Vinland Saga Creator Tells Fans Who Want Violence to Read Attack on Titan

Vinland Saga creator Makoto Yukimura jokes that fans who want violence 'should consider Attack on Titan,' amidst a serious talk on war and pacifism.

Vinland Saga comes to a cathartic end with Season 2, dubbed "Farmland Saga" by many. Firing a shot at his friend and colleague - Attack on Titan's Hajime Isayama, Makoto Yukimura recommends fans who want pure violence should consider that instead.

Anime News Network asked Yukimura if he had any words for readers only interested in the violence. "If you're into my story for the violent aspect of it, at some point, I might not be able to meet your expectations," he said. "If you really want to read about things like violence, you should consider Attack on Titan [laughs]. I actually do hear comments from the fans saying that they like Thorfinn from back in the day. 'What happened to him? He's only farming!' I hear their complaints, though, at the same time, I cannot help it. Sorry."

Outlining his staunch pacifism, Yukimura refused to be conscripted even under the threat of imprisonment. "My hope is to have the younger generation share this kind of value in the future, so there wouldn't be war in this entire world. This is the one wish that I have. As an optimistic person, this is the only hope I want to express in my story."

Eren Yeager's gradual pursuit of freedom through violence establishes him among anime's most iconic characters. Starting out similar to Thorfinn, Eren lives a mostly peaceful life in Shiganshina, ignorant of the extent of the conflicts happening around him. Attack on Titan's existential themes may dwarf the stakes of Vinland Saga on paper but cycles of war, rage, and reconciliation are themes common to both. The difference lies in how both protagonists are changed by their circumstances.

Thorfinn Criticism Has Grown

Criticisms of Thorfinn continued to grow after the airing of the anime. Now lacking the will to live, many fans hoped Thorfinn's departure from the rough-speaking, heavy-handed character of old was only temporary, but Season 2 was contrary to this. Askeladd's death left a profound mark on Thorfinn. His later return in a dream was a final indication that the show had truly shifted from the first saga. While many felt this was a bait-and-switch from Yukimura, others maintained that the words of Thorfinn's father, Thors, were always core to the show. Going as far as to hope Season 2 is the finale, commemorating Vinland Saga as a perfect tale of two halves, some fans hope Thorfinn's televised journey ends here.

The Marvels Combats Superhero Fatigue with a 'Wacky, Silly' Sequel, Says Director

The Marvels director Nia DaCosta insists the upcoming MCU film is full of silliness that will keep audiences engaged throughout.

The Marvels could be the ideal movie to combat superhero fatigue, according to director Nia DaCosta, insisting fans should look forward to a fun film.

Speaking to Total Film, DaCosta addressed the idea that audiences are growing wary of superhero movies as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues its Phase Five slate with the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel. According to DaCosta, The Marvels will keep viewers invested. "I think superhero fatigue absolutely exists," she said. "The biggest difference from the other MCU movies to date is that it’s really wacky, and silly. The worlds we go to in this movie are worlds unlike others you've seen in the MCU. Bright worlds that you haven’t seen before."

While The Marvels promises fun moments fans can cherish, DaCosta also alluded to more emotional sequences taking place throughout the film. Also known for helming the 2021 horror movie Candyman, DaCosta admitted working in the MCU is a unique challenge. "This movie also deals with specific, personal, sometimes sad things," she said. "But no, it’s been nice to work in a different world for sure."

So far, Phase Five has yielded mixed results for Marvel. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a critical and box office success, earning $845 million in global ticket sales, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania became the first non-pandemic MCU film to lose money after becoming the lowest-grossing movie in the Ant-Man trilogy. Marvel president Kevin Feige dismissed the idea that superhero fatigue exists. However, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, who directed the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, believes superhero fatigue is a real yet curable problem.

The Captain Marvel Sequel

The Marvels once again sees Brie Larson reprise her role as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, joined by Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau. The upcoming sequel sees the three women's powers intertwine as they try to figure out why they keep swapping places when using them. Larson has teased the comedy in The Marvels while hinting at the movie having several silly moments.

The Marvels will not only pick up on the events of Captain Marvel but will also follow up on what happened on Secret Invasion, the first Disney+ MCU series in Phase Five. Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as Nick Fury in The Marvels, with a new side of him being teased for the movie.

Despite rumors of a potential delay due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, The Marvels is still expected to premiere in theaters on Nov. 10.

