The Next Video is LIVE! Sympathetic Villains: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iZ-WmsV6ZcXed7g.html&ab_channel=AxelBeats%21

@konran3131

Жыл бұрын

How can you forget Johan Liebert of all people

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

@@konran3131 well i hadn't watched monster until after this video was posted. so that's a good starting point to that i think.

@konran3131

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats watch it 100% recommend it, it’s one of the greatest animes if you get what the story is trying to tell you

@awildtoni8437

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats also take a look at "made in abyss", it has some of the best manipulative antagonists imo

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

@@awildtoni8437 For sure, i've talked about Bondrewd in my Villain Introduction episode

Another key thing about light is that he didn’t start killing criminals because he wanted to do good but because as he states he was bored. So when L found him, he wasn’t just scared and cornered, he was humiliated, his pride hurt. He never wanted to do good things for the world as is reason to kill criminals were out of boredom and a battle of pride against l.

@Dinoslay

Жыл бұрын

Light definitely didn’t give two darns about the rest of the populace that he was ”trying to save”. It was only an excuse to justify his cold killing spree with the convenient ability granted to him by an equally bored Ryuk who chose him for that very reason.

@Hierophant_Bean

Жыл бұрын

the whole “justice” persona is just light’s coping mechanism for killing two people.

@orrorsaness5942

Жыл бұрын

@@Hierophant_Bean lol 😆

@RoseKoneko

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I see so many people saying that he started out with good intentions. He did not. Power didn’t corrupt him, it just revealed how cruel and manipulative he could be. You don’t look at a grieving woman and tell her you’re the one who murdered her fiancé so she had enough time to fear before the effects took her and be a “misunderstood antihero”. He’s a monster. He absolutely enjoyed her fear and mocked her.

@Randomtiger007

Жыл бұрын

Nope

Always liked makima as a villain because she is a realistic manipulator, her tactics to manipulate Denji are very realistic

@ayeon5609

Жыл бұрын

I had so much expectation for Makima based on the spoilers, but they really made her Chainsawman simp which really made me respect her less.

@gsgaming6976

Жыл бұрын

@@ayeon5609 But she fuckin hates Chainsaw Man (Denji).

@bacontheuber2499

Жыл бұрын

@@ayeon5609 SPOILERS . . . Just read the manga, bruh. She had a reason for idolizing Chainsaw Man and the manga makes an important distinction that she did not care at all about Denji even up to her death, only seeing The Hero of Hell (AKA Chainsaw Man AKA pochita as far as we know). It's really off-putting to reduce her character to "Chainsaw Man simp" when it's obvious that she was more fascinated by Chainsaw Man's abilities to wipe the entire existences of Devils rather than Chainsaw Man himself. She wanted that power herself.

@ayeon5609

Жыл бұрын

@@bacontheuber2499 You are right but the manga could've done a better job showcasing that. Personally, I was excited for Makima as I have read the spoilers of how she was doing evil things to exterminate the great evils, but it wasn't properly shown in the manga. That is one of the critises I have for the manga. The manga feels like a documentary ( just showing important events) instead of a story. We didn't even get a proper chapter/ chapter from the perspective of Makima to flesh out her goals.

@trash0175

Жыл бұрын

@@ayeon5609 This is also my only critique of the manga. We dont rlly get a proper backstory for makima and her reasoning (for world domination, how she first knows of chainsawman etc) Its a shame because her character is amazing

The Light one is great. You think of a manipulator as someone who controls people, but someone who manipulates are perspectives is just as much a manipulator.

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

I think it's a really interesting position to take for sure!

@sunflower8227

Жыл бұрын

our*

@BrokenHedgehog

Жыл бұрын

Not just that. Rationalization of things you know to be wrong is self-manipulation. Light was manipulating himself just as much as anyone else.

@user-unknown3998

Жыл бұрын

Ya true there is this one manipulation in which a person makes fun of another persons accent looks behaviour etc either because they want to project there insecurities on them or because they enjoy other people suffering this kind of pain manipulators do not know that they're manipulating but it is true that they are manipulating these people are mentally unhealthy and should be given treatment just like that there are a lot of manipulators who don't know that they're manipulating even though they are.

@peen2804

Ай бұрын

whoah youre saying someone who manipulates...basically anything is a manipulator? 2 crazy 5 me. i love how mfs basically say grass is green and people act like its the most mindblowing revelation one could conceive

Thing with Makima is that in Episode 5, when she let him touch her, Denji was slowly realizing that maybe the chase for a dream wasn't worth it, which would've caused him to never break his contract with Makima, so when he said that, Makima IMMEDIATELY gave him what he wanted and promised more, to keep him chasing

@daydreamdirty

Жыл бұрын

And Chase he did…. Because who wouldn’t want to sleep with a “good looking” girl like her?

@Erikard-iw4zv

Жыл бұрын

Carrot on a stick

@Joker74312

Жыл бұрын

Like a dog :(

@peen2804

Ай бұрын

wow no way another "grass is green" comment thats so crazy brother on god for real for real. i cant not even not cant not even believe it brother

also found it super interesting and heartbreaking how reze actually pointed out that denji isnt rlly getting That much of a good life, if anything its the bare minimum, but because of his life of poverty its easier to take advantage of him and he thought makima actually cared about him

@joelsasmad

Жыл бұрын

Yup. It was always a theme of chainsaw man that Denji just traded one cage for another.

