Mikado Ryuugamine Isn't That Confusing, He's Just Selfish (Durarara!! Analysis)

[@DreadeTV]

If you pay close enough attention you can hear my spit :'(. Been trying to work that out the past few videos and think it has to do with how I have everything set up in my new place. If anyone's got any advice feel free to let me know. I want to thank Ray the Otaku for looking over the script and giving me some advice, check him out at: kzbin.info/door/W5l9lhEdBFbXyLDTO5ay0Q

[@xXunt0uchableXx]

The Art of Anime try using a pop filter for your microphone. They are usually pretty cheap.

[@NeostormXLMAX]

you're analysis kinda went to shit when you started using blood type and zodiac bullshit which has been long disproven. just because some Japanese love blood type analysis does not mean all authors use blood types to dictate personalities. this is the same author of baccano!!! and vamp! btw and he has not in his writing history used any sort of blood type to symbolize characters. also the symbol of his names can be interpreted very differently so you can't guarantee that they hold the meaning of emperor or center, for example tanaka can also be a version of "john doe" in america where he sees himself being kinda like a 'grey man' someone who doesn't stand out very well like a john doe on the internet

[@DreadeTV]

@@NeostormXLMAX Welcome to analysis where ideas can be interpreted in different ways. "John Doe" would also fit Mikado very well. Just because it wasn't used before doesn't mean it can't be used in the future. It's also worth noting that the Baccano wiki doesn't list blood types for any of its characters, but the Drrr! one does and probably wasn't used in Baccano as it's less important in Western Culture than it is to the Japanese. A fictional character can be written with a blood type personality in mind, for real people all of its bullshit. Vamp! from the little I know, just by character names also doesn't seem to take place in Japan so again it's culturally insignificant. Especially when talking about a story that has all sorts of urban legends in it, blood type personality or zodiac signs don't seem too far fetched to include.

[@marsnr2177]

what I've learned: Aoba is a Walmart version of Izaya

[@madarthivanki]

Maariya Nr well, as true and funny as that is, I think we knew that as soon as we saw him! Also, I have a request for you, if you ever read this. Tell me what voice you read this in. Your voice? A character's voice? I can't wait to hear from you! Have a good day!

[@lain5858]

Maariya Nr I don´t think so, Izaya and Aoba diverge in many aspects

[@marsnr2177]

@@lain5858 although aoba is so easily manipulated by mikado and he doesn't have some "grand plan" and tbh I never personally found him all that likable anyhow

[@lain5858]

@@marsnr2177 The anime make looks like they are similiar but in the novels they are oposities Is funny how everyone incluiding Aoba himself at one point compares with Izaya, being that they're nothing alike, they may have "similar" thoughts but, they are actually opposites the only thing that they might have in common was the fact that they saw Mikado's true nature and whiter they were curious of what he'll do or saw an opportunity with him, well they were at some point competing with each other. Besides from that, they're different. Izaya is humanist, Aoba is nihilist Izaya likes to be used, Aoba not They share a similaritie in masochist tendencies But Aoba don´t like to admit it because this crash with his pride Izaya love it and even like to be tortured a little I like Aoba he´s a good character. He is well written, but the stupid anime producers make him just a copy of Izaya while waste episodes in boring characters like Akane, Anri, Namie... Sadly Izaya have the same problem and only anime watchers thinks he is a sociopath without feelings.

[@marsnr2177]

@@lain5858 oh!! i didn't know how different the manga is to the anime, most of the anime's I've seen thus far have been pretty clean cut stuck to the script versions of the manga. I might have to take a look at the durarara manga then!!

[@fionavanwinkle965]

Lmao honestly why does barely anybody in this anime have parents

[@stonecat676]

that's why everybody is wild af

[@slyfoxfan0799]

dr. dude got his dad. girl had parents :v

[@thepowerofthegodhand7003]

😅🤣😅

[@TaigaXsenpai]

You might feel suprised but Izaya comes from normal family. Both his mom and dad were normal loving parents :) The same thing with Mikado :)

[@doctorbaby68]

well they needed a backstory for anri's saika shplot

[@be-yf6xz]

Nice to see a good analysis on durarara. Don't get many these days

[@DreadeTV]

Too many people talking about the next best thing of the week, too little talking about shows that have stuck with them. That's my view at least, but thank you!

[@joshuawoodfolk8202]

I will admit I'm a fan of both but yes, I love it when good anime gets in-depth analyses even though it's not current

[@ligrag7527]

By we don't get any do you mean of Durarara or just in general?

[@coolpiex]

After 3 years , we dont get indepth analysis anymore . Sad

[@kagekun1198]

I mean, it's pretty established that Mikado is unhinged when he set someone on fire despite being horribly beaten

[@blueprint10001]

You're right I used to think Mikado went crazy, but he just got In over his head because he thought the grass was greener on the other side aka a more exciting life.

[@luminous3558]

Did he really get in over his head tho ? Aside from getting stabbed by Nasujima(Which came out of nowhere) he was practically in control the entire time. Get the blue squares to clean up the dollars > Blow up the dollars before the Blue squares could throw him under the bus. This way Mikado could wash his hands off the dollars and walk away to have all 3 of them live a normal life.

[@megarotom1590]

@@luminous3558he was in control over everything but not really over himself

[@WeebRevolution]

Finally a good video on my favorite character from Durarara

[@DreadeTV]

Underappreciated character imo, everyone foams over Izaya.

[@mizuro13]

The Art of Anime and shizuo but man, that's true af

[@lain5858]

@@DreadeTV Is because Narita gives more attention to Izaya than his others characters. He is the only durarara character with his own novels, I think narita wanted him to be a protagonist.

[@Lucy-it3pk]

Mikado is such a well written character

[@Crowtenzz]

@@DreadeTV dang you call me out

[@ninefangthesniper]

I'm late to this series, I only finished the entire series yesterday, I'm surprised people found his 180° confusing. It all honestly makes sense when you look at it from beginning to end, some one who started shy but looking for something more then what he has. I call it the Disney Princess Syndrome, it made sense to me the first time and now I'm here essentially just trying to make sure I wasn't wrong. Turns out I'm not!

[@rsya.e206]

"Disney Princess Syndrome" I really want to claim Mikado as my favourite princess now.

[@yazzyxx]

i didn't watch the whole anime. i discovered it recently, and only the first season is on netflix

[@raishirogane7860]

@@yazzyxx the second season consists of 36 eps and is on Hulu

[@5p33dy305]

The question if who is Mikado can be taken one step further. If I recall correctly there's a japanese proverb that goes something along the lines of every person has three masks. The one you show the world, the one you show to your friends and family and the one you only keep for yourself. The one you keep for yourself is your true self. So in the context of this video Mikado uses each mask to get what he ultimately wants.

[@nitromagilou597]

This is a pretty well-thought out synopsis. Durarara is personal all-time favorite anime, and thinking about the deeper meaning towards the characters (even down to their names), makes me love it even more.

[@ihbfkillwqtrsrvlln000]

Mikado is such an interesting character. We dont see much of mc like that these days, everyone is too busy about saving the world or some shit. The transition from lame Mikado in s1 to gang leader Mikado in s2 is awesome, though it does confused me alot. But in a sense, he want to escape a normal boring life, and he has the privilege as the dollars leader. Ikebukuro is already crazy, and mikado dont want to be left behind. From the moment he cried after kadota-rokujo fight, i think that was his turning point. It's really interesting and i glad he learn the lesson by the end. I wonder what happen to dollars after that

[@exsanguinatedd]

Slight correction on Mikado's handle: the reason Tanaka Tarou is meaningful is because it's supposed to be an incredibly average Joe-type name, kind of like the stock John Smith or other somesuch in English. Mikado makes himself so indistinguishable that it actually backfires slightly in its intent.

[@sofialu226]

What I got from Mikado when I first watched Durarara, was "The one who looked the most normal was actully one of the craziest" Mikado choosed to act normal and bland, as this individual with a rightious moral compass, but not because he geniunley belives/feels is right, but becasue It Is suppouse to be the right thing to do. He struggled not for him actully daubting, but because he was councious of what Ethically and Morally was right and worng, even if he never geniunley felt it. Like "I don't care, but I can't don't care, that's wrong, So I Do Care" As Mikado himself said, he was bored, he was tired of his normal basic dailey routine and wanted excitment, that's why he created Dollars, trying to do something knew yet staying low, and taht's why he went to Ikebukuro, in search of knew things, knew experiences. Izaya saw through Mikado's true self and knowing what Mikado wanted and why he did what did, he pick the exact words to make Mikado give the first step to fall into his inner craziness. With what I call 'The Trigger': _"If you truly want to continue escaping from everyday life, you've no other choice but to Keep Evolving"_ Mikado Listened, belived it, and went right for the knew exciting experiences trying to do always something different, filling it with "I'm doing it for my friends" sparkles. He throw away his moral compass which was stopping him from giving in to his own Darkness liing to himself about it, saying it was for his friends and beliving it, when it was far from it. Then he realized all of the shitty things he was doing, that he belived it was for his friends, were also hurting them. How could it be? But it was too late, he took it too far, he was unable to stop himself and couldn't find a way out. As he has no more compass, he couldn't knew what was Right and what was Wrong anymore, he did what he did for his friends and that's suppouse to be good, but yet he was also apparently doing it wrong. He lost himself when he throw away his compass and almost took his life thinking that was the only way to stop. And that's actully something it could happen to anyone, every Human has a Moral Overall Compass which tell us what is suppouse to be Right and what is suppouse to be Wrong. We use our inner compass to make chooices, choices we could geniunley feel or just counciousley know its consecuencies and accept it by Logic. If Humans gave up their compass, it brings Chaos, without a compass we can say a thing but do things that Morally or Ethically contradicts our words becuse there is not something that can actully help us differ that contradiction, or anything that tell us what is "Right" or "Wrong". When a Human has no compass or gave up on it, is capable of literally Anything, because there is no limitation, there is not a mindset or internalized Moral stopping us. Izaya is exactly that, he himself has no Moral Compass, he is councious of the Human Compass but due to his Master Mind God Complex he doesn't get affected by the compass and instead uses it at his advantage, getting close to humans and yet keeping distance from them. Understanding, but lacking Symphathy. Besides, when you know there are As many "Rights" and "Wrongs" as people, it make sense that the compass could brake. (I still love him Though, haha #TeamIzaya) But well, that was just my interpretation~

[@sonny1524]

I like your analysis a lot

[@alicergicwonderland]

You summed up what took me 8 years to figure out very well, props to you! You also summed up why I find Mikado to be such an interesting character and why I believe Narita Ryohgo is actually a genius, or has the potential to be a great writer. I think Narita Ryohgo's main lesson is that modern society glorifies the individual to the point where everyone is isolated; meaning isn't found being wrapped up in your own world, and everything is connected. Humans need interpersonal connections, and they are part of what makes us human. I think Narita is very well-read and definitely drew inspiration from Nietzche, Pascal, and Dostoevsky. Izaya is the embodiment of the ubermensch, which is the antithesis to Dostoevsky and Pascal's idea of what the 'great man' should be (morally virtuous). It took me 8 years to stop going down the naked mole rat hole that was postmodern existential philosophy, and having a similar background to Izaya and admiring & associating with others like him didn't help much. The problem is that Izaya's philosophy is inconsistent and borrows from other inconsistent philosophy; it's something that makes sense to an edgy, alienated teenager obsessed with philosophy and literature and the postmodernists, but to no one else who has thought about it logically. He believes in an afterlife but no god, and his understanding of the Nordic afterlife is also flawed as well. Valhalla isn't the only hall and is specifically meant for notable warriors who have left a legacy on Earth as heroes; there is another hall meant for lesser-known warriors which he would most likely be sent to after death, assuming he is judged as a warrior at all because there are many other halls for many different sorts of people. Durarara was a warning against becoming untethered and amputated from humanity, but in a way, this is glorified because of the incredible animation and amazing characters (probably unintentional). Izaya is an amazing character who I would love to have a conversation with if I ever met irl, but he is not as badass as he is made out to be.

[@tricktreat688]

Glad I’m not the only person that can see the similarities in Izaya and Mikado. Both are so interesting to me.

[@ThornwoodDrive]

OMG! Someone else who feels the same I do about him, how his brain works, that everything is really selfish. I literally wrote a fanfiction just to try and explain that idea. Amazing job! You explained it better than I ever could.

[@luminous3558]

A bunch of the confusion probably stems from season 1 of drrr making mikado seem incredibly bland by taking away his inner monologue and reasoning for his actions. So when x2 has him "snap" it feels out of nowhere due to a lot of early build up being botched.

[@wonton5016]

TheflamingWolf ya... I think if the anime made it so you could see him like smiling when he sees violence in season 1... then it might’ve been a good buildup and would’ve probably have a lot of talk about his personality *shruggity*

[@notmyfullname598]

nah i disagree, it was openly stated on multiple occasions that he liked it in s1

[@yonatanhoresh2695]

Honestly? I just finished x2 Shou and I can say I've been waiting for this to happen for a long time If you actually pay attention to his actions and what we do get of his inner dialogue (he says he's always wanted an interesting life in episode 1!), it's actually a long time coming flip

[@beansprout_apg886]

The creator of mikado’s character was awesome.. great job here!!!! Thank u..

[@theptatchip7082]

LONG LIVE RYOHGO NARITA THE WRITER OF THE LN!!!

[@megarotom1590]

I think the only true change he has is on the last episode seeing life as neither ordinary nor extraordinary but learning to value it for what it is

[@lvciditii2549]

Another thing is that Mikado gets a thrill when hes in a serious or risky situation. It's almost like he enjoys being in those situations cause of boredom or to gain some sort of fulfillment. Out of all the anime MCs with evil intentions, Mikado scares me the most.

[@joketo1453]

What I learned from watching this : . . . . . I love Mikado Ryugamine more. . . He is always my fav character since the first season of durarara.

[@celebrityguest.9530]

durarara is absolutely fascinating. nice to see people giving it the attention it deserves :)

[@mizuro13]

Finally a video about durarara especially it's about my fav character Mikado, now I give you a question, how good is this video overall? 1.Very good 2.Very good 3.Very good

[@DreadeTV]

Thanks Masaomi! ;)

[@Evanit0]

Very glad to see you back in full swing

[@alezrasophia]

ahhh I just realized the password is baccano

[@stxys730]

I think people need to cut some slack for mikado, I think he is suffering from an Identity crisis, ex:(when he stabbed a pen into Aoba's hand but then said that he was sorry and brought bandages for him) I think one side of him is loving the new gang life he wished he was apart of and the other side says that he wants to stop and still help others.

[@ShiroyamaHayashi]

Nah, Mikado is just a two faced pos like Kushida in COTE

[@TaigaXsenpai]

Mikado was young and his personality still formed. Like with all of us, each new experience shaped him in some way. Not fully with his awareness. As he was exposed to really extreme experiences, they shaped him to the point that he totally lost himself.

[@Iris-xh8kh]

A really good analysis of my favorite character of all time !

[@drawnseeker]

great analysis !

[@DreadeTV]

Thanks!

[@maid7224]

I am going to say this was very well done!! Thank you so much

[@cristianjacobo1434]

THAT QUIZ WAS SO HARD

[@kxgnav2308]

heres an theory i saw: he might have made a split personality cause of his life being so boring and made everyone beleive and himself that he was this shy and sweet type. when really he was super dark personality.

[@lordescanor8232]

I wish it was like this xd

[@akhiralimits8300]

When I found out about the anime, I thought Izaya was the main protagonist

[@Godislost]

😂 me also

[@Crowtenzz]

I thought Shizu chan was XD

[@lordsangone]

When you go through these changes of the mind and body, there is one constant throughout - and that is your spirit. No matter what you do to your body and mind, you were you the entire time. How do we know this? Thats our spirit that assures us of the self. Its hard to explain, its invisible but powerful, its connects us to God and its what lasts forever after the mind and body is no more. Its the key to success, joy, relationships, health, etc. Its the most powerful part of our being but many of us dont understand it. Mind over body, spirit over mind. Your body and mind is downstream from your spirit.

[@scorpioninpink]

Absolutely he is selfish. The guy wants some excitement in his life that he isn't afraid of hurting almost everyone near him. He isn't some complicated character that borders the sane and the insane. He is just insane.

[@Birdf33d3r]

So we’ll done. Love the show love your analysis:)))

[@scepticalhyenas5750]

I'm late as hell but this is really well done! A super solid analysis.

[@1chibanKasuga]

I chose Mikado Ryuugamine

[@soullessweeb9607]

This the info ive been looking for to figure out this character

[@smyliejo]

Izyah and mikado I thought were the same personality wise just one opposite spectrums 2:05 turns out I wasn’t completely correct but I could see how the two loved to observe humans one loving to destroy and the other wanting to create a better place until he became to delulu in his thinking 11:34 oh shit…

[@pompouspretentiousprick5291]

*The moment when you realize the Dollars is just Elder Scrolls 4 Dark Brotherhood storyline.*

[@FerociousMit]

More like 5, the brotherhood at that time wasn't connected, they all did their own thing and even Astrid breaks the codes she lived by in attempts to save it. Purging the brotherhood in it's entirety just for you the mc to rebuild it out of what's left.

[@levibull6063]

I really liked this series and its unbelievable how underrated it is

[@sharkyaxo5529]

I LOVED THIS VIDEO ITS SO GREAT AND WELL MADE THX!!!

[@marvel096]

Ah yes my favorite thing in yt: drrr! Analysis videos :D

[@BakedBanana]

Awesome, this should have more views

[@TakingThingsLiterary8902]

Ok but the word that the dollars name was inspired by sounds a lot like the name of of the show

[@dualchopper2]

oof the joke makes me ded inside but neet art keep it up dude.

[@sparcomusic887]

This anime for me is the most nostalgic anime. Idk why but its the effect i feel when i hear the music the character etc. And the music is so good! It is meant to be played on that anime! ❤️💯

[@gwems6502]

me when mikado is at the top of my kin list 🥶

[@manimations7007]

I am once more frustrated over how to think on Mikado! I like and dislike him at the same time, which is strange. When I first watched this anime I thought I would like him and more, he was kind, not aggressively loud or rude. He just wanted to have an adventure and friends to count on. Very relatable but as more episodes when on I realized sometimes our actions have a deeper purpose that will fill in our void maybe others.

[@SRWOtaku]

Wait... did the password Mikado use for his Dollars Admin spell out Baccano?

[@safi6749]

Great job man

[@nell6705]

Hes honestly on par with my fav character Lelouch V Britannia maybe not on par but still a really good character

[@GenAqua]

Huh. My birthday is March 10th, and I'm also an O blood type.

[@zukinakichi5390]

At first, I thought I was a lot like Mikado, and the way he became after meeting Aoba made me really mad. Like, I hated him. I think I was kinda scared that I had that kind of darkness in me. But after like 1-3 hours of talking to myself about it and reading about him on the fandom page, I realized that really the only thing we have in common is timidness. Still kinda scares me though. And I have no idea how Masaomi was able to forgive Mikado after everything he did. I was actually kinda glad that Mikado got stabbed. I think he deserved it.

[@ph8883]

I like your videos

[@DreadeTV]

Thanks!

[@virtuesmc6855]

The wiriting of durarara is on par of George RR Martin' GOT. Just my opinion though

[@doctorbaby68]

Damn true

[@NoobyThing1]

I’m a Aries and I turned out ok

[@thatonepunkguy]

honestly i loved p much every character except him 😌 no but he is an interesting character, even if hes not too complex

[@markusharroldhailey6688]

Well that actually true

[@JuanBanda23]

In the intro, what is the name of that beautiful piano song?

[@DreadeTV]

The Sought-after Extraordinary from the Durarara OST.

[@TokyoDogz]

Am i the only one who got annoyed by Mikado's crap. Sure he looks cool at some moments when he calculates things n stuff, but all that "i have to make the world better again together with kida and anri" shtick. Annoyed the fuk out of me.

[@pjleelo23]

He was definitely annoying. But he’s definitely a complexed kid, he’s definitely not all that bad.

[@Crowtenzz]

Is it bad that I always roast him XD

[@JayMil04]

New Sub I love you know

[@chrisyi1292]

I know you went by dub pronunciation(except Rio’s name(which the dub got right;, but you,unfortunately , got incorrect but it still drives me up the fucking wall.

[@goood4944]

Izaya is the only character in this anime that i like.... But mikado is also gd

[@emilychris2268]

goo ood celty and vorona are good characters .Izaya is too manipulative but I remember Shinra said something about him being more human than anyone so maybe what he’s doing serves as a defense mechanism for him .Sometimes he’s a biggg asshole tho .

[@luminous3558]

@@emilychris2268 Izaya's character gets ruined by the Anime playing him up as a kind of joker character. This makes Shinra calling him more human than anyone seem kinda off as he doesn't seem human at all from the animes side of things. In the novels he is shown to possess genuine emotions and inner turmoil most of which gets cut out entirely. You can read chapter 4 of the manga to get a taste for his character, the manga is more faithful to the novel and adapts the real "suicide meeting" scene with the girl from x2 and her friend instead of Rio.

[@emilychris2268]

TheflamingWol f do you know why he acts that way though like did have child trauma or something ? I remember reading thats Izaya’s parents ditched him and left him to take care of his sisters or smth .Like maybe because of that he stopped trusting people because the people he trusted most betrayed him ..

[@Crowtenzz]

Izaya is best character (and boi) in my opinion

[@nell6705]

Who is mikado Ryuugamine?mikado Ryuugamine Mikado Ryuugamine Mikado Ryuugamine

[@SpensaVenture]

Hii, you liked my tweet when I said DitF was shit

[@saigonoryuu3101]

he is just bored, literally explained early in the story. he longs for action

[@sethkang4410]

tbh i finished the anime and i still dont know whats his purpose on that god damn anime

[@_alex_angulo_2698]

Hey listen good job the Analysis man but to be honest screw the zodiac sign his personality is where it’s at

[@masaomikida7442]

Yo pepes

[@Crowtenzz]

Yo

[@zacurrya9485]

Miss this show so much, one of my favourite anime of all time 😢

[@Crowtenzz]

@@zacurrya9485 same I'm rewatching for the 3rd time

[@souvikdas3636]

Mikado, seiji, namie and anri are my least favorite characters in the show

[@Love-Sensibility]

Its not that confusing actually. I read this chapter where Anri gets bullied and Mika saw that. He thought it was cliche which I thought cliche?what? Shouldn't you stop the bullying? Then he plans on going to her by pretending that he doesn't notice the bullying. Idk about you, but it sounds like selfishness resides in all of us. Just like Mikado. He's normal, like us