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[mikireyna]

Worst 2025: Eric Cartman (South Park)

Cartman is the Worst. Of 2025.

That is it. 

Honestly. I shouldn’t need to explain myself here. Cartman is the worst person in South Park. And there are horrible people in South Park. Lots of them. 

Still, what makes Cartman the worst is that he knowingly knows it. A good percentage of the citizens of South Park are bad because they are stupid but Cartman is the worst and he knows it. 

He will go out of his way to do something bad because of whatever selfish reason he wants. If Eric Cartman doesn’t get his way then he will do what he has to in order to get his way. Usually hurting and/or manipulating all along the way.

The best example of this was the Casa Bonita episode. Where everybody in the friend group was invited to go to Casa Bonita except Cartman. Instead sweet, innocent and goodest boy ever Butters was invited to go. 

And what does Cartman do? Surely he just sulk about it and eventually let it go. Maybe get a bit upset about it. After all it doesn’t take a lot to do and would be the normal thing a person does.

No! Cartman plots up a whole scheme where he lucks Butters in a doomsday bunker and fake a zombie apocalypse. Cartman even goes ahead and puts on fake blood to sell the whole thing. Pretty much doing all this extra work instead of actually doing what a normal person does. 

And gosh forbid he takes a moment and wonders why he wasn’t invited to Casa Bonita. Then maybe he would be able to do some self improvement. Still, that may be asking too much from a 9 year old.

Either way, poor Butters, his mother and friends have to deal with Cartman’s horrible ways in any Cartman focus episode.

Still, this leads to the best part of any Cartman episode. When Cartman gets his just desserts. Like in the episode where he takes Butter’s money to fix up his hot dog house hut to make it a proper business with fun things that Cartman wanted. Only to force Butters to work in it to make his money back. Butters works so much that he was able to buy Cartman’s mom a new house and get Cartman back into his proper home. The best just desserts because Cartman’s life got better but he lost what he really wanted. And then Cartman cried so much while Butters was happy. Which makes me happy. 

Cartman is an arrogant, racist, manipulative, self important person to have ever walked South Park. That is why he is the Worst. Not the Best Worst. 

And here is a picture of Cartman getting a well deserved punch from Wendy. Because why not.

[mikireyna]

Best Existential Crisis 2025: All for One (My Hero Academia)

Imagine that you set everything up to be just how you planned. You have it all but you made one slight miscalculation and everything just falls apart. You then spend your last moments trying to salvage it all only for you to get punched both physically and mentally. And die twice. 

All for One is the Best Existential Crisis for 2025.

We spent the whole series watching All for One raving about having the best plan to come back into power. How he was going to throw the world into chaos and take over Shigaraki’s body. Only that was the very thing that made him lose all control of himself and grand plan.

Since the embracing of Shigaraki’s hatred, All for One was using control of himself and simply falling for the whim of his emotions and old memories. From letting All Might egg him on into a fight he didn’t need to fight to seeing Kudo’s image within the face of Bakugo. All for One was sprailing out of control and by the time he realized it, he was just a baby who literally faded out of existence. And the best part is that All for One could have stopped at any moment but he just couldn’t help himself. All because he was too focused on his greed. 

And the best part is that we saw him crashing out on his existential crisis twice. All for One thought he had it all figured out. That he knew exactly what Deku was and could overcome it. Though he just lost all control of himself and Deku’s ability to bring people together overtook him. Also the fact that All for One completely lost control of himself and thus lost control of the Quriks that he held within himself. 

And in the end, it was the literal inner conflict within him that brought him down. Decades of hate all within him from spotting Bakugo that led to him slowly being a baby to having Deku and Shigaraki punching him out of mental existence. A man desperately clinging to his brother and himself using metal spikes.

In a series where most villains got some sort of redemption of sorts from Stain, Lady Nagant to goofballs like Gentle and La Brava. I was really worried if we would have gotten a redemption for All for One. Especially as it looked as if we were going to get one for him, in the end, Deku said it best. 

“You are no Demon Lord…I see you and you are nothing but a sad, lonely man!”

All for One refused to see this. All he had was greed and a desire to keep his brother. And that desperation allowed the hate overtake him and crash in the end. 

