Senator Steven Armstrong - The Brilliant Final Boss

[@Mangakamen]

If you all enjoyed the video, give a like and leave a comment :)

[@kabliss4111]

Here's my like, comment AND subscribe! :)

[@Nazo-kage]

I’m actually curious on what your thoughts on Shido from Persona 5/ Royal. And the similarities/differences between him and Armstrong.

[@New3DSLuigi364]

Honestly. . . Armstrong is ALSO my Favorite Boss Fight!

[@DanMr117]

amazing once again

[@VidyaGaemAwards]

Liked and commented.

[@grandmagertrude7676]

He’s literally just in the game for 30-40 minutes and somehow became one of the best characters in metal gear

[@TurboPikachu]

And one of the best antagonists in all of gaming

[@JoshGolus]

Appears at the end of the game Gives one of the most gloriously ridiculous speeches ever Starts one of the best theme songs ever Has one of the best boss fights ever Refuses to elaborate further Dies

[@randomprotag9329]

that sums up the MGR cast decently. part from sam and blade they are basicly seen once and thats it. armstrong really amde use of that time with out any filler, plus he is good at writing speaches

[@iloveminicactialot6895]

@@randomprotag9329 he doesn't write his own speeches, but I think the one he gave to Raiden came straight from the heart.

[@bloodysimile4893]

@@OfficerHotpants and Nanomechinces.

[@DonniedrakoE]

For a character we don’t get to see until the end senator Armstrong is actually a pretty layered antagonist. Someone who is willing to basically be a monster in order to stop violence trapped within a highly charismatic meme machine is really compelling.

[@Santisima_Trinidad]

*actually be a monster *in order to create violence

[@homeslicebread8443]

He is by no means stopping violence, he literally wants to create a world where might = right and people fight for what they actually believe in, whether good or bad.

[@moonsaves]

Armstrong wants a world forged by and for violence, where the strong eat the weak.

[@kakhakheviashvili6365]

@@homeslicebread8443 issue is, that's the outcome many fear, when first encountering Anarcist views. However, when you actually go deeper into anarchy, no one wants that. Because let's think of it this way: who forms rights now? Government? No, if anything, Government wants to take them away. Does Government has any might? depends on how much public allows Government to have might over them. So basically, Government in best case scenario just channels will of the most of people (who believe in rights), in worst case scenario opposes them. And removing them will lead to even best case scenario improving, because will of the people will exist without gatekeepers. Basically what you need is not far-removed politicians voted in by people whose knowledge is limited, but specialists that know situation well. Smaller societies will help with those specialists making right decision on spot, rather than ignorant people voted by other ignorant people making ignorant decisions. That what "everyone fighting their own wars" means. I don't think Armstrong meant "war" as a bloody conflict, but rather as conflict overall.

[@kakhakheviashvili6365]

@@homeslicebread8443 also in addition, IF people are bad, they'll inevitably have bad Government and bad thing will happen (good Government can't keep bad majority in check). But if people are good, their goodness can be negated by bad Government (which most Governments are bad), not allowing them channeling their good. So again, in worst case scenario everything is the same, in best case scenario things are much better. So why not at least try?

[@javonyounger5107]

The Bosses of MGRR do the two things bosses are often expected to do very well, being a fun mechanical challenge, while also being a significantly interesting narrative beat.

[@randomprotag9329]

that sums up MGR as a short game while its short its so dense story and gameplay wise that not even the tutorial boss is pure gameplay.

[@ironboy3245]

Except monsoon, fuck that guy

[@kingbash6466]

Senator Armstrong could have easily been a one-note stereotype of how people, especially in online political spaces, view US presidents, but his speech does reveal how surprisingly nuanced his character was, and I did respect his conviction to his beliefs despite how horrible his actions were at the end.

[@gen-zboomer]

What's even better is that he knows what he's doing IS wrong, and doesn't like it. It is an means to an end.

[@KeifersIsAwesome]

So what you're saying is... he's the Thanos of Metal Gear.

[@denkerbosu3551]

@@KeifersIsAwesome Thanos' logic was inherently flawed from the get go. Armstrong's far more nuanced.

[@AgniFirePunch]

@@gen-zboomer that's why what he is doing is Justice

[@sheriffdin-gabisi4139]

@@denkerbosu3551 *_Is_* it more nuanced? Armstrong's logic boils down to: Stop men from fighting for "reasons they don't understand"... by creating conflicts where men fight for reasons they don't understand... He even says that killing Raiden is necessary because he "wouldn't want any eyewitness reports complicating the message." How is this any less inherently flawed than Thanos's logic...?

[@paperluigi6132]

He’s the perfect example of “noble goal, but taking the completely wrong path to that goal.”

[@megajam4837]

Basically there are two paths in life, the hard path that is highly rewarding despite the risks and complications, and the easy path which is also alright to chose, but it won't be as rewarding as the harder, more riskier path is

[@l1ghtd3m0n3]

Or put more eloquently and commonly, "his ends did not justify his means"

[@AhmedSherif-mn8gu]

You can say: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

[@gen-zboomer]

What's even better is he doesn't want to choose that path, but to him it is the only way.

[@paperluigi6132]

@@gen-zboomer fitting that his theme is called “It Has To Be This Way”

[@reagansido5823]

Armstrong may very well be the most quotable final boss in all of gaming. he has so many good lines!

[@rogerpuzzitiello]

Even when people do fan dubs/parodies of him, he’s still quotable. “My blood is red, white, and blue Jack. I wonder what color yours is.”

[@Kenajovski]

@@rogerpuzzitiello that's not his quote actually

[@LowIntSpecimen]

@@rogerpuzzitiello "My source is that I made it the fuck up!"

[@jonathansmithers2763]

"FUCK ALL OF IT."

[@denkerbosu3551]

@@Kenajovski "Even when people do fan dubs/parodies of him"

[@imcrow7745]

I find it hilarious that Alastair Duncan, the voice of Armstrong, has also prominently voiced Alfred in multiple animated Batman shows and movies Just take a moment to imagine that. "Don't FUCK with this butler!"

[@TheDeadmanstrolling]

The injustice comic would've been perfect for that, in *that* scene

[@John-Stark]

@@TheDeadmanstrolling You mean when he dead ass Headbutted Sups?

[@TheDeadmanstrolling]

@No One he did? Now I want a Shadow of Mordor / War except your possessed by the wraith of Senator Armstrong

[@emetanti]

@@TheDeadmanstrolling The Butlering was something else.

[@kapitan19969838]

@No One Celebrimbor too!? 😃

[@Spazattitude]

Mgr didn't predict the future, it just showed a lot of people the dark truth of what's been happening since the veitnam and Korea era.

[@UpperNileGuy]

Since the second world war was lost to the banking cartel

[@l1ghtd3m0n3]

@@UpperNileGuy go back to /pol/, you're part of the problem

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

@@Bruhver no not really, eastern"s records of both ww are much less bias but even ignoring all of that the results speak for themselves. You westerns were horribly tricked in to fighting for the wrong reasons and all it takes to realise this is to just study the whys.

