Alibaba's Relapse and Resurgence - A Magi Character Analysis (Part 2)
This is the second part of my Alibaba mega-analysis, in which I'll go through the second Balbadd arc, the Kou Empire arc, and the Final arc.
First Part Here.
Balbadd is Relapse
What I love about the second Balbadd arc is that it shows us how Alibaba's development isn't straightforward—because that's not how humans beings work. We take a step forward and two backwards. We believe that we learnt our lesson but, as soon as our insecurities resurface, we let them dominate our thoughts and make horrible decisions as a result—decisions that serve no purpose but to try and stroke our ego, to prove that we're valuable and that our fears are unfounded.
And decisions disguised as selfless that are actually selfish are bound to backfire.
Alibaba is a character that comes to believe more and more in himself as the story moves forward, but he's still defined by his insecurities—he still compares himself to others the moment things go slightly wrong, he takes decisions to try and be someone he's not because of his feelings of inadequacy, and he isolates himself because he overthinks and feels as if involving others in his matters will only put them in danger.
He has a great heart, and he truly cares about others, but due to how his low self-esteem he's constantly misguided in his selfless quest—he ends up taking selfish detours in order to prove to himself that he's worth something, that he's trying to do it right according to everyone's standards, when he'd be much more productive if he just believed in himself and acted upon his own beliefs and ideas.
And all of this comes to a boiling point once Alibaba's mental state is revealed to us on the boat to Balbadd. When he fought in the war in Magnostadt, compared to Kouen, he felt as if he was nothing.
Considering Kouen is the person to blame for Balbadd's subyugation to Kou, it's no wonder that Alibaba feels the need to surpass him and reclaim his country... and yet, despite his efforts, Alibaba still is too young and inexperienced—too naive, to face someone like him and believe he can truly win.
Hell, even Balbadd's state of affairs is telling him that he's not needed.
Because Alibaba's past in Balbadd represents his greatest failure, now he feels like he has to try and do something for it in some way. He wants to make up for his naivete by becoming a figure of importance to his country, and yet his "royal responsability" also contradicts the very ideas he proposed for the "democratic republic of Balbadd".
Alibaba's selfishness and selflessness come into full display here, and it's wonderful—it's human. It's incredibly ironic that in the very same chapter, Toto remarks just how much Alibaba's presence has helped so many people—the pirates, the gladiators, Morgiana, Kougyoku... and yet he just can't see it.
It's as if the manga itself is telling us that Alibaba's worries are misplaced—that instead of thinking about what he's lacking and how he's failing compared to Kouen or Sinbad, he should think about what he's good at—his honesty, his kindness, and his ability to reach out through them—and have faith in that path.
However, due to his low self-worth, instead of believing in his way of doing things, Alibaba feels compelled to play dirty, like Kouen.
Because the proud people of Balbadd, who fought so hard for the lives and happiness they wished to have, had settled into being satisfied with mild comfort and security while throwing away their dignity in the process. This grimly reminded Alibaba of his past self, so he decides to fight for his people and his country—responding to the promise he made with his father and following his duties as the royal prince of Balbadd. Thus, he faces Kouen and Koumei, now without turning down his head on the process, using all his wit and newfound confidence and showing how far he has come.
However, despite his progress, what Alibaba chooses... is to join "the dark side", a freaking colonialist empire—because if he doesn't, then he'd repeat the same mistakes as before.
To not take the perfect offer Kouen made to him—consisting of Alibaba becoming part of the forces of the Kou Empire and assisting him with his knowledge, wit and battle abilities, in exchange for the control of Balbadd—would be to be too naive, too stupidly optimistic, like he always is.
Alibaba resents his own best qualities, and so, he takes the deal, not because it's what's best for Balbadd, but rather, because it's what he has to do in order to reach his ideal self—someone like Kouen. Someone like Sinbad. He rationalizes his choice in a million different ways—it's for Balbadd, it's what I have to do to stand my ground against Kouen, it's what I have to do to be king... but when did it become about that?
Paradoxically, because Alibaba wants to become someone powerful and strong enough to make the hard choices for the sake of his country, he also goes against everything he once stood for—democracy, kindness, idealism, his promise to Morgiana...
But of course, he's unsure. Because even if it might seem like a positive development at first, with Alibaba supposedly gaining the maturity necessary to understand that he will never make a change without dirtying his hands, the truth is that such a misguided decision would have been... a mistake, as good as killing himself, symbollically.
Because by obeying Kouen, who purposefully strikes at Alibaba's insecurities in order to take him to his side, Alibaba fell back into the habit of following others and trying to copy what they do right instead of forging his own identity and finding out what are his own strong points, and it would have led him to become as twisted as Kouen and Sinbad were.
After all, once he chooses to fight Hakuryuu in order to "protect Balbadd", what he actually ends up doing is almost killing one of his trusted friends, cutting his legs off, and going against everything he had previously learnt. And it's precisely because of that... that Alibaba ends up dead.