[mikireyna]

Best Couple 2025: Momo and Okarun (Dandadan)

My pick for Best Couple is Momo and Okarun from Dandadan.

It feels lately that perhaps the media is showing a better way to depict or show different types of relationships. Is it realistic? Not really but that is kind of hard when you are fending off ghosts, aliens and other supernatural things. Still, Momo and Okarun are trying to work out being a couple. 

And perhaps they are not an official couple yet but they are trying for that. Dealing with old friends from the past, how to hold hands and general insecurities. All from the lens of high school kids. 

And while Momo and Okarun are opposites, they share plenty of shared interests that simply keep them together. Momo finds Okarun’s obsession with aliens to be pretty cool. Meanwhile Okarun finds Momo really cool and surprised at how similar yokai are to aliens. Which is a pretty nice way to show a solid couple. 

Still, with the events of the Evil Eye, both Momo and Okarun realize what they want from not only their relationship but themselves as well. Momo saw how much she really cares for Okarun. She didn’t want to leave him behind in the underground. Eventually she trusted him that everything will be okay. Still, she was legit scared that he had actually died in the lava. So much so that she was about to Juliet herself into the lava. Later on she is going to have her own insecurity moment similar to what Okarun dealt with when Jiji came into the picture. Still, that fallout won’t happen for another season but we do get something explosive at the end of this season regarding it.

Okarun on the other hand came out of the Evil Eye arc realizing that he has a place in Momo’s life even with the introduction of Jiji. Even though Jiji knew Momo longer, she wasn’t going to dump him to the side. And with some help from Momo and other bonding moments, Jiji ends up being one of Okarun’s closest friends. Still, Jiji also brought another round of trouble when he took in the Evil Eye and Okarun felt as if he needed to become stronger so he can protect Momo and the family he has become part of.

Lastly, I just like Dumb Kids doing Dumb Kids things. And Momo and Okarun are just that. Dumb Kids doing Dumb Kids Things with relationships. Both of them don’t know what they are doing when it comes to being a couple or what with each other. Stumbling around and just trying to get through things with each other with only knowing that they want to be together. Which is nice. I hope the kids will be alright. Glad that they got to hold hands. Twice! Because it shows that they are slowly making their way in this confusing world. Good for them.

[mikireyna]

Best Male: All Might (My Hero Academia)

I AM HERE! With All Might as Best Male! 

This final season gave us the build up of several things from all seasons of My Hero Academia. With All Might being one of those people who benefitted from this. We start with a man who was a husk of their former self and as the seasons go by, we see All Might grow into not just a hero but a man who became a true symbol for a generation.

The final season starts off with the continuation of the All Might vs All for One fight from the previous season. We have a man (or boy) with all the power vs a man who is two steps away from being a skeleton. As AFO would describe him, as wearing a fancy bodybag and a piece of trash during their fight. 

Still, this is only proof of All Might’s resolve. He could have sat out during the final fight and stayed in the command center. There was no need for him to actually fight. Though All Might decided that if the kids were going to fight then he was going to have to fight as well. To try to end the fight that he started many years ago. All Might went as far to replicate the Quirks of everybody from Class 1A because he wanted to make sure that they were there with him in this fight. 

That wasn’t enough as All Might wanted to make sure that these kids didn’t suffer the same path of blood that he walked as a young hero. All Might wanted to make sure the kids had a true victory where as many lives as possible were spared from death. Going so far to prevent Star and Stripe’s men from dying in their final assault. Thus once again All Might was watching out for his students even beyond what he had to do in this fight that he was long illsuited to fight in.Even though All Might was willing to give up his life to the very end. Even after making promises that he won’t die and being saved by his AI. 

“You idiot. You thought you get to choose a heroic death.” - All for One

But All Might gets no choice in how he dies. Much less his legacy.

All Might spent his whole career as a hero in becoming a Symbol of Peace. While he was successful for the most part. In the end, All Might ended up becoming a Symbol of Inspiration for a whole generation. While every student in Class 1A was used as inspiration for the powers that All Might’s Iron Might suit, all the students felt inspiration from All Might in some form or way. That was seen especially in Deku and Bakugo as both young men hold All Might not only as a card in their hand but in their heart. 

