LINK TO SECTION BELOW

We now return to a grinning Drake and Ashley.

"Anddddd we are back!" Drake grinned.

"Just in time to see Bugs' choice as the top slot fighter!" Ashley beamed. "And he has chosen 'You're The Boss'! However, this time, it is different!"

"Yeah, because Bugs is the first non-Big Guy fighter to choose this, he doesn't get to be a REALLY Big Guy." Drake explained. "As such there will be no extra third elimination and no extra fatigue vote for Bugs."

Ashley scratched his head. "I am surprised that it took a non-Big Guy THIS long to choose 'You're The Boss'."

"Yeah, you would think that more people would jump at the chance to feel like a Big Guy for a day." Drake shrugged. "But yeah, despite this, Bugs is still now a Big Guy and even though he doesn't have an extra fatigue vote, it is STILL Rabbit Season as whoever eliminates Bugs will get a prize!"

"Bugs is also the first Mystery Fighter Big Guy." Ashley added. He then paused. "Well, besides King Olly from the Okron Tournament."

"Dude, he doesn't count. His Big Guy status got revoked, remember?" Drake reminded.

"Yes, but so will Bugs'." Ashley countered.

"Yeah, AFTER the section ends or he gets eliminated!" Drake pointed out. "Besides, he basically THREATENED his way to becoming a Big Guy. And I don't know what Grey was so afraid of. Sure, he is a threat in the games, but do you really think that the fighters, heroes or villains alike would let him ruin the tournament?"

Ashley paused before sighing. "Okay, you win."

"Good. Now like Ashley said, Bugs is the first OFFICIAL Mystery Fighter Big Guy, even though it will be revoked at the end of the section." Drake said before smirking. "And not during."

Ashley nodded his head. "Indeed. Other than that, it should be a normal round. Or at least normal for THIS tournament. Let's cover the new fighters. But first, let's recap the surviving fighters.

BUBBLES

NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION/THE POWERPUFF GIRLS

ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 306

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 8

"Remember how Catherine said that Bubbles is a potential rival for Donald in tying with Luna Loud's score?" Drake grinned. "Well, with him out of the equation, it is now up to grabs for her alone!"

"Indeed, with his list of eliminations consisting of Link and Mario from Super Smash Bros, Ed and Kolin from Street Fighter V, Batman and the Martian Manhunter from DC Comics, Gulp from Spyro the Dragon and now her nodal companion, Father is more than impressive." Ashley admitted. "But we thought the same way about Donald. We just have to wait and see."

YOSHI

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/YOSHI

ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 363

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

"Still going strong and still going happy is Yoshi!" Ashley smiled.

"Yeah, he managed to kick the asses of Meow-Wow AND Beast from Kingdom Hearts!" Drake grinned. "All with his rainbow-bringing smile!"

KAT & DUSTY

NODE: PLAYSTATION ALL-STAR BATTLE ROYALE/GRAVITY RUSH

ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 367

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

"Not content with Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter hog all of the spotlight for their node is Kat & Dusty!" Drake smirked.

"Indeed, she may be going slow, but her eliminations of Marshmallow from Kingdom Hearts and Berry from Tokyo Mew Mew are nothing to sneeze at!" Ashley nodded.

MISS PIGGY

NODE: THE MUPPETS

ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 370

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

"Umm… Getting eliminations not the normal way, but HER way, Miss Piggy?" Ashley asked, gesturing to her picture.

"Yeah, I think that is how to best describe Miss Piggy's eliminations of Espio from Sonic the Hedgehog and Superman from DC Comics." Drake said, chuckling nervously. "At the very least, they still demonstrate why you shouldn't mess with Miss Piggy so there is still that.

MULAN

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/MULAN

ENTERED IN: Section 19; Number 382

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Jumping headfirst into battle is arguably the poster child for Disney Action Girls, Mulan!" Drake grinned.

"Sure, she had some help at the time, her elimination of Terra from DC Comics is definitely not something that you should scoff at!" Ashley nodded.

BOINGO

NODE: HOODWINKED!

ENTERED IN: Section 19; Number 383

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Showing why HE was Xero's first bunny pick is Boingo!" Ashley pointed out.

"Yeah, sure, he took advantage of a gunless Carmelita Fox, but it still proves that just because you are a bunny, you can't be deadly!" Drake nodded.

ISABELLE

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/ANIMAL CROSSING

ENTERED IN: Section 19; Number 387

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Showing why she is Doom Slayer's best buddy is Isabelle!" Drake grinned.

"...I fail to see how what she did was considered 'Doom'." Ashley said, blinking twice before shrugging. "Eh. That doesn't mean her elimination of Waluigi isn't impressive."

PARAPPA THE RAPPER

NODE: PLAYSTATION ALL-STAR BATTLE ROYALE/PARAPPA THE RAPPER

ENTERED IN: Section 19; Number 388

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Showing how the power of belief is strong is PaRappa!" Ashley smiled.

"He isn't exaggerating! He has arguably the best use of a Final Smash thus far." Drake grinned. "To counter Kingdom Hearts' Sora's own Final Smash!"

BEN TENNYSON

NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION/BEN 10

ENTERED IN: Section 19; Number 389

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Showing off the vast power of the Omnitrix is Ben 10 himself!" Drake beamed.

"Indeed, using good choices of a couple of his many forms, he overpowered Beast Boy from DC Comics!" Ashley nodded.

BUGS BUNNY

NODE: LOONEY TUNES

ENTERED IN: Section 19; Number 390

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

BIG GUY ALERT!

"To the surprise of no one, Bugs started off his first section with a bang with not only a perfect score, but also his impressive eliminations of Big Band from Skullgirls and Donal Duck!" Ashley noted. "And keep in mind, the latter is currently tied with Goofy for the silver prize in overall eliminations!"

