Line #15 WebVideo/PhantomStrider


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phantomstrider.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Howdy!]]
3
4	Josh Strider, born February 3, 1989, better known online as ''[[https://www.youtube.com/user/phantomstrider8 PhantomStrider]]'', is an online critic known for his Top Ten lists reviewing various media, mostly animation. He created his channel on November 13, 2007, but wouldn't start regularly uploading videos until March 7, 2014.
5
6	He also has a second channel, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWEssAj7qvJ_1KERUjFyPCw LiveStrider]]'', where he posts more casual videos.
7	----
8	!![=PhantomStrider=] contains examples of:
9	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: What Strider thinks of two ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episodes ("Think About Your Future" and the crossover with ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016'').
10	* ActuallyQuiteCatchy: His review for ''WesternAnimation/CartoonAllStarsToTheRescue'' is pretty negative, but he does dance to "Wonderful Ways to Say No".
11	* ArtisticLicense:
12	** In his "Top 10 Worst Adult Cartoon Episodes" video, he gets many events of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Brickleberry}}'' episode "Two Weeks Notice" wrong. For instance, he states [[YourDaysAreNumbered Steve was going to die from an STD in the next 24 hours. However, the episode states it was actually going to kill him in the next two weeks]]. Also, it's revealed he actually wasn't dying; Dr. Kuzniak, who diagnosed him, accidentally mixed up his blood sample with another patient's.
13	** In his ''5 Worst/Best Lego Games'' list when he discuses ''[[VideoGame/LegoBatman Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes]]'', he stated that Creator/MarkHamill and Creator/ClancyBrown reprise their roles as the Joker and Lex Luthor respectively. While he was correct about Lex Luthor, he wasn't about the Joker as Creator/ChristopherCoreySmith voices the character in that game instead of Mark Hamill.
14	** In "Top 10 Worst Sitcoms of All Time" he put ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' as #3, which would be fine for his argument that the show was too bland, overly tame, and annoyingly cutesy. However, he didn't use clips from the 70s series he was deriding, but instead used footage from the film ''Film/AVeryBradySequel'', which is known as one of the edgier things to come from the normally family-friendly franchise and contained elements like incest, drug use, and attempted murder -- none of which were in the original series.
15	* AshFace:
16	** Josh gets this repeatedly during his "Top 6 Worst Religious Cartoons" (and when he talks about religious cartoons in other videos), [[BoltOfDivineRetribution Courtesy of God]].
17	** He also suffered this ''six times'' in the transitions of his "Top 6 Worst Bugs Bunny Cartoons". These resulted from [[SelfDeprecation him holding up signs reading]] "Franchise/ScoobyDoo sucks", ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', "''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' is overrated", and "''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' sucks".
18	** He experiences this once more in his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TfDK_3BD20 "Top 3 Worst & Best DreamWorks Movies"]] video when discussing ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt''.
19	* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: As someone with ADD and Asperger's, this happens quite a lot, [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bWQZ36B-G_s&t=6m46s particularly in his LP's.]]
20	-->'''Phantom Strider''': "OK, we need to make sure not to get distracted... [[HypocriticalHumor ooh, a chicken!]]"
21	* BerserkButton:
22	** Ugly animation, horrible voice acting, ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode, "Lisa Goes Gaga", anything pertaining to Lucas Cruikshank or The Annoying Orange, and the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode, "Brian's a Bad Father".
23	** He also seems to have little tolerance for works that are excessively mean-spirited just for the sake of it or towards undeserving characters; this is a big reason behind his despising of ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle'' and modern ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', for instance.
24	** He also despises unoriginal cash grabs, ''WesternAnimation/TheEmojiMovie'' in particular.
25	** Strider dislikes cartoons that use excessive amounts of gross-out humor or over-the-top violence simply to shock/disgust their audience, something many of the shows on his Top 10 Worst Cartoons series are guilty of.
26	** Cheaply-produced girls' cartoons that consist entirely of one-note characters doing stereotypically girly things like painting their nails or talking about boys, as he believes that cartoons aimed towards girls should be held to the same standards as other cartoons. In other words, he believes they should be more than just glorified toy commercials and should have fleshed-out characters, quality animation, coherent plots, etc.
