La Duelist: Touga Kiryuu | Utena Analysis

[@ViewerOnline101]

A lot, I'd even say most, of Touga's villainy comes from Akio's manipulation of him. He does eventually break away from Akio's manipulation to him due to his feelings for Utena and instead tries to save her rather than seek power. What a lot of people tend to miss is that Touga attempts to sacrifice himself for her sake by trying to win the Rose Bride from her, which would put himself rather than Utena on the chopping block. He's willing to become Akio's puppet for Utena's sake, but goes about it the wrong way. His attempt to have Utena become "his woman" if he defeats her in their final duel is his way to get her away from Akio so she won't become a puppet. What he didn't understand was that Utena didn't need to be saved by a prince on a white horse, rather he should have helped and supported her in the role she wanted to play. He does this in the manga, but in the anime, he doesn't think she would believe him about Akio (and he's right) because he knows she's in love with Akio and because of his own less than savory past.

[@countessD84]

"Akio takes all of Touga's traits and dials them up to 11." THIS! I just found myself falling back into the rabbit hole that is RGU, and everything about Akio's actions literally makes me sick to my stomach. If I were still in my teens or 20s, I would regard Akio as an example of the "Draco in leather pants" trope at best, but now that I'm older than 30, that feeling has changed drastically. After watching this video, I can finally view Touga in a slightly different light. Maybe not like him as a character, but just enough to not hate him. Great video you made, as late as I am to the party.

[@Takumi_Did_Nothing_Wrong]

I've always felt dislike or lukewarmness toward Touga, but this video actually made me appreciate Touga a little bit more.

[@randomuser1105]

He's still a dick. This video just explains why.

[@Takumi_Did_Nothing_Wrong]

@@randomuser1105 Yes, he is still a dick, but learning the things I missed about his characters makes appreciate him more. A good character doesn't need to be a good person to be appreciated. That's why I appreciate characters like Shiori and even Akio.

[@uemochi9316]

it's more blunt but I also always felt his dynamic with Saionji implied another reason for him wooing so many girls but then rejecting them was a way to run from something else he percieves to be "weak" within their patriarchal structure, the fact he might like boys, and when he sees that Akio can seduce and command the loyalty of both men and women, it's why he then latches onto Akio more, he sees evidence him possibly liking men wouldn't get in the way of his perfection just what I took it to mean when when Touga loses his final duel and Saionji asks if "it's over between us" Touga says "no" I always took that as him accepting he and Saionji probably had feelings for eachother the whole time but had been trying to run from them

[@LookADistarction]

What do you think about Touga’s history of abuse as it is portrayed in the movie? Is it plausible that his womanizing ways are a result of him trying to take back control over his sexuality and deal with the total alienation he felt? Or should I keep the movie and anime plots separate?

[@Demain204]

Well ... I think you should keep it separate

[@LookADistarction]

@@Demain204 You’re probably right. It just that Touga as a “fisherman” that wants to catch all the “fish” makes more sense if someone “caught” him before. Maybe he’s just an insecure prick. What do you think? Slight tangent. Did the scenes with Nanami as a cow and Touga as a farmer creep you out as much as it did me?

[@e.9874]

@@LookADistarction the scene with nanami as a cow honestly was super creepy because it basically symbolized touga grouping her to be a duelist, and when she was ready it was "time to eat"

[@exchangediary968]

@@Demain204 i mean the creators confirmed that his trauma alo happened in series and that it explained why he both loves Nanami and hates her because he protected her from being abused. They explained Touga grew out his hair so the stepfather wouldn't target Nanami.) Nanami was saved from the abuse

[@stanisawjurek9775]

​@@Demain204Depends, I think there is too much evidence proving taht the movie is canon.

[@jezicagoblin]

YES THE SAGA HAS BEEN COMPLETED I can perish happily

[@TheDigitalDreamClub]

There's still one more duelist left!

[@elialeze00_]

@@TheDigitalDreamClub uteeenaaaa unless it's all of the black rose, and that would be interesting too tbh XD

[@jezicagoblin]

The Digital Dream Club wait...Akio? or are you doing one for mikage

[@jezicagoblin]

That’s the only I can think of left unless you plan to do a complete Black Rose saga

[@atomu27]

@@TheDigitalDreamClubwhere is the Utena episode 😭

[@yt_danko]

Just discovered your analysis series recently. Thank you for doing this. Utena deserves a much wider recognition

[@Bubblegob]

I appreciate the disclaimer since Touga must be the character who embodies the most differents archetypes in each medium, heel turned faithfull knight in the manga, misguided youth duped by Akio in the anime and the shadow of a true prince in the movie where he becomes kind of a less evil Akio. I love how his portrayal in the movie uses leftover elements from the manga even if they're not linked to his original portrayal.