[@sheriffdin-gabisi4139]

@@MGrey-qb5xz True, and in America, people like Major General Smedley Butler were warning about this happening in the US since at least the Spanish-American War. *“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service...* I spent more of my time being *a high-class muscle man for Big Business,* for Wall Street and for the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, *a gangster for capitalism.”* ~ _"War is a Racket,"_ Major General Smedley Butler, *1935*

[@dean_l33]

@@sheriffdin-gabisi4139 Sound suspicious so I'll have my reserved

[@randomprotag9329]

armstrong has less streen time than a lot of RPG villians and still iconic. its the delivery that really does it it uses the usual metal gear style to get your attention effectively and then backs it up with the most quality dense writing and gameplay possible

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

Goes to show that other people on the metal gear staff can be quite talented or even more so then kojima

[@ahrims7]

I think a big reason the presentation of Armstrong’s ideology is very memorable at the end is because its one of the few times in the Metal Gear series where the characters argue. They fight, Argue, Fight, Argue, Fight, Argue and then Fight. They are truly testing eachother’s thought process.

[@logion567]

Oh yes. Most other Metal Gear main villains wax philosophy at the protagonist in an unceasing stream if words while they just sit there (usually incapacitated in some way) for 15 minutes. If armstrong was just that after blowing up Excelsus and then the final fight happens with the same mechanics Armstrong would be 20% as memorable/memeable. But by breaking up that 15 minutes of talking with a doomed "bossfight" and a QTE while both characters do a back and forth elevates Armstrong above every other Metal Gear villain.

[@cleverman383]

Yeah but MGS2's ending was great even though it was just the Patriots AI talking at us for an hour and it blew all our minds, so I guess both can work

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

Senator Armstrong: A politican so badass and tough, he can say whatever he wants without fear of being cancelled.

[@sauceboi5965]

Oh pls, he'd snap all those twatter puritans in half.

[@leonardodeabreu3874]

@@sauceboi5965 WITH HIS BARE HANDS!

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

@@sauceboi5965 Exactly I'd pay to see that.

[@firefly56embers33]

@@thefanwithoutaface8105 agreed

[@thecursed_1lordofcats738]

@@thefanwithoutaface8105 I think we all would.

[@christopherauzenne5023]

Another aspect I love about the duality of Raiden and Armstrong is that, for a majority of it, the main reason they can’t agree is because they differ on the concept of strength, and what it means to be strong/weak. Raiden views strength in the more physical sense (the powerful and the not powerful/weak or poor), which weirdly enough is usually what the terms the villain in these “survival of the strong” usually view strength as. Then on the other hand, Armstrong sees strength in terms of spirit & values, and views weak as being easily manipulated/manipulators, sheeps, and people who are just greedy cowards who have no pride in beliefs (which is usually the way hero’s often view strong and weak). The game even shows you this when Raiden says “purge the weak, what do you know to be weak, having to steal and kill just to survive” and Armstrong just says “ but you did survive following your own rules, with your hands you took back your life” like you said he views Raiden as an example of the type of people he wants.

[@gen-zboomer]

Absolutely. Armstrong wants a better world, and by FUCKING GOD, I WANT IT TOO

[@sheriffdin-gabisi4139]

@@gen-zboomer Really? Armstrong talks about _"great 'isms... for those with no faith,"_ but weren't those implemented by strong-willed people in the first place? Isn't it a common tactic of some strong-willed people to keep others' wills weak enough to not pose a threat to the strong? If those strong-willed people believe in a eat-or-be-eaten worldview like Armstrong, why intentionally make potential competitors who might topple the worldview?

[@denkerbosu3551]

@@sheriffdin-gabisi4139 "a common tactic of some strong-willed people to keep others' wills weak enough to not pose a threat to the strong?" Then they weren't strong if they need to "keep them in check" The weak would naturally follow the strong, and the weak (greedy) that wants to take over would be rejected.

[@sheriffdin-gabisi4139]

@@denkerbosu3551 Fair enough, Denker. And is your belief that _"the weak would naturally follow the strong"_ something based on your faith? Something someone with a eat-or-be-eaten worldview would disagree with? Remember, Armstrong tries to kill Raiden because Armstrong "wouldn't want any eyewitness reports complicating the message" of his manufactured wars. _"Keep them in check"_ is a core part of Armstrong's plan, so by your faith or belief's definition, does this make him "weak"...?

[@peter9162]

Strength in the type of society that Armstrong wants to build would advantage people are born into power. He wants to remove any sort of support for the poor and the "weak", which basically means that only those born into wealth and power would survive. Laissez faire and social Darwinism, which are both values which Armstrong espouses, aren't meritocratic; They only increase freedom for the already strong and powerful in society, not people like Raiden who had to fight tooth and nail to survive. Armstrong may have respect for people like Raiden, but ultimately he's fine with people like him dying as long as he and people like him get to reap the benefits that they've inherited from birth. Armstrong's vision would limit people's potential to grow and live free lives. It would be a lot more deterministic in the sense that the hand you're dealt at birth would determine your life a lot more than in a society which provides support for the poor and "weak".

[@dabiggestratintown]

The amount of charisma in each MGR boss, especially Armstrong, is so amazing, especially due to the fact that most of them have like 15 minutes of screentime

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

Them metal gear writers are built different

[@CraigsCornerStudios]

Seeing Metal Gear Rising soaring in popularity, it's only a matter of time we'll get more Metal Gear reps in Smash

[@archie6890]

Wasn't ultmate the last smash at least made by sakurai

[@FabulousJejmaze]

@Archie yeah but Sakurai says that after every game

[@Mike_Dubo]

@@FabulousJejmaze Yes, but Nintendo keeps pulling him back in.

[@redactedoktor]

@@archie6890 We live in the modern era of gaming! Where features and good ideas are not soft locked from you after a game is released, having you wait for another installment. We can update our games! A one game titan that grows without the need for more installments! Without having to write out a new story and reason the last game wasn't the end of it! We can just update them! Minecraft and Fortnite are the best example of this! With players flocking back after beating the last version and completing the last season. We can build on the code that came before, rather than having to tediously work our way back up to make something bigger and better starting from zero! This is the modern era of gaming! Screw all these ultra hd 4k graphics and ever increasingly realistic models! It's all just surface level! The true power of the modern era is the internet! A simple notification for ten more gigabytes of content sent over the web! There's no need to make more games anymore! Once you've got something out there, you can tweak it and update it all you want! (Note: while the overall message is serious, I wrote it in a satirical way.)

[@CoralCopperHead]

@@redactedoktor "Minecraft and Fortnite are the best example of this!" Two of the most tired titles that were barely worth looking at on launch and still don't have much to offer today?

[@skyrimlover777]

He only makes good points by pointing out real issues, but his solution to any of them is beyond insane. It is worth nothing while raiden sees the poor as weak and the rich as strong predators, Armstrong sees the rich as weak and without values.

[@devranyilmaz9806]

Well, both are correct.

[@WhiteManOnCampus]

When you've gotten to the point where you can harvest children's brains and have it be completely legal, is there any method of solving that problem that wouldn't be considered insanity? I can't see how you could salvage a society like that.

