Senator Armstrong - A Deconstruction of Villainy

More than just a meme.

[@rohankishibe6433]

"Raiden calls armstrong insane, as if thats a disqualifying factor in American politics." Truer words have never been spoken.

[@sorryimcringe]

I died laughing when I heard that at work

[@michaelatlas2341]

Because his idea of a good and responsible politician is that of the one who reads from the teleprompter and says all the correct things all the time, while they do the exact opposite of what they claim, while keeping their atrocities hidden, which is something the "good" people/American, that you and this ytber clearly think you are, absolutely love. Nothing says moderation and intelligence like slowly dehumanising your political opponents down to the individual! Yay for democracy!

[@djroscurro9859]

especially true in light of recent events lmao

[@GuilmonLover2010]

@rohankishibe6433: Unfortunately. Being insane *should* disqualify you from politics.

[@dansmith1661]

They have rules about disallowing crippled people from running for President and Roosevelt still got elected, four times. It's all acceptable if you fooled the people.

[@thorny7138]

Not only would Sen. Armstrong get votes, he'd be VERY popular.

[@SomeoneThatExists-rj5oo]

I mean he is now

[@dasrubberduck7331]

He’s gonna make America great again 🇺🇸🦅

[@stev3548]

I'd vote for him, no contest.

[@geronimo5537]

He had my vote after that first sentence when we get asked if he would get votes. Restoring freedom of the individual and the right to choose.

[@Ticketman99]

How would Pres. Sears have done in comparison?

[@theshermantanker7043]

The fact that a guy like him is still more willing to give someone on the other side a chance than the average political person today soeaks volumes

[@justinweber4977]

So, a Teddy Roosevelt. Fun fact, Teddy wanted to fight in WWI, but the army denied his attempt because they were worried about what an ex-president being killed in battle would do to national morale.

[@zaffran1117]

sad but true lol

[@Butter_Warrior99]

@@justinweber4977 That’s a nice anecdote, why don’t you back it up with a source?

[@elemperadordemexico]

​@@Butter_Warrior99my source is that I made it the fuck up

[@tiglishnobody8750]

@@justinweber4977 Also King George VI and even Winston Churchill wanted to enter into direct military in WW2 as they both once serving in army before but in the end they decide not to, not only they bit too old but also they worry how would Uk react if they lose King and Prime Minster altogether in war

[@Wolf_Dominic]

To be honest, he’s almost like Thanos in a way. He knows exactly what the problem is, but his solution to the problem is the most horrible, and insane solution anyone can think of.

[@nottarealname8067]

That's an interesting but accurate viewpoint..

[@sebastianfilip6459]

True . There us nothing wrong with wanting freedom. But how Armstrong wanted to implemented and the methods he used to achieve his goal are wrong

[@DrakeKnight99]

No he fucking isn't. Thanos was a guy trying to wipe out half the universe for a booty call and the mcu one is a pseudophilosophic dumb ass Watch Panther as Star Lord. He couldve used the Embers to fix everything but then again the mcu is plagued with shitty writing and retconned lore

[@vudangtung5638]

​@@sebastianfilip6459Armstrong was the eren before eren then lol. Armstrong solution to freedom is cull the weak, and eren takes it a step further and decided that the solution to freedom is kill literally everyone else lmao.

[@viking1430]

@@vudangtung5638 Armstrong strongly believed on his own ideals, while Eren ended up being a pathetic cuck who didn't even knew what he was doing. I 100% blame twitter, zoomers and the editor for messing up Isayama's work, assuming he's not a hack.

[@acgearsandarms1343]

MGR was surprisingly right about the memes. The game outlived and surpassed it’s own story. Ahead of its time, truly. Memes aside, Armstrong is just… a very good antagonist.

[@jjtheenton]

If I had a nickel for every time a Metal Gear game featuring Raiden as the protagonist contained political and social commentary that only became more and more relevant each passing year, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?

[@theRobson0908]

I feel like raiden shines because he's much more "vulnerable" as a character at least it feels to me that I can connect more to Raiden and less to solid,naked,venom snake i sadly dont player all games of the series just 2,3,5 and rising

[@athos9293]

@@jjtheenton Crazy how everything is meme here, including what i just wrote

[@Astrael_Yearly]

isn't there an american division about memes?

[@breadbucket66]

​@@jjtheentonanother day for thanking god that Raiden isn't the main guy of mgs4 or we are absolutely fucked

[@ShinigamiSparda]

The fact the Armstrong is a "might makes right" villain that *actually believes* might makes right both makes him unique and terrifying because... you can't really argue with him. Try to claim good triumphed over evil? *Nope.* You just beat him at his own game. You followed his rules, and you were just the better player. So many "might makes right" villains crumble at the end, revealing it as just a flimsy argument for them to be in charge. The fact Armstrong at the end goes "Yup, you win. You make the rules now" and follows through on his stated philosophy makes him extremely difficult to beat in a battle of ideals. And in the end... Yeah, he and Raider *aren't* so different. Armstrong is all like "I want a world where the strong take what they want and the weak are extinguished, and I'll kill anyone in my way to do it." Meanwhile Raiden is like "I want a world where the strong protect the weak, where the hungry and poor are fed and taken care of... *and I'll kill anyone in my way to do it."*

[@ForOne814]

I mean, that's because might does make right. That's just how the world works. You can do whatever you want, including good things, if you have enough power to do so. And if you don't, your ideals are irrelevant, because you'll be forced to do what someone else wants. Any law works only as long as it's enforced, after all.

[@kylehankins5988]

@@ForOne814the concept of “right” is about what should happen not about what does happen. Either way people often choose to construct institutions around their moral/ethical beliefs.

[@ForOne814]

​@@kylehankins5988 depends on the definition. Stuff like "human rights" is absolutely more of a guiding principle and not an actual enforceable thing. They are about what should be done, and rarely things that are being done even remotely follow those notions. To the point that I honestly don't care about them, those are just buzzwords to me. But property rights, labor rights, gun rights? Those are both docrtinal and actual enforceable rights. They are both about what should happen and what is happening. Those are actually important. My actual point is, while you can disagree with the principle, you can't change it. And because you can't change it, you should follow if, if you wish to achieve desirable results. Whatever those results are is irrelevant.

[@HungVu-ec3jk]

it was "the weak should get stronger" for armstrong, he doesn't hate the weak, he just doesn't care (about neither the strong nor the weak)

[@kylehankins5988]

@@HungVu-ec3jk he was indifferent to almost everyone involved, although that doesn’t make his ideas any less insane.

[@lexcentrique2554]

In Senator Armstrong's defense, the nanomachines aren't JUST a cheat. When you realize that Raiden is also augmented, it means nothing anymore. The bigger aspect of the nanomachines are that the senator's enhancements are completely invisible, giving the illusion that he's fighting with his own hands, instead of for something he doesn't understand. This shows very well with his 5 minutes speech: He was being cornered by Raiden and beaten up, but once he began to talk about his own speech, he slowly began to regain strength. Armstrong is not just powered by money... he's powered by convictions. There's a reason why he doesn't use a blade or anything else but relies on brute force, mankind's oldest weapon.

[@ravenoferin500]

And ain't there nothing more American than that son? While guns are in the DNA since literally landing here the modern American loves their strongmen, the football player, the boxer, the MMA fighter. There's something about seeing someone beat the absolute tar out of another that drives the modern man to cheers. Maybe it's feeling impotent compared to all these heroes we have raised. Can't start a nation like the founding fathers or win the West like mythological cowboys but damn can I punch whatever. Punch it so hard that everyone has to see reason. It's America at it's most cartoonish and controllable. The dreams of politicians and populist is to control that wave and to direct it as they see fit.

[@lexcentrique2554]

@@ravenoferin500 Not just American, pop... universal it is. As much as fists were outdone by bullets, there is always that masculine pride in being able to punch somebody so hard they start to see stars. There's a reason why Popeye decides to throw haymakers instead of unloading a gatling magazine on Bluto. There's a reason why boxers wear gloves and not shotguns. The naked body is a weapon that's universal to mankind even back in the days where they were physically closer to monkeys. Even with nothing but underwears equipped, you can still ball up your fist and punch. Tie your fists and you can still kick somebody. Tie your legs and you can still headbutt somebody. No matter how many fancy stuff you use to fight... your body is always ready for an ol' fashioned beatup.

[@BetterCaulipowerSall-vq9yn]

A character's strength is dependent on their political convictions.

[@billycotcamp]

It's not necessarily political conviction or anything in that matter. It's the aspect of realizing that in this day and age. It's either you push your morals on to someone else. Or they push theirs on to you. It's been that way for ages. It's just that we keep forgett, and we let the fantasy of new ages, clouds, ower judgments of what we still do. Or what we should do.

[@alexcat6685]

22:34

[@marcgittard9534]

"That's a nice argument, senator. But why don't you back it up with a source!?" "My source is that I made it the fuck up!"

[@juanmejiagomez5514]

Exquisite meme Jack

[@ayden4870]

Heh heh, Max0r go brrrrr

[@arx3516]

I always thought that when Armstrong says "weak" he doesn't actually mean the powerless, the disadvantaged in society, but rather the "morally weak", people without conviction, without willpower, the kind of people that drifts along the current of life, those who let themselves be easily influenced. And by contrast, the "strong" are the people who have the balls to stand up for what they believe in, those who work hard to accomplish their dreams. Wich i think fits perfectly with the American myth, Armstrong wants America to go back to the time of the frontier, a society of self made men. And Raiden is the perfect example of Armstrong's ideal, he was a child soldier and managed to survive, he was a tool of the Patriots and managed to break free from their control.

