I'm going to be a maverick and watch the next two episodes tonight instead of tomorrow (but I'll hold off on posting until then, I'm a maverick but I'm not rude)
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The Slayers Group Watch Thread
- Thread starter Octopus Prime
- Start date
Well now you can, as this week we can watch
ESCAPE! Noonsa the Flaming Fishman
FOCUS! Reno is the Real Enemy
Normally I complain when an anime spoils the plot with an episode title, but really, nobody should have been on the fence about Rezo at this point
ESCAPE! Noonsa the Flaming Fishman
FOCUS! Reno is the Real Enemy
Normally I complain when an anime spoils the plot with an episode title, but really, nobody should have been on the fence about Rezo at this point
Purple
(She/Her)
Gambling is, indeed, a very serious problem we need to do more about.
So anyway, I find people seem to be extremely polarized on the whole "fishman" thing in this episode (and SEVERAL more to come). I know when I first watched this series I thought it was absolutely the funniest thing I'd ever seen, and... honestly the buildup means it still works pretty well, but there's been some desensitization to the whole notion from other people running with the same basic joke since... and oh damn here he is just kinda sliding forward and, yeah, this still works for me.
Otherwise, both of these episodes kinda combine into a great big exposition dump getting into the backstory of our main villain of the season, and our played-off-as-a-minor-villain-but-no-he's-filling-the-#3-party-slot-for-the-remaining-100-episodes. I do kinda think Zelgadis is one of those characters where all the angst is kind of unearned because his big horrible curse is really just kind of having awesome superpowers with no real downside, but it's not high fantasy without one of those in the mix. Meanwhile I really do love Rezo's whole deal because yeah he's a proper arch villain but his motivation for being such really is just the absolute pettiest most selfish reason. Especially since not being able to see seems to be an issue he's more than plenty well adapted to, to the point where if he just dropped the whole obsession he'd just be like the coolest most popular guy in the world, but, nope.
Also it is a striking point of future consistency that, I swear, in episode 6 here we see about half of the entire list of Shaman spells you are ever going to see anyone use for the rest of the entire run of the series. Lina meanwhile is still busting out one-offs, but at least they're very established traditional D&D wizard staples.
ESCAPE: Oh god, Noonsa. I somehow forgot about the race of Fishmen in The Slayers. The way he's used to, uh, threaten Lina is still a laugh. It walks right up to the line of sexual harrassment, but it's all so ridiculous to really take seriously and Lina's performance ultimately sells it as a goof. (though this is an area where I think Hayashibara is absolutely better with the delivery than Oritz) The underwater battle with Noonsa is an absolute farce, but an entertaining one. And like all the best farces in The Slayers it's paired with this music.
Lina gradually bonding with Zel is mostly believable (she takes to him maybe a touch too fast after the whole kidnapping and 'torturing' thing) but he's lucky Lina was already pretty sus of Rezo. Speaking of
FOCUS: Thankfully the show gets this worst-kept secret out of the way rather fast. I always liked the rather haunting wind-pipe melody that usually accompanies baddie Rezo, just in case you were still on the fence regarding his intentions.
Purple's kind of right about Rezo's motivations, it is extremely petty, and at no point do we ever see him even inconvenienced by his blindness. There's likely some explanation behind it in that Shabby-Dabby Do is influencing him but at the moment he just comes off totally petty.
These two episodes also really underline just how big a dope Gourry is. He's only known Lina a few days but he seems totally lost without her. How on earth did he even survive before they met?
Lina gradually bonding with Zel is mostly believable (she takes to him maybe a touch too fast after the whole kidnapping and 'torturing' thing) but he's lucky Lina was already pretty sus of Rezo. Speaking of
FOCUS: Thankfully the show gets this worst-kept secret out of the way rather fast. I always liked the rather haunting wind-pipe melody that usually accompanies baddie Rezo, just in case you were still on the fence regarding his intentions.
Purple's kind of right about Rezo's motivations, it is extremely petty, and at no point do we ever see him even inconvenienced by his blindness. There's likely some explanation behind it in that Shabby-Dabby Do is influencing him but at the moment he just comes off totally petty.
These two episodes also really underline just how big a dope Gourry is. He's only known Lina a few days but he seems totally lost without her. How on earth did he even survive before they met?
