BEFORE M. BISON...

[aznricekracker]

Even then I cannot see the idols as evil. I see the idols the Chinese and Japanese create to be symbolic of the greater components of life, like the dragon representing the earth. Since we are thrive on this world we are inextricably bound to it and owe it our existence. If the idols symbolize this world, and we are product of this world; demonizing the idols would be indirectly demonizing our own existence. We would be at war with the facets of our own creation. What sense does that make?

[SpongeBobeeshia1991]

Where did you find the pic of Kato at 1:37-1:40 and the one of Kyusaku Shimada at 2:30?

[aznricekracker]

@SpongeBobeeshia1991

1:37--1:40 is from promotional material for the anime. You should be able to find it by doing Google Image search for

帝都物語

That wonderful portrait at 2:30 I'm not sure about. I'm guessing it's promotional material for the live action movie, but it could be fan made. Try Google Imagining

加藤保憲

or

嶋田久作

[S0ryiu]

Kato is so much more of an evil bastard than Bison.

[aznricekracker]

@S0ryiu

He's a clever bastard, that's for sure...

[DitkoSempai]

Sorry. Ran out of characters.

So if you want to see the novel translated, please support the release. Be part of that 1000 and get them to notice the enthusiasm for the franchise. Look at the TRANSLATE TEITO MONOOGATARI INTO ENGLISH page on Facebook for a chance to get involved.

[DitkoSempai]

Listen, everyone! In case you haven't seen aznricekracker's other video (or just to reiterate a point), due to some combined contact strategies, he and I have managed to get somewhare in regards to an English translation. The author still needs to be notifed and agree to participate, and our contact will take care of that, but if it goes through, the issue of the book's response falls to us. If at least 1000 people will look into it, there's a good chance it will be considered.

[gigawarman12]

@DitkoSempai Oh shit, seriously. That would be fucking awesome. Can I get a copy when It comes out?

[aznricekracker]

@gigawarman12

Absolutely...IF IT comes out. Raising interest in this series has been a slower process than I thought. A representative of a publishing company contacted the author and we're all still waiting for a reply back from him. Being a celebrity, he's got a lot on his plate, so this may take a while. The problem is convincing him and the publishers that there is an audience for the book over here.

Seriously I still have hope though. You saw our Facebook page, right?

[gigawarman12]

@aznricekracker yup

[aznricekracker]

@gigawarman12

I just hope there are enough open minded readers out there who would be willing to give it a look if it does get translated over here.

I find it amazing how much Japanese pop literature gets overlooked over here when so much of the popular media that does get exported (anime, manga, and video games) and flourishes in the market have direct ties to it. I guess it makes sense...many people find it much easier to read a comic book or watch a movie than plow through a novel.

[gigawarman12]

@aznricekracker indeed

[dejonal]

Not only M. Bison but he also inspired the look for Shiryu of The Rain from One Piece.

[aznricekracker]

@dejonal

...AND Raidou Kuzonoha from SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: DEVIL SUMMONER and the protagonist of TOKYO BABYLON and (possibly) Kato Masaji from SHADOW HEARTS series and a villain from HAUNTED JUNCTION and Washizaki from Riki-Oh, and the list goes on and on...

[xdharokbarrowsx]

YES!

[abumefak2]

brings back memories

I watched that anime like when I was 7

Still by Far the creepiest shit I have ever watched

[phubans]

What's up with his uniform? I figure it's some kind of military uniform, but what country/rank is it?

[aznricekracker]

@phubans

Glad you asked! According to the book and the anime, Kato originally served as 1st lieutenant in the Japanese Imperial Army during the Sino-Japanese war, so he has a military uniform (a service dress that officers used to wear plus a cape).

Strangely enough, the design of Kato's uniform in the film is more like what Japanese officers from WWII used to wear instead of officers from the Sino-Japanese war, even though the story of the film takes place before WWII.

[dejonal]

@aznricekracker

Thanks for that info, as many Americans always though the "M" stood for Major, thus myself and nearly every one else calling him Major Bison

[aznricekracker]

@jigwhan

Uh...did you look at the dates? Kato was made in 1985...Bison was made in 1991...big difference there.

[mattiathekaiju]

I want to listen to the whole track.

[BandakaKush]

The original gangsta!

[Clonetos]

My god i see it but I can't believe it. Yasunori Kato IS the father of M Bison....Dude this is just WOW. I knew M Bison was awesome but this guys a scrawny shrimp yet so FREAKIN AWESOME!

[aznricekracker]

@Clonetos

Exactly! From what I've read, M. Bison was originally supposed to be just a not-so-subtle nod Kato--Capcom's way of poking fun at the current pop culture in Japan. But then STREET FIGHTER II was so ridiculously successful that it went worldwide, while the series that Kato had starred in remained just in Japan. It wasn't until DOOMED MEGALOPOLIS got translated into the anime market that North Americans finally saw the original character, but it was too late by then.

