Scavengers Reign - The truth of the universe (Spoilers)

The scene during the twelfth episode of, the hopefully first season of, Scavengers Reign.
It was an absolutely amazing scene to watch, where it felt like I was seeing the truth of the universe unfold before my eyes. Amazing animation, amazing sound design and music, amazing cinematography? Man, I dunno, the whole show was amazing.
I re-watched it 4-5 times before I decided to download some video editing software, just so I could upload this specific scene to KZbin.
(I do not own the rights to Scavengers Reign)

[@jimster1111]

absolutely wild scene. the psychic creature caused its own death by gazing into something it couldnt comprehend. all hail the flower.

[@eoghantheuntamed9613]

It didn't really die tho, just sort of got forcefully "shed" (?) its monstrous layer.

[@jimster1111]

theres really not enough context to really know what happened. the way i took it was that these creatures procreate through their own deaths. kinda like a phoenix being immortal by rising from its own ashes after death. @@eoghantheuntamed9613

[@dichotommy7153]

@@eoghantheuntamed9613 i thought the same thing, but now i'm wondering if maybe the small one at the end was actually a child, or clone (asexual reproduction) that was growing alongside Kamen

[@danielmarr5938]

@@dichotommy7153I think he was stripped of his power returning him before his glutton forced to live the simple life he thought was too good for him

[@HappyPsychoBunny3]

I love this

[@angeltazdevil]

This scene alone makes the entire series worth watching. A masterpiece of animation.

[@luisgutierrez8047]

Meh. Seen trash anime with better visuals tbh...

[@mr.sandman1093]

@@luisgutierrez8047 whatever you say weeb

[@rabd3721]

@@luisgutierrez8047 Modern anime feels like overpolished CGI-assisted comic book sequences. This on the other hand feels much more intimate and profound.

[@luisgutierrez8047]

@@rabd3721 literally seen trash anime with better visuals. No cgi.

[@rabd3721]

@@luisgutierrez8047 Agree to disagree 🤷‍♂️

[@Geopzdarksouls]

Such a profound sequence, and then Avi just throws a rock at Hollow like it's a stray cat 😂

[@solucaoatende]

Nothing more human than disrespecting another being instead of offering a new start...

[@cancerconnoisseur]

@@solucaoatende I mean.... Fuck Hollow though. Genuinely

[@teneesh3376]

​@@solucaoatendeto be fair. They have no idea what's going on in its mind, and it killed a bunch of people. They dont know it was cause it sorta assimilated Caleb's attributes

[@wolverinexo6417]

@@cancerconnoisseur Hollows so cute though 😭

[@Insert639]

Yeah the Hollow ran away then when it was far enough in distance, looked back and stared like stray cats usually do lol ಠ⁠︵⁠ಠ

[@Gala-yp8nx]

Someone get this show an Emmy.

[@a.morphous66]

It’s up for consideration!

[@dichotommy7153]

god i'm a sucker for organ, particularly in sci-fi scores. why is this soundtrack so good and so hard to find online

[@diegogajardo7851]

it is one of the most beautiful scores I've had the pleasure to listen to in a long while

[@JimJansen91]

It's now finally on streaming platforms! This is the second to last track on the ost, 'Vesta'.

[@dichotommy7153]

@@JimJansen91 Thank you!

[@Shane-un8pe]

I really enjoy the score as well. Seems to be heavily influenced by Philip Glass. Check out a track called Prophecies on Koyaanisqatsi by Philip Glass.

[@aepokkvulpex]

I once heard somebody describe this scene as "the Universe protecting itself from a flailing human ego" in a video essay. I was stunned. EDIT: Scavengers Reign and Life, the channel is Steak Bentley

[@azimwashington9354]

I really took the telepathic alien and his relationship as the physical manifestation of drug addiction caused by extreme depression.

[@DNGNDriver]

I read it as an abusive relationship, but the line where Kamen says "I don't want to think any more, take my pain away" means your interpretation is really solid!

[@jacobb5484]

​@DNGNDriver it feels like a toxic codependent relationship more than an abusive one. While benefitial, Levi and the Hollow naturally both bring out the worst in each other. While Levi tries to run away, he's usually running headlong into danger until the Hollow saves him.

