Analyzing The WIND BREAKER Trio

C: Hi there! Even if I've been reading dick Grayson(and in turn batfamily) fics for a few weeks now, I've never actually watched/read DC stuff because even if I liked superheroes, I'm not invested enough to read the actual comics. The most I watched was the Teen Titans 2003 cartoon(which I love). I was brought into interest cause I was brought in through crossovers of other fandoms (which may be hated by some/many😅)

To give myself context, I tried to read around for Robin, and imagine my surprise there's more than one? Which, okay mantle thing I guess. But in the end, Dick Grayson caught my attention(not rlly for his looks and design, but more of his heroism and entire personality and affect in the DC world). Which leads to looking at other tumblrs and I love reading yours and when you answer the asks cause it's so much easier for me to understand the kind of person Dick is and how he interacts with the world.

Sorry for this long context, but I just want maybe your opinion, what if your opinion in the combination of how Dick Grayson should be written for him to Thrive

- Should he stay in Gotham, being in with the batfamily more? Soloing in Bludhaven? Staying with the titans? Or others?

- what about his romantic relationships? Who should be is one true one(based on canon gfs), or maybe stay single? (Just gonna be biased, but I've only knew about dickbabs and dickkory (but I heard he has other girlfriends and I've remember reading he was almost married...a few times??) but dickkory had always been for me)

- What about mentally wise? (Of course, I do think Dick needs a long vacation because of all the trauma that he has to go through), but even if I like the idea of Dick being admired for his looks because he deserves it, but I do rmbr posts that he is uncomfy with this(sexualisation, Def only staying true to the person he loves (then there's the whole...Tarantula and more thing)

Tbf, I do think is a little bit of all is what makes Dick, Dick. Haha

Sorry for the long ask, feel free to not answer because i just needed to get this out😅. I know it's actually bad I'm reading fics without canon knowledge for personality, but your posts makes me understand him more that I understand what's real and what's fanon in fics (that makes me..ugh.. but I read anyway for plot cause i don't know better)

But thank you anyway for reading this and I love your content!

(last one for this ask I swear: I've been seeing stuff where Robin name is actually Dick's mom calling Dick that. Then it's passed down as a mantle starting from Jason without Dick consenting. I tried to read at wiki, maybe I missed out but I can't find anything. Is it true? Does the other bats (except Bruce and Alfred?) know the actual meaning? Because as much as I love Dami, the whole bloodson, birthright to take the mantle of Robin beside Batman give me ugh feelings if it's true) :C

First of all, thank you so much!! I'm so happy to hear you like my stuff <333!!

I think it's that you started in the fandom since I sort of started out that way too lol. I had only watched Teen Titans Animated show and Young Justice before I got into fanfics and my first comic I ever read was actually Teen Titans (2011) which was Tim's run. It's been a journey.

Dick's personality was also what captivated me so here I am!

"Should he stay in Gotham, being in with the batfamily more? Soloing in Bludhaven? Staying with the titans? Or others?"

That's a really good question and a complex one. Ironically, for being such a people person, Dick seems to be doing best when he's by himself. When he's soloing, he has a sense of freedom and independence that he's been craving for a long time. The whole reason he left Bruce was because he felt like Bruce was suddenly treating him like a kid, like someone to look after, when he had been treating Dick like a partner the whole time. When Dick feels like his independence is being stepped on, it unsettles him. This is another reason why the Tom Taylor run and Dick's relationship pisses me off but that's for another time. As much as he likes Gotham, he loves Bludhaven. He thinks it's a dirty, crime-filled city, sure, but he loves it there.

He's a little crazy like that.

He doesn't have the same attachment to Gotham that Bruce does. Instead he feels that for Bludhaven.

The only reason I'm saying Dick is better off staying alone than with the Titans is because of his leadership mentality. There's a comic that I forgot the name of but Dick teams up with members of the Justice League and they trapeze through a jungle under the orders of this corrupt military general. He teams up with Arthur and automatically starts commanding people to which Aquaman tells him off, saying this isn't the Titans. Dick is genuinely sorry and backs off. For a minute. But immediately goes right back into command mode but Arthur lets it go, realizing that Dick's not conscious of it and that his behaviour is automatic. "Too many leaders" he calls the situation in his head. For Dick, the Titans have become a responsibility now. He loves them like crazy but they look up at him automatically for directions and order and he's gotten so used to leading them that it's his go to mode.