[Clonetos]

@aznricekracker Never too late We need this spread around like NOW!

[aznricekracker]

@Clonetos

STREET FIGHTER Wiki has already listed Kato's inspiration as a fact in their M. Bison page, and SO FAR the claim has been undisputed so it looks like we're making good progress.

I also think it needs to be more well known. I actually want someone like the AVGN to review TOKYO: THE LAST MEGALOPOLIS (the 1st film with Kato). I don't care what he says about the movie--as long as he points out the obvious inspiration, it will definitely become more apparent to people.

[mattiathekaiju]

@aznricekracker The movie is almost impossible to find.

[mattiathekaiju]

Can you send me the link to download Kato's theme song?

[mattiathekaiju]

I made the Teito Monogatar's page on the italian wikipedia.

[aznricekracker]

@mattiathekaiju

That's great! I already did the English Wikipedia pages, so now we can continue to spread the word!

[mattiathekaiju]

@aznricekracker Also the one about Kato.

[aznricekracker]

@mattiathekaiju

Excellent!

[DarkAdonisVyers]

Another question, but is the pic at :10 from some old video game?

[aznricekracker]

@DarkAdonisVyers

Umm...0:10? That's M. Bison's pre-fight portrait from the original version of "Street Fighter II".

[DarkAdonisVyers]

@aznricekracker Really? I thought he had a skull emblem, as opposed to a star.

[aznricekracker]

@DarkAdonisVyers

The skull emblem (symbolizing his affiliation with Shadowloo) didn't come along until "SFII Hyper Fighting Edition", I believe. They probably did away with the star because it was too generic--almost all official outfits for East Asian military personnel involve a cap with a star in the middle. Likewise, Kato has one in his hat too. But for him the star is of special significance because it's also the magic symbol of Abe no Seimei, the most famous Onmyoji.

[DarkAdonisVyers]

Kato was in Babylon Tokyo?

[aznricekracker]

@DarkAdonisVyers

EDIT: BABYLON TOKYO was the English language title for TEITO MONOGATARI before the cinematic adaptations got internationally distributed as DOOMED MEGALOPOLIS and TOKYO: THE LAST MEGALOPOLIS respectively. That cover is the cover of one of the many manga adaptations of the series.

The title Clamp series, TOKYO BABYLON, may have been intentionally referencing this series. Indeed the main character with onmyoji powers and his military outfit is a blatant Kato reference.

[shadowdemons117]

Sooooo this guy is jewish???? 0_o

[Archzenom]

@shadowdemons117 No! He is an Omniyoudo. A type of Japanese sorcerer.

[shadowdemons117]

@Archzenom sorry i honestly do not remember typing that comment about him being jewish i just saw your response and im like what are you talking about i went to this vid and i saw my comment " soo he his jewish?!?!?!? 0_o" im like WTF??? WAS I HIGH OR SOMETHING?!??!!? i honestly dont know how i thought of the idea xD

[Archzenom]

@shadowdemons117 Well you did type it. Oh my! I did a misspelling! That should be Onmyouji. Darn it! I got mixed with the spellings and words Ehehe... Ahem.

Jews have a six-pointed star which represents the star of David, and also the 12 tribes of Israel by the number of sides it has. This one has a 5-pointed star which represents sorcery and dark arts.

[aznricekracker]

@Archzenom

Remember though that we're talking about the magic from an Far Eastern perspective, not from a Christian perspective. The five pointed star in Japan has to do with the principles of Wu Xing, the Chinese symbol representing the FIVE ELEMENTS and associated with Taoism. It has magical properties yes, but it's actually used for beneficent properties like exorcism. The fact that Kato uses a beneficial symbol like that is actually more of an irony than an association with an evil.

[Archzenom]

@aznricekracker Oh, I forgot that one. Thanks for correcting me, I was looking in a Christian perspective.

[aznricekracker]

@Archzenom

No problem! It's funny how a lot of people miss this even though in both the anime and the live action film, the good priests who fight against Kato also use the pentagram as their symbol. I guess Kato's presence is so overwhelming it makes people forget.

[Archzenom]

@aznricekracker Yes! I agree. I really think that those people forgot who he is. Considering that he is a powerful onmyouji.

[aznricekracker]

@shadowdemons117

LOL! It's totally cool! The first time I saw that comment I was a little perplexed too as he's got a big chin, not a big nose. At the same time, I chuckled because I was also like "What?" :)

[mattiathekaiju]

i'm watching the movie right now!

and yes,is pretty confusing,it jumps from a scene to another worse than a mexican bean on a grasshopper on a rabbit.

[aznricekracker]

@mattiathekaiju

Are you watching the live action film or the anime?

