Old Complete Monster cleanup thread
Welcome to the Complete Monster proposal thread! This is the thread where new Complete Monster examples are vetted, approved, and written up. If you're looking for the general cleanup thread (for cuts, rewrites, expansions, and the like), please go here
Important: Before suggesting any new examples, please read the Frequently Asked Questions and Common Requests List; if you have any questions, the odds are high they are answered there. Additionally, please check here for the earliest date a work can be discussed (usually two weeks from the U.S. release date) and whether the work has already been reserved by another user.
Here is how the process works:
- If you have a candidate to propose, you can simply come right in and propose them! If the character's run is brief, such as a single issue of a comic book, then a simple summary of their actions and any potential redeeming qualities will be enough; for longer-running candidates, an effortpost (EP) might be helpful for organizing the proposal. An EP is not outright required, but please be mindful that if a post becomes too clunky and unorganized, it can be very hard for other people to follow.
- After the proposal, there will be a 72-hour discussion and voting period, where people may ask questions and vote on the candidate. The number of upvotes must outnumber the downvotes by at least five for the character to be considered "approved".
- Three days after the proposal has been made, if the character has been approved, you may post the writeup (the text to be posted on the trope page itself) on the thread and send it to the drafts page. Your candidate will soon be added to the CM subpage. If the work has a page, you should add your candidate to the relevant YMMV page. Voila! It's that simple!
Outside of this process, we do have a few ground rules:
- To keep the thread moving at a reasonable pace, there are some restrictions on when a proposal can be made. There should only be a maximum of four EPs posted both per page and per hour to ensure that nothing gets lost in the shuffle; additionally, each individual troper should only be proposing or writing up characters from a maximum of three works at a time (from initial proposals to end of their voting period). If your proposal would fall outside of either of these guidelines, we'd like to ask you to please wait until they would fit within; feel free to type them up on an outside document, and then when the time comes, you can just copy, paste, and post!
- No plagiarism of any kind. This is a very serious matter site-wide, as the website could get in actual legal trouble over this; as a result, this can very quickly lead to mod intervention. This can take many different forms:
- Direct plagiarism, i.e. wholesale copying. This is not only the easiest to find, but is also the most likely to warrant quick moderator intervention. To be clear, quoting in some places is perfectly acceptable, but it has to be very clear you're quoting from something else and it cannot be anything longer than a sentence or two - if you're quoting an entire work summary from Wikipedia, no one is going to believe you've actually consumed the work, so even if you cite your source, your candidate will be downvoted anyway.
- Self-plagiarism. Even if you can prove that you wrote the same text in both places, the site itself can't contain any of the duplicated text. If you already wrote something once before, it's not too hard to write it a second time.
- Using another site's work as a template for a proposal. Just because you don't copy and paste something directly doesn't mean it's any harder to detect if you're basing parts or all of your proposal on text someone else wrote. To be clear, this doesn't violate site rules and won't lead to mod intervention, but just like if you directly plagiarize, no one will believe you've consumed the work if you're clearly basing your proposal on something else. This thread largely operates on the honor system, and tweaking someone else's work to pass it off as your own is one of the fastest ways to lose trust.
- Votes must be for specific candidates, meaning no blanket voting (i.e. "yes to everyone I missed").
- If you are the first person to downvote a candidate, please provide an explanation of why when you do so. We're here for discussions above all, and a hit-and-run downvote doesn't facilitate anything.
- If a work is already reserved by another user, please don't comment on the work or any potential characters worth discussion before the discussion date. We know how exciting it is when a work has a keeper that you're waiting to talk about, but it's not fair to the person who reserved the work who is just as excited to lead the discussion to see the discussion getting spoiled before they get to do it. On the other hand, if the reservation only has one name attached, shoot them a PM - they may be down for a collaboration, which will get you in on the fun as well!
- Please keep the thread on-topic. While discussing the trope is fun and we encourage people to enjoy it, questions like "who's your favorite CM" are off-topic and can lead to thumps. That's the kind of question to take to people's PMs if they're willing. Similarly, while we encourage friendliness and familiarity with other users, posts should always have some kind of thread-relevant purpose; for instance, if you want to wish someone a happy birthday, feel free to, but if it's the only thing in the post, it's off-topic and needs something else alongside it. Again, though, while we strive for a friendly atmosphere, this is not Facebook; life updates are fun, but unless they have some kind of impact on your thread participation, please do not bring it here - we have Yack Fest for that.
