a really big fan of omniverse, this is one of my favourite scenes in the entire franchise. This scene really struck me the first time I saw it.

[@SpectacularSpidey670]

yeah the way Ben backs away once he sees Malware is so good, good direction

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

​@@SpectacularSpidey670 u can feel the fear in his voice too

[@Aphelia.]

Same, it is very rare to hear him sound this scared. Malware left a trauma lol

[@isaactheworshipwarrior6687]

Yeah villains are great when either, you're able to understand them, or when the hero actually fears them as a threat

[@calebglitch2518]

It's actually terrifying to think if someone with human level brain could us the nematrix without the losing mind part. Slamworm and the hypnomoth could end Ben's life 10 seconds flat, if used correctly.

[@skylanderspizza]

It might just be how you framed it in the edit, but to me it felt less of Ben relearning the same lesson, and more of using the lesson he had learned in practice. There's a stark difference between learning you need to change, and actually putting it into practice. And to me, this episode feels like the latter, with the hypnosis just giving him the kick to realize that he's regressing.

[@samuelspagnoli7326]

This literally this. You can Learn a lesson as many times as you want to actually grow and change is a lot harder

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

​@@samuelspagnoli7326 literally my life, especially when I was a teen, I knew I had a test tomorrow but I would still play outside

[@samuelspagnoli7326]

@@theamazingspooderman2697 yeah IKR , sometimes people just need to learn their lessons a couple times before it sinks in

[@HerohammerStudios]

​@@samuelspagnoli7326 that's just an entirely different point. The whole idea op was putting forth was that he specifically WASN'T learning the same lessons more times

[@samuelspagnoli7326]

@@HerohammerStudios well kinda Ben has been given these lessons time and time again however they’ve never truly sank in

[@Enderstorm20]

Ben's gone toe to toe with interdimensional beings without even flinching but when Malware shows up, he genuinely scared. Really goes to show how much Malware traumatized him.

[@RiceCubeTech]

Bro literally could snap him away with Alien X but still doesn’t do that and lets malware destroy lots of shit before he takes him down 😂

[@Enderstorm20]

@RiceCubeTech I mean at that point he didn't have full control over Alien X.

[@Architect_133]

​@@RiceCubeTechDude didn't heard about consequences

[@anthonyrodriguez8788]

Has he? Unless you count Hex and Charmcaster people from other dimensions have always given Ben pause, especially Diagon. Heck even Dr. Animo after a Null Void power up was beating Ben like a rug when they fought.

[@bluedemontr-whisperofwind-2296]

Honestly the repeat in this episode just feels like it's still what he wants deep down but he has grown and matured enough to suppress that desire

[@acmeanvil3022]

I think something you overlooked that is worth noting is that at 23:10 two of the people in the crowd cheering for Ben are Pakmar and Mr Bauuman, the two people who express frustration towards him for destroying their stores.

[@gruffalo14]

Maddison from Season 2, Episode 1 was also there.

[@orbboom6119]

Lmao true😂

[@rubendelgado5098]

this scene shows me that what Ben really wants is not just to be famous (he already was famous) but to be beloved, that's why the beginning of the episode was so important, because shows that his "fans" dont really care for him or respect him the way he thinks that he deserves

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

​@@rubendelgado5098 exactly

[@STOCKsouup]

​@@rubendelgado5098 yeah! I like this theory....more than being famous since he already has it is being liked😊, like we see multiple times one of the first things Ben fans ask Ben is to transform or that they don't like the alien he currently is😂

[@maple_the_wolf]

Honestly, I like the theory that Ben has a really hard time sticking to the lessons he learned, cause I have that issue as well. Makes me feel good, seeing a fave hero struggle with something I deal with every day

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

relatable

[@8LiterallyJustTheNumber8]

I've had a theory for YEARS about Ben's repeated character arc. In Ben 10,000, young Ben learns the TOTAL wrong lesson from his future self, thinking he's "such a jerk," and as a result, Ben actively avoids maturing.

[@mechajay3358]

But in the first two seasons of AF, Ben was at his most mature.