[mattiathekaiju]

@aznricekracker the live action movie and watching kato running with yukiko made me laugh.

[aznricekracker]

@mattiathekaiju

LOL! I love that scene! The way he dashes off at like 50 MPH would put any gold medal runner to shame!

[DarkAdonisVyers]

@aznricekracker Apparently, dark power gives you the ability of Kenyans. But seriously, why bother running? I thought he could fly, unless, of course, he can only use his powers at night, like Dracula. Also, this theme in the video was anime-only IIRC.

[aznricekracker]

@DarkAdonisVyers

Better yet, why not just teleport?

[DarkAdonisVyers]

@aznricekracker I'm asking you that question.

[mattiathekaiju]

he is more badass than voldemort but nobody knows about him.

is like a singer who is really good but nobody goes to see his concerts while a bad singer gets a lot of audiences.

[mattiathekaiju]

epic theme!

[mattiathekaiju]

kato needs more fans.

[mattiathekaiju]

kato needs MOAR fans!

[delojin]

aznricekracker, what is the Babylon Tokyo thing at around 0:32?

Also have the books/manga been scanned/translated into English?

Personal theory: Kato simply spread into the Street fighter universe and is just known as Vega/M. Bison there. His hatred crosses different series.

[aznricekracker]

@delojin

That's the cover of some manga about "Teito Monogatari". I don't know what the deal is with the title, unless they're referencing "Tokyo Babylon" (a Clamp manga which was influenced slightly from "Teito Monogatari").

None of the books or the manga have been translated into English. There is no audience for them in the West.

Yeah, I also like to think of Vega and Kato as two different versions of the same character. Why not? They're both evil spirits without bodies anyways.

[delojin]

@aznricekracker What with all the crazy cross over stuff that exists nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised if this actually became part of the SF series.

Shame really that they have almost no audience, although Netflix got the first film and the OVA translated so there's that I guess.

[aznricekracker]

@delojin

It's unlikely that the series would be absorbed into Capcom's universe because Kadokawa Shoten still is making money off the franchise. The author, Hiroshi Aramata is still writing new stories about Kato. The universe of "Teito Monogatari" is like the LOTR universe...there are lots of spin-off novels and even apocrypha concerning, not only Kato, but the mystical world around him. Have you seen or heard of "The Great Yokai War"? That's apparently another spin-off of the series.

[aznricekracker]

@delojin

I still think it was a mistake to translate the OVA and the movie over here in the 1st place. All it did was confuse the hell out of Western audiences, who complained that the story was too "complex". A lot of critics accuse the live-action film of being too "confusing" and "boring"...so you can tell these products are REALLY out of their environment. You need to have read the books FIRST to really grip the story...and since they didn't come over here, we're kind of screwed.

[delojin]

@aznricekracker

Yeah, translation is always a risky business. As is making a movie out of a book. That book series, to my understanding, is huge. The live action movie tried to cover 4 volumes in only 2 or so hours. Not to mention that the people who translated it were ADV...during the 80's. So the translation partially suffers.

It does take a few re-watches, an overview of the anime...ect. ect. to really appreciate the movie. The English live-action movie didn't even mention the books!

[aznricekracker]

@delojin

Indeed. I emailed a professional translation agency and asked them if there was any chance of ANY of Hiroshi Aramata's books being translated to English anytime soon. They responded and said that Aramata was an "fantastic writer", BUT his works have very limited appeal because they are too "Japanese-centric", and so the possibility of english translation was slim.

Still, with the ridiculous popularity of anime and such, you'd THINK there'd be more interest in his works...

[delojin]

@aznricekracker

We can dream man, we can dream.

[aznricekracker]

@delojin

EDIT: BABYLON TOKYO was the English language title for TEITO MONOGATARI before the cinematic adaptations got internationally distributed as DOOMED MEGALOPOLIS and TOKYO: THE LAST MEGALOPOLIS respectively. That cover is the cover of one of the many manga adaptations of the series.

The title Clamp series, TOKYO BABYLON, may have been intentionally referencing this series. Indeed the main character with onmyoji powers and his military outfit is a blatant Kato reference.

[DarkAdonisVyers]

This music's download link?

[aznricekracker]

@DarkAdonisVyers

Like I said, it's from the OST of the anime. I'm not sure if it would be appropriate to upload it.

[RebbyAnn08]

so was the making of m.bison/vega  inspired by him?

[aznricekracker]

Pretty much...Vega's portrait was inspired by his live-action persona and later on, Vega's anime incarnation took even more abilities from the character making them even more similar. To see what I mean about the anime similarities, look at my other video:

Kato vs Bison

Although I'm not saying Bison took ALL his inspiration from Kato. Kato can't do martial arts at all aside from some basic swordplay with his katana. The magical aspects of the character are what was infused into Vega.