[@yeehawtaw2134]

I think the blue flowers represent and hold the information necessary for the harmony of the planet. The psychic creature, upon attempting to control that power, instead has harmony enforced back onto it, which was initially corrupted by human influence.

[@Krattzx]

Masterpiece of a sequence.

[@1three7]

Good Lord, i loved this show so much. It's seriously one of the first pieces of media I've felt passion about in decades. It's so good for so many different reasons

[@fruitgushersbanana5853]

You should check out Genndy Tartakovskys Primal. It’s basically this show but with a cave man and a dinosaur. Won a couple of Emmy

[@1three7]

@@fruitgushersbanana5853 I've seen it! I love that one too.

[@Nick.t.S]

Such a powerful scene. The melding of sentient nature and man-made ai forming into a sort of higher being, then being met with some form of telepathic otherworldly connection amalgamating into this beautiful vision of the cosmos and an understanding of all being one. So powerful it strips away the creatures very essence allowing for a clean slate. The look it gives before going off back into the forest; how can it simply go back to being after witnessing everything. This show holds a dear place in my mind and heart.

[@TheNwahDango]

This _is_ the best adult 2D animated western series I've ever seen. I've seen most of them searching for anything that compares to some of my favorite Japanese shows like Cowboy Bebop, but nothing has come close. Castlevania was great, Arcane was fantastic, but almost every second of Scavengers Reign was damn near perfect and I'm the harshest critic I know.

[@dichotommy7153]

it also just stands out from the rest with its subject matter and presentation. blue eye samurai, pantheon, midnight gospel, primal, undone: all great shows, but scavengers reign is really in a universe of its own

[@darealfabio4]

All the shows mentioned above plus Terror in Resonance stood out for me but you’ve prob seen that since you’ve seen Cowboy Bebop. I also enjoyed Space Dandy, goofy, but got pretty deep at times. Watanabe never disappoints, now im off to watch Pantheon

[@slyrxccoon]

This, Arcane and Cowboy Bebop are amazing. If you're looking for other great adult 2D western animated series, I highly suggest ''Avatar The Last Airbender'' and its sequel, ''The Legend of Korra'', but also ''Lastman'', and ''Over The Garden Wall''.

[@TheNwahDango]

@@slyrxccoon I have certainly seen Airbender and Over the Garden Wall, both masterpieces and probably my two favorite western animated shows until Scavengers. Unfortunately I was hugely disappointed by every season of Korra, apart from great looking fight scenes. I'm watching Pantheon and it's been great so far, not familiar with Lastman but it looks promising. I appreciate the recommends.

[@mrdoggo3569]

​@@slyrxccoonavatar is a family show

[@AdventureEpic]

Azi was like "Get outta here you crazy little fuck" 😂

[@priscillamatheny]

This finally makes sense to me... This (i think) is about abandoning ones ego and accepting that we are all a part of an ever changing universe, almost feels cathartic. The ego protects us from feeling small, yet it keeps us small, wrapped in a fixed state where we do not grow as individuals. We stay stagnant. The black substance the hollow feeds it's subjects that almost controls their minds can be compared to the many things that drives our egos... greed, power, vanity, etc.... it drives us and in return we often feed the ego, keeping us dependent on how it makes us feel in return - safe from the reality that we mean nothing to the universe. The hollow breaking apart is symbolic to death to the ego as the flashes of light, the tunnel is often described in near death experiences and could be the DMT release we all hopefully will experience as our cells die. And finally as a result, after the ego death the hollow becomes vulnerable and is tiny once more, humbled. Kaymen is then "birthed" , vulnerable like a baby. Even when they let it go instead of killing it, it shows we need our egos to exist to be us... We just can't feed them too much. Another thing that comes to mind regarding this concept is the game Hollow Knight. I wonder if that was any inspiration to the artists/story writers.😅

[@blasandresayalagarcia3472]

Amazing read, love hollow Knight too 😂. Just adding my thoughts on " the reality that we mean nothing to the universe" We are the universe perceiving itself. If the universe doesn't care about us then it is because of us. Care and assignment of meaning are things only life can do. As living beings, and part of the cycle, it is literally the universe acknowledging that itself matters and itself should care. Every single one of us took place and was part of the universe, regardless of what happens in the future, that will forever be an undeniable fact, you existed and affected something as unfathomable as the universe itself.