[@candypby]

i would love more utena vids, theyre so insightful to characterization and symbolism that’s easily missed!

[@Mysticist]

I think in surreal stories like this, Kingdom Hearts is another good example, a really helpful way to look at things is to see how certain characters inform other characters, particularly in regards to areas that are left ambiguous. A lot of the characters in Utena can be compared with either Akio or Anthy, sometimes both. Touga is probably as close to Akio as you can get without crossing the moral event horizon. He's not quite as "Skilled" as Akio is at playing the game but that also means he still has a soul even if sometimes he pretends not to. Conversly I feel that Touga probably provides the most direct insight into Akio. One scene in particular that comes to mind is when we see him post defeat, in a dark room listening to his own words condemning him. "If we cannot break out of it's shell, we will die without ever being born." Akio at one point says that the very nature of existence is "A labyrinth with now way out." There's a common impulse among people who watch Utena to just not want to think too much about how Akio became what he is and just label him as "The Worst" Which to be fair he definitely is. We don't want to try and understand him because we don't want to risk having or being perceived as having any sympathy for someone so thoroughly horrific. But I feel that attitude kind of misses the point of the series, because all of the Duelists are reflections of him, even Utena. And that moment of Touga's connects to one of the most fundamental things about Akio. He's the Devil, he even points this out to us and being the skillful illusionist he is his admittance of this fact is there to cover up the other part of that admission, that he views himself as being trapped in hell. One of the biggest factors in who Akio is, is that he views his whole existence as being trapped. That the limits of being human, fallible, not having power etc. are limits on his freedom so severe that he feels constantly trapped. Obviously none of this excuses anything he does but it goes a long way to explaining WHY he does what he does and especially why he's so shocked when Anthy tells him she's leaving. It's not just that he can't believe that she's defying him, though that is certainly part of it, it's that he can't really conceive of ever not being trapped, let alone simply choosing to no longer be trapped.

[@p3tit3m3lusin3]

Thank you so much for this series! I love some good Utena content🌹💗

[@iceluvndiva21]

Anyone else notice that the out of all the duels? Utena only ever wore a pink rose once? All the other times she wore a white one, the color associated with an ideal prince. The pink rose shown as fighting for herself that one time. It’s actually pretty cool. I can't wait for Pink rose (utena), the Black roses (seriously, each one is amazing!) and the Purple rose (chairman/fake Prince/end of the world). I honestly have nothing to say about touga because he was pretty one-note in my eyes. He's just a egomaniac who uses abuse as a tool. If anything? Thats the most I've really gotten from him. Not much to dicect(?) and thus not really worth remembering. If anything? The only thing I really cared about was his abusive behavior to others.

[@joel0joel0]

touga is a very important character, he is not abusive by default (for example he really cared for his sister at a young age), he becomes abusive only after he tries to be this ideal prince represented by Akio, who is the number one asshole. This shows us an important aspect of growing up as a boy, being forced to live up to false and toxic ideals no one really can reach (In the movie Touga is dead because he tried to be a real prince). But there is hope for Touga, because in both the manga and the show he realizes at a certain point, that he can't beat Akio at his own game and will be always the second to Akio, so he warns Utana about Akio and in the manga even let go of his possessive attitude, growing up just enough to be present at the final duel and not forgetting Utena.

[@iceluvndiva21]

@@joel0joel0 OK you got me there. I won't deny this. But at the same time? I can't feel any sympathy or pity for him. Believe me, I've tried.

[@chocoearly]

Your insight is amazing! You need a lot more viewers and subscribers

[@xxMapSyrxx]

So glad you are continuing this : )

[@zon6158]

damn these vids r pretty high quality for the sub count/ views.

[@usagichan1997]

I was waiting for this! Thank you! 🥰

[@KeydBard]

Thank you. That's all I need to say

[@dannyz226]

I hope that you finish this series one day!💕

[@clockworkprincess3034]

Aaaaaand.... It's sad Touga hours again for me lol

[@paolaramirez7777]

Subtítulos en español please

[@Mario-ps1hu]

I thought you wouldn’t continue this

[@bleedingbellybutton9403]

Finally! This bastard is so complex!