[@infinityalbi9840]

​@@mechajay3358 maybe that's because he had to take charge when Grandpa Max wasn't around, so he didn't have much of a choice.

[@8LiterallyJustTheNumber8]

@@mechajay3358 yeah, like the person above said, he had no choice in the beginning, and also was out of practice. He hadn't used the omnitrix in 5 years, and had adjusted to life as a normal human kid. Becoming Ben 10,000 wasn't something he was worried about until it became apparent that he wasn't removing the watch again any time soon.

[@1992holycrap]

So basically, this was all Future!Gwen's fault for bringing kid!Ben to the future in the first place?... You know what? Yeah, that checks out.

[@Eric6761]

​@@1992holycrapin a way it's kinda Ben's fault because even if Ben didn't become that Ben 10k he still was hammered the same lesson several times

[@StanHanrahan]

Another great breakdown! The 5yl fit looks so awesome I love the jacket! So glad the prop arrived safely 😄

[@rajjoplayz]

12 likes and no replies? Lemme fix that

[@kylo-juju3796]

man is so cool!!, you're working with morbius!!

[@TheInkTank]

Forever thankful for that Omnitrix prop 🙏

[@Kryptonix_36]

I ❤ the 5yl omnitrix prop you made.I always watch your videos and they are awesome😊

[@azrael_pendragon]

👍

[@timedragon5492]

Look, I'm fine with the repeated moral here. Ben knows what it means to be a true hero. But that doesn't mean he's not allowed to want to feel appreciated or celebrated. You can recognize junk food is unhealthy but still want to eat it. It's only a problem if Ben lets it get in the way of being a hero or his personal relationships which he doesn't do in this episode.

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

fr

[@Theokal3]

The issue isn't really that Ben isn't allowed to like being appreciated or celebrated, it's more that they imply that's his deepest desire - which is kinda insulting. That and the fact they have him go through that again, and again, and again. Regardless of how justified it is, it feels repetitive and we'd like to see him go through other stuff.

[@harrietr.5073]

Tho food is food.

[@arthurboriathetrueking999]

I think that Ben having to relearn the same lessons over and over again is very relatable. Sometimes, in life, we need to be reminded constantly of who we are and what our true values are in order to be the best people we can be. We are flawed beings who strive to be better than our past selves and mistakes

[@MegaManDBZX]

I love the absolute dread in Ben’s voice at seeing Malware again. It just goes to show how much he broke Ben.

[@conorangelson1397]

To be fair he DID kill Ben’s favorite transformation.

[@jackychen8143]

I love this episode, one of my favourite Ben’s reaction seeing Malware again after he thought he destroyed Malware was great animated and voice acted, like he was 11 when he removed Feedback from the Omnitrix, it still haunts him to this day.

[@justopher8487]

I like that the Omnitrix gives Ben the perfect possible alien for every situation, and in this particular situation it’s either 1. the Omnitrix is messing with Ben, or 2. there’s a voice command feature in the Omnitrix that transforms Ben into an alien based on what he or anyone else says.

[@pombodobope1451]

I've always interpreted this as a proof of his development. Of course Ben still wants fame and glory but he doesn't let it get on his way anymore, so he snaps out of the tentation by himself, and the hole thing with the charity being an acknowledgment of the problems with his development and proof that despite sometimes getting distracted, in the end of the day he still carries his lessons with him

[@oasisgaming7005]

I know buglizard shows up alot but maybe there is some logic here, Ben does transform into multiple aliens that could be considered "weak" to buglizard right before the attack so maybe kyber was being strategic.

[@skylanderspizza]

Also in comparison to the other predators it's both similar to Zed's normal body and has really good mobility. Most of the other predators are really destructive or clunky while moving.

[@joshualam9746]

​@@skylanderspizzaYeah, Buglizard is kinda like the Nemetrix's "base" alien, like heatblast.

[@scarigamez]

This episode is part of why Malware is my favorite Ben 10 villain of all time. He's the only character in the franchise that actually scares Ben, like full on terrifies him from his presence alone. That itself speaks to how impactful and traumatizing it was to lose Feedback.