27	* BlackComedyBurst: In "Modern Kids Cartoons' Worst Episodes", Strider mentions that when he was a little kid, his favourite show was ''WesternAnimation/FiremanSam''. This is followed by an edited version of the opening where, after slipping on a skateboard, instead of landing safely in the fire engine Jupiter, Sam flies through the window and bleeds out on the ground. The remainder of the segment is fairly light-hearted, and among the less negative sections of the video.
28	* BoltOfDivineRetribution: Done as a RunningGag in his [[https://youtu.be/dvuhUBZEeUk Top 6 Worst Religious Cartoons]] video, and whenever he talks about religious cartoons in other videos.
29	-->'''Phantom Strider''': ''(To God)'' Are you going to do this every time I review one of these?
30	** He experiences this once more in his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TfDK_3BD20 "Top 3 Worst & Best DreamWorks Movies"]] video when discussing ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt''.
31	* BrokeTheRatingScale: In his worst video games list, the sixth worst game (Zelda: Wand of Gamelon) is a 0/10. The other entries are in the negative numbers. Similarly, in his "Worst Cartoon Network Specials", he gives ''WebVideo/TheAnnoyingOrange'' Christmas Special a -1030/10, primarily for how it uses Music/WeirdAlYankovic.
32	* ButtMonkey: If the BoltOfDivineRetribution RunningGag and ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''-style SelfDeprecation are any indication, this is definitely a trope that applies to Strider himself.
33	** One particular video, which focused on the worst African cartoons, had all the transitions including Josh receiving a lot of pain from Mother Nature via animals, weather, natural disasters, ''[[spoiler: and the moon being crushed onto him]]''. All while he tries his best to list the number for each segment.
34	** As stated above, Josh has also been struck by God's lightning in a few of his videos, whenever Josh tries to discuss the usage of religion (usually Christianity) in a show.
35	* CartoonJuggling: He began to pick up the cascade style at the end of each video.
36	* CharacterCatchphrase: "Jeebus!" or some other variant.
37	** "And if you like these shows, that's great! It's just my silly, personal opinion."
38	** In his later videos, he usually opens up with "Howdy, this is [=PhantomStrider=]."
39	* ContentWarnings: Some videos include brief warnings if the following clip has violent/Squicky content, for example, his "Top Ten Worst Family Guy Episodes".
40	* {{Crossover}}: He has done a crossover with Robyn from ''Anime America'' about the worst anime as well as anime he hates that everyone else likes. ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'' has also made an appearance in "Top Ten Worst Movies of All Time" and joined him for "Top Ten Creepiest Animated Movies". Blameitonjorge joined him for "Top Ten Creepiest Kids' Show Characters" and "Top Ten Darkest Episodes of Kids Shows". ''WebVideo/TheMysteriousMrEnter'' joined him for "Top Ten Best ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' Episodes". Simpsons expert ''WebVideo/TheRealJims'' co-hosted "Top Five Best/Worst [[Franchise/TheSimpsons Simpsons Games]]" and "Top Five Worst and Best Modern ''Simpsons'' Episodes".
41	* DamnedByFaintPraise: In his video on the Top 6 Worst Mario games, he gives ''VideoGame/MariosGameGallery'' credit for providing perfectly functional versions of games that no Mario fan had ever asked for.
42	* DudeNotFunny: His reaction to the wrist slitting joke in "Top Ten Worst ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' Episodes".
43	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: His earliest countdown videos open with a voice saying, "Read the disclaimer." This was before his avatar, along with Boo, started appearing onscreen during the opening disclaimer.
44	* EveryoneHasStandards: {{Inverted}}. He usually doesn't like overly mean spirited comedy, but he actually raved about the pretty infamous ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode [[Recap/SouthParkS10E14StanleysCup Stanley's Cup]] because he knows from experience how glurgey the movies it was parodying were.
45	* GoshDangItToHeck: No matter how bad something is when he's reviewing it, Strider pretty much watches his language and remarkably avoids swearing harsher than "crap". This was averted once in his [[https://youtu.be/IYEetwfUf8s?t=881 Top 10 Simpsons Episodes]] video.
46	* HeadDesk: Bangs his head against his desk after introducing ''Ren Seeks Help'' as both the worst cartoon of all time and having the worst cartoon character of all time (Ren).
47	** He also does this at the end of his ''WesternAnimation/MulanII'' segment of his Top Ten Worst Creator/{{Disney}} Films, where he literally bangs his head hard against the desk while he puts up with the end of an annoying musical number from said film. And his last head bang is in time with the song ending.
48	** He does it once again in his Top Ten Worst Theme Songs video in reaction to the theme from ''WesternAnimation/ScaredySquirrel''.
49	* HellIsThatNoise: InUniverse. When Strider goes back to his Top 10 Worst Cartoons of All Time list or if some other animated work replaces the cartoon it was originally placed on, appropriately "[[https://youtu.be/cufAKKgCcgE Yours Truly, Satan]]" from ''VideoGame/SonicCD'' plays in the background.
50	* InsultToRocks: In his list of the top 10 worst Creator/PBSKids show episodes, Strider mentions he finds ''Series/{{Teletubbies}}'' so incohesive that he thinks calling it a drug trip "would be an insult to drug trips".
51	* LandDownUnder: Strider is from Australia, after all.
52	* LimitedWardrobe: In almost every video on his live-action channel, he always wears a maroon (now orange) button-up shirt and is rarely seen wearing anything else.
53	* MadeInCountryX: Is a firm believer in the "Terrible Art/Products are Produced in Country X" when it comes to Canadian cartoons, outright declaring ''all'' Canadian animation to be horrible in his Worst Canadian Cartoons list.
54	* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: He tried to avert this by refusing to ever review ''WesternAnimation/WhereTheDeadGoToDie.''[[invoked]]
55	* ObligatorySwearing: Notable by its [[AvertedTrope absence]], Strider is one of the few internet reviewers who rarely swears for humor value, if at all.
56	* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Dark Strider. Basically, a more edgier version of Josh's internet persona, who wears a dark blue shirt, and sporting dark shadowy make-up on his face to resemble Batman or any edgy superhero. He turns into this whenever he gets ''really'' pissed from watching particular bad content for some of his lists.
57	* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: Strider's PetPeeveTrope, as discussed in some videos such as "Top 6 Worst WesternAnimation/BugsBunny Cartoons", "5 Best/Worst WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers Episodes", and "10 Most Overrated WesternAnimation/{{Spongebob\|SquarePants}} Episodes".
58	-->'''Strider:''' There's this... ''odd'' trope in some cartoons, where a friend -- or enemy -- will stay over at the main character's house, intrude upon their privacy, wreck their house and make them miserable, but the main character is always "too polite" to say anything, so they can tolerate this from days to months on end, and I personally think it's among the stupidest tropes in all of cartoons.
59	* ThinkOfTheChildren:
60	** Strider always gives a heads up to his viewers if some graphic violence is going to be shown. He's even censored more graphic scenes for the viewers. He's taken this trope up to eleven after watching ''WesternAnimation/WhereTheDeadGoToDie'' and [[TooSpicyForYogSothoth turned it off after watching ten minutes]], saying that it's the worst piece of animation he's ever seen in his life, and he'll never forgive himself if a child looked that up because he mentioned it. Scroll down to WebVideo/TheMysteriousMrEnter's [[https://youtu.be/6x2SXCLVLKg video]] on the comments to see his sentiments on the film.
61	** He even removed an earlier video that focused on controversial anime, due to the video showing lots of gory scenes and otherwise. He also didn't want young viewers to search up those anime that were listed in the now-deleted video "Top Ten Worst Anime".
62	* WorstWhateverEver: He throws this accusation around '''a lot'''. It's a rare case of being justified, as the shows and movies Strider discusses often really are bad enough to warrant this title.

Context WebVideo / PhantomStrider