I love how proud Gourry is when he realizes Linas been kidnapped, and the implication that it took a day or two for him to reach that conclusion.
And then another moment or two after that to realize she probably doesn’t want to have been captured by Zel.
I love the entire Fishpeople race and would die for them.
And then another moment or two after that to realize she probably doesn’t want to have been captured by Zel.
I love the entire Fishpeople race and would die for them.
John
(he/him)
Escape: This is the first episode where I've really noticed cut & paste animation from earlier episodes. At least 3 minutes of the runtime was from the last episode, and the new scenes had a fair amount of repetition as well. It's not horrible, just was noticeable. I just wanted to get to the fireworks factory!
The Fishman reminded me of the catfish tribe in the Award Winning Final Fantasy XIV, playable on a computer near you! The humanoid floppy arms were weird, but at least his spine attack almost made some sense, in a JRPG sort of way.
I like that Zelgadis has some tragic backstory behind his stony exterior. Gives him some character, moreso than mummy man and wolf man's generic Minions With Names roles.
The Fishman reminded me of the catfish tribe in the Award Winning Final Fantasy XIV, playable on a computer near you! The humanoid floppy arms were weird, but at least his spine attack almost made some sense, in a JRPG sort of way.
I like that Zelgadis has some tragic backstory behind his stony exterior. Gives him some character, moreso than mummy man and wolf man's generic Minions With Names roles.
Purple
(She/Her)
I just kind of have to assume Gourry's entire left has been spent with a series of random concerned people finding him wandering around and making sure that he gets regular access to food, water, and bandits. Presumably the day he met Lina there was some random shop owner he was supposed to report back to about roughing people up in exchange for food and shelter, and I would say it's actually a bit tragic to consider that they just basically lost their human-shaped puppy that day, but, also that whole town got Dragon Slaved, so, I guess everything worked out.
That’s basically how I assumed he lead his life up until that moment.
When you live in a magical fantasy world, you’re always going to need a himbo with a sword on hand
When you live in a magical fantasy world, you’re always going to need a himbo with a sword on hand
Focus is largely an expo dump, but it’s the kind of expo dump that reveals that nobody really has a good reason to be doing what they’re doing. As noted, it’s kind of implied that Rezo is manipulated by Shabbydingo, but I don’t know if that’s ever been confirmed in text or not. Either way, Zels beef with being turned into a cool looking rock man is a bit harder to accept, but at least it becomes a running joke that everyone Forgets he’s unhappy about that.
Also, just doing the math in my head, but Rezo being Zels grandfather and great-grandfather has some… icky implictations.
Goodbye, Noonsa; you were too beautiful for this fallen world
Also, just doing the math in my head, but Rezo being Zels grandfather and great-grandfather has some… icky implictations.
Goodbye, Noonsa; you were too beautiful for this fallen world
I also like that Zolfs idea of torture is just a bunch of rapid-fire insults that don’t even have a chance to register, and pointing out that his fellow henchman, Dilgear, does possess sharp teeth.
I’m assuming Zel had a fixed budget when he was assembling his team
I’m assuming Zel had a fixed budget when he was assembling his team
John
(he/him)
I liked Focus, even if it was an infodump. The info was at least interesting, and the fight between Zel and Dil/Trolls was entertaining. I was expecting Gourry to come out of nowhere and help in the fight, and it was nice that they didn't resort to that trope, though I felt they did tease it at least once. I do hope they go across a bridge somewhere and fight more interesting enemies, maybe some magidrakees or skeletons.
Egarwaen
(He/Him)
Escape was a silly nonsense episode, but after going from our initial nonsense episode straight into three episodes of escalating plot tension, that works pretty well. I think Lina trusts Zel in part because she's already getting some notion that maybe he's not as in charge of this group of hooligans as she's been led to believe, and in part because she's just buying time until she's at full power again, at which point she's confident she can blast, barbecue, or bluster her way out of whatever situation she's still in.
Focus is a really good episode. It immediately shuffles the opening intrigues off-stage and sets up honestly more petty stakes. Rezo's not trying to wake up Shabbydabby, he's trying to heal his eyes after multiple lifetimes of bitterness over being able to do for others what he cannot do for himself. My memory is that that's a running theme of Slayers - sooner or later, everyone's agenda comes down to petty, ordinary shit. Zel does some clever tricks to get himself and Lina away from an enemy that's got them both outclassed, show's that he's only been using a fraction of his power so far, and then has a pretty sweet fight with Dilgear.
