On Thu, 13 Feb 1997, Scott Johnson wrote:
Well, I'm not usually fond of these Who'd Win arguments - they're mostly
pointless, as first, we have no common reference points (i.e. nobody who's
fought both Ryu and Ranma, or even any way to link them) and second, it's
all down to opinion and the writer's needs, anyway. That said, I thought
I'd point out a few things and drop back into lurking...
I think Scott's point is very valid and very important. This is a
comparison between apples and oranges.
Points that should be considered:
1) Most people know Ryu from the video game.
A) A video game has a set definition of what can and what can't be
done, regardless of what the characters should/could/can't do
elsewhere.
B) Because of point point 1A, characters _within_ the game CANNOT
modify what they do.
C) Also, because of 1A, every possible move (or series of moves) has
a set parameter on what will happen and that, given the exact same
circumstances, the exact same results will occur every single
time.
D) So far as anyone knows, the only time, and way, that the
characters can improve/gain skills is if the designers decide it
to be so.
E) If Ryu had been introduced and written about in a manga before he
went into the gaming world, would he have been a better learner
and modifyer of his skills and patterns? He is a shotokan warrior
but any martial artist knows that he/she should know something
about the other disciplines so as to be able to adjust and modify
his offense and defense.
2) Most people know Ranma from the manga and anime.
A) The realm within which Ranma resides allow for better
observed character and skill growth than a computer programmed
world.
B) Rumiko Takahashi made the Ranma world to be more comedic than
serious. Inconsistencies, galore, abound within his world. Which
references should one take into account for a fight between Ranma
and someone not of his dimension? The Ranma that is an excellent
martial artist, such that Akane can't even touch him unless he
isn't paying attention or allows it (yeah, right!), or the Ranma
that is pounded all the time by Akane, who has been proven to be
not as good as he?
C) If Ranma had been introduce within the gaming world before being
brought into the world of manga and anime, would he suffer because
of it? Ranma's discipline is a very versitile discpline but how
would that be represented by a computer that can define only so
much? Chun Li's discipline, Wu Shu, is a very nice discipline
with many varied movements and offensive/defensive patterns but
only a fraction of it was shown in the SFII games.
Trying to equate one "reality" with another is very difficult. The
outcome is totally dependent, within some limitations, upon the author's
opinions and personal preferences. I say leave it at that.
Note: I say "within some limitations" because some match ups are simply
not even close enough to compare apples to oranges. For example, if I
were to match up the Ranma cast against the casts of Yuu Yuu Hakusho, RG
Veda or Dragon Ball, there would not be any contest. Ranma and his crew
would be pulverized. There is just too much difference in power and skill
levels to compare.
One other thing... Beware which versions of anything you refer to. When I
refer to any given reality, I am refering to the latest and most up to
date of that world in terms of the time relations. Why do I mention this?
Because the original Ryu, for the original SF, could do a Hadoken that hit
exactly 33% of his opponent's health bar.
"Ashura Ou"
"Ikari Shinji"
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