And I really do love the use of the path of lights as a symbol of the lights that All Might has lit with his ember. It is a beautiful symbolism of how All Might has inspired so many people to become heroes. Now with Deku and Bakugo, these young men now inspire others to do the same. All thanks to the light that All Might carried all alone for so long. 

[mikireyna]

Best Parental Figure: Bartholomew Kuma (One Piece)

A parent is somebody who would do anything for their child. Even if it means giving up their life. And that is what Bartholomew Kuma (One Piece) did.

We met Kuma long ago as the person known as the Tyrant. A title that gives the impression that he is cruel and horrible. Though that is the complete opposite for the man with the biggest heart. Born as a kid who was forced to be a slave by the government because his father came from a certain bloodline, Kuma eventually grew up without his parents. Eventually he found Ginny, a girl who was also a slave and they were able to escape a horrible hunting game. All because of Kuma’s big heart who wanted to save as many people as possible. Eventually Ginny and Kuma were able to live together like a family.

Though, hardship came as Kuma was forced into action to fight against a horrible king and to go on the run with the revolutionaries alongside with Ginny. During that time, Ginny was captured and made into a slave again. The next time Kuma would see Ginny again, it would be her dying while holding her daughter, Bonney. 

And from there, Kuma became a father to Bonney. While Kuma wasn’t her actual father, he made sure to raise that girl as his own. To be the father that his father couldn’t be. To show her love that he had for her mother. And when Bonney came down with an incurable illness and unable to see the sun, Kuma did what he could to make sure she was comfortable. Even if it means sealing up all the windows in his church just so Bonney wouldn’t be harmed by the sun.

From there, Kuma would do his best to still raise Bonney. From playing with her to telling her stories of the great God of Liberation, Nika. He would tell Bonney stories of places all over the world to keep her happy. Promising that one day when she gets cured that they would travel the world together. Still, as the illness worsened, Kuma. When he found out that this illness would kill Bonney, he lied to her saying that she would be cured eventually. 

Eventually Kuma would have to leave the kingdom after attacking the horrible king from before again. With that, he took the moment to become a one man pirate crew. He traveled the world trying to find a cure for Bonney. Eventually he heard of the great government scientist and genius Dr. Vegapunk. Kuma, seeing this as his final chance, brought Bonney to him asking for him to cure her.

But it came with a price. He must give up his body to science to become a mindless cyborg for the government that originally made his family into slaves and cut all contact with Bonney until she was fully cured. Vegapunk was against this decision but Kuma gladly accepted as long as his daughter would be cured.

In the end, Bonney was cured and Kuma lost his humanity to become a mindless weapon for the government. But something within him stayed. After going against government orders by having Vegapunk install a special directive to protect Luffy’s crew, Kuma as a mindless cyborg was forced to be a slave once again to the ruling class. He was rescued by the revolutionaries but essentially braindead. Though something was still stirring in him. His love for his daughter, Bonney. This love made the once dead Kuma travel halfway across the world to be reunited with Bonney in her time of need. He gave one strong punch to protect Bonney from the government powers that wish her dead. He gave Bonney hope to keep living even when things seem hopeless. Even in what seems like essentially death, Kuma still wants to be a father that gives it his all. Just so his daughter can have a better life then he did. 

It was love that made Kuma keep running just so his daughter could be free. And it is that love that made me want to make Kuma the Best Parental Figure for 2025.

[mikireyna]

Best Lady 2025: Anya Forger (Spy x Family)

My pick for Best Lady for 2025 is Anya Forger from Spy X Family.  This is mostly because she was able to handle a Red Circus Busjacking situation on her own without the help of her parents using wits and empathy. 

Usually Anya is able to handle most situations on her own or figure things on her own. Though she always had to use her parents in some form or way to resolve the conflict. After all, she is only five years old.

Still, this season Anya was placed in a situation where she was isolated from her parents and had to handle the situation of the terrorist from start to finish. While she did get help from her friends and had them do some things, Anya had to rely on her wits to get her through the situations such as trying to talk to the main terrorist.