Also Dilgear is way funnier than I remembered him being. Even his concept is hilarious. He's not a werewolf, he's a half-wolfman, half-troll? That's just plain funny.
So far, while Slayers doesn't seem to be a budget production, it also doesn't feel like it's precisely rolling in cash. And despite that - and the footage reuse other posters have highlighted - its very, very carefully and deliberately framed. Even stock footage action shots typically feature dynamic angles and are composed to highlight differences in fighting style and personality. Even gag scenes, like the possessed shopkeeper bit, incorporate the environment into the action. And the cloud passing in front of the moon during the reveal scene with Rezo was a wonderful, subtle touch.
Focus is a really good episode. It immediately shuffles the opening intrigues off-stage and sets up honestly more petty stakes. Rezo's not trying to wake up Shabbydabby, he's trying to heal his eyes after multiple lifetimes of bitterness over being able to do for others what he cannot do for himself. My memory is that that's a running theme of Slayers - sooner or later, everyone's agenda comes down to petty, ordinary shit. Zel does some clever tricks to get himself and Lina away from an enemy that's got them both outclassed, show's that he's only been using a fraction of his power so far, and then has a pretty sweet fight with Dilgear.
Also Dilgear is way funnier than I remembered him being. Even his concept is hilarious. He's not a werewolf, he's a half-wolfman, half-troll? That's just plain funny.
So far, while Slayers doesn't seem to be a budget production, it also doesn't feel like it's precisely rolling in cash. And despite that - and the footage reuse other posters have highlighted - its very, very carefully and deliberately framed. Even stock footage action shots typically feature dynamic angles and are composed to highlight differences in fighting style and personality. Even gag scenes, like the possessed shopkeeper bit, incorporate the environment into the action. And the cloud passing in front of the moon during the reveal scene with Rezo was a wonderful, subtle touch.
One of the things I love about Slayers, and it’s something I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen replicated in any other story, is that (light, series-wide spoilers) nearly every single storyline in the whole franchise is just dealing with the fallout of this one; every consequent villain is either bitter about Rezos death and wants to target Lina because of it, or is exploiting the power vacuum left by Shabranigdos destruction, or else is about Lina refusing to use the same techniques she used to defeat Shabby a second time. There’s no escalation of threats, or even any other enemies on the same level (until the very end), Sha-na-na is as big as enemies get.
And my only real gripe with Try is that it doesn’t adhere to that and just has another evil monster god (who admittedly looks way cooler) who has no real connection to anything..
And my only real gripe with Try is that it doesn’t adhere to that and just has another evil monster god (who admittedly looks way cooler) who has no real connection to anything..
Starting tomorrow we can watch
GIVE UP! But Before We Do, The Sure-Kill Sword Appears
HELP! Shabranigdo Is Reborn
Speaking personally, I don’t know what to expect from that second one!
GIVE UP! But Before We Do, The Sure-Kill Sword Appears
HELP! Shabranigdo Is Reborn
Speaking personally, I don’t know what to expect from that second one!
Give Up!: This episode gives us two important bits of Slayers lore, the Monsters and the Sword of Light. As noted previously, the translation of 'mazoku' as 'Monster' is A Choice, and it might make things a little awkward because in the lore there IS a clear differentiation between the trolls and berserkers they've been facing up till now, and the Monster Lina and co face in this episode. The trolls and werewolves and fishmen and such may look monstrous, and would be considered monsters (small m) at a glance, but are a very different thing from Monsters (capital M) in lore. Otherwise the episode does a good job explaining their nature, naming convention aside.
Then there's the Sword of Light, which will definitely play a role in events in the future, beyond the first season. I like how the previous episode kind of foreshadowed it when Zel noted to Dilgear that a regular sword couldn't hurt him and that he'd need a sword of light. Gourry possessing it evens the playing field a bit between him and the rest of the spell-slinging main cast.
After being separated for a few episodes it's clever that this episode reminds us that despite being a big ol' dope Gourry is still absolutely no slouch when it comes to a fight as he dispatches a saber-tooth tiger man with a flick of his finger without even looking in its direction. It makes his surprising confidence and competence later easier to accept.
And hey, Rodimus and Zolf have joined the party! They'll be welcome and certainly longterm additions to the team!
Help!: Ahh the old anime tradition of naming an episode off of what happens in the literal last seconds. Heck, it doesn't even actually happen in THIS episode. This is another lore-y lore episode for the most part, with the team mostly having some downtime while Lina info-dumps things, Rezo makes a rather hideous threat, then they travel to Rezo's tower.
I love the look and feel of the place, just something about this 90s anime fantasy architecture that feels very DnD.
Rezo proves he can control Zel with a mere incantation (why hasn't he been doing this all along?) and gets his hands on the Stone but ultimately we see that Rezo done goofed.
Side note: wow those bandages were REALLY affecting Zolf's voice weren't they?
Then there's the Sword of Light, which will definitely play a role in events in the future, beyond the first season. I like how the previous episode kind of foreshadowed it when Zel noted to Dilgear that a regular sword couldn't hurt him and that he'd need a sword of light. Gourry possessing it evens the playing field a bit between him and the rest of the spell-slinging main cast.
After being separated for a few episodes it's clever that this episode reminds us that despite being a big ol' dope Gourry is still absolutely no slouch when it comes to a fight as he dispatches a saber-tooth tiger man with a flick of his finger without even looking in its direction. It makes his surprising confidence and competence later easier to accept.
And hey, Rodimus and Zolf have joined the party! They'll be welcome and certainly longterm additions to the team!
Help!: Ahh the old anime tradition of naming an episode off of what happens in the literal last seconds. Heck, it doesn't even actually happen in THIS episode. This is another lore-y lore episode for the most part, with the team mostly having some downtime while Lina info-dumps things, Rezo makes a rather hideous threat, then they travel to Rezo's tower.
I love the look and feel of the place, just something about this 90s anime fantasy architecture that feels very DnD.
Rezo proves he can control Zel with a mere incantation (why hasn't he been doing this all along?) and gets his hands on the Stone but ultimately we see that Rezo done goofed.
Side note: wow those bandages were REALLY affecting Zolf's voice weren't they?
I love the reveal that spending six episodes in a full body cast after being incinerated didn’t even mess up Zolfs hair.
And Rodimus! Good old Rodimus! Absolutely the most memorable character in the franchise.
And Rodimus! Good old Rodimus! Absolutely the most memorable character in the franchise.
Talk about dullsville
Egarwaen
(He/Him)
It's really funny to me that, among the whole host of D&D conventions Slayers adopts (regenerating trolls, magic items, broad classes, a lot of spell effects) one of them is that Gourry is absolutely, in every regard, the classic (pre-3.0) fighter archetype. He's basically unbeatable within arm's reach - and dangerous enough that he can't be ignored if he does get up close - and he's incredibly resistant to magic. In fights, he either winds up dealing with threats that can somehow prevent the magicians from casting spells, or he serves to tie up a threat until the magicians can eliminate it.
Purple
(She/Her)
Yeah, Gourry is the dumb muscle, but in this context the dumb muscle is like, a properly min-maxed level 18 or so Fighter, and contrary to jerks who shout about D&D those are, in fact, quite good to have around.
Also it is just good writing how the whole "oh yeah Zelgadis is totally trying to resurrect the ultimate evil" bit from earlier turns out to be totally legit, as does Zelgadis' take on things.
But... yeah, this is why the intro doesn't especially bother to play its cards close to the chest on Rezo being the villain. Because he is a remarkably efficient villain and does, in fact, full on, 100% succeed in his evil plan by the end of episode 8. Like, that's not some kind of fakeout. The main villain, arguably of the whole 104 episode+the one OAV and I guess the prequel stuff if you care really does do the big evil thing he set out to do before the episode counter hits double digits. And even more shocking, this entire arc is going to fully resolve for us next week. Straight up, no joke. And you'd figure early wad shooting of that magnitude would make things suck n the long stretch after that, but thankfully, we have the Immortal Slayers Pacing Formula to save us:
Which I maintain keeps the tone pendulum swinging at a nice rate for nothing to have time to get stale.
Also I guess having to follow a particular jerk's commands is one of those rare cases where Zel being part-golem is a legitimate drawback. There's a few more of those later, mainly jokes. For the life of me though I can't remember any point where being 1/3 demon isn't just kinda rad though.
