Toss Ups: Close Fights Aren't About the Combat

[@Squampopulous]

Hey everyone, sorry for delayed upload. Semi big news: I have made a patreon! Full disclosure, there is nothing posted there right now lol. If you want to show some extra support anyway, the link is in my profile! Let me know some World Cup fights you want to see!

[@bruggieboo5973]

what are your thoughts on arcane 2 act 1?

[@pezpro4946]

1. Light vs L 2. Either Karasuno Vs. Inarizaki or Karasuno Vs. Shiratorizawa or Karasuno Vs. Aoba Johsai from Haikyuu 3. Gojo vs Sukuna from JJK

[@Ghostking5904]

When I think World Cup fight I think Naruto vs Sasuke 2 at the end of Shippuden. Perfect intersection of strategy and characterisation because not only do the characters have their own win conditions they're trying to reach, they both know the others and how to stop them. Sasuke constantly rushing Naruto and breaking him hisnhandsigns before he can summon his shadow clones is some A+ choreography that shows just how well they know each other as friends and combatants

[@CriticalGrenade]

for a world cup I would put Johan vs Dr. Tenma from Monster or the end of Gladiator with Maximus vs Commodus

[@thegloriousryan8981]

Alucard vs Anderson is a really good one from Hellsing Ultimate, though good luck displaying anything from that show without getting demonetized.

[@TheLoserface45]

I love watching a fly swatting fight from the perspective of the loser too. Like often, they know they will lose but they fight anyways.

[@Squampopulous]

any examples?

[@sagehanson190]

Isn't that just a David vs Goliath?

[@b.welixabete]

@@sagehanson190in a david vs Goliath fight the underdog would win

[@eXAt33]

@@Squampopulous Spoilers for Edgerunners and Rogue One: David vs Adam Smasher/ the Rebels vs the Death Star / Vader (although the later might not really count as a fight). In both of these instances the fly has to get in the way of the swatter in order to evacuate something deemed more important (Lucy/the Death Star blueprints). In David’s case I think he loses the fight (or rather, has to do it at all) because he is too arrogant, in the rebels case it maybe is just the case that they lose because they are too weak. Maybe the through line to losing in a fly-swatting being interesting is sacrifice although I’m sure there are other examples

[@samstanage]

@@Squampopulousit’s barely a “fight” but something like Judy vs Gideon in zootopia. She loses the fight hands down, but she had an ulterior win condition.

[@Indoctrinated_Mind]

Bro just appeared out of thin air and got me addicted to these videos 💀

[@theramenprincess7279]

Fr I watched all videos and loved them and then went looking for more realizing that this was in fact all there is rn😭

[@grimmchildd2638]

same, although i feel like im learning a lot and that makes me motivated

[@dr.j7542]

This is literally what I came here to type

[@chromaticcaos]

​@theramenprincess7279 LSM has old videos that he unlisted because they aren't as good (at least that's what he says, I think they're great) that are in an "archived" playlist.

[@Worthycha-zm6ks]

Same xD

[@epicmemelord2258]

This just gave me the perfect reason to procrastinate even more on my work

[@terraelaweonao]

same

[@overmatchrobotics]

same lmao

[@eruk4678]

did you have to call me out like that man

[@KyleGermain-p3h]

Im doing this right now

[@AmericaIsACountry]

Same

[@TheRealArtistsHaven]

Ekko's character is so dope though, he's so fun to watch.

[@Avenus112]

The closest to that world's hero. Major inspiration, great character.

[@Oxhhs]

I love arcanes characters but he's my favorite, I simply can't fault his ideals and he stands on his beliefs. It also helps that he's badass

[@valhatan3907]

He is a cootie patootie

[@parafuegosarchive]

​@@Oxhhsekko is the most no bs guy out of any no bs guy

[@TipoIrritable]

He good, But Jayce better

[@melanie-l5e]

another really fun part of Ekko vs Jinx is how it plays out the flashback, then rewinds to play out the present time, which is perfect for ekko since, in league, he has time rewinding powers. its a fun little nod at what is to come in his future

[@BenHA941]

I thought the implication was that he already had time powers, cause they all remark on how the big tree grew so quickly

[@niscent_]

@@BenHA941 no, at this point ekko definitely did not develop any tech or powers that allows him to influence time. however, time is still the main element of his theme. the idea about ekko is actually not so much about going back to the past, like time travel and such, his identity revolves around making the best of the present. he literally says it himself in one of the older cinematics: "if you can't make the most out of any given moment, you don't desserve a single extra second."

[@codyhenderson8936]

another fun little fact about that fight is that the time it takes Ekko to approach Jynx is four seconds which is how far back in time his ult sends him in game

[@oryionterrell6498]

​@@niscent_ It was my understanding that ekko did already have a rudimentary single use version of his zero drive, I thought that was why he broke the stop watch, to go back to when it was pressed, we also see present him doge bullets before jumping back to regular time. Regardless of whether or not ekko uses his reset jinx is far from predictable, that's her whole thing (one of them) and him timing her shots with a stop watch That he's not looking at over the course of 4 seconds when her shots aren't even evenly spaced just doesn't make sense to me. I will say though after watching the fight, if he didn't reset the stopwatch was likely just part of the game they played as kids with him winning if he avoided getting hit for 5 seconds and he likely often threw down the stopwatch in anger after losing.

[@kidd9662]

@@oryionterrell6498 its not that jinx is predictable its just that her fight style is especially to ekko who was her best friend at one point and likely had multiple encounters over the years giving him time to analyze it. She relies to much on her guns unless your on her turf, and she has like 0 hand to hand skill, along with being physically weak compared to most.

[@apotheox3570]

Ekko was winning the fight because he knew Powder, but ultimately failed because he doesn't know Jinx -- a person who has lost everyone she loves and has nothing left to lose. In a show where the central hook is the origin story of regular people becoming the larger-than-life characters they are in the LoL games, character development and their inevitable transformations are a main theme of the show. Many of the most explosive to the most subtle moments of character interaction serve to show the audience this. This is a very thought-provoking lens for understanding fights in narratives. Thanks for sharing.

[@PimpythePurple]

I think you got it backwards matey. Ekko won the fight because he was ready to take down Jinx but wasn't ready to finish off Powder. It never made much sense to me where she pull that massive grenade from. But it makes sense why Ekko failed to stop her. He had her at his mercy and he could've ended everybody's biggest problem right there but to kill Jinx means to kill Powder too.

[@brendanclark1058]

@@PimpythePurpleI think you’re both right tbh- his advantage is understanding Powder. His lose factor was, as you said, not being able to let go of Powder _and_ not being prepared for Jinx’s complete lack of care.

[@anjafrohlich1170]

Katara ending the fight for Zuko might feel so satisfying because it is one piece of closure to his arc. He started by protecting someone else, the inexperienced soldiers who were supposed to be sent to the forefront to be canonfodder, by throwing himself in the shooting line and ended up being burned because of it. Now he portected someone else again by throwing himself in the shooting line and he still ended up being burned. What changed is that the person he is protecting repays him the kindness by protecting him. And that is what being a leader is about. You put trust forward and keep those behind you safe. They repay your trust with loyalty. In this case Katara would've been the character affirming Zuko's growth to a leader by 'standing right behind him' to finish what he started.

[@bcar2263]

Omg, what a great analysis!!

[@HiddenDragon555]

With the mournful expression Jinx gives as she's setting off the grenade, I'm not getting "inhuman psychopath", I'm getting "sad and suicidal". I still agree that the reason she won that bout was becouse she was more reckless though

[@Angrynood]

That's the part that bothered me. She's lost everything, so she wants to die. She's reckless because of her sadness. She has nothing left to lose.

[@Joebob31100]

I'm so happy someone brought up Sonnie's Edge. I absolutely love that fight scene, and I love the explanation behind it for why she always dominates in the ring for a real reason other than 'she's the main character.'

[@DeadmanHopping]

The only issue I have is that the last part kind of mischaracterizes Jinx/Powder, in my opinion. The line between Powder and Jinx is really fucking blurry, but they naturally have a lot of common goals and characteristics. Above all else, Powder wants acknowledgement. She wants to be useful and feel like she matters. It’s what leads to the initial bombing incident. Jinx has that same desire for acknowledgement, but no filter on her worst tendencies. It’s why Silco becomes so important to both Powder and Jinx, because he gives Powder the acknowledgement she craves while also enabling the worst tendencies Jinx acts on. By the time of the fight with Ekko, Powder’s world is coming apart all over again, so Jinx gets more violent and aggressive. To her, everything is pointing to the idea that she’ll never really matter to the people she wants to matter to and so she seeks out acknowledgement any way she can. Even if it’s through pointless violence. Even if it’s in death. Some of the early season 2 episodes also seem to bear out the idea that Powder just wants to die in a way that won’t be forgotten. That matters. When Ekko beats her down, she almost has that. Her childhood friend is about to kill her. He’ll never forget that. But then he stops. Neither Powder nor Jinx really knows where to go from there, so they stick to the plan. Die in a way that matters. I don’t think it’s Jinx that set off that grenade. I think it’s Powder desperately reaching for that memorable death.

[@FinNotFinn]

Since Arcane season 2 is dropping, i love your thumbnail. Hands down Arcane has the best fights I have ever watched.

[@Aaron14ism]

Have you watched many shows?

[@FinNotFinn]

@@Aaron14ism probably around 3 dozen, including super popular stuff like Marvel and DC

[@AXAXAXAYt]

​@@FinNotFinnFuck*n got em

[@THOREnT-o3k]

​@@FinNotFinn That's not really a lot. Anyways even if we are following Squamps tool of fighting if Arcane is "hands down the best" fights you've ever seen you haven't watched enough shows and movies, played enough games, or read enough books. There's so many fights better than Arcane its not even funny

[@THOREnT-o3k]

​@@Aaron14ism clearly hasn't

[@The_Soul_King]

Bro is dropping masterpiece after masterpiece

[@zacthecrunch2609]

You can't go wrong with Anakin vs Obi-Wan for a world cup.

[@AquaVision_]

Very good option

[@Squampopulous]

Already covered it in my first vid; trying to find new stuff to stay fresh 🤙

[@zacthecrunch2609]

​@Squampopulous Maybe Ahsoka vs Maul then? I am a huge nerd if you couldn't tell lmao.

[@crock3251]

@@zacthecrunch2609 Ahsoka vs Maul was more of a David vs Goliath. Ahsoka was up against an opponent that was on Obi-Wan and Anakin's levels at the time.

[@zacthecrunch2609]

@crock3251 I would disagree, Maul definitely was not at Obi-Wan's level by the end of TCW. Assuming Obi-Wan got worse at dueling during the time gap between TCW and Rebels and Maul got stronger due to his growing hatred, Obi-Wan still won in a weakened state against a stronger Maul. Ahsoka may have had the odds stacked against her because of her leaving the Jedi Order, but not to the point where it's a David vs Goliath. Plus, both are seen fighting off inquisitors with ease in Rebels, which implies that they're around the same level of strength.

[@FishAnvil]

My favorite thing about Jinx vs Ekko is that this scene (in my opinion) makes him worthy of wielding the Z-Drive, something he doesn't (or might never have) in Arcane but uses in League of Legends and is a main focal point in his lore autobiography. Ekko knows just how important the past is and uses it to decide every second of his life, but his journey is about letting go of it, understanding that while experience is his most useful tool, he can't live in it. This theme goes much further in his official video game lore which I highly recommend you give a read, but I won't mention more because I have no idea if Arcane will follow LoL canon (don't look up Heimerdinger's three different canon existences it's a narrative headache)

[@Squampopulous]

yea i dont play league but i figured he has some time based power

[@poloi3440]

@@Squampopulous He literally goes back in time lol

[@ZephyrK.]

He’ll definitely get the Z-Drive in Arcane, hell the Wild Rune him, Jayce and Heimerdinger found might awaken it.

[@Karaamjeet]

@@Squampopulous Ekko also had a crush on Jinx when they were kids

[@finixmoon127]

This hits so much harder now

[@DanilaSaprykin]

holy shit, i thought you're only going to recommend local script man, not just BRING HIM IN right now. goated collab!

[@Indoctrinated_Mind]

3 of my personal favorite world cup fights from anime that I would love seeing in your next video are, Netero vs Meruem (HJunter x Hunter), Gojo vs. Sukana (jujutsu kaisen), and Lelouch vs. Schneizel (Code Geass)

[@AquaVision_]

The HxH is a good shout for the world cup fight

[@merinofanfic4717]

the chamira arch is just so fucking good. also glad to see code geass

[@aidenbull7776]

Was kinda hoping Gon and Pitou would show up for fly swatting

[@lora5030]

HunterxHunter is so good❤‍🔥 Almost all of the fights are amazing just because of how much characterization is put into them even for smaller matches

[@guilherme-mu2eh]

Holy shit netero vs meruem is literally one of the bests fights of all time

[@unnamed6650]

Ekko pulling out the stopwatch is also his comfort tool as he likes to feel like he always has a plan and chooses the right moment (like when he attacks with the firelights) and mainly to bait jinx into playing the game and so that she can become predictable. The stopwatch also highlights his way of fighting ‘learning through mistake’ which ties in with his future abilities. Although, using the past gave him and advantage, when he saw jinx it quickly became his downfall when he got caught in the past, saw powder and hesitated. You should watch schnees ekko video.

[@Hingeyboy]

love your videos, can't wait for the world cup

[@hollandwiens4620]

Idk if it fits too well into World Cup area but Alucard Vs Dracula from castlevainia season 2 is one of the best fight scenes I’ve ever seen animated and would love to see it in the next installment . Great video overall you’ve earned a subscribe from me!

[@Squampopulous]

I’ll have to rewatch castlevania

[@qrangejuice8225]

Alucard v Dracula isnt a world cup, it's Flyswatting on Drac's part. Best example of a World Cup in that show is Carmilla vs. Isaac, since they're both at the apex of their respective games (Vamp vs. Forgemaster) but neither is an unstoppable monstrosity like Drac.

[@FFKonoko]

Yeah, Alucard is literally the only person on the team that is even CLOSE to fighting dracula, starved as he is, and even then, alucard starts getting absolutely bodied. It takes breaking into the childhood room and giving Dracula perspective, realizing that he is in the process of beating his own son to death in their home, over their shared loss. And so, he stops and lets himself be killed. As far as the fight goes, Dracula 'won', except he didn't actually want to win. He's been depressed about his wifes lost the entire series, going through the motions after that initial burst of revenge, willing to end the world and let everything end with him. So, the fight ends, and....well, dracula gets what he wants, to die, and alucard gets to be an orphan.

[@ethanwashington6789]

I'd argue Alucard vs. Dracula fits into this series' definition of a flyswatting. With Dracula being such a powerful force, he has the "luxury" of leaving his mark on how the fight will play out, allowing the audience to see some form of characterization. It just so happens that the characterization is that Dracula wants to die. So, even if that happens to align perfectly with Alucard's win-condition, Alucard's actions didnt really play a role in the decision that Drac, again, had the luxury of making due to the sheer gap in strength. Kinda ruling out the David v. Goliath interpretation. They even spell out Alucard's lack of influence more, given the fact that the two have already fought a time before this, with the relevant motivations being the same in that encounter. The only difference, then, being that now (1) more time has passed since Drac's loss of his wife, and following anger, and (2) Alucard happened to get flung into his own childhood room on the second fight, heavily swaying Drac's choice. At this point im just repeating myself, though. TLDR its a very specific situation where the fight is a flyswatting that the swatter loses, while still not being a david v goliath

[@hollandwiens4620]

@@qrangejuice8225 agreed I forgot about that fight lol

[@tungstendeliz4960]

I don't think the Arcane fight is two seperate sections, determined by different qualities. Instead, both parts were determined by the same criteria: who is more stuck in the past. At the beginning, Ekko is winning because Jinx is doing the exact same attack patterns as her childhood self. She's stuck in her past trauma, stuck repeating the same patterns. When the fight turns around, it is because now it's Ekko who's stuck in the past. Now, he's stuck on saving Powder, who is completely gone. So narratively, Jinx now has the upper hand.

[@koin799]

Diavolo/Doppio vs Risotto is the perfect example of this. I highly recomend checking it out

[@cherrybramble]

oo yeah, and the push there is really diverse too, Jojo's fights are always about cleverness because of how stand powers started working after the midpoint shift in part 4

[@cherrybramble]

and when I say the "midpoint shift", I mean when the Kira arc fully kicked off and it became more prominently than before about solving a mystery; this tactic started in part 3 when stands were introduced, but it only became a main component of fights during the kira arc, and this made 'cleverness' one of the defining character traits that wins or loses fights, out of others such as resilience or determination, the other big two imo.

[@Leoplix-id5tu]

How could I not think of this, those are the most watched anime episodes I have

[@moony2249]

Jojo has alot of top dog fights. Aside from Doppio against Risotto, there's also Josuke vs Kira, Jolyne vs C-Moon or Joseph vs Wammu/Kars. I'd personally like to highlight Jotaro vs Dio. While I'm not a fan of Jotaro suddenly getting a powerup, he finds out about it relatively early in the fight, meaning his power-up serves more as a gap-closer rather than a one-sided beatdown. In the end, he still needs to employ strategies to beat his more experienced and stronger opponent. Not to mention Dio employs strategies of his own once all the cards are on the table, since he figured that there might be good counters against his ability.

[@iantaakalla8180]

And even funnier, because Dio is so unfocused in countering Jotaro, he loses anyways, because Dio is trying to discreetly take out Jotaro knowing that he has the time stop to guarantee an impossible punch, but Jotaro just wants that punch anyways and does anything and therefore can time stop when it counts, whereas Dio wastes his powered timestop on fetching a road roller and crushing him. Jotaro is more strategic than Dio and that’s why he wins.

[@tnn-cj3vy]

local script man is goated

[@thegloriousryan8981]

Man, I wish Sukuna vs Gojo was animated so you could use it for world cup. It's so perfect for it.

[@anneharsta6411]

Except the resolution is kinda meh. Sukuna wins because he (out of nowhere) conjures a slash that pierces infinity? How does that characterize either of them? How is it strategy for sukuna to just suddenly find an unexplained way around the major hurdle that is infinity?

[@ConnorMurphy-fo2or]

Strategy is using magoraga to get through infinity and keeping it alive till it can be used and using the wheel and his win con is killing gojo. Gojo sacrifices his life I over to disable rct and kill magoraga and his win con is saving megumi.

[@yu1chi08]

lmao

[@ReyanshsAccount-pm1ln]

Sukuna didn't find it tho mahoraga did and sukuna just oearned to us it after seeing mahoraga​@@anneharsta6411

[@irfan.social]

@@anneharsta6411imagine the infinity is between 0 and 1, and sukuna aims for 2

[@a.a677]

Ekko using the stopwatch also is a nod to his time traveling abilities in League

[@mutedknght]

Something i appreciate about this channel is that you clearly appreciate fight scenes as a narrative device and a storytelling tool and not just spectacle. Even your choice of fights to edit in to the opening monologue (eg the love death and robots kaiju battle) really point to that. It feels rare in this particular community beyond bare lip service.

[@Cappy-Bara]

I'd like to see what goes into a good stalemate among various skill levels

[@Squampopulous]

definitely an interesting idea to look into

[@JispGames]

Love the categorical breakdown alongside the "why" for each type of fight!

[@kwrig0460]

This channel is very quickly becoming one of my favorites on the platform

[@0symandias]

Incredible video, keep up the good work! Netero vs Meruem from HxH is my recommendation for a World Cup! I know it definitely leans toward 'David vs Goliath', but I think the movement of the goal from killing the opponent to making the opponent submit made the fight more even.

[@BushidoBrownSama]

agreed

[@vaughnhaney7020]

I think that the final Agni Kai is actually a split between characterization and strategy, which is what makes it so incredible. Azula vs Zuko is INCREDIBLE characterization and narrative. The entire show actually has established that Azula "punches harder", but they're equally matched due to their reversing arcs from each other Zuko, in my opinion, DOES win, narratively. Sure, he's knocked out and almost dies- but he "wins" in the sense of his character arc, showing a deeper sense of honour than anything that winning the fight itself or becoming Fire Lord ever could. As Iroh said about facing Ozai himself- Zuko winning by beating Azula directly would just be siblings squabbling for power. Then, of course, Katara beats Azula officially through strategy. There's SOME characterization, but it's not as much of a focus. So, in this way, they both won in my mind Edit to add: I do think that there's a blank that could be used to argue for Katata's win being characterization though. Resourcefulness, or even trust? Azula relies entirely on herself, both emotionally and in terms of that being the nature of fire bending. Katara relies on her environment- and the people around her- both in terms of the nature of water bending, and in terms of working for and with her loved ones. But I also think that her fight was more strategy heavy, yeah