[@melly7921]

You explained this perfectly. America has deep roots in the values of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps”. I don’t really know how to articulate this right now but conviction and the desire to be something more permeate American culture, and that is what Armstrong wants for all of the country.

[@WallNutBreaker524]

Indeed.

[@UmbraBree]

This is actually his point. But he poorly articulates it to the point the video completely misses his point

[@CrowXIII]

The latter is what he means, the former is what it obviously would happen

[@Chillipeffer]

This is what Armstrong's first theme, "Collective Consciousness" criticizes; those souls who didn't have the confidence to establish themselves in society and better themselves rather giving in to their existence as one person in a land of many, along with the upper class that manipulates them into carrying out their will for them.

[@berkgulec5819]

I always thought Armstrong's idea of strong isn't purely physical but overall strength. Like a smart person is also considered strong for him.

[@kjj26k]

The first king may very well not have been the strongest warrior in the tribe, but the rather the best at manipulation who convinced the strongest he had ideas so good he should be the one who tells everyone what to do.

[@Gustav_Kuriga]

That's exactly correct. He isn't just talking about physical strength.

[@MHAOvercharged]

That's the same point I have about Armstrong. He doesn't mean it by physical only. He means it mentally as well. With great strength, it's useless without a strong mentality. You'd only have a barbarian if strength is dominant

[@laerbear6760]

Yes. Though it's not enough to be smart. He sees people who risk themselves to satisfy their desires as strong. A politician sending soldiers to die for something they don't believe in is the ultimate weakness to him.

[@haydentravis3348]

Not because they're smart, but because they've used their intelligence to gain power over others. It's all domination with these types of people.

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

"Raiden destroys the death murder robot, Then, armstrong marches out and beats the crap out of raiden with his bare fists" is a sentence that could ONLY come from the Metal Gear Franchise.

[@alexcat6685]

12:04

[@MrSpartan993]

Maybe Devil May Cry too.

[@DreamyAileen]

Armstrong's reliance on nanomachines for his physical strength is perfectly in line with his worldview. Being able to lead people and convince them to do what you want _is_ a strength.

[@HarleyHerbert]

yeah, even if a person isn't physically strong there's still other strengths they can use to get what they want, whether it be intelligence or charisma or willpower or whatever else. Physical strength isn't the only way to get what you want and Armstrong seems to acknowledge this fully

[@Bluedragon-iz3oo]

I look it more as, if you aren’t strong, then get stronger. He acknowldge that Raiden was weak at one point and grew to become stronger. So it is not the power you are born into, but power that you have. Nanomachine are just one way to obtain power, and it is foolish not to use it. I feel it is wrong for Brett to call him hypocritical for this. It is totally in line of his philosophy.

[@Lord.Mind_Flayer]

I though it was pretty clear he was talking about will power , those who are willing to stand up for what they belive in and fight for it.

[@user-uv5ld3cx5t]

@@Bluedragon-iz3oo It is hypocritical as that nanomachine tech (along with the shitton of stuff he bought and/or hired) is clearly not a product of sheer willpower, but a fuckton of employees and the finance to fund and maintain everything. Which means financial and social prowess (as Armstrong could not have had gain access to clearly unusual technology were he to not have statuses). Which means tangible, quantified strength.

[@user-hliudpn]

He isn't self controlled, which is strength.

[@Matt_History]

Every single enemy in MGR used augments, Armstrong using them is not cheating. It literally serves as an explanation as to why he isn't destroyed by his own men or Raiden.

[@meepfanmeepster8620]

I think what brett is referring to is while Armstrong states he desires individual strength he is infact relying on the collective support of those who made the nanomachines

[@mfmageiwatch]

​@@meepfanmeepster8620no, he's using his own resources to buy those things. His world view is intact, even if this brainlet video essayist does not get it. That's like saying someone in the wild west with a similar world view was cheating by using a 6 shooter instead of his fists. It's idiotic.

[@____________838]

I’d love to know if he had that size and physique prior to the nanomachines.

[@maniacone4499]

Not everyone. Jetstream Sam has no augments and was still able to hold his ground against Raiden.

[@____________838]

@@maniacone4499 “Samuel Rodrigues, also known as Jetstream Sam and Minuano (ミヌアノ, Minuano?), was a cyborg mercenary involved with the Desperado PMC group who fought against Raiden during the events of 2018. “ “Sam did not have many cybernetic enhancements, as Raiden discovered upon killing him, having maintained most of his original body. Instead, he was equipped with a powered exoskeleton (serial number 977-AZQEE) that enhanced his strength, durability, speed and agility to incredible superhuman levels, as a means of matching up to other cyborgs. Sam's only cybernetic replacement was his right arm, although he displayed great skill in the use of his Murasama sword prior to this.”

[@nickpolatas8433]

Kojima’s understanding of the American psyche is always incredible.

[@NightCap7]

Hideo Kojima had very little to do with this game as it released

[@runbaa9285]

​@@NightCap7he was still a consultant, so every story element had to be approved by him. It's in the gameplay where he was truly hands-off

[@rakshithanand8262]

@@NightCap7 The story of MGR was done in collaboration with Kojipro after the decision was made to shift from a prequel to a sequel of MGS4, Kojima was brought in to consult.

[@Web720]

Makes sense he is a Westaboo.

[@magnawaves]

Kojima wants to be american so bad

[@MyViolador]

"Fk 24/7 of trivia and celebrity bullshirt and the media" He got a point there

[@Joe-xq3zu]

Man would get my vote just for that

[@HuneeBruh]

He would definitely vote for that TikTok ban lmao

[@OriginalTrapstar]

I love how Armstrong changes his attitude when he thought he got through to raiden. It shows his honesty. He doesn’t want war to have war he admits he wants one last war to end all wars. A man by his word as insane as it is. He sticks by his goal and doesn’t deviate. He wants exactly what he says. So yes he definitely would win if he was real 😂😂😂

[@ElBandito]

Nah, Armstrong looks for tools he can use to further his own interest. The man was a manipulative politician through and through.

[@MsMrapplepie]

Well, most Americans would have the same mindset towards old enemies too, so long as they’re “genuine” or serve our interests. You don’t think the U.S would love to get along with Russia more? The only thing stopping us is a difference in idealogy

[@mote_vengador2832]

​@@MsMrapplepieideology isn't the problem it has to do with economics and worldwide influence

[@deauthorsadeptus6920]

​@@mote_vengador2832Kinda. Same deal with Europe, there is many cooperation, but the second us isn't on first place...they are on their own. This is a dirty game, and you can prosper in peace only by being the best, one way or another.

[@mote_vengador2832]

@@deauthorsadeptus6920 sadly it is like that but eventually one way or the other the superpowers would have to cooperate further

[@thetemporaryusername]

Armstrong is a type of villain that I've been craving more of for a long time: A caricature of the negative aspects of American Exceptionalism, but presented in the bombastic and undeniably contagiously fun way that American patriotism tends to present itself with. In the same way Captain America represents the ideals that America strives for, Armstrong represents the ugly realities of America and its culture, but presented in an equally stars-and-stripes-laden package. It's a form of villainy that presents itself with the look and feel of the good guy. It's a very realistic portrayal of how villains can be compelling ideologically and aesthetically, using a real-world template that we're very familiar with. We need more things like this.

[@kingofhearts3185]

Homelander from The Boys hits the same beat. Putting on the mask of this god loving, america first patriot, wearing the flag as a cape. And then you hear him complain about the marketing bs they make him say and realize he doesn't care about anyone but himself and his image in the most cynical ways possible.

[@geronimo5537]

Hmm I would as armstrong is right up there with the illusive man from mass effect. Humanity first, make humanity great again. Humanity will lead the other species.

[@URangryX]

Nicely stated.

[@JMObyx]

I wonder which characer represents a positive caracature of American Exceptionalism?

[@SomeGuy_Somewhere]

Armstrong directly rejects American Exceptionalism in literally very next cutscene when he talks about how America is rotten to the core & how he hates American pride & everything around it. He's anarchistic to the highest degree.

[@supremcaos]

Saying Armstrong is a "cheater" for his nanomachines is like saying Raiden is one for his cybernetic enhancements. The strength Armstrong refers to isn't a purely physical one anyways.

[@dean_l33]

I didn't even realize he ignore raiden cybernetics completely

[@mercury2157]

Raiden didn't ask to be a cyborg though, to be fair. Considering the lengths Armstrong went to in order to conceal his augmentation, it's safe to say he did.

[@supremcaos]

@@mercury2157 He did ask for an upgraded body, considering he would have never been able to defeat the winds, let alone Armstrong, with his older one.

[@jakobwilliamzachariassen2640]

i'd even go as far as to argue it's perfectly fine under his own ideals, just be strong enough to get the nanites, whether that being to get yourself into the position where you have access to it legally, or just stealing it or what have you, that's perfectly fine in his own ideology, armstrong became a politian through various 'strengths' like charisma, intelligence and through having made connections and the like, that strength gave him access to the nanites.