- Please refrain from asking anything along the lines of "How Did We Miss This One?" In almost every case, the answer is simply "No one thought about it before". This Is a Wiki where everyone has different interests, and the fact that people missed a particular candidate, even one that seems like a textbook example of a trope or a character who is particularly iconic in pop culture, means absolutely nothing. The question is disruptive, has a simple and consistent answer, and provides nothing to any discussion.
- If you are suspended from parts of the website, it is still possible to participate!
- For users who are suspended from editing the wiki, you still have full access to this thread. You can propose candidates and write them up with no issues whatsoever; while you will have to ask someone else to post the entry to the relevant pages once it is done, all write-ups are considered thread-approved - as in, done by consensus - and thus doing so does not violate any rules regarding meatpuppeting.
- If you are suspended from the forums, your participation is limited but not impossible. It is still possible for a forum-suspended user to assist in creating the write-up for a character who has already been approved; as previously mentioned, write-ups are inherently considered a consensus-based edit and thus not tied to any one particular user. However, you can not assist in the proposal of a character; as a proposal is based around the forum rather than the wiki, doing so with a forum suspension qualifies as meatpuppeting.
- Please keep all discussions "in-house".
- What other wikis use for CM equivalents is irrelevant here.
- Please be wary of using other wikis, Fandom or otherwise, as sources of information. They are just as fallible as a site like Wikipedia in regards to accuracy because they can be edited by any user, just as this site can.
- Do not attempt to force a communication with an author in an attempt to gather evidence or settle a debate; besides the fact that this is a YMMV trope and thus author intent has variable weight depending on the circumstance, doing so may cross the line into drama exportation, which is prohibited site-wide.
If you would like to use an EP for your candidate, here's the general format. This format does not have to be followed exactly, but these are the main topics that need to be covered:
What is the work?
This is a brief summary of the work you're going to discuss. We don't need a full plot summary here, just however much we need to understand going into the discussion — it can even be as simple as quoting the summary on the work's page.
Who is the candidate and what have they done?
This is essentially the character's biography — who they are, their story, the crimes they commit, and, preferably (though not required), what happens to the candidate at the end. It does not have to include every single thing they ever do — for some villains, we'd be here all day if that was the case — but it should include the highlights of their journey.
Any redeeming qualities? Freudian Excuse?
This is where any potential redeeming characteristics or tragic backstory should be discussed. Do they have a tragic past? Do they show that Even Evil Has Standards or Even Evil Has Loved Ones? Maybe a Pet the Dog moment or two? This is where these should be discussed in full. Not every potential redeeming moment is a clear-cut disqualifier, but we should hear of any potential issues to ensure the character is discussed in full.
Are they bad enough?
A Complete Monster has to be particularly vile by the standard of the work they appear in. Therefore, you should look at what the character does compared to similar characters in the same work. This takes into account things like:
- Their resource level (a human Serial Killer can't stand up to an alien Omnicidal Maniac, but they can be bad by the standard of other human serial killers)
- The amount of time they have to work with (such as a one-shot character versus long-running antagonists)
- The quantity vs. quality of their crimes compared to others (someone with a lower victim count but far more visceral and personal crimes could be considered as equally bad overall as someone with a higher body count but less horror involved)
Essentially, this section is an analysis of the kinds of villainy shown in the work and an explanation of why this particular character's villainy stands out within it.
Final verdict?
This is where you post your final conclusion on the character in question. You can continue elaborating on your reasons or even just say a simple "yes" or "no"; at this point, we've heard everything we need to hear.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This thread tackles very serious and dark matters on a daily basis. We will be discussing things like murder, rape, torture, human trafficking, crimes against children, and in particularly dark cases, several of these issues at the same time. We keep a lighthearted air, but all candidates carry the general assumption that these are awful individuals committing disgusting crimes. We ask that if you participate, you do so with the requisite seriousness such dark topics require; exclamations of how gross something is, whether serious or sarcastic, are disrespectful to the topics at hand, and if you cannot handle such topics, please do not participate.