"And like we said earlier, he is the first OFFICIAL Mystery Fighter Big Guy." Drake added. "Granted, he now has a bounty on his head due to this, but eh. Since when has that ever got him down!"

TURBO MAN

NODE: MEGAMAN

ENTERED IN: Section 19; Number 392

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Okay, okay, let's face it. Turbo Man's elimination of Aladdin from Kingdom Hearts is… Messy." Drake winced, scratching his head. "Mainly because who doesn't know who is more at fault."

"Indeed…" Ashley sighed. "But I suppose Turbo Man probably doesn't care about too much so why should we?"

SHEILA THE KANGAROO

NODE: SPYRO THE DRAGON

ENTERED IN: Section 19; Number 394

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Showing off her deceptive strength AND her Team Mom qualities is Sheila!" Ashley smiled.

"Yeah, she wasn't going to let Kage from Street Fighter V do what he wanted!" Drake agreed.

MICKEY MOUSE

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/CLASSIC DISNEY SHORTS

ENTERED IN: Section 19; Number 395

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

"Showing why he is the leader of the club that's made for you and me!" Drake grinned. "M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!"

"Sure, his first elimination of Earthworm Jim was more than a little clumsy, his elimination of Roll more than made up for it." Ashley nodded. "Well, that is everyone! Let's go to the new fighters!"

HAPPY CHILD

NODE: TOKYO MEW MEW

Drake rolled his eyes. "Oh, right. We didn't make it through all of the Saint Blue Crusaders yet."

Ashley shook his head. "Be nice."

"Alright, alright, one more dig. The more I think about it,, the more I believe that the Saint Blue Crusaders are just villainous Ouran Host Club." Drake said.

Ashley blinked twice. "...Dare I ask why?"

"Well, Blue Bayou is Mori, the strong guy that has the least character traits compared to their respective groups, Royal Highness is Kyoya, the well-mannered and intelligent young man with glasses that has a sadistic streak." Drake added. "And Happy Child is just Honey, the male Mini-Moe with a dark streak of the group."

"Considering the Saint Blue Crusaders' role in the story, that isn't that far off." Ashley mused.

"Okay, okay, real talk. What does Happy Child have?" Drake muttered.

Ashley then read his tablet. "Well, unlike he arguably has the most info on him. Which admittedly is like saying 'He is the tallest Smurf'."

"Heh. Good one." Drake smirked.

"So anyway, he has the power of teleportation, floating, speaking directly into people's minds and attacking with ultrasonic waves." Ashley nodded.

"Heh. I could already tell that he is going to be a little shit to fight." Drake noted.

"Also, he is arguably prominent in the joining of the Saint Blue Crusaders." Ashley said before frowning. "They met Duke after he saved Happy Child from a falling building after the latter willingly…"

Drake's face fell. "Oh…"

"So yes… Like I said, it isn't much, but it is definitely something." Ashley mused.

THE VIRGIN XIGBAR

NODE: CANON KINGDOM HEARTS

Drake and Ashley both blinked twice at this. Suddenly, Drake started to laugh while Ashley gritted his teeth in anger before looking off-screen.

The camera then panned to Wally who was whistling while Catherin who was playing with her hair.

"Guys, I KNOW it is you!" Ashley scolded from off-screen.

"Now why would ya say that?" Wally asked with a smirk.

"Because the both of you have your games ruined by him on Survivor Xover Version All-Stars!" Ashley snapped.

"What? We are just trying to make sure that people make sure that the two Xigbars are not the same!" Catherine scoffed.

"You know as well as I do that the only world where there are two Xigbars is the Survivor series!" Ashley scolded.

"...Wait, didn't Tiny's fanon Xigbar show up in the epilogue of the second Battle of the Luminaries. Does that mean he is arguably canon in the UVR cinematic universe?" Drake asked.

There was a brief pause.

"...Change it back." Ashley spat.

Wally rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright."

XIGBAR

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS

Catherine scoffed, crossing her arms. "Happy?"

The camera then went back to an annoyed Ashley and a grinning Drake.

"Yes, thank you." Ashley muttered.

Drake chuckled. "Well, we more or less got our introduction of the character out of the way. How does he fight?"

Ashley just sighed. "Well, it should be obvious, but Xigbar is a gunslinger. His guns, which are actually specified as 'arrowguns' give him deceptive range. By itself, it would be a pain to fight against."

Drake frowned. "Buttttt…"

"Xigbar has the element of 'space'. Basically, he could teleport, walk upside-down and create portals to shoot from all over the place." Ashley explained.

Drake winced at this. "Ooh, we are starting the section with TWO annoying people to fight against?"

"AND Xigbar is canonically one of the most powerful people in Kingdom Hearts as he is Luxu." Ashley added.

Drake threw up his hands in frustration. "Oh, why not? He is already half-Xehanort, why not full Luxu!?"

"Preach it, mate!" Wally shouted from off-screen.

Ashley let out a big groan.

SHEEP MAN

NODE: MEGA MAN

Drake scratched his head. "Hate to sound like those haters, but I am still stunned that someone created a SHEEP robot."

"Yes, aren't animal-based robot bosses reserved for the Mavericks in the X series?" Ashley added.

"Well, if you did your research, you would know that Sheep Man used to be a sheep-herding robot." Catherine scolded from off-screen.

"Ah, that makes sense." Drake nodded.

"So Sheep Man is an electromancer?" Ashley asked. "Isn't wool a POOR conductor for electricity?"

"I think it is a reference to 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'?" Drake mused.

Ashley blinked twice. "Never heard of it, but if that is the case, then it DOES make sense. If I had a nickel for every electric sheep I see in fiction, I would have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it is still weird that it happened."