[@priscillamatheny]

@blasandresayalagarcia3472 beautiful beautiful ❤❤❤ I think the pessimistic part of me comes out at times that thinks we mean nothing, but you are right. We technically are the universe, because if we aren't perceiving it then it wouldn't be a thing. Sometimes I wish I was born an animal that doesn't understand that one day it will die... I'm so scared that when I'm gone, there will be no more consciousness and I won't see how the universe evolves. So many questions and things I want to experience. This all just makes it that much more important to live in the moment and stop stressing about everything around us that we cannot control. I think this is why this clip moves me so much. And yes, isn't hollow Knight amazing?! There's so much deep symbolism in that game too 😊

[@nathanielmueller8486]

Salamander boomed.

[@priscillamatheny]

@@nathanielmueller8486 pew pew pew

[@Inwardspiral96]

Wow... this was honestly mindblowing to read and make all too much sense. I've had ego death like a dozen times at this point and the way you put it into words through the context of this show was ever so insightful. Thank you for sharing this ❤

[@irecordwithaphone1856]

The animation is just insane

[@mrdoggo3569]

One thing that makes me sad is that for now the show is VERY niché. Could change later. If Unicorn Warriors Eternal had 10% of the popularity of Fionna and Cake this probably had 20% of the popularity of Unicorn Warriors Eternal. More people need to see this scene.

[@warrensmall259]

I’m so happy I decided to watch this. This show was honestly AMAZING in every way. Story telling *chef kiss*

[@jamesparker8066]

I think the relationship between Kamen and the Hollow can best be described as the toxic dynamic that can develop between the Ego and the "Inner Critic" that most of us grapple with. Kamen of course is the Ego, the human and relatable aspect of this dynamic. Its only priority (at least initially) is navigating the world and surviving. The Ego likes to think that it is in control of itself, but of course humans have a vast ocean of unconscious motivators that shape its decision making, many of those being self-destructive tendencies. You don't have to look far in our society to see that most people, at one point or another, act against their own self-interests for no logical reason at all. Then there is the Inner Critic, represented by the Hollow. It is usually developed at an early age of childhood, shaped by authoritative and critical parents, religions, and institutions. The Inner Critic takes our framework of experiences and presents them to the Ego as the "truth", though rarely are these perspectives representative of objective reality. Through this toxic dynamic, the Inner Critic tricks the Ego into believing it's part of itself, one in the same. The Ego enters a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy, manifesting the narrative the Inner Critic has created, represented by committing violence in service of feeding the Hollow. After that, the Inner Critic has tricked the Ego into believing it is the monster, and the internal co-dependency between these two parts comes to complete fruition. The lines between the two of them blur until neither part has is aware of its own separate identity, becoming one in the same. The obliteration of the Hollow by Levi/Universal Consciousness is symbolic of the experience of "Ego Death". Most often induced by hallucinogenic experiences, Ego Death is the complete overwhelm of our consciousness by the transcendental experience of realizing it's complete insignificance in the context of the Universe. It's best described as a "reset button", that has the potential to strip an individual of all preconceived notions of its understanding of the Self and reality. Because the Inner Critic is built entirely of lived social experiences and is in no way innate, what is left of the Hollow is a childlike version of itself. Neither good or bad, just a function of consciousness that exists solely to consume the information around it and build a narrative from it. Kamen, having literally "jumped ship" from the narrative of the Inner Critic, is left in a humbled and defeated state, ready to re-integrate the experience with a second chance of not succumbing to his Inner Critic again.

[@7200darkcharm]

Levi also means "to be attached" in Hebrew.

[@solucaoatende]

"It is usually developed at an early age of childhood, shaped by authoritative and critical parents, religions, and institutions." Sure. That's why children grow without supervision of these parents and institutions turns authoritative, critical, spoiled, tantrum and violent, right? No, wait... "You think" a lot of bullshit. Period.

