Sakura’s Perspective Of Suo

“batman loves his nightwing” this and “batsibs love nightwing that”, what about the batsibs’ friends / team loving nightwing ‼️‼️

YES!!! They love him!

The thing about Dick Grayson is that he has such a unique quality that just draws people in and holds them captive.

Titans (2016) Issue #26

He has a charisma that's intense. People from all walks of life find themselves just constantly looking at him for friendship, advice, love, guidance, and just something that calls them to him.

It's the impact he has on people that's astounding.

Titans (2016) Issue #27

They love him so much and they respect him so much that his absence is like a huge gaping hole in their chest. People feel lost without him because they've come to rely so heavily on him. Gar and Steel literally only joined because Dick asked.

This is something Roy catches on to and is well-aware of. He practically hounds Dick into creating the Outsiders with him.

Outsiders (2003) Issue #1

But you think Roy is the only one to capitalize on Dick's Nightwing effect? Hell no.

Titans East Special

Dick isn't just a person. He's a home. He's the guiding hand and the ship's steer control. He's special to people because he's everything they want him to be. He's their lover, best friend, brother, and partner. Whatever role they're missing in life they find it him him because he makes himself versatile enough to fill whatever they're looking for.

Dark Crisis Issue #1

We say batsibs' teams but he's the whole Justice community's everything. He fills the connections of both Batman's side and Superman's side.

He IS the most well-connected person in the entire community.

Teen Titans (2003) Issue #23

Look at what Kon says -

"Nightwing and Starfire brought wave two. Which is just about everyone whose ever been a Titan. It's a natural thing when Nightwing shows up. None of us are conscious of it, really--but we all look to him for orders. Robin's lucky."

The sheer respect. That Kon has for Nightwing is indomitable. Oh, but you think that's all?

Do you know what the superhero community says about Nightwing? Kon will tell you what they think -

Teen Titans (2003) Issue #33

The Titans (1999) Issue #39

He calls. They answer.

Hero-worship of Nightwing is canonically universal. Renaming this the Nightwing Effect

Epilson

The Titans (1999)

Red Condor

Nightwing (2016) Annual #3

Hutch

Nightwing (2016) Issue #75

Kara

Justice League of America (2006) Issue #49

Supergirl (2005) Issue #3

And sometimes this means more than friendship love but still born out of respect. It's so funny to me how Dick goes around friendzoning people.

Cassie

Even when people don't like what he wants they still do it because they respect him. Because he had an impact on them and they were were moved

Titans (2003) Issue #89

Aquaman, Ollie, John (Green Lantern)

JLA (1997) Issue #121

Kyle Rayner

Even people he's just met are like - this guy's pretty good!

Green Lantern (1990) Issue #81

Coming from a Green Lantern comic!! Not even a Wondergirl, Wonderwoman, Batman, or Nightwing writer. A green lantern!

Speaking of which, when Hal Jordon dies, a list of people are selected to be The Hal Jordon's replacement and guess who it is?

Action Comics (1938) Issue #642

Hal forces his soul back into his body and comes back to life but DC does a "what-if" thing and shows what it would be like if Dick actually became a Green Lantern.

Superman/Batman Issue #60

AND BRUCE'S REACTION!! His most favorite son combined with one of his least favorite people 🤣🤣

Superman/Batman Issue #60

But Bruce's faith in Dick actually elavtes his opinion of Hal.

ALSO!!-

Superman/Batman Issue #61

I JUST KNOW THAT BRUCE WAS WRITHING IN JEALOUSY!!

But anyway, shows to prove that no matter who Dick is and what identity he takes, he will always be the love of the hero community. Because in this world, each member is a combination of the Justice League AND the Titans.

Superman/Batman Issue #60

Yet Dick is still the center of it all.

A literal god

Nightwing (2016) Issue #49

Jon and the hero community

Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis Issue #1

"It would mean a LOT to people if you came and said--" "You're all overreacting." "We need you."

"You're all overreacting." - Clearly, this isn't the first time someone has already come to Dick about being the center of the community.

Not just by the batfam, but for everyone Dick is the most beloved person in the community. That is a fact.

So i’ve been wondering abt how the next conflict will unfold after the current breather in the manga… and i can’t help but suspect (and hope) that maybe, just maybe it’ll have something to do w Suo.

I say this bc currently, it looks like we’re getting the backstories of the main group one-by-one (Sugishita, Kiryu, possibly Sakura).

And at the same time, chapter by chapter, we’ve been getting tiny little snippets of Suo’s suspicious actions/habits in the background: him wearing a swim shirt/staying out of water, Kiryu deliberately mentioning how he’s not eating again (there is a separate panel of this interaction, so it’s clearly important as it’s divided from other dialogues), him taking control of the conversations and manipulating them in his favor in both ch 171 and 172…

I really feel like something is brewing in the background when it comes to this boy, bc all of this happened in the last 4 chapters which he appeared in.