And that's everything you need to know. Welcome to the thread!
Edited by Twiddler on Jan 17th 2024 at 5:42:49 AM
I have a question concerning the "Visibility" guideline. I have a character in mind from a video game who is long dead by the time the game begins, and the player only briefly interacts with his spirit. However, his actions in life are very well-documented in books and writings found in the game, written by numerous perspectives including the man's personal journal. We don't see his actions directly, even in flashbacks, etc, but we see the state of things that has come about as a result of those actions and they are described for the player in great detail.
Would such a character be viable or discounted?
Classy, Refined, Unstable
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I'd say your good there if there's visual confirmation of the aftermath of their actions.
if there’s explicit evidence of his crimes then that’s fine though if the heroes did interact with candidate’s spirit (since it’s still the candidate) then I’m sure that’s works in their favor
Yeah, the major defining trait of the candidate painted by others is that he is paranoid to the point of homicidal madness, and the conversation you have with him when you meet him, he lives up to that.
A happy yes to the Podesta having seen the movie. Given that he basically sent those kids to the gallows, and generally corrupts the kids like the Coachman I'd say he's a fairly easy sell. Agreed with the film's equivalent to the Fox not counting. Glad it won Best Animated Picture for 2022. It was damn good, even if it bludgeons you over the head with fascist themes like several of Del Toro's films. Funny to see Tom Kenny as Mussolini. If he had more screentime and wasn't the literal butt of Pinocchio's "The Villain Sucks" Song joke, I'd say yes to him as well. Out of curiosity, as The Great Ace Attorney is technically a retelling of Sherlock Holmes with an Ace Attorney spin, with Mael Stronghart literally being the Professor Moriarty of the duology, shouldn't he also go under Sherlock Holmes' monster page?
Edited by Klavice on Mar 16th 2023 at 10:59:01 AM
Okay, here we go.
What is the work?
The work is Icewind Dale, a Dungeons & Dragons video game in the Forgotten Realms setting.
Who is the candidate?
The candidate is Lord Maluradek, a major character in the free expansion "Trials of the Luremaster".
What did they do?
Maluradek was a minor lord who felt that the commonfolk were contemptuous and dismissive of him due to his low standing, and sought to elevate himself to a heroic status. He rallied four Watchknights of Helm from his castle's priests, and a bard who would chronicle their tale, and went on an expedition into the desert to kill the blue dragon Aehirglass and loot its treasure hoard. However, when they came upon Aehirglass's burrow, Maluradek turned his horse around and fled. His four Watchknights stood fast however and fought the dragon in their lord's name, and one by one they fell until the last died cutting off the dragon's head.
Maluradek returned to the castle hoisting the dragon's head and took credit for the deed. He immediately ordered a celebratory feast in his name, and gave token condolences for the fallen Watchknights. He ordered the bard to write a song telling of "his" victory over the dragon. However, the bard penned a song that spoke the truth of what happened, and when he began to recite it for Maluradek, he grew furious and had his guards seize the bard before he was finished. He was taken to the dungeon and imprisoned for life, and as he was dragged away, Maluradek ordered his hands chopped off as further punishment. He then burned the pages of the story, though was concerned some seemed to be missing (it is implied the bard managed to hide them away).
However, in his cell the bard began to sing his song, so loud that those in the castle above could hear it. This persisted for some weeks until Maluradek could not take it any longer, and he marched into the prison with a company of guards and personally cut out the bard's tongue and left him to bleed to death. But he only condemned himself further, for the bard's spirit now haunted the castle and continued to sing, even personally visiting his bedchamber.
The exact circumstances are unclear, but over time the castle was abandoned (Maluradek's journal states "my servants, my guards - they are gone...", and the syntax leaves it ambiguous if they died, left him, etc), and Maluradek was unable to leave the castle, as all hallways twisted back to a watchtower where he swore he saw the specter of a hanged man who looked like him. Eventually he decided to hang himself and spite the bard's ghost the pleasure of tormenting him any further, and took satisfaction that with his death the story the bard had penned would never be heard again.