[@manunova5929]

The poor are weak because they can't feed, get strong and stand up for themselves. In extreme cases they would only get strong by stealing and doing whatever it takes to survive. The rich predate on everyone else because economic systems allow them to-they can do more than just buy more things than you, they may commit crimes and use all their wealth to defend themselves with tons of lawyers, they can pay people for information and exploit loopholes, and if they are caught they may be ignored or practically ge out unscathed because of how much money they have... but Armstrong isn't wrong. The rich are predators of society, but if you attack them, it's rare cases in which they could actually defend themselves. They are weak physically, but also mentally, because when they need something they have someone else do it, some of them may lead whole corporations that work like well-oiled machines that don't need much of their attention. They don't have strength, they use other people's strength to climb up or stay up. Take away what money can buy, then they have nothing. Also, since they rarely struggle getting what they want, they also don't develop willpower.

[@GodlyDra]

@@WhiteManOnCampus Yep. The only way to fix a society that fucked up is by burning the entire thing and reviving it from the ashes.

[@denkerbosu3551]

@@WhiteManOnCampus THIS The thing with "Oh he's right, but he goes on with it the wrong way" is that _the entire world is wrong already. Oh, Armstrong wants a war economy? *They had a war economy for decades by this point!* Why would you try to stop a "war to end all wars", when wars break out every monday?!

[@MutantMFM]

It is a multitude of how sad, funny, yet terrifying at how Armstrong is a better person than the majority of the bureaucrats that are in America alone. Which is to say even as flawed, insane as well as evil his actions are his end goals are. When a fictional character created like that is more preferable to any other equivalent bureaucrat in reality is a troubling thought. As I believe many thought the same thing about previous president and yet all these other bureaucrats have been revealing their true nature and still manage to get the current placeholder of a president into office. Which is a shame as the main issue is Armstrong is more honest about what he has done and his own views on what he wants to accomplish. Yet all we hear from the real world bureaucrats are obvious flowery lies, that they usually contradict shortly before more lies. All the while trying to mask and hide their evil, yet forgetting we can now see their maleficence easier because of the internet. Hence why they are trying and failing to control the content of the people on the internet by censorship by using terms as "misinformation" to talk their lies into existence. This was surprisingly a good video about a character I thought was just simply insane and evil because of my own conditioned biases. Granted he still did terrible and evil things, but he is fictional and speaks on a subject people don't want to accept that is occurring in our reality before our very eyes. No wonder the memes based off of him still persist so well. As it strikes at many core issues we have been having for decades and have either been ignorant of or purposefully blind to.

[@Santisima_Trinidad]

Better person is a bit of a stretch (hell, he straight up lies to raiden until raiden calls him out for his bullshit), but he does make some extremely good points. He's a lot like thanos in that regard, having a really good basis on which to build his reasoning, but accidentally dividing by zero on step 2 and ending up with a goal so ungodly stupid it's legitimately insane.

[@draganarto13]

Bro, the dude made child soldiers and is propagating this concept of social darwinism when he never had to suffer. I don't see current politicians kidnapping children and extracting their brains. The point of Armstrong, like many characters, is he is an exaggeration taken to 11. The response shouldn't be, "Wow, this guy is better than some real life people." It should be, "Damn, he has some points, but getting to where he wants to get to like he has makes him a bastard." Like I understand the want to burn it all down, but there needs to be a moment where we accept that as a species we are communal and tribal, not all lone wolves. Destruction without a plan for replacing what is there will always be a dumb move. Armstrong makes some points and it's great to fantasize about, but if you ain't strong enough then what? Just because someone seems preferable you need to look at their actions, speaking of the last president as your example is a wonderful idea. He produced an idea that was amazing to some, the idea that it would be a change from normalcy. Look where that got us. Overall, idealizing a politician or anyone like Armstrong with as extreme views as they have is a recipe for disaster, period.

[@MutantMFM]

@@Santisima_Trinidad Hahaha! That is true. Though that also shows when they tried to give depth to Thanos in the MCU it came off as being insanely stupid. To be fair I prefer the original as he was just insane as he was in love with death itself. Which caused me to lose interest in the MCU one trying to "save" people by killing half of them off.

[@Santisima_Trinidad]

@@MutantMFM oh, no, I'm saying Thanos also had stupid reasoning where he divided by zero on step 2. Which is a shame, because he was the best written character in the MCU bar none with the stupidity, and having to have him get beaten by the power of friendship TM was a shame. Though it did prove that any single engineer is more powerful than every feminist combined when tony stark did the anti snap before the girl gamer squad had the thought occur to them, so it wasn't all bad. (for legal reasons i have to clarify that that last part was a joke, i don't want to spark any more unnecessary debates)

[@MutantMFM]

@@draganarto13 True, but I am differentiating between one being fiction and real world issues that insane fictional character was talking about. Rather I am not idealizing him just recognizing what some of what he said is true, but his methods are outright evil. It is just a rather disturbing thought to see very rational things coming out of the mouth of a mad man. All the while in reality we have been seeing profiteering bureaucrats once again encouraging conflict. In which they will not put themselves or their children in harms way, just the lives of parents and children of others. This is an old issue that Armstrong was talking about that holds any relevancy, I might have not been to clear on what I typed. However I wasn't praising his actions nor wanting a real version of him to be real. Mainly since we already know how that turns out.

[@joshuabrooks9782]

This Senator has passed some of his memes onto me. Cause insane or not, he was right about a lot, simply not his methods.

[@TheFirstCurse1]

I just hope that you don't mean that you're a piece of shit social Darwinist like him where you only believe that the "strong" should thrive.

[@ProxyDoug]

I wonder if the world wasn't the way it was, he would ever do things that way, or even get into politics.

[@LR-jb6zn]

@@TheFirstCurse1 you have shallow way of thinking. the term of strong not only strenght but mind and also ideas. and yes, the strong or the good one should thrive, if you want a world that obesse is healty, people can identified with any 86+ gender they want, only white can be racist, and military should have trans included, sure. let the weak thrive.

[@calebmapp7096]

@@LR-jb6zn This just proves to me that someone like you is the 'weak' one in this argument. The intolerant who are stuck in their ways never grow or advance, they're a decaying, rotten mess just like the America Armstrong is talking about. Armstrong is a crazy bastard and I'd sooner drink acid than agree with him, but I'd hope that it's obvious that his social darwinism is not talking about any kind of progressiveness or any other -isms you could throw at me. Obesity is bad, yeah. But I wouldn't wholly put the blame on the people, we have a culture of fast food and that will never change because corporations are corporations and they only exist to profit. And if it gives people heart attacks or weight problems? Whatever then. They've got their blood money. Self-determinism is one of the key points of the 'anarchy' that Armstrong wants I'd say. He even says it 'Where a man can be his own person, fight for his own ideals', or something to that effect. Identifying as whoever you wish to be would 100% fall under his philosphy if he wasn't a raging psycho or hypocrite (Which he probably would be tbh.) There have been no studies showing that trans people or any other people falling under the LGBTQ+ banner are worse for military service than others. Trans people are only hampered in the military by surrounding bigotry. Witholding them would only make the military weaker, which is presumably your reason for being against letting trans folk into the military. I don't really know any good-faith progressives with the 'Only white people can be racist' stance in all honesty, it feels like another strawman or misconstruing of progressive talking points. Tl;dr, I think you're the one with the more shallow view of the world m'dude, hopefully this isn't wasted on you.

[@Shamshiro]

@@calebmapp7096 - You didn't post a copypasta, didn't you? Your essay reads exactly like an SJW copypasta.

[@jfbeast]

Senator Armstrong - based villain But everyone overlooked how Monsoon predicted the future

[@HolyknightVader999]

MEMES!

[@roflmywaffles1313]

The best part of Armstrong's theme is how proud and unrelenting it is. The exact music that fits an American who will do whatever he needs to do to make his goals happen.

[@denkerbosu3551]

The song fits more Raiden though. Armstrong has no song to actually represent him.

[@TheAngryTrapezoid]

It fits them both, very deliberately, as it shows how similar their true philosophies really are, and how Raiden takes in some of Armstrong's memes afterwards

[@cloudbounc3]

@@denkerbosu3551 I like to think to think it shows some parts of Raiden, and then overlaps with Armstrong.

[@micronarchival8147]

​@@cloudbounc3 I like to imagine it as Raiden's theme. He and Sam were most likely the most similar in every aspect. The game deliberately shows you how similar they are via Samuel's sword. When Sam loses his sword in his fight, the music stops, which is the same thing that happens in Armstrong's. Raiden has picked up Samuel's meme in a very literal sense.

[@drsatanrx]

@@micronarchival8147 Nah man. Sam just put a speaker in his sword to make fighting more interesting

[@pale6383]

I love the Pledge Of Demon in the background while explaining Armstrong's intentions and plan. Kuze did a bit for Kiryu like Armstrong did Raiden but over completely different timespans.

[@miguelescobedo5112]

Let's never forget this honorable quote from Steven Armstong and that's Nanomachines Son.

[@mlrobbins02]

Armstrong is a great layered Villain with a lot of symbolism and philosophy behind his character Metal Gear Rising was one of the first few video games I've ever actually completed and enjoyed And I think more people need to put respect on Armstrong as a character because I dislike people who see him as a meme and a meme alone

[@denkerbosu3551]

Those people tend to genuinely not catch why Armstrong's ideals would resonate with people.

[@cinnamonwalkin]

I remember when I first fought him since he was a politician I thought he was gonna be weak and I was like its gonna be one of those weak final bosses... And I was so wrong he hurts so much

[@thedoomslayer5863]

Weak? The dude IS FUCKING BUILT LIKE A GOD DAMN BRICK HOUSE MY DUDE. Granted he'd get slaughtered by a cyborg like Raiden without NANO MACHINES SON but human vs human Armstrong would fold almost anyone. Dudes got strong in his name for a reason lol. The nanomachines just evens the playing field with you being almost a robot

[@SorowFame]

@@thedoomslayer5863 he doesn’t seem to have much actual experience fighting. It’d be hard but I think someone who knows how to fight beyond “punch it hard” would have a good chance of winning

[@dean_l33]

@@SorowFame He won against Sam by doing whatever he did. Though you're right without nanomachines he wouldn't be so tough.

[@cleverman383]

If I only learned one thing from Senator Armstrong, it's how much college football can teach you about combat techniques

[@hiiambarney4489]

@@thedoomslayer5863 Then again, Jetream Sam would've been dicked on by Raiden at the beginning of the game without his Suit.

[@goroakechi6126]

Making the mother of all Armstrong analysises, Jack! Can’t fret over every salty libertarian!

[@gen-zboomer]

"making the mother of all seetheposts, jack!"

[@carlacaribe]

I think with this idea of the supremacy of the strongest Armstrong refers to the mentally strong, he wants people who has will, who's determinated, passionate people who keeps going forward no matter the struggle, he doesn't care if those people are physically weak, poor or dump, to him if they have a goal to achieve and the mental strength needed for it they will achieve their goal.

[@afasdfasafd314]

beated him a few hours ago, one of the hardest boss fights of my life, had to get out, increase my health to 200% and then come again with 9 ,thats right, 9 health packs to even stand a chance, cannot wait to face him again on revengance dificulty and in sam chapter.

[@aryabratsahoo7474]

Oh boy wait till you fight him again in the dlc

[@allimadness_7011]

in revengeance he one shots you

[@afasdfasafd314]

@@allimadness_7011 10 health packs then

[@Fiddlestick007]

Armstrong in Sam’s DLC is a sadistic boss, whoever was coding him had a very, very, bad day/week/month/year/life

[@CoralCopperHead]

I call shenanigans, you can only carry five nanopastes.

[@imperatornoinga3646]

I always personally saw Armstrong not as an anarchist but more as a believer in self governance. Where a moral people come together behind a strong and capable, yet moral leader. He wishes to remove the weak, but not simply the physically weak. He wants to get rid of the morally weak. The politicians that sell their people out do to their own weakness. He wants THOSE weaklings gone

[@gen-zboomer]

Yeah, literally this. But they have to make him conform to a villain stereotype so idk. I want what he wants, I want to care again. I want to make my own morals and values that I believe in.

[@WhiteManOnCampus]

Thing is, I believe Armstrong stopped respecting Sam because Sam gave in. Armstrong was playing the representation of everything Sam hated, and Sam surrendered - willing to give up his own world view in the face of overwhelming strength. That's why Sam goes from Minuano to Jetstream: he lets himself be reinvented. Armstrong isn't necessarily about might making right, even though it's pretty clear he acknowledges that this is a base truism: he and Raiden spend their pre-battle argument talking past each other because Armstrong is speaking of the weak in spiritual terms, in terms of willpower. While Raiden sees strength and weakness in physical and economic terms. Sam proved himself to be weak when he caved to what he hated. Had he kept fighting, I suspect Armstrong would have leveled with him as he does with Raiden. Armstrong's view of strength is strength of will, of character. He wants honest people who will stand for their beliefs, regardless of physical strength. Whereas Raiden wants to protect the physically weak and disenfranchised even if this will just create a cycle of victimization as the weak won't be forced to stand on their own. Armstrong's actions are monstrous but, as Sundowner explains, completely legal. And that's the horrific part, that society has degraded to the point that harvesting children's brains can be done legally. This is not a society that can be saved from the outside, and so Armstrong is willing to be a monster in order to fight monsters. It's why he's not afraid of dying or saddened to have lost to Raiden: they put their beliefs on the line and Armstrong lost, but in holding to his beliefs even to the death he's influenced Raiden, taught him another lesson about strength of character. Nowadays people are directed, overtly and subtly, into various crusades. They don't bother questioning, simply obeying authority. And thus the corrupt authority can rule with impunity by playing different groups against one another. The truly staggering thing is that Armstrong's revolution would likely kill fewer people than who are killed now in unjust wars, rampant crime, and medical malpractice; and it would most certainly result in less suffering. Editing in one more thing: it's interesting how Armstrong says the weak will be purged, not that the weak will die. To purge is to utterly remove something. It really strikes me that Armstrong is so accepting of his own death and I think he believes that if every man stands for what he believes in, then even in dying their values will be shared with others. The strong will never truly die because their beliefs will be carried by others, while the weak - the cowardly, the manipulative, the blindly obedient - will be forgotten.

[@bowserjr55]

Normally, i absolutely LOATHE a final boss that come out of nowhere. Especially when that boss has little to no buildup, and very little screen time outside the fight. But Armstrong is one instance where I can make an exception. It's a boss/character that I kind of wish more games would try to emulate. That said, I understand why he's so unique as a character, and a lot of it comes from the political climate of today. In a weird way, he's the embodiment of the phrase, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." He's the kind of person that wants his home to be better than it is, but has to do some rather nasty things to make it work. While I can see his reasons, as JoCat once said, "having good ends doesn't make having mean means any less mean."

[@Pikaman20008]

Well in his case his ends aren’t exactly good either. Since essentially he’s not trying to put an end to war and violence, if anything encouraging it, but only if it’s for causes people believe in. He believes people should take what they want no matter who it hurts, which is perfectly reflected in his actions. So while he has perfectly valid points on what is wrong with the world, he focuses on the wrong parts

[@cleverman383]

I wish they could have at least had little cameos of him doing speeches and campaign ads on TVs in the background or something to at least have us know he's a character that exists in this world before coming out of nowhere to be the final boss

[@stevele987]

@@cleverman383 At one point before the Monsoon battle, Jetstream Sam initially wanted to fight Raiden. Monsoon objected to it, saying to him, "Report back to the chief". That's the only time Armstrong gets a mention before he was revealed.

[@Mr_RandomCommenter]

Armstrong is a fine villain with fine dialogue

[@misterzygarde6431]

I’d be down to see Senator Armstrong throw down with Saxtom Hale

[@Anonymous-73]

They’d probably be Gym buddies

[@Angelik_]

@@Anonymous-73 true

[@raphaelsanchez7386]

These two would absolutely throw hands. I mean, Saxton (in)directly works with the Administrator, who perpetuates the meaningless war between the mercenaries, who fight for reasons they don’t understand, and Armstrong might have something to say about that. On an unrelated note, imagine Armstrong with nanomachines *and* Australium.

[@jojogacha974]

Saxtom hale is just a buff guy Armstrong has nanomachines that make him indescribable

[@raphaelsanchez7386]

@@jojogacha974 By virtue of being of Australian blood, Saxton Hale is a man fueled by Australium, one of the most powerful performance-enhancing substances on the planet. It’s effectively just nanomachines without the nanomachines, able to boost one’s strength and improve their healing ability, with the added bonus of increasing their intelligence as well. However, I would once again like to shift focus from a battle between the two and instead reiterate the possibility of Australium-infused nanomachines. Absolutely terrifying to be honest.

[@thattubechannel]

Great video! To expand on Armstrong's philosophy of strength. Strength is the honest expression of power. The issue Armstrong is attempting to address is that weak men, unworthy men obtain positions of power through dishonest means. In a honest system a strong man will able to rise to power and keep power through his own strength, in a dishonest system a weak man will be able to rise to power through lies, subterfuge, and manufacturing consent. Armstrong seeks to destroy such a system, but the system has become so corrupted, and weak men have been able to steal for themselves such unearned power that Armstrong must first engage with such a system before he is able to destroy it. Those who would support state power over personal power have abdicated their responsibility of enacting power to the state. 'I do not need to defend myself because the police will. I can't act on my will for change because I will be arrested.' Those who choose disempowerment are not the peers of the strong, but their consent is used to suppress the power of those who seek empowerment. Manufactured consent is so powerful that those even seeking peaceful means of empowerment can be easily demonized as 'terrorists' or 'insurrectionists'. Wars for these unworthy men are supported, while the power of those at home is constantly diminished. Through these political, economic, and media systems those unworthy who are in power are able to prevent those who may more worthy from rightfully taking their place. To a strong person, they do not feel beholden to a system they were placed under by others. They do not see a reason why their will and ambition should be curtailed by the system; they may see a power threatening them, but not a reason. They do not accept that a system represents their power; only they represent their power.

[@lukecalumlyonwrath7723]

Pretty good read.

[@Lazypackmule]

Armstrong's best quality is how he serves as a foil for Raiden, making you and Raiden himself question what you've come to know, and change because of it Armstrong is a character who is entirely committed to his principles, even to the point where it could harm his goals- and this stands in direct opposition to Raiden, a character for whom the ends justify the means, something normally seen as villainous and only overlooked because Raiden acts in service of preserving the status quo(which most people on reflection also wouldn't support)

[@themphantom9138]

His Theme alone is just Way Too Perfect! True Power of Nano Machines!

[@Dharengo]

Yu Yevon was just a formality though. The actual final boss is Braska's Final Aeon. You could argue the same for Dark Beast Ganon, but Calamity Ganon barely passes for a final exam.

[@kinryuten]

While the calamity asks for mechanical skill from Link, the Sheikah Runes are useless in that fight and half the champion powers are conditional. Hyrule Warriors Ganon is a better final boss than the calamity. It asks you to use all the sub weapons, know how to properly break weak points, as well as dodge/defend and how to know when to apply and take pressure off during the battle. Turn based RPGs are hardest to do this with, but I could be wrong.

[@marcosdheleno]

i was gonna argue that, yu yevon isnt supposed to be dificult, on the contrary, it is meant to be an easy thing to deal with.

[@thomastheperson3600]

When Armstrong talks about the weak majority, he sees them as unable to develop courage and aptitude to fight back against injustice. He’s not only a hypocrite because what he is doing is clearly unjust, but by not believing in the weak to become strong, he’s contradicting his own ideals by putting down the people that did have a chance, for example George, who would have been turned into just another child soldier, if not saved by Raiden. At least George goes through some sort of development through the game. Armstrong only sees what will inevitably occur, such as the cherry blossom becoming bare, or the weak dying to the strong. He doesn’t think that those can be any more than their fate, even when it’s right in front of him. He respects those who broke his worldview, interested because he thinks they’re the only ones capable of outsmarting the system he believes rules everything. I’m not sure where I’m going with this, or if I just reconstructed what the video said, but I hope this makes some sense.

[@ProxyDoug]

He thinks the weak can become strong, not as a demographic to be squashed. While it is inevitable that someone stronger might come and impose their will upon you, he thinks that as long as you fight for what you believe, it is something worth dying for, rather than fighting for some politician who can't even pronounce your name.

[@LR-jb6zn]

@@ProxyDoug yup, thats why he respect raiden.

[@elgordobondiola]

@@LR-jb6zn and why he respects any of the winds of destruction

[@stillsameguy2836]

I don't think Armstrong's view on strength is necessarily literal. When he says "the weak" and "the strong" with the context of his actions and the rest of the speech, he far more likely means the strong and weak willed. The people he think should be purged are those that don't believe in any ideals and those who will survive naturally will do so because they'll fight for it.

[@PantherIsa]

You got the concept of weak and strong wrong. The weak is talked about a lot in the song Collective Consciousness and it's the weak-minded people, along with the greedy ones who stay in the comfort of the office while sending men into the fire. This is implied in Jetstream Sam's DLC.

[@road_3838]

21:53 Finally, someone said it, idkw, but a lot of people think that Kojima wrote the story of mgr.

[@TheMaestroMizerous]

2013 MGR was released, and now almost 10 years later the game's legacy lingers on...

[@sonicszuetomyt5448]

-The memes... -They left us their great -ism's!

[@culturalliberator9425]

He's probably one of my favorite American caricatures flat out. He's a crazy American done right. Funny it came from the Japanese known for there crazy Americans but not well done crazy Americans.