Alibaba is punished for choosing wrong—for, despite having the best intentions, once more making the same mistakes due to his low-self worth, trying to compensate from what he perceives that he lacks.
Finding your Worth
Despite Judar claiming that Alibaba lost because he wasn't merciless enough, after going through the life-changing experience of... literally dying, Alibaba finally understands.
He didn't do it for Balbadd's sake. He did it for himself. And when he cut Hakuryuu's legs, that wasn't for Balbadd, either, he just lost himself in the violence of war.
So now, what's left? Is Judar right? Does Alibaba have to become twisted, like Sinbad and Kouen?
No. Finally, Alibaba will believe in himself. No matter what anyone else thinks, he will follow his path founded in kindness and empathy, which will be his most valuable assets moving forward!
This epiphany wasn't reach in an instant, though. In another dimension, Alibaba meets the people of Alma Torran, and he proves his determination to them.
He shows why he's "Alibaba", and manages to escape and come back to life, with 100 years of experience and newly acquired knowledge from them that, as we all know, he WILL use in a practical manner.
Alibaba in the final arc is the ultimate version of the coward we knew at the beggining of the series. An Alibaba that has all the key things he lacked at the beggining; strength, experience, and confidence. And thanks to that, he's able to shine like he never did before, using the skills he gained throughout his life to the best of his ability in order to face even the likes of Sinbad.
He's calm, and he knows that he doesn't need to make quick judgements just from hearsay. He explores the world Sinbad created, and without being given the answers from anyone else, HE decides what he likes and dislikes about it, a farcry from the easy to manipulate Alibaba from before. I guess that you could say that now he KNOWS who he is. He fights with confidence, he negotiates with confidence, he has faith in his ideas, takes the help of others when needed, and, through opening his heart, he gains the trust of those around him, and... just like that, the mediocre Alibaba flourishes into a marvelous person who took advantage of his best traits to shine. Ja'far puts it perfectly:
He helps Kougyoku out of the goodness of his heart, is incredibly upfront about Sinbad's twistedness (proving his honest nature once again), and ends up making the Kou Empire great again.
Alibaba thrives, and the only thing that changed is that now, he's living with pride in himself... with worth.
Balbadd is Letting Go
When Alibaba comes back to Balbadd, everything he had been worried about had been fixed WITHOUT himself, and he realizes how foolish he had been. How he was a hypocrite for trying to install a democratic republic while doing all these things for Balbadd purely due to the fact it was his responsibility as its prince with royal blood.
That's why, when offered the chance to take the reins once again, unlike someone like Sinbad, who has to control everything, he responds saying...
I find this scene wonderful, not just because it shows his growth in regards to finally letting his ego-stroking obssession with Balbadd go, but also because it showcases how wrong people like Sinbad and Kouen were by taking matters by their own hands and committing so many atrocities for their counties instead of believing in their people. After all, just imagine the atrocities Alibaba would have continued to commit in the name of the Kou Empire's expansion, losing himself and his moral integrity in the process all to protect a country that wasn't even his responsibility in the first place.
The idea that his previous determination was foolish is reinforced once again in his meeting with Aladdin, Morgiana and Hakuryuu. He apologizes for cutting Hakuryuu's legs and trying to kill him; for almost losing his moral integrity in order to protect something, thinking it was the only way.
Ohtaka subverts our expectations by showing how seemingly irreparable relationships full of differences and conflict that have been built up throughout the manga can be solved easily, in basically less than a page, because sometimes the solution really is that simple—simply requiring someone to be the better person. People could argue this is rushed and disappointing, but I’d say it's the perfect way to illustrate the strength of Alibaba’s ability to understand, forgive, and apologize. The entirety of the final arc is a subversion of battle shonen, of big, climatic fights (Sinbad vs Kouen), of tales of royalty and selfishness, favoring empathy and love instead.
Alibaba’s simpleness and kindness is a clear foil to Sinbad's—the main antagonist of this arc, someone who thinks the ends justify the means and that would do anything for his country. His growth is also reflected with his relationship with Morgiana, going from someone who was "rejected" and had his confidence DESTROYED as a result... to a confident young man who straight out asked the girl he was in love with for MARRIAGE, and she accepted, without second thoughts on the matter. As a final test of fire, Alibaba has to go against the at-first-glance perfect Sinbad himself, and prove why no one, no matter how much they shine, can rule and enforce their ideology over everyone else.
Sinbad vs Alibaba
Once Sinbad brainwashes the entire world, even Morgiana—the person who Alibaba views as the bravest in the whole world—is saying that Sinbad is right. And Alibaba's confidence is shaken.
Even he, previously, was blinded by Sinbad's light. He followed him, his idol, blindly, thinking he could no harm, almost to the point of losing himself as his assistant as a result... something that happened to basically all of his followers, who discarded their protagonism in their lives, favoring the charisma of the High King. Maybe Sinbad was right again. Maybe... he should just obey, after all, he's just a coward, right...?
AS IF!