He just likes doing stuff without someone hovering over his shoulder or having to take care of others.

"what about his romantic relationships? Who should be is one true one(based on canon gfs), or maybe stay single? (Just gonna be biased, but I've only knew about dickbabs and dickkory (but I heard he has other girlfriends and I've remember reading he was almost married…a few times??) but dickkory had always been for me)"

Yeah, I've actually loved almost all of his romantic relationships. I hate Dickbabs but every other one has been fantastic. Kori was great for him.

Action Comics (1938) Issue #618

Dick says it again here. He used to envy Roy's freedom. He's also said in another comic that he fell in love with Kori for her freedom.

Secret Origins (1986) Issue #13

You're right, he has gotten almost married a few times

The first time was with Kori

The New Titans (1988) Issue #100

But then

The New Titans (1988) Issue #100

their pastor gets vaporised and body-controlled Raven feeds the soul of one of Trigon's children into Kori and she goes crazy but she recovers but it's a whole ordeal. In the end they don't get a chance to complete their marriage. They were spectacular together though. The only reason their wedding didn't go through is because the Batfam writers wanted Dick back so they took him from the Titans' writers and they needed a big dramatic scene to cut him off from the Titans. Another reason why Barbara was deaged and created as a love interest- to gatekeep him in the family.

He's also gotten married to Barbara before the retcon though.

Batman Family Issue #11

But here they were forced to by Maze and they went along with it and tricked him. At the end though, they just grab a bite to eat.

Ngl I actually would've supported this marriage. I really love this Barbara. Yes the age difference is a bit much but whatever, I still like them.

Dick and Barbara have gotten married in an alternate timeline.

Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle Issue #2

yeah, definitely didn't like this one.

Dick's also gotten fake married to a woman because Batman and Dick thought she was killing her husbands after marrying them so Dick married her to see if it was true.

Nightwing (1996) Annual #1

I liked her. She wasn't the killer and Dick did a fantastic job raising her son but even though she loved him, he didn't love her and they divorced amicably. I wish I could see more of her and her son though.

To be completely honest, my favorites for Dick are Kori and Bea.

Bea was a fantastic partner. She was understanding, loving, caring, and responsible. She was there when he was Ric Grayson and just loved him for who he was.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #53

If Kori's truly out of the picture, then Dick really should've settled down with her.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #57

She and Kori, they don't tell Dick what to do or who to be. They let him be free which is why I loved them an extraordinary amount. I'm a sucker for soft moments and Bea and Dick are couple goals.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #62

They give him the freedom he craves.

"What about mentally wise? (Of course, I do think Dick needs a long vacation because of all the trauma that he has to go through), but even if I like the idea of Dick being admired for his looks because he deserves it, but I do rmbr posts that he is uncomfy with this(sexualisation, Def only staying true to the person he loves (then there's the whole...Tarantula and more thing)"

I think Dick does need a break. His life has been a series of unfortunate events but despite all that, I think he loves it that way. Dick loves the thrill of adventure. It's the heart of who he is and why he became robin. The excitement he gets when fighting or doing crazy stunts - he loves all of it and that is his coping mechanism. I guess in order for him to thrive, Bruce needs to stop dumping all his trauma and stop expecting him to be there for him at all times of the day. Dick keeps getting dragged back to Gotham to take care of Bruce and his problems and he would go in a heartbeat but he's much happier wacking his own goons in Bludhaven. But since Bruce is so codependent on Dick, this pattern's not gonna stop anytime soon.

Truth be told I also like Dick being admired for his looks. I don't like him being called out by it though. First of all why would you comment "hot booty" to someone? It's degrading and humiliating even if you think it's a compliment. Some things are better left untold. But regardless of what people think, Dick will always be pretty and everyone in the DC universe knows this. Heroes, civilians, villains - they're all attracted to him on some level because he's so beautiful. And honestly? I'm all for it! Because that boy is the prettiest human in existence and he deserves that recognition. Just not vocally or physically.