[@professorpengu502]

Zombozo used to and zscare did too

[@scarigamez]

@professorpengu502 oh yeah I forgot about that. I see Zombozo as the first one to make Ben angry, and Ghostfreak honestly slipped my mind.

[@williamdaviddiazcuchimaque7511]

Es el único villano que le ha quitado algo a ben

[@ethansanchez6267]

I wouldnt say he's the only one that scares ben but yeah he definitely left a mark on him.

[@BeastForce141]

Malware is such a great villain. The Big Ball that you put in 5YL.

[@professorpengu502]

I wish we got a sequel series to omniverse where he comes back

[@ethansanchez6267]

​@@professorpengu502he probably would've come back since at the end of Malgax Attacks, we see malware escaping the wreckage of vilgaxs ship. Too bad OV was discontinued.

[@professorpengu502]

@@ethansanchez6267 yeah that's what I was referring to

[@SecretMagician]

​@@ethansanchez6267Instead of having him show up in a non existent Omniverse sequel series, an alternate return situation for him was that Maltruant was actually a normal Chronosapian that was possessed by Malware at some point and he's using it to travel through time and cause the Time War and create an Annialaarg so he re-creates the entire universe in his image. It'd be quite fitting for Ben to fight the first villain seen in the show in it's final episode.

[@ajerjavec4723]

I think the crew has said that the flashbacks are more like weekend trips, so grandpa knowing them to get hurt, at least makes some sense by the way, there’s anyone else think ben mentioning Ghostfreek species was a hint that some predators may be useful against multiple different species that never went anywhere

[@Ultimate95]

20:16 i appreciate the fact that it was the same spell that gwen used in the classic series to create a shield when she was fighting against charmcaster

[@JakeTylenol]

I will give Ben some slack on this lesson. When you do save the world so many times it is possible that there will be days where your ego just kind of takes over. Even if Ben knows in his heart it isn’t about the fame, it feels really nice to be appreciated and after some of the stuff Ben survives off pure luck or his own skill, you would kind of be let down if the only thing your home town wanted you for was essentially to get dunked on….literally As Ben says himself, it’s not that he’s looking for attention. But that doesn’t mean he wants to be disrespected (as he sees this to be)

[@Hadeks_Marow]

The heatblast thing. . . there's a reason for that. In animation, when characters are in darkness, you just darken the model. HOWEVER, when a character does have prominent glowing attributes to their design, it's best to add the "Dark Room" version to the model sheet, similar to how battle-damaged variant is also part of the model sheet. I'm guessing heatblast was never given an official "fully shadowed"/"Dark room" model. . . like, maybe even in any of the series. When animators don't have an exact model to go off of, it leads to weird errors like this.

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

This makes a lot of sense. It's cool to learn facts about animation and character models.

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

​@@kermitgotthesickkicks4265 voice acting or recording too

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

@@theamazingspooderman2697 Definitely.

[@LiMe251]

8:44 Imagine if someone just said "Heatblast" and tried to kill him

[@GamingGreen21]

Fortunately Heatblast's flame keeps going after being doused

[@LiMe251]

@@GamingGreen21 I thought it was shown in classic he can be put out?

[@GamingGreen21]

@jackedhughman4981 He can be, but it's not permanent. In Omniverse he does get completely submerged, but his flames are replaced with bubbles

[@LiMe251]

@@GamingGreen21 Ah, my mistake.

[@JustAguy006]

@@GamingGreen21its more his flames are still hot enough to boil the water but not vaporize it so that his flames aren’t extinguished in the water

[@axelnilsson5124]

16:09 we can assume that during Malware’s/Animo’s attack on the base they shut down the base again and because of how briefly it was working again Gilhil didn’t consider that when saying plumber operations shut down 5 years ago

[@christianparrish3292]

Yes! Breakdown time! Good morning everyone!

[@burgergud2804]

Good night everyone

[@notBK]

It's afternoon where I am.