But most of all, what really concerns me is this line:

Throughout ch 173 he seemed to handle the tension of the Kiryu-family quarrel with such unnatural level-headedness, he’s the only one who is still staring straight ahead in the panel below, not being startled at all by the yelling.

He’s also the only one who’s observant enough to sit back in the same exact place after spying on Kiryu

All of these reactions, habits and behaviors just make me suspect that he might have a difficult familial situation, where he had to hide emotions, learn how to be observant and a smooth-talker, manipulate his way out of situations, grow up way too quickly…

And well, let’s not forget how he says that his best skills are at negotiating, making the enemy “cough up information” and do as he says…

I’m honestly kind of a believer of the “Suo has ties with the mafia” theory, or at least i think he has some seriously dark familial situation and knows some shady ppl… he’s the only person who Nirei had no notes on, nobody heard anything about his days before Furin (except that he’s a good fighter)… it’s all just too suspicious tbh.

And well. As the story and world-building progresses, each conflict in the manga has been more and more dangerous and intense: first we had the one-on-one’s with Shishitoren, then the more violent Keel-conflict, then we had straight up adults fighting in the Roppo-Ichiza vs Gravel arc, and ultimately the war with Endochika + Noroshi… i wonder what could be more intense than this last arc.

Still, Wind breaker hasn’t been truly dark up to this point, so i highly doubt that a story about a group of wholesome delinquent high schoolers would delve into some less PG stuff involving the mafia. The story is more about acceptance, community and personal growth, a violent and darker gang arc would be quite out of place imo.

However, i truly suspect it will be Suo’s backstory that’ll serve as a transition to the next conflict/heavier arc.

But as always, feel free to disagree, this is only just my personal opinion and theory<3

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 feel bad for Lin Ling, but my brain demands angst. Or the horrors. Miss J said that Nice's fans have been waiting long enough for him to reach the top. And if for the public (for it's significant part at least) heroes are nothing more than spectacular characters, what if even after Lin Ling became his own hero, some fans would demand Nice's comeback. Like "yeeeah the OG is dead((( but the copy looks just like him! also he has new cool fighting techniques! and he genuinely loves Moon like Nice is supposed to! idk the commoner is just a downgrade in comparison :( i miss Nice's grace, commoner is just... meh". They would leave negative comments, spread their opinion, attract like-minded people. And no matter how hard Lin tries to move on from Nice, Nice would be forced upon him. The fans' will is no joke after all. Damage to his mental health (he finally became "himself", but there're people who prefer false identity other the real one and see him as a perfect mannequin) would be bearable, but then their desires pile up and start to affect his appearance again - everyday, looking at the mirror, he would notice more and more white strands. And distinct flecks of blue in his brown eyes... Sure, he has loyal fans ready to support The Commoner no matter what, but the consequences of "playing Nice" would haunt him. Because it's the fans who create the hero. And some fans have different plans for you. Teehee.

Everytime I remember Suo’s “I really am no match for you”, I can’t stop vibrating on my seat from curiosity. Like, in what way, and why? What is it that you measure when you thought of that, Suo? No match in terms of what, maturity? Keeping your head calm as possible? In having mental resilience? And why do you think like that? Why is there an implication that you want to match/live up/be equal to Sakura? What exactly goes on in your head, Suo? Ugh he is so mysterious and contradictory

This is my own interpretation, but I think it’s a general mix of what you said, but within the context of Chapter 50 and a dash of genuine admiration (with an undertone of self-depreciation).

It’s important to note that Suo and Sakura actually reverse their roles in their relationship, compared to their actual personalities. Suo takes a lot of initiative when it comes to Sakura, assisting him to the best of his abilities and even focuses on messing with him specifically. Sakura [reluctantly] accepts his gestures + help, and is quick to believe Suo‘s (obvious) lies.

This contradicts the fact that Sakura is usually proactive and takes initiative, while Suo is passive and observant—something that has been established since the beginning of WBK.

But in chapter 50, their usual dynamic is completely flipped. The composed Suo Hayato is seething with anger and awfully emotional, and the brash Sakura Haruka is oddly calm and rational. Suo even points this out during their confrontation:

But what really causes Suo to snap out of it is Sakura blaming himself. Because unlike him, his class captain has his priorities straight but holds himself responsible in the process; while Suo himself was too busy taking his anger out on someone who was already beaten just because he was unable to protect someone who was weak.

This subversion makes him self-reflect, because Suo “my hobby is human observation” Hayato probably never predicted Sakura managing to stop and calm him down.

Okay, I hear you folks loud and clear. Here it is.

How Suo foils Sakura as a character

For starters, their personalities, on the surface, are quite different. Sakura is rather brash, but he is very upfront about his feelings and takes initiative when needed. Suo carries himself with dignity and grace, but remains passive and would much rather observe a situation unfold at a distance.