Also it is just good writing how the whole "oh yeah Zelgadis is totally trying to resurrect the ultimate evil" bit from earlier turns out to be totally legit, as does Zelgadis' take on things.
But... yeah, this is why the intro doesn't especially bother to play its cards close to the chest on Rezo being the villain. Because he is a remarkably efficient villain and does, in fact, full on, 100% succeed in his evil plan by the end of episode 8. Like, that's not some kind of fakeout. The main villain, arguably of the whole 104 episode+the one OAV and I guess the prequel stuff if you care really does do the big evil thing he set out to do before the episode counter hits double digits. And even more shocking, this entire arc is going to fully resolve for us next week. Straight up, no joke. And you'd figure early wad shooting of that magnitude would make things suck n the long stretch after that, but thankfully, we have the Immortal Slayers Pacing Formula to save us:
1- We get the band back together (a little wonky here since half the band shows up late in season 1).
2- Things get Serious, building to a big ol' epic showdown.
3- Break time! Have a few full on silly episodes to lighten the mood!
4- Break's over. Time to rebuild towards seriousness, and have Sylphiel show up.
5- Somewhat more epic big ol' epic showdown.
6- Take a year off (slightly more in Try's case), rename the series, and return to the beginning of the alphabet for Titles! Of the episodes!?
2- Things get Serious, building to a big ol' epic showdown.
3- Break time! Have a few full on silly episodes to lighten the mood!
4- Break's over. Time to rebuild towards seriousness, and have Sylphiel show up.
5- Somewhat more epic big ol' epic showdown.
6- Take a year off (slightly more in Try's case), rename the series, and return to the beginning of the alphabet for Titles! Of the episodes!?
Which I maintain keeps the tone pendulum swinging at a nice rate for nothing to have time to get stale.
Also I guess having to follow a particular jerk's commands is one of those rare cases where Zel being part-golem is a legitimate drawback. There's a few more of those later, mainly jokes. For the life of me though I can't remember any point where being 1/3 demon isn't just kinda rad though.
Maybe he just doesn’t like blue?
Rezos really using a weird playbook for RPG villains; he assembles a team of mini bosses to get a macguffin for him. Then he immediately disregards them to try to get the macguffin himself, then half the mini bosses betray him so he calls in better mini bosses, then he just forces everyone to give him the macguffin he’s looking for.
All that and yet he screws up the first thing they teach you in Evil Wizard Villain school and he immediately s to summon something way stronger than him. And he still doesn’t actually have a good reason for wanting to summon Shabranigdo.
Way to go, you colossal idiot
Rezos really using a weird playbook for RPG villains; he assembles a team of mini bosses to get a macguffin for him. Then he immediately disregards them to try to get the macguffin himself, then half the mini bosses betray him so he calls in better mini bosses, then he just forces everyone to give him the macguffin he’s looking for.
All that and yet he screws up the first thing they teach you in Evil Wizard Villain school and he immediately s to summon something way stronger than him. And he still doesn’t actually have a good reason for wanting to summon Shabranigdo.
Way to go, you colossal idiot
I guess you could call that failing upward?
Also until now I never put 2 and 2 together regarding Zel's golem side specifically being why Rezo could control him, I just thought it was some sort of sleeper spell he left in his brain. Which, I guess it kind of is, but that's just another little detail that works super well in the setting.
Oh, and I've been sticking to the dub because I've weirdly been enjoying experiencing this series I'm super familiar with in an audio track that's new to me. It's been years and years since I last watched it, but I can still anticipate nearly every line and hear em in my head before they're spoken, but now they're spoken differently and it's kind of uncanny. I'll tone down the griping over bad performances though. Heck, if nothing else I think Zel is getting better! Shame he's gonna be replaced.
Oh but one dub criticism, Rezo's laugh is way better in the sub. Takehito Koyasu just had this really great high pitched laugh when Rezo finally drops his mask that dub Rezo doesn't even attempt to emulate.
Also until now I never put 2 and 2 together regarding Zel's golem side specifically being why Rezo could control him, I just thought it was some sort of sleeper spell he left in his brain. Which, I guess it kind of is, but that's just another little detail that works super well in the setting.
Oh, and I've been sticking to the dub because I've weirdly been enjoying experiencing this series I'm super familiar with in an audio track that's new to me. It's been years and years since I last watched it, but I can still anticipate nearly every line and hear em in my head before they're spoken, but now they're spoken differently and it's kind of uncanny. I'll tone down the griping over bad performances though. Heck, if nothing else I think Zel is getting better! Shame he's gonna be replaced.