@TheWorldPillow

Жыл бұрын

@@joelsasmad And also a theme that pretty much everyone is in that kind of cage... Denji wanting to get out of it was, in some sense, an impossible dream. We are all tied to something, we can just get greedy for more and more. The scared girl put that really well after the whole incident ended, and when Denji was talking about, hey, how he actually wanted steak every day, not just jam and butter... It makes it a very insightful story. But it's also true that what one person views as a cage, another may view as refuge, or as comfortable trappings, or as a home. Depends on what you make of it, largely, and the circumstances around your trappings and connections.

@peen2804

Ай бұрын

why are all these top comments literally just mfs saying grass is green lmao

It always blows my mind that some people don’t understand why Light was wrong or that he was even the Villain. It tells me a lot about where their mind is at.

@HopeRele

Жыл бұрын

They terrify me.

@DellikkilleD

Жыл бұрын

light wasnt wrong, until he got hung up on getting caught, which he never would have had he kept doing what he was doing. L's mere existence sent him into a self destructive spiral. Until L entered the picture, light was fighting the good fight.

@Broomer52

Жыл бұрын

@@DellikkilleD no he was wrong long before that. He’s not omniscient, he kills people based on his bias and public opinion. They might have not actually done anything wrong and he still killed them. He’s not Justice, at best he’s a killer with an excuse and at worst he’s just a psychopath.

@DellikkilleD

Жыл бұрын

@@Broomer52 your wrong, but entitled to your opinion. a lot of folk put an inordinate value on life. it has no intrinsic value, only what you make with it.

@Broomer52

Жыл бұрын

@@DellikkilleD yeah that tracks for someone who supports Light “Human life has no value so who cares if the people he kills were actually innocent or not” you people scare me because the suffering and death of others means almost nothing to you outside of how it personally effects you. You all act like you have some semblance of moral superiority when you have no sense of morality and would gladly support mindless slaughter so long as it was supported by flimsy moral platitudes.

The thing that makes Kyubey hatable to me isn't even really the way he manipulates and deceives the girls. It's the fact that he refuses to admit that's what he did. If he was just like "yeah, I got you good. Sorry, but it had to be that way" I might have respected him in a weird way. Like when you get the sense that a person is cool even though you've been pitted against them. But instead, what he does is insist that the dynamic was fair and balanced. The way he talks about his interactions with the magical girls makes me think that even if it weren't for the pressure of entropy, he would still be a massive piece of shit to deal with in general.

@PrincessLioness

Жыл бұрын

Omg, that how I feel about him too. He refuses to admit that he manipulates the girls to get them to do what he wants.

@orrorsaness5942

Жыл бұрын

Pensuke: Facts! He has prevented me from bringing the kind utopic Litch System! (The system of The Litches and Daemons)

@vegetacultkokushibo4392

Жыл бұрын

I think he has emotions but not in a human way or conpehendable to us and he wasn't innately evil just had to do some evil thing's

@thethinkinggamer1864

Жыл бұрын

@@vegetacultkokushibo4392 The way I see it, he can't comprehend human emotions, he only may use words that may convey emotions to us and utilizes logic as fair reasoning

@shina7418

Жыл бұрын

he literally lives on logic therefore as long as the system continues, he doesn't care

What I love about manipulative villains is that they usually never going down easy. Manipulation being their weapon means u can't just go outsmart them or force them cs they'll generally find a way around. Because of this, more often than not they and up destroying themselves, which is quite ironic.

@phantom-ri2tg

Жыл бұрын

Manipulative villains do not get taken down easily typically because they are in a position of power. I am not saying this makes them bad characters but it remains that most of them would have been wiped out if they were in a position equal to the protagonist.

@beyondviolet

Жыл бұрын

@@phantom-ri2tg depends on how they got that position of power tbh

@phantom-ri2tg

Жыл бұрын

@@beyondviolet Earned or not is besides the point. I don't see many manipulative villains going around that are weaker than the protagonist's party.

@beyondviolet

Жыл бұрын

@@phantom-ri2tg it’s almost like they use their position of power to their advantage

@phantom-ri2tg

Жыл бұрын

@@beyondviolet I remember in a story I read a person criticizing complicated plans as dumb. He told his own story once there was a guy who had made this genius plan to defeat his enemy. after all the work on the day his plan was meant to go up his enemy walked up and stabbed him. He died and his enemy lived for decades later. That many of these same villains down is arrogance or messing up their plans says my thought about how much their manipulations add to their difficulty to defeat. Lets take Light for example. Pretty much every step of the way the things that went wrong from him were the result of some convoluted plan going wrong. All because he insisted on playing a game that he did not need to play. the stupid of which shows that they knew it was him and he did not die because they played the game too trying to prove it. and L himself lost not purely because of Light's efforts but because another person with a Deathnote that was more simple minded aided him.

I think Kyuubey is even too effective as a manipulative villain. People genuinely believe some of the stuff he says, even when other things in the series disprove him. Which, you know, does just go to show how good at being manipulative he is. Definitely a really well done character, but very chilling. There's even moments of manipulation that the show doesn't even point out-like Kyuubey going to Madoka when Kyouko and Sayaka were about to fight, instead of Homura. He did this because he was hoping Madoka would contract to stop them. As for other manipulative villains, spoilers for DR3, but I found Chisa to be a really interesting one. You met her in Side:Future, and a lot of what she does there gets recontextulized with the knowledge that she's been in despair this whole time. We also see what she was like outside of despair in Side:Despair, and with all this knowledge we learn, we can look back at how she acted before she died and realize she was manipulating Kyosuke into being his worse self this whole time. I don't like a lot about DR3, but Chisa was masterfully done.