Granted, she also had her mind reading powers as well to guide her. Was that cheating and something nobody else had? Yes. Yes it was. Though she had to use everything she had on her to make sure they could get out of the busjacking without being shot or blown up. All while not having anybody get suspicious of her having any sort of powers. 

Anya tried her best to stay brave during the whole situation because she is a girl with a mission. To bring world peace. And while most people saw her as somebody brave, the girl was trying her best to get through everything alive. There were times she had to comfort her classmates too. Other times she tried to act like her dad in using her words to get through the situation instead of using just her psychic powers. Though it ended up making the terrorist feel empathy because Anya kept reading his mind to read what he was thinking and trying to make it relate to what was going on. Still, she stood her ground to make sure that her classmates were safe. Still, this baby was trying to do her best using everything she knows.

Though, at the end of the day I love that she is still a stupid kid. She may have saved her classmates but still showed the same worries as any kid. And when the whole situation was over and Yor was there to pick Anya up. The kid cried like anybody would. Showing that Anya is capable of handling a tense situation but still just a kid.

[kianamaiart]

[kianamaiart]

these are more or less the beta versions of zira, aika and devoid respectively lol

[beifongboars]

the girlies (mako and amon are also there, ig)

[limitiv]

Pokemon, 2D era (1996 - 2012)

[poqu]

piplup and torchic greet the snow

[poqu]

as a phone wallpaper :’)

[cryptidswitch]

So I have a deep appreciation for late night host John Oliver and all he does, but I have an even greater love for one of his running gags. In several of his episodes he flashes up a joke alternative title card for his show and I have been collecting screenshots of these cards. Here is my collection.

[squidsinmysoda]

“Stone no likey Gerald Robotnik…” 😭⁉️

[thesuperheroesnetwork]

Texts From Superheroes

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[mikireyna]

Best Fight 2024: Luffy vs Kaido (One Piece)

Freedom and Food.

A fight that has been in the making for twelve real years but twenty years in the story. One started with a group of samurai that led to joining forces with pirates, minks, and alliances that were thought to be impossible. All of this leading to Luffy fighting one on one against the King of Beasts and Emperor of the Sea: Kaido.

And ending with the one who was most free.

Just to liberate an island based on Japan: Wano.

This fight and arc was a long time coming. Luffy met the samurai of Wano over a decade ago to the point that they traveled with the crew to different islands. While this arc on the Island of Wano could have been something simple as fighting Kaido and his underlings. It ended up being more than just that as Luffy and his crew met the people of Wano from the full group of samurai to the actual people of Wano. Everybody who was suffering under the oppressive rule of Kaido who took over the island twenty years ago.

And this fight had it all. Punches. Slashes. Gunshots. Kicks. 

While the Pirate-Mink-Samuari alliance arrived on the battlefield together. It was the samurai and Minks that had the first bout against Kaido. They wanted to fight and earn their freedom themselves. Eventually the group of pirates along with Luffy took on Kaido.

Still, Kaido is no slouch. He is one of the Four Emperors of the Sea. One of the pirates who is closest to finding the One Piece.

In the end it was Emperor of the Sea Kaido vs Worst Generation Pirate Luffy. Old vs New. 

A clash where Luffy had to throw everything against a man who had the power of a Dragon on his side. Literally as Kaido could turn into a Dragon. Vs Luffy he kept bouncing back like a rubber ball. Still, even that wasn’t enough as Luffy pretty much came to death’s door leading to Luffy’s peak.

Freedom.

The ability to do anything he wants. All Luffy wants is to be the most free. And that is exactly what Luffy’s new Gear 5 power up allows him to do. From grabbing lightning, to making himself as big as a giant to doing the Sonic spinning leg thing to make himself go fast. Even use Kaido as a jump rope. If Luffy can imagine it then he is free to do it. Thus Luffy has the ultimate freedom to do as he wants in the fight against Kaido.

Then, there is the final point where this fight really took it for me. The final thing that Kaido said to Luffy before the final punch: What kind of world do you want to create? Straw Hat!

“To create a world where my friends can eat as much as they want!”