Oh but one dub criticism, Rezo's laugh is way better in the sub. Takehito Koyasu just had this really great high pitched laugh when Rezo finally drops his mask that dub Rezo doesn't even attempt to emulate.
Purple
(She/Her)
I've honestly been appreciating the confirmation that the dub is as bad as I remember it, honestly. Really going to feel bad for you when we hit Next though and you're missing out on himitsu desu!
Also I'm having some nasty health problems and was going to watch this week's episodes from my couch rather than computer, and remembered oh hey, I have a DVD set don't I? But then the disc wasn't working and the back of the box is... questionable.
I should maybe get a non-bootleg set someday. I mean I still have my VHS collection, but it takes up SO MUCH space.
Also how weird is it how we're calling what are clearly orcs berserkers? Was that just bet hedging, or a legit matter of confusion over which generic D&D monsters have IP rights issues going on.
Also I'm having some nasty health problems and was going to watch this week's episodes from my couch rather than computer, and remembered oh hey, I have a DVD set don't I? But then the disc wasn't working and the back of the box is... questionable.
I should maybe get a non-bootleg set someday. I mean I still have my VHS collection, but it takes up SO MUCH space.
Also how weird is it how we're calling what are clearly orcs berserkers? Was that just bet hedging, or a legit matter of confusion over which generic D&D monsters have IP rights issues going on.
IIRC, there are actual Orcs later, and they look completely different
Egarwaen
(He/Him)
It’s really funny how Dilgear’s gang is clearly composed of enemies from a JRPG random encounter table or TTRPG Monster Manual. I’m pretty sure the Berserkers are supposed to be the Dragon Quest enemies, or maybe Wizardry? I’m finding some hints of a Berserker in Wizardry enemy tables but no luck finding art.
Egarwaen
(He/Him)
There’s a surprising amount going on in these two episodes!
The monsters are interesting; in their initial setup they’re presented as being foes that totally outclass humans, with even magicians struggling to harm them. Maybe there’s some other kinds of magic or some trick to fighting them if you’re not Gourry; I don’t remember and I’m curious to see where they go.
The staging continues to be top notch. The ruined village is a great setting for the monster fight and Zelgadis’ showdown with Dilgear. There’s lots of vertical movement and cover, making fights that are otherwise unexceptional and one-sided interesting and engaging.
Rezo’s tower is even better; despite being unable to see, the Red Priest has covered his home in illusions. You could say it’s to baffle intruders, but I think it’s more interesting to take it as a signifier of his shallow vanity. At least once (during his escape from the banquet) we see layered illusions, with the backdrop vanishing to reveal Rezo’s escape route, then the trappings of the escape route vanishing to reveal a stout door. The mess of staircases is also interesting; the sorcerers are able to bypass them easily, but ordinary folk would be stuck with an arduous climb, showing again how Rezo’s reputation is a sham.
The monsters are interesting; in their initial setup they’re presented as being foes that totally outclass humans, with even magicians struggling to harm them. Maybe there’s some other kinds of magic or some trick to fighting them if you’re not Gourry; I don’t remember and I’m curious to see where they go.
The staging continues to be top notch. The ruined village is a great setting for the monster fight and Zelgadis’ showdown with Dilgear. There’s lots of vertical movement and cover, making fights that are otherwise unexceptional and one-sided interesting and engaging.
Rezo’s tower is even better; despite being unable to see, the Red Priest has covered his home in illusions. You could say it’s to baffle intruders, but I think it’s more interesting to take it as a signifier of his shallow vanity. At least once (during his escape from the banquet) we see layered illusions, with the backdrop vanishing to reveal Rezo’s escape route, then the trappings of the escape route vanishing to reveal a stout door. The mess of staircases is also interesting; the sorcerers are able to bypass them easily, but ordinary folk would be stuck with an arduous climb, showing again how Rezo’s reputation is a sham.
The rules for defeating Monsters remain remarkably consistent through the whole series, and much hay is made from the fact that it’s really hard to do
Egarwaen
(He/Him)
Well that’s pretty neat - I think it’s fun to have a category of antagonists that even powerful characters have to work to beat.