[@JustANormalGuyy12359]

Nighty night

[@Nik_kieth1011]

Oop never mind u saw too

[@carljoebalmeo7529]

Its night

[@strange_0ne535]

The Hypnotick scene to me felt less like "Ben learning the same lesson" and more like he was trying to shake off the hypnosis by reminding himself that fame isn't important to him anymore

[@akhil108]

Yeah. In his subconscious he still wants more and more fame, but he knows that it's not what being a hero is about

[@TheAluren]

Whoever was in charge of animating the transformation sequences this episode, you can tell they *really* gave a damn.

[@ravindupadmanath2802]

So an interesting fact, Corey Burton (voice of Malware abd brainstorm) and Paul Eiding (voice of grandpa Max) have worked together before voicing G1 transformers characters (Corey voiced Shockwave and Eiding voiced Perceptor). What makes it fun is that in transformers animated that Derrick J Wyatt worked on, Corey Burton voiced the characters megatron, Ratchet and reprise his role as Shockwave alongside other voice actors who voiced ben 10 Ov like David Kaye and Bumper Robinson. So seeing these guys now voicing ben 10 is pretty wild for transformers fans.

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

That's awesome

[@Aphelia.]

This made me wanna watch Transformers now

[@ravindupadmanath2802]

forgot to mention the Transformers animated was developed by Marty Isenberg who has written some of the episodes the ben 10 franchise

[@Bloodthirst2626]

Susan Blu Also Both Voice Directes TFA & Ben 10 OV

[@axelnilsson5124]

17:03 he was retired but Ben denied his retirement at the end of Alien Swarm so technically he is retired here but became a plumber again in Alien Force season 3

[@duskyer]

Kuro's hair almost does as many transformations that Ben does.

[@axelnilsson5124]

27:48 considering their next appearance I assume Malware researched the history of Galvan Prime and discovered the omnivoracious as Of Predators and Prey: Part 2 made it seem like they had to find the natural predator for Galvans

[@wheresprototype3507]

Bens reaction to Malware is the best part of the episode. Fear from Malware and Feedback. Confusion from him being alive. The threat being scared. And i think the first time ever, Ben actually is going to kill Malware

[@ultimatex1334]

Malefactor is probably my favorite episode of Ben 10 in general, so seeing the breakdown is so nice.

[@dingleflorpus5361]

These breakdowns have helped me through a very dark time in my life. Thank you Kuro, truly.

[@MorphingGrid101]

When you think about it, Julius saw Ben saving the day on this episode, so when Ben knocked on the next episode at Mr Smoothie's he was thankful and opened for him...

[@Hadeks_Marow]

You and I interpreted that one scene very differently. Every instance before then, ben had only "consciously understood" the lesson. It was never internalized. It's the difference of "knowing right from wrong" but still wanting to do the wrong thing vs "not wanting something that's wrong". In that scene, it was hypnosis. A mental projection. Aka, "in the mind", so I think that scene represented his subconscious. He always had the dark desire. . . but only now did he, on a subconscious level, actually change his desires. From this point onward, his actual "internal" desire is to do the right thing. Until outside influences change his internals again that is. Ben is adaptive. . . even to a fault. If the situation shows fame is bad, he adapts to embrace that. If another instance rewards ben for fame, he then adapts to "fame is good". Being adaptive is a core characteristic of ben, so I think it's neat that even his morals, his own subconscious. . . is NATURALLY adaptive as well. It shows what makes him a flawed character and yet also a good hero. This is my headcanon for the resets. The natural adaptiveness of ben makes him more susceptible to outside negative influences where he only acts against those influences when they show themselves as bad (like when ben was ready to kill kevin AS SOON AS he turned evil again). That's how wishy-washy adaptive ben is as a character. And he's CONSISTENTLY been this way.

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

exactly, screenshotting this if u dont mind

[@Hadeks_Marow]

@@theamazingspooderman2697 I added this comment in the community poll too. I did slight edits there that re-enforce the focus and removed the context of it relating to this episode. It might be a better screenshot than this comment. . . if you can find it that is. xD

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

​@@Hadeks_Marow I'll try to find it

[@Aphelia.]

This is actually a very good interpretation!