Why Fire Emblem Engage Didn't Have the Same Impact as Three Houses

Fire Emblem Three Houses helped changed the Nintendo RPG franchise's future. So why didn't Engage replicate its best features?

Fire Emblem Engage is the newest game in Nintendo's venerable strategy fantasy series, and it joined several other games in the franchise on the Nintendo Switch. Its predecessor, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, became one of the most popular titles in the series. Sadly, Engage didn't quite have the same level of success.

Fire Emblem Engage was well-received and also sold over a million copies, but it was still seen as a disappointment by some fans. In their view, it lacked many of the best elements that Three Houses had introduced, even as it was built on nostalgia for games that many international audiences had never played. This resulted in a release that sadly affected its industry and fans a lot less than a supposedly less-developed game in the franchise.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses Featured the Series' Best Storytelling

Like the other Fire Emblem games, Fire Emblem: Three Houses was a tactical role-playing game set in a medieval fantasy world. The biggest departure was its setting, a military academy that hosts students from the three kingdoms of the nation of Fódlan. Thus, players could spend their days doing more than just fighting on the battlefield, with peripheral activities that included gardening and building relationships with other characters. This emulated the Social Links in the Persona series, and it did so to great effect.

This made Three Houses' characters stronger and more likable than ever, which only further enhanced the story itself. Of course, this made choosing allies and seeing them die when the story took a dark turn was now even harder. In many ways, it took the best parts of anime storytelling and used them to its advantage, resulting in perhaps the best and most mature story in a Fire Emblem game ever. The gameplay options, a reprieve from Fire Emblem's usual difficulty, and greater emphasis on the story all made it one of the most popular entries in the series, and fans were expecting at least some of these features in the next game. Sadly, fans were disappointed by Three Houses' successor.

Fire Emblem Engage's Story Problems

The best gameplay and narrative elements in Fire Emblem: Three Houses were nowhere to be found in Fire Emblem Engage. The two games were developed at roughly the same time, and while Three Houses was free to make innovative changes that upended the series' formula, Engage represented a more classic take on the franchise. As a result, Engage felt like a regression after a giant leap forward. The biggest issue with Fire Emblem Engage is its story, and not just because it lacks many of the elements that made Three Houses such a hit and made Fire Emblem one of Nintendo's most profitable franchises.

There were barely any real relationships in Engage. Generals and their units mostly met in cutscenes, and even this was underdeveloped, as characters drifted their scenes then vanished, making them superfluous to the storyline. The dialogue was surprisingly clunky and didn't help the barely tolerable plot. Protagonists, returning Fire Emblem characters, and especially villains came across as bland devices who existed to move the plot along. This might have worked in a stronger story but Engage left fans pining for the storytelling Three Houses had introduced to the series.

There were some attempts at creating character relationships in Engage. For example, characters could discover family members, but these revelations took place very suddenly. They didn't have a real hook that engaged the audience and they came off as cheap stunts to create drama.

When characters died, they usually didn't have a chance to develop themselves, which made the plot points feel even more hollow. Three Houses actually encouraged talking to every character because of how anyone and everyone could add to the story and the world as a whole. On the other hand, Engage's bad dialogue made conversations a chore.

Fire Emblem Engage's aesthetic also didn't help. The character designs have been criticized by many fans as being too over the top, if not downright ugly. It did little to convey the drama of commanding an army during the war and instead reinforced the feeling that Engage had sprung directly out of a bad anime. Even the maps had faulty designs, coming across as bland and uninspiring, making the battles feel more like drudgery than exciting challenges.

Fire Emblem Engage Was Based Around Nonexistent Nostalgia

The central premise of Fire Emblem Engage is the warring factions use rings to summon versions of heroes from past Fire Emblem games. This was supposed to tap into nostalgia for the series since the first game came out alongside other classic RPG franchises 30 years before. Unfortunately, it was a premise that only Japanese audiences would really be able to appreciate, as most gamers in the West had never been exposed to the majority of the Fire Emblem series. The first six games in the series weren't released outside Japan in their original forms and some have never received international releases. The only thing most American gamers would recognize most of these characters from were the Super Smash Bros. fighting games.