This arc began with Luffy meeting a little girl named Tama. She knew Ace from before his death and instantly took a liking to Luffy. Though, just like everybody else on the island of Wano, she was left hungry due to Kaido’s rule. 

As the Wano arc moved, we saw with Luffy the same tale being shown. So when it came to this fight. This line. It means that Luffy carried that image of Tama happily eating with him with the promise that she will get to eat like this everyday.

That they get to eat as free as they can.

And this whole fight felt as if we were going back to basics. The idea that Luffy not only wants to be the most free but he wants his friends to be free. The fact that he sees his Gear 5 as his “Most Free”. The only reason the creator decided on the Rubber powers for Luffy was so he can draw Luffy doing the silliest things possible even in the most intense of fights. That nobody has the stakes, Luffy can fight with a smile while putting a smile on our faces. That if Luffy is eating then so should everybody else. Because that is what free means to Luffy.

So the fact that Luffy’s new power is just the embodiment of freedom feels as if we are going back to base One Piece. The days where Luffy would do crazy things with his powers and stretch all over the place. The last few arcs had Luffy take some atypical Shonen looks but serious at the same time. It was all fun to watch and cheer Luffy on. Though, his Gear 5 just makes me smile and glad to see that Luffy and the creator were having fun. You can really feel it with everything Luffy was doing in this fight where the livelihood of a whole nation was on the line. Yes. Serious stakes but with the biggest of smiles for Luffy, the creator and us.

And in the end, Luffy was able to free everybody using a form that means freedom in the world of One Piece. Luffy has no idea of this but in the end Luffy was the most free because he wanted to make sure everybody was free to eat as much as they wanted.

And really. That is the most Luffy thing ever. As a fight and response. 

That Luffy would be freeing the people of the island so they can not just be free but free to eat as much they want. The ultimate “Most Luffy thing” that beats to the beat of his heart. That response ties everything together so neatly because Luffy isn’t doing this for power or fame. He just wants to be free and that includes his friends.

[mikireyna]

Best of Best 2023: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

What if Scott Pilgrim…dies?

Would Ramona do the same thing that Scott did if the roles were reversed? 

Those are the questions that Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and how they answer them in eight episodes made it my Best of the Best for 2023.

When we started planning the Best of the Best for 2023, Scott Pilgrim Takes off was pretty high in my ideas for this category. I even had Ramona as Best Female and the main couple pretty high in contention for Best Couple. Though, when I was writing Ramona for Best Female was when I realized that I couldn’t put her in Best Female. While she was great and amazing in the show with her taking the lead as main character. The thing is that it was overall the whole situation that she was in that made it great. It took everything you knew about Scott Pilgrimand and just reversed it. Ramona wasn’t the prize or the princess. She was out there doing the legwork in finding out what happened to Scott Pilgrim. Thus, a show that you thought was going to be filled with fights was instead made into a mystery whodunit. 

Of course there was some fighting in the show but this time we had Ramona not only be the center of it but also the forefront. 

But let’s get past Ramona and talk about this show! It is a pretty solid mystery show that really does have plenty of surprises. From how they handle the Seven Evil Exes where each one of them gets some sort of closure to expanding the world beyond Scott Pilgrim’s precious little life. It even makes fun of the live action movie because they actually make a movie in the show that is pretty much just the live action movie but everything goes wrong. Haha So if you are a fan of the original movie then you will get a few good laughs with the few episodes involving the movie. Heck. One of the movie episodes is pretty much done documentary style. So this show gets some awesome points in just playing around with the medium of entertainment. 

We also see the other characters like Knives, Young Neil and Kim get some attention as well. Especially Knives, who you get to see grow and move past Scott and learn more about herself. And I do love some good Knives stuff. This show brings back all the favorite characters you may love from the comics and live action movie plus the ones you hate. Then gives you a reason to love them all. It takes the time to really give them all a purpose and feel that makes them complete instead of just obstacles that need to be punched. 

Eventually Scott does come back and they handle that pretty well because the show does a great job in keeping Ramona as the main character. Even the final fight had it where Ramona finally confronts her issues of running away and learns the power of love.

Herself. 

