Opera Singer Guesses who FAUST is From the Music Alone || Guilty Gear OST

[@MarcoMeatball]

Zato is next

[@Buunatic]

Yes.

[@FreshSakuya]

Can't wait! Been loving your reactions and insight on video game music

[@MaverickRiou]

Zato!!! Nice

[@Cloymax]

Hyped. One of my favorites and brimming with emotion

[@justchill7823]

🎉

[@Kagira2006]

"I think Faust may be mentally ill" Marco nails it right away again.

[@UwUOnDatBeat1101]

Love the genuine "What the..." when the song, does its thing

[@TheDragonsThorn]

My favorite way to describe Daisuke songs they're all awesome and then the magical "What the..." Moment

[@burstlight4559]

This song kinda feels a little like a fever dream lol

[@theman6422]

@@TheDragonsThornbro is gonna be shook when he listens to Happy Chaos’ theme

[@jordanguelbert7754]

​@theman6422 The Circle, The Gravity, all the ones with the *shift* points

[@redblueandgray]

No one is ready for the “No Surprises” section

[@sodathejunker]

“Bruh I have no idea what the f*ck is going on here” Once again, our boy MarcoMeatball has perfectly ascertained the character

[@sodathejunker]

Real talk though Faust’s story in GG is a true tragedy, and one of the more significant B plots in the entire series (being a character appearing in every installment from the start). It’s not a perfectly congruent Faust to that of the classic Faustus interpretations, but there’s certainly more than enough similarities and implications that the overall “theme” of the character still rings true.

[@thatguykekai2601]

Can confirm (Faust main btw)

[@Shizn0id]

@@thatguykekai2601 donkey punch!

[@InvincibleWereWeasel]

I know that this isn’t Faust’s actual lore but the idea of a terrifying, undead, zombie doctor lurching and skittering around in the slums and healing people is a fantastic character idea.

[@hozcar30]

I mean... that is actually Faust's current state

[@cipher6207]

Him and medic from tf2 would get along very well, I think.

[@Bondrewd__21]

He became like that in strive. Now he actually zombie doctors…

[@doginthedark]

It kinda is with his very magic drained and slightly soul disconnected state

[@MrChava54]

It's actually kind of funny, because even in that zombiefied state, he's easily the kindest, caring, and compassionate characters in the game.

[@shlrup6154]

in conclusion: fausts been through some shit

[@aShadowWizard69]

So Faust, to put it bluntly, is fucking insane, literally. Faust use to be a practicing doctor but lost his mind when he failed to save a patient, taking up the personality of Baldman and going on a unhinged murder spree until after the second holy order selection tournament, that he realizes he was once a doctor and comes to his senses, ditching the Baldman persona and changing his name to Faust to begin atoning for his sins. He is often seen around Johnny, May and the rest of the Jellyfish Pirates when they are in need of his services.

[@lunaticgmd6427]

Faust is definitely one of the harder ones here because his character is really complex and his music is so wild that it's hard to glean a ton unless you already know the character.

[@41N1]

or you can be insane it also helps a lot

[@DKdrop]

Yeah. I personally bow to Toxic Pyro’s interpretation of the character. He makes an interesting point in arguing that Faust in Strive is struggling against a relapse back into the more violent tendencies seen in the OG Guilty Gear.

[@Mrinsecure]

I don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure the phrase "blue, red and black paranoia" is a reference to hospital codes, given his medical background. A code blue means someone is suffering from cardiac arrest or a similar medical emergency, a code red means a fire or probable fire, and a code black means a threat to the hospital or its staff, such as a mass shooter or bomb threat.

[@Nparalelo]

Or, it could be... The only we got! Blue (day) red (sunset) black (night). But poor faust is too depressed and tired and can no longer see colors (metaphorically, everything is grey and dull), so he asks you, a normal, happy person, what color is it.

[@neutrality0085]

@@Nparalelo oh my god yes i always stuck with this interpretation and i waited someone to have that same conclusion. I was on a long travel once and i got to watch the sky slowly change colors from day to night blue red and black, the transition was rather beautiful, thats when the dots in my mind connected there and i instantly linked it to the music.

[@themustardman219]

Another interpretation is that the colors represent the sky. Blue in the day, red at sunset, black at night, but in the end the color is merely due to light refracting or whatever to make those colors, and only one beyond the sky, like the patient he failed to save, could see the true color of the sky in heaven.

[@coffeeluci]

while an interesting idea, I always relate it to the sky instead. "We have only one sky, blue red and black paranoia." In the day it's blue, dusk and dawn it's red, night it's black. Then the "No one can see the colors but you" would be related to the patient he lost, in heaven above the skies, seeing the colors

[@chevaliernoir6506]

I'd rather say it's about triage. Color codes, I believe, describe health state of patients. As I remember from various tv-series blue is the one who can be saved, but black is for those who should die no matter how medical stuff will try to help them.

[@justanidiotmk2749]

Faust is going through a major depressive episode here, he is the messiah referenced in the song as he is a miracle healer. Im not going to show the whole lore but hes been through several rough times. Its his alone infection and he cant really cure himself, he needs outside help this time.

[@TheTrueLeafless]

In his ending original, where as the still insane Dr. Baldhead saves pretty much the world and people cheer for him as the messiah, he snaps out of his delusion and realizes he can still save/help people, which makes him adopt the Faust persona. A miracle doctor with supernatural abilities (which is the connection to the name). The current Faust is the husk of this man, as he almost destroyed himself completely to save one girl. So the cry for 'Messiah' and that it gets refuted is a reflection of his current state. He doubts himself that in his current state he can save people anymore as the man who works miracles. But he will try nonetheless.

[@drinkingproblem8934]

To add some more context on the lore since the part Marco read was only from the first game out of quite a few His actual name is presumed to be Dr. Baldhead and after one of his patients dies he becomes a serial killer / insane. He at some point realizes what he's done is wrong and returns to helping people, now using the name "Faust" and wearing a paper bag on his head Only then does he find out that the patient's death wasn't his fault and resisting the urge to seek revenge he instead saves thousands of people from a terrorist attack (it's complicated). However he is still a very troubled person, despite appearing cheerful and aloof, he hides his pain behind a fake smile/ He then moves to live with a few other characters on a ship, changes clothes to a medical garb (from his previously very flashy outfit) and is generally a lot more reflective and calm During this time, a young girl named Delilah is caught in a horrible spot, endangering the lives of a lot of civilians and herself Faust then proposes a plan to save her, viewing this as a way to redeem himself (his first patient was ALSO a young girl) but his plan is reckless and basically suicide for him. He gets called out that he's trying to save himself and his guilt, not the girl at which point he promises to survive at all costs The plan itself is an insane feat of magical skill (Faust is a genius magic user) but by pulling it off he was severely damaged. He describes it as "going back to square one" but accidentally "going too far" This is also the reason why he is so lanky and deformed, he was spaghettified as if near a black hole All of that is why Faust who he is today. Very troubled and damaged, he has found peace and redemption but is still haunted by his past. Despite being unable to even form full sentences he's still dead-set on helping others at all costs. So the song is a jumbled mess because that's what Faust is right now. Many voices screaming in chaos. Joy, grief and fear all at once. The happy ending is in the final chorus, where all voices unite and he speaks to himself, implying there is hope for him to get better

[@TheNeoVid]

What I've heard about this current version of Faust (the one this theme is about) is that he died saving Delilah. Revenants in GG's setting are sustained by a single drive, and despite Faust's unbelievable degree of insanity and mutation, the good mad doctor's primary drive is to save lives. So now there's a warped, reality-bending zombie that can't think of anything except trying to help people in need.

[@xX_Vee1021_Xx]

Isn’t Faust going through a depressive relapse in strive?

[@kaialone]

I think the three verses of the song represent the three incarnations of the character we've seen across the series First verse, hushed, ominous, "informed consent" (Baldhead, serial killer who believes he is helping people) Second verse, high energy, pompous, "tower of babel" (Faust X-Xrd, puts on a cheerful facade around others usually, is known as a miracle healer, calls himself "god's gift to humanity") Third verse, low energy and somber, but ultimately hopeful for the future, despite the issues at hand (Strive Faust)

[@Kool212]

@@TheNeoVid The fact that he can still take off the bag and make silly face in his won pose makes me think there is more sanity there.