Drake chuckled. "So yeah, Sheep Man fights by sending a curving electric orb. His main weapon is the Thunder Wool which sends up a floating wool before sending a bolt of electricity. However, it is quite slow and is easily telegraphed, making it one of the worst weapons in Megaman history."

Ashley winced. "Oof."

"But it is not all bad. He could transform himself into four wool clouds and shoot down electricity from each of them." Drake offered.

"Wow. He seems like a bigger threat than he looks." Ashley winced.

"And don't forget. His first target is Sheila from Spyro the Dragon and you could only imagine how a sheep, organic or robotic, would feel about the series." Drake said with a deep gulp.

SHO SHINJO

NODE: BATTLE ARENA TOSHINDEN

"Ah, I WAS noticing that we haven't had a Battle Arena Toshinden come out in a while." Drake mused.

"It can't be helped. It is the smallest node on the roster at only ten fighters." Ashley scolded.

"True…" Drake shrugged before picking up his tablet. "Now Sho is the older brother of Eiji."

"Oh, so he is like Ken or Akuma to Eiji?" Ashley asked.

"Not exactly. Not only does he wield a katana instead of a standard sword, he could use light instead of fire." Drake explained. "He has a double projectile and a split kick."

Ashley nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Also, despite not being the main antagonist or even the founder of the Battle Arena Toshinden, he is the true final boss of the game." Drake said.

Ashley jumped. "Woah, so he must be strong."

"Hopefully. But Gaia was the regular final boss and he didn't do too well, but we would have to wait and see." Drake said.

TARZAN

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/TARZAN

Drake's eyes lit up while Ashley's eyes widened.

"Oh no!" Ashley exclaimed.

Then, Drake started to beat his chest.

"AH-EE-AH-EE-AAAAAAAARGH!"

Ashley winced in pain before glaring at Drake. "Do you have to say EVERY loud catchphrase!?"

Drake returned the glare. "Dude, that scream is iconic!"

Ashley rolled his eyes. "Just cut to Wally and Catherine."

We now cut to Wally and Catherine, both snickering.

"Aight." Wally nodded before looking at the camera. "Tarzan is the thirty-seventh movie in the Disney Animated Canon, based on the book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is about the son of a Cauasian man called Lord Greystoke under the name of John Clayton."

"However, he ended up getting orphaned in the harsh jungles of Africa." Catherine explained before squealing. "But the gorilla there actually took pity on him and raised him as one of his own!"

Wally rolled his eyes. "Should have known that ya would love him."

"Hey, he may be another male power fantasy, but at least he is a male power fantasy fighting for the jungle so he gets a pass!" Catherine smirked.

"Oi…" Wally muttered, shaking his head. "So yeah, the gorillas named him Tarzan because of white skin. He then met an English woman named Jane and she taught him the ways of human interaction, he left the jungle to join her in England. They eventually got married and had a son."

"But then, Tarzan was all 'You know what? Having Jane and my son is great, but civilization kinda sucks' so he went back to the jungle." Catherine explained. "Said book series has gotten only TWENTY entries."

"And as ya could expect, the series is very popular with Tarzan's name being recognised. It even got its own expies and parodies in George of the Jungle." Wally grinned.

"But as much as we love to talk about them, let's talk about the Disney version because they can NOT resist getting their hands on them and having their own spin on it." Catherine explained. "The story is actually mostly the same, though there is more emphasis on Tarzan being a fish-out-of-water. Oh, and apparently the main villain is called… Clayton?"

"Aye, and apparently not only is that Clayton's birth surname, it is also someone named William Clayton, as well as Tarzan's cousin and Jane's fiance." Wally frowned. "Needless ta say, it is quite confusing."

Catherine chuckled nervously. "Oh, and another change. Instead of going to English and getting married there, it is JANE who completely changed her entire life. Along with her father!"

"The movie also spawned two direct-to-video sequels, a compilation movie and an interquel. And while they don't make me want ta SHOUT my catchphrase…" Wally frowned. "Aye, we don't know about them."

"What we CAN talk about is the animated series, Legend of Tarzan!" Catherine beamed. "No, really, that was my childhood! How come most people don't talk about it more!? They even have several characters and locations from the original Tarzan books!"

"Aye, it was great!" Wally grinned. His face then fell. "Too bad, he got the short-end of the stick in the Kingdom Hearts games."

"Yeah, despite what most people think, Tarzan ISN'T public domain. They had to get the rights and permission from Edgar Rice Burroughs." Catherine frowned. "Sure, it went over well the first time, but after that, they lost the rights. Being the only world that DIDN'T appear in Chain of Memories."

"Too bad because there was a beta screenshot of Sora clearly in Deep Jungle." Wally said with his ears drooping. "And even if they COULD get Tarzan back, he has to compete with a lot of Disney and Pixar movies. Especially since the world itself… Wasn't very popular."

Catherine sighed and shook her head. "Back to you guys…"

The camera went to a frowning Drake. "Damn… I didn't expect the segment to end on a bittersweet note."

"Yes, it is truly tragic." Ashley sighed, shaking his head. "So despite being a jungle man, Tarzan is arguably a paladin if we are looking at Final Fantasy classes."

Drake raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes, along with fighting with his spear, he could use his affinity with nature to not only use a healing herb not unlike Simba, but also summon wind around himself for more defence." Ashley explained.

"Wait, woah, woah, woah, woah, WOAH!" Drake pointed out. "Tarzan fights with his SPEAR!"

Ashley blinked twice. "Um, yes, as opposed to what?"

"Um, well, Tarzan never uses his spear in the animated series. Like, at all." Drake explained. "In fact, his father-in-law, Professor Porter arguably uses it more. As a garden tool!"

Ashley paused. "Oh… Well. I suppose he doesn't really NEED his spear. But it IS nice to have."