[@josephbolton5893]

@@supremcaos Well. He was originally turned into a cyborg when the Patriots abducted him and forced those modifications onto him. So yeah, he didn't ask to be a cyborg. But he did ask to get that upgraded body after Sam nearly killed him. Still agree with your initial point anyway.

[@WorcestershireBoneMan]

To Armstrong, the nanomachines are just another gun, and he's just the right American with a licence

[@SinHurr]

"Licenses are for pussies." - Armstrong, probably

[@thegatorhator6822]

Completely lost my mind when I played this a decade ago and he quoted both Martin Luther King Jr and Ronald Reagan in the span of like 3 and a half minutes.

[@dragoknight589]

I think Armstrong failing to see the flaw in his logic gave him a crucial weakness in his fight with Raiden. When Blade Wolf showed up with Sam’s Murasama, he doesn’t believe Wolf would be willing to sacrifice himself to let Raiden kill him. He tries to intimidate him. If he helps Raiden, he’s dooming himself. Armstrong believes that if you want a job done right, you need to have the strength to do it yourself. He doesn’t believe in self-sacrifice to further a cause. So when Wolf challenges this line of thinking with his own actions, Armstrong’s completely blindsided. He goes for Wolf instead of trying to maybe catch the Murasama or something. He only sees Wolf as another one of the nonsense-spouting helpless nobodies he’s purging.

[@StarshadowMelody]

If I remember right, Wolf said something to the effect of "Yes, I am programmed to value my own well being first and foremost" or something _and then immediately contradicting what he just said his programming is._

[@Drekromancer]

@@StarshadowMelody He showed that he's more than his programming, and more than his selfish nature - which instantly refuted Armstrong's entire worldview. That's powerful stuff.

[@dragoknight589]

@@johndoe8655 Armstrong’s a hypocrite, though. He sees the nanomachines as his own power, even though he just bought the enhancements. My point is not that Armstrong doesn’t see the value of collective effort. My point is that he doesn’t understand what Wolf would have to gain from self-sacrifice. Wolf does end up surviving, of course, but I feel like that’s more because Armstrong didn’t get the chance to completely finish him off.

[@dragoknight589]

@@StarshadowMelody Wolf doesn’t contradict it, but rather states that he’s moved beyond his programming. He says something like “I can establish my own parameters and directives now, so I’m choosing to prioritize Raiden kicking your ass over my ass remaining intact”

[@DeathMessenger1988]

Heh, it's less that Blade Wolf was pointing out a flaw in his logic, and more like Blade Wolf was applying Armstrong's logic to himself. He decides to make his own choices and fight. Armstrong, following the logic, just accepted the challenge and started punching, may the best man/dog/being win.

[@reflectingdoggo278]

I think you missed a great opportunity to talk about how gameplay can show a character's personality Raiden, for example, moves with agility and grace while chopping his enemies to bits, showing his combat experience as well as his ruthlessness. However, Armstrong is different. Armstrong is by far the easiest boss is block/parry in MGRR because all his attacks are so slow and telegraphed, showing just how inexperienced he is. However, he is still dangerous due to his massive health bar, his fire attacks that are hard to avoid, his powerful melee that hit like a truck, his throwing building at you that you have to cut precisely, his self healing that you can interrupt if you're quick. Everything is due to his nanomachines. All this helps show, (remember show, dont tell) you about Armstrong's worst and best traits. He is powerful not because he is hard working or talented but simply because he is rich enough to buy a shortcut. But on the other hand, he fights more honourably than every other boss (except Jetstream Sam) Mistral uses Dwarf Geckos to harass you while you fight. Monsoon uses smoke grenades and uses his unique body to attack from a distance and avoid attacks. While also throwing helicopters, and giant spinning wheels of death. Sundowner uses a helicopter to attack and harass you. He uses explosive shields, and he sends goons and swings massive poles at you when he starts losing. Compared to that, Armstrong may be a privileged, powerful villain but he has ideals and principles, and you can see that in how he fights because, unlike all those bosses he doesn't fight dirty and accepts his loss with dignity I had to rewrite this comment 5 times because KZbin kept crashing.

[@gabrielblanchard3081]

Great comment

[@thefallen2220]

He does throw giant debris tho

[@Omega-jg4oq]

This is no longer a comment, it's fcking document

[@LordTyph]

Um... I'd point out that the dude makes it a point that his training is military and sports. He doesn't have refined swordsmanship like Jetstream Sam or advanced cybernetic bodies like the other Winds. He's slower and clunkier because he's a fleshy human bolstered by Nanomachines (, son). It's not that he's inexperienced, he's just not as refined as Sam or as advanced as people like Monsoon. Not only that, due straight up calls out Raiden's attempt to play him up as some suit only for him to point out that not only did he go to a more 'standard' college, he actually gave up a pro career in football to serve his country. Dude's more of a hard worker than you give him credit for, and does care about America. Too bad he's also ****ing nuts.

[@hjalmarrosen3681]

Nice

[@filipvadas7602]

The relationship between Raiden and Armstrong, despite having such a short time to develop, is arguibly the highlight of their interaction. Despite seeing the former as a threat to his plans, Armstrong sees Raiden as the perfect example of a "self made man". A child soldier who survived, was trained to be Snake's equal and became a nigh unstoppable cyborg "vigilante" And as far as Armstrong's idea of "strength" its probably not literal strength, but *moral* strength. Someone who is unwilling to compromise his own morals for something as base as greed and where politics doesn't get in the way of good people like Raiden dealing out true justice. Its why he's not too mad at dying once he realises that Raiden's eyes have sort of been opened by his journey throughout the story. Like he said, he left behind a worthy successor.

[@joecroft4274]

As insane as Armstrong is, his perspective on war is more noble than our current understanding. War is young men dying and old men talking as the quote goes. But in Armstrongs world people will fight on their own terms instead of being shipped off to a country they don’t know to a war they don’t want to fight for reasons they’ll never truly understand. At least if Armstrong’s word existed, if people were going to fight they’d be fighting and dying on their own terms for their own reasons which is arguably better than what we currently have.

[@ferrik1675]

Except even that idea is flawed, because the idea of unrestricted power being based on strength ultimately means being unrestricted from just… Forcing people to fight for you. And having people fight for you, would be called war. His ideology would come full circle into the same society he complains about, where the masses (or in this case, the weak) become sheep to the few (or in this case, the strong). The strong would simply reinforce weakness amongst those below them, because why not? Nothing’s stopping them from doing so. So, no, you’d still end up with young men dying and old men talking.

[@lamcb.9476]

The whole bit where Armstrong is so happy that Raiden caves in only to be betrayed three seconds later after a almost vulnerable handshake and hug, you can’t help but briefly feel sorry for him, he is THAT charismatic. As batshit insane as he was, he was still charismatic as hell

[@Humaricslastcall]

Batshit insane, and in any other time wouldn't be even given a time of day... but if he actually existed, he'd get votes. He'd be quite bipartisan, and maybe he could actually achieve the goal he wanted if he doesn't drive the country into the ground.

[@Kim_YoJong]

He's not insane. This world is.

[@CrazedFloridaMan]

​@@Kim_YoJonghe was kidnapping children and stealing their organs alongside making them fight wars

[@revengance4149]

@@Kim_YoJong #Im14andthisisdeep

[@Kim_YoJong]

@revengance4149 I'm 37 and Armstrong is right.

[@tristansylvester1079]

Holy shit i just realized. Armstrong tells jack to "fight for something you believe in" and he literally does. Once he has sams sword, jack starts fighting for an ideal hes always believed in but denied: revenge God this game is so fucking GOOD

[@chenkaichuang8305]

REVENGEance you might call it

[@ruzgar1372]

I am not up to the complete lore of Metal Gear games. Why would Raiden want revenge from Desperado? Because they produce the same kinds of child soldiers like how he was once?

[@tristansylvester1079]

@ruzgar1372 revenge specifically might not be exactly correct, but Raiden has multiple reasons to hate desperado. Child soldiers, them starting wars, death of the president and his injuries from the beginning. If you wanted to stretch you could say this was sams revenge too for what Armstrong did to him.

[@autistic_rat1234]

Putting aside all the fighting, I feel bad for Armstrong when jack is tricking Armstrong by giving false hope. He Picks jack up, dusts him off, and even gives jack a hug. When jack tricked Armstrong and pushes him aside you can see the pure disappointment in his face, like bro was just looking for a friend 😢.

[@ElBandito]

Nah, Armstrong looks for tools he can use to further his own interest. The man was a manipulative politician through and through.

[@land_and_air1250]

He was delusional. He thought that his strength up till that point had granted him through self interest and because he deserved to win up till that point through being strong that therefore Jack would agree with him. It was his defeat ideologically before the physical loss he would soon face

[@meh4294]

Bro you took his bait 😭

[@user-tg7st1be2r]

@@ElBandito I don’t really agree with that he just wanted to be on the same side as one is the epitomes of strength

[@ElBandito]

@@user-tg7st1be2r Easy to be on the same side with strength when one is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and is a Senator. Never be fooled by demagogues.

[@william2glaser227]

He sounds like less of a villain then any politician we have today, you could’ve convinced me he was the protagonist if you wanted to

[@land_and_air1250]

He would have the world burn to live in a world where he is the only free man

[@william2glaser227]

@@land_and_air1250 at least there would be one truely free man

[@Hariburger]

Um dude, hes training child soldiers so they can commit heinous acts so he can jumpstart the war economy. Even if his end goal is to end the war economy, him torturing kids and abusing the system he claims to hate just shows how insane he is. His ideals are admirable, but hes evil at the end of the day.