[@lonesomewendigo]

Thanks, I will now listen to the song again and proceed to bawl my fucking eyes out.

[@SaladTossing22]

"paradigm will attack" is funnier when you realize thats a characters name

[@timothystamm3200]

And someone Faust worked closely with.

[@gatr2897]

The ending of this song gives me such insane chills knowing everything Faust has been through in his life. He's definently one of the darkest and most interesting characters in the series, which is ironic when compared to the way he plays in game. His playstyle is very comedic, for instance his signature move called "what could this be?". Using it makes him throw out a random item like a banana peel or a bomb or a 100 ton weight. His gameplan revolves around the idea that the Faust player should know how to adapt to whatever item has been thrown out better than the opponent can.

[@thatguykekai2601]

Pff we Faust mains have no idea what we're doing we just throw items until we get meteors lol

[@screamingcactus1753]

One important note is the Faust's powers come from him glimpsing the Backyard, which is essentially the framework that props up reality. From that, he learned many secrets, including how to bend reality to his will. However, his insanity means that his reality bending powers manifest in eccentric and unpredictable ways, hence his penchant for throwing out random items and transforming mid-attack.

[@icetide9411]

The absolute confusion on his face as Alone Infection changes into like five different songs, that was exactly what everyone felt at first

[@gamerkingdom1442]

I actually love this song, even though he isn’t a main. The fight between his UNHINGED INSANITY and his DESIRE TO HELP, perfectly described in this song! Guilty Gear has a BANGER OF A OST!!

[@cptguerreiro1253]

Fun fact: the calm transition in the end of the song is literally Radiohead's "No Surprises"

[@sososo1704]

I KNEW I recognized that from somewhere! Thanks!

[@aaron_exe6449]

i thought it was "my way" for a moment lol i'm glad to know that it was similar to no surprises from radiohead

[@MilkyWayGrump]

Another direct reference/lifting of a melody line, to go along with: - Nagoryuki: Come Together by The Beatles - Giovanna: Sabotage by the Beastie Boys - May: Misery Business by Paramore - Elphelt: All I Want For Christmas is You - ABA: Another Brick In The Wall p. 2 by Pink Floyd

[@KingNerdius]

He came so close. Faust is a broken man who can’t shake the fact that a life was lost while in his care but despite that he continues to try and cure this world of sadness. For a better future, he Strives.

[@KazeMemaryu]

I think a very important detail about Faust's abilities you might've missed is that he's a reality-warper. Through his life, he acquired knowledge that exceeded all else, allowing him to see the "Backyard", a dimension containing the logic of the entire universe, conveniently decipherable through in-universe logic reminiscent of musical theory (it's weird, but it somehow works). His studies of the backyard have continuously eroded his soul, and his behaviour could randomly swing into sadistically violent, but also just goofy nonsense. Due to his love for kids, he also employed a lot of wacky slapstick in his combat routine, like throwing pans, slamming dimensional doors into someone's face, or giving people afros and facial makeovers. In other words, he started out as a slasher, then reformed into a benevolent travel doctor, and has now regressed into a shadow of his former self, with his previously funny techniques having morphed into twisted horror variations. It's actually really sad to look at, but a genius design twist regardless.

[@B4dr4bbit]

Wasn't it Doctor then slasher then doctor again

[@KazeMemaryu]

@@B4dr4bbit In the lore, yes. In terms of his in-game appearances, no, since he's first introduced as the murderous Dr. Baldhead in Guilty Gear. But yeah, I should've clarified that a bit more...

[@Iniqui-tous]

that "what the" and blank broke me

[@BigbossShoshka]

Strive's OST is a modern day Masterpiece of a Rock Album just kinda casually tucked away into a fighting game. There People get hype for a new character drop just for the new single that comes with it.