The entire Emblem mechanic was somewhat poorly utilized, and even when the past characters showed up, it felt like a nonevent thanks to the clunky storytelling. The idea of framing a Fire Emblem game around nostalgia in such an overt way was questionable to begin with, but the implementation was worse. Even fans who felt nostalgia for the Fire Emblem games weren't impressed since the tribute to their heroes missed its mark. The only real highlight of the game was its gameplay, which was actually quite good since it followed the series' traditional formula. This should have arguably been enough to make Engage succeed but Three Houses had raised fans expectations. The older game established a higher standard for the franchise and Engage felt like a downgrade. It's probably for the best that it didn't have the kind of impact Three Houses did since that only would have harmed the franchise's future.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Footage Teases the Terrifying Road Back Home

A new teaser trailer for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon shows even more footage of Daryl’s newfound purpose as he retreads his journey to redemption.

AMC released a new teaser for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, offering another look at Norman Reedus' titular character as he fights to survive in a new but familiar post-apocalyptic landscape.

The new teaser, titled "Daryl's Journey," showcases some new footage and prepares audiences for Daryl's newest journey through zombie-infested France. Daryl Dixon sees Reedus reprise his role from the original Walking Dead series. Additionally, the teaser trailer features Clémence Poésy as Isabelle, who asks Daryl how he wound up in France. To this, Daryl responds, "A bunch of bad decisions."

A quick glimpse of new allies and enemies shows what Daryl may be up against. The trailer also sets the new backdrop with wide shots of bleak bogs and broken-down urban landscapes, including a look at the Eiffel Tower in ruins. In addition to Reedus and Poésy, Daryl Dixon stars Adam Nagaitis, Anne Charrier, Eriq Ebouaney, Laika Blanc Francard and Romain Levi. The trailer also offered a look at Louis Puech Scigliuzzi as Laurent, a child entrusted to Daryl. The spinoff is produced by Scott M. Gimple, showrunner David Zabel, Reedus, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath and Daniel Percival.

What to Expect From Daryl Dixon

Per the official synopsis provided by AMC, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon sees Daryl, played by Reedus, as he "washes ashore in France and struggles to piece together how he got there and why. The series tracks his journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan. "

AMC’s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is one of several spinoffs from The Walking Dead's main plot line. For fans of the franchise, one of the main hooks of the spinoff lies in how Daryl wound up on a different continent since the final scenes of The Walking Dead saw him ride off in search of Rick and Michonne. Similarly, Rick and Michonne have landed their own spinoff series titled The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

The first official trailer for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon was released in July during 2023's San Diego Comic-Con. AMC has already renewed the series for a second season, well before its scheduled premiere on Sept. 10. "This next chapter in the Walking Dead Universe continues to thrive with a terrific inaugural season for Dead City and highly anticipated new journey for fan-favorite character Daryl Dixon coming in September," said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks.

He continued, "We can’t wait to bring Dead City fans back to the epicenter of Manhattan for more zip-lining action with Maggie and Negan. And, ahead of its debut, we’re thrilled to double down on Daryl as we bring the apocalypse to France, transforming Notre Dame, Pont du Gard and other iconic locales into an apocalyptic landscape unlike anything we’ve seen before."

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon premieres on Sept. 10 on AMC+ and AMC.

The Seinfeld Finale Is Less Terrible Than Fans Remember

The hype surrounding Seinfeld's series finale on NBC was too much to bear - yet the episode has been far more maligned than it ought to be.

Has there been a more hated series finale than that of Seinfeld? Despite being watched by over 76 million people when it aired on May 14, 1998, the general consensus has been that the two-parter appropriately named "The Finale" is “meh” at best. Even The Sopranos' infamous cut to black had about half of that vocal fandom's approval. There have been many zeitgeist-grabbing shows that didn't stick the landing, but Seinfeld particularly fell on its face.

The double episode played like a greatest hits album because just the week before, NBC had aired a clip show. Flashback clips were used regularly throughout the final episodes, effectively giving the audience two weeks of recycled material. As such, for many viewers it didn't feel like a true finale, but a throwaway effort from blasé creatives who had already cashed in and checked out. If the network had held the clip show back, the finale would have been far more appreciated -- because it wasn't a bad episode on its own.