[@Koenna99]

12:49 Honestly I can imagine Zed learned when to change after enough fights that she wouldn't need a command anymore

[@Rose-yx6jq]

7:37 If I was dunking Ben, I would have asked for Diamondhead. BTW I love his 5YL design. Then again, it is really hard to do him wrong, (UAF still somehow managed to do it) but the 5YL design really feels like Diamondhead.

[@axelnilsson5124]

11:16 definitely habit as some people do it even if there’s no sweat

[@joshfarmer8408]

I will always love malware because he hasn't just physically beat ben, but mentally destroy ben

[@MREmrdzcn]

Breakdown series since Classic really changed the way I watch animated shows. I would love to see Kuro's reactions to some of the most famous scenes from some other shows like the Bill Cipher battle from Gravity Falls or Rick Prime battle from Rick and Morty.

[@harryblocks]

Ben 10 going through a Peter Parker development. The moment he matures and develops, he gets sent back to being the same classic for new audiences. He can never be a adult.

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

but the last two episodes aren't exactly character reset moments though also how many times have u and me learnt the same thing more than once in our lives? plenty right? thats why these two are my favorite characters (btw a new Ultimate Spider-Man comic is coming with Peter as father and husband)

[@harryblocks]

@@theamazingspooderman2697 that's a good way of seeing it. But I don't think the writers were going that route.

[@dr0g_Oakblood]

6:15 - huh that’s an interesting factoid, Sapmi/Sami people founded Bellwood is not what I would have guessed. This should theoretically cement Bellwood in the roughly New England area, but who knows at this point considering they’ve had a straight up Desert wasteland outside Bellwood IIRC, Celestialsapiens are a meme

[@toonman5099]

I mean as far as Ben's forgetfulness and personality shift (especially considering the whole "trying to remake the universe" issue we deal with later on), I always figured that somehow Bellicus and Serena were messing with Ben as like mini-revenge for not letting them be Alien X more often. Also hey! There's a slightly more accurate version (in terms of the design) of the ride Ship turns into from the pier during the Heatblast transformation!

[@HiperPivociarz]

I feel like we're meant to assume Nemetrix has a counter for all of Ben's aliens, and it just happens to be these guys that we see. But also, Zed is pretty good at also using predators against unconventional prey, like when Crabdozer wrecked Spider-monkey. So it's not like Ben can switch into anything, and he's safe.

[@hert2458]

Honestly a pretty good episode to introduce Malware to Ben and really sets up a lot of interesting things for the Malware Arc. Happy it got a good score

[@shiningaquarii4092]

0:52 I don't agree that the omniverse one is about that at all. i've always seen it as self-forgiveness and not letting your past mistakes affect your future for what i can recall that's a first in terms of development for ben

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

yeah exactly

[@gavinletsplay109gaming6]

The reasoning I have for why Zed is always Bug Lizard is that the nematrix transformations might be painful, and since they both have similar body shapes, it's less painful to become big lizard. At least that's my idea.

[@bacchusofthemidwest]

11:20 oh geez ive never thought about it. i bet if a pyronite sweats it would be that nasty oily grimy gunk you find in a chimney.

[@bubbie-n-toyland9163]

Or maybe it’s lava

[@Call-me-Mango]

Just in case you haven’t seen it, there’s a very interesting video theorizing that predators are not for one species exclusively but to a trait in particular various aliens share It makes a lot of sense and it makes the season one finale a little bit better ;)

[@charllanders4764]

26:43 I have a theory that Malware would become permanently fuzed with anything he decides to fuze with. Even if this isn't true I think that would add a cool piece to his character by having him be vigilant about what be fuzes with and explain why he doesn't just do it in the show

[@notBK]

For Hypnotick's hypnosis, I'd probably see myself taking control of my city, like some kind of super villian. Or I'd probably see myself destroy the world or something.

[@DragonspineInfiniteZero]

I love how malware evolved into being Ben 10s take on shockwave a conniving gun handed one eyed monster bent on global takeover who just happened to be voiced by Cory burton

[@olzhic2385]

20:43 this music played when Ben chased Ester and yeah, it is awesome!