[@william2glaser227]

@@Hariburger are you suggesting that current us politicians wouldn’t do that?

[@kitsune6363]

​​@@william2glaser227"Government is more gooder in real life then Armstrong the bad guy, the news and my favorite entertainers and influencers said so (I actually have no clue what happens in the world but if anyone tells me about the WEF and NWO that's just a conspiracy theory!1!!)"

[@iggytheincubus]

I want to point out something that you missed in your essay Watch the end credits scene. Raiden quotes Armstrong a couple times as he talks to his people, talking about people fighting in wars they don't understand, for causes they don't believe in, and how he has his own war to fight. For better and for worse, Armstrong's ideology does live on in Raiden

[@giratina6665]

there's a lack of information about what exactly Raiden inherits. My interpretation for example is that he indeed started to aggree with a violent overthrow of the status quo but probably not with Armstrongs AnCap hellscape

[@Binary_Kommando]

@@giratina6665 Communism heaven would be a better way to express Ancap hellscape.

[@zacheryeckard3051]

​@@Binary_KommandoCommunism is incompatible with capitalism. Capitalism is a reification of class interests and conflict. Communism is the elimination of the worker/owner distinction. Classless, Stateless, Moneyless.

[@slkjvlkfsvnlsdfhgdght5447]

no it doesn't, Raiden has said such things himself before he even met Armstrong, not to mention that he's only agreeing with him about the state of the world, NOT about ideology

[@JohnDoe-og2bt]

@@slkjvlkfsvnlsdfhgdght5447 If Armstrong had his way Raiden wouldn't be considered a terrorist for doing the right thing

[@kainewton-tm7zr]

Something that i noticed when Armstrong dies is that he completely covers Raiden's shadow when he falls, reinforcing the fact that Raiden and Armstrong are the same,since Raiden carved his path through sheer determination and strengh and that is exactly what Armstrong was talking about when he was giving his speech about the strong purging the weak. This means that Armstrong was just the shadow of Raiden, they WERE the same.

[@Lightna]

Even the song during the final boss fight reflects this and the neat part of that particular song is who is singing it? Is it our hero? Or is it the villain? Either way, the two of them came to the same conclusion and yet had massively different paths to reach that conclusion.

[@marcelberes469]

​@@LightnaI've seen many treat it as a dialogue between them.

[@kainewton-tm7zr]

​@@Lightna I heard that the theme that plays when you fight the MG Excelsius (Collective Consciousness) is Raiden's perspective of Armstrong and his morals before his speech and how he believes Armstrong is just another corrupt ruler, somewhat similar to Big Brother in 1984. The theme after he realises Armstrong has a different philosophy than just "Control the people's thoughts, Control the economy" shows that in a way, Raiden agrees with him, but its too late for talking out of it after Raiden gets Sam's sword, hence the name "It Has To Be This Way", he didn't want to fight Armstrong, but at that point he had to. idk tho, its up for negotiation since there's multiple views on it and that's just my view. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[@Nlghtmal2e_PSO2NGS]

and after the end credit Raiden actually keep on fighting , keeping Armstrong's legacy on going .

[@theenderdestruction2362]

​@@Lightnaive always seen it as the two doing it in unison sorta

[@Alexthe360Great]

I think Japan has a better handle on American culture and politics than we do. I wonder what else they see in us.

[@thereseemstobeenanerror1219]

Psychotic, and yet justified, a brutally honest man with no care for societal niceties. At least that's the feeling I get, considering how the Japanese. Often interpret Americans as being very frank individuals.

[@iantaakalla8180]

If Metal Gear Rising was made today, I wonder what they would think about Americans now? Insane, unhinged people who are locked in an ideology and can’t budge and still place America above everything else even as they spit on its corpse?

[@omensoffate]

Japan has a way worse history than the us does. It’s hilarious people think Japan is some epitome of good while they have done some of the worst crimes to humanity in the past 150 years

[@Gendo3s2k]

Everyone has weakness, but not everyone is weak

[@Tigran-Abazyan]

Yes and Armstrong will fail to understand it.

[@imigratingbox]

Weak are purged, more weak appear relative to the new situation

[@MegaDrainProductions]

To this day, my favorite reaction to Armstrong is when Super Best Friends played. When Armstrong said, "I have a dream" Matt and Patt both said, "What?" Then Raiden said it too and they just absolutely burst out laughing. God damn poetry right there.

[@MegaToonzNetwork]

You're Armstrong. You know why?

[@thestormtrooperwhocanaim496]

I miss those guys

[@SilentSoul645]

Ahh good times 😔

[@MegaToonzNetwork]

@@SilentSoul645 , do you have huggable arms too?

[@SilentSoul645]

@@MegaToonzNetwork I do 🫂

[@cui8789]

There's a nice detail about Armstrong and Raiden's fight in the cutscene. Raiden manages to briefly get the upper hand while tearing apart Armstrong's supposed reason for his plot. Then when Armstrong finally admits what his real goals are, he gets back to thrashing Raiden easily. In other words, Armstrong is at his most powerful when he is honest about who and what he truly believes.

[@user-uq9se1nx9q]

Or, maybe, it is Raiden who is stronger when he believes he is fighting pure evil

[@teslashark]

It's effectively Raiden's idea too: The dominant worldview always came from the ruling class.

[@Stryfe52]

⁠@@user-uq9se1nx9qOh, definitely. That’d also link back into his tool of justice thing and the Ripper dilemma he had. Struggling against Armstrong wasn’t necessarily because Raiden lacked power, but because he went in trying to slice through Armstrong apart like he was just some purely evil villain. Once Raiden realized the truth of Armstrong and why they really had to be enemies, *that* was when he could finally start the real fight.

[@chriscormac231]

@@teslashark "No matter who wins justice will prevail, because those who win decide what is just" -Donquiote Dofaminco

[@teslashark]

@@chriscormac231 Yeah, Oda and Kojima are pretty open about drawing from Marx's observations about culture formation

[@Firguy]

Senator Armstrong is so memorable because, up until the final boss fight: you never expect him to be the kind of guy who would want to put up a fight but then.. He subverts your expectations and breaks new ground. He's probably the greatest twist final boss since Giygas from Earthbound.

[@samwhy4974]

come to think of it, maybe it wasn't a mistake that Armstrong used nanomachines to get an edge in the fight he knew was coming. he didnt know it WOULD be Raiden but eventually he knew someone would come to challenge, rival, or equal his power. power both symbolically and physically. power in their ideals or the philosophy in strength determining right. carving your own path because no-one can stop you. it takes years, training and incredible motivation to get to where and what Raiden is. so to be able to create that successor or rivaling "hero" Armstrong needed to be the biggest threat in both symbol and presence. only someone who was strong enough in motivation and strength equal to his would be able to take him down. which proves his concept. also something else I noticed at the end; as Armstrong speaks his last words about kindred spirits we see the red light leave his eyes but as the camera pans back to Raiden we see a similar light shine in his. Raiden might not believe in Armstrong's ideals but he nonetheless is proof that they aren't exactly wrong and even that that's not by nature a bad thing. Raiden is free to do good and does, despite it being through the business end of a sword that can cut through almost anything. with that in mind also know that in this world Armstrong envisions a person like Raiden is truly rare, wanting to good and having the strength to do it. mistral killed for the sake, sundowner was a cruel bastard who created child soldiers for fun, monsoon was searching for truth/reason in endless war, and Jetstream Sam was a man who lost himself in pursuit of revenge and eventually didn't even know why he was fighting anymore. each children of Armstrong's beliefs and yet all were to be pitied in some way. which i would list if i had time.

[@VeralionRawr]

You misunderstand. Money is also a form of strength, power. The product of work, influence, skill. He earned his enhancements and did not "cheat" any more than Raiden, who is in a body that is also worth an insane amount of money. Plus, look at him. He's jacked to the point of being peak human. His flesh looks as strong as physically possible. If using nanomachines makes him weak, then relying on a HF blade also makes Raiden weak. Such tools are just necessary to fight in this universe. The greater irony is that a man who espouses radical individualism is powered by billions of cooperating robots.

[@HungVu-ec3jk]

you expect an intangible consciousness to do everything?

[@davidlewis6728]

a lot of people who have never read hubert spencer (or in this case, haven't played the game) assume social darwinism is survival of the physically strongest, ie: muscle and brutality. they are the thickskulled muscle-brains they imagine themselves standing against. survival of the fittest refers to adaptation, fitting in.

[@gokugoalie1817]

Armstrong is the kind of guy I would go to war for. Not because he's a great politician, but because I know he would be jumping around ripping up tanks and truly helping in the war.

