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Some analysis of certain aspects in BlazBlue.
Tragically desperate or just plain selfishness? An analysis of Litchi Faye-Ling.Before reading, I would recommend you in finishing the True Story. This will contain a lot of spoilers. What Litchi did in Continuum Shift was exceptionally shocking. The only genuinely good character who in Calamity Trigger can be described as 'The least person that Ragna needs to worry about' (since she had no interest on his head)... suddenly joined the Obviously Evil NOL in order to pursue her original goal to save Arakune. She may not be very evil, but it is a known fact that her Fatal Flaw is her selfishness. People thought she stood for pure kindness and goodness, but by joining NOL, it may seem that she has abandoned all those. Let's find out why.Point 1: Myth about Relius capturing Arakune for bargaining chipThere were at first rumors when the BBCS spoilers came that her joining NOL was because Relius Clover captured Arakune, making them think that he did it so Litchi will have no choice but to join, putting her in similar situations as other characters that had their beloved life directly in danger after being captured by a bad guy. Such as Sophitia Alexandra, Leon Magnus and perhaps Eddy Gordo. Common scenario, yes. However, as the actual game came out, it turns out that Relius wasn't even thinking of Litchi at all. He just caught Arakune for no apparent reason, or at least a reason he didn't disclose to the audience. In short, Litchi joined NOL on her own will, without any push, or any Mind Screw courtesy of Hazama (who did that to Tsubaki). This created quite the uproar that Litchi willingly betrayed the trust that the people of Orient Town, Kaka Clan (Taokaka included), Carl and Bang; all who cared for her greatly, then she abandoned them all for her selfish reasons, there were also speculations that all her kindness was just a lie to make her get through the common people more easily. This was enough to create a Broken Base on her.
Point 2: How desperate is sheIt turns out that Arakune alone wasn't her reason of her desperation. The only people she knew could help; Kokonoe and Tager; refused to help, mostly because Kokonoe was too set on killing Terumi. Worse, Kokonoe even pitted her against Tager just to prove a point. She's probably left alone, and as the alternate ending stated, killing Arakune or not, she pretty much only had 2 to 6 months to live, not a very long time. In between that she only had a short time to live, and Arakune's lifespan is pretty much shorter than hers, nobody she knew wanted to help her, Litchi became extremely desperate that on the sanest line of thinking, her only option is to join NOL and get treated there, prolonging her time to find a cure for Arakune, which may be in NOL as well. So, in that case, regardless if she wanted to save Arakune or not, her body has reached the point that it might not be able to sustain herself. If she decided to be too overly high in morality and didn't wish to dirty her hand by NOL, her only choice was to just lie down doing nothing significant for 2 to 6 months, as her memories start to fade, and she withers and dies. Or the worst case; she becomes the next Arakune and the first victims would be the people of Orient Town. Perhaps Litchi didn't realize it, but at any rate, she would choose to stain her hands for awhile rather than killing the people of Orient Town mindlessly.
Point 3: Abandonment?So why didn't she tell the townspeople about joining NOL? There were a lot of theories, but haters would chalk it up as 'They were insignificant to her, so she doesn't care or bother to tell.' It might not be true, but another way to look at it is that Litchi isn't as mentally strong as you all thought. She knew her decision would hurt the people of Orient Town, and especially Carl and Bang, who had their grudges against NOL (Carl since his hated father is in there, and Bang because of what they did to Ikaruga), yet she didn't have the strength to tell them, fearing disappointment and their attempt to stop her at all cost, which would mean she will have to fight them, and she's not going to like it. There will be a big burden placed on the people if she told them, so she chose to spare them from that.
Point 4: WarningsAnother debate that the haters used against her was that Arakune himself has warned her GREATLY, while he's being himself that Litchi should just forget about him and end his existence. However, it will result her being bedridden, and her sickness is not cured, although Kokonoe is there to help her... but if she didn't kill him, she probably wouldn't be bedridden, therefore not averting Kokonoe's attention from Terumi. On a positive look, however, it could be interpreted that she knows a way and tries telling Arakune to stop being pessimistic and giving up.