[@JamesPlaysGames95]

the expression change at 5:02 i just love how much you enjoyed his theme

[@jahdielmelendez-medina7]

I read this song as faust relapsing. sense he did a lot of good things for people in the story to pay back for all the murders hes, in the other games he's far sillier and peppy showing love and care, but the past has caught up to him now and is now crashing back into despair.

[@theman6422]

This is probably one of the harder songs because Faust has gone through a LOT of development since the last game. Right now, he is stuck in this rut that he can’t get himself out of, so he needs someone else’s help to get back into shape. He is stuck with this “alone infection” and needs someone else to help him

[@zetta8277]

Guilty Gear Strive's OST is such a treat for those who've been with the series since day 1. The lyrics paint the story of these characters you've basically known since day 1 all the while making lovely music. Daisuke deserves to be recognized for his amazing music and I'm happy more and more listeners are giving this series and game music in general a shot. As always Marco thanks for the reaction.

[@potatotaxi]

this song is basically on the verge of prog death, I don't particularly like harsh vocals but this one uses them sparingly and pulls it off. it's very proggy and I like that. also great characterization of current faust

[@calebstanerstratsshop1834]

Marco realizing mid song Faust isn't a bad guy heheh.

[@treyatkinson7564]

I love Faust! He's such an interesting character. A patient died on his operating table, a young woman. That broke him, feeling like he killed her. End of GG1, he has a vision of her forgiving him. He has been on the "good side" since. I say that in quotation because it's a fighting game. He's such a fun fighter, though.

[@krystianlancert6105]

Faust gameplay: haha funny paper bag man Faist lore: *every possible sadness expression*

[@ParticleBomb]

"We've got only one sky Blue, red, and black paranoia." I think it's a simple translation. It's blue during the day, red during sunset, and black during night time.

[@colbyboucher6391]

Yeah, but also... bruises.

[@xXEmo54Xx]

the messiah will not come part was actually one of the turning points of him regaining his sanity. It's a reference to his ending in the original guilty gear where he essentially murder's a rampaging war machine and is treated as a messiah by a hoard of grateful people. This act however pushes him away, initially intended to slaughter the entire group he instead runs away panicked saying "messiah will not come"

[@brightb5339]

To add further context to the current state of Faust, he basically destroys his own mind to save someone in the story. The calm part is a moment of lucidity from him realizing what he's become, shown with how all the extra voices mostly stop cutting in

[@vincentpey3929]

This is probably my favorite track in all of guilty gear, with The Circle as a close second these tracks just hit so hard emotionally... If its just about sounding good then id say my favorite is storyteller but that one dosnt make me feel things it just sounds good.

[@mrrey3481]

Oh, dear. Here it comes. This game's OST is phenomenal. You're in for a ride. It's one of the best metal albums out there that comes with a free game

[@taylorwright7428]

I'm not sure how much of the wiki you read, but a lot of things happening at once actually drove Faust mad, and if you know them all it starts to make a lot of sense, and may relate to the opera maybe? (I also think just boiling it down to he lost a patient makes his reaction seem a bit overblown.) The patient that is talked about seemed to have a reoccurring and potentially terminal illness, so her family probably came to know Faust better because their kid was often in the hospital. (There's actually a really cute illustration of Dr. Baldhead, which was his old name, reading 'Snow White' to the paitent while she's in a hospital bed, I assume not able to do anything.) So Faust had an emotional connection with these people. He knew that the only way to cure her and save her life would be through surgery, but he was constantly refused that option. Turns out that's because if he would've successfully preformed it, he would find out a way to resurrect the dead, and the Conclave (which I've seen described as this universe's Illuminati) didn't want that. He decided to do it anyway, and the Conclave sent an assassin (Zato-1) to botch the surgery up, so Faust not only dealt with the first death of someone under his care, but he had a connection with this patient as well, and believed it was all his fault. After everything went wrong, his failure was spread in newspapers and broadcasts apparently _everywhere,_ accusing him of malpractice, and I'm guessing that was due to the Conclave's influence as well. Anyway, his name, face, reputation, everything was dragged through the mud, so even if he eventually recovered from this death, he would no longer be able to practice medicine anyway, and that was his life, the thing he seemed to be made to do! So all of those factors is why he snapped and went mad. He's still a little looney, but not as angry and murderous as he used to be. Also, HE'S 9'2 AND I WILL NEVER GET OVER THAT, HOW WOULD YOU EVEN EXIST LIKE THAT?

[@BJGvideos]

Ikr that's three inches taller than the tallest man in recorded history.

[@the-true-nopeman7789]

Oh I've waited for this. Am I'm soo excited. Thanks man! Love your work!

[@AtomicRiftYT]

I know I'm late, but I really love Faust's song and story! When it says "Messiah will not come," it can be taken in multiple ways, but there are TWO interpretations that I feel hold the most weight. 1.) At the end of the first game, Faust-- then Dr. Baldhead-- was hailed as "the messiah," and now he refuses the title, perhaps due to the belief that he is no longer in a state to be helping people. Faust has a strong theme in Strive of returning to square one, back to when his mental illness was at its peak. The extent of this is vague and unknown, but it is generally accepted that Faust has relapsed into depression. 2.) There is the other interpretation of this song where people think Faust is singing to *himself*, where the lines "Messiah will not come" and "What is it like to you? No one can see the colors but you" are the thoughts that nobody is coming to save him, and introspecting on himself, realizing that the only person who can save him is himself. I feel like there's a lot lost in translation with Faust, as it's being ported over from Japanese, but these themes are still relatively apparent and quite powerful. Faust was doing his best in pretty much all of the games between the original Guilty Gear and now Strive, so it's safe to assume his story is being taken the route where instead of healing others, he needs to heal himself. Square one.

[@Tom-vx7qh]

"We see many many many different versions of Faust throughout history" Boy ain't that the truth

[@DanaOtken]

I don't think Faust is actually insane, but he's very well qualified to express insanity he sees around him. And, well, he's having a long and bad day.

[@kingfrog6807]

seeing somebody guess the lore about a character and ENTIERLY get it right from just listening to the theme song is always so amazing to watch

[@JagrasSneedandFeed]

Really like this style of video, with the blind take followed by looking up more about the character. Hope you do a ton more strive, hard to miss with Guilty Gear

[@TewiInabaChan]

When the music calms down i like to think that that is when he becomes lucid again, it's both happy and saddening at the same time.

[@rinshimori1224]

I love your content so much, binged all your strive videos, some genshin streams and music etc, love your insights as you go more than other people do into detail and meaning behind lyrics and music in general, love it

[@kowalski2385]

I am once again, FOAMING AT THE MOUTH

[@windows98alpha35]

To this day, knowing Faust's entire story and hearing the theme get to that slow piano part never fails to emotionally wreck me. The man has gone through things no other man should have to suffer. And all it took was the death of a child to trigger everything.

[@manjiimortal]

I knew you were going to have a WTF moment when the song reached that part, and your reaction didn't disappoint (I myself had a similar reaction), but that's the fun of these Guilty Gear Strive themes. You never know what to expect. As for recommendations I have two: Necessary Discrepancy and Armor Clad Faith. The former is my favourite of the themes I've listened to, and the latter is pretty high on the list. Have fun.

[@Alacaelum]

I really want to see Drift, that one is... a journey, just as much as this one.

[@patrickcarter2829]

He already listened to that one during his Anniversary Livestream. It should still be up?

[@Alacaelum]

@@patrickcarter2829 Thanks, I will look.

[@Darkfry]

Something cool you could do is also listening to the songs of the characters from the past games to see how they evolve. You'd also notice some cool details like melodies and leitmotifs being reused and stuff like that

[@kaialone]

It should be noted that as far as we know, Faust (Guilty Gear) named himself, cause it doesn't seem to be his birth name - and since Goethe's Faust (and the historical figure that originated the legend) *could* have also existed in this universe, Faust might've even named himself for him! As for direct connections between the two, obviously Guilty Gear Faust is a doctor and a powerful sorcerer, but I think the biggest connection might be in the idea of guilt and wether one is worthy of redemption or not. Guilty Gear Faust has been canonically suicidal since his first official appearance, believing he needs to die in order to atone for his past sins- and his plot in Strive is kinda about him confronting his personal depression directly for the first time, being forced to realize that it has a negative impact on his ability to help people with his skills (which is the more ideal redemption)

[@itsturniptime3699]

Faust was an average doctor until one of his patients tragically died and he wasn’t able to help them. He fell into madness and became a serial killer but after a while clicked back into reality and went back to trying to help people as a doctor. For a while he was doing great, top of his game, eccentric and fun, up until a few years later in Strive where he’s relapsing. He’s slowly descending back into his cold and depressed time of insanity and bloodshed yet his core directive of helping people still remains. He’s falling apart and is refusing help from others because he wants to help people. “Joy, grief, fun, paranoia.” That’s Faust’s story right there. The man is fighting his own mind and can’t even recognize he’s breaking down all because he exclusively wishes to become good.

[@Sassaparilla]

Faust wasn't an Average Doctor. He was a genius in his field. He damn near figured out resurrection/immortality, which is why his patient was assassinated and framed on him as malpractice, to shove him off the course and hide the secret.

[@Sassaparilla]

Also, there's no proof of him Relapsing into his serial killer self, that's a theory that has been less supported since the second story came out.

[@itsturniptime3699]

@@SassaparillaI didn’t mean to imply Faust is relapsing into being a murderer, rather his depression and internal struggle of dealing with grief is coming back and causing him issues. Apologies if it was unclear

[@korokseed1619]

I’d say his soul peacing out and letting his body do its own thing also probably had just like a tiny bit of a hand in his less charming mannerisms in Strive

[@mailpack584]

Still surprised he didn't cover Zato yet

[@CollectMyP4ges]

Well, you got your wish

[@michaelsoto8984]

Faust is a Sergent who lost his mind because he had power to save people but couldn’t save one of his patience and the song reflects on his regret since people looked at him as a special doctor that could be relied on but failed to help that one patient

[@thenotoriousguy]

This made my day, I was hoping you would eventually look at alone infection and the fact that Zato's theme is next is even better! Looking forward to it Marco.

[@cripplinganimedepression9902]

messiah part relates to his arcade completion in the very first game, where crowd cheered on about him being the messiah

[@yugioh10k30]

Faust constantly goes in-between sanity and insanity. The "deal" he made was to sacrifice his sanity to save a village from being destroyed

[@IrishSoyBoy]

Hey Marco, I think seeing you interpret the story of The Binding of Isaac through its OST would be very enjoyable! The Soundtrack by Ridiculon is one of my favorites and I think you would enjoy it too!

[@ghostshrimp5006]

Dude he absolutely need to listen to dogma’s theme

[@lunchsimulator3995]

Revelations 13:1, Delirium, and Morituros are my top 3, with Living in the Light and Hericide being close 4th and 5th.

[@Krackatoa]

this is my kind of content

[@chiefwalks-with-legs9843]

the problem with analyzing gg character themes in Strive is that there's so much context and history that's been built over the duration of the series that it's difficult as a newcomer to really unpack the lyrics of the songs since they're so intertwined with the character's history and story relevance and tend not to make much sense anyway likely due to translation funkiness

[@Pseudonym660]

Before Strive, Faust used to be a more goofy cartoonish character. Like, in Xrd, in his victory pose, after beating your ass he would just open an umbrella and Mary Poppins away. In the jump between Xrd and Strive, he drastically shifted into to the j-horror design you see now. He still does some wacky things in his moveset, like giving you a huge afro, so that you're easier to hit. Deep down his personality's still the same, he's still trying to help everybody while being reality-bendingly cartoonish, but his aura has gotten significantly more sinister.

[@Usoony]

The sky is blue at morning, red at evening, and black at night.

[@MeTheMaou]

Such a great reaction to such an incomprehensible song. Also not sure if people have mentioned Omega Strikers a fairly new game has a few tracks that bend classical and edm together quite well such as “Baroque Banditry”

[@honjohorikoshi]

I love Guilty Gear's music and how it always manages to keep me off guard as to what they will incorporate next.

[@milkywayz_6997]

YES, HE DID IT, HE REACTED, WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED

[@TH3L3M0N]

Amazing video. Hoping you do "Drift" soon, the theme for Happy Chaos

[@ChaosForMyValentine]

Marco listening to some of my favorite songs ever made??

[@jyaafi8158]

Love for Faust, I hope he can be happy in his story

[@Fellknauel]

watching you go through the cast of guilty gear waiting for you to get to my favorite

[@beanman9760]

Just so you know Faust is an absolute goofball and literally no one says anything about his previous looks and style compared to now where he was a lanky and charming doctor going around helping people because he can to now where he shambles on the battle field, with his glowing eye he tried to help people but can’t explain form him only being able to make out fractions of sentences

[@RasenCore]

This song is an insane masterpiece, one of my favourite Strive tracks.

[@Bo4is]

My interpretation of faust in strive is of him relapsing into the guilt driven depression ending up in this...

[@anmoldembla4743]

SPOLIER ALERT You can say that this particular version of Faust in Strive is like a Demon since he sacrificed his life for Delilah at the end of Strive Second Story and became like this. If you see his previous versions like Xrd, he is a more goofy character rather than the creepy one you see here.

[@ahycewahloecome452]

he is quite the opposite in fact, faust did not die technically, because while his soul perishes the body lives on, a husk still carrying the will to help people seen by faust offering medicine to you when you lose to him.

[@HatiHro]

Cannot wait for Play the Hero

[@MagusLay]

If you're ever in the mood for something a little calmer, Endless Space 2's ost has some beautiful themes for its various races. I would recommend Across The Drift (Riftborn Theme).

[@Scorpion_pit]

Yes, yes, yes. "Across the drift" is up there with "winds of the red blade" and "geodisc" for when I want to relax

[@chrisbaldwin8570]

I personally see this song has a duet being sung by the two different sides of Faust (The miracle messiah doctor who could cure even death/Deranged serial killer who desperately tries to forget his past to forget his pain) as they argue and attempt to reach a compromise about how to go forward in their life. You can see this in his lyrics "We see eye to eye, we see eye to eye, I told me without you we've got only one sky" and in the lines "Messiah... Will not come" like a question and answer. Faust went from a healer to mass murder while out of his mind, but he still feels deeply responsible to the point of wanting to commit suicide. In the current lore he sort of has wrapped up all his personal questions and is now like "What now? I'm still a murderer, no amount of good is going to wash away the pain I've caused. I'm deeply afraid of slipping back into madness and suffering from a spiraling depression to the point of looking for a way to die a hero." This song is sort of a reflection that inner struggle, with the final portion being the two sides coming together in their mutual fear (What is fear but paranoia?) and basically resolving to end things once and for all.

[@frostbite9625]

Faust in guilty gear strive is going through a rough patch, his psyche was essentially fractured, the jarring changes in tone try to convey that, and if you listen close, in the final part of the song, they all seem to converge.

[@yillin]

Just a matter of time before he gets to Drift...

[@Blakobness]

I have this song on my work playlist, and in my head I imagine singing this in Karaoke at an anime/games convention in the most theatrical fashion, while everyone looks on critically confused as to what the hell is even happening.

[@user-jb1ic3fb4d]

I love Daisuke's song writing philosophy, which is to make the players experience the most transcendent guitar riffs and vocals mankind has ever heard, and also make them say "what the f*" within the same sixty seconds of each other. Song design like this will leave a person with no context and only a desire to kill people.

[@bababooey724]

I really like the No Surprises part of the theme

[@Superpanzy]

Would love to see your thoughts on Potemkin's theme " Armor-clad Faith"

[@thatguykekai2601]

YOOOOOO NO WAY HE DID GUILTY GEAR AND IM ONLY HEARING ABOUT IT NOW!?!?!?