[RebbyAnn08]

oh ok i got ya, thanks!

[DarkAdonisVyers]

I just realized something. People complain that in the new Street Fighter movie, Bison/Vega is wearing a suit instead of a uniform, but apparently for Kato, it's the same deal in 2005.

[aznricekracker]

Yeah, I noticed that too! Apparently, Aramata wants Kato's appearance to change with whatever time period he's in. Check out his costume for "Shin Teito Monogatari" (the newest book in the series) which takes place during the 1800's--he looks completely different!

Do a Google image search for

"新帝都物語"

to see what I mean.

Indeed, the character of Vega, unlike Kato, has kept a consistency in his appearance throughout the years...probably because he has a bigger fanbase.

[DarkAdonisVyers]

I've tried to find the live action but so far had no success...

[aznricekracker]

Where have you been looking for it in?

[DarkAdonisVyers]

@aznricekracker A more rabid fanbase.

[DarkAdonisVyers]

Technically, speaking, it should say "Before Vega".

[aznricekracker]

Indeed you're right.  But the video is intended to educate American audiences about Kato's existance, and many American fans obviously don't refer to him by the name of "Vega".

The name of "Vega", of course, also seems to mimic "Kato" in that it is also a two syllable name. Although, I'm guessing that's most likely just a coincidence.

[DarkAdonisVyers]

Oh, I'm not sure if you know, but I found a short video clip of Kato flying and laughing sometime earlier but was unable to refind it. Do you happen to know of any such video?

[aznricekracker]

Was it cartoon or live-action?

It could be any of the films, since one of Kato's abilities is flight. But most likely you either saw the anime "Doomed Megalopolis" or the first live-action film "Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis" because those were the only two released in the US.

[DarkAdonisVyers]

Live action, so I guess I'll search around for Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis.

[aznricekracker]

Please do, and let me know if you have any questions about the plot. I'll try to answer them. I've been studying this series for a long time, and admittedly I've become a big fan of it. I love discussing it with folks.

[darkservantofheaven]

I loved this anime, didnt care for the live action film, the book was cool....

[aznricekracker]

Wait a minute, darkservantofheaven...have you seen/read the book?

Your sentiments toward the live-action film are understandable. It is REALLY a compressed film with 1000+ pages worth of story stuffed into a 2.5 hour time slot. Also the SPFX were problematic. Still, it was the live-action film that became a blockbuster hit in the theaters, not the anime. Also, without the live-action film, we would never have seen Kyusaku Shimada as Kato...which means that Vega may never have been created!

[darkservantofheaven]

okay this is odd, I didnt write the above statement, word of advice youtubers, never let your friends or roomates use your youtube account...My roomate who wrote the comment hasnt read a damn thing, he likes to troll on other vids on other poeple's account, Im gonna kill him, but after watching your vid how ever I do wish to watch the film as well as the anime and read the book, as a fan of Bison, I should give this Kato a look see....and Im going to kill my roomate for trolling on your vid...

[aznricekracker]

Thanks, darkservantofheaven...no harm done.

Indeed, go check out the series! I would recommend you watch the live-action before the anime though because people who watch the two in the reverse order tend to be disappointed. If you have any questions about the plot, feel free to come back here and I'll try to answer them.

[55vsd77]

man bison is just a spirit and might of possessed this dudes body when his character died off and thats who we see on the games and the movies yasunori possessed by Bison

[aznricekracker]

55vsd77, Yasunori Kato came first. He is also just an evil spirit who possesses bodies. The beginning of "Teito Taisen" shows him doing this and the entire plot of "Teito Monogatari Gaiden" is just about Kato possessing people. If anything, Bison would be possessed by Kato's spirit, not the other way around.

Don't believe me? Search this on Youtube:

帝都大戦

and watch the first scene that comes up.

[DarkAdonisVyers]

If Kato possessed Vega (yes, I'm using original Japanese naming), does that mean that Vega would have the power of both science (according to the movie, he flies using electromagnetism) and magic? O_O

[aznricekracker]

I don't consider the live-action thing with Raul Julia to exactly be a legitimate resource for information about the "Street Fighter" world. The fact that they would discard Vega's magic and physical prowess in favor of absurd electromagnetic Iron Man-esque contraptions and a 50+ year old physique just goes to show that the writers of that flick had little respect for their source material. Seriously, judge him by the way he's represented in the anime...he's much more formidable.

[aznricekracker]

Although you could argue that the hypothesis doesn't really hold up for a number of other reasons. Obviously Kato is not a martial arts master like Vega. Even though Kato, as seen in the third movie and the novels, was quite proficient in the use of a katana (in the tenth novel, he actually kills a dragon with his katana, according to my translation). Also, Kato has little to interest in technology and wouldn't be caught dead flying around in a VTOL.

[55vsd77]

oh sounds pretty good im a huge Akuma fan anyway lol

[D20Watt]

The guy's name is Kyusaku Shimada. I recently put him on MyAnimeList.

[aznricekracker]

Shimada is awesome--this is the role that propelled him from stage work into movies. Unfortunately, I haven't seen him around much anymore in Japanese films except in a few nondescript roles here and there. I said it once and I'll say it again--HE should have played M. Bison in the live-action "Street Fighter" flick (with a stunt actor filling in for the action scenes of course). Maybe if Japan ever decides to make a live-action "Street Fighter", he'll be remembered and hopefully not too old

[D20Watt]

This might be messed up. But, Shimada was Japanese voice of Hades in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II.

[aznricekracker]

"Messed up"? It's not really surprising--actors have got to be able to have lots of diversity in their work to be appealing. What bugs me is simply the fact that it might have been HIS FACE and his performance that inspired one of the greatest video game villains of all time, but he gets no recognition for it in the West. I think would be a hell of a lot better an M. Bison than Raul Julia or Neil McDonough. In fact, one of his costars from "Teito Taisen" played Bison in the anime.

[D20Watt]

What I mean was that I never knew he was Hades. I couldn't find videos of him. Aside from that, I don't know Takeshi Kusaka that much. He rarely does anime. Same with Kyusaku.

[aznricekracker]

That's why Shimada's voice work as Kato and Kusaka's role as Bison are special occasions. They're both former stage actors who got invited to do a little anime work based on their film background--so they're basically special guest stars in those roles.

[D20Watt]

Yeah. That makes sense.

[aznricekracker]

Though, I don't know why they decided to hire Kusaka as the voice of M. Bison. He's got a good voice, but it's not really dark, deep and menacing; characteristics you would expect out of Bison's voice. I think they should have had Joji Nakata (who played Balrog in the film) play Bison. His voice can be quite deep and menacing if he wants it to be.

I stil haven't heard the Kenji Utsumi Bison voice in "Street Fighter II V" yet. Is he any good?

[D20Watt]

Sorry. I couldn't find a video of the Japanese version. Aside from that. Do you someone named H. R. Giger?

[aznricekracker]

Of course! H. R. Giger is the guy who designed the Alien. He was conscripted to do a few monster designs for "Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis", but unfortunately his ideas weren't realized properly. Aside from that, what else about him did you want to bring up?

[D20Watt]

I didn't know him at the time. When I found out about him. Thats when I did a lot of searching. Its a shame he wasn't involved with Alien 2. I've seen Batman Forever. Though his design for the Batmobile wasn't used in the movie. I had mixed thoughts on that movie.

[aznricekracker]

It would have been interesting to see how Giger's involvement would have affected "Alien 2"...although it's hard to imagine him improving on that design.

Like a lot of other artists, Giger has a hard time getting his ideas properly realized on film. "Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis" is one example. He also submitted 2 monster designs for "Poltergeist 2" and they were represented completely differently than what he had in mind. "Species" was closer, but even then there were some cutbacks.

[gigawarman12]

@aznricekracker you know what's really messed up, Raul Julia died a little after the release of the live action street fighter movie, It's probably no surprise by now though.

[aznricekracker]

@gigawarman12

I know...what an inappropriate end for such a great actor. He definitely put a lot of energy into his performance even though you can tell he was old and sick when he was making the movie.

[gigawarman12]

@aznricekracker Indeed. He deserved much better.

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@gigawarman12, Raul Julia didn't die immediately after he finished filming his role as General M. Bison in the 1994 blockbuster Saturn award film "Street Fighter". Raul Julia starred, in a televised film with Vanessa Redgrave and Laura Dern called, "Down Came A Blackbird in 1995. This was his final film after he did "Street Fighter" in 1994. I just watched Yoshinori Kato the japanese superhuman dictator from Japan in the "Tokyo or "Japan Meganopolis" animated film and he inspired, M. Bison.

[gigawarman12]

@MrKevinlclayjr Well the point is, Raul Julia deserved better. Also I'm not sure if you're aware but it's spelled Yasunori Kato and Megalopolis. Also, I believe the animated film you're referring to is "Doomed Megalopolis" unless you were referring to the live action movie which had come out before that which was "Tokyo: the Last Megalopolis"

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@gigawarman12, You are correct and despite what Raul Julia received, from Steven E. DeSouza's "Street Fighter" 1994 film he won a Saturn Award nomination for best actor playing the villainous M Bison. Yasunori Kato was the earlier military vilain who was sort of like a mentor teacher to the later General M. Bison from Street Fighter. I was going by the "Doomed Megalopolis" animated feature. Yes, I was thinking Tokyo:The Last Megalopolis. Kato was a devil worshippor I recognized the star on him.

[aznricekracker]

@MrKevinlclayjr

I know this confuses a lot of people, but actually Kato is actually NOT a devil worshipper. Remember in DOOMED MEGALOPOLIS the good priests also use the pentagram as their symbol for their magic. Japan has its own meanings for the pentagram which are mainly derived from Chinese religion. Think of the pentagram here as a general magic symbol more associated with balance than disharmony.

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@aznricekracker, Japan is a wealthy far eastern country but they are deep into idol worship, and worshipping dragons and it is all evil. I am not fooled by what Japanese and Chinese religions are practicing the pentagram aznicekracker came about way before the other religions began using it for magic which, is still occult practicing. The pentagram began when King Solomon King David's youngest son in his old years forgot God, began sleeping with sinful women and fell into satanic worship.

[aznricekracker]

@MrKevinlclayjr

One of the main goals of Shintoism is to achieve harmony with nature. The "idols" (the dragons, etc.) they worship are metaphors for different aspects of nature and the human condition. If in your mind, nature is evil, then so be it. However please understand that some people may not share your frame of mind.

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@aznricekracker, Achieving harmony with nature is part of the New Age Movement religion. Trying to find a power within yourself searching your feelings, looking at created things as sources of power, and using crystals too are all occultic. Idols and dragons azricecracker are not metaphors buddy these are stone made statues that people who worship ancient and false gods bow dow too. When God himself said, I am a jealous God I will have no other gods before me he stated these.

[aznricekracker]

@MrKevinlclayjr

But that's where you're wrong. East Asian mystical practices are NOT all about bowing in front of some big stone statue and chanting for power--that is a misconception. For example, in Feng Shui the dragon's essence is not inside a statue; it is inside the EARTH. All we can see of it are the natural formations and dynamic geography that litter the earth. You might even be sitting on a dragon's vein right now. All power flows from earth, not from manmade idols.

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@aznricekracker, Mysticism is the channeling of one's consciousness with the person's ability to reach a higher level of meditation. This is being able to move from ther person's natural faith in physical strength into one's abilities in the spiritual realm. Fo example Gen from Street Fighter and his students Yun and Yang could teleport themselves from one spot to the other using their states of chi consciousness from a simple fighting attack and stepping into multiple attacks.

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@aznricekracker, People in the occult religion faith believe Azniceckracker idols were sources of power because they believed the spirits of ancient gods could grant them power to do anything they are able to do. People who follow false religions and false christian movements believe that the true living God Jesus Christ is God but they deny that he is the Son Of God. Now, people in evil religions believe that their idol gods are their supreme god and actually it is Satan.

[aznricekracker]

@MrKevinlclayjr

I'm not sure I'm following you. What I gather from your comments is that mysticism is not evil because it encourages self-improvement, but Shintoism is "evil" because it advocates worship of kami. Okay...assuming that's the case, let's go back to the beginning: Why is Kato a devil worshiper? Assuming you watched the anime, you KNOW that Kato doesn't worship a god. He only has personal ambitions and manipulates deities like Masakado to serve his own ambitions

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@aznricekracker, Mysticism is what I told it was. It is not anything different than it's major design and purpose was to be. Satan is the supernatural mastermind behind every false christian faith and every occult religion faith. Whatever source of power Aznricecracker you channel that is opposite of you seeking power from God in The Holy Bible is satanic. Kato is a devil worshippor because the black star on his head, and hat is the pentagram star used for occult practices.

[aznricekracker]

@MrKevinlclayjr

But thats what doesnt make sense to me. If mysticism is about channeling or amplifying power from oneself to reach a spiritual plane, how is it not as evil as occultism? The power to move between the spiritual and physical plane is NOT a power that comes from God. It seems to me that Gen Yun and Yang must be harnessing power from Satan since God has nothing to do with their unnatural superhuman capabilities which are clearly a violation of natural law.

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@aznricekracker, Mysticism is an occult power religion. Using the arts of sorcery and magic to use for martial arts fighting is defeating a person's purpose to obtain true power which is in God. Yes Az if you are harnessing power in any other religious area of meditation you are tapping into the power of Satan. The book of Jonah They that observe lying vanities forsake, their own mercy. Gen, Yun, and Yang follow the Yang philosophy which is evil.

[gigawarman12]

@MrKevinlclayjr I'm a christian you know. Also, I'm willing to accept other people for what they believe in. Essentially, over centuries of culture to you is simply a work of satan. Why stop there? While we're at it, let's say that My Little Pony is a work of the devil, or maybe teletubbies, barney, and carebears.... Is being a true christian seriously just about calling anything and everything else satanic?

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@gigawarman12, As my Christian brother Christianity is the belief and faith teachings of Jesus Christ. He expects every Christian to carry ourselves as saints in Holiness, righteousness, and carrying his light before others who don't know Christ and others who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. I agree all of the religions from the cultures we have learned the majority of them are satanic. It is all the work of Satan because he hides the truth of the faith with deception.

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@gigawarman12, I have been doing research and listening to ordained pastors on television and even Christian books that we have read talk about the evil deception Satan uses behind shows like, teletubbies which are representations of the New Age Movement teaching children to be in touch with themselves and their feelings. CareBears may also, contain evil symbolism but they deal with people's emotions but we have to watch what we look at. True Christian giga is exposing lies of S.

[gigawarman12]

@MrKevinlclayjr so your saying that humans are just suppose to be emotionless to be saved? ....no comment

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@gigawarman12, No What I'm saying is we are to test what we hear, say, and believe from other representatives, and ordained pastors, evangelists, prophets and so on. We are individuals of emotions but we are not to walk according, to how we fell but walk by faith in Jesus Christ. When you see things are wrong, corrupt, and evil you address it with truth exposing Satan for the liar that he is and acknowleding Jesus for the truth he is.

[aznricekracker]

@gigawarman12

I was just reading about the "Pure Land Buddhism" movement in Japan that began to fluorish around the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). Pure Land Buddhists placed great emphasis on avoiding sin and believed that enlightenment could be achieved ONLY through worshipping the Amida Buddha, who had saved all human beings through his infinite compassion and mercy.  The whole practice sounds almost identical to Christianity.

[aznricekracker]

@MrKevinlclayjr

Thank you! Well at least now that's consistent and I can understand where you're coming from. But I'm actually more curious about you now. Being a devoted Christian, why would you have any interest in Japanese popular culture in the first place? Wouldn't the shreds of Japanese religion that slip into its media be toxic or repulsive to you? Isn't there the possibility of you being corrupted or swayed away from your conviction?

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@aznricekracker, Thanks alot buddy. No learning about Japanese popular culture would never sway me and corrupt me to leave my Christian faith. When you know who you are and where you are in Jesus Christ nothing evil can pull you away. Your only way of getting caught in doing evil is if the evil temptations entice you to turn from your faith and you end up corrupting yourself and practicing abominational acts.

[aznricekracker]

@MrKevinlclayjr

Understood. I cant subscribe to your beliefs however I am in NO position to say your faith is wrong. Every person I believe is entitled to his or her belief as this is how we cope with existence. If you are interested in the meaning of the pentagram as intended by the author of DOOMED MEGALOPOLIS I recommend you look up WU XING.

[aznricekracker]

MrKevinlclayjr:

"I can research on the pentagram symbol from "Doomed Megapolis" but the true meaning will role back to the story when King Solomon was in his old years, he forgot God. He was getting involved with idolatrous sinful women, they turned his heart away from God, and eventually satanic worship began. The Pentagram is basically, a satanists table for demonic worship. They use it to perform their satanic services, and practices because they communicate with Satan and his demons 24/7."

[gigawarman12]

@MrKevinlclayjr You know, that's the thing about Christianity, they always try to say they are the one and only true path.... well I'm sick the self-righteous mindset that so many of them have. Are you another one of those conservative Christians who goes out of their way to say anything connected to culture is satanic? Don't get me wrong, I'm christian as well, but I can't believe how far so many people take it. Can't you people ever just appreciate the simple things of life?

[MrKevinlclayjr]

@gigawarman12, Christianity is the only faith that is guaranteed to save you. Jesus Christ him said, gigawarman12 that I am the way, the truth, and the life no man cometh unto the father except, through me. No other faith will teach you the truth because there are many, many, many religions out there that deny Jesus Christ is Jehovah God over all. He is the only Begotten Son Of God, he is unique nothing like him is like him, nothing before him is like him, and nothing after him.

[wildreams]

@MrKevinlclayjr "Only" faith guaranteed to save you? Oh well, I guess I'm almost as atheistic as you. Just that I believe in one less "God" :)

[D20Watt]

OMG!! I can't believe my eyes. Is this the guy who M. Bison was based off of? This really supprised me.

[aznricekracker]

Finally, remember that in Japan there ARE some people who consider Vega/M. Bison to be a rip-off of Kato. Some folk have even gone so far as to call Vega a mockery or a joke of Kato, claiming that the original purpose of Vega was simply to give game players a few chuckles and say "Hey, it's Kato!" The same could be said of Demetrius and Dracula--Demetrius is obviously making fun of the character of Dracula.

How could anyone have known that Vega would exceed Kato in popularity and recognition?

[zztopis]

and then you got protaginist,antagnist,anti-her­o,

red herring,support character,background character.

[zztopis]

M.bison was Inspired off him not copied like

Goku and Superman

Fei long and Liu Kang

Shin Chan and Bart Simpson

[aznricekracker]

You're right. Vega was INSPIRED by Kato and not directly COPIED. Kato is not a martial artist and Vega does not use shikigami. Pop culture art is full of inspirations--Kato himself was inspired off of Dracula in the first place.