[@Malam_NightYoru]

this same japanese made the best brazilian representation in a game ever, with the smile that never stops to hide everything that happens in his life. Even Sam charisma was on point to the average brazilian, and his past fits with the average poor kid on Brazil, where they cannot escape the contact with criminality cuz the politicians don't give a fuck about the poor people. He made his life as a mercenary, he grown up as a killer, but never lost the "Brazilian style" that is taking profit when possible and always trying to make the proccess easier (this is why his sword is a fuckin gun). What makes this more special is the fact that no one ever thought of making a gun that shots itself away, also showing the creativity of the brazilians while solving problems.

[@culturalliberator9425]

@@Malam_NightYoru I mean. I guess.

[@SerunaXI]

I sometimes think of the crazy patriotic American in Japanese media as a little warning, a reminder. "These people are crazy. They will bash your face in if you cross them, and then help you back onto your feet once they are sure you learned your lesson. They will then bash the face in of anyone that laughs at the fact that you got helped back up."

[@culturalliberator9425]

@@SerunaXI Well, they always forget the, "Also you crossed them by shooting them in the foot and your currently ®@¶ing people." But yes, I do agree, that seems to be the case... If they were actually capable of hurting anything. But besides that as well. Yes.

[@cleverman383]

Metal Gear also has two of the best African American characters in gaming, even if they both were child soldiers: Raiden and Liquid Snake

[@skybuprofen9834]

I love Armstrong's enthusiastic nod when he sticks out his hand for Raiden's bait-and-switch.

[@ethanhinton4549]

Armstrong's morality can be summed up as "right problem, too extreme of a solution"

[@denkerbosu3551]

Problem is he lives in an EXTREME WORLD. Think about it: THey managed to make the whole children's brains part _legal._ The metal gear world is messed up.

[@Freedmoon44]

@@denkerbosu3551 tbf when giant robots that can legit destroy cities in record time safe for strat bombing and nuke are less a threat than a mere swordsman with a fancy sword exo suit and cybernetic arm, its no wonder it became legal, nothing makes sense

[@cleverman383]

@@denkerbosu3551 And it's so messed up because we destroyed the Patriots, who were a necessary evil, as explained in the ending of MGS2

[@Santisima_Trinidad]

Armstrong is an intresting character, because with his short screentime, we get an over the top campy villian made of pure evil to match the prequels palatine, as well as a believable set of motives founded off of a legitimate base and a seemingly real concern for the little guy that's just gone into the realms of absolute stupidity through a fundamental misunderstanding of several key points in his argument that rivals thanos. All of that through a fairly short argument/fight against our protagonist, not just a monologue like you often find when villains are giving the audience there reasoning. Now, whilst thats all well and good, it might sound detached from my opening statement of "armstrong is an intresting character". And it kinda is, because those things, whilst they make him a great character, aren't what make him so intresting. What makes him intresting is that he does all of this in a relatively short amount of screentime, and yet nobody else has really managed to get something like him up an running. Esspecially since then, over the top campieness hasn't often been a thing with antagonists in media, and fundamental misunderstandings of philosophical and/or economic concepts are generally not used in favour of tragic backstorys where the death of someone's grandmother drove them to commiting multiversal genocide or beating someone to death with a golf club. And thats pretty weird considering how many of the most beloved villans are the ones with one or more of armstrongs characteristics. They aren't required ones, and directly alongside palatines camp is anakins tragic backstory (well, just story really, most of it happens in the films), with anakin/ darth vader also being beloved by many, but they they are seen pretty rarely despite being so good. Probably doesn't help that Thanos also has a tragic backstory, so writers see that and think thats what makes him a great villan, and not the fact that he's on the verge of being the good guy but misses the target by just a hair, thus ending up smack bang in the middle of supervillan territory. TLDR, Armstrong should be copied by Hollywood, and i ramble on for way to long about things.

[@thedoomslayer5863]

Tldr there's many reasons to live Armstrong and not just one of them is the "correct" one

[@badasscrusader]

Hollywood is way to dumb and woke to do Armstrong correctly

[@Santisima_Trinidad]

@@badasscrusader yes, but if they are making armstrongs Ukrainian cousin, Legtough, not srmstrong himself doing it Correctly isn't necessary, just doing something in the vein of armstrong should be enough. Unless they mega fuck up, but hopefully they can at least avoid that when they have the villian bassically prewritten.

[@denkerbosu3551]

You are thinking of Armstrong in the context of the real world, and not the Metal Gear one. Keep in mind: Harvesting children's brain to make them child cyborg soldiers? They did that LEGALLY

[@UltimaPhoenix-dx3kt]

Very few last minute antagonists like Armstrong completely steal the show like he did, and that's awesome. Also, I love how the game both started and ended with Raiden suplexing a giant robot war machine that are dozens of times his own size. Truly peak fiction.

[@thedoomslayer5863]

Suplex doesn't obey your puny rules mortal it makes its own

[@krow1551]

I never thought about the presentation of a scene as a stage play. I think the more bombastic nature is what a lot of scenes lack.

[@blakemills2717]

WHEN YOUR MAKING THE MOTHER OF ALL OMELETTES, YOU CAN'T FRET OVER EVERY EGG

[@ProfSir1]

Armstrong’s desires make sense until you start to think about it. Freedom is what he wants, but only so long as it’s used in a way where the strong survive. If you use your freedom to become weak (addiction for example) then you aren’t good enough to live and should be destroyed. It’s the idea of someone else making all the choices in your life for you.

[@austinkersey2445]

Yeah, though there seems to be a specific meaning to his idea of "the weak". The people he mentions are not people that are weak physically (they likely are, but that is not what I think he means). They are people that are weak in character and in will. I believe that he means that his new America will only benefit those who have the will and the character to improve themselves and push past those who don't. While those with little character and a flimsy will shall be left behind. Basically, "if you want it bad enough then you will succeed. If you don't then you won't."

[@justice8718]

@@austinkersey2445 it's hard to blame him when you see how weak the majority are and how they erase futures in meaningless ways. Some fucker in 4chan's pol section is more likely to understand the world and the bible than the politicians or the supposed Christians.

[@ancientflames]

He isn't wrong though. Using freedom to become weaker and do evil is not really freedom. Like your example with addiction it's really enslavement. Whether to materialism, lust, laziness, substances etc. Freedom is to move up. Not sideways or down.

[@gen-zboomer]

@@ancientflames Exactly. Just more bullshit, getting in the way.

[@gen-zboomer]

Dude, we don't even have to worry about where we end up, we just need to fucking GET SOMEWHERE.

[@SnakeRoadComicsOfficial3677]

What's great about It Has To Be This Way is it fits so many fight scenes with the same themes. A great example would be Optimus Prime vs megatron

[@dragon_ninja_2186]

It Has To Be This Way will never get old.

[@austinmorrison6953]

Senator Armstrong: Making you laugh with meme-able quotes one second and making you think with genuinely smart writing the next

[@themeddite]

I think the most interesting philosophy of Armstrong that I agree with is his want for people to stand up and fight for what they truely believe in, not something someone else says they should fight for.