These actions cursed the castle and its inhabitants - they remained as shades wandering the halls, and the castle's curse drew evil beings to it. The bard's spirit came to be known as the Luremaster and waited for the day a group of adventurers would come that could free the castle's spirits and learn the full truth of Maluradek's crimes. Maluradek himself was among the spirits that remained, wandering his chambers continuing his mad ramblings. When a group of adventurers (the playable party) exploring the castle come upon Maluradek, he rages at them for barging into his room undisturbed and attacks them, and his spirit is destroyed.
Any redeeming qualities? Freudian Excuse?
None whatsoever. Maluradek's journal makes it clear he enjoys being feared by his soldiers and his people, as he equates it with respect and that is all that he cares about. It is implied he rose from humble beginnings to his current station, but he is still unsatisfied with what he perceives as a lack of respect and goes to awful ends to make people respect and fear him, and he shows no regard or concern for anyone else.
His journal includes that he and the bard carried the bodies of the four Watchknights back to the castle after they died slaying the dragon, and he notes that it was only on the bard's insistence that they do this. Further, he is annoyed at how much it slowed their return, and hastily ordered their bodies entombed without proper burial rites out of fear that the severity of their wounds could raise suspicions since he came out of the battle unharmed. He clearly would have left their corpses in the desert if he could and views bringing them back as a burden and risk to himself.
Are they bad enough?
Maluradek is a normal human man, and judging from the size of his castle is not particularly influential or powerful, but what power he has, he enjoys abusing it to prop himself up, oppress those who would deny him, and is ambitious to keep furthering his station. He not only takes credit for killing the dragon when he ran away the Watchknights killed it, but he had to be convinced to bring their bodies back to be buried, and ordered it done hastily because he didn't want their deaths to overshadow his celebratory feast.
He maimed the bard who dared speak the truth of his cowardice, had him imprisoned for life, and then personally killed him by cutting out his tongue and letting him bleed to death. In the meantime he tried to quash the very memory of the bard — when one of the guards spoke the bard's name, Maluradek had him lashed to the gallows and choked with rags, and he forbade anyone from even mentioning the bard again. When the High Watcher of the Helmites asked they be permitted to unseal the bodies of the four Watchknights so they may properly honor them, he flew into a rage and threatened to imprison the High Watcher if he brought it up again. In his personal diary he insults the High Watcher and his god, for what great deeds have they done compared to a hero like him? He thinks he'll have to keep an eye on the High Watcher for treachery and will see him on the rack if he dares question his lord's orders again.
Maluradek killed two people personally, plus the four Watchknights he got killed with his selfishness and cowardice. Given the setting of Forgotten Realms, two-six people is hardly a body count of note. What sets him apart is that he makes both deaths excessively cruel and bloody, intended to send a message to others that he is to be feared and his orders to be obeyed without question. When he cuts the bard's tongue he notes his guards were silent and fearful as they accompanied him, and he enjoys the fear and respect they show him, because now they know he is no coward. The only other characters in the game to show such levels of personal cruelty and malice are planar beings like demons, devils, and their servants. For an instance of an evil human, elsewhere the player can meet the spirit of Kresselack, who freely admits that in life he was an Evil Overlord who reveled in the bloody glories of war. But even Kresselack, who has had centuries since his death to cool off and contemplate his life, comes off as a more personable and reasonable man than Maluradek, who is described by others and demonstrated in his own journal to be a vicious and hateful man who curses everyone around him and won't hesitate to kill them if they displease him.
The only mitigating factor I'll note is that Maluradek is not directly, or at least not knowingly, for the castle becoming haunted. It isn't clear if he did it by accident, if the bard did it on purpose, or if just the pall of fear and hate surrounding the castle trapped those within and made it a beacon for evil creatures. But however it happened, he's certainly the one who set things in motion for the castle to end up this way.
Final verdict?
Maluradek is a petty and cowardly glory hound who lets others die and takes credit for their heroic feat, brutally silences anyone who questions his orders and his account of events, blasphemes priests and their god while covering up his crime, and eventually his paranoia and madness drive him to suicide as a twisted means to spite his spectral tormentor.
The Clown is in town (*he*/she/they)
Aw damn, i was hoping to do the Podesta myself! But whatever, he gets a ![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
for me.