Point 5: HostilityThe one chink that could draw questions on whether Litchi's true face is someone who cared only for herself or not was shown during Rachel's story, when they fight each other. Rachel did insult Litchi's efforts to save Arakune, causing her to show no kindness at all, only hostility, her eyes are really open wide in anger, while she ranted on how desperate she was. Also take note that the one who struck the first blow was Litchi and this was before Rachel started insulting. If you remember her Arcade Mode in Calamity Trigger, Litchi mistook Rachel as a 'lost child who couldn't find her mommy' and is treating her kindly until she showed some suspicious actions, but that trait seemed gone in Continuum Shift. This could be attributed that what happens in the Arcade Mode didn't get carried over in Calamity Trigger's True End. Other factors may include that Hazama told her to hold off his worst enemy if she wants any progress in getting the cure. She certainly was in a bad mood since she knew what she's doing is wrong and she had to endure, then Rachel nonchalantly pressed her Berserk Button. Who was on the wrong side on this case? Was it Litchi who attacked our protagonist Rachel, who is actually right? Or was it Rachel who didn't take account to Litchi's lower status and acted high and mighty like usual, making it look like the rich trampling on the poor? You'll never know.Point 6: Would she?There are easy conclusions that with her suddenly joining NOL on a whim like that, or the encounter with Rachel above, makes her think that everything other than Arakune is insignificant, thus should NOL orders her to burn Orient Town, or kill those she cared about if she wanted information to the cure, she will accept gleefully. Most of her defenders think this is not true, and I will agree... Her kindness as shown to Carl was one of the more genuine things she could show, and what cements her that joining an evil organization doesn't make her heart evil. Thus, if she ever was ordered to do such thing, she will have a lot of hesitations. However, if ordered to attack Kokonoe and Tager, Litchi might have less hesitation. They may be friends, but they, especially Kokonoe, has hurt her feelings and pushed her to join NOL, so there will be a chance that she is angry at them for ignoring her like that. Kokonoe, on the other hand, may probably try to kill her for siding with Terumi. She's become desperate to kill Terumi, and learning that her student hanging around with Terumi may make her lose it, feeling a great betrayal, and responds with disowning her and attempts to kill her. Who knows? It might happen...
Point 7: Beyond the StoryHowever, it is also known that all of Litchi's fighting abilities come by drawing the spirits of the dead from the Boundary. It means that her control over Mantenbou and perhaps her chi manipulation were all thanks to the very same source that is corrupting her inside out. Many would believe that if Bang used the Houyoku Rettenjou on her, it will deprive her of her fighting skills. On the story standpoint, it seems like a good choice that Litchi finally stopped fighting... but on gameplay standpoint, it means we will lose Litchi as a playable character. Perhaps NOL would give her another mean to fight with telekinesis utilizing Mantenbou and chi manipulation without further corrupting her, and so once she was cut off from the Boundary and would leave NOL, she will still be able to be a playable character without heavy changes on her play style. So in short, her joining NOL would be some sort of Fridge Brilliance, it may look shocking, but when you look more into it, you will realize that it would be beneficial if we want to keep Litchi forever in the BlazBlue playable roster.Point 8: AlignmentNow that we've broken down most of her aspects, there were two alignments that would fit her best:
Point 9: What will she do?Now that she has joined NOL, what do you think she will do? If all Hazama wanted was just the Seithr research data, she can easily put them in computer and she's available for many things to prove her will to save Arakune. She can be a cannon fodder for the heroes to handle, and they might not show mercy, and perhaps Litchi would return the favor as well:
ConclusionIn conclusion, perhaps her act was quite selfish, but there were some tragic backgrounds behind her actions, also her act would be beneficial for her future as a BlazBlue playable character, so if you're feeling positive, then 'tragically desperate' would fit her best. Do we still have to bash Litchi as a filthy traitor who sold her good heart for her own desire? Personally, I don't think it's necessary, but if you still dislike her, well, I cannot stop you. She may look petty on the outside, but deep down, I think that she does deserve some pity. While she never asked for help, most of her supporters consider her like a mentally Distressed Damsel, as her only choices were either stay, wither and die; or stain her hands for a better future. Perhaps you may still hate her for siding with the antagonist after being a thoroughly good guy beforehand, but Litchi has deeper motives than just a traitor with big boobs. I'm just human, so I may make errors. If you do find an error, rebute this analysis!Ragna's BeliefsRagna, the feared Grim Reaper, has contradictory views on the afterlife. He fears ghosts, implying he at least believes there is life after death. But at the same time he denounces the existence of Hell.