Drake narrowed his eyes. "Hypocrite."

Ashley jumped. "W-What?"

"You were bitching two sections ago about Aladdin fighting with his Scimitar, even though he never fought with it in the movies or cartoon!" Drake pointed out. "Now you are giving him a free pass?"

Ashley winced. "Um, well, I just assume that Tarzan is more physical-oriented."

"Um, he is? But in the cartoon, he faced lots of animals that could literally tear him to shreds! He may be… Well, Tarzan, but he is still human!" Drake scolded. "He has to be smart when fighting bigger foes!"

"Um, well, you see…" Ashley said with his face being completely drenched in sweat. He then brightened up. "So what about that next fighter?"

BARK THE POLARBEAR

NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

"Anddddd we reached the final member of the Fighters Trio!" Ashley grinned. "Let's see what info that Catherine could dig up for us!"

"Drake glared at Ashley for a moment. Before slumping in his chair.

"...Just take the spotlight, Cat." Drake muttered

Immediately, the camera went to an exasperated Wally and Catherine.

"Context aside, Ashley brings up a good point!" Wally piped up. "You brought up some interesting facts about Nack the Weasel or Bean the Dynamite! Do you have any about Bark the Polarbear?"

"Umm… Not really." Catherine admitted. "I mean, as far as I could tell, Bark IS a polar bear, unlike Nack actually being part-jerboa and Bean being a woodpecker whose only duck trait is being Bin's father. Sure, you could make the argument that polar bears aren't yellow, but compared to… Literally everyone else, his fur colour is quite tame."

Wally then smirked. "Especially since his fur colours make sense when you think of yellow s…"

Catherine immediately karate-chopped on top of Wally's head.

"Alright, alright, no jokes like that!" Wally groaned, rubbing his head. "Well, it is a little late to go back to Drake and Ashley NOW."

"And whose fault is that?" Catherine challenged before sighing "Okay, this isn't a mind-blowing fact like the ones I gave about Nack and Bean."

CLICK!

"Okay, there IS one mind-blowing fact we CAN give." Catherine admitted after pausing the screen with the TV. "In my defence, this actually showed up way into the middle of the tournament and I didn't have much faith that there would be any new facts on Bark or by extension, Sonic the Fighters in general."

"We would like to thank Danglars and Tybalt for informing us about this fact." Wally grinned.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for them, this would have gone unmentioned. At least for the Battle of the Luminaries!" Catherine added. "Basically, believe it or not, Sonic the Fighters is relevant in recent years! Sort of."

"The game appeared as an Easter Egg in the latest Yakuza game, Last Judgement. And not just a cameo like in Sonic Mania. Like you could actually PLAY the game!" Wally grinned. "Along with Virtua Fighter 5, Fighting Vipers and even Fantasy Zone!"

"Sure, it would be nice to actually see more than that, but for Sonic the Fighters it is more than enough!" Catherine nodded. "Regardless, this is BARK'S segment and while this affects him just as much as Nack and Bean, he still deserves SOMETHING said about him so let's return."

CLICK!

"That's alright, Cat. Just say what's on yer mind." Wally offered.

"Well, Bark's personality in the official sources describes him as blunt and quiet, but shy and have a gentle heart." The pinkette explained.

"Uh-huh." Wally said.

"And yet he is a villain in the Archie Comics!" Catherine roared.

Wally winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah, I could see Nack because he is arguably already a criminal in his debut and Bean because… Well, let's just say I see him more than chaotic neutral than evil." Catherine explained. "But at least while the IDW comics continued this trend, they more or less gave Bark a reason."

Wally raised an eyebrow.

"Bad friend influence. Bark always goes around with Nack and Bean because of the bandwagon mentality. Outside of that, he actually acts like he is supposed to." Catherine explained. "Amy could attest to that!"

"Oh, well, that is at least SOMETHING." Wally smiled.

"Also, I headcanon that Bark is a singer." Catherine piped up.

Wally blinked twice. "...What?"

"His stage theme is the only one that got a vocal remix in Sonic Gems Collection." Catherine said, matter-of-factly.

"...Aight." Wally said.

"But yeah, it may not be as grand as what I said for Nack and Bean, but remember, YOU guys put the spotlight on me." Catherine scoffed, crossing her arms.

The camera went back to a chuckling Drake. "Nah, it is not big, but it is still nice to hear."

"So Bark is the Power character of Sonic the Fighters right?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, what you see with him is what you get. Strong attacks, powerful throws, slow speed." Drake said. "He DOES have an attack that literally squashes you like an accordion."

Ashley jumped at this. "Wait, I thought he was a SERIOUS character."

"He is! It is just that Sonic the Fighters is actually quite cartoony, even compared to other games at that time." Drake insisted.

SAMURAI JACK

NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION/SAMURAI JACK

Drake's eyes lit up. "Gotta get back! Back to the past! Samurai Jack! Watch out!"

Ashley blinked twice while adjusting his glasses. "Wait, he is clearly Asian. Why is his name Jack?"

"Well, to be fair, that is not his birth name. We never actually KNOW said birth name." Drake pointed.

"Okayyyyy." Ashley paused. "So Samurai Jack is a nickname."

"Pretty much. I'll explain more, but I do not want to steal much more of Wally and Catherine's screentime." Drake offered.

The camera then went to an excitedly-grinning Wally. "Oh, mate, thank you very much! Samurai Jack is a cartoon created by Genndy Tartakovsky, also the creator of Dexter's Laboratory!"

"It is another power male fantasy cartoon about a samurai going around killing people bigger than him with an absurdly-sharp sword!" Catherine said, rolling her eyes.

Wally glared at Catherine. "...If ya don't want ta talk about it, FINE! Just don't give people the wrong idea!"

