Before I start, I just wanna say that this post will be reaching at best and fanfiction at worst. If we were in an overexaggerating competion, I'd be fucking winning. Some of these points will have very little evidence, and half of my evidence isn't even canon anymore. This isn't a theory, nor an analysis, it's more of a. Subjective interpretation. Be aware of that.
There's a lot to say about Ban Hammer, so let's start with a crash course on his personality, then work our way deeper to the good stuff.
Ban Hammer is a tank phighter, 42 years old, Windforce's son (making him a demi-deity with an indefinite lifespan), and he's the warden of the Banlands.
He's also kind of regarded as "dumb," both in the fandom and by some characters in-game. I WILL be returning to this.
What has Ban Hammer's life story been like?
Ban Hammer was spawned by Windforce, who's said to be specifically caring towards him. We don't know much about their relationship, but Windforce doesn't seem to be physically or verbally abusive, she's. A good mother. She tries her best for her son. I might critique her parenting a little later, but it's worth stating that she's DEFINITELY not the worst parent in Phighting.
He was friends for a long time with Firebrand's child (currently unnamed), as they were the only other demi-deity around at the time.
Let's dig a little deeper and begin examining some things he's said.
According to Ban Hammer, "children of the Swords are meant to work." Here we start to see one major aspect of Ban's character shine through: His love for justice, and his extreme focus on work.
Ban Hammer was appointed as the warden six years ago (So, 3093 AR, presumably), and has since come to LOVE his job.
Not only is he talking about justice CONSTANTLY, there's also a whole statue of him in the Banland??? He's worked this job for a RELATIVELY short time, and already he has made himself KNOWN.
It's worth noting that he criticizes other people for this exact behavior.
Likely because, first of all, they're mortals and don't need to be held to the High Standards that he holds himself to, and second of all, he doesn't even REALIZE his own fixation.
Ban Hammer would like to think of himself as more loose and fun than others.
Another trait of his is that he's very curious about others and asks his teammates lots of questions. Almost all of his dialogue begins with him asking random questions, and, although many of them are rude, he does seem to be very curious!
He's constantly questioning others' motives and trying to learn more about them, although his questions tend to come off as prying and insensitive.
Now. His tone deafness and teasing nature towards others.
Ban Hammer is bragging constantly, as well as putting others down and putting himself up. Here's some examples of that!
Ban Hammer probably does not realize how rude this sounds, but Hyperlaser's horns have been chipped off and broken, likely during the same fire that caused his other injuries, if not some other traumatic event.
JEEZ, he's rude here. This is??? Basically him poking fun at Sword for being adopted????
However, despite this. It's important to note that Ban is not malicious OR evil. I believe he is truly attempting to be charismatic/teasing, it's just. Not working so well for him...
His bragging is also interesting-- We know Ban feels pressure to live up to his mother and the public's expectations of him as a deity, and I do believe that he's talking himself up so other people will notice more about him. He WANTS people to believe what he's saying about himself. He wants to convince everyone that he is good.
This leads me to another trait, one that I hardly see anyone taking note of: Ban Hammer is an attention seeker, to a DANGEROUS point.
Notice how he's putting others down in an attempt to make himself look better. He even says here, "You can never beat a tyrant!" He is VERY aware of how the public regards him, and he PLAYS INTO IT.
"Use that small mind of yours" and "Nice one, loser!" insulting others is, in his case, a direct result of his own lack of self confidence.
More of him insulting people WAY too personally.
You may be thinking "How is this attention seeking?? Isn't he just a dickhead???" NOPE! I have more here.
First of all, Ban Hammer is described as egotistical and EXTROVERTED. He thrives off of interaction with others, but with nobody around to talk to, he has to seek attention from anyone he can.
Second of all, his losing dialogue:
And third of all, THIS QUOTE FROM HIS SPAWNDAY QNA.
It's possible. That I mention this quote too much. This is from material outside of the game, it's over a year old, it really doesn't mean much, but GOD this runs wild in my mind.
Ban Hammer. Wants people to notice how great he is SO BAD. This is the fakest idgafer EVER. He nearly FELL INTO LAVA trying to """Hone his skills"""" and he. Laughs about it! And he just seems so jolly, and I can't help but feel like. Maybe the reason he does all of this crazy shit is for attention and for thrills (which I'll talk about in a sec.) He just wants to show people that he's cool.........
Now. THRILL SEEKING!
Ban Hammer is very thrill seeking. Let's look at this!!
