| Raistlin Wannabes |
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| Millions Knives: |
| As I was watching the last episode of Trigun tonite, I realized that Knives is in some ways very much like the character Raistlin from Dragonlance. They are both evil and extremely intelligent. Both are willing to kill anyone to achieve their goals, even their twin brothers. Which brings me to my next point: Knives and Raistlin both have warrior twin brothers who are kinder, more compassionate, more simplistic, and like to eat a lot and get drunk. Also, both men are exremely powerful, although their power comes from different sources. Finally, both Raistlin and Knives eerily use the phrase "Dear brother..." I'm not sure how I missed Knives's use of this phrase the first time I saw this episode, but I definitely saw it this time; in fact, that phrase was what sparked this revelation! So, this was for those rare people out there who actually have seen both Trigun and read Dragonlance, and therefore have some clue as to what I'm talking about... Although I have talked about how similar Knives and Raistlin are, I should also mention that they are very different. When I realized how similar they were, I also acknowledged their many differences which spring from their similarities. First, although they are both evil, they do have related, but different goals. Knives wants to kill all human beings to create an Eden for himself and Vash on their planet of Gunsmoke. Raistlin, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily want everyone to die, he just wants to (and actually does) become God. Next, while both Knives and Raistlin have twin brothers, they have very different ideologies. While Vash is a skilled gunman, and I said earlier that he was a warrior, Vash is an extreme pacifist, a self-proclaimed "Warrior of Peace," who actually (Trigun spoiler) has a mental breakdown for several weeks when he kills a psychotic man who had ended countless innocent lives, and was threatening to kill two of his close friends. Caramon (Raistlin's brother), has no problems with killing, espcially in battle, and was in fact a mercenary for some time. Lastly, although both men are extremely powerful, their power lies in different sources. Knives's power is in his control over the Gung Ho Guns and in his Angel Arms. Raistlin's power is in his magic. If pitted against each other, Raistlin would undoubtedly win without much of a fight. And lastly, probably least importantly...I actually *like* Raistlin. Knives is a psychotic powermonger who just needs to die and stop torturing his poor brother already! Just remember; although they have many differences, these two men are both evil and powerful, and extremely similar! I wouldn't want to cross either of them. |
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| Raistlin Majere (and Caramon): |
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| Vicious: |
| Millions Knives v Raistlin Majere |
| Vicious v Raistlin |
| Unlike my extremely late realization about Knives and Raistlin, I recognized right away how similar Raistlin and Vicious (from Cowboy Bebop) were. Before I even knew what kind of a person Vicious was, I noticed how much he looked like Raistlin. Both have whitish-silver hair, are lanky, and don't look like they are completely healthy. They were also both soft-spoken and all around creepy. However, the similarities go far past simple appearances. Both are evil men with great ambition. Raistlin wishes to become a god, while Vicious strives to become the head of the Syndicate (a crime gang, kind of a mafia). Neither man cares who he must sacrifice to reach the top. In order to become God, Raistlin was forced to destroy his brother and the woman he loved, Crysania. Vicious in his rise to power (spoiler) killed Spike, who was like a brother to him, and Julia, who he may or may not have loved (no one's really sure...). Both Raistlin and Vicious used and took |
| advantage of those who trusted them, casting them aside after they had served their purposes. In fact, Vicious may be even more cold-hearted than Raistlin, who at least acknowledged that he had, at one point cared about certain people in his life. Finally, both characters are, in a way, old fashioned. I am not talking about things like ancient traditions (as Vicious openly mocks the traditions of the Syndicate before killing all the old leaders), but in some ways, they are old fashioned. For example, although Vicious uses all types of guns and modern weaponry, his weapon of choice is the sword. This is extremely unusual in a world of spaceships, 'gate travel, and a thriving civilization on Mars. Raistlin is old fashioned in his weapon of choice as well. While magic in his time was more common than swords in Vicious's, it wasn't *that* common. Because of his studies in magic, some of Raistlin's beliefs about the gods seemed old fasioned as well--until they were proven true. Raistlin and Vicious could be mirror images for one another. I firmly contend that if Raistlin lived on Mars in the year 2071 (without magic), he would BE Vicious. And now you all know why I think Vicious is cool... |
| Random inspiration struck me yet again when I was watching InuYasha tonight. Sesshoumaru is a lot like Raistlin, too! The first thing that (finally) struck me was the voice. Like Raistlin, Sesshoumaru never raises his voice. He simple never feels the need to shout, since he's in control of whatever situation he's in most of the time, like Raistlin. Even when they are not in control, both men remain calm, both in their actions and their voices. Sesshoumaru is also a bit like Raistlin in appearance. They both have silver hair and golden eyes, although Sesshoumaru has had the same appearance since birth. Like Raistlin, Sesshoumaru keeps a tight reign on his emotions, showing the outside world nothing of what he is truly thinking or feeling. And they both have little regard for the members of the human race, especially if they get in the way of their goals. Both men will kill without regard for the lives they are taking, but Sesshoumaru will do so a little more freely than Raistlin, possibly because it is easier for him to do so. As was pointed out to me by jhawk8713, Sesshoumaru's brother, the half-demon InuYasha, is less intelligent, slower, and less refined than his brother, like Raistlin's brother Caramon. Both Sesshoumaru and Raistlin have a sense of honor. At one point, (highlight to see...it's an InuYasha spoiler) Sesshoumaru will not kill InuYasha because he isn't himself at the time. Raistlin "paid off his debts" to his old companions before leaving their company completely, even going so far as to save the life of Tasslehoff. Finally, this last one's another InuYasha spoiler, so you have to highlight it to see. Both Sesshoumaru and Raistlin have a soft spot for the downtrodden. In Raistlin, this was manifested with the gully dwarf Bupu; in Sesshoumaru, the human girl Rin. And Bupu's epithet for Raistlin *most definitely* applies to Sesshoumaru as well... |