[@helper_games]

10:28 i have my own theory, i believe bug lizard is the most nimble of the predators in the nemitrix so she turns into that one for mobility and maybe even tracking without her risking revealing her true form

[@paperknigth2263]

I always felt that the ciclic personality of Ben is his inner figth between "what I want to do and what I have to do" And I think that's reflected in the episode when he knows that is not about the fame, but he wants the fame. It happens to me, I do and think things that I know I shouldn't, but you always have monents of weakness when you lose control of your mind. For example I know that I should respect myself more, and sometimes I do it, and others I "forget" all the realizations I had in the past. And I think that has sence on Ben because, you really are giving infinite powers to a kid, that's a huge ego boost. A kid gets a new Playstation and already feels that is the king of the world. If anything is remarcable that Ben is not a jerk after growing up with the power of a god.

[@Emily12471]

Okay so, When these breakdowns first went into not being every episode, I was wondering about how Kuro would tackle the bell and heatblast Cause it does make sense it wouldn't catch on fire because Walnut is a hard wood

[@DarkStarRama]

18:03 I think, if it had hypnotized me i would see myself and my closest loved ones in a large house where im taking care of them due to being either a world famous author or a psychologist/therapist thats really good at their job

[@maskkid]

If I were to be hypnotized by the Hypnotick, my biggest desire would be to be a superhero like Ben or Hal. Very simple, but damn the Omnitrix and Lantern Ring are so cool.

[@kennyobi9871]

Exactly. They’re the coolest weapons in fiction.

[@ProlXDjames6]

20:40 The soundtrack is also present in the episodes hot stretch( the opening scene ), rules of engagement ( the opening scene ), showdown part 1 ( heatblast scene ) and the ultimate heist ( the opening scene ). That is from what i can remember

[@rubendelgado5098]

To be fair to Ben, just like being Brave is not "don't have fear" but to overcome your fears to do what is right, being a "hero" is not "i dont want things for myself" but to put others needs before your own, wich Ben does in this episode.

[@GreaterGrievobeast55]

I certainly am fond of this episode! Hypnotic is a predator with a very useful ability with a lot of creative potential, and I adored seeing malwares new form emerge from absorbing the tachyon cannon. Personally I like the moral learned in this episode since even though ben is tempted he still reminds himself about what's right himself without others telling him so in the hallucination. 10:34 I love buglizard! 14:33 oh that is pretty neat actually. 18:06 ehhh I'd probably live as one of my weird sonas or OC's, or at least a more 'pampered' and exciting life of theirs without the written risks. 21:50 the transformation is cool! My favorite of malwares pretty much, but Damn! The proposed effect of his gun always put me in awe! I made you think that whole town might be at risk if malware even shot one person!

[@hiwka0w575]

I feel like this isn't the usual he forget and need to relearn the same lesson episode; at least if it were, it would be the more central point of the episode than this. On the other hand, I really like it because it feels like they kept his progression, like the Hypnotick forced him to see the fame dream, and he instantly snapped out of it by himself. I mean, no one is teaching him that same old lesson in this episode, right?

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

Ben relearning the same lesson, and more of using the lesson he had learned in practice. There's a stark difference between learning you need to change, and actually putting it into practice. And to me, this episode feels like the latter, with the hypnosis just giving him the kick to realize that he's regressing.

[@digitaltailsmon4096]

God damn Yuri gets credit I know for being a good actor but the way he delivered Ben’s horror at Malware is great. It just makes you immediately want to know why since kid Ben acts so smug and doesn’t seem to acknowledge him as a threat yet this even stronger and more experienced teen version does. That right there is expertly done since I could see people not see it on a first viewing but on rewatches it hints perfectly to the Feedback end. Expertly done!

[@charleswallace5237]

The 5yl Omnitrix on Kuro’s caught my eye almost instantly

[@oizikosandras7249]

Love the shirt rip for the stinkfly transformation, it like explodes outwards and immediately wraps back inward, stretching up when the transformation has him haunch down for a sec.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

I think Ben's repeating arc works because it's more like we get different parts of it. Secret of the Omnitrix had him learn the watch doesn't define him, AF season 2 had him learn leadership, season 3 had him learn not to lose that growth, UA had him learn he doesn't need all that power, and Omniverse had him learn that being a hero isn't about glory. Although I do like the theory that Servantis had some kind of machine that affects everyone's minds in the universe, resetting Ben's character so he won't be a threat.