The best thing is that Dick's beauty has no bearing on his mentality toward people. This man will choose one person and stick with them forever. He values intimacy and trust and love in his relationships which is why he's so attached to each one. This plays a massive role in his relationship with Kori. He would never cheat. Actually in all the future comics, after his spouse passes away or leaves, he never remarries. The only one exception was Batman Beyond (2016). The only one and he remarries Barbara after his wife passes away. Aside from that he remains a single parent. That's how dedicated he is.

"I've been seeing stuff where Robin name is actually Dick's mom calling Dick that. Then it's passed down as a mantle starting from Jason without Dick consenting. I tried to read at wiki, maybe I missed out but I can't find anything. Is it true? Does the other bats (except Bruce and Alfred?) know the actual meaning? Because as much as I love Dami, the whole bloodson, birthright to take the mantle of Robin beside Batman give me ugh feelings if it's true)"

Yup Dick's mother called Dick Robin.

Nightwing (2011) Issue #0

Robin (1993) Annual #4

Here's a couple but there are more instances of his mom calling him Robin.

Dick had no idea Bruce passed on the Robin costume. He finds out through the newspaper because Bruce is pissed at Dick. Like he's so mad that when he told Dick to leave, Dick actually left.

You know how there's a saying about not being able to take back words of anger? Bruce is feeling that heavily. He already had suspicions that Dick wanted to leave but before Dick could tell him, he fired him so he wouldn't have to hear those words. But Bruce is super mad that Dick left anyway. So what does he do? He makes the first boy he sees Robin.

And Jason finds out Dick was Robin when he confronts Bruce why Nightwing knows Bruce's identity. And that gets Bruce more mad because he's now feeling guilty which is when Dick comes to confront Bruce.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

But instead of meeting anger for anger, Dick expresses his hurt. About how they were partners and then talks about his life after leaving Bruce.

And Bruce loves Dick. His best friend, son, brother, and partner for nearly 11 years. They raised each other and despite his anger, he smiles in pride and love.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

Look at his smile!! He's so proud of his son.

And that's when Dick stops pulling his punches.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

Bruce looks so wrecked. The guilt and sorrow is tantamount to his pain.

Then Dick asks Bruce why he choose someone new.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

So Bruce tells him. But Dick and Bruce's relationship go way deeper than just friends or family. They know each other. They revolve around each other so Dick calls him out.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

And out comes the truth

Batman (1940) Issue #416

But Dick has always been the bigger man and instead of letting Jason become some sort of spite move, he turns Robin into a legacy.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

He passes it down like it was meant to be passed down. Because let's be honest here. The Robin name and costume is Dick's. If he wanted to, he could've taken it back, Bruce be damned. And that was one of Jason's fears.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

But despite Bruce's words to Jason

Batman (1940) Issue #416

He's not sure himself.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

But it's only with Dick's approval that he becomes Robin which is what Bruce is thanking at the end.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

And this has been a sort of tradition.

Dick approved of Jason being Robin, he endorsed Tim, and he made Damian Robin. The only exception being Stephanie. This is why Dick feels a heavy sense of responsibility over the robin predicament. He created the tradition. He approved, supported, and mentored every robin that walked in his colors and name. That's why he feels the burden of it.

I don't think any of the other robins know the meaning behind the name. Maybe they do. But ironically, the one who wasn't robin is the one who knows the meaning of it.

Duke.

The amount of people calling nightwing pretty boy is actually insane like

He will literally shove his escrima into someone’s ears, electrocute them, and then give em a round house kick for good measure and somebody in the distance will be like, “who’s the pretty boy?”

My interpretation of original Nice so far (as of episode 3). I feel like the Nice that was around before he became a hero was a perfectionist, sure, what idol personality doesn't strive to show a picture of perfection. He probably enjoyed dancing and music, but he was still a person. So I suspect he had some selfish tendencies, not because I think he was 'evil' or anything, but when you live under the constant pressure of trying to make yourself the best person you can be it tends to seep out in little ways. I also think we can expect hints of a pretty insecure person hiding in there.