Watched Fury of the Gods tonight. I think there might be a keeper there but I want to hear other peoples opinions
Edited by LordYAM on Mar 16th 2023 at 10:32:46 AM
Yes to Joey and Podestà
Regardless, two weeks is the discussion. That means we don't talk about it beyond just saying we saw it and requesting PMs until 3/31.
Edited by futuremoviewriter on Mar 16th 2023 at 10:59:51 AM
Gonna say yes to Maluradek.
Actually, doesn't look like anyone ever officially reserved Fury of the Gods. I can take that, unless someone else is chomping at the bit to do it otherwise (Yam?).
Edited by Scraggle on Mar 17th 2023 at 4:29:11 AM
Not the Eye
to Joey and Maluradek
Maluradek
Unofficial Wiki Curator for Complete Monster
Maluradek seems WAY too small scale. Even if he's just a human, his actions barely pass baseline, much less the standard for the work. I'm willing to be persuaded, but lean no for now.
EDIT: Avatar: The Last Airbender is now created.
Edited by ACW on Mar 17th 2023 at 7:51:58 AM
CM Dates; CM Pending; CM Drafts
Justice for Skywarp
Here's a candidate that none of you probably expected and one that even I'm surprised to be proposing.
What is The Work?
Pinocchio: A True Story is an infamous 2022 animated movie from Russia based on Pinocchio. It is about Pinocchio (played by Pauly Shore) who joins a circus and later goes off to find a fairy.
Today's candidate is the film's main antagonist, who is not the Coachman for once, but Strombol-I mean Modjafocco
Who is Modjafocco? What does he do?
Modjafocco is a corrupt circus ringmaster who uses the circus to distract the audience while he and his goons rob their houses alongside his henchmen The Fox and Cat.
In the past, he once bought a girl named Bella from a kidnapper and makes her perform as the star attraction in her circus, as a singing acrobat.
He is first introduced yelling at his henchmen about how they need to find a new act for their circus. The Cat accidentally fires off his gun, startling a horse, who then runs away with a coach with Bella still in it. When Pinocchio saves her, Modjafocco notices the boy is made of wood, and seeing an opportunity, hires him to work in his circus.
When Pinocchio runs off to find a way to become a real boy by finding a fairy named Lucilda, Modja threatens to strangle Cat and Fox, but they manage to calm him down and say that he'll eventually come back, still as a puppet and not as a human. He later goes to Bella and angrily accuses her of letting Pinocchio go. When she talks back to him, he claims that she's an important part of their "operation" and tells her to be nice to Pinocchio when he comes back so he doesn't run off again.
When Pinocchio comes back and threatens to expose Modjafocco for his crimes, he has him locked in a carriage (alongside Geppetto, who went looking for Pinocchio and got captured offscreen). Modjafocco gives Geppetto an offer to make more talking puppets just like Pinocchio. Modja then says that Pinocchio has to perform in tonight's show or otherwise Geppetto will "pay for it"
When Pinocchio and the circus performers expose Modjafocco and the police show up to arrest him, Modja throws a lantern at them, setting the circus tent on fire, with the audience and his own henchmen still inside it. He tries to make an escape but is caught by one of the cops. Pinocchio manages to save Bella, but he falls into the flames, briefly killing him.
Pinocchio is then revived by the "Power of Love" and becomes a real boy. The Lead Detective (he has a name but I couldn't be bothered to remember it) finds out Bella was his daughter who was kidnapped long ago. When he questions Modjafocco about it, Modja laughs at him and cruelly tells Bella that he indeed bought her from her kidnappers. Modja and his incompetent animal goons are sent to prison and the Detective takes over his circus, making it legitimate instead of just a front for robbery.
Redeeming Qualities?
None. While he does chase after Bella's cart when the horse runs off with it, he's only going after her because she was his star attraction at the time and even says not to jump from the cart because she might break her leg and then she won't be able to perform and she is among the people closest to the lamp when he throws it to the ground, so he's fine with letting her burn to death.
As for comedic moments, aside from narm due to the movie's.......specialness, he doesn't really have any truly detracting moments aside from a moment very early on where he trips over while chasing Bella's carriage, but even then, It's not really detracting from his heinousness since it happens before any of his heinous actions are shown.
Is He Bad Enough?