[@mayotango1317]

Wouldn't it be easier to kill him now? Servantis is just a pathetic paranoid.

[@Geats2022]

7:55 I would like to point out that OV Brainstorm sounds more of Professor Ludwig Von Drake, I think that's intentional because they're these genius who speaks in an Austrian accent and also they're voiced by Corey Burton.

[@dylanbass8451]

1:48 Honestly, I think this could’ve been a fun plot point to mess with. Like, at some point, Azmuth realizes that the bouncing between species and their respective intelligences is really screwing with Ben’s mind.

[@DougFantasy]

Azmuth, the most intelligent being in 5 galaxies, not thinking about the possibility of the Omnitrix causing damage to someone's brain is kind of bullshit. It doesn't make sense for this to be a relevant plot xD

[@Aphelia.]

​@@DougFantasyBut it would've been cool to see...

[@DFGHulkOfficial]

11:20 Perhaps Pyronites sweat magma considering he's made of that and rock like how we're made of mostly liquid and some solids. or you're probably right and it's just a force of habit who knows.

[@Genra]

I can see the Plumbers setting up the Mount Rushmore base since the Omnitrix attracts villains, but then after Ben took it off within that year, Magister Gilhil deemed the threat level on Earth to be low and packed up shop. Then the reason for why Magister Gilhil said "5 years ago" instead of "4 years ago" could just be a rounding error on his part.

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

I think he just rounded off that year part

[@gniewkojurkiewicz]

27:35 He could change to Lodestar and stopped the truck and Malware. Ben told in the Outbreak that: Megamorfs don't like magnetic power

[@PocketFan25]

And here i was 1 hour ago thinking to myself "uh, i wonder when will be the next breakdown". Kuro always one step ahead.

[@alfredoandfriends]

I really love this breakdown especially when it has my favorite character at this time stamp 8:22

[@rachelbernatowicz9391]

I also noticed Malware's Tachyon cannon being on the other arm in the present day, and then I looked at all the other episodes we see his third form in, and even during the flashback in Showdown part 1 it's always on his left arm. Although Malgax manifests it on both arms at one point so I guess he can switch it around due to his Mechamorph abilities. Also Corey Burton is so good especially in this episode, I didn't immediately catch it but he also voices the Plumber with red hair who greets Max, and he's the alarm voice when Malware attacks the base, in addition to playing Malware and Brainstorm.

[@azrael_pendragon]

Ben never sticking with the lessons he's learnt is just who he is to me. Without that he's an entirely different character lol

[@gochogames1360]

10:21 maybe it’s because bug lizard is the predator with the most similar shape to Zed’s natural form Slam worm, hypnotic, omnivoracious, mucilator and vicetopus and all wildly different shapes and proportions And crab dozer and terrorantula seem to have more drastic size changes, and in an early episode of OV Zed shakes heavily as she transforms, maybe it’s slightly uncomfortable to change into these monstrous aliens so she defaults to bug lizard It might explain why Ben always goes for his more humanoid aliens eg four arms and humongousaur over aliens with more drastic differences to Ben’s natural form like stinkfly, amphibian or brainstorm

[@orvillewright9246]

I felt when i watched this episode that it was the opposite, he remembered the lesson and that is how he got out of the illusion. Temptation is hard, man.

[@christianparrish3292]

4:50 I 100% agree with you, Kuro. They were being really lazy with that flower design.

[@aqn01]

17:01 star strek glasses reference. also guy in hat is shown later in present time

[@stardustkevin7322]

My head canon for this episode when the hypnotic tried using its powers on ben in the flashback it somehow sensed Bigchills DNA in the omnitrix even though ben wouldn't have access to him for another 4 years

[@megacrashthehedgehog5377]

I think the reason Malware is my favorite Ben 10 villain is because, off the top of my head, he's the only villain who strikes genuine fear into Ben. Malware makes Ben get serious not just because of the danger he poses to others, but because of the danger he poses to Ben himself. He makes Ben fear for his own life. Because Ben hit with, at the time, his best alien, and...he lost. The closest to come that before him was maybe Zs'Skayr, but even then, I wouldn't say it was on this level.