And with all of the heroes we've seen so far the powers they have are based on things they did/they're personalities before they became heroes. It almost feels like their powers may have originally manifested by their faith in 'themselves' as opposed to needing outside validation.

And (I'm projecting a little bit onto Nice here) when you start expecting perfection of yourself and get rewarded for people pleasing, you tend to lean into it. It becomes all you are, you cast off pieces of yourself and keep quiet about all of the things that annoy, anger, scare, or hurt you. You lose touch with who you really are until all that is left is the compulsion to be what 'others' need. This type of labor is exhausting and isolating. It can lead to burn out. You retreat from those you were closest to because suddenly it's too much to be around them. You find yourself feeling bitter and angry at them for having problems and issues. You probably tried bossing them around saying 'well if you do this 'x' can be resolved' All while knowing that any misstep can lead to others receiving you negatively. Which then feeds self hatred. I bet Nice told those closest to him (if there is only one other Nice before Lin Ling) that he wasn't 'nice' as in not kind. Because if he was kind he wouldn't be so angry and miserable just helping those around him. He wouldn't feel trapped by his role of being a hero. He wouldn't be obsessed with his image. He should feel fulfilled in his career and life, but he isn't.

And lastly, when you expect to be perfect, it truly is the worst thing when you are shown you have failed someone, that you couldn't uphold yourself to your own impossible standards. And suddenly you have no purpose, no goal, no worth. You don't ask for help because you can't. And you start to want to end it. Because you don't think 'perfection is an unachievable standard' you start to believe it is the only standard.

Thank you so much for the lovely message @kayharts! Sakura and Suo are one of my fave duos in WBK as well, and there’s a lot that can be said about these two! I’m happy that my posts were able to provide the insight you needed.

To answer your question, this is actually something I’ve actually been meaning to make a writeup about, so your ask prompted me to actually make a post for it lol. But without further ado:

Sakura’s perspective of Suo

To start off, I’d like to say that Sakura hasn’t exactly regarded Suo on an individual level. He considers him as a part of his community alongside his other peers.

Sakura doesn’t have any of his internal dialogue that directly acknowledges Suo (as he did for Endo) or ‘impactful’ memories of him (like with Umemiya and Nirei) that shapes his development outside of Suo’s advice.

The only exception is this scene in Chapter 145, in which Sakura’s view on Suo is quite… convoluted, to say the least.

The reason why Sakura thinks that Suo is “full of crap” is because of how he constantly lies to mess with Sakura specifically (though Sakura hasn’t picked up on this). And yet, Sakura still believes every word Suo says…

This even bleeds into how Sakura addresses to Suo’s direct praise with apprehensiveness (though he does blush more at the words; you aren’t slick Sakura).

Coupled with the incessant teasing and the way Suo had treated Kanuma in Shishitoren, it’s no wonder why Sakura generalizes him as someone who “teases everyone at every chance he gets”. This isn’t remotely true; though Suo does tend to poke fun at others, his main victim is Sakura himself.

But then again, that scene in particular is just Sakura over-generalizing his classmates (you can tell that Sakura and Kiryu were not that close back then because his opinion on him is the only one that’s remotely positive) in order to juxtapose the fact that he believes that his peers are genuinely good people in the next page. Because despite the misconstrued perceptions Sakura has on their “flaws”, he still wants to protect and live alongside the people he cares about.

Additionally, I would like to tack on a big yet to the first two statements of this post. Wind Breaker’s (and Sakura’s, to that extent) story is far from over, and there is much potential for how his and Suo’s relationship can develop further [between a protagonist and deurotagonist]. For now, I’ll focus on what has been established in canon.

Circling back to Shishitoren, we see that Sakura says Suo has a rotten personality. In fact, he is the only one who openly criticizes Suo’s treatment.