"Am I wrong?" The animal lover scoffed.

"Actually, ya are." Wally scolded before looking at the camera. "But yeah, the story is about a young prince of Japan. Then, the evil shapeshifter demon, Aku, emerges and destroys his hometown. With his mother's help, he escaped and spent his time training with warriors from around the world. So yeah, there is a reason why he is that skilled."

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright!"

"When he became old enough, he returned to his homeland and retrieved his father's sword, a magic weapon that is the only thing that could harm Aku. The two had an epic final battle with each other." Wally said before frowning. "But like the theme song said, Aku pulled one dirty trick and sent Aku into the future."

"After the usual fish-out-of-water antics you would expect and dispatching part of Aku's forces, the samurai happen to do so in front of three… Lack of a better word, jive-turkey suckas, inadvertently giving him his alias of Samurai Jack." Catherine said before scoffing. "Okay, am I the only one who thinks they did that scene so they have a "cool" name while having an Asian character?"

"Oi, Jack could have simply said 'That is not my name', but he went along with it." Wally scolded.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "So yeah, that is Samurai Jack. He is going around, trying to find a way to get back to the future and/or kill Aku. Whichever comes first."

"The cartoon was another fan-favourite, praised for its outline-free art style, impressive action sequences and long stretches of animation, taking a lot of risks like the mature themes." Wally explained. "The show spawned four seasons and 52 episodes."

"It later got an IDW 20-comic book series. There was going to be a Grand Finale film, but it got cancelled so they settled on a ten-episode revival. Where Samurai Jack got sent even FURTHER in the future." Catherine muttered,

"After that, it has gotten ANOTHER IDW comic, this time as an alternate story of the main story and even a canon interquel video game." Wally explained. "It is clear that Samurai Jack got a lot of love."

"Yeah, men DO have a lot of power." Catherine said.

Wally growled. "Back ta ya, guys."

The camera went back to an exasperated Ashley. "Catherine, I swear…"

Drake rolled his eyes. "So like Wally said, Samurai Jack has a powerful sword and studied various martial arts around the world."

"In other words, a simple yet effective moveset." Ashley nodded.

"Also, he could jump good." Drake smirked.

Ashley blinked twice. "...Let me guess. Another meme."

"Yeah, but trust me, I am NOT exaggerating. Dragoon Knights from Final Fantasy could take lessons from HIM." Drake boasted.

"...Normally I would say I would believe it when I see it, but knowing my luck, I would see it sooner than later." Ashley muttered.

THE PANDA KING

NODE: SLY COOPER

BIG GUY ALERT!

"And here we have the demolition expert of the Cooper Gang!" Drake grinned. He then paused. "At least in Sly 3!"

"...I am still stunned that the Cooper Gang, especially Sly, thought that HE would be the best choice for the job." Ashley said.

"Yeah, I was thinking that. Are there no other good choices?" Drake agreed. He then brightened up. "But hey, it all worked out in the end for both Sly AND the Panda King."

"True." Ashley chuckled. "So I am to assume that the Panda King is a long-range fighter?"

"I mean, he COULD fight like one with his fireworks cannon that could hit six targets at once or if he is feeling REAL devious, all at once." Drake said. "But while demolition is his expertise, we cannot forget that he is a big PANDA!"

"So he is actually strong at close range?" Ashley asked.

"By himself, yes. However, he developed his own fighting style called Flame-Fu where he could ignite his hands or feet on fire for an attack or even send out another potential projectile." Drake explained.

Ashley winced. "He sounds like ANOTHER threat."

"Indeed, the people in the arena should be relieved that he mellowed out a lot." Drake nodded. "But don't mistake that for him going soft. Because fireworks don't DO soft."

MS. FORTUNE

NODE: SKULLGIRLS

"And here we have the ORIGINAL cat-girl of Skullgirls, Ms. Fortune!" Drake grinned.

"But don't think she is your regular cutesy catgirl. She could detach her limbs or even her head from her body." Ashley winced.

"Yeah, despite this, she could work perfectly well WITHOUT it!" Drake grinned. "No, seriously, that is a major part of her gameplay!"

"Indeed, she could detach her head so she could be her own puppet in the puppet fighter archetype." Ashley nodded before looking at Drake. "Did I say that right?"

"Perfectly." The vampire smirked. "But however, being a literal cat burglar, she is also a rushdown character as well with deadly claw swipes and aerobatic skills."

"She sounds like another threat to fight against, but do you think she will get an elimination?" Ashley asked.

"I am not sure." Drake shrugged. He then smirked. "But I am sure that we will be just purrrrrfect!"

Ashley slapped his head. "Nyanderful… Just Nyanderful…"

Then, the Mystery Fighter alarm went off.

Drake's eyes lit up. "Oh, it is time for our next Mystery Fighter!"

"They better not be another hurricane of puns." Ashley muttered.

Drake's grin vanished. "Dude, quit hating"

KEITH RIGFIRE

NODE: LiEat 1

Drake and Ashley both blinked twice at this.

"...I am SO going to look forward to being the one in the Announcer's Booth at the third Battle of the Luminaries." Drake muttered. "Then, we would be making Xero & Maurice go WTF at certain Mystery Fighters. Or Carver & Blunny. Whoever covers that tournament."

Ashley let out a deep sigh. "Wally and Catherine… It looks like overtime for you."

The camera went to a bewildered Wally and Catherine.

"Okayyyyyy, but don't be surprised if we do a half-assed job." Wally frowned as the two started to get to work.

"Just do your best. You don't have to go into great detail. Just cover the basics." Drake offered.

"Aight…" Wally said before reading his tablet. "LiEat is a series of three RPGs made by Miwashiba in Wolf RPG Editor. Basically a game fully created by RPG Maker. Thus why a lot of the graphics look limited."