He's the film's main villain and the Fox and Cat don't really do anything uber-heinous. The Cat does try and take Bella as a hostage when the tent is on fire and leaves her to die when he's foiled but otherwise doesn't do much else aside from threatening to shoot Pinocchio a few times.
As for his arson on the circus tent, sure, he's only aiming at Pinocchio and his mutinying circus performers when he throws the lantern, but he's fully aware there are other people in the tent with them and he doesn't seem to care that they're also being put in danger.
Verdict?
I think he might barely keep, but it's up to all of you guys.
Not the Eye
to Modjafocco
What is the work?
A Single Decision is Star Wars fanfic by Timewatch. Premise is simple, Anakin and Palpatine died during the battle of Coruscant, leaving war to continues at its own pace. Fic follows ramification of false war losing a puppet master. It also follows story of Esera Komara, Jedi Padawan who is framed traitor after she stops republic forces from caring out orbital bambordment of planet Shumavar, as she become agent (and eventual Morality Pet) of General Grievous.
What has Palpatine done here?
Same scheming Sith as in canon. Palpatine as we learn helped Nute Gunray rise to power by having all his rivals killed. He then had Gunray lead Trade Federation to invade Naboo, using sympathy to become Chancellor of the Republic.
Just like in canon he manipulated Count Dooku into being his apprentice and together they build The Confedearcy of Independent Systems, including organising crash which leaved Grievius scared and changed his mind to be even more ruthless and bloodthirsty in order to make him Supreme Commander of separatist army. Palpatine’s manipulations lead to the galaxy wide war.
War leads to Jedi becoming more morality compromised and freguently to deaths on tens thousands innocents on the both sides, regardles of which side wins. As Palpatine has military Hawks like Bannidge holt (one of two guys behind bombardment of Shumavar) and Tarkin in charge of the millitary and thought Confederacy is responsible for many crimes like ocupation of Ryloth, resurgence of Zyggerian slave empire and Grievous unleashing Brain rot plague on Weemell sector. Republic loyalists freguently estabilish rule of force on “liberated worlds”. All part of the plan to discredit and destroy the Jedi and reform the republic into a empire.
Until battle of Coruscant, where he is about to start the final phase. But in this fanfic Grievous joined Dooku in the battle and while Anakin still killed Dooku, Grievius made sure Jedi and Chancellor died, while capturing Obi Wan.
Mitigating Factors?
It is Palpatine!! While he dies in the first chapter, other character descriptions of him (both as Palpatine and Sidious), plus what we get from Dooku’s holocroms point pretty clear picture of his personality and make it clear he is pretty accurate depiction.
Heinousness?
He is Palpatine!!
It is made clear that all Clone Wars crimes from the show and many from the Legends happened in this fanfic, on top of the Republic being far more brutal than in either continuity. He is pretty much Littlefinger in this fanfic in that while war does continue withous him and other monsters and dictators rise to pick up a steam, Palpatine is one who threw the galaxy in that state and initially enabled many of those monsters to gain a fotting. And he had much more control over war than he was alive than Littlefinger ever did.
Conclusion?
Yes to the Senate!
Edited by EmperorGeode on Mar 17th 2023 at 5:28:20 AM
Classy, Refined, Unstable
Maluradek, Palps
I think a yes? To the yassified pinocchio guy. Purely on the basis of the circus fire and the film highlights that everyone would burn and that he's aware.
Oh, Mr. Kennedy, you entertain me. To show my appreciation, I will help you awaken from your world of clichés.
Unofficial Wiki Curator for Complete Monster
Yes to Palpatine and the Pinocchio guy.
CM Dates; CM Pending; CM Drafts
Palpatine and the Pinocchio guy.
Showtime!
Maluradek, Palpatine and Modjafocco
Edited by G-Editor on Mar 17th 2023 at 10:36:45 AM
Unofficial Wiki Curator for Complete Monster
Can we discuss Maluradek more? I know he's only human, but 2-6 murders? That's pathetically low, even for his resources.
EDIT: Also, if I don't do my Closer EP by this weekend, someone else can take it.
Edited by ACW on Mar 17th 2023 at 11:09:03 AM
CM Dates; CM Pending; CM Drafts
Howdy! I'm new to TV Tropes, but I've always enjoyed looking through this thread. I hope that I can contribute to it in some way. I have two candidates in mind, and here's one of them.