Despite this, he doesn’t seem to harbor much resentment towards Suo. In fact, one can argue that Sakura is more so curious, given the fact he had the initiative to ask Nirei more about him (when he hadn’t done so for the other Furin students). Sakura also wanted to fight Suo despite the latter not provoking him, and Sakura not actively applying Umemiya’s advice (of fights being a conversation) at that point of the story.

Sakura is also shown (and not told) to trust Suo wholeheartedly.

Before Noroshi, Sakura lets his vice captain come up with a strategy, relying on him to do something he has no expertise in. Despite Sakura’s embarrassment, he’s come a long way from being so afraid to ask for help from others before.

Sakura also reluctantly agrees to work with Sugishita despite their animosity, because it was Suo’s idea.

Suo also points out his Achille’s heel while fighting. Despite Sakura’s initial apprehensiveness, he chooses to believe in Suo in the end.

Following Suo’s advice works out in Sakura’s favor when he fought alongside Sugishita, and even his fights after Noroshi.

There’s also this scene in Roppo where Sakura imitates one of Kanji’s moves; he uses Suo’s shoulder to support himself (when he can jump to that kind of height by himself easily) and kick at Endo’s face.

As for what you said in regards of Sakura knowing whether Suo is hiding something deeper or not, nothing has been explicitly confirmed as now. Until we get something [meaningful] from Sakura that directly addressees Suo as a character, we won’t really know. In any case, Sakura would most likely respect Suo’s boundaries and not pry into his business (especially if Suo’s advice to Sakura stems from shared experiences).

I can definitely see where your speculation is coming from, though. It’s inevitable at this point; I’m 99% sure that Sakura’s request to fight Suo in Shishitoren (and Suo’s declaration to do his best) foreshadows a future fight between them. Given how closed off the two are as you said, it would be the only way they can understand each other.

Consider: Post-canon Zuko wakes up in the body of his childhood self, the morning of That War Meeting. Would he still speak against the plans, knowing his fate? What do you think he would do differently the second time around?

"Turned away at the doors, Zuzu?"

"Shut up, Azula," her brother sulked. But sulked weirdly, after staring at her too long and too wide-eyed, not like she'd surprised him but--

But like he hadn't expected her to be there. At all.

He turned away. ...He turned back. "Hey, Lala? Do you think you could help me practice that one set?"

He didn't meet her eyes.

She narrowed hers. "Which set?"

"The one I'm bad at."

She scoffed. Pushed away from the wall she'd been leaning against. "That's all of them, Dum-Dum."

He didn't shout or stomp or yell about the nickname. His lips twitched.

"It's okay," he said. "If you're afraid you won't be a better teacher that my instructor..."

It was the most obvious manipulation ever.

Perhaps if he proved an adequate firebending student, she'd work on his courtly survival skills next. Honestly, it was good that not even Uncle Gets-Cousins-Killed had been fool enough to take Zuko into that war meeting. She could only imagine how terribly that could have gone.

"Keep up," she said, and turned her steps towards the training grounds.

He did. There, and during the katas she ran him through.

Azula kept her eyes narrowed.

"Hey," he asked, "do you know how to bend lightning yet?"

As if he could have missed it, if she'd been able to get more than sparks. "I will soon," she said.

"You will," he agreed, and flowed through his next set. The one she'd only just mastered.

Father didn't notice how weird Zuzu was being. Uncle never noticed anything. Zuko ate dinner and asked a servant for seconds and didn't stutter or flinch or lose his appetite when father asked, coolly, what he'd done with his day. Azula's shoulders tensed, because one mention of how she'd squandered her own training time teaching him--

"Azula hogged the training grounds. For hours," Zuzu scowled, exactly like a petulant thirteen year old.

Exactly like he hadn't been acting all day.

By the time Father was looking her way, Azula had her usual smirk in place. "I'm sure there would be room for both of us," she said, "you're not afraid of a little friendly fire, are you, brother?"

Zuko sulked. And ate his seconds, like he was enjoying each bite. There was something in his eyes, like a joke no one else was getting.

---

Father died that night. A heart attack. There were the faintest of burns to either side of the treacherous organ; the royal physician hypothesized that he'd grabbed at his chest, fingers burning hot in his final moments; so hot they'd only exacerbated the problem.