"But don't judge a book by its cover. LiEat makes up for its limitations with its gameplay and story. Said story is about a con artist called Leo, who by the way, is only named that way because the node we are covering is the first game. He literally changes his name and appearance every day." Catherine explained.

"He is accompanied by Efina, a cute little girl that is actually a DRAGON that has the power to literally turn lies in physical forms so she could… Eat them." Wally winced. "Yeah, THAT is where the RPG gameplay comes in. Leo and Efina go into a town where there is some kind of mystery and go to try to solve the problem."

"Okay, the concept is weird, but the execution seems quite good, thanks to the writing, the cute art style and the characters. It DID spawn two games after all AND a novel." Catherine said. "Not bad for something created in a RPG Maker engine."

"As for how Keith will fight, all we could do is guess, but I think Keith is a Mook Maker." Wally said, scratching his head.

"Yes, for some reason, he could turn his lies into monsters WITHOUT Efina's help." Catherine explained. "So yeah, that is how he fights and considering that he is actually told a lot of lies, he KNOWS how to use despite not being much of a direct fighter himself. Back to you guys."

The camera went to a nodding Drake. "Thanks, guys! You did great on such short notice!"

"Um, am I the only one who is thinking about how Kokichi Ouma would be if HE was in LiEat?" Ashley asked.

Drake and Ashley paused for a moment. They then (along with Wally and Catherine) off-screen.

GORILLA GRODD

NODE: DC COMICS/THE FLASH

BIG GUY ALERT!

Drake's eyes bugged out before diving behind his chair. Ashley jumped at this.

"D-Drake!?" Ashley gasped.

"Think empty thoughts! Think empty thoughts! Think empty thoughts!" The vampire exclaimed.

Then, Ashley got up and ran to Drake's side before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him gently.

"Gorilla Grodd does not have the power to break the fourth-wall!" Ashley offered. "Gorilla Grodd can't take over your mind if he wanted to!"

"R-Really?" Drake asked.

"Really." Ashley offered. "Remember, Xero can and WILL penalise Grodd even if he WAS able to do so."

"Y-Yeah, you're right…" Drake said, holding his head. "Sorry, man. I thought I was over Psycho Mantis' attack."

Ashley then hugged Drake. "There, there, being brainwashed is never a good feeling. Don't worry. We are here."

The vampire paused before returning the hug with a smile.

"Thanks, man." Drake said.

"It is more than alright." Ashley offered with a soft smile.

With that, the two got up.

"So um, sorry about that…. Episode." Drake said, stifling a cough. "It is as I… Demonstrated. Grodd could take over people's minds just like… Psycho Mantis."

"However, not as powerful, thankfully." Ashley reassured.

"He also has telekinesis, but just because he prefers to fight with his mind, that doesn't mean he can't fight head-on." Drake explained. "At the end of the day, he IS still a gorilla, after all."

PRINCE PHILIP

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/SLEEPING BEAUTY

Drake merely looked at the picture of Phillip with wide eyes. He then looked at Ashley.

"...Why? Just why?"

"Don't look at me. Look at Xero. Or look at Orange-Ratchet. You know how much he loves Disney and he can and will find any and all ways to represent it, even if it is a… Less than a dynamic character." Ashley admitted.

"Okay, fair, but you are telling me that this guy is actually a PARTY member?" Drake asked in disbelief.

"Yes, in Birth By Sleep where he accompanies Aqua to fight Maleficent." Ashley explained. "Which checks out because Philip is actually the first Disney prince who actively stopped the problem."

Drake scoffed. "Fine, he could stay. But I don't see him doing too well. If I remember correctly, he was accompanied by the three fairies, the TRUE protagonists of the story and they are clearly not here."

Ashley paused. "...I mean he CAN use his shield to boost someone up into the air for more height. If not a direct fighter, he will make up for it by being a support fighter. You don't always have to be front and centre to be a hero."

"Okay, you are not wrong, but you are still confirming that you are struggling to find positive things to talk about him." Drake muttered.

"Oi." Ashley said, rolling his eyes.

ZAKURO FUJIWARA

NODE: TOKYO MEW MEW

"And here we have the Cool Big Sis of the group!" Drake grinned.

"Purple AND part-wolf?" Ashley asked before rolling his eyes. "Pull a Rule 63 on her and Tinyhammer would be foaming at the mouth."

Drake chuckled nervously before reading his tablet. "Anyway, Zakura's spirit animal is the… Grey Wolf? That's kinda anti-climatic."

"Don't misunderstand, Drake. I would love to see more lesser-known animals to be highlighted." Catherine said from off-screen "But that doesn't change the fact that wolves are on the endangered species list…"

"LC." Ashley piped up.

"...Huh?" Catherine asked.

"LC. That stands for Least Concern on the Conversation Status." Ashley said, holding up his tablet.

Drake's eyes widened at this. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah, sure, it wasn't the case at the time Tokyo Mew Mew came out, but here, Zakuro kinda stands out like the planet Pluto." Ashley added.

"Also, knowing Tiny, he would want me to have a couple of wolf Mystery Fighters so even if it won't be HERE, we may more or less represent it later." Drake reminded. "Especially since the ones I had in mind at the moment are quite obscure."

A brief pause could be heard before Catherine scoffed. "Fine… But I better hold onto you for that."

Drake chuckled nervously before reading his own tablet. "Now Zakuro wields the ZaCross Whip. Which is as it sounds. A whip whose default form is a cross."

Ashley blinked twice. "Is she a Castlevania fan?"

"Probably. But she is actually a canon Christian." Drake said, shrugging his shoulders. "So as you could expect, Zakuro could do a lot of things with her whip. Attack me, using it to swing from ceilings or roofs or go Mortal Kombat Scorpion on them just like she did on Kisshu one time!"