What is the work?
Healin Good Precure is the 17th installment of the Pretty Cure franchise, quite infamous for being produced during the COVID pandemic. This installment's primary conflict revolves around the Pretty Cure and their Healing Animal partners fighting against the Byogens, evil germs who want to infect and pollute the planet. The main lead, Nodoka Hanadera, spent her childhood bedridden with an illness, no thanks to one of these Byogens...Who is the Daruizen and what have they done?
Daruizen is the first villain Nodoka and her allies face. He has no care for those he conducts Mega Part experiments on, carrying out his business with a bored, apathetic demeanor. In particular, he has a rivalry with Nodoka, which plays a major role in her arc, especially since...In episode 28, we learn that Daruizen was the parasite who infected Nodoka as a child. That's right, Nodoka's years of misery in the hospital, her parent's worries over whether their daughter will be okay, even Dr. Hachisuka's choice to quit being a doctor because he couldn't do anything to help her...it's all because of him.
In the previous episode, Daruizen had jabbed her with a Mega Part in order to create himself a new partner in Kedary, once again hospitalizing her and devastating both Rabirin and her parents. Thankfully, Rabirin and Nodoka manage to remove the Mega Part and purify Kedary.
From there, Nodoka resolves to train herself to become stronger out of the guilt of being Daruizen's host. Said guilt carries on through the rest of the series, reaching its climax in Episode 41. There, Nodoka is confronted by Daruizen, who begs her for help: King Byogen intends on absorbing him, and he wants to hide within her body. Nodoka, not wanting to become horribly sick again, runs away. However, Nodoka starts worrying over whether she did the right thing - she's supposed to be a kind person, and a kind person should help Daruizen, right?
Rabirin tells her no, she's no obligated to help the person who kept her ill and bedridden for most of her life. When Daruizen attacks once again, he begs Nodoka once more to help him...and she promptly calls him out on his bullshit, saying that she refuses to help him after all the horrible things he did not only to her, but to the Earth as well. Daruizen becomes furious and attempts to attack her, but she manages to swiftly defeat him with the aid of her teammates. He's then absorbed back into King Byogen.
Any redeeming qualities? Freudian Excuse?
Now here's where it gets tricky. When King Byogen threatens to absorb Daruizen, he seems terrified, which is why he crawls to Nodoka begging her for help. I think the audience is supposed to sympathize less with Daruizen, though, and more with Nodoka, who's forced to choose whether to help him or not. Even when Daruizen begs her a second time, Nodoka asks him if he'd leave her and the Earth alone if she let him into his body. This, of course, results in Daruizen going berserk and trying to attack her. Even before these events, he's shown to have no care about who he hurts in his Mega Part experiments.Are they bad enough?
To be fair, none of the Byogens in Healin' Good get redemption. Not one. But while Guaiwaru and Shindoine have some humorous moments, Daruizen has none. And while all the Byogens use Mega Parts against humans - Shindoine in particular uses one on a child, Daruizen? He's the only one to use a Mega Part against his own host. That's a crime unique to him and him alone.In addition, we see how his infection of Nodoka affected not only her, but those around her as well. I don't need to repeat that Dr. Hachisuka quit being a doctor because of him, do I? Though all the Byogens have their hosts, Daruizen's the only one whose effects we fully see.
Final verdict?
I think he's close enough. I don’t remember much of Healin' Good, so if anyone more familiar with the season has anything to say, I’d happily appreciate it.Edited by Necrowonomicon on Mar 17th 2023 at 8:36:40 AM
Man in the Yellow Hat
Admittedly, Maldurak would pass if he was some random guy in my eyes, but when you have servants and guards, that's pretty low. The only thing that might keep him is the fact he cut of the bard's hands before imprisoning him and then made him hemorrhage to death. Abstaining on him for now.
Anyway, to Afton, Drew, the Podestá (weakly), Modjafocco, and Chancellor Palpatine (gotta start reading that fanfic again).
IP Thread
for DC Video Games in the image sorting crusade. If anyone wants to provide feedback.
Oh, Mr. Kennedy, you entertain me. To show my appreciation, I will help you awaken from your world of clichés.