[@maxducks2001]

I think why Armstrong is so beloved online, especially today, is because a lot of people unironically agree with him. I mean, take away the child brain soldiers and rampant social Darwinism(for most people, anyway), and his ideology is extremely attractive to a lot of people, including myself. The media, the massive amounts of bullshit shoved into our brains, all the corporate nightmare stuff that happen on a daily basis at this point, Armstrong’s America gets rid of that. Hell, even just a tiny bit of social Darwinism might be good for America today because it would somewhat get rid of the corrupt elite who prey off of others, which I think almost every common man supports, no matter your political stance. And Raiden acknowledges that, or at least we can tell he does through the lyrics of “It Has To Be This Way” and how Armstrong continues to say Raiden is just like him, all the way to his death. Again, Armstrong is obviously a villain, he’s done some terrible things, and his ideology is a bit extreme, but he’s the perfect villain because despite all that, he has thoughts and motives that a lot of people agree with. The villain that you agree with is, in my opinion, one of the best kinds of villains in media, and one that I wish we saw more of.

[@randomprotag9329]

i use his speech as work out inspiration right at the end or during a tough part of the work out

[@liamwelch6485]

I find the best part of the boss is how the music vocals plays the whole fight unlike the other bosses in the game where the vocals play at the "best moments" it's basically the game telling you the whole fight is the "best part"

[@MikeJr9284]

Memes aside, Armstrong is an awesome villain.

[@Angelik_]

Fax

[@cleverman383]

Armstrong's entire purpose in the story is to spread his memes to Raiden, and he succeeds, with Raiden going on in the epilogue as his successor, carrying on his memes into the non-existent sequel game

[@TheBurningFloor]

armstrong is more of a anti hero

[@gxalcremieshiny4229]

i just love how the lyrics of the music play when the boss taked you seriously, when raiden is unarmed Armstrong knows you cannot beat him without the Murasama

[@Bingchilling6]

i like how metal gear rising themes actually have meanings instead of just a music that makes you feel strong

[@shadowmomochiuchiha6839]

Steven Armstrong is the reason I played MGR

[@_greenrunner_]

I find it a feat of game development on how a guy, who just looks like a generic “guy in a suit”, ends up stealing the show in every scene he is in. Backed up by the best fight and ost in the game. all within 1 hour essentially. in a game filled with great antagonists

[@cleverman383]

and he isn't even a character in the game up until that point, he just literally shows up out of nowhere as a caricature of a US Senator and says "hi I'll be your final boss this evening"

[@Maplemuffin0367]

I get Armstrong is popular for the memes but honestly his character was amazing, especially his last fight, its the best send off for the game

[@baddragonite]

This game was very underrated when it first came out

[@cleverman383]

It's a Metal Gear game not made by Kojima and isn't a stealth game. Of course it was controversial and underrated at the time.

[@disendromeder4347]

This pribobaly fits better here, not in the other bosses themes. The best part about Collective Conscience is how it tells you exactly what you want to hear. The public, to alleviate pain and ease how hard life is, and to the player, he's the bad guy, he wants to take away everyone's freedom and you need to stop him. CC It sets up the reveal of Armstrong's true beliefs, and makes the player realise how much they actually understand, and in some cases, agree with him. Commpounding onto even THAT, it hammers the point in of "It Has to be This Way" where even if the player agrees with Armstrong, and relates to his beliefs, there's no other choice and you have to follow the path of killing Armstrong. Lastly, in the perfect merging of the music and beliefs of Armstrong, he might even share some of his memes with us, now I'm not quite sure what they are qnd they definetly vary from person to person, but it has definetly happened. TL;DR Collective Conscienceness ran, so It Has to be This Way could fly And Armstrong gave us some of his memes

[@TheGman938]

They need to give us a sequel already

[@lryiss9407]

Nothing would come close to remaking perfection.

[@cleverman383]

@@lryiss9407 With that mentality, we never would have got any Metal Gear games after the first one

[@turbochad69]

Senator Armstrong is probably one of my favorite characters/bosses of all time as well. Even after all these years he is still one of my favorite characters in a game. Hell even a story as well. He’s just awesome lol.

[@Anonymous-73]

I also noticed that Armstrong wears the exact same suit as Raiden in the games opening.

[@Kloutrous808]

The streets been waiting for this, thank you!

[@Mangakamen]

More to come

[@NanarStudios]

There’s still a big problem with having a villain like Senator Armstrong in a game: I keep dying intentionally because I unironically want him to win

[@cleverman383]

I had this problem when I had to fight Ellie in Last of Us 2

[@lebonk8081]

this guy would fit PERFECTLY in a shin megami tensei game.

[@CorwinTheOneAndOnly]

Kojima is a genius, it's just obvious that he is. BUT, he is also completely insane. Genius, but insane. Useful for creating amazing experiences, but yes he does need a handler.

[@Newbmann]

Really deep for a character who wanted to turn america into medieval iceland.

[@Nickel_The_Wise]

I'm honestly at a loss here, mostly because I dodge internet culture and haven't played this game yet. When you got a guy as morally steadfast and uncompromising in his efforts as Sen. Armstrong, it's easy to see him as a villain who mashes our hero up like potatoes to get his way, but thru your explanations, the real message of his character comes through: he's trying to fix this, all of it, and is just too big and idealistic to not hear out. I've lucked out in entering this all unvarnished, so I'ma play the game somehow and experience this nano-tech opera for myself, but if Jack's participation in that ultra-powered senatorial debate taught him and I anything, it's that S. Armstrong is no liar.. also, I gotta think on a favorite final boss too, never given good thought to it before! Greedy from Ristar, Dark Demon from Dynamite Headdy, ROOTMARS from Metal Slug 3, Ballos from Cave Story, Doviculus from Brutal Legend, King Dice and the Devil from Cuphead, Golden Silver from Gunstar Heroes, Giygas from Earthbound, Terror Mask from Splatterhouse 4, Mother Brain from Super Metroid... dammit, I gotta study more.

[@rajabuta]

His final solution is anarchy. Guess what happens in a true anarchy. Chaos. The rape, murder, enslave kind of chaos.

[@critconk]

Nobody: Armstrong: "If you can't survive, you're not meant to."

[@imapseudonym6198]

Armstrong is ultimately the best type of villain, because he's one who speaks to quintessential, uncomfortable truths. Like all villains, his worldview is deeply flawed and incomplete - but the core of his argument isn't necessarily wrong. He presents a lot of good points. But Armstrong is like so many other people in the world: he finds a glimmer of universal truth, and thinks that it means he understands the whole picture. And, like so many other villains both real and fictional, he thinks it justifies any means in the pursuit of that truth.

[@avroarchitect1793]

He's right about the issues, but wrong in how to correct them. He's great because of how human he is in his actions and character ( ignoring the obvious video game/ Metal Gear shenanigans). Plus the raw charisma on display helps, If I'd heard that speech from him in person I'd have voted for him.

[@denkerbosu3551]

@@avroarchitect1793 the problem is that the world he lives in _needs_ such extreme means to solve the issue. Remember: they made the children's brains part LEGAL.

[@cleverman383]

@@avroarchitect1793 so you're saying if I adopt his personality and world view then you'll vote for me?