But about your examples, I'm a little confused. How is Goku a copy of Superman? Or did you mean to say that Goku was "inspired" off Superman just like Vega was inspired off Kato?

[zztopis]

Goku is the Japanese/Asian superman.

They both came from different planets and have died more than 2 times and are nearly indestructible .

And superman might have been based on Hercules or cratos/kratos.

[aznricekracker]

I understand--Goku is a translation of Superman; inspired by but not directly "ripping off". Then of course, Superman may have been inspired any number of mythological characters. In some cases though, the distinction between rip-offs and inspirations can become blurred like with Conan the Barbarian vs. He-Man.

Still I agree with you. I think fans should not get so upset about "rip-offs" since art is full of inspirations. I admit that I also didn't know who Kato was until I was an adult!

[zztopis]

Conan the Barbarian vs. He-Man

There is also Thundarr the Barbarian from cartoonetwork and Ax Battler from Golden Axe

from the Sega Genesis game. they were Rip offs.

[aznricekracker]

Well...I don't know. Thundarr has a lot more going for him than just a world conceived by Robert E. Howard (the guy who made Conan). As for the character from "Golden Axe", he has such a lack of personality that he could be inspired from any "muscle-man" from the 80's.

A person said "You rip off one piece of work and you're a plagiarist; you rip off 20 and you're a genius."

The distinction between rip-offs and inspiration is harder than we might think.

[zztopis]

But your taking credit for Someone's else work and that's not fair. that would be like me posting your video

and saying i did it all by myself and give you no royalties

or props. and i think you would be ready to sue.

[aznricekracker]

Trying to directly copy someone else's work and pass it off as your own is plagiarism. What I'm saying is though, is that despite the title, "Thundarr" is a culmination of several different works--not JUST Conan the Barbarian. There's a lot of stuff derived from Star Wars in Thundarr (like that Wookie guy who follows Thundarr around). The world of Thundarr is completely different than world of Conan.

Besides Robert E. Howard was dead when Thundarr was made so he couldn't object.

[zztopis]

then what is original ?

original vs too different ?

[aznricekracker]

What IS original as opposed to inspired? That's a question that artists have been debating over for hundreds of years, and we still haven't come to a reliable answer. Type in "plagiarism inspiration" on Google and see the ridiculous number of hits you get...it just shows that people can't seem to make up their minds! The boundaries are difficult to define in a lot of cases. But we have to have SOME boundaries as there's usually money at stake (with regards to artists), right?

[aznricekracker]

But "rip off vs. inspiration" is a very controversial topic in the art world as there's a lot of money involved. Remember that Harlan Ellison, a famous sci-fi writer from the 60's sued James Cameron, the director of "The Terminator" because he said that "Terminator" was stolen from the ideas of two of his short stories. But that's kind of a feeble argument when you think about it now..."Terminator" might as well have "stolen from" "Colossus the Forbin Project". So how do we know?

[aznricekracker]

Another example:

Van Helsing may have been indirectly inspired by Hellsing's Alucard who was inspired by Vampire Hunter D who was inspired from the Man with No Name who was inspired by Kurosawa's Yojimbo who was inspired by the protagonist of the novel "Red Harvest"! You can go back very, very far in looking at the history of many of today's pop culture icons.

[zztopis]

you mean like that fat guy off the honeymooners was

the inspiration for fread Flintstone and Homer simpson

and Peter griffin.

[aznricekracker]

Ralph Kramden? Exactly.

Distinctive personalities like Jackie Gleason in "The Honeymooners" and William Bendix in "Life of Riley" lay the groundwork for characters like Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin.

[aznricekracker]

Still, there are more similarities between the two characters than you might initially believe. Vega/Bison and Kato's powers are very similar. Kato's soul can inhabit new bodies like Vega in SFA3. Kato has a harem of witches like Vega has an army of "dolls". Finally Kato is pursued by a female sorceress with the opposite type of magic just like Vega was pursued by Rose.

I love both characters. But I want to promote Kato's existence to SF fans so they are aware of where Vega came from.

[ThePsychoguy]

Holy shit I jumped at the last second. Otherwise, good tribute. I just got finished watching the series, and Kato was one bad mofo.

[aznricekracker]

Thanks. It's a shame more people don't know about this series. Some people know about it through the anime, but the scope of the series goes far beyond that. The original literary series is composed of 12 novels, 1 side story novel, 2 prequel novels, 2 short story collections set in the same universe, 2 spin-off series, and just recently another huge novel which is a retelling. The anime "Doomed Megalopolis" only covers the 1st 4 books in the series--there's stil a lot of story to go!