[@jooot_6850]

mfw Biden steps in the Ukraine war and obliterates an entire Russian batallion

[@Kim_YoJong]

Same, but for the opposite reason

[@metanightmare4454]

I mean, to be fair, name me ONE politician from the last century that you're truly confident was both morally and mentally upright and had a meaningful impact. The nature of the job itself just attracts the power-hungry, the narcissistic, and the delusional. Y'know, all the people who view themselves as the main characters of real life. So what really makes Armstrong worse than any of them? They're all guilty of similarly twisted aspirations, so why NOT side with the one who genuinely believes in his cause rather than just manipulating everything for his personal benefit and who has the means and competence to succeed in his mission. The bitter truth is that humanity isn't really capable of producing leaders who can be good people while remaining effective in their efforts to bring about change. You often have to fight dirty to accomplish anything, but you probably won't have a very positive impact on the world if you do fight dirty. Damned if you do. Damned if you don't. Entropy will win out in the long run, anyway, so unless you're comfortable just being passive, neutral doormat, there's not really an objectively better option to get behind than someone like Armstrong. It really just comes down to if your subjective ideals are compatible with his.

[@dansmith1661]

I would but YT would censor him. A politician who was put through the grinder of humanity and trashed on his whole life, yet managed to fix everything that plagued his country.@@metanightmare4454

[@iantaakalla8180]

So basically, the only hope for the future is luck that a politician wants what the people want and is hellbent on that front as opposed to human vices?

[@jacobruiter592]

Great breakdown. I genuinely believe that someone grandiose like Armstrong that spouts Nationalism and Individual Strength complimenting community (like you said) would dominate American Culture for the next 100 years. The idealism from the Founding Fathers and call for an united America from Lincoln are literally the basis for everything Americans believe. They all spouted Freedom as being the ultimate ideal. Side note: Abraham Lincoln was SO instrumental to America's Unity we have one of our biggest and most famous Monuments dedicated to the man in our Capital. I swear the air around that place feels different.

[@ElBandito]

Except Lincoln wanted national unity, not anarchy born of "every person for themselves". Lincoln also advocated the emancipation of blacks--"the weak" of the society, which Armstrong wanted to purge. Trust me. when you look deeper, Armstrong is just a madman, fallen into his own hype.

[@geraldfreibrun3041]

Teddy Roosevelt?

[@blancdreemurr55]

One thing I love, is that you barely knew Armstrong before his fight, you see him for like 10 seconds in a cutscene, but he was characterized so well during his fight that he is so beloved

[@HStorm26]

my favorite kind of villian: the kind whose ideology isn't entirely wrong, just taken to an extreme. Individual freedom is important, self-determination is important, but armstrong's dog-eat-dog world would be pretty terrible. chaos and mayhem isn't very epic.

[@geronimo5537]

The best part about Armstrong is that: he speaks about freedom like a libertarian, wants total control like a democrat, and is more patriotic to the cause than a republican.

[@orrorsaness5942]

@@geronimo5537this

[@ghoulbuster1]

@@geronimo5537 Based

[@comediccomrade5716]

@@geronimo5537amazing (here before somebody starts an argument)

[@kjj26k]

​​@@geronimo5537 As Brett said, every American can find something agreeable in Armstrong. And unfortunately, it's clear that that is all it takes. ONE agreeable thing and all the rest can go f*ck itself.

[@craneboy11]

If Armstrong really were a cheating coward, that would mean he’s afraid of actually losing and dying. He expresses no fear of anything like that. That’s why Sam was working for him. When Raiden literally kills him, he only expresses admiration for him. Armstrong dies only telling Raiden that he hoped to have taught him something through it all. No fear, and only acceptance

[@noxuqiii]

he played college ball yk

[@iantaakalla8180]

Also, Armstrong outmuscled Sam, and Sam expected a quick solution which was the cutting of stuff. Even there, Armstrong had a stronger will than Sam.

[@tschakaOo]

I really like the exposition in 27:30 with Armstrong lying on the ground dying with his body resembling Raiden's shadow (reflecting a version of him that took a darker path with his understanding of strength and morals)

[@NLT1734]

I think an essay on Raiden would be interesting too. Cause in the post credits seen, he literally says "I got my own war to fight." Meaning that Armstrong did indeed have an impression on Raiden.

[@loganmeier6130]

His ideas, on paper, aren’t terrible. While he does take it to the extreme, he wanted a world where the people came before the government. And he works to prove his goals.

[@stephenlee1664]

He was also willing to fight and die for it. He may be a madman, but god damn does he have balls to go face to face with a cybernetic ninja psycho.

[@kjj26k]

​@@stephenlee1664 ...while being even stronger (at least he thought).

[@abokabsa]

​@@kjj26khe was stronger than raiden, raiden only won because of the murasama.

[@Epistolary8]

He wanted a world where it was morally acceptable to kill people you disagreed with. No thanks.

[@Kataquan]

He literally quotes Umberto Eco's essay "Ur-Fascim". He's a cartoonist platonic ideal of what a fascist is.

[@Loot_Bugs]

I can’t believe this guy is voiced by the same guy as Mimir from God of War. The two characters could not be more different.

[@filipporapetti9354]

Imagine Raiden carrying around Armstrong's reanimated head as he continues rambling about America 🤣

[@Kaisolostudio]

Actually a few times, I thought “hey, he sounds familiar” 16:43

[@DeathMessenger1988]

Already made a joke about this in another video. AND the fact he's also the same guy who voices Celebrimbor in Shadow of Mordor/War! XD Armstrong would respect the HELL out of Kratos, and you know it.

[@jjtheenton]

The voice of Alucard in Hellsing is also the voice of Sundowner.

[@jjtheenton]

​@@DeathMessenger1988Greek Saga Kratos, but not Norse Saga.

[@laerbear6760]

Armstrong's points are primarily driven by the realization that people are being forced to die and suffer for the desires of people who will never care about them and will never share their pain. Not just soldiers. Working people. Families. They build skills and strength that they never get to benefit from because powerful spineless people don't want them to be happy or safe... Because happiness and safety is all any normal person could ever want from life. When Armstrong says "purge the weak", he doesn't mean the poor and frail. He means the people who send others to die in their place for their own gain. The ones who push all their risks onto other people.

[@imdabous1970]

That final shot of the dying Armstrong lying perfectly in Raiden's shadow would have perfectly set up another game.... If it was ever possible.

[@ekamsingh1640]

This guy is the reason I love Videogames. By far the best video game villain, Zeus my ass. The most quotable, iconic and fun character out of one of the best game franchises. Metal gear rising is my favorite game and this guy is 90 percent of the reason.

[@jjtheenton]

The funny thing is the director told the localization team to embellish Armstrong's politics. In a bizarre twist for English localizations, we have a better version of Armstrong than Japan does.

[@geronimo5537]

Hmm I would as armstrong is right up there with the illusive man from mass effect.

[@kaydgaming]

Very quotable… so quotable in fact that (Trump)

[@SomeGuy_Somewhere]

The Boss & Liquid are way better.

[@PunishedSnakeV]

​@@SomeGuy_Somewhereopinions brother

[@mettatonex7221]

My favorite line from Armstrong is after he went on his rant on everything wrong with America, Raiden asks how he got elected, and his response is "Well, I don't write my own speeches." Everything he said is unhinged and highly controversial, and he knows it damn well. It's a line that implies that he know how to work the system in spite of his radical beliefs.

[@loganlewis1790]

The thing about armstrong is that very little he ever said was wrong. The only things he really didnt nail down was the methodology, thats why hes so likable despite everything

[@thomashongshagen4912]

I would like to point out that the voice actor that played armstrong also played mimir in gow and celebrimbor in shadow of mordor

[@WoobertAIO]

Armstrong only says that his Nanomachines harden with physical trauma. But this doesn't really make him stronger, just more durable. On the contrary. Making your muscles and skin more rigid and resistant by hardening them up would decrease their elasticity, and by extension your physical strength. So not only is Armstrong really that strong on his own - he was fighting with a handicap. Edit: Btw yes please gimme some more Metal Gear content.

[@helluvagooddrawer2027]

That's interesting

[@juliegrine2875]

That just means that you don't mess with this senator

[@destroyercreater98]

If anyone doesn’t get it. He basically said “harden skin doesn’t make you hit harder. It makes your moves slower and more rocky.”

[@leachblah6313]

He's actually really strong. Raiden can lift thousands of tons of steel or stop a moving ship. And we can see Armstrong stoping and catching Raiden punches or straightup wrestling with him.

[@what1048]

Didnt he absorb the electricity from the metal gear which gave him strength and powered his nanomahines

[@SocraTetris]

I think that a big part of senator armstrong's character that often goes misses is that he is also a caricature of Japan's own nationalists and warhawks. The kind of people that admire the country'a dominance during wwii and the economic excess of the 80s without knowledge of nor care for the atrocities that took place within those periods.

[@emblemblade9245]

I think you have a good point

[@ravenoferin500]

Nationalism is a meme repeated over and over across the world so yeah parallels can be made. The sweeping under the rug of past tragedies and the heightening of glory.

[@dansmith1661]

Sounds like a win/win to me.

[@oniemployee3437]

You could, in theory, have that. The dominance without the atrocities, or at the very least a lot less heinous ones compared to Imperial Japan.

[@Daud-ix4tm]

I feel like it could be a caricature of both the U.S and Japan during those times

[@hebiweaponsguy4842]

2:20 I mean, tbf, there’s Sundowner, who was some random jackass who LOVED war. If he could get married to it, he probably would.

[@heavystalin2419]

And if the war were a child, he'd touch it.

[@SinHurr]

@@heavystalin2419 He'd probably do that anyway, sadly.