This translates into the way they fight as I’ve mentioned before. Aside from their fighting styles being completely different (Sakura’s kickboxing is close contact while Suo’s aikido lacks contact and focuses on deflecting attacks), the way they treat their opponents differ. While Sakura makes an effort to understand Togame, Suo imposes his own (contrived) worldviews on Kanuma. Sakura converses; Suo monologues.

Speaking of Umemiya’s philosophies, Sakura is known to eat a lot ( @furinfry made a really nice writeup on this theme, and they explain it much better than I can), even being dubbed a glutton by… Suo. Which is funny, because it’s been shown that Suo himself doesn’t consume food around others, claiming to be on a diet.

If Suo’s refusal to eat is a metaphor for his self-alienation from his peers, then Sakura’s acceptance of Umemiya’s advice is proof of his assimilation to Furin.

On the topic of alienation, Sakura is vulnerable and wears his heart on his sleeve; he unintentionally lets people into his world whether he realizes or not. Suo does none of these things—and his emotions are either (unintentionally) drawn out by the people he cares about, or when he witnesses something that contradicts his principles.

Sakura hates covering his appearance, while Suo makes it a point to do so (given that he literally wore a scuba suit to a beach).

The way they treat Nirei post-KEEL also differ. Suo is concerned for Nirei and helps foster his fighting skill to the extent of abilities, but Sakura remains rather ‘wary’/protective of Nirei (obligatory dead wife flashback mention)

There’s also the case with how they handle other people’s situations. Suo first observed and evaluates, then shares his own rational conclusion while Sakura tends to be upfront of what he feels about it.

The way their internal dialogues are written also differ. Sakura’s focuses on himself and his introspections (given that he’s the MC), and they’re very descriptive. But Suo’s is limited; he simply addresses the situation around him. The only time he introspects is to put himself below Sakura.

I’m probably missing a lot of things, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Additional Tidbits which add no value to this post:

Sakura’s flower is the Cherry Blossom, a tree that is so rooted in Japanese culture. Suo’s is the Chinese redbud, which is well… inherently Chinese (gotta tag @psychicwavementality for this one)

Sakura is learning how to cook, but Suo makes it a point that he prefers to bake instead

Sakura develops throughout the story, but Suo stays rather stagnant (I really want to make a writeup on this which also talks about Nirei’s development soon)

Suo’s character color is red; Sakura’s color is sometimes green (representing Furin). Both red and green are complementary colors on the color wheel.

also i think about Crime Alley as both the physical source for bruce’s loss and also a sign of gotham’s renewal — leslie’s clinic as one example, or bruce’s dedication to social reform in park row. how after twenty years he is still tethered to the cinema, the alley, the gutters. he knows each brick by touch alone, in the dark he can find his way unaided. like the manor it is the foundation holding him upright. does he find comfort there for himself, knowing that he can always return?

but the graysons died in a field, in the ring. the ring is not stationary, it moves as haleys does. its sawdust floor is discarded after the show, its bleachers disassembled, the big top packed away for the next town, the next country, the next show. the graysons died at haleys, but it isn’t anywhere their son can return to. he can stand in the field, knee deep in grass, but the crowd will not be there, nor the tent nor the jugglers. he could travel the world and never truly find the place his parents died. the only way out is through.

nice: futility in the pursuit of perfection

(spoilers for EP 1 under the cut)

note: i'll refer to the original nice in this analysis, not lin ling. (we'll talk about him later LOL)

this is purely based off of the official trailers, pv, character concept, and episode one, so my thoughts are subject to change as more episodes are released <3

in nice’s character concept, he’s is shown to be nothing short of a perfectionist. everything has to be perfect: stationary, plates, silverware (or goldware, i suppose) have to be in their rightful positions. all of his belongings are gold, white or fall in a shade of brown, black. even his pillowcase is set in a neat geometric pattern. his hero costume’s color scheme- gold, white, and blue- screams sophistication and poise.

nothing can be out of place- so why choose to die the way he did? it's messy, undignified- and most importantly, public.

what type of fan wants to see their shining hero's brains splattered out on the street? in his hero suit, no less.

nice wanted to permanently tarnish his image of being “perfection incarnate.” he decided to damn himself even further by pointing finger guns at lin before falling- a bittersweet farewell.

despite his endless pursuit of perfection- and having seemingly obtained it (with the title of no.10 hero, his face plastered across every other billboard in the city, and a beautiful girlfriend fitting of his clean, polished image)- i think nice hated himself.

his floor in hero tower is devoid of any personality or sentimentality. the only decor is a piano off to the side, two treadmills (the other presumably meant for moon)- and most importantly, a statue of himself- of nice- in the middle of it all.

offering a palm out to whomever stands before it, the statue almost seems welcoming, friendly. almost. it looks like it belongs in a city hall or museum, not someone's personal residence.

so why keep a statue of himself in his personal living space?

you could theorize he's narcissistic. i mean, people would kill for the prestige tied to the name "nice." (we even get a glimpse of this jealousy in his character promo- hello mysterious stranger.) maybe it inspires