The royal physician would never have been brought any victims of lighting strikes. Those that occurred in the capital did not generally require a doctor in the aftermath.

Zuzu ate a hearty breakfast.

He didn't order seconds. Azula gave him points, at least, for not being tacky.

---

The sages named Iroh as regent.

They named Zuko as Fire Lord.

"No," the tiny Fire Lord in his perfectly miniaturized Fire Lord robes said, sitting at the head of his war council. "We're not doing that. And I'll be reviewing all recent battle plans, as well. What's this I hear about a division of new recruits being deployed to the front?"

He did not mention how he'd heard of the 41st Division. No one asked.

"Prince Iroh, surely--" one of the generals tried to appeal.

The young Fire Lord's regent was looking as startled as the rest of them, for a moment. Then he sipped his tea, and smiled.

"Your Fire Lord is correct, of course. A change in our leadership--a change the other nations may mistakenly view as weakness--will necessitate a change in our strategy."

"Now," said their lord, "what, exactly, is our overall objective in this war?"

War, the new Fire Lord decreed, was not an end unto itself.

---

The new Fire Lord continued to have time, to pretend to be trained by her. Azula watched him. Adjusted her footwork. Did not tolerate, and was not offered, any commentary on who was teaching who.

"What did you do with my brother?" she asked, as they flowed from one set to the next. As her hands, poised to throw fire, just so happened to be pointed his way.

He missed a step. It didn't look like an act.

"I'm, uh. Right here?"

She didn't bother to dignify that.

He didn't bother to look worried about her hands, one movement off from a true attack.

He looked around, then grabbed her sleeve, and tugged her further from any walls that may hide ears. The royal family's private training grounds were wonderfully large, and wonderfully open.

"It's me," he said. "It's still me. Just. More of me? Longer of me?"

She narrowed her eyes. A familiar expression, by this point. "Explain."

"...I found the Avatar," he said. "And this is definitely his fault, but--but I guess it started at a war meeting, when I was thirteen."

Azula listened. It was a very Dum-Dum story.

honestly ra's a ghul would stab someone if they called dick grayson "nice funny but he's like a himbo" bc he is not gonna accept being defeated by someone others call a himbo. like if someone defeated me yall better acknowledge that it takes SKILL to defeat me stfu i will not take this disrespect–

Adeyemi tries to use Lawrence's words against him in saying they are seeking a pope who "sins, asks forgiveness, and carries on", but Adeyemi never gets to the second part. From the beginning, he insists that he has done nothing wrong, that he was not at fault on account of his age, that the child may not even be his! His tears aren't of guilt, he cries because he's disappointed he has lost. He's crying for the death of his ambition, his dreams.

In the same way, Tremblay denies his sins from beginning to the bitter end, even in the face of undeniable evidence. Tedesco finds nothing wrong with his fascist views.

How can there be forgiveness when the sinner will not even acknowledge the sin?

luffy’s colours being white & red and zoro’s colours being black & green is so perfect to me.

white and black, they directly link to lightness and darkness. it relates to luffy’s relation to the sun god, his angelic gear 5 form, his vastly kind personality and unburdened joy. whereas that darkness relates to zoro’s sinister fighting style, ‘king of hell’ and the demonic references integrated from the beginning of his character to present. his capability for deadly aggression and more serious tone.

yet contrarily we have red and green. red, the colour of blood and fire, passion and warning, it is boldness as a colour, and often used in a way to represent urgency. like luffy, his goal steers his everyday, he is driven and determined, terrifying and powerful. his gear 5 red eyes sting in the memories of enemies, luffy is boldness and passion. and we have green; peace, nature and luck. zoro and his passiveness, his gentle relationship with the people he loves, his tendency to sleep through the day and protect when no one is awake. zoro has a distinct softness to him that, in my mind, is best described as mundane tranquility. zoro is green like grass swaying in the spring time breeze, he is peace.

they are opposites, they are two halves of a whole. where luffy is light and heaven, zoro is sinister and demonic. where luffy is danger, zoro is peace. they fit like a jigsaw, completing each other, while it is the fact they are opposites that allows them to fit so seamlessly.