Boundary Corruption Counter 101So with EXTEND, we found another one who can survive passing through the Boundary: Makoto. With that, we can deduce on how the Boundary corrupts, how fast, and what either completely destroys or slows down the corruption. In Makoto's case, we knew she was completely focused on The Power of Friendship, her bonds with Noel and Tsubaki. And that allowed her to survive intact. Thus, we can conclude that the power of bonds are very important. Next up, Hakumen also survived. Considering he's Jin, it's very probable that he survived 'due to sheer will' AND the bonds between him and Tsubaki AND Ragna (yes, Hakumen is less obsessed, but doesn't mean he no longer respects his brother). And possibly, the rest of Six Heroes except Terumi (he still had high opinion on Jubei at least). Then there's Litchi, whose corruption seemingly slowed down. She focused on saving Arakune with The Power of Love, but at one point, she was distracted by giving care on the people on Orient Town. The focus on saving Arakune was her biggest stalling method for the corruption, but when she slowly forgot her purpose and thought she's better off killing him in CT, the corruption acted up and started picking up the pace. However, at her true end, she probably realized that if she lost focus on Arakune, that's the moment the Boundary will catch up to her. Even then, the bonds she shared with the likes of Carl, Taokaka and Bang were also strong enough, that she still tried to remember them despite signing up with NOL, therefore she probably has more chance to survive the corruption. And then... Lotte Carmine? How did he fail alone while the rest 'succeeded'? Simple. If you recall his sane self, we already know he's an utterly antisocial, glory-seeking scientist. He believed in making the glory for himself only and completely refused to form a bond with Litchi, even if it's just friendship, he considers her utter annoyance. His quest of glory got mirred with how Kokonoe treated her, hitting on his inferiority complex. Thus, when he tapped into the Boundary, he has no focus (his quest for glory became doubtful and unfocused due to his inferiority complex) nor bonds (Loners Are Freaks) to keep his mind occupied, therefore easily corrupted into Arakune. It was only later after he turned into Arakune that he remembered Litchi, which formed a very small bond for him (no matter how late it is), that it enables him to have a periodic sane moment. Also, it would seem that whether you are fully human or not affect just how easily corruptible are you. True enough, Hakumen and Makoto were able to survive with sheer willpower and focusing on The Power of Friendship. However, Hakumen is on a Susanoo Unit, not his human body of Jin Kisaragi. Makoto is a beastkin. It is probably noted since they seem to specialize in combating the Black Beast, their body possesses something to hold off the Boundary corruption better than any normal humans, so not being corrupted doesn't seem so utterly special to them (but still awesome). On the other hand, Litchi and Lotte were mere humans. Litchi may be able to stave the corruption by focusing on The Power of Love, but her body of a normal human is failing her, therefore at that point, she was receiving symptoms of corruption, but even that still grows slow. On the other hand, Lotte has nothing to focus so strongly, is a human, therefore, his fall and corruption were swift and fatal. Yes, we know, Humans Are Flawed. Lesson of the analysis: The Boundary can be slowed down (or if you're lucky, not affecting you) when you have focus on bonds, friendship or love. Having a huge willpower helps greatly too, as shown with Hakumen. Being not 100% human also helps... somewhat.
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