[@DannyAvramenko]

I was waiting for this ever since you first uploaded your in-depth David vs Goliath

[@magicianvv489]

All-Might v All-for-One and Deku v Todoroki are imo the best fights in the My Hero Academia, and are great examples of World Cups. Both of them revolve around clashing ideals, and both are resolved by one side using strategy to manipulate their opponents due to the Ideal they hold. For example Deku's goal in his fight is to change Todoroki's view of his quirk, and accept using his fire as well as his ice. So rather than going all out and rushing down his opponent, Deku instead draws out the fight, to force Todoroki to overuse his quirk and choose between using his flame to win, or refusing to and losing.

[@irwingbrasil]

For me the best fights are endevour first time as number 1, Bakugou vs Deku, Lemillion vs overhaul, fatgum and red rios vs rappa and tengai

[@FFKonoko]

@@irwingbrasil Hmm. World cup, toss up....hard to say with lemillion. Considered world cup, but his whole point is that his quirk isn't actually strong, but he makes it strong. So it's kinda David and Goliath. The deck was so heavily stacked against him and he still made it work? And...last one is probably somewhere between toss up to david and goliath, since Redriot is on the low end compared to the others involved?

[@DerMulwurf]

@magicianvv489 Although I agree with you about All-Might vs AFO, I would argue that Dekuu vs Todoroki is David vs Goliath. Aizawa even comments how the reason Deku is repeatedly breaking his bones in the fight is not because he's reckless, but because that is realistically the only chance he has at winning. The gap between them at that moment is simply that huge. Heck, Deku technically doesn't even win the fight, although he clearly wins the ideological battle.

[@kaijuge6934]

I'd say Deku vs. Todoroki is a toss-up. They're both nowhere near the top, and it's not even the last round. The winner isn't decided by strategy at all, but purely by characterization, too-Todoroki won because Deku wasn't fighting to win, he was fighting to help Todoroki.

[@DerMulwurf]

@@kaijuge6934 I'd have to kindly disagree here. Todoroki and Bakugo at this point in the story are a head above everyone else in the hero course first years. Deku has his moments of greatness and eeks out a win here and there, but this is almost always through strategy (or bullsht in case of his battle with shinso) and yes, also almost always tied to characterization. The point I will give you is that technically this cannot be a David vs Goliath because here David (Deku) didn't win the round. But I would still argue that the matchup is most definitely David vs Goliath, even if you count Todoroki activating his fire as a win for Deku.

[@cocogus]

Thanks for no David Vs Goliath spoilers this time 🙏

[@that_dude_over_there]

I love hearing these videos because they give me a better understanding of fight scenes and why they’re more than just a fight.

[@zarreyex]

I’m so glad someone talked about Sonnie’s Edge, I love that fight and that episode

[@trynox0]

Quite fortunate to have found you. The tips you're giving are marvelous, not only effective but easy to digest. I thank you, as I'm in the middle of writing some that wil have its good share of fights. See you at World Cup

[@Kheays]

As someone trying to make stories, you are currently a hero. Its similar to that Toji quote about black flash letting a sorcerer understand cursed energy on a deeper level. Up until now I have been using and combining tropes without actually understanding the foundation behind them, but now thanks to your educational content I can actually use fundamental concepts which mean I can come up with something original inspired by raw concepts rather than by copying another story. Thanks a ton man!

[@RedactedGentleman]

Love the video, your channel is giving me a deeper perspective and understanding of movies. Im starting to enjoy them even more because of you!

[@11debjeetdas93]

Naruto Vs Sasuke and Kakashi Vs Obito are a must in the World Cup video.🔥🔥🔥

[@lewis2215]

Love seeing the LocalScriptMan show up here! You guys are two of my favorite writing advice channels.

[@DigiMyst]

It's been a pleasure watching your channel grow! Really enjoy your insights

[@Athazagoraphobia365]

This might be my favorite video of yours so far. I’ve been watching you since you only had two videos out. My one criticism though is the part where you talked about Miles winning because he was more accepted than Kingpin. That is true, but I think you can get more specific than that because I think the reason Miles won was because he was more willing and able to prove himself to the others. They didn’t believe in him but by the end of the story he proved himself to everyone else. Kingpin meanwhile had to prove to his wife and son that he was a good person but he failed to, and instead showed them how bad of a person he was. Miles proved himself. Kingpin didn’t. I think that was the true decided factor in that battle.

[@weashna1391]

dude i absolutely love your channel, and i am really looking forward to the final instalment of this series

[@Brass319]

0:30 you want the winner to WHAT???

[@badratymj9255]

Lol

[@blackdiamond9396]

you heard the man

[@acorn3810]

this video has been very helpful, I struggle coming up with ways to make fight scenes clever or emotional but that's because I never realized fight scenes are for the narrative not just for show thanks to you. Still doesn't mean I can write good fights but now I know where the base starts, thank you

[@theoffbeatninja610]

So awesome to hear Local Script Man collab with you to discuss the importance of action scenes and fights in a narrative with you 😁 You both have so much insight to this interesting facet of storytelling.

[@Disgruntled_Grunt]

_Squampopulous._ Love the content, and love the channel name. For the "world cup" video, I can't think of any TV/movie scenes off the top of my head. But if you've read Christopher Paolini's _Murtagh,_ the battle between the titular character and Bachel might be worth considering (though there wouldn't be any footage of it).

[@Squampopulous]

Glad you like the content! Probably gonna stick with shows/movies

[@Disgruntled_Grunt]

@@Squampopulous Fair enough. You've got a pretty well-established style here with _visual_ fight scenes. I think you would enjoy reading it though, based on the events that lead up to it (if you're into fantasy novels, that is)

[@clementmariette7059]

2:45 RUTHLESSNESS IS MERCY UPON OURSELVES

[@besarts4835]

EPIC MENTIONED???

[@illdee1]

I thought this as well

[@hairmaster904]

I'd say Netero vs Meruem from hxh definitely counts as one of the best world cup fights out there. Meruem is characterized through Netero's strategy to even start the encounter: the old man appeals to the ant king's growing humanity by offering to reveal his name. Netero is far weaker than his opponent, but better technique and experience allows him to keep an edge, but Meruem doesn't see this as a fight, instead he thinks of it like a board game whiwh allows him to find a hole in Netero's defense, quickly ending the fight

[@celinegandalf1583]

i could watch you analyze arcane’s fight scenes all day!

[@onemoreminute0543]

Very happy to have found this channel. We will watch your career with great interest.

[@sleeperino3893]

found your channel not too long ago, excited to see how far you can go. keep it up man ❤

[@melbell0865]

Just stumbled upon your channel watching your Fly Swatting video, and now I’m hooked. Can’t wait to see which fights you deem to be World Cup worthy.

[@ellakelso7120]

What a fantastic video! Toss Ups, when done well, are probably my favorite kind of fight. For World Cup fights, I might say Meruem vs. Netero from HxH, Luz vs. Belos from The Owl House season 3, the finale of Gravity Falls, and the final fight of Iron Monkey, a movie featuring Donnie Yen.

[@TheCuteChikorita]

NO WAY LOCALSCRIPTMAN CAMEO. Cannot believe it, I love both of your channels so much

[@josephwang8589]

Amazing descriptions. Love to see you branch out

[@1nt00ition]

So much great content! Ekko vs Jinx gives me flashbacks to Kakashi vs Obito. Fights in Naruto have so much great characterization and strategy. I definitely appreciate them more now (PS a great world cup is Naruto vs Sasuke)

[@11debjeetdas93]

True as hell mate. I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned a single Naruto fight in any of his fight sequences videos.😢

[@ThePremierAlan]

Craaaazy collab! Localscriptman jumped on the track like some kind of feature lmaoo

[@lolk7726]

LOCALSCRIPTMAN MENTIONED‼️‼️‼️

[@CookiesCream343]

Love these videos, great work !

[@thedudeamongmengs2051]

I really love these videos. Its no surprise you blew up the way you did. Your videos are well made and interesting

[@danielkamkam9153]

Wow wow wow once again I am blown away by the top teir production quality, script, and narration. Excellent job, looking forward to the next. 10/10

[@meerkatman2289]

As an aspiring creative writer (nothing big, just funsies projects), I'm siphoning plenty of actually useful advice for how to make my fight scenes, rare as they are, better. The most recent one is a fly-swatting that unexpectedly becomes a toss-up, though with the originally-stronger party still succeeding due to a combination of favorable matchup and risky quick thinking. In hindsight, I'm going to pretend that it was super totally intentional to have the fight contain characterization of the winner as 'somewhat cocky, but an effective strategist when needed' and of the loser as 'skilled at leveraging their advantages in a fight.' Also, the combination of the subject material and your epic Deep Voice make for a very compelling video even despite Internet-Inflicted Attention Deficit Syndrome™.

[@JAM35137099]

Great video! Takamura vs Hawk is probably one of the best examples of a World Cup fight around, not least because it's a literal world title fight, but also because of the characterisation of both fighters throughout the whole show. Takamura isn't the main character but he's always been the big guy who's way stronger than the main character and friends, who wins almost all his fights easily. Then this time he goes up against someone who he might lose to, who's the same sort of person on his patch and the characterisation is very strong.

[@Ben-ql6zx]

Not a colab between my 2 favorite underrated youtubers!

[@mercy1425-c2q]

Two of my newly beloved story channels collaborating is a great sight to behold. Keep it up guys!

[@bronzechicken1030]

I would watch you break down fight scenes for hours, this series is super fun!

[@bcar2263]

Hey, fantastic video! Your Ekko vs. Jinx analysis brought up some points I hadn't thought of before. However, I do want to push back on some of your statements about the beatdown at 17:24. Your assessment of Jinx's mindset is a bit reductive and trivializes the narrative of that fight. Arcane has proven itself to be a masterpiece of visual storytelling, which is why I think Jinx's facial expression is a pivotal aspect of that scene. When Ekko hesitates to deliver the final blow, Jinx's face morphs from terror to resignation. Her expression isn't angry, crazed, or apathetic. Instead, Jinx gives Ekko a genuine, sad smile. She understands that Ekko is hesitating to kill her because he still sees Powder within her. This is important because it contextualizes her bombing as not a mindless attack but an act of suicide. Her childhood friend, who she'd turned against for several years, still saw a bit of humanity in her. When she pulls that pin, she does so with this knowledge. She wanted to die in a moment when someone didn't see her as a monster. You could say that this is Powder choosing to finally end the pain and suffering Jinx has caused. (Maybe an act of Sacrifice if I'm understanding your rules correctly?) Of course, the bomb could’ve also killed Ekko, but I severely doubt he was her target. Jinx clearly suffers from psychosis, and isn't really capable of making rational decisions in the heat of the moment. While this doesn’t excuse the violence of triggering the bomb, I think it's incorrect to call it a sneak attack. There was no strategy in that action. She takes it out right in front of Ekko and doesn't try to hide it or purposefully distract him. An important detail is that every single time before this that Jinx has used a bomb, she has pinned it on her target's clothes or items. This scene is the ONE time she ever neglects to do this in a fight. The bomb was only a surprise because both characters were in a moment of intense sadness and emotional connection. I think that saying Jinx won that fight because she was "careless" is kinda surface level. Perhaps, you could say it was Powder who won that fight because she was "mature" enough to know Jinx had to die. Or maybe, Ekko won the fight (wasn't severely injured) because he could still see the humanity in Jinx. It's debatable as there's no clear victor. However, I think this adds to the genius of the scene, and the complex themes entwined within it. Anyways, I hope that wasn't too harsh. It seemed like your bias against Jinx limited your analysis. She's not a good person, but she's definitely not inhuman. In fact, her unflattering and flawed identity adds to her raw depiction of humanity. This is what makes her such a fantastic character.

[@ImJustAGuest99]

I love seeing all of your videos. You are the only content creator that I actively check their page for more videos. Keep up the great work!

[@dust_to_dust]

Man, I like your analysis of the types of fights. Well thought out, with some opinion mixed in. With this one, I quintessentially disagree with your reduction of "who punches harder" being the factor of who wins in boring fights. This is because your opinion looks at a very, vitally important part of reality, and calls it uninteresting and implies it's unimportant. You reduce battle---and the skill and details therein---to a mere means to an end of story progress or characterization. I think that's undervaluing a valuable thing. The details are where it's at. It's the difference in who wins tournaments, and the outside factors are just in the way. Those who understand the details of that battle---like a Tekken player watching a Tekken tournament will get so much more out of it than someone who doesn't understand how the game is played---can enjoy those details the most. I understand the audience is often not clued in to the details, but that's honestly something the author can take care of. "Who's strategy is better?" "Who's numbers are greater?" "Who's tech is better?" "Who's skill is higher?" "Who's strength or knowledge is greater?" "Who's done the most with what time and resources they've had?" ^ they make the difference, man. "Who went through the most internal change or felt acceptance or rejection" is, in my opinion, a terrible reason to win or lose a fight---it shows you lost because you couldn't get your crap together; you lost to yourself, and "a house divided against itself cannot stand." Hope you see what I mean in that rant. I respect your view, of course.

[@Squampopulous]

I agree with this which is why I mentioned that it’s not practical or realistic for every fight to always be decided by the narrative 🤙

[@dust_to_dust]

@Squampopulous ...You're a professional, man. Thanks for sharing your work, again. I'm looking forward to the World Cup analysis!

[@lcbzadrien3333]

As usualy a truly nice video ! You got a nice taste for mentionning Sonnie's Edge ! (That's my favourite as well) And I adore you for picking Ekko vs Jinx as a reference of a perfect fight scene ! It was quick, but it tells enough of both characters... And on top of that, the rythms is INSANE... The perfect pinacle of a fight serving storytelling.

[@willurbam4822]

Loving the content man you’re starting to become an instant click when your videos appear!! I think Sasuke vs Itachi fits the category of World Cup since Itachi has chakra sickness and doesn’t end through strategy but instead characterization, but you could argue Sasuke is still a Davis vs Goliath

[@marcorodriguez7322]

Please Netero vs Meruem for World Cup

[@DarkDefender1024]

OMG LocalScriptMan guest starring on one of my NEW favorite channels?!?!?!? Holy moly, I'm in!

[@reirei7086]

Bro really cooking with these videos

[@TetraTheThief]

I am very happy to have found this channel, wow, you do an amazing analysis of these kind of things and I am looking forward to future content! As a game developer and animator, this is great to watch for storytelling and how to apply it.

[@josemenchaca6852]

YO WHAT!?! SURPRISE CAMEO DAWG!? Thank you. This video was great.

[@not-even-a-real-blacksmith]

congrats on the localscriptman feature, you've made a lot of progress very quickly!! also, i enjoy seeing the way you evaluate these fight scenes using the tools you came up with, it makes me want to try for myself!

[@benw4383]

You’re videos are absolutely fantastic. Excited every time the notif appears

[@BSLozo]

It’s simple. I see Ekko I click. Another great video🙏

[@riecode]

Love this channel so much! Also for the world cup I think sword of the stranger's final would fit perfectly! Full of strategy and characterization

[@antoinedelime388]

Excellent video, as usual For the World Cup category, I would suggest Kageyama Shigeo vs Toichiro Suzuki, the 2 "monstrosities" when it comes to ESP

[@twig_a_liz]

I would disagree that Jynx uses a sneak attack with the grenade. If you look at her facial expression, it's pretty much the last time we see her as Powder, and I think the grenade is her way of trying to stop all of this pain by taking the both of them out

[@Epsilon.17]

A crossover between my 2 favorite writing KZbinrs?!? What a treat

[@mr.macgregor5203]

Loved this vid, man! Your points just make all the sense lol. The Last Agni Kai is one of the best fights in all of fiction and I love it! For the World Cup tho, I think a great one is from the Fate Franchise. Specifically, Archer vs Shirou. It's a great blend of characterization and strategy and is also the thematic climax of the story. Archer is the representation of Shirou's dreams of becoming a hero. So Archer is trying to kill his past self to stop the mistake. But Shirou is so determined and believes in his dreams to the end. This is what allows him to best his future self along with the protection of a magical artifact.

[@leonardorivelorivelo9253]

I'm in love with these fight scene guides, they are worth so much for newer writers. With that out of the way, KEEP COOKING THIS SHIT IS 🔥

[@spectrethefox5450]

WHOA didn't expect the LocalScriptMan appearance!

[@gauntsgeister9069]

Great Video Man, keep it up. Anyway heres a List of Fights for the World Cup Video: -Donnie Yen Vs Mike Tyson (Ip Man 3) -IP Man 3s Final Fight -Anti Spiral vs Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann -Sukuna vs Gojo from JJK (if you wanna Cover the manga) -Raven vs Cinder from Rwby at the end of Volume 5 -Universe 7s Final Stand vs Jiren (Because i think a World Cup doenst need to only be signke participants) -Frieren and Fern vs The Frieren Replica -Luffy vs Kaido (When their Fight truly becomes a one on one, could also be a way to show how a fight goes from Toss-Up or David vs Goliath to World Cup) Those are some that came to mind for me. May add some more later.

[@alessioarbustini5533]

I offer to your scrutiny: Kung Fu Hustle - Sing vs the Beast and The Man with the Iron Fist 2 - the Blacksmith vs the Mayor. Not totally sure if some proper World Cup material is to be found in there, but I do like those movies and I fancy your opinion. Thanks for the really good work, the Fight Spectrum is a cool tool

[@owenzhchen]

the density of information and quality of the video is so high i was shocked that you only had 42.9k subs. you just earned another

[@Squampopulous]

Appreciate it!

[@mullac0107]

Really great series. Can't wait for the World Cup video

[@shinkiro648]

This video is very comprehensive and lays out the foundation in such an intuitive matter ,thank you so much man. I think you'll love to pick apart Optimus prime vs Megatron in transformers one too! Nearly everything you said in toss ups apply to that fight and it was absolute cinema!

[@TylerHyperFace]

Pure Fire 🔥 Straight up banger, as always

[@MountainSoftware1984]

World Cup better have Sukuna v Gojo on my life it’s goated. I think the whole Sukuna jumping goes from World Cup, to fly swatting, to David and Goliath, all because of Sukuna’s take on fighting. And it all felt somewhat reasonable and that it made sense with everyone’s mindset.

[@fiascothe63rd]

I know this won’t make it to you, but you should totally watch the anime ‘Wind Breaker.’ Its whole deal is fights as an expression of character and theme, and it’s really well done.

[@FJCD]

Very good analysis of the Arcane fight. There is so many layers in that fight all of them characterization and strategy. But I think the watch was not to time the shots, after all she was using a different weapon, he never trained against, it was to trick Jinx in to repeating her childhood training pattern, that was his gamble strategy, and she fell for it. The other thing that I observed is that Ecko had a crush on powder, that is why he could not kill her, not only because they were friends. Jinx releasing the granade was the rude awakening Ecko needed to finally understand that powder was gone. Arcane is so good, every fight makes you understand the characters more.

[@kevinlobos5519]

Your channel is just magnificent so far. I can't wait to see your next video. About that, here is some world cup ideas: - All might vs AFO (My Hero Academia) - Avengers: Endgame final battle - The battle of Hogwarts in Harry Potter. - Netero vs Meruem (Hunter x Hunter) - Yusuke Urameshi vs Toguro (Yu Yu Hakusho)

[@dnaandpac9910]

I am so hype for the World Cup video. I genuinely love you content, keep it up! I think All Might vs All for One is a perfect example of a World Cup fight, consider it.

[@Squampopulous]

I have to watch mha 😯

[@thedarkbard]

For the World Cup vid, I’d love seeing the final fight of Pirates; At World’s End (though you could honestly make a whole video off that alone), the whole fight is just beautiful and I especially love the symbolism of the maelstrom representing the culmination of all the shifting alliances. Also consider the final fight in Pacific Rim, as it has some decent characterization for an admittedly rather shallow movie, as well as some good strategy. I think that the contrast between Striker Eureka’s demise and Raleigh’s brush with death also beautifully shows the necessity of *intent* for sacrifice to qualify as a strategy, which is something I don’t think you were entirely clear on in the last video. Because while the detonation of the nuke wasn’t originally planned, it was carried out with the intent of giving Gipsy Danger the advantage. Whereas Raleigh’s near-death wasn’t planned; if he didn’t have to manually detonate the reactor, he could’ve escaped with Mako. So while Raleigh’s death wouldn’t be because of a blunder, it would have been in response to something going wrong and him trying to fix it.