[@Aimez-da-Llama]

Tbh I think Hypnotick's hallucinations would show me a new Ben 10 series 😅

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

best answer lol

[@xxmension04xx47]

7:52 the paused partial transformations will always be terrifying

[@rafaelconstantino9736]

Yes sir , good to see you again Kuro, two breakdowns... man , we are living good

[@andydurand8559]

The voice acting when Ben saw Malware was elite it legitimately made me scared and worried even knowing what happens later on I really enjoyed the whole episode yes Ben really learning the humility lesson was annoying but everything else in the episode made up for it

[@LuisRPG8]

The way I like to interpret it is that Ben is already famous yes, but it's not really what he envisioned it, and sure, he's learned that being a hero is not about the fame and praise, but he's young and despite getting that it shouldn't be that way, deep down he still kinda wishes he was getting praised at every moment, I think it's a case of him having to be reminded sometimes of that to keep those feelings in check until they truly go away, sure, it'd be better if he didn't had to be reminded as often as he does or at least if it wasn't portrayed as him forgetting his development, but I did like how this episode portrayed it with Hypnotick going for those inner feelings and it being Ben alone who pulls himself out by acknowleging that being a hero isn't about that, because he's learned that multiple times in the past, even when that day he was feeling kinda humiliated by the fact that his first public appearance after some time was a water dunk, he then takes it with pride and even the earlier kid apologizes for being kinda mean to him.

[@FirestoneAnimation]

10:49 This feels like Lowenthal foreshadowing his black air force energy for Marvel's Spider-Man 2

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

"I'm the hero here not you"

[@Junior-t4d9r]

If Big Chill's predator hypnotized me, I would probably either see a crowd of fans who like my art or a woman who said she just wanted to be with me and was genuine about it.

[@juanhaines7295]

You could argue that the nemetrix messes with the omnitrix which is why he can only get the natural prey aliens. Sense in alien force azmith explains that there can't be more then one omnitrix. But that's my head canon.

[@WeebGuru6]

That’s good theory I like it if Ben doesn’t transform before hand and is in proximity for a period of time the prey would honestly be pulled up

[@Emily12471]

Kinda like what happened with phil where been would only turn into electric aliens

[@WeebGuru6]

@@Emily12471 yea exactly

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

@@Emily12471 Exactly this I think.

[@jaycethebigguy]

Love a good Saturday morning break down

[@christianparrish3292]

Me too

[@kermitgotthesickkicks4265]

Feels like a Saturday morning cartoon broken down on a Saturday.

[@aktivniigomes1989]

23:02 i think you can also kinda see the nemesis tower as well

[@olive3365]

18:07 me in a body i'm happy in (this sounds really depressing but i swear it's not, quality hrt is just a struggle to get a hold of in good ole 'Merica)

[@alex6027]

No yea, I feel like this would be (at least part of) what I would see too.

[@williamdaviddiazcuchimaque7511]

17:50 no me habia dado cuenta que jerry estaba ahi se ve raro sin su bigote

[@jumanji4037]

I think this is one of the few times the omnitrix actually gave humungasour, as if it also wanted to see Ben dunked. 😂

[@Mr.WestcottX]

For real 😂

[@VegetaReal204]

I was doing homework today, and I kept having to date everything and your rhyme helped me so much!😂

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

24:07 Would be cool to have Ben be tempted with what he wants most at different times in his life and have it vary some.

[@jakeshower]

I really like the idea that Ben switching intelligences between his aliens really screws with his mind. Also, this episode specifically has made me realize that my long standing dislike of the art style in omniverse was entirely just bias because the original is my favorite. The art and animation in this episode is phenominal

[@rickgameteaster]

Sometimes is easy to forget something, mabey the events of the movie and the moments and the events of feedback loss are kinda like a post traumatic stress syndrome, and mabey sometimes I forget about a lesson because I want to forget some traumatic moments who give him a lesson.