They can Walk

They can Walk.

After exhaustively pondering about it, I have finally come to the conclusion as to WHY I like the characters that I do.

Go ahead, you know which ones I’m talking about. Take a look at my favorites list. Go ahead, I’ll wait for you. Not really, since you can just come back to this point… but you know what I mean!

There are an unusual number of pictures of a few characters. Probably the most populous of all these characters are Bass. The messenger of Darkness. The Ultimate Undefeated Netnavi. Forte. The Black Shadow. Take your pick of names, they all suit him nicely. This character was betrayed by humanity because, though he did nothing wrong, was too powerful for his own good, and in the wrong place at the wrong time. Abandoning his father and the world he knew after receiving a horrible scar across his chest, he retreats to the depths of the undernet, stealing the powers of others. He commands the mighty Earthbreaker attack, which is a simple, yet super-powerful energy blast. After he absorbs the Gospel Beast, he gains the Banishing world attack, which does a whopping five hundred attack points (and considering that, if you find every HP upgrade in the game, your total health tops out at one thousand points, that’s pretty high). He fights Lan and Megaman frequently, but can’t win because they have a “Strong bond.”

My next character that I would like to address is a Pokemon, actually. His name: Mewtwo, a clone of the legendary Pokemon Mew. He is one of the most powerful Pokemon of all time, able to summon storms with the flick of a wrist, creating unbelievably advanced technology, and able to control people even at a distance. He’s a Psychic-type, and wanted to destroy the world and remake it in his own ideals of what he wanted. He was created as a clone, but, angry and hateful of the fact that he was created merely to be created, he killed all the researchers and vaporized the entire complex. After working with (and was betrayed by) Giovanni, he tried to bring the greatest trainers together, and then planned to clone the pokemon and destroy them. He was defeated because he found mercy in his… well, I don’t know if he has a HEART, per se…

Shadow the Hedgehog. The ultimate life form. The dark, Sonic-look-a-like. His power is incredible. He can harness the powers of the Chaos emeralds into controlled bursts of power, enabling him to stop time/teleport with Chaos Control. He can use the powers to create rays of destruction (Chaos Spear) and create an all-encompassing wave of destruction (Chaos Blast). His jet shoes make him of equal speed to Sonic the Hedgehog. However, like the others, he has a dark past. He was nearly killed when GUN attacked the Space Colony Ark, then he was imprisoned after he watched his best friend be killed by GUN soldiers. He worked with Dr. Eggman and Team Dark for a while, but he works alone more often then not. He is constantly trying to prove that he’s better then Sonic the Hedgehog and that he is, in fact, the Ultimate Life Form.

These three are some of my favorite characters in the history of Video Gaming, Television, Books, etc.

What do they have in common?

Yes, they’re antisocial. Yes, they all want to destroy humanity/the world. Yes, they all have darker opinions on mankind. Who doesn’t, these days? And yes, they are unbelievably powerful, but not to the point of invincibility- they have all been beaten several times.

However, it is HOW they were defeated that makes them who they are. No, it’s not them being stabbed, or a fit of mercy, or a repeated homing attack, or an energy blast- no, none of these things.

The reason that each and every one of these magnificent creatures lost was because… of friendship.

That’s right. Each and every character here has lost because, to quote the comic “Stage Select:” “So, in other words, he got totally owned, Sailor Moon Style.”

This was said by Robot Bass to Bass.exe, who promptly engaged him in battle. But that’s not important. The point is, that he heroes of these stories consistently have help, and they’d be paralyzed without it.

Let’s examine the heroes of these generes:

For Mewtwo, there was Ash Ketchum. And don’t defend him on this one, without his fifty or so Pokemon allies, he’d be just another normal human being, incapable of any abilities stronger then those of a normal twelve-year-old boy. Let’s not forget the other ‘twerps,’ as Team Rocket has so lovingly dubbed his other friends, and THEIR combined Pokemon and physical strength. That makes him way more powerful then just him alone. There was an episode where all of their Pokemon left them because of a Psychic-type’s mind control, and they were utterly powerless to stop the villains.

Next on our list is Megaman.exe. Ah, yes, the infamous “Blue Bomber.” About twelve years old (in the anime, not real life), Megaman has many friends, who lend him their powers, called “Doublesouls.” These rely on the powers of his allies, not to mention Lan Hikari (his partner) and his ability to give Megaman super-powerful Weapons downloads in the form of battle chips. While I have little to back this up in the anime, in the game, if you run out of Battlechips (you only carry thirty at a time) then you’re screwed! Royally so! All you have left is your piddly little buster. And honestly, if you’re regular old Megaman, with no Double Soul or Style Change, then your buster does a MAXIMUM of five damage per hit. To clarify how pathetic that is: the weakest foes in the game are called “Mettaurs.” They look like little black balls with yellow construction hats. They have forty HP. It takes you eight shots to vape a Mettaur. You’re doomed without your friends. DOOMED!!!

Lastly is Sonic the Hedgehog. Actually, out of all the characters listed here in the “heroes,” section, he’s the best. He is more then capable of (and does so often) destroying huge hordes of enemy robots with no help whatsoever. However, he does require help at some points, for example, when he needs to cross water or when he when he needs to find gems. He goes to his friends.

While these characters are fine and wonderful and amazing and all that crud, they lack true strength. They lack the ability to, if alone, stand up and say, “I’m here, and I’m alive!”

I liken Bass, Shadow, Mewtwo, and the heroes into a group of infants. The favorites, (Bass, Shadow, Mewtwo) are able to get up and walk quickly. The others just can’t do it. They have to support themselves and can’t get much farther then a few feet away from the sofa. They are unable to help themselves away from a friend or structure to support their piddly attempts to walk alone.

After all, which do we admire more as a society? Which do we revere?

Do we revere the whiny loser always complaining about how he needs help?

Or do we honor those who take pride in what they do, and never back down unless they fight alone?


Think on my words, my friends. Think well on what I say.

And know that it is not impossible to walk alone.