luffy’s light and zoro’s green interact on a personal basis, gentle and happy, heaven and peace. luffy’s red and zoro’s darkness meet on the battlefield as unstoppable and terrifying allies, danger and hell.

their associated colours intertwine as perfectly as they do as characters, i really love it so much.

today i am thinking about zoro and luffy both having two constantly depicted scars. one on their eye each and one on their chest each. so intrinsically intertwined they have matching mortal wounds.

and i know it’s silly, and coincidental, but i like to think it symbolises them understanding each other more and more as time passes.

zoro got his chest scar clambering and falling on the way to his dream, being defeated by mihawk so easily then swearing to never lose again. and luffy who got his chest scar clambering and falling in a different way. they understood ultimate defeat respectively, loss and something that hit, quite literally, over the heart. their chest scars are their most important reminders of strength, the need for it. and loss, the need to avoid it.

and then luffy, who’s eye scar is a self-inflicted wound as he tried to convince shanks he could be a pirate too- he was strong enough. and zoro who got his eye scar during the timeskip, in a way we still don’t completely know, in the height of his self loathing for not being strong enough. they both got the scars around their eyes for the future ahead of them, and in trying desperately to get there. luffy asking shanks to take him onboard, and zoro asking mihawk to train him. the scars around their eyes are ground zeroes, an ask, a plea, complete determination.

one piece started and zoro quickly learned to understand loss, knew loss, while luffy would learn loss so deeply in marineford. one piece started and luffy understood the need helpless desperation, growing up with shanks refusing him. and zoro learned that later, so horribly, after thriller bark turned into the sabaody incident turned into marineford where he couldn’t do anything.

zoro and luffy understand each other so completely, they’re soulmates. but there are still parts of themselves which are obscured, different, simply because they are two different people with two different histories. and those things that are missing come with age, experience or being together. they understand one another more each day, somehow that’s possible, and i think their scars are a good example of it. them learning things which they may not have understood before, connecting to parts of each other they may not have connected to before.

I love that, despite how reserved and nice Suo seems on the surface compared to someone like Sakura who’s outwardly gruff and eager to fight, it’s really in your best interest to fight Sakura instead of Suo. At least Sakura will leave you with your dignity mostly intact. Suo isn’t here for a two sided fight conversation, he’s not interested in listening to his opponents, only toying with them and then dropping them once he’s gotten his fun out of them. It’s just such a fun contrast between them

What's interesting about Sakura wanting to fight others is that in the beginning of WBK, he only used to pick fights when he felt threatened or provoked. Think of it as a wounded animal's only defense mechanism (but in a more unserious way).

But with Suo, he not only wanted to fight him, but Sakura declared that they will fight at some point, despite him only observing Suo in action. He didn't necessarily feel threatened, but more-so intrigued/interested despite his criticisms. This is crazy when you consider how ‘reluctant’ Sakura was at getting to know people earlier in the story, and how withdrawn of a character Suo is—coupled with Umemiya’s philosophy of fights being a conversation to get to know your opponent better.

Suo's fights aren't exactly fights in the traditional sense, they're more like one-sided beatdowns haha. Though there is a sadistic undertone with his behavior, I feel like it's more of a hidden/restrained anger that he takes out on his opponents. KEEL is the most obvious example, but I really do find it interesting how Suo remained rather respectful to Kaito before he started yapping about how wrecking havoc is fun.

Unlike Suo though, Sakura is more likely to treat you with some modicum of respect since you're either a small fry to take care of, or a challenge that he wants to understand better (ie. following Ume's advice). Their personalities are reflected in their fighting styles—Sakura is straightforward and direct, while Suo remains passive and likes to ridicule others occasionally.

Suo and Sakura have tons of contrast with each other — I like to joke that Suo is an 'Anti-Sakura' in a way, because their differences are so stark when you compare these two together. In fact, I’d argue the only similarities that are specifically unique to them are their ‘irregular’ eyes. I could make a whole write-up on how opposing they are in WBK, but I don’t want to get too carried away here lol