[@burgscratch6301]

I mean, in all fairness, almost no villain in MGR fights using 'their own strength'. They're cyborgs, their strengths come from their kit and how experienced they are in using them, in addition to certain underhanded tactics. Out of all of them, Armstrong is the most grounded and fair out of all of them. Sure he is roided with nanomachines, but all that's doing is just buffing his physical might and endurance. Everything else is just him pulling on his own 'martial prowess'. I'd say given the worldbuilding and the story, the nanomachines were a great compromise. Armstrong used what was needed, but it isn't like he's able to summon minions, create invulnerable shields, cut anything into ribbons, or be able to split his body and put it back together. He's just all roided up so his bluster can pack some literal punches.

[@HeavySighSA]

Armstrong literally needs to suck the energy out of the world around him for his nanomachines to work. Unlike every other villain in the game, all his strength has to come from sources outside himself.

[@HungVu-ec3jk]

@@HeavySighSA thermodynamics called, it wants you back in the lecture hall

[@Urd-Vidan]

​@@HeavySighSA in a way, doesn't Raiden also do that, with his enemies electrolytes and him taking his enemies weapons for himself?

[@HeavySighSA]

@@Urd-Vidan Could be argued, but the electrolytes seem to be mostly used for repair, as Raiden can use blade mode even if he's out of energy. So that's an argument that is tied to player effectiveness. Conversely, Armstrong's fight literally starts with him draining energy out of his giant robot for his powers to even work, and he continually tops himself off during the fight. Without a convenient external power source to drain, Armstrong has no power, much like how his personal business needs the forces of brainwashed kidnapped orphans to drum up business while Armstrong claims to follow an ideology that wants people to 'fight their own battles'.

[@Urd-Vidan]

@@HeavySighSA Tbf, that's part of his powerset. Almost all the bosses in the game have their own "hacks" that give them something over Raiden. Even Raiden is a state of the art cyborg that's continuously evolve in the game by taking his opponent's weapons along the way(Examples like Mistral's arms and Sam's sword). Armstrong's philosophy doesn't only mean physical strength, but also mental strength and willpower to take what you want, with the power to do so. It's overall strength. He's still following his philosophy, even when born with a silver spoon. He took opportunities and put in the work to get to where he is. He used everything he was born with to the maximum. Even in death, he still won with Raiden, the ideal citizen for his "America", who took his ideology.

[@calsalitra4689]

Pretty good, but I have some criticism. Armstrong isn't talking about strength of body, but strength of will. He desires a country defined by the Ubermensch. People like Raiden and Armstrong who will fight, suffer, even die for ideals wholly their own. He believes that those with strength of will will naturally stamp out the weak like Khamsin, who fight for empty ideals they don't understand, fight wars they don't care about, cowards who create death and suffering for no purpose and yet beg and plead when given the same treatment. Of course this is still a nonsensical ideal for the same reason that the utopia Andrew Ryan wanted was an impossible ideal: someone has to scrub the toilets. It sounds cool if everyone was their own master off fighting a meaningful battle against ideals they don't believe in, but unless you have "weak" workers without their own 50 page essay on ideals who just kind of work and chill, everything breaks down.

[@geronimo5537]

The best part about Armstrong is that: he speaks about freedom like a libertarian, wants total control like a democrat, and is more patriotic to the cause than a republican.

[@anthonynorman7545]

Yep, he's a bona-fide fasc!

[@samfire3067]

And Sam don't forget Sam.

[@CapnCoconuts]

​@@anthonynorman7545 "Everything I Don't Like Is Fascism"

[@gabrielespana319]

@@anthonynorman7545he’s an extreme libertarian if not a full blown anarchist. That’s basically the polar opposite of Fascism. Sure they have the same strongman idea but in execution they’re polar opposites.

[@thepicklemanofficial9907]

Once in high school, in history, we were all told to make our own political campaign for president. A lot of people worked in groups, but i worked alone because i didnt wanna risk my idea being overrulee. My idea was to copy and paste armstrongs ideology. I had a speech and some advertisements, and i got first place. The american people love this guy

[@SavageJarJar]

He doesn’t speak of physical strength in the fight, you fool.

[@TheMexicanDude0882]

"Could he get elected?" Frankly, I don't into social media, and I'd vote for him. Purely because of the line "fuck chicken shit bureaucrats." Guy is just so charismatic.

[@floricel_112]

"none of the antagonists are evil for the sake of being evil" Literally Sundowner

[@otakubacklog]

Love how Armstrong has gone from an over the top cartoony villain when this was first released to now where he’s an over the top cartoony villain that is UNCOMFORTABLY familiar.

[@user-yd1dp9ol1l]

Senator Armstrong is the good deconstraction of the villian is because he is honest and not a viliian if you wathing on his deeds. If Stiven Armstrong was a true villian as a Homelander of some freak, he will not so merciful to the Sam and Raiden and he has a other purpors not like a true villian, that want Power and money(for power). Stiven Armstrong is the best the personification of a politician who cannot talk about his dream, because he could be considered a fascist. And with Raiden he saying true because he know, that he would be agreed with him, deep inside.

[@buddermonger2000]

The reason I know that Armstrong would get votes, is that he's the most popular character in the game. By a huge margin. And even I have gotten into that. And I think what nails is is "I have a dream" which is the best line for his entire characterization. I don't know if this line was developed by the localization team, or if the writer truly did understand this man, somewhere along the line, this man became as American as any American you could find. Even more so. America hates bureaucracy and committees culturally as well. It's fundamentally populist as well desiring things in the hands of people. It's a very VERY deep understanding of how America ticks which plays right into almost every American's worldview. I think however what this analysis misses is how "the weak" fits into Armstrong's worldview. It's not just the physically weak. It's the people who abuse the system and such actions. It's not the child on the side of the road. And to him, that's just an impetous become stronger.

[@tio_john]

Exactly people miss his point all the time he isn't talking only about the fisicly weak he is talking about useless burocrats that abuse the sistem they have total control. He wants to wipe the slate clean off all the bullshit.

[@SoulsOfWisdom]

"He says he could break the President in half with his bare hands and I believe him" Obvious statement of a life time.

[@brianj.stephan2080]

Armstrong has the best final boss theme ever

[@MynameisBrianZX]

Japanese writers often criticize America and its culture in a particular light based on America’s foreign policy, including Japan as an unequal and conditional ally. I think Senator Armstrong sums it up the most blatantly, and this helped me spot the pattern show up more subtly in so many other stories.

[@jjtheenton]

I was _not_ expecting a MGR video from Brett, but I have never been happier to see one. Greatest antagonist in video games.

[@thatdoofus4529]

The only antagonist I know well that could possibly rival him is Mephiles from 06, and that's only because he gets so much screentime. He's great, but Armstrong is exceptional

[@boney2982]

@@thatdoofus4529and this is more or less the only screen time Armstrong really gets until dlc it’s insane how well written he was for essentially an hours worth of game at most

[@thatdoofus4529]

@@boney2982 Exactly! In just 40 minutes of cutscenes he outshines 99% of any kind of media's antagonists (books, movies, video games, etc.)

[@boney2982]

@@thatdoofus4529 the Japanese are truly a different breed when it comes to a lot of fiction

[@thatdoofus4529]

@@boney2982 Alot of their work is peak. Studio Ghibli has a really good game called Ni No Kuni Wrath of the White Witch, I highly recommend. Very good and cute rpg, but not afraid to hit you with a lot of dark narratives

[@yeah_definitely]

Everytime I see Armstrong I can feel the patriotism

[@nielsjensen4185]

*Nationalism

[@yeah_definitely]

@@nielsjensen4185 no. Patriotism

[@JohnBrown-tw2qi]

@@yeah_definitelysame difference

[@BababooeyGooey]

@@JohnBrown-tw2qi All shit.

[@twinzzlers]

​@@JohnBrown-tw2qiNo there is a difference. Patriotism is loving your country and being loyal to it, nationalism is the belief of its superiority

[@Menky90]

Senator Armstrong 2024!

[@matthewmitchell3871]

Armstrong kind of reminds me of Saxton Hale from TF2. Funny enough, one of Saxton’s rules is that anyone who can beat the CEO of Mann Co in a fist fight gets to take the title of CEO. Oddly enough, a part of me agrees with him. Exercise is not only a healthy thing to do, but if the leaders were the only ones fighting, that would save millions of dollars!

[@ElBandito]

Nah, that will not make money, cause there will not be billion dollar military contracts.

[@AlriikRidesAgain]

I am a real American. Fight for the rights of every man. I am a real American. Fight for what's right!!! FIGHT FOR YOUR LIIIIIFE! -Senator Armstrong

[@aaronchef82]

On God

[@anthonynorman7545]

Terry Bollea would 100% vote for him.

[@ghoulbuster1]

the memes brother

[@MegaToonzNetwork]

​@@aaronchef82is......ARMSTRONG BECAUSE THEY HAVE STRONG ASS ARMS

[@FreeMANcer]

Armstrong would win in a landslide on the simple fact that he offers “security “ just by his appearance. Let alone his talking points. He’d atleast win all of the south and every purple state would be a red state.

[@Lightna]

And every deep blue state politician and MSM would do everything in their power to smear him to the edge of Sol and back. But would they be successful in doing so? Every red and hot blooded American would be on Armstrong's side and believe him when he says he would destroy the bureaucrats, media, everything the common American despises, with his bare hands, and nanomachines, son.

[@Blundabus1337]

One neat touch that I don't know if is intentional, but his tie is yellow. Dems have blue ties, republicans have red, third party and especially libertarians are yellow. I'd vote for him just to screw up the two party system.

[@darkthunder301]

He's also the spitting image of a weak and dumb person thinks powerful people should be: large strongman body with the preference and ability to bulldoze their way through problems. The real problem is that Armstrong would be more than smart enough to _keep_ a good portion, easily a majority, of his voters in lock step with his vision to the point where breaking his influence would likely mean resorting to physical violence, much like Raiden.

[@MaticTheProto]

Yup. Americans don’t care if people elsewhere get killed, they‘d vote for him hands down

[@emberthecatgirl8796]

@@darkthunder301 I mean, we saw what happens when a shadow of Armstrong’s charisma falls from power. If Armstrong was able to start in the elections, he would either win, or civil war would erupt.

[@MrShambles]

The video touched upon something that seemingly no one else realizes when they say they agree with Armstrong, that when he talks about the strong ruling over the weak, he's saying it in a world where physical strength is purchased through cybernetic augmentation, and Raiden and the cyborg enemies in the game only got the way they are behind the capital of a PMC or a national army. Armstrong himself is some brand new technology that no one else has even heard of which probably required billions of dollars of R&D to develop. Not even one percent of the people who would vote for Armstrong would be able to afford the hardware to get themselves above the very lowest tier of the new hierarchy he wants to establish.

[@IshayuG]

The funniest thing in that cutscene is that Senator Armstrong's slogan is Make America Great Again. That's absolutely incredible.

[@pixelgoat7317]

Aside from the memes, I always thought Armstrong was an amazing villain! A pure showman who is all about the stuff the worst of us here in the U.S. are fervently obsessed with. He's ahead of his time!

[@teslashark]

The academic term is Hauntology, thanks, French socialists, but Kojima can't fit this long word into tight scenes.

[@heartless2147]

Armstrong having nanomachines doesn't lessen his ideals about strength, he had the opportunity to gain more power and he took it. Others would be able to gain cybernetics, just not the cutting edge stuff that Armstrong has. But if someone was skilled enough to steal the blueprints of those nanomachines, they would have the same power that Armstrong has. As we see with his death by Raiden's hands, he would hold no hard feelings for being taken out by someone who was stronger then him.

[@acgearsandarms1343]

It really doesn’t matter what form that power takes. Look at Raiden. I think it just matters how you use that power. Again, like Raiden. And as to Armstrong’s ideology, I believe it’s less about the stronger person killing him, more that the person who kills him embodies his ideology that he’s content with. Raiden, for better or worse, proves Armstrong, at least to a point, that the truly strong can carve out a destiny for themselves, even if they choose to help those who don’t have the strength themselves, and they can kill to keep the “status quo” going. Might makes right.

[@HungVu-ec3jk]

@@acgearsandarms1343 also it implies that the status quo is not so great and raiden is fighting a lost cause yet refuses to do anything about it

[@abysswatcher9172]

​@@HungVu-ec3jkWell doesn't Raiden go rogue at the end

[@dean_l33]

@@abysswatcher9172 Going rogue to carry out Armstrong mission. Not literally but come on he's basically doing that

[@Americanbadashh]

Your talk of building community and empathy during this was so so nice to hear

[@christopherbravo1813]

something I've noticed is that in his first speech, Armstrong doesn't swear even *once.* he only starts dropping F-bombs once the fight with Excelsus begins. for some reason I don't really see people bring this up, but it's probably yet another part of that "squeaky-clean image" that Armstrong presents to the American public.

[@scarletjester7831]

The best part of Armstrong is that he appears right at the end and completely steals the show every second he's there. Truly a master class of a villain, his philosophy was also something you could agree with but also understand the means he used were where he went wrong, when he gets to the "Fuck american pride... Fuck everythingthing" in his speech we see that he believes in what he says and it's not a lie to him

[@slkjvlkfsvnlsdfhgdght5447]

his philosophy os also wrong in amd of itself: a world where might makes right is a world devoid of morals

[@austinkersey2445]

​@@slkjvlkfsvnlsdfhgdght5447 I would say that Armstrong doesn't just believe in the purely physical "might makes right", as when he describes what he seems to view as strong and weak it tends to revolve around character, morals, principles, ideals, etc. He wants an America where those who are strong enough, intelligent enough, brave enough, or willful enough are able to do what they want to do or what they believe is right and just. His criticisms are about people lacking guiding principles of their own and not bothering to think about why they do the things they do. The real problem is that in Armstrong's America nobody else but him is actually going to follow or understand his values because it will be watered down and simplified. And, when he's gone it would just descend into total anarchy. The issue is not so much Armstrong himself, but rather that his ideals would lose their meaning once actually put into effect, because people would just use it to justify their own evils.

[@megamillion5852]

​@@austinkersey2445 You haven't thought this through, whatsoever. You've still described might makes right, and Armstrong makes a point of this when referring to how Raiden took his life back into his own hands, in spite of his initial conditions limiting his ability to do so. As well, those with severe disabilities would never be strong enough, intelligent enough, nor literally willful enough to simply protect themselves against enemies who are more capable. They would effectively be euthanized en masse, because like Armstrong says, "people will die and kill for what they believe." It's infuriating how a series that inspired such emotion and sympathy over the conditions of war can have a fanbase that ultimately believes in war anyway. If I were Kojima, I couldn't be more heartbroken.

[@sassyviking6003]

​@@megamillion5852it is truly shocking and appalling to me how many people seem to unironically buy into all Armstrong's bullshit. He is an excellently written villain but he is a villain, vile and reprehensible. It is kind of terrifying that so many people fail to understand that he is wrong or why he is wrong.

[@ryebananabread7843]

Not only is the narrative brilliant, but the themes of the bosses add to it too, express things that we don't get to see in some of the villains. While Collective Consciousness is more from Armstrong's point of view, It Has To Be This Way could be Armstrong or Raiden. The soundtrack could make its own essay.

[@sonic232s]

Borrowing an observation from another essay on the subject? The fact that at a FEVER PITCH, the soundtrack breaks out in to SONG with lyrics singing about the emotions and tensions of the current scene makes MGR a Musical.

[@rokkraljkolesa9317]

I feel like Collective Consciousness is more like the image Armstrong conveys at a surface level, as it's the theme that plays during Sam's encounter, and later when Raiden faces him in Excelsus however, after Armstrong starts explaining his ideology without any of the bullshit for the public, It Has To Be This Way starts playing, Raiden slowly realizing "maybe we're _not_ that different"

[@gentlyvillainous]

All of the themes in mgr are not only absolute bangers but wonderful descriptions of the bosses psyche, past and reasons for being where they are.

[@rhett3185]

Collective Consciousness is basically what Raiden initially sees Armstrong’s worldview as, or even further what both Raiden and Armstrong see the Patriot AI as. Only after the MG is taken down and Armstrong is pressed on his actual beliefs, ‘It has to be this way’ could be either of them.

[@10011110011]

Collective consciousness is literally the thing Armatrong hates the most. The whole song is cynical to the letter.

[@freddthurman3935]

Best denconstruction of a character that I've seen so far. I have not even played MGR yet but this analysis really kicks in my interest

[@vordeseite7273]

Raiden and Armstrong's fight was...unique. It wasn't about the Hero winning over the Villain. It was basically a battle of ideologies instead of action. How far each of them will go in order to push their ideals onto the others.

[@The5lacker]

The fact that Armstrong is, at the end of the day, a dirty cheater and a hypocrite, is to me at least *perfect.* Of course the guy shouting about “We should all be free!” is only talking about himself. “We” to these people always, *always* actually means “I.”

[@coletrain41]

Exactly. It's easy to spew rhetoric about "every man should be allowed to follow his own rules" when your a wealthy, manipulative, Nano enhanced monster. He only has the guts to talk so confidentially about because he feels (and for a large part IS) indestructible

[@aramis4347]

What if he was used as a reskin for TF2's "VS. Saxton Hale" mode?

[@gratuitouslurking8610]

Raiden sums it up quite well: "You're not greedy.... you're batshit insaaaaaane!!!" Edit to extrapolate: Over my last thirty-odd years, watching the internet grow from sapling to the gnarled husk we know it as today, I've seen my fair share of hard libertarian types, especially when crypto became the big interest for them. It seems the harder line you go past 'a man's freedom only ends by another man's fist' the more you realize a lot of these turbo-libertarians for some reason think you can simultaneously live in a universe where they're on top and yet also sell it how everyone else can, while also with a bit of squinting realizing that the type of life and mindsets they're often wishing for sounds suspiciously like being the top of the feudalism totem pole. Armstrong's not immune to this either of course, his views are a hyper-focused might make right sort of libertarianism, but well, look at the man! I'd seriously argue and debate how much of his philosophy is just part of a twisted form of bloodlust, something that is kinda another theme of MG:R in general considering how many of the other stories are some level of 'how does the rest of the cast cope with being mass murderers?'

[@ShadeKirby500]

It does weaken his relatability. Since yeah, its obvious now he will rule the utopia of shit that he would create. But as you stated, yeah it makes so much sense, because we see this all the time. People with power framing a change as beneficial for everyone, when in reality, its only because it benefits them, you'll never see the benefit of that change.

[@alexanderlongfield]

That's not much of a realization, he even says it himself. His goal is the total freedom of the individual and the natural, evolutionary survival of the fittest. Screw communism and capitalism, anarchy is the way to go.

[@tinaherr3856]

22:46 you could say that about pretty much every character in MGR. The Winds of Destruction are all cyborgs with advanced custom bodies, Sam uses an exo suit to increase his strength and movement to stand up to cyborgs. Blade Wolf and the other robots didn't earn their strength, they didn't train, they were built with their weapons. Raiden himself is a cyborg, and after he got beaten by Sam, he got a new, more advanced body. Heck, they even address this in a CODEC call about cyborgs in sports. Everyone doesn't fully have their own strength, they just use expensive, high grade technology. That is the same type of "cheating" you criticize Armstrong for.

[@calb6109]

yeah, I think critizing Armstrong for that misses the whole point of his character.

[@thebanditman5663]

TBF, Sam before the exosuit, at a very young age took on an entire cartel who had automatic weapons and such... This was before his blade was turned into an HF blade... SAM is effectively the perfect example of what Armstrong was talking about, and even after he lost his arm, was given another by Armstrong who could have killed him.

[@tinaherr3856]

@@thebanditman5663 that is absolutely true. Still, Sam used advanced technology to augment his skills during the events of Rising. He would still qualify as "cheating", according to the video

[@thebanditman5663]

@@tinaherr3856 however this technology has in effect become commonplace now within society. Athletes with cybernetics are mentioned. It’s like phones. Once upon a time only the rich had them, not just because of expense, but because of limited supply, but tech evolved and now everyone can poses them with a little work. In Rising, Sam has a single cyborg arm, and an outdated exosuit, but is a better swordsman than Jack because he was traditionally taught. Canonically Sam lost to Jack because Jack after his loss, continued to train, then of course gained access to his repressed ripper personality.

[@tinaherr3856]

@@thebanditman5663 again, I don't disagree that Sam has skills before and beyond the tech he uses. I was saying that the video is wrong to say that using advanced tech is "cheating"

[@michaelbeach1087]

Thanks for the video bud, it’s pretty insightful!

[@aliteralbreadstickyesabrea5588]

I think when he says weakness he means a moral weakness, or an inability to fight for what one believes. In strong he means someone who is so certain in their beliefs that they will die for them.

[@gentlyvillainous]

And the best part? He still won, even though he died he accepted defeat and he passed his memes onto jack. Just like Sam, mistral, and monsoon. As the song says “when our guard is down I think we’ll both agree, violence breeds violence but in the end it has to be this way” Idealism is a comfy and pretty idea but it’s unrealistic, in the end the universe is cruel, power dictates truth and even though we want it to be different it has to be this way. Even at the end scenes jack agrees with him in a way, if only quietly in his own mind.

[@26th_Primarch]

There's actually an internet meme that Armstrong is a part of called "Be the American the Japanese think you are" that plays on the ridiculously over-the-top stereotypes Americans have in Japanese media.

[@geronimo5537]

The best part about Armstrong is that: he speaks about freedom like a libertarian, wants total control like a democrat, and is more patriotic to the cause than a republican.

[@26th_Primarch]

@@geronimo5537 he'd honestly be a damn great president if he had someone to help him tone down the crazier parts of his ideas

[@KaiserNightcoreMusic]

13:15 he would win election IRL singlehandedly with that speech.

[@spicy-slayer]

13:45 love how Armstrong starts kicking raidens ass when he talks about his dream

[@The_NJG]

Ain't even gonna lie, Senator Armstrong makes a lot of good points. There is some truth to what he says, whether it's that this country is rotten to the core, or that he says that people have no values, and all they care about is money, or when he says fuck all the media and internet bullshit. I love him and the plot to this game. It's so smart, truthful to an extent, and hilarious.

[@remimaloney2028]

Except like the majority of people who tell you "fake news" and all that, he himself acknowledges he's a master user of all that rot and corruption. He engineered a social media campaign. How can he then denounce the media as being corrupt? The man is a hippocrite. He claims he will abolish the very lever of power that allowed him to ascend. He wants to abolish war by waging war. He wants to reform the media by spreading lies and disinformation. He wants to remove bureaucratic innefficiency for a libertarian dictatorship, one of the most self-eating power structure in history. If the man is not a vile liar at the core, then hes just delusional.

[@ArgonmentYT]

Dude, all senator armstrong cares about is money lol

[@C.Hendrick5662]

​@@ArgonmentYTI don't think there's any way of knowing that considering a major part of his philosophy (with no evidence that he's lying) is cutting off the source of income he KNOWS to be absolute. Armstrong cares about some fucked up things but he's not all about the green.

[@loxx2536]

@@ArgonmentYTno way in knowing that

[@jiromcconnell7038]

​@@ArgonmentYT the truth then he does need capital and votes wanna know why he has a dream

[@RedMageGaming]

Raiden's Strength also comes from his Cybernetic Body. So I don't see this so much as a hypocrisy on Armstrong's side, just a scaling issue. We are at a scale where, money provides strength. I think what it boils down to is a level of naivete, Armstrong is naive enough to think that that kind of true freedom would be anything more than a continuing of the status quo as it is. The "Haves" ruling over the "Have Nots" Nothing would truely change if he succeeded, things would just get harsher as there would not be layers of political and socioeconomic fuckery between people with money and power, and their want to just trample everything they see as beneath them.

[@CrystalLily1302]

Yeah, Armstrong represents the naive ideals of absolute individual freedom that americans lean towards, I think it's odd to characterize the fact that his strength comes from money as a contradiction when that money is clearly something that is understood as an expression of strength by that ideology.

[@Makorze]

@@CrystalLily1302 Its a shame they didn't include Armstrong's interactions with Sam. Armstrong has no issue with a man going out into the world and destroying those he perceives as evil and bringing justice down upon them (like Raiden does) but tells Sam that the evil he wishes to defeat is like a Hydra - just cutting off one head at a time won't kill it - You need something greater than yourself to pull it out at the roots.

[@jakobwilliamzachariassen2640]

i imagine that some people would just straight up assasinate the 'havers' and steal cybernetics or whatever, they have the strength to do it so why not ya know? the people rising up and overthrowing the system are also using strength to pursue they own goals and ideals, not like there aren't a shit ton of people who would have the means and motives to do so, this IS america after all

[@mr.h4294]

"None of whom kill for the sake of killing or are evil for the sake of being evil" ...sundowner

[@martinaburto9684]

I get it. you literally put everything on my mind into words that I couldn't until now. I was waiting for a video like this. I was waiting for someone to say all this things. thanks.

[@ionrose1564]

Hideo Kojima is my favorite game director, his analysis on America and the internet is spot on, but also, his games aren't nihilistic about the problems we face. Like at the end of MGS2, when Raiden gets to choose his new name and life, free of GW's control

[@Matt_History]

Kojima didn't write MGR

[@EpicRedCondor]

MGR wasn't written by Kojima though

[@madkabal]

No it isn't. Kojima's views is stereotypical whiny Japanese man.

[@andrehashimoto8056]

​@@EpicRedCondorhe was still doing advisory work to Platinum since the Franchise was his child in terms of scrip writting

[@thatonepersonwhoair-dropsy268]

The nanomachines actually don't make Armstrong stronger, they just make his skin virtually impenetrable

[@user-uv5ld3cx5t]

You can't literally hit the gym hard enough to be able to lift a few thousand tons of the Excelsus' remains, or literally cause the ground to erupt in flames. The nanomachines did significantly more than just make him significantly more durable.

[@zamaskowany12]

Even if they did, so what? Raiden is basically 99% augmented himself.

[@woodland5444]

It could be that Raiden also kills Armstrong to make his point of view the correct one. He listened to Armstrong, thought his ideals were insane and fought him to the death on it. That is exactly what Armstrong was about too, because he wanted a world where people with a strong enough conviction were allowed to fight to make it happen and that be the case rather than long inactivity and manipulation that comes in the hands of the people at the top, who spin the world to fit them. Armstrong’s means were inhumane and thought he could establish this world by force but the ideal is something that I can’t help but believe in too.

[@Sorain1]

In general, the best villains (well, some of them) have a goal and even character that is admirable, but a method that the heroes can not accept, thus the conflict.

[@ravendelacour1917]

I cast my vote for a Metal Gear villian gallery. Liquid Snake alone would be fascinating. But the protagonists, including Raiden and of course Solid Snake, also would be fascinating. Love your channel.

[@mikhaelgribkov4117]

Honestly, I would love Solidus video, as he is often overlooked compared to other villains due to his nature being extension of Big Boss.

[@couchpotato2222]

(And his boss fight cutscene being redone due to accidently predicting 9/11 just as it was about to come out, tying the theme of memes back around on itself)

[@jjtheenton]

@@couchpotato2222 It didn't predict 9/11. Arsenal Gear was meant to crash through the Statue of Liberty, not the Twin Towers. This was removed because Kojima didn't want to come off as insensitive.

[@MaxLoafin]

​@@jjtheenton*remembers ground zeroes* Well..... Kojima got over being sensitive, apparently. Lol

[@samfire3067]

The Man that wanted to defeat it's creators Just to me imortalised in The history books.

[@commisaryarreck3974]

​@@samfire3067 Tbf that was before everyone knew the US was a warmongering shithole responsible for the attacks themselves alongside funding judt about every terrorist organization on earth Fuck sensitivity towards an evil empire