"The Mew Mews have been doing decently well thus far. Well, outside of Berry, of course." Ashley said. "Do you think she will continue that trend?"

"I'm not sure." Drake mused. "But then again, we expect Kisshu to do so well. Hell, Pai would have gotten an elimination if he showed up in the first section much later!"

BENIMARU NIKAIDO

NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS XIV

"And here we have canonically the guy with the most tournament wins!" Drake grinned.

Ashley jumped at this. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah. Along with being on the Japan Team most of the time aka the team with Kyo Kusanagi as the main character, he also aligned with heroes of their respective sagas at some point." Drake explained. "K' and Maxima along with Shingo in 99 and Shun'Ei and Meitenkun in XV. The only exception is Ash, not surprisingly how antagonistic he was towards Kyo and Chizuru so he aligned with Elisabeth and Duo Lon instead."

Ashley blinked twice. "That'sssss…. Sounds like he was piggy-backing on other people's success."

Drake's grin vanished as Catherine started to laugh from off-screen.

"Got YOUR number!" Catherine taunted.

Drake growled. "Shut up! The both of you!"

Ashley just groaned. "So Benimaru is an electromancer just like Sylvie, right?"

"Yeah, combining it with Shoot Boxing, he is a well-rounded character even though he can't use his electricity for long or even mid-rang." Drake explained. "He CAN use a decently-large ball of electricity around his fist."

"Wait, a decently-large ball of electricity around his fist. Didn't I hear somewhere…" Ashley started.

"Yeah, Tinyhammer wanted to base some of Fenrir's KI moves off of Benimaru's move." Drake nodded.

"Heh. If it is good enough for Tinyhammer, it should be good enough for the ring." Ashley added.

"Yeah, AND he is the only King of Fighters character OTHER than Terry Bogard to appear in Xuan Dou Zhi Wang!" Drake grinned.

Ashley blinked twice. "What?"

Drake' grin vanished. "Never mind. Not the best example."

ELLIS

NODE: BATTLE ARENA TOSHINDEN

Ashley paused. "...Well, my comment about it makes sense that the Battle Arena Toshinden characters are apart looks dumb down."

"Pretty much. But hey, between her and Sho, Battle Arena Toshinden has a decent shot of getting another elimination!" Drake grinned.

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Oh? She is THAT strong?"

"Well, she is no less competent than the rest of her node, but I consider her the 'heroine' of the game." Drake explained.

"Oh, right! And they usually do better than the male leads, right?" Ashley realised.

"Yeah. It also helps that she is the Fragile Speedster of the game." Drake added. "With her twin daggers, aerobatic skills and even throwing in a bit of dancing!"

"Oof, she sounds like a hard one to hit." Ashley winced.

"She better. She can't really take a hit. But something tells me that isn't going to stop her." Drake smirked, crossing his arms.

Then, the Mystery Fighter alarm went off.

"Ooh, here we have our next Mystery Fighter!" Drake grinned.

"AND this is the second-to-last fighter so this one must be good!" Ashley smiled.

PENNY PROUD

NODE: THE PROUD FAMILY

Just like with Keith, Drake and Ashley blinked twice at this. However, for different reasons. Ashley then narrowed his eyes before getting out his phone and calling a familiar number.

A few seconds later, a familiar voice answered. "Ello?"

Ashley blinked twice. "Maurice?"

"Sorry, Xero can't come to the phone right now." The bull apologised with a sigh. "He is still trying to recover by having his plan to recreate Eddy Gordo and Chang Koehan's fight ruined."

"Ah…" Ashley said, rolling his eyes. "So I don't suppose you could tell me what Xero was thinking when he invited Penny."

"Okay, to be fair, he WASN'T thinking about inviting Penny. At all" Xero countered. "He gave the invitation to SUGA MAMA."

Ashley's eyes widened at this. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah, but for some reason, Suga Mama contacted Xero and asked if he could give my invitation to Penny." Maurice explained.

Drake jumped. "You could DO that?"

"Apparently. Though Xero actually had second thoughts, he overall relented." Maurice sighed.

"WHY!?" Ashley exclaimed. "Penny is from a Slice of Life cartoon and she didn't even have the excuse of appearing in a fighting game like Luna Loud!"

"That is what I tried to tell Xero, but apparently, Penny knows karate and won a tournament before." Maurice said.

"Yes, because the other karate school literally did nothing, but take flashy pictures instead of teaching them proper martial arts!" Ashley scolded.

"Look… I am sorry. You know how stubborn Xero could be and considering Xero is too stunned to give any concrete answers, I don't know what to tell you." Maurice frowned.

Ashley let out a deep sigh. "Alright… That's fine… Best of luck with Xero, Maurice. You're gonna need it."

"Thanks. I know." The bovine groaned before hanging up.

Drake chuckled nervously. "Sooo what about Wally and Catherine?"

The camera then went to Catherine rolling her eyes.

"Hold on… It is a good thing I actually WANT to talk about this." Catherine muttered. She then brightened up. "The Proud Family is a Disney animated sitcom and the first cartoon to feature a black family as the main focus and they really focus on that!"

"The cartoon is about fourteen-year-old Penny Proud, her cool mom, Trudy, his overprotective and frankly assholish dad, Oscar, their badass granny, Suga Mama, the twins Bebe and Cece and Suga Mama's poodle, Puff!" Wally grinned. He then scowled. "And Penny's 'friends'."

"Ugh, don't remind me about those bitches. Zoe is the embodiment of bandwagon mentality, LaCienega is the worst aspect of an Alpha Bitch and Dijonay… Fuck that bitch!" Catherine growled. "At least LaCienega will stab you from the front. Dijonay will stab you in the back again. And again. And again. Why does Penny hang out with that?"

"So while the Proud Family never taught Penny ta get better friends, the show had a lot of strong morals and were not afraid to tackle subjects like racism and sexism." Wally explained. "It feels like it appeals to kids, teenagers AND adults! Also, for a slice-of-life cartoon, it could get WEIRD."

"Yeah. Apparently, Al Roker, yes, THAT Al Roker is a mean-spirited genie and the entire town is run by a rich jock." Catherine explained. "And somehow the cartoon manages to balance this out."

"The cartoon spawned episodes fer five years before getting a Series Finale movie and eventually came in 2021 with a comeback and getting with the times." Wally explained. "Basically, homophobia, cancel culture and the world of smartphones. It got a major glow-up and yet it is like that she never really left. Back ta ya guys!"

The camera went back to an intrigued Drake. "Ah, so relevance isn't a problem for Penny."

"Even still, she only appeared in ONE karate tournament. And their opponents were complete amateurs!" Ashley pointed out. "Seriously, how did her family okay this!?"

"I could see Trudy taking a bit of time to convince, but Oscar? Yeah, no, the only way I could see him being okay is if they lie that she will be at a sleepover or something." Drake offered.

Ashley shook his head. "Ugh, this is going to be a mess!"

"Calm down, I am sure that Penny would rise up on top." Drake reassured. "She always does."

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

"SONIC!" Drake grinned.

"It is nice to finally see him!" Ashley smiled. He then realised something. "Hey, Drake?"

"Yes, Ashley?" The mayor answered.

"How is Sonic doing on the… Rollercoaster?" The wizard asked.

Drake's face fell. "Ohh… Well, he is at a high. With the first Sonic movie doing so well, the second movie coming out soon and of course, Frontiers."

"Ah, so he has a lot of hype behind him." Ashley mused.

"Pretty much." Drake nodded. "Now I don't think we could go over his abilities. Super speed, spin dashing, homing attack, aeromancy."

Ashley nodded his head. "Sonic has been around the block more than a few times. Some good trips, some bad trips. But for better or for worse, he faced a lot of opponents."

"Yeah, this is nothing new for him." Drake nodded. "Well, that is everyone!"

"Normally, The Panda King and Gorilla Grodd would be the only Big Guys, but again, Bugs is a Big Guy, thanks to 'You're The Boss'." Ashley said. "So eighteen fighters will be eliminated."

"Also, in an UVR-first, there are NO Side Matches. Turns out that the story takes priority here." Drake mused.

"Regardless, you can focus on the arena! Please don't miss it!" Ashley smiled.

CLICK!

The screen turned off to show Wally and Catherine.

"Andddd we are done!" Wally grinned. "At least with the main recap."

"For this new segment, it isn't anything that grand, but still interesting to talk about." Catherine nodded. "We were actually talking about this whenever a recap ends, but we decided to share it with you."

Wally and Catherine looked at each other before nodding and turning to the camera.

"We are going ta share our thoughts about the current story." Wally said. "And since we are so focused on the arena, we didn't get a chance ta look into the story too much."

"Nothing that grand. We just wanted to give our theories." Catherine explained. "I think this works out because we don't know what was going on, but if Akane Owari is right, then the Big Bad is… Junko Enoshima."

"But… Why? She is so busy having fun in the arena!" Wally frowned.

"...She is the Ultimate Analyst, Wally." Catherine frowned, shaking her head. "Do you really think she won't notice that those snow globes don't have actual screams?"

Wally winced at this. "Once ya put it THAT way…"

"And now that I think about it, it WAS kinda easy to trick her at the first two times of 'Unleash the Despair' and we never saw her actually finding the pink elephants or the hyenas!" Catherine added.

"And the more AH think about it, there is no way that someone like Xero could pull a fast one on Junko without getting away with it." Wally added before slapping his forehead. "Which means it is HIS fault for Marie and Xehanort's murders."

"It gets worse. I don't think Junko isn't just doing it with the traitor! I think it is worse!" Catherine frowned.

"H-How?" Wally asked.

"I think… The people that attacked Bowser after his fight with Haohmaru!" Catherine frowned. "Are the students that died in the trilogy!"

Wally's eyes bugged out at this. "What!?"

"I know, I know, it is a wild theory, but I don't think they are doing so willingly." Catherine frowned. "Junko probably brought them to life and controlled their bodies."

"But… What makes you so sure?" Wally asked.

"Well, the weapon that knocked out Bowser is a hammer. And one of the most iconic murder weapons in the hammer in the third case of the first game." Catherine explained.

Wally's ears drooped. "Cat, that is kinda…"

"I know, but that is not what I am thinking about!" The pink-haired girl offered. "The main source of my theory is tied to… The traitor."

Wally's pupils shrank. "Wait, ya don't mean…"

"That's right… The traitor is… Maki Harukawa." Catherine explained.

Wally looked stunned.

"Truth be told, I kinda suspected Maki from the start by how… Calm she is to Marie's murder. Sure, she is no stranger to death, but something about her reaction rubs me the wrong way." Catherine said. "Then, later on, she more or less reveals her motive."

Wally's ears drooped. "Kaito…"

"Yeah, all Junko has to do is blackmail Maki with the controlled body of Kaito to get her on her side." Catherine frowned.

"But… Where did she even get the know-how?" Wally asked.

"That I am not sure of. What I AM sure is it shouldn't be too hard for Junko to grab it." Catherine frowned. "And that is all I got for now."

Wally gulped nervously. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait until the next section to find out if what you said is correct."

"Indeed." Catherine said, nodding sternly before looking at the camera. "Stay tuned."

LINK TO SECTION: archiveofourown / works / 25531129 / chapters / 94717081