Alibaba shows how far he has come by going against the entire world, even those he loves or looks up to—believing that HIS way is the right path to take, because that's the answer he came up with by himself. The boy who didn't know who he was and submitted to the blinding will of others is no more... now HE makes the calls, because he believes in himself and in the lessons that came from all that he has gone through. As he puts so eloquently in his fight against Hakuryuu:
Believing in the importance of free will and multiculturalism, and in order to protect their loved ones, Aladdin, Alibaba, Hakuryuu and Judar enter the Sacred Palace... and once again, Alibaba isn't shaken by what everyone tells him is "right" or "wrong", "allowed" or "not allowed.
He comes up with an answer, and I love this moment, because the Alibaba from the past would have given the naive, easy, and not realistic answer that made Sinbad and Arba react incredulously, but now he has matured, and he can come up with something realistic and satisfactory, without compromising anything in the process.
And, by joining efforts with everyone, they end up with a solution that respects everyone's beliefs and wishes—the complete antithesis of how Sinbad was operating and a perfect encapsulation of Alibaba's character—someone who joins forces with others through emotions and creates solutions wit his brain and his heart.
It's beautiful and natural growth, and I can't praise it enough. And during the final confrontation with the entire world, he continues to deliver, going against his own master Sharrkan and winning, this time through his strength and experience.
But it doesn't end there. Faced with an infinite amount of enemies, he continues to believe, recalling the faith Aladdin and everyone else had in him.
He deserved to be King Vessel, and he'd prove it right there and then. And in a wonderful union of the thematic and physical, he fights. Through his strength, he shows his growth. His confidence, and his determination. He is what Sinbad would have been if he didn't lose himself, he's... a true king vessel, one who fights for and alongside everyone, first and foremost. And once the option of gathering all the power in the world is handed out to him at the cost of the lives of everyone he loves—even when he's told there's no other way...
He refuses, because he knows he's still just human.
After all, through all of his development, Ohtaka reiterates the idea that no matter how incredible Alibaba is, at the end of the day, he's just a normal guy, no matter how many labels everyone tried to put on him. The wine trader of Qishan, the leader of the Fog Troupe, the prince of Balbadd, the ultimate King Vessel... He's all of those things, and yet... he shouldn't let himself be defined by those labels. Because he's so much more than that, and through his journey, he was able to understand that.
That he's great... because he's Alibaba.
It's this confidence in himself and the certainty of who he IS that allows him to reject the infinite power he is offered, knowing that he could be corrupted, just like anyone else. And it's thanks to that decision, that everyone lives, and a new world is created, full of possibilities for growth and change.
His Name is Alibaba
I think that Alibaba's development is... one of the best I have ever seen in fiction. It's so natural and satisfying, and it ends up with a character who you want to root for until the very end. Sinbad and almost every figure in his life always pushed these ideas on him—whether it is about royal duties, about sacrifices, or about power, and it's inspiring to see how he slowly comes to reject them, thanks to the confidence he builds along the series progresses. It's a reminder of the importance of knowing yourself, and of making decisions out of your own judgement, without being influenced by others' biases and limited views.
For that, you must gain experience in order to have a storage of information to compare to when you're going to make a decision, and that's precisely what Alibaba did, by going to different places and discovering different cultures and ideas. But even then, that's not enough—because you need the strength and power necessary to make a change and not be bossed around by those more powerful than you... while also never compromising your morals and integrity; with the values who define who you are, and that let you know the type of person you've become when it matters the most.
Cooperating with others allowed him to make up for his weak spots when it was necessary, and his bravery let him build the world he wanted to have for himself and for the people he loved.
All said and done, I think that Alibaba is a shining example of the path to follow to improve one's self worth and of the importance of bravery—in the sense of having the courage to decide what to do for yourself. As he develops, he enhances and has more faith in his strongest qualities, realizing the way in which he's capable of influencing the world. Thanks to his friends' help and kind words, and by believing in himself as a result, he slowly went from someone who relied on others to tell him what to do and how to act, to someone who can inspire others and confront even the likes of Sinbad, all while staying humble and not letting himself get swallowed by his own ego. He's a normal person, your everyday man, and that's why he is the strongest character in Magi. He developed his good qualities as best as he could and he turned out to be respected and capable, which is proof that, given the right tools, even those who were thought to be "trash" can decide, and change the world.
You only have to keep yourself grounded instead of getting down by mistakes or tragedies, while constantly clashing views with others in order to improve and learn—and having the bravery to take a step towards your dreams, even if the road to get there might be hard and messy, and things might not turn out like you expect. If you don't take a risk, things will never change.
His first step was defying the wine trader, and from there on, once he had the courage to enter a dungeon, he achieved greatness. There can be many different ways to get there; some less righteous (as proven by Hakuryuu and Judar), but as long as you don't stagnate, doing the things that your heart tells you to do instead of bending down to others, no matter how brightly they may shine, you are moving along "the great flow" of progress, diversity and freedom.
All that was an extremely long way to say... that, like Alibaba, you should have the courage to believe in yourself.