Seinfeld's Finale Suffered From Its Own Hype

The anticipation for the Seinfeld finale was so over the top that even an almost perfect episode would have found a way to disappoint. The final three episodes, including the poorly timed clip show, built up a huge wave of attention. Season 9, Episode 20, "The Puerto Rican Day" was met with protests so it was pulled from air and currently remains banished from syndicated television re-airings. That controversy was only part of a massive spotlight on the series. The last three episodes were the most watched in Seinfeld history, which created a pretty high bar for the finale to trip over.

However, with a couple of decades in the rearview, it’s possible to enjoy the Seinfeld finale with fresh eyes. Like the Ruby-Spears Superman, it's a love letter to long-time fans of the show -- albeit one most of said fans tossed aside. All the fan favorites came back for fun cameos, from Larry Thomas’ Soup Nazi to Phil Morris’ Jackie Chiles. The episode had a lot of solid laughs and the penultimate scene brought the show full circle by having Jerry and George engage in the same conversation they began at the top of the Seinfeld Chronicles. The final button of a prison stand-up show cemented ending where the characters began, as Jerry was on stage telling jokes.

An Amusing Lack of Growth Fueled Seinfeld's Trajectory

The beauty of Seinfeld's ending is that it shows the antithesis of growth in the characters. Like the controversial It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which followed in its footsteps, Seinfeld understood that growth -- and nice people -- are for family comedies. This was a show about immature narcissists, none of whom are very good people. And the writers made a point not to end with any sentimentality. The series was a comedy about inert, unlikeable people -- and that's exactly how it went out.

Which circles back to the clip show problem. That clip show which played the week before had over 58 million viewers. That meant many people watching the Seinfeld finale weren’t regular viewers, so watching a nostalgic episode packed with unlikable characters likely made them shrug and yawn. The returning guests would've meant nothing to them, while die-hard fans were just plain disappointed because they had expected so much more. But new viewers who've just started Seinfeld on Netflix, Comedy Central or in syndication can look at it without all that extra noise.

In 2022, The Wrap reported that according to Nielsen, 41% of the people watching Seinfeld on Netflix were under the age of 34. Given that only the oldest of that group was around when the finale aired, the hype is long gone. As long as they skip the clip show, their fresh perspective should be kinder to the Seinfeld series finale than the audience that expected it to be much bigger and more groundbreaking than it was ever meant to be.

The Best Horror Movies on Hulu Right Now (July 2023)

As spring warms things up, Hulu offers plenty of chilling horror movies to stream this April, including Zombieland and the new Hellraiser.

Hulu has plenty of movies as well as TV shows across every genre imaginable. While sometimes, a comedy is on the menu, other times, the mood screams horror. If that’s the case, Hulu has a plethora of options, ranging from older classics to brand-new movies that are worth adding to the watch list.

From the creepy to the psychologically disturbing, the traditional scares to gruesome blood and gore, horror isn’t just one thing. There are so many types of horror movies. The best horror movies on Hulu include a nice cross-section of all of the above.

Updated on 8/8/2023 by Christine Persaud: Hulu's selection of films is always shifting, as one set of movies exits and more take their place. This article has been updated to match CBR's improving formats and to include more up-to-date horror films for the genre's fans.

Hellraiser (2022)

A reboot of the popular movie franchise and the 11th movie altogether, Hellraiser is about a young recovering addict named Riley who uses a mechanical puzzle box to summon humanoid beings that thrive on both pain and pleasure. When Riley narrowly avoids being killed, the Cenobites, as they are known, insist that she find another sacrifice to die in her place.

The story remains on the same track as the ones that came before it, and true to the 1986 novella on which all the movies are based, The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker. It has been described as red, raw, and perfectly capturing the story’s “repulsive glamor.”

Piggy (2022)

Originally in Spanish language, the horror thriller Piggy is based on Carlota Pereda’s 2019 short film, with Pereda herself writing and directing. Laura Galan, who also stars in the short film, stars as Sara a young woman nicknamed Cerdita, or “Piggy” by bullies at her school due to her weight. After being constantly tormented and tortured by these girls, Sara is faced with a deeply troubling moral decision: does she help these girls when she sees them being kidnapped?

So begins a twisted story about hot only a horrible killer but also something with a deeper meaning about bullying, treating people with respect, and doing the right thing. The movie not only scratches the itch for a horror film, it also explores common themes within human nature.

Barbarian (2022)

Tess arrives at a rental home she has booked only to realize that it was also booked by another man at the same time. But the dwelling also seems to harbor some deep, dark secrets. The longer she stays, the more bad things she heard about this home and the area in which it is situated, while strange things continue to happen.

Disturbing and frightening, Barbarian takes the story in some shocking directions, but it keeps viewers glued to the screen the entire way through. While being a newer film, Barbarian has already begun to join the long list of quintessential horror films that all fans should watch.

Watcher (2022)

A psychological thriller, Watcher is about married couple Julia and Francis who move into a new apartment in Bucharest. All is well until Julia notices a creepy man from the apartment across the street staring at her. He seems to be watching her every day, and Julia becomes increasingly restless with his voyeurism.

When she hears that there’s a serial killer on the loose, targeting then decapitating young women, her concerns grow deeper. She can’t shake the feeling that the man in the window is the killer, and her instincts intensify as the killings begin to hit closer to home.

Fresh (2022)

Sebastian Stan stars as Steve in Fresh, a charming young man who befriends a young woman named Noa in a grocery store. Sick of using dating apps, Noa is excited to have a chance encounter with a potential beau in real life and jumps at the chance to date him. Things go well, but when Steve invites Noa for a weekend away, the situation becomes deadly.

A horror thriller, Fresh follows Noa as she discovers some sick truths about Steve and realizes that people can hide their true selves in person just as well as they might online. The movie shocked audiences with its twists and created a lot of positive critical buzz upon its release for its story and cast.

As Nicolas Cage takes a bloody turn at playing the legendary vampire Dracula in Renfield, another one of Cage's horror movies is available to stream on Hulu. Willy's Wonderland takes place in an eponymous children's pizza parlor, complete with large animatronic figures to entertain patrons during regular business hours. Cage, who also produced the film, plays a nameless drifter who maintains the parlor overnight only to learn that the animatronics come to murderous life after hours.

Bearing more than a passing similarity to the popular video game franchise Five Nights at Freddy's, which is getting a film adaptation, Willy's Wonderland is a solid showcase for Cage. In a twist compared to most of Cage's filmography, his performance in the movie is largely silent as he battles the sentient animatronics. For those looking to tide over the wait for Renfield and Five Nights at Freddy's, Willy's Wonderland is the perfect breezy film to pass the time.

Lord of the Rings: Why Didn't Gimli Know About the Dwarves' Fate in Moria?

The Dwarves' fate in Moria was a tragedy in The Lord of the Rings universe, so why didn't Gimli know about it when he arrived with the Fellowship?

Gimli, son of Glóin, doesn't get much time in the spotlight in The Lord of the Rings films. Although his antics with Legolas are fondly remembered as a highlight of the trilogy, Gimli's history is mostly ignored. There's only one real moment in The Fellowship of the Ring that touches upon Gimli's past: when he enters the Mines of Moria in hopes of seeing his cousin, Balin, who was once Lord of Moria.

Unfortunately, this moment is quickly ruined when Gimli realizes his once-flourishing Dwarven realm was overrun and destroyed by Orcs. However, it's strange Gimli wasn't aware of Balin's, and Moria's, grim fate. He only discovered it once the Fellowship of the Ring arrived in the mines, and he saw Balin's tomb. So, why didn't Gimli know about Moria or what happened to his own cousin?

How Did Balin Become Lord of Moria?

Balin was one of the Dwarves who accompanied Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, Erebor. Gimli and Balin are cousins and descendants of Durin the Deathless, the first of the noblest house of Dwarves. Balin was well-liked by his peers, who viewed him as wise, kind and always with good counsel. Following the mission to regain Erebor, Balin set off on his own expedition to recover the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Moria, which first fell in the year 1981 of the Third Age. The goal was to re-establish Dwarven rule in the once-majestic underground kingdom and to recover one of the lost Dwarven Rings of Power.

Upon his arrival in Moria, Balin quickly found Durin's Axe and then a Mithril helm. With those in his possession, he declared himself Lord of Moria. However, that may have jinxed the mission. Five years later, in TA 2994, Balin and his entire colony were overrun by Orcs and died within the very halls they tried to resurrect. The only evidence of Balin's time there was the Book of Mazarbul, which contained accounts of the Orc attack and the Dwarf Lord's final moments. That's how Gimli learned what happened to his long-lost cousin.

How Did Gimli Not Know About Moria?

One would think that a disaster like that would be known among the Dwarves, especially considering it was a mission to retake a long-lost Dwarven kingdom. Yet, somehow, Gimli was unaware of Moria's fall until he discovered Balin's tomb. All he knew was that Balin's mission was initially successful, which is why he suggested the Fellowship should travel through the Mines of Moria: He wanted to visit family. Of course, there are potential explanations for why Gimli might have been unaware -- not the least of which is that a messenger dispatched to spread the news was killed by Orcs.

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, it's Gimli's ignorance of what happened in Moria that motivates him to visit Balin's kingdom. If Gimli had known the Dwarves were dead, he wouldn't have suggested the shortcut through the mines, and the story would have unfolded much differently. Although he knew the dangers associated with Moria, Gimli was, nevertheless, willing to risk it all just to see his cousins, even at the possible expense of losing Sauron's One Ring.

Why Are Inu-Oh and Dororo So Similar? The Answer is in Japanese History and Folklore

Dororo and Inu-Oh are both inspired by Japanese heritage and historical settings.

Osamu Tezuka’s manga Dororo originally experienced a short, unlucky run on Weekly Shonen Sunday – canceled prematurely in 1968, the series still managed to live on, presumably thanks to the fame that its author reached by the end of his career. First adapted in 1969, the manga was picked up by MAPPA in 2019 for a 24-episode anime series that was mostly acclaimed as one of the best anime of the year – if not of the decade. Two years later, another film rose to success –with the critics, if perhaps not with the public – which had no apparent connection to Tezuka’s early work: Science SARU’s Inu-Oh.

If Tezuka’s Dororo had stayed in the sixties, only a select few might have noticed the striking similarities between the two stories; yet, the success of MAPPA’s Dororo brought its protagonists into the spotlight, making it virtually impossible for anime fans to ignore the resemblance between the series and Yuasa’s rock epic. Each story's plotpoints: blind biwa players, stories of brutal battles, and a deformed boy who gets his limbs back one by one against all odds, make it hard to believe that it is all coincidental. And while some parallels might derive from Yuasa’s admiration of Tezuka’s work, it’s Inu-Oh and Dororo’s shared core rooted in Japanese history and folklore that allows for such similarities to stand out.

Dororo and Inu-Oh Share An Unconventional Deuteragonist – And Much More

Dororo’s story starts with a curse. Desperate for his land to prosper, a daimyo makes a pact with demons offering them his firstborn son. Hyakkimaru is brought to life with no limbs or skin, but still miraculously alive. Throughout the anime, Hyakkimaru and orphan thief Dororo, will fight to get his body back, piece by piece. Their path often crosses that of an old blind biwa player, who saves their lives more than once and is instrumental in both the story’s resolution and Hyakkimaru’s character growth.

Inu-Oh suffers a remarkably similar fate. Born deformed and shunned because of a curse unleashed by his father, he forms an unexpected friendship with blind biwa player Tomona and the two go on to become ante-litteram rockstars. The more Inu-Oh sings and dances, the more he regains of his body. The pair tell true stories of the perished Heike clan, who lost to the Genji (or Minamoto) in the 12th century and was forever sung in the Heike Monogatari.

Much like Hyakkimaru, Inu-Oh fights against a curse for which he is blameless and that was selfishly imposed by an unloving father. What’s more, he regains his limbs one by one until he is finally whole at the end of the story. While Inu-Oh’s inseparable companion is blind biwa player Tomoma, a blind biwa player also follows Hyakkimaru’s journey, providing assistance and moral guidance. Though Inu-Oh is set in a time before Dororo, both deal with the devastating effects of the wars that lacerated Japan for centuries.

Why Are Inu-Oh and Dororo So Similar?

In an interview with Deadline, when asked about Inu-Oh’s character design, director Masaaki Yuasa says that, while inspired by Japanese fairytales, Inu-Oh’s character certainly draws from Osamu Tezuka’s Hyakkimaru. While he tries to emphasize how different the two are in motivations and spirit, one can't help but wonder whether the author of the novel that inspired the film, Tales of the Heike: Inu-Oh, may have been equally fascinated by Tezuka’s work. An expert of the Heike Monogatari, writer Hideo Furukawa was struck by the idea of Inu-Oh when he read his name in Zeami’s Fushikaden, the classic Noh text, and decided to give him a new life. He doesn’t mention Osamu Tezuka.

If it is true, like Yuasa asserts, that characters regaining their bodies after banishing a curse are popular in Japanese folklore, Inu-Oh and Hyakkimaru might not be so much related to each other as heirs to a shared cultural legacy. Likewise, biwa players are a staple of historical fiction, since they are typically blind and appear throughout history as storytellers – especially in relation to the Heike Monogatari. The wars raging in the background of both stories stem from the overlapping of the Sengoku and Muromachi eras, in which Dororo and Inu-Oh are respectively set.

Despite Their Similarities, Dororo and Inu-Oh Tell Vastly Different Stories

In spite of its violence and sparse, startling dark moments, Dororo is still intrinsically an adventure anime series, with typical fights, comedy moments and multiple side stories. While halfway through the monster-of-the-week trope slows down the driving force of its central plot, however, the series still manages to bring its character arcs to completion and existential questions to the forefront. As the ending approaches, both Hyakkimaru and Dororo struggle to come to terms with what it means to be human, concluding that perhaps the constant, unrelenting tension between good and evil is really what humans are all about. After all, that’s what Hyakkimaru has been battling with throughout his life – and that’s what the viewer is left to ponder at the end of the show.

Inu-Oh, along a similar journey, has a wholly different story to tell. According to Yuasa, his joy for singing and dancing is what ensures he recovers his body; what is certain is that art is key to Inu-Oh’s transformation. Nevertheless, it’s the story’s conclusion that truly highlights the movie’s central theme: refusing to bow to the powers-that-be, Tomona dies to preserve his artistic integrity. On the other hand, Inu-Oh folds, renouncing his truth to be saved. While Tomona and Inu-Oh reunite centuries later, the question whether art should yield to authority stays.

On one hand, an unexpectedly dark and existential but generally heartwarming and adventurous anime series. On the other, a rock epic about the marginalized minorities and the voiceless, about art and power, and finally about the power of friendship. Dororo and Inu-Oh might share a deuteragonist and a common cultural heritage, but the distance between them is much more noticeable and makes these outstanding works of animation independently enjoyable for widely different reasons.

Holes Star Dominates Mortal Kombat Tournament in Goofy Movie Cosplay

Khleo Thomas, star of the 2003 classic Holes, dominates Dream Con's Mortal Kombat Tournament cosplaying as Powerline from A Goofy Movie.

Dressed as Powerline from A Goofy Movie, Khleo Thomas is a face older fans may recognize from 2003's Holes. The former child actor declared "Bottles are on me," in a statement to newer fans as this year's Dream Con Mortal Kombat champion.

Via Kotaku, Thomas said, "MK is my favorite fighting game 100 percent. I’m a lifer when it comes to this franchise. The characters, the story, the stages, all of it -- It’s a tradition with me and my brother that when the new MK game drops we play 100 matches to see who comes out on top. We’ve done this with every single MK game." The iconic Sub-Zero is his go-to character since first choosing him over two decades ago, as Thomas added, "I’ve always chosen Sub-Zero and [my brother]'s always chosen Scorpion. It’s poetic in a way.”

Thomas' decision to attend dressed as Powerline was due to popular request. “I asked my followers which cosplays they wanted me to bring to Dream Con and Powerline was voted #1," Thomas said. "I decided to keep it on after my panel and just compete in the tournament with it on.”

Thomas decapitated three others to lift the trophy at 2023's edition of Dream Con. Based in Austin, Texas this year, Dream Con (or Convention) was founded in 2018 by RDCWorld1 - a YouTube channel popular for its anime and NBA skits as well as gaming videos. This year marked its biggest-ever turnout, attended by over 22,000 people. Up nearly triple from 2022, Dream Con establishes itself as one of the biggest and fastest-growing anime and gaming conventions in the United States and was host to a number of true-to-form cosplays.

Other Cosplayers Are Going Viral

While Thomas' Powerline grabbed attention, cosplays of Raven from Teen Titans, Cammy from Street Fighter, Chainsaw Man's Reze, and Sora from Kingdom Hearts went also viral on social media.

Thomas admits that he's often considered the actor from Holes, but looks back fondly on his time, and recently reunited from the cast for the 20th anniversary of the film. Appearing in film and on TV since Holes, Thomas voiced on NBA 2K19 and most recently combined his gaming credentials with his love of cosplay on his popular YouTube channel, playing Diablo 4 with Chloë Grace Moretz.