[@avroarchitect1793]

@@cleverman383 perhaps, it depends more on your delivery of the speech. You gotta admit he has raw charisma on his side

[@endarkculi]

To quote the comedy police show Brooklyn 99, "Cool motive, still murder". And it was fun to see both the murder and motive parts of Armstrong examined like this. He was a perfect fit for the Metal Gear universe in the end.

[@midnightfenrir]

It's a persuasive argument. Ultimately he's saying why lose your freedom and fight and die for nebulous goals and ideals you don't understand or believe in because a government says so. Why not have ultimate freedom and then fight and die for whatever crap YOU believe in. Win, lose or die, you are free. It's insane, but damn, on a visceral level it's nearly intoxicating given the world we live in now.

[@CoralCopperHead]

"The differences are going to let you know whether to counter or dodge his attacks." You're fighting Armstrong. The answer is _always_ dodge, throw in some blade cancels to get a few extra hits in, repeat.

[@OverlordGab]

In a way, the guy painted a pretty accurate picture of the world we live in

[@cyanprotogen7510]

NANOMACHIIIIIIIIIIIINES SOOOON!!! Good day to log on KZbin! Not even mentioning for someone (for me) who beat the revengance difficulty without any upgrade (Yes I'm a masoist) this game hold a BIG NANOMACHINE FILLED HEART in my chest Edit:of course you put the Golden Wing theme after the "I have a dream" sentence

[@ultimateknight4667]

Ah yes, the ultimate nanomachines video!

[@Nycat15]

A year later and just look at us now

[@-Raylight]

4:33 Lmao, math in nutshell Definitely great boss, they trained you with other bosses to fight him. I just love that more and more MGR got loved the older it gets. The memes are really passed down, it's the DNA of the soul! He has noble goal, but the path he took is just horrible. Still... Better than most politicians, will definitely vote for him 😂 14:44 Rushia 😭

[@jascharichtergillego65]

I like the direction in the latest vids. It feels fresh to see something different.

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

Armstrong condemns all the things he became: he's a *US senator* trying to *unilaterally* reform the country who rides around in superfluously large pieces of *material* military hardware and even has nanomachines flowing through his veins. Is this hypocrisy? On some level, yes. But the reason he came to where he was because he once stood before another man and realized, It has to be this way. "I subtlety absorb what I reject." -- Jung, Liber Novus.

[@reiayanamiisbestgirl2441]

I think Armstrong would somewhat agree with the concept of Andrew Ryan’s Rapture

[@andyf3269]

It would of been a neat nod to the political parties thing if his tie was purple (combo of red and blue). Also, damn these vids here lately man you are killing it 💪🏻

[@davidlewis6728]

ya, any position that isn't strictly mainstream left or mainstream right has to be mainstream centrist, right? yellow and black is the color of anarcho capitalism, and yellow and blue is typically the color of classical liberalism/libertarianism, so a yellow tie is fitting, especially since libertarianism isn't merely the combination of the two political sides, and in fact comes to conclusions based on an entirely different set of principles and expectations.

[@SerunaXI]

A purple tie would just be an honest comment on the uniparty, and Armstrong knows that a politician cannot be that honest.

[@cleverman383]

Armstrong's tie should be made up of nanomachines that change its color depending on the person he's talking to

[@andyf3269]

@@cleverman383 I like this idea even better cuz that’s what’s they do!

[@johnprime1147]

"You know he's pretty HARD. We're here after EXTENSIVE cutscenes to finally teach America that violence is never a solution. It's a question and the answr is YES"

[@tribacioustee2846]

I'd like to give a shoutout to the Metal Gear Excellus section, something that wasn't touched on here, or by many people. I think it was important in helping make all of the real Armstrong encounter so impactful, since it's basically what we expect to happen. When we break Excellus down, it's another triumphant moment - no one expected the real fight to start once Armstrong stepped out, nevermind how. Or for Armstrong to pummel Raiden for nearly 15 minutes straight But you know what my favourite bit part of it actually is? A codec call. If Raiden talks to Doktor during the fight, he talks about how Excellus doesn't fit the criteria of a Metal Gear - it was only called such for branding. So it would sell better. Ain't that a cute fourth wall joke? It's even more than that, actually, since it means Excellus is the third fake mask here. A major theme in MGR is understanding your true nature. Raiden denied his, while Armstrong hid his. Making Excellus an extension of the facade. Sometimes a great moment is helped by all the setup you don't mention

[@ironboy3245]

barges in drops life philosphy elaborates dies

[@ManpreetSingh-hj8st]

This game is so good that content is still being produced Edit: by content i mean the memes.

[@emmychan2104]

Immaculate Video. I loved the structuring, how you approached the topics, what you focused and didn't focus, and many many more small things. One of the few videos to make me actually think about the message being sent. Definitely a recurring viewer here.

[@Mangakamen]

Wow, thank you :)

[@DoomGhost35]

My guy...... I was playing this game last week..... I'm in love with the fact that this game has lasted longer in relevancy than mgs5 lol

[@ramironahuelpenas2538]

Holy shit this video was released much earlier than expected. That's a good way to make people sub.

[@LinkleMcA]

I don't have anything more to add that wasn't said in the video, but I do agree with mentioning that trying to speculate Armstrong's political leanings in a "right or left" dynamic, ESPECIALLY from a strictly US one, misses the point entirely and frankly ends up falling right into what Armstrong hated to begin with. If I were to describe his beliefs in any way, he is quite possibly one of the best figures to represent the "chaos" alignment in most Shin Megami Tensei games, despite not being a SMT character. Social Darwinism to such an insane degree along with the realization and even acceptance when he ends up being the "weaker" one within his own principles.

[@MYTHTOOOOONZ]

I dunno... Armstongs little speech had me feelin that "New America"🥶

[@gen-zboomer]

Yeah, because it’s based. Sorry corporate America, I don’t want your comfortable slavery anymore! I’m going to make my own morals and live life according to them, not to make you money.

[@royalpancakes7807]

Armstrong is a pretty SOLID Boss

[@MercurialDecree]

A few anime have similar meanings. For example in Iron-Blooded Orphans, the child soldiers are treated terribly and they must become stronger and tighten their own bonds just to survive. They steal, smuggle, and kill to achieve power. But they're still just a bunch of kids right? Well... sure... however they will do whatever it takes to build a world were they don't have to fight and die ... even kill anyone who stands in the way of building that new world for their family. Through turmoil and strife they honed themselves into living weapons. Even though in the end they were whittled down to bits by the largest military in the system, the strong will always survive to stand and struggle under the weight the chains they were shackled with. "Rise if you would... for that is our curse"

[@phanboy8059]

I think people will agree with me when I say that Armstrong is on par with Vergil and Sephiroth in terms of presence as a final boss.

[@abrunosON]

19:26 He's not talking about politics but the event horizon between politics and philosophy.

[@Czak05IsMe]

Nanomachines, son

[@jamesonguthrie2712]

They harden in response to physical trama

[@SoulBladeZero]

You can't hurt me jack!

[@padwock2294]

Purely commenting to increase the chance this gets recommended by KZbin to more people

[@EnkiDootDoot]

Man I came into this game expecting to turn everything in my line of sight into thin strips, so naturally I was floored when Armstrong decided to shake my irl ideologies before starting one of the best boss fights ever. MGR is really a unique game.