Honestly, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is an amazing show and it is pretty funny that the title was a hint to what would happen. Scott Pilgrim really does take off. And Ramona steps up to be the main character. The show was so good that it did something that the live action movie failed to do. Pick up the comics and read them all. I really wanted to see how these characters from the anime stack up with the characters from the comics. And while they are different due to the situations they are in, it really does feel like if this did happen that the characters did act the way they were in the comics. Which makes this anime really takes off. 

Honorable Mention: My Adventures with Superman- It would have gotten Best of the Best. It was a fresh take on Superman. Heck just Superman in general for animation. Cute and funny.

[mikireyna]

Best Couple: Stede and Edward “Blackbeard” Teech (Our Flag Means Death)

Since Ben 10, I have kind of noticed that most people love writing about a couple getting together but never deal with the whole making the relationship works. Maybe it has been a thing and just not something in the shows I watch. Still, I do appreciate when shows do the whole “let's make the relationship works” when I do see it. Which is why I made Stede and Edward my Best Couple for 2023.

And boy was there a lot of work to be done for Stede and Edward. They were not left in a good spot at the end of Season 1 and that was picked up with Season 2. Stede being a hopeless romantic hoping to see Edward with no ship to seek him out. Meanwhile Edward was going through a huge self destructive depression that was going to get everybody killed.

And things didn’t get better when they got back together. Still, they put the work into it with the help of a friend turning into a bird. If I had to pick one episode from Season 2 of OFMD as a top 3 episode then Episdoe 4: Fun and Games where Stede and Edward meet Anne Bonny and Mary Read. 

I'm pretty sure neither one of these guys have any idea how a relationship works but seeing how Anne and Mary’s relationship really did help them. In…A really weird way. They got to see how another relationship works. While it didn’t fully convince Edward to give Stede a second shot, the episode ended with Buttons giving Edward the idea that change can happen.

By changing into a bird…Which I guess. Why not! 

Still, things were not all perfect after that as Edward had his issues to deal with. Then Stede being…Stede. Still, they worked through their problems. Granted, Blackbeard left again and I  could have done with less of that. Still, they did get back together to work through their stuff and give it another try. That was really good and glad that Stede and Edward ended the season on a happy note. While we may never see what becomes of them after this, I would like to think that they are running the best inn possible before they get captured and killed by the government. 

[mikireyna]

Best Group of 2023: Lois, Jimmy and Clark (My Adventures with Superman)

A good group is one made up of people that you care about. They stick together no matter what. And while this group is just three people, they really do stick through it all. That is why Lois, Jimmy and Clark from My Adventures with Superman is my Best Group.

My Adventures with Superman is maybe the best Year One Superman adaptation that could ever exist. The little group of Lois, Jimmy and Clark is what really helps push this. Clark and Jimmy are college roommates who have both gotten jobs at the Daily Planet. Both of them are living together in Metropolis with Clark trying his best to hide his powers from Jimmy. Meanwhile, Lois is an intern at the Planet doing anything to get her foot in the door from lying to sneaking around. And with them meeting, the group has assembled.

And the dynamic is great to watch as Clark, as mentioned before, is the goodest boy to have ever goodest boy existed. That clashes with Lois who isn’t beyond lying to their boss Perry and sneaking around for a scoop. At the start, Clark and Lois don’t agree with how they do things. Clark would always try to discourage Lois’s ideas while Lois is a train who just keeps going.

Meanwhile, Jimmy is in the middle and willing to do anything. He just want to be with his best friend and new friend. 

Eventually things get tense. Especially with Clark and Lois. So much so that Jimmy felt abandoned with Lois and Clark forgot about Jimmy’s camping trip to find cryptids. This was mostly because Lois was getting close to finding Clark’s identity of Superman. Eventually the secret is out and in the end the group’s friendship is repaired.All they wanted was to be friends with each other.

And It is so fun and nice to see. For the whole show, you just want good things for these guys but you know something is going to happen and things will blow up. Still, no matter what this trio sticks together through it all. From fighting robots to taking down giant monsters. 

So maybe the real superpower is friendship. Because this group has plenty of that which makes Lois, Jimmy and Clark so great.