Smash Gods/Generation of Miracles Comparison
Okay so I think that it’s a bit weird that the smash community has never had this conversation out in the open before considering how many smashers have watched KNB. Hbox has tweeted about it before, Leffen has commented on how it was good in the beginning but gets ridiculous, KNB has been mentioned on the Scar and Toph Show, and Prince Abu has compared himself to Akashi. I’m sure that there are other smashers who are just into anime and have watched KNB as well. Now by no means is this comparison perfect but here is my take on the Smash Gods as they compare to the GOM. Spoilers for KNB if you haven’t finished it.
Armada/Akashi: This one is just indisputable. Akashi has been shown to be the most formidable as well as dominant of the GOM in the series. It was strongly implied that he would win both of the tournaments had it not been for Seiren. In this way Armada most resembles Akashi because of his similar dominance within the Five Gods. Additionally, you can think of his Fox as a parallel to “Emperor” Akashi. In KNB Akashi develops a split personality when he sees that the rest of the GOM have developed their talents and have surpassed him. Now Armada has picked up Fox, citing that a slow character like Peach had no place in the meta anymore. Originally it was Murasakibara who pushed Akashi into developing his emperor persona, and in my list I have compared Murasakibara to Hbox who along with Leffen most likely triggered Armada to switch to Fox. Additionally, if a God defeats his Fox it brings out his Peach, similar to how Seiren was able to bring out the original Akashi in the final game.
Hbox/Murasakibara: What is Hungrybox known for within the Smash Community? His extremely campy and defensive style. Yosen High was known for having rock solid defensive capabilities. Murasakibara’s huge wingspan can be compared to Puff’s bair. Now we do see Murasakibara switch to offensive, where he starts ripping Seiren apart with his ability to move across the court and score. This explosive power (for some reason he also pulls a move called Thor’s Hammer out of nowhere against Kagami) is comparable to Puff’s rest as well as Hbox’s stellar punish game. Personality wise if you’ve seen Hbox’s twitter you will know that he is all about Chipotle and hosting food chain tournaments. Hbox has a fascination with food that no other god seems to share, which makes him like Murasakibara who has an obsession with sweets.
M2K/Midorima: Both of them have pretty unusual character quirks. Midorima does not feel like he can win without his lucky item and M2K needs to have the correct controller (yes I know that among the gods they all care about controllers). Among all the GOM I would say Midorima, while capable of beating the other members, is the least likely to win a tournament. Sorry M2K if you’re reading this, but I believe the popular conception among the community is that if Armada or Hbox is in the tourney you will not win. If you are reading this then I hope you can prove them wrong in 2017.
Mango/Aomine: Like with Armada/Akashi this one fits like a glove. Aomine had the most talent, enough so that he went through a period of sandbagging because of how far ahead of everyone else he was. At a time Mango once did this when he played as Scorp for a while. Aomine also has the most free style. It is a style born from the streets that only he is able to keep up consistently. Now what is Mango known for? Mango is known for his creative combo strings as well as his ability to overwhelm his opponent by reading them and out maneuvering them. Aomine is the first character to enter the zone and for a long time we could consider Mango to be the only person who could reach an equivalent zone (Neo!). Once Aomine finally is beaten, he remembers his love for the game and starts playing seriously again. I think Mango probably feels this way as well after he gets over any loss not from from Hbox.
PPMD/Kise: PPMD is the type of person who would legitimately have people wear a get-along sweater (and PP if you’re not then I’m sorry I misjudged you). Kise maintains the best relationships with the rest of the GOM, and even seeks out Kuroko to get him to join Kaijo. Both PPMD and Kise have great analytical abilities, PP is able to gain tremendous insight into a player from watching matches; Kise is able to mimic another players movements after watching them once. In KNB Kise ends up unable to play after stretching his body too far copying Aomine. I apologize if this is insensitive, but a person can see a similarity in how PPMD has been mostly absent from the scene in his recovery. If you’re reading this PP, I look forward to the day where you can comfortably return to your spot among the best.
?/Kuroko: I don’t believe there is a strong comparison that can be made here. Kuroko as a character is a “shadow” not noticed by the in-universe audience. However I do have one smasher in mind that I can compare him to if I stretch my imagination. Kuroko is an extremely weak player in the skills that are asked of a normal basketball player, but he excels in his ability to support. Now who do we know is a weak player but has always been supporting the scene from the shadows? That’s right, the Crimson Blur. The man is a pillar of the community with his ability to organize tournaments and provide insightful analysis with his commentary. Yes there are many ways in which this pick does not line up. I am comparing real 3d people to 2d anime characters. Blur especially doesn’t match up with Kuroko’s plot line of saving the GOM from themselves. He also doesn’t match up with my pick for Kagami, which moves me on to my final comparison.
Leffen/Kagami: If Leffen had a different personality, he wouldn’t be considered a villain but in actuality be the shounen hero. Think about it. Leffen (The God Slayer) saw people the community saw as untouchable and peerless outside their group but he decided that he would be the one who defeats them all. Kagami comes to Japan, like Leffen comes to America (yes I know that Armada is also from Sweden), and decides he wants to beat the strongest high school basketball players there. Eventually we see that Kagami has his own skills that let him play on a comparable level to the GOM and he wins against every one of them. Notable in the final game against Akashi Kagami reaches a zone beyond the zone. Leffen has said before on stream that he believes that if you compare “peaks,” his peak is above all other smashes. If you look at his GOML there is some legitimacy to this statement.
If you’re still here I’m thankful that you have read through all of this. I just really thought that this topic needed to be talked about. More than that, I wanted other people to know my thoughts on the subject. I haven’t thought about how the uncrowned kings relate to smashers, and maybe that’s where the discussion will go next. I can’t say I’m too interested in that one though. If you have any disagreements with my reasoning I would say it’s probably valid. I would like to reiterate that this is a comparison of actual people to fictional characters. I hope that you’ve had some fun reading through my ramblings.