| Sesshoumaru: |
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| On the other hand, Sesshoumaru and Raistlin are also different in some respects. While Raistlin's power is magical, and he had to work hard to achieve it, Sesshoumaru's is purely physical, which he was born with, since he is a demon. Although both are evil, we never learn (at least as far as I've seen) what Sesshoumaru's ultimate goals are, although we do know that he probably isn't lusting for ultimate power, since he never pursues the Shikon no Tama. But I digress. While Sesshoumaru's goals are unclear, it is obvious that he does not have nearly as much ambition as Raistlin, who wishes to become a god. This is probably because Sesshoumaru sees no use for mortals, not even as subjects, while Raistlin maintains a bitter attitude at all humanity and wishes to prove how much better he is. Finally, while Sesshoumaru does have a brother, as mentioned above, said brother isn't a twin, but a younger half-brother, who, although less intelligent, could probably run mental circles around Caramon any day. Also, Sesshoumaru absolutely despises InuYasha for being a half-demon, and believes him to be of tainted blood. His attitude towards InuYasha is probably (there are a lot of probablys here, ne?) due to leftover feelings of bitterness towards their common father for taking a human mistress on the side, as well as the simple fact that, as a half-breed, he has tainted their family's image, honor, etc. Unlike Sesshoumaru, Raistlin does not actively seek out his brother's death, although he wouldn't hesitate to kill Caramon if he got in the way. And, in case you couldn't tell from that, I like Sesshoumaru-sama as well. ^_^ |
| Well, I was trying to think of another Raistlin-like character to add, and I decided on Uchiha Sasuke, from the anime and manga Naruto. However, even after seventy episodes, I don't know all that much about him...However, he's turning out to have several characteristics in common with Raistlin. First, he's always had a rather sullen and dark disposition. He's extremely smart--the top graduate of his class. Like Raistlin, Sasuke is a loner, but this is by his choice. After his graduation, Sasuke was placed on a team, and thus began to work with others, as Raistlin worked with the Companions. Both of them have female hangers-on, although Sasuke has quite a few more than Raistlin. If there was ever a choice between his teammates and the completion of his goal, Sasuke, like Raistlin, would immediately abandon his companions for the success of his goal. Another rather striking similarity is how Sasuke's encounter with Orochimaru mirrors Raistlin's encounter with Fistandantilus. Mou, but this is going to be hard to explain. But I'll try. First of all, know that Naruto is about ninjas. Sasuke encounters Orochimaru during his chuunin exam, which is basically the ninja version of the Test, where Raistlin encountered Fistandantilus. If you watch/read Naruto, and you haven't gotten to the chuunin exam, don't highlight below. Orochimaru, like Fistandantilus, can use a spell to transfer his essence to another body, which is what he intends to do to Sasuke, just as Fistandantilus wanted to do to Raistlin. Orochimaru preformed a "Curse Seal" on Sasuke, augmenting his powers. However, if he continues to rely on this curse seal, Orochimaru will gain more and more control over him. In Raistlin's situation, Fistandantilus cast no formal curse, but he basically took control of Raistlin's life force, causing him to become sickly, but, at need, Raistlin could call upon Fistandantilus' power and knowledge as Sasuke could call upon Orochimaru's through the curse seal. But, back on the more superficial front, they both have strange eyes that see through things, although not in the same way. And, hey...they both end up wearing all black. |
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| Sasuke and Raistlin have quite a few differences, as well. Their main difference is their ultimate goals. As stated in other comparisons, Raistlin's is to become a god. Sasuke, however, is working on gaining more power so he can kill (spoiler) his brother, Uchiha Itachi. Since Naruto is about ninjas, obviously, Sasuke's power is going to be of a much more physical nature than Raistlin's. However, before the final stage of the chunin exam, his favorite technique was also fireball. ^_~ :::coughs::: Anyway. Another major difference is physical appearance. As you can see, Sasuke looks nothing like Raistlin, and he's much younger. And, while Sasuke does have a brother, Itachi is NOTHING like Caramon. He's older than Sasuke, and apparently responsible for the deaths of the entire Uchiha clan. Lovely guy. Finally, Sasuke isn't really evil. He just seems rather indifferent to things that will not help him achieve his goal. Although, I suppose you could say that about Raistlin to a certain extent as well... So, that's Uchiha Sasuke. I don't despise him like most guys in anime club do, but he's definitely not my favorite. 9-7-04. Sasuke's a bastard. He's motivated, but quite selfishly, and well...I don't like him any more. |
| Sesshoumaru v Raistlin: |
| Sasuke v Raistlin: |
| Uchiha Sasuke: |
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