@Mermain123

Жыл бұрын

a moment i remmeber is when kyoko asks if there's a way to save sayaka he responds "if there is i've never heard of it" but then later on outright confirms it was impossible. his wording before left it open enough. but no it was straight up impossible. he jusst wanted kyoko gone so homura would fight Walpurgis alone ad madoka's guilt would force her to make that contract

@PrincessLioness

Жыл бұрын

@@Mermain123 Honestly it things like that that make him a villain for me. He purposely words things or does things to get people to do what he wants.

@Mermain123

Жыл бұрын

@@PrincessLioness usually his response is something like "you didn't ask" But here, she DID outright ask and he STILL gave a purposefully misleading answer

@PrincessLioness

Жыл бұрын

@@Mermain123 Right, he gives the outright truth on purpose, because he knows they wouldn’t do the things he wants them to do if he did.

@Mermain123

Жыл бұрын

@@PrincessLioness kyubey says he doesn't feel emotions But I don't believe that. I think their emotions are more muted and easily ignored But kyubey show's confusion and curiosity at many points And if they truly had NO emotion then why would they care about entropy at all?

One type of villain that is extremely underrated but really well written is the emotionless one. Those who were born with no emotions but they're guided by logic and natural manipulation. They're the most conflicted when it comes when people can't find a way to understand their construction. Kyubei is a good example of that.

@orrorsaness5942

Жыл бұрын

Obey: Agreed 🎉❤😊

@sweepyspud

Жыл бұрын

so flowey or doma from demon slayer

@joniboi3699

Жыл бұрын

@@sweepyspud Both of those guys have emotions

@sweepyspud

Жыл бұрын

@@joniboi3699 no lol

@joniboi3699

Жыл бұрын

@@sweepyspud Yes lol

Been lovin Kyubey since the beginning and this video breathed new life into that adorable fuk

@makiroll218

Жыл бұрын

Lol

@remnants9974

Жыл бұрын

he was my favorite in madoka magica for sure

@nonameprivate4689

Жыл бұрын

He Sure was great

@olianims

Жыл бұрын

That adorable piece of shit

@dzdni

Жыл бұрын

@@makiroll218 Maki? You watch anime?

The very first time I watched Death Note, I was on Lights side at first and it shifted as his actions shifted until I definetly wasn't on his side anymore. The second time I watched Death Note, I realized he was like that from the start and was disgusted with myself for ever liking him. Truly an amazing character.

@saqweq

Жыл бұрын

He’s way more likable and entertaining when you watch it subsequent times imo

The king of manipulative anime villains is Johan Liebert from Monster. I'm surprised you didn't bring him up. Great video though!

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

Currently watching monster for the first time now actually aha he will be in a future video for sure!

@Fragmentsinfractals488

Жыл бұрын

"Now,... would you like a drink?"

@seanandre4432

Жыл бұрын

Bit sad that his greatest success was offscreen tho but man is he omnicient

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

@@seanandre4432 that is kind of an issue with the series i had too, at least in the anime. He felt like this kind of force of nature that knew and could do anything, but we never see him ACTUALLY do much, it's always just done

@yaboiplank6764

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats Walter white Gus Fring Gendo Ikari Kenjaku

What I love about Madoka is that the show adds some dark themes but stays true to the Magical Girl theme, Kyubey is attracted to the energy that Magical Girls create because they know that they'll fight on the side of (what they see as) good. Kyubey is eventually undone by this dedication to love and altruism, they don't understand it as love is not in its nature and so couldn't guard against it. with their infinite power.

@giovannajooj

Жыл бұрын

and thats what the newer magical girl shows get it wrong,they want to make an edgy grim magical girl show but forget the magical girl part

One of my favorite quotes from Inyuasha, death note and even a very popular quote is “The most dangerous monster is the one that poses as a human” This can be physical or even just how they’re all supposed to be referred to is how the most dangerous person is someone who knows they’re dangerous and still pretends to be harmless

@naomithornhill2079

Жыл бұрын

That is so true on every level

@msk-qp6fn

Жыл бұрын

There is a saying in east asia based on that common sentiment and it generally loosely translates to or mean "just because you wear the skin/face of a human, doesn't make you a person."

I’m so happy Naraku got to be in the video, sometimes i think he’s a underated vilain.

@orangeslash1667

Жыл бұрын

Fun Fact: the Japanese VA who plays Naraku also plays Sephiroth from the FF series.

Kyubey has to be one of my favorite examples of a manipulative villain. Not only does he play the protagonists like fools, but you start out thinking he's this cute, cuddly companion you often see in magical girl shows so it comes as a surprise when he completely deconstructs what you think you're going to get. Kyubey shares many similar traits with Akio Ohtori (a character you're supposed to think is princely when he turns out not to be what he seems) from Revolutionary Girl Utena which is fitting because both Madoka Magica and Utena are meant to deconstruct popular tropes (magical girl ones in Madoka Magica's case and fairy tale ones in Utena's case.)

I love hearing how in depth you described all of these characters, including whether they had a moral compass and the reasoning for what they did what they did. Especially with Naraku, who I agree, is an outstanding villian who was himself manipulated. It truly shows how our own emotions, if under supported or nourished, can be the cause of our own downfall.