Ban Hammer likes hunting down criminals not just due to his strong sense of justice, but because he enjoys the thrill of doing something dangerous, as well as the recognition he gets for it. He laughs in the face of danger or death because the threat is worth it as long as he gets to keep having fun.
So where does this lead us? What can we construct out of this?
Let's re-run through a crash course of his character very quickly.
Ban Hammer is spawned. He feels pressure to live up to his mother. This causes him to seek attention and approval.
He makes friends with Firebrand's child and lives just fine for his early life.
The Scorch happens, Firebrand's child disappears, and deities and demi-deities are now widely hated. Ban Hammer is now without a friend in the world, and he doesn't know where to get attention from.
Windforce is a good mother, but she's just that- A MOTHER. She cannot be Ban Hammer's best friend, she must be his parent. A parent can be comforting, fun to be around, kind, but she cannot be Ban's only friend, it's simply not her role. Unfortunately, it seems that she IS the only one he can rely on for now.
Ban Hammer's thrill seeking and attention seeking are taken to new extremes as he struggles to find connection with anyone. His own braggy and self-centric nature only pushes others further away from him, isolating him from the rest of the world. He is ALONE.
This is where Ban Hammer stands in the present day.
Now, the adept may notice there's.... Someone I haven't mentioned. Someone who Ban Hammer has a unique relationship with, which seemingly falls outside of the bounds of what we currently know about his character.
That's right- THIS IS A BANSCYTHE POST YO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( feel free to stop reading here if you don't like Banscythe lol)
Scythe is the opposite of Ban Hammer in many ways. Her title being "The Most Wanted," she's naturally flirtatious and charismatic. She may be attention seeking, but she gets what she wants. People seek HER out. She's, in a way, everything Ban wished he was.
However, her moral code goes strictly against his, hence their rivalry.
The wiki describes their rivalry as one sided, but it's a bit more complex than that.
Ban Hammer and Scythe both have strong senses of justice, both standing up for what's right with their lives. Ban Hammer is on the side of the law; a strict enforcer of what's been written, a judge of sorts, and a prison warden. Scythe has been manipulated heavily into a cult and fights the law for the sake of The Church, evading Ban Hammer at every turn.
However, despite it all, they work WELL together.
They're bantering here.
You notice, how almost every other phighter seems uncomfortable or indifferent to Ban's presence? How he bullies them ruthlessly, puts them down and brags endlessly about nothing but himself?
LOOK at these interactions. Despite the fact that they're fighting, they're HAPPY. Scythe is basically flirting with him, and she even admits that, despite their differences, he is a useful ally!!
They're enemies. But they're AMICABLE.
Out of every character in this game (aside from his mother) Ban Hammer is closest with Scythe, that's CONFIRMED! This is the closest thing to a friend that he has. FUCKING THINK ABOUT THATTTTTTTTTTTT
I need you to understand I was originally going to go in depth on Scythe here too, but I'm so fucking tired and my arm is. ACHINGGGG from typing. So I'm ending it here, but. God dude. None of this dialogue is even canon but these two are ruining my life
now that i think about it. its kinda funny that windforce has a bunch of newspawns thrown out of splintered skies when. yk. she herself is a parent.
on a serious note though. i wonder if that affected banhammer in someway while growing up. imagine growing up watching your mother chuck off kids from a floating island purely because she deemed their birth gear as “useless” (assuming he was raised in splintered skies) you must feel pretty special to not only have your gear not considered as such, but to also have inherited such a powerful figure’s abilities as well.
at the same time though… was there ever a sense of pressure in that regard? that he kinda had to be this strong and tough character because his mom was one as well? because everyone else she deemed useless was discarded like a defective product? would he be discarded if he wasnt just like her? windforce did say she wanted a child because it was “cool to have a mini her around” (or something along the lines of that. it was mentioned in the sfoth qna). feels like she sees banhammer less like a fully realized inphernal and more like a second her that just happens to look a little different.
this is not to say i think banhammer hates his mother or anything. im well aware banhammer and windforce have a good relationship with one another (unless theres a retcon im not aware of). it just makes makes me ponder a little. plus banhammer has been depicted with butterfly like wings/motifs in some of soda’s artworks of him. they arent exactly an animal thats known for physical strength or anything (in fact they’re rather fragile)
you are re-awakening my three year ban hammer special interest... no...
But yea, if that ws his childhood no wonder he's so explosive when he fails.
ACTUALLY WAIT THIS TIES INTO THE MOTTO OF THE ORIGINAL SFOTH GAME, "DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR"
Yea that'sbanhammer. To me anyhow. Too tired to character analyise but this was smth i never considered before thank u :eyes:
