Okay, I notice that Suboshi fans tend to have a very different view of him (and Amiboshi) than other Fushigi Yuugi fans (especially Amiboshi fans. Amiboshi fans... well, I won't say anything *_*). But I was thinking, do other FY fans think Suboshi fans are delusional? That they look too much into little things? Or that some of the things they base their theories on don't even happen in the series?

I was thinking this because some of the things are small, and easily missed if you aren't looking for them. Two of those things I want to cover and explain.

First, about Nakago, and the death of Tamahome's family. I understand that what Suboshi did was VERY wrong, no matter what the circumstances were. He was a mental wreck at the time, and Suboshi, being immature and raised in such an odd way, didn't know what to do. I think (er, hope) everyone understands this, even if they don't like Suboshi. He's messed up, end of story.

Or is it? Would Suboshi have killed Tama's siblings and father if Nakago hadn't done something about it? I don't think he would have. Before anyone jumps on me that this is just an opinion, I want to explain WHY I think this.

Suboshi was upset, but he didn't know what happened. He didn't know who "killed" his brother. He wanted revenge, but I think he was planning on actually attacking the Seishi themselves. Nakago tells him he can't fight them, and then we never find out what happens after that. It seems reasonable to assume that Nakago convinced the only way Suboshi could get revenge for his brother would be to hurt Tamahome the way he himself had been hurt. Suboshi, being who he is and in the condition he was, didn't see anything wrong with this reasoning, and his emotions told him it was right.

So that's my reasoning. But there are facts to back this up. Two short lines from our dear Nakago are all the proof needed. First, in episode 44:

  {NAKAGO:} By the way, Tamahome...
  {NAKAGO:} ...why do you think I had Suboshi kill your family in such a brutal fashion?

There. We now know that Nakago DID plant the idea of murder in Suboshi's mind, but there's that annoying and persistent question of why he'd do such a thing.

I've heard theories on this. One of them was to get Tamahome "moving along". This makes no sense to me, I personally think it was a mixture of things. First, to SLOW Suzaku-tachi down. Such a blow would keep them in Konan for a few days, giving the Seiryuu side a head start. This didn't work, but there's no reason Nakago had to not think this. Second, to make Suzaku-tachi mad at Seiryuu-tachi. If he could get Miaka mad at Yui, maybe Yui would see that and be more willing to be Seiryuu no Miko. Miaka, however, knew Yui would never approve of such an action. But again, there was no reason for him not to think it would work.

More importantly, however, is another line Nakago says in episode 44. He thanks Tamahome and Miaka for killing off the other Seiryuu seishi. He tells them that Yui only needs him. Basically, he doesn't want Yui to make wishes for any of the other Seishi. Soi isn't a problem, nor the twins, but all the others are only in it for themselves. Tomo, Ashitare, and Miboshi could have been problems, and what better way to insure winning the contest than to get rid of all the other contestants? He probably hadn't planned on offing Amiboshi, but Amiboshi's death didn't seem to worry him. Suboshi most likely wasn't a problem either... until Amiboshi died.

I think that when Yui showed kindness to Suboshi, Nakago knew that from that point on, Suboshi would be a problem. No, he could easily kill Suboshi, so the boy wouldn't be a problem in that aspect. But if Su-chan became close with Yui, it was possible that he could make her promise him a wish, or even worse, turn her against Nakago. What's Nakago going to do about it? Have Suboshi do something to make the Suzaku seishi very angry. Suboshi, who still thinks killing Tamahome is something he has to do, would insist on fighting, even if he's already killed the Sou kids. The fact he killed Tama's family would goad Tamahome into not holding back on the young Seiryuu seishi. It's a very simple answer, ne? I'm guessing Soi wasn't told to stay out of it.

Oh, and on a side note. I've read in more than one place that in the Manga, when Suboshi comes around after being rescued by Soi, demands to go back and continue to fight with Tamahome. I think that Suboshi knew he wasn't going to win in the first place, but had decided he was going to kill Tamahome or die trying.

The other thing I wanted to cover was Suboshi's death, when Tamahome's siblings appear. Every Suboshi fan I know agrees that they weren't really there, but where Suboshi's "guilt". Non-Suboshi fans don't think so. But I want to point out why Tama's siblings probably weren't there.

Why? Well, first I need to explain that Suboshi's death was deliberate. Maybe you'd call it suicide, I don't. Either way, he let himself be killed.

This is kind of hard to explain, because it's several things that tie into each other. First, Ryuuseisui is a telekinetic powered weapon. Even IF Suboshi was stopped from killing Tamahome, he could have kept Ryuuseisui from hitting him. He could have had it turn in a different direction, or even had it stop. In fact, he DOES have the Ryuuseisui stop, but I can't explain it better than Mearl Dox did. If you haven't read this already, please drop by her Suboshi page, The Psychotic Yo-Yo Boy of Love and read the "Suboshi's Redemption?" essay. Or you could just use this link.

I hate it when people say Suboshi didn't stop his weapon because he was too stupid to. It's about the equivalent of saying Nuriko's an idiot and he died because he didn't run away when he saw Ashitare. When people say in the Manga he died because he was too slow to move, I bang my head against the table. By the end of the series, Suboshi had nearly mastered his weapon, and the ONLY explanation to the fact he was killed by it was that he LET it kill him.

Why? Why, after he was so close to killing Tamahome?

Suboshi doesn't show any remorse- as far as the viewer sees- for killing Tamahome's family. But he's not a heartless, evil person, and I think that something or another set him off in that last fight with Tamahome. Something that made him think about those children, and "awoke" his guilt. Se he let himself die for the horrible thing he did.

Or something to that effect. Either way, whether the Sou kids where ghosts or not, he still was killed by his own weapon, and he could have avoided it. The idea that the kids were really his guilt seems to be a good explanation as to why he'd let Ryuuseisui pound it's way through his body. And if you've read Mearl Dox's essay, then it's also to be a logical explanation as to why he didn't kill Tamahome.

The other reason, how would their ghosts cross the barriers to the real world? Just think about it.

Sorry, I have no interesting or well written closing words. Other than… please give Suboshi a chance! He's not a bad guy, really!

Okay, I'm done. Bai bai!