@annaairahala9462

Жыл бұрын

Naraku really deserves more recognition as a well written villain. It's quite surprising too since Rumiko Takahashi doesn't usually write things with villains either

@orangeslash1667

Жыл бұрын

@@annaairahala9462 Fun Fact: the Japanese VA who plays Naraku also plays Sephiroth from the FF series.

@Sparkle8205

Жыл бұрын

Aye. He’s one of the main reasons I ADORE inyuasha as a series. I still need to finish the sequel series, as it was still coming out when I had finished the original series.

@sesshowmarumonoke

Жыл бұрын

@@orangeslash1667 In Brazil, the same guy that plays Naraku, plays meowt from Pokémon. Check them out, if your curious. That guy has serious voice magical powers.

@orangeslash1667

Жыл бұрын

@@sesshowmarumonoke No thanks

I think that Emperor Belos (From The Owl House) is also a good manipulative villain because he spent over hundreds of years lying to a race of witches & demons about how he was able speak to the Titan (Their version of God/Creator of the Boiling Isles) & how using magic freely (Aka wild magic) was offensive to the Titan and formed a new system of magic that was (spoilers) secretly designed to kill them all via a complex draining spell. Plus he makes promises to those who follow him but immediately breaks them once he gets what he wants from them.

An interesting thing about Naraku is that a huge chunk of the story is dedicated to him trying various methods to get rid of Onigumo's heart, or at least his attachment to Kikyo, and he eventually succeeds at that goal... and then he son after goes and takes it back because not only was it Onigumo's desires that held him together, it also was what gave him the drive and power to do exceed his limitations, allowing himself to reach new depths of depravity. And even then, his final goal once he stopped fighting within himself and wallowing in causing misery, was too much himself in when combat with Kikyo's reimbursing, since there was no way that she would willingly choose to be with him and no chance that they would go to the same afterlife if he died (to say nothing of the fact that reincarnation exists in that world), so the only way he could be with her was for the two of them to become the new core of the Shikon Jewel.

@lnsflare1

Жыл бұрын

That should be "...to lock himself in eternal combat with Kikyo's reincarnation..."

@Sparkle8205

Жыл бұрын

Mhm

Great job with this video essay on manipulative villains, both anime and western animation. Though in my opinion, Silco from Arcane did indeed cared for Jinx even if it is toxic, and that’s one of the things I like about that Netflix animated show; giving that characters more depth than anticipated that makes have more than one feeling about them. Other than that, Axellent!

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

I think silco DID absolutely and genuinely care for her - however I think that this care stems from a selfish place and grew into something selfless if that makes sense.

@hannahmetzger6622

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats I think that the majority of us Arcane fandomites would agree with you. Silco IS a manipulative piece of shit, but yet he's somehow a "good" piece of shit? If that makes any sense? I don't know if it does, though, LOL. :P.

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

@@hannahmetzger6622 he's a monster, but a monster with integrity that values family. And honestly i can respect that lol

@hannahmetzger6622

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats And that's why he's my favorite character (in that series) 😁. Aside from, ya know, being an animated man of pure hotness in my eyes. (YES, I simp for the Rat Man;don't judge meh :P).

@AzzyReal

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately they're both products of their environment

I'm so glad Naraku is getting recognition, he's such an underrated villain, he made Inuyasha so much more interesting and darker! Great Analysis

This is like a list of 'dangerous personalities' to look out for... Kyubei- sociopath - no concept of morality, just doing logic Nuraky- dark empath- knows how ppl feel and how to manipulate ppl through it Light - narcissist - he egrandises himself and feeds his own ego with logical manipulations justifying his actions Makashima - psychopath- logical justification for violence with no concept of remorse Etc. Etc. All villains are some extension or example of the dark personalities, having such blunt examples is neat to have. Good analysis, enjoyed this alot :3

13:13 Light had already tryied to kill an innocen namely who he thought was L. This happented in ep 2. What makes Light a great manipuler is that he himself deeply believe that he is justices even though he abanded it long ago

@hithere911

Жыл бұрын

Well, he wasn't really innocent, the man was a prisoner on death row. However, Light certainly didn't know that, and, honestly, it doesn't make that much of a difference. Either way, it goes to show how much of a hypocrite Light is.

@Malroth00Returns

Жыл бұрын

It wasn't a slow decent into villany it was a dead sprint.

@cameronhayes5393

Жыл бұрын

@@hithere911 this comment added nothing. He thought it was L it makes no difference who it ended up being.

@hithere911

Жыл бұрын

@@cameronhayes5393 It was already established that he thought it was L. I also pointed out in my comment that it didn't matter either way.

Who on earth watches death note and actually thinks "Yes. This man is the good guy." He's clearly a villainous protagonist and this is made clear even before Naomi Misora, when he slaughters the fake L right at the start. It showed that he was willing to kill over what, at the time, was nothing more than a threat. Regarding Silco... I absolutely loved his character. They nailed all of them tbh, but he was one of the best written antagonists I have seen in a very long time!

When I saw the first episode of Psychopass, I saw what the machine did and thought, "Oh, so people who are literally psycho and sociopaths could beat the system. And if someone was killed by those types of criminals Infront of someone, even a police officer, then that bystander would also be taken away or killed on site. Got it." There was a bunch of other stuff that I predicted in the show, so I don't remember everything because it's been many years since I've watched the series. I found that quite amusing.

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

I think one of the strengths of psycho pass IS its predictability. Having a story path that is easy to understand makes it more tangible and realistic feeling.

@riakun

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats I totally get that. There's definitely a reason that people enjoyed the series and still talk about it to this day

@moondrip2163

Жыл бұрын

@@riakun Only season 1, that is. Everything went downhill after they killed off Makishima.

@plugshirt1762

Жыл бұрын

@@moondrip2163 eh season 3 was pretty good and while season 2 was a pretty mixed bag it still had some pretty great concepts and a great villain

i have trust issues courtesy of kyubey especially whenever i hear the word contract

34:15 actually in the manga ging had NO intention of leaving gon , he was going to raise him as his son ,but aunt mito out of form of spite demanded that ging give gon to her ,and she will not let ging see gon either , aunt mito even lied to gon about gon's patents and said they died in an car accident. she took gon away out spite for ging leaving her and thinks she can raise gon better.

@takumidoutou4412

Жыл бұрын

I haven’t read the manga yet and that’s surprising kinda disappointing to me feels a bit of a cop out I liked Ging bc he was a shitty person and showed Gon’s optimism despite that. But this is Togashi so I’m sure he writes it well

@kymo6343

Жыл бұрын

@@takumidoutou4412 It might be canon but it kinda doesn't make any sense...

@annaairahala9462

Жыл бұрын

@@takumidoutou4412 I mean, it's probably because it's Togashi that it feels like a cop out. He writes good stories, but he jumps all over the place and a number of things don't make much sense when you sit down and think about it for a bit

@uhohmykokoro1616

Жыл бұрын

@@takumidoutou4412 agreed 👍

@Mitsusurin

Жыл бұрын

I havent read the manga but bro aunt mito💀💀

Something to note about kyubey, is that his description of entropy isn't even close to how it works. The amount of energy in the universe can never get lower. He's lying to madoka when he says this. He also tells her that what he's doing is for humanity's benefit, so that they can eventually join other races out in space when their technology advances. But we see from the other timelines that he doesn't mind if earth gets destroyed so long as his quoatas are met. I think of kyubey not as someone making a hard decision to ultimately help humanity, but as someone who views people as cattle to be harvested. Surely the entropy bit could just be how it works in their fictional universe, but it's worth noting that most of the magic in madoka magica is centered around an idea of balance. The good of a magical girl and her wish are balanced by the bad of her transformation into a witch. There isn't any loss present in that system.

@apinkchameleon

3 ай бұрын

Honestly, I just thought that the show tried to oversimplify entropy too much and that's why it was wrong. But you bring up good points!

I absolutely love madoka magika, it's one of my favorite anime to date, and I'm so glad to hear you talk about it Edit: I need to listen to the soundtrack again bc it fucks

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

I rewatched it for this and it held up much better than I remembered

I read the entire series of Chainsaw Man just so I could watch this video and not be spoiled lol. This was my first video of yours and I loved it! Binging CSM was worth it and as much as Makima sucked - I loved her! She was horrible, but great at being horrible 😭💀

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

What a huge compliment! Thank you so much

@Killixn_

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats Of course and thank you for the reply! I love your videos so far and I can't wait to see what content you make next 😤❤️

i love the comparison of Makima with the Other Mother. Fujimoto (the author of Chainsaw Man) said himself that Coraline is one of his favorite pieces of media, so she's directly inspired by that deep, fucked up type of manipulation and control.

I feel like the soup "protests" was a bad example to use since the JustStopOil group is funded by one of the museum's benefactors who is an oil heiress, the point of that action was to discredit protests by making them look ridiculous since said art is always under a glass case, therefore perfectly safe from canned soup

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

The idea I was getting at was more doing something dramatic to draw people's attention, but I'm sure many better examples could have been used. Recency bias and all that lol

@Spacehog1981

Жыл бұрын

100% agree. By the same logic I could burn down your house. Are you saying your 1 house is worth more than the entire planet? No? Ok, so you agree that me destroying your stuff is a small price to pay for the planet. On the other hand, maybe we could ask whether or not me burning someone's house actually does any good? Maybe it undermines the idea I'm fighting for because of the selfish, destructive methods used.

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

@@Spacehog1981 absolutely - that said these weren't exactly authentic presentations and the paintings were completely undamaged. I think the bigger point I was trying to get at is that some people feel as though drastic actions NEED to be taken and that awareness of conversations around a topic are more important than the validity of their argument. I'm not saying they are right at all, i'm just saying that in more dire circumstances, some will feel more dire actions are required - for better or worse. And i think that is an interesting idea to play with in writing.

@Spacehog1981

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats do you suppose the perpetrators knew for a fact that their actions would yield no damage when they did what they did? I doubt it. Do you suppose in general they convinced people disengaged with global climate change to start caring and taking more active steps? I doubt that too. Do you suppose it upset people and they associate their anger to climate change activists? I think probably yes. So there's intention, and then there's actual result.

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

@@Spacehog1981 i completely agree with you fam. I'm not trying to excuse or justify their actions at all, and i agree there will likely be some negative association with activism as a whole. I'm just saying the action doesn't come from no where ya know?

All other Manipulative Villains: *conducts an entire series of psychological manipulation* Illumi: You get a needle! You get a needle! Everyone gets a needle! 📍📍🧠😐💅

"If things seem too good to be true; they probably are" sums up a lot of things on this list. There's wishes and deals and greed and idealism and grappling with the uncomfortable truth/reality

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

For sure! But I think everyone falls for that kind of thing at least a few times in life which is why it's so easy to get value from these stories

I'd like to add on Naraku, is that there's one episode where he creates an incarnation specifically to expel the Onigumo part of him, his human half, and then reabsorbs him when he realizes he needs his humanity to stay on top of his game, no matter how annoying it might be.

I am just surprised to see someone remembers Naraku. He's the first mastermind type villain I saw in anime or cartoons in general that made me feel really intimidated by.

FINALLY Naraku getting some recognition for his masterful manipulative ways. Just a correction: not only he shapeshifted into Inuyasha to attack Kikyou, but after that he returned the jewel and shapeshifted into Kikyou and shot arrows at Inuyasha - missing those but that was enough to make Inuyasha forget about the plans and go steal the jewel, which is why Kikyou got to recover it right after sealing Inuyasha and right before dying. Naraku wanted to corrupt the jewel that way, but failed. Also, it was Kohaku (under Naraku's control) who killed all the slayers - an important detail for the issue with Sango.

33:44 what i Think makes silco stand out, other then all your great points, is how his manipulation of powder isn’t some great evil plan. Instead it’s him doing what he thinks is best for her. No matter how twisted his reasons is, he does love jinx. I think that is a really good thing to play with, because a lot of manipulative people don’t realize what they are doing. Or at least don’t see it as wrong. Silco has both the evil genius side, with how he controls the undercity, and also the side that is a loving dad. However, because of his screwed mentality and world view, the way he shows his love, ends up effecting jinx’s mental state for the worst. The worst part being how he can’t even see how bad of an effect he has on her.

There is a distinct connective tissue around all of these characters. While each one one of them fulfills it in different ways they are all *predatory.*

Thanks for mentioning Neraku since I think he’s pretty underrated as a manipulative villan

Belos/Philip is a good example of a manipulative villain.

I'm just going to say this up front ;people who say madoka was such a game changer for magical girls, don't watch magical girls. It's a great example of the darker side of the genre but it's not a subversion and it's doing nothing new, It's just doing it very very well, and it got seen by a lot of people who rode off medical girls about ever actually giving it a try.

@anerrorhasoccurred8727

Жыл бұрын

Speaking as someone who is a HUGE fan of the series, you’re 100% right. It’s also not a deconstruction, it’s just a very dark take on the genre. That’s a totally different thing. (Deconstruction and subversion are probably the most overused words ever and it annoys me more than it should 😭)

@CEOofCunnySlurper

Жыл бұрын

Madoka Magica is legit the best medical girl anime I've ever seen! 😍 I totally love the state of medical girl animes right now~ 🥰

@genera1013

11 ай бұрын

Even Sailor Moon, probably the best known magical girl, is incredibly dark if you actually pay attention to the story. I mean, the entire story's prologue is about an entire civilization being destroyed and its teenage royals being reincarnated to fight evil forever. It's never said in the original anime but in the manga they become immortal in the future and because of that are essentially doomed to fight forever. They can only die if they're killed, and we only ever see the far future version of Sailor Moon, no mention of her friends or family. It suggests that they've all perished and she's alone now. She's eternal, a god like Madoka, fighting for eternity. And that's without going into detail. I could keep going about the darkness of Sailor Moon.

I think a lot of the confusion with Light is the thought/usage of "villain" and "antagonist" as synonyms rather than seperate things and since he isn't the antagonist of Death Note it's communicated as "he isn't the/a villain"

Makishima is one I'd knew would be here one of the first that comes to ny mind that controls and plays people like a fiddle also Sinbad from magi feels very manipulative and deceiving even if for the greater good

Makima doesn't want Deni to break the contract, she does however want him to make a contract with her and become basically a souless dog that'll kill any devil she wants them to so that she can create the perfect world.

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

Yes. Which means he needs to break his contract with pochita. So makima wants that. She literally says it

@EvilAliceWonderland

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats Technically you can have as many contracts with devils as you want. I did read all of the manga.

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

@@EvilAliceWonderland that is great, but she still literally says she actively worked to destroy the contract in chapter 82.

There is also medusa from soul eater that aso is manipuating around and th worst, is their chil, use as weapon, chrona

I always thought Naraku was the top most evil villain in the anime. Yes, there are others, more powerful, their goals are more high stakes, but Naraku's plots feel much more personal. Half of the time, he is not even fighting the heroes, but manipulating them to desperately fight each other, whilst making them suffer deeply.

Great in-depth analysis on each of these villains! Got my creative juices going too and made me wonder what some good examples of manipulative heroes would be, you mentioned Gon, and that makes a lot of sense there! It made me wonder if I could think of others, though the only one that comes to mind imediately is Joseph Joestar, though I'm sure there are others.

I think another great manipulative villain is Izaya Orihara from Durarara. If you haven't watched that Anime you should do that

I would very much enjoy seeing more in depth analysis of the great anime villains. Your videos are always insightful and enjoyable.

@hannahmetzger6622

Жыл бұрын

I would very much love for him to talk more about Silco. :3. And the rest of Arcane and it's characters too, of course. :3.

The thing with kyubey isn't that he's a manipulator, he is acting very logically and he's willing to volunteer information, it's just that the girls don't have enough experience to ask the right questions or understand that it sounds way too good to be true.

@plugshirt1762

Жыл бұрын

bruh he even admits he is manipulating them. He tells Madoka that he purposefully leaves out information because it would upset the girls he told it to and he brags about how he lied to kyoko to manipulate her into getting killed by Sayaka

@anerrorhasoccurred8727

Жыл бұрын

He lies by omission, which he _definitely_ does on purpose. People would be much less likely to wish their souls away if they realised that’s what was happening.

@bbew2914

Жыл бұрын

it is manipulating, he just doesn't understand why this is wrong, he doesn't understand why the girls kept crying when he put the souls in the stones, he doesn't understand human emotions, that's why he's hard to sympathize with and is a good villain

@kawansiesquad6659

Жыл бұрын

What you described literally *is* manipulation. It’s especially easy to manipulate young children/teens BECAUSE they’re inexperienced, they don’t know everything and will trust anyone who seems “good”. This blind trust typically goes away as one gets older because of life experience and common sense, it’s why grooming is so widespread. Many adults know that children can be naive, and lull them into a false sense of security and trust that makes them susceptible to any suggestion the adult makes.

@iamsomething6151

Жыл бұрын

He even lies to Kyoko and Madoka, hinting sayaka could probably be saved (as he basically says, “it’s never been done before”)which leads to kyoko’s demise. Then tells Homura that he was lying. He twisted his words to give them hope instead of outright telling them.

Fantastic video as always! Manipulative villains are some of my favorite types of villains as well!!

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed!

I love these long analysis 🧐 your break downs are so thought out 🫶🏾

We saw in Madoka Magica Magia Record that Kyubey is not really that intelligent as in the end, he is truly machine. For him, its simply gathering of information from witnessing cause and effect. However, he cannot truly think beyond that as he simply repeats same actions, over and over. Only when he witness major flaws like in Madoka magica rebellion he reprograms himself.

I was really excited to see you released another installment in How to Write Anime. Though personally I've always found that manipulative villains are normally better when they are made to feel human and fallible like Azula from ATLA or Doflamingo as opposed to inhuman creatures like Bill Cipher.

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

I absolutely agree that human manipulators tend to be more interesting. However the idea of a greater power or greater evil manipulating things is kind of a tale as old as history. I don't think it's usually better, but I do think it has its place. Glad you enjoyed the video friend 🤙

Absolutely loved how in depth you went with this I’ve also loved the more manipulative characters/themes in a story and you truly hit the mail on the head as to why ❤

The analysis is very thoroughly done and very concise, and massive appreciation for shedding some light on non-mainstream animes like Madoka Magica, one of my personal favorites and basically every single character is very well crafted!

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

I appreciate you saying this 🙏 I really do try my best with these

36:44 Makima Know what. I'm down.

Great job on another video. Great hearing you again. Love Naraku and been enjoying Makima.

Those who threw sauce on Van Gogh painting in protest that people were starving, should note that van Gogh didn't live a lavish life. He had to live without food for days too. So respect the work of a POOR painter. Edit: Sorry soup, not sauce.

@raymondluca7779

Жыл бұрын

them things were saposed to be girls?? they looked like the drone from the book "brave new world"

@playdoh658

Жыл бұрын

@@raymondluca7779 5is was super unnecessary..

@bbew2914

Жыл бұрын

@@raymondluca7779 lol, i don't see them as human beings, more like some kinda brainwashed by twitter type robots

@Kaitou1412Fangirl

Жыл бұрын

Not to mention he took his own life.

Awesome video! Respect for the amount of effort you put into this!

Speaking of Manipulative... Sosuke Aizen, the ultimate manipulator. Such a good character, and his very power is the most haxxed out version of manipulation.

Absolutely amazing video!

Love the video and keep up the great work

Well done video 👏👏 there was just the right amount of context, and the contrasting characters made it an enjoyable watch. I shouldve been sleeping but I couldn't look away from the video until it ended.

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

Huge compliment. Thanks so much friend!

This video is great. It was a broad overview of so many storries I've heard countless takes of, and still I heard new perspectives. cheers

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed :)

When I first read chainsaw man a year ago, Makima seriously made me actually scared. I don’t feel fear from most villains, only very few, like DoFlamingo, Frieza, Bill Cipher, and that moon guy from owl house. I fear them because of their seeming insurmountability. Either they have extreme intelligence and knowledge, or just seem unstoppable due to pure strength. In the manga, it looked as though Makima had both. You don’t know how powerful she is, what she is thinking, and every time she is faced with an obstacle, she is able to somehow overcome it. Every. Time. People like Bill and Moon were scary because of how much they changed the status quo. We like things to stay the way they are most of the time. It’s a human thing. So a sudden change to something I had grown accustomed to, really takes me for a spin. Bill and Moon both deformed the lands both series took place in. Places where we had spent most of our time in, getting used to it. Frieza is scary because of his potential. His most recent feat completely destroys what we believed in to be Goku’s trump card. Before Frieza’s latest feat, I did not fear him, but now, I do quite a bit more. I’m done talking here, but I think the best villains, are the ones who target the audience the most. Who actively makes the audience hate them, and never buckles to them. A character you keep wishing would just lose or show some sort of emotion to anything thrown at them. But never do. In wrestling we call them Heels. I am now picturing Makima in a boxing ring with everyone raving at her, while she suplexes Kobeni’s car and Kobeni screaming in the stands.

great video!! loved the way you categorized all these characters. as someone whose favorite manga (pandora hearts) also has a manipulative villain, this has been very insightful in regards to how that specific characters works in the story and on the audience

amazing editing man the creepy parts are super creepy, i love it

Madoka Magica appreciation time!! Thank you for an amazing video as always!! ❤

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for taking the time to watch it

43:11 I love that one of the first plants we see is a pitcher plant, which lures insects into its chambers with the sweet fragrance of nectar, then digests them alive. We have a sarracenia hybrid and a nepenthes (I think) at home so I think that's why it caught my attention. In just the next scene, the Other Mother feeds the flowers (couldn't identify them though) on the table, and I think these scenes are brilliant in illustrating and as foreshadowing to the situation Coraline is in.

What a video. This was soon good I loved how you went to different meta and shows each time to explore the concept more and more

This is extremely helpful it helped me think of just how some things would be in the universe in my stories because I'm planning on a major character being a master manipulator

First time seeing a video from you, I really like your manner of speech and the way you present details on the topic! I find manipulation a truly fascinating part of human nature, and it's very interesting to see how differently it's portrayed in all kinds of media. Thank you so much for the great analysis, will definitely be tuning in for more! Love love

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for all the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed :)

Truly unique video. I honestly like the wisdom and stories to be told in it. honestly villain characters are an interesting concept and if you do them right they can be amazing characters.

I always love your videos!

This is such a well done video. I’m so glad I watched it.

I would love to experience a retelling of Psycho Pass from Makishima's perspective.

Love the video and the full character analysis but I do wish you had included david xanatos. Although he doesn't stay a villan, he's manipulation in his show of origin is so strong that he has a trope named after him : the xanatos gambit

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately I can't include someone I've never heard of

@kymo6343

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats Get good taste and go watch "Gargoyles" then. XP

You have gained a new subscriber!

This was awesome! So many intelligent insights touching on so many perspectives like philosophical, sociological, psychological, etc and compared to similar video essays, it didn’t feel like any of your ideas were weak speculations or naive generalizations. It took some real world understanding of humanity and the ability to look under the hood as objectively as possible, which for as many others try, it’s where most fall very short. This would make a great chapter in a media analysis text book. Keep up the great work!

I was so surprised but also so happy to hear you talk about Makishima, he's literally my favorite character out of everything I've read or watched

@raymondluca7779

Жыл бұрын

what kind of smooth brain thinks its bad for light to kill actual people who murdered and rape while you say this scum bag at 20:00 is a good guy for letting others smashing a womans head with a hammer?? you morlocks really showed your IQ and its over 9000...NEGATIVE 9000

@sukanasuke88

Жыл бұрын

@@raymondluca7779 who said he's a good guy though

Awesome vid! I'm currently on my first watch through of Monster, and Johan is a great villain too

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

I'm watching it right now as well! 10 episodes left and I guarantee Johan will be in a future video. So much to say

@SamTheGumMan117

Жыл бұрын

Monster is such a great watch/read and both dub and sub are really good also Johan is a extraordinary

I really liked this vid, and I hope it continues as a series as there are so many cool manipulative villains out there. Also low-key hoping you'll also cover David Xanatos and/or Demona.

Kyubeys don't understand emotions and they have never experienced them either, their entities that focus on bringing order and balance through their magical girl-farming simulator. Devoid of any feelings, they are creatures that only commit to their goals.

Amazing video made me think of two characters from the Hatoful boyfriend games (yeah really if you know you know) and it’s kinda chilling how both fit so well into these manipulator tropes. I wont say anymore bc not only is it spoilers but it will take a million years to explain. But it made me think of the cycle of manipulation too it’s rlly shown well in the Bungo stray dogs manga with Mori, Dazai and Akutagawa. How these manipulation methods spread to the victims who end up using these methods themselves later on. I can’t think of more examples rn but this topic is cool as fuck

I love Naraku as a character, thanks for mentioning him!

I think one of most interesting manipulators is Izaya from Durarara

great take on kyubey man can't wait for the next movie since it probably did get an emotion which is fear due to homura

@anerrorhasoccurred8727

Жыл бұрын

I hope we find out what Kyubey’s true form looks like (bc there’s no way that cutesy animal look isn’t a disguise)

Another video gives me a look into a type of character that being manipulative villains. I got to say videos like this really help me to learn something new and better understand some characters. Villians like these are always fun to watch and see how they control events in their favor. Awesome video~!!!

I would be absolutely screwed in the Psychopass universe. Anyone neurodivergent would be.

I wake up everyday thinking of ways to destroy kyubey

You have just gain a subscriber. Great video

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much :) I'm glad you enjoyed

Nice effort bro, you just gained a subscriber

Even in episode 2 or 3 (if I remember correctly) Light killed someone who he thought was L. He didn’t even know that they were a death row inmate. I think Light as the villain only becomes even more obvious as the series goes on, and I kinda find it hard not to give someone the side eye if they don’t realize by the end of the series.

Kyubey very manipulative but also so emotionless and dosen't get a kick out of it he's so pragmatic and dosen't seem faxed when attacked

Loved this. I look forward to more, and thank you for the spoiler markers so I could skip ones I didn't want spoiled. :)

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind words 🙏

Became a subscriber because of this Villain series your doing. Absolutely fantastic work, please keep up these villain analysis videos!🙏

@AxelBeats

Жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoy them! New one is coming out in 2 hours, hope to see you in the premiere ^.^

@NoVeilShow

Жыл бұрын

@@AxelBeats AWESOME can’t wait 👌👌