[@tobidobidu1129]

Way late to this, but the one thing I picked up after repeatedly listening was, that he hints at individual perception. "What is it like to you? Noone can see the colors but you." We live under the same sky, but the colors, even though we describe them the same way, still look different to each of us. Unity and individualism co-existing. A "Paradox" as you may call it.

[@lykosvon9142]

God one day I’m gonna be listening to this casually on headphones and someone is gonna ask what I’m listening to. It’ll be neat

[@MeanderingBeing]

"....Wut?" -MarcoMeatball I love faust. My absolute favorite (and my best) character in the GG series.

[@mr.lavasquid9285]

My favorite theory on this is that it is about the old personality he had (dr. baldhead, who was insane) coming back and he doesn't want it to, shown best by the line messiah will not come, referring to the win screen of dr. baldhead which shows a crowd shouting "our messiah!"

[@kescaremon2531]

I love how Macro has this genuinely confused face throughout the whole song. You can see this hope for the next lyrics to make things more clear, only for them to make everything only more confusing.

[@Stroggoii]

One problem trying to decipher meaning from Strive and Granblue songs is that although we're much more globalized than in the 90's, there's still a thick layer of Engrish going on from time to time. Just like with a lot of Spanish metal bands who write songs in English, you sometimes have to read some sentences backwards because the lyrics are translated by not grammatically corrected.

[@TheBanisher24]

The rag tiny song qualities is how he was before he lost himself. Because he was usually a goofy, more cheerful character than in this rent dish. And he is very depressed and probably put himself. Back to square one with murderous intent.

[@TheBanisher24]

You are so close. There's only one thing that I have to interject. Because the messiah is what people used to call him after the first tournament. Which is basically what people consider him with his healing powers

[@backwithanothervi-HELLLPP]

btw in the "messiah will not come" is referring to in the first game where if you beat the story mode with him, in the cutscene dr baldhead (faust) is referred to a "messiah", not that faust is an atheist

[@ArtDumbster]

I actually think that Faust gave himself the name because after regaining a fraction of his sanity he realised the big mistake he made, just like the classical Faust.

[@zitrein7373]

4:14 I have a theory that blue red and black paranoia are some aspects of his personality black is a killer bald head red is a classic merry Faust and depressive blue appeared in the strive

[@archi4u]

It's so metaphorical that it could resemble many things at once. but that is really interesting too.

[@jeb5066]

Would love to see him cover Happy Chaos now

[@judsonwanderer]

This comparison between Goethe's Faust and Guilty Gear's Faust reminds me of a funny tweet from a couple years ago. His full trailer dropped in January 2020 at an annual tournament called Frosty Faustings. The name comes from the fact that the tournament is in January in Chicago and the tournament organizer plays Faust across Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R, Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator 2, and eventually Strive as well. A nice little nod from Arcsys to drop the trailer at that event. As a result of this, Faust started trending on twitter. Eventually one person saw that and made a tweet that went viral. This person was excited to see that Goethe's Faust was trending and consequently devastated to realize it was not his beloved Faust but the Faust from a video game. His tweet explained this disappointment and bemoaned the lack of literacy in internet culture when an icon like Faust could be replaced by a video game character like Faust. I wish I could find the tweet. I will have to look more.

[@BJGvideos]

What's funny is that Faust has had so many variations even before this game that it's silly to think of anyone insisting there can only be one version. If this had been the opera that was trending would he be bemoaning a lack of literary knowledge?

[@HellOnFourLegs]

I believe the chorus is like faust talking to the young patient he could not save

[@austinrader8135]

Ggst ost is amazing

[@izzyfrozen]

Oh man, I sincerely hope you check out all of the tracks from at least Strive (but the earlier games' soundtracks are worth checking out too). I will lose my entire mind if you get to Rock Parade. That's my favorite one.

[@Agent_7__]

ABCDEF GO!!! 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥

[@RobinBirdUwU]

You have got to look into happy chaos next

[@SgtPriad]

He is a medical doctor and a very unhinged person. In the original GG he was DR Bald Head a miracle doctor turned mass murderer that later began to find redemption. The song isn't so much about him as it is literally the way his brain work starting with extremely unhinged moments and coming to some kind of clarity by the end.