[@noahmclaughlin7921]

For me BoJack, Arcane, and Futurama are the best adult animated shows. But Scavenger's Reign is already high up there.

[@benanderson6002]

Holy fuck, this is an amazing comment

[@petersunnerberg2778]

The music is so epic

[@paigemalloy4276]

The music _makes_ this scene

[@blicbloc2575]

This is legit what ego-death felt like on acid. Like being an alien in your own body, witnessing everything you've ever known again as if it were someone elses story. You feel lighter, almost like a rebirth.

[@ProfoundGameplay]

Levi has gained the power of reversal. Absolutely phenomenal.

[@isaiah449]

I CAAANT I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SHOW SO SO MUCH AND THIS SCENE JUST BLEW ME AWAY

[@vngt]

I cant wait for the OST for this show

[@rogeriosousa9474]

Its released

[@casualbird7671]

I was extremely afraid they were going to kill off Levi a second time. Instead I got this beautiful stunning scene, my goodness

[@fruitgushersbanana5853]

It really shows how epic evolution and life can be

[@eduardo1220]

I was so high watching this, I was already sad because of Sam. But then when I got to this scene I suddenly come to realization that we are all going to die one day. And that’s okay, we’re just a little thing of a bigger piece. In 1000 years from now we’re already forgotten, and life goes on

[@dwifter6268]

Sir, this is a Wendy's...

[@gimo6881]

That was Heartless, Edgy and a Lost of All hope... If we have a legacy that keep us alive in this plane of existence. This are Autodestructive beliefs... This guy LITERALLY have a Playlist called "Depress"

[@gimo6881]

​​​​@@dwifter6268 i think is more like the sad testimony of someone who lost against his existential crisis and saw something "positive" in what it does not have. This guy's loss of hope makes me feel bad mentally and physically, it's so disturbing how "gone" he is in this comment.

[@lilyfhonazhel2675]

​​​​​@@gimo6881It is more like acceptance and honesty he is speaking the truth. With legacy or not, our faces and identities will be forgotten. We all are just particles of dust in the vast expanse of time. Some dust particles will do different and inprint their marks on the expanse of time, but those marks will be covered by other dusts and their own perspectives. In the end the legacy of that dust will be warped and its original identity gone and forgotten as well as the dust who left that legacy. It is not the feeling of heartless or being edgy or being lost. It is the acceptance that human lives as well as other creatures will just be passing dusts that will be forgotten with time. There is nothing positive about it nor is it negative. It is also not sad. It is just acceptance. Memories will be gone, but life will go on.

[@gimo6881]

​​​​@@lilyfhonazhel2675You are an embarrassment to mankind, you apocaliptic edgy. There's no truth for being Autodestructive thinker and embracing the Chaos and doom, you Zealot of The End!

[@digitalbornkillers]

The music reminds me the work of Philip Glass/Koyaanisqatsi OST 0:50

[@skyraker7489]

Came here to say this.

[@Gaming_Legend2]

this scene reminds me of the philip glass experimental cinema, its just beautiful, it also reminds me of the stunningly animated squence of also the creation of the universe in children of the sea, if you liked this scene alone, you love that one too. But on its own, i can't even describe it

[@BenHopkins1000]

I think she blew its mind, and a few other organs, too

[@SteveBMayer]

I watched this show because of this clip, thank you for sharing!

[@moonmothman]

Great animation. The disk/planet spinning is pure möbius. The master lives on in his massive influence on modern sci fi. Loved this finale scene.

[@Za_Ra_bruh]

It was a beautiful scene. First time watching it I'm blown away. Second time watching it I was curious how did Levi do such thing. And then I realized that back in episode 3 (or 4?) when Kamen was given the 'nourishment', he is able to go toe to toe with a bigger hollow. Also, when the hollow was giving nourishment to him, they somewhat connect through their mind, exchanging memories (or mostly Kamen memories). And so I think the whole sequence is the hollow watching the organism's memories and basically realized that it is just a little tiny speck in the universe. And since it gave the organism power, the organism basically reverses the 'impurity' that has been building in the hollow. I know, in the grand scheme of things, this machinations probably isn't really important. But I just find it interesting to think about.

[@TymeTraveling777]

When she hits it with the rock every time 😂 💀

[@NecroMorrius]

The flower/fungi used reborn Levi to blast hollow and Kamen with a beam of pure fucking PERSPECTIVE. Amazing.

[@markingpliers1959]

This show is AMAZING, not only is it good story and characters, but I also saw myself connecting with the show on a spiritual level, I felt like I was able to see the battles in my own Christian faith laid out to me

[@paperboyproductions4479]

I'd imagine this is what an orchestra looks like to the ear.

[@toofar2real]

I been discovering some really good adult animations this month, rick and morty, pantheon, and now scavengers reign. So creative

[@msteiner8888]

Some other ones you may want to check out - Castlevania, Arcane, Primal, Blue Eyed Samurai

[@voidjuice]

This scene really felt like the culmination of the entire series. And that poor creature, stuck between it's basic instinct for survival, how it carries out survival, and the immense mental pain of a man dealing with the consequences of his own actions, who's only course of action appears to remove everything that causes that man pain. I feel bad for it, being cast away like that after carrying Kamen's pain for so long. This could be speculation (seeing as they set everything up for a season 2 but that hasn't been confirmed yet), but I think they were melded together for so long that in consciousness they were fused and mixed together, and in separation each is a fragment of this new consciousness. I think this is why the creature looked back and didn't want to leave, and why Kamen doesn't exactly act human anymore and seemingly relates more to that tripedal creature the telekinetic ones used for food harvesting before. Idk, I love this series and I hope they do more with it.

[@toto13821]

Pure SF conception

[@RoboJules]

I remember having an experience like this on Ayahuasca.

[@lumpyize]

The art style and way this enviroment and animals are created reminds of some comic i read like 10-12 years ago about people on other planet in space but i cant remember at all what it was called

[@zacclay6478]

THIS sequence should have been the intro credits of each episode.

[@silverdrago6399]

Would've killed the significance, this is supposed to be climactic and pivotal

[@carver5.56]

The truth of the universe is pure probability, it all returns to numbers

[@joechao]

The Tree of Life + 2001: A space Odyssey

[@commandery3574]

exactly what i thought

[@ka-boom2083]

The world of Vesta

[@smoati9ap309]

as i understood this, this alien basically broke evolution by devouring and manipulating far beyond its place in the food chain, so nature itself nulled its advancement. By the way, it also never showed an inclination to reproduce, which is another 'crime against nature', if you allow it. Some parallels can be drawn with that humans are. But humankind (at least in this series) "did better" than this species, and thus prevailed. But maybe it's a fleeting victory...

[@ivegotavandetta]

I still have a feels for the hollow at the end. 😂

[@cineturon]

Just finished the series - oh my GOD

[@veronicareichenthal1553]

I definitely believe Hollow & Kamen swapped consciousness here. Just look at "Kamen"'s behavior through the rest of the episode... They're unable to walk, they have to be carried bridal style in basically the next scene; and then at the very end in the green house! That's what truly made me believe because here you see Kamen who has no affinity towards plants that we can tell nor the crew in any meaningful way & but they're there with Ursula who's thanks goes unanswered except for a silent half-lidded glance only for "Kamen" to then turn & gently hold out a hand to the very first creature we see Hollow interacting with in EP 1. There has to be another season or I'll die

[@XBloodyBaneX]

I like to think their consciousness' were combined in both bodies. What was Kamen and the Hollow are gone, and what both the Hollow and Kamen are now are the same consciousness experiencing two separate lives. One as a Hollow, and one as a human. A mind that is foreign but familiar in both bodies, experiencing both lives from entirely new perspectives. I think the simpler brain make up of the Hollow's body allowed for it to handle the Truth of the Universe more easily, letting it get up and walk off without too much trouble. While Kamen's more complex human brain, capable of deeper thinking, was stuck trying to process everything.

[@volsung2511]

Good story needs conclusion and ending. Don’t we have enough ruined shows that were stretched beyond original story capacity, ending up as a corpse of itself being milked by producers?

[@bubblybreeze8795]

Please help me find the title of that song :) Ohhhhh my audiophilia was PEAKINGss

[@JohnVance]

That sequence reminded me a lot of [S] ACT 7.

[@OfLanceTheLonginus]

Ech don’t bring up that garbage

[@mmak4371]

This was some deus ex anime of a resolution and i loved it

[@Geneva_suggestions]

Bro really couldn't handle the truth

[@mythcat1273]

Not even fine art can escape the "bro really ___[summarizes what's going on]___" comments

[@Triggermangravy]

@casualbird7671 this ain't HD?

[@Wizard_Level_1]

I like that ultimately it isn't violence that resolves conflict here.

[@Chitchattrist]

🎉

[@chardiemacdenniselectroboo3480]

What the song was in second part of this short? Keyman theme i consider, so sad and tragedy, i want find it full. Hlp me s one😢

[@pepinyostep3592]

Some please tell me what music was played during this scene?!??

[@casualbird7671]

I think the music is titled "Secrets of the Universe"

[@rogeriosousa9474]

Song name "Vesta"

[@OfLanceTheLonginus]

Praise Levi

[@bhikkhu]

5-MeO-DMT #iykyk

[@RamiSakoTOOL]

2001: A space Odyssey

[@asura8495]

still dont understand why the hollow was carrying Kamen around in his belly

[@Ruby-xk8kn]

Symbiotic relationship, the hollow actually reminded me a lot of no-face from spirited away. Started off innocent but Kamens inner demons and self hatred turned the hollow into a monster (like how no face got corrupted by greed and gluttony)

[@BE-fw1lr]

I think it really did love him, in its own way, in whatever way a creature like it is capable of. Kamen asked it to take the pain away, and it did that by keeping him cocooned inside itself, safe from the world outside.

[@user-st2iu4cl8e]

Influenced by 2001: Space Odyssey

[@firstlast3241]

Do not watch this show High!!! It’ll blow your FCKING MIND!

[@mmmmmmmmm95]

No voy a negar la naturaleza hermosa y antinihilista de la secuencia, pero eso es un tremendo deus ex machima, quizás... ¿Dios le dio el poder milagroso a Leví para curar al monstruo?

[@gimo6881]

Algunas persona también deberían ser antinhilistas y ver la belleza ante sus ojos.

[@ainequesadadiaz3813]

Cuando el monstruo intentó conectar con la mente de Levi se encontró con el hongo amarillo, que tiene las memorias de todo el planeta, creo que fue demasiado para él y por eso “explotó” o volvió a su estado original natural

[@myhlanoelsalsa8690]

No fue Dios en si, fue mas bien una reaccion completamente desconocida para al universo que se dio cuando los 2 seres mas anatomicamente complejos del planeta estuvieron a punto de unirse. Like, si en dicho planeta hasta el bicho mas comun tiene una biologia que parece un chiste contado por Darwin borracho, imagina que habra pasado con Levi y Hollow

[@mmmmmmmmm95]

@@myhlanoelsalsa8690 entonces si es Dios, o que marranada cientifica vas a decir que el robot tenia un mecanismo magico de fuerza lenta para curar el mal de la criatura

[@vanev9951]

@@myhlanoelsalsa8690 "tiene una biología que parece un chiste contado por Darwin borracho" 😂 Muy acertado.

[@vincesega6885]

This show had so much potential! 😢

[@ethanandrews840]

it fulfulled that potential why are you dissapointed

[@vincesega6885]

@@ethanandrews840 The art and atmosphere were unmatched. And this sequence alone might have been worth sitting through the whole show. Don't let it blind you, though. The characters were hot garbo with the exception of maybe Sam and Ursula. Everyone else though, was so damn boring, stupid, and/or unrelatable that I just could not be invested in them AT ALL. They had an expert team of artists, but an inexperienced writing team.

[@vincesega6885]

@@ethanandrews840 I didn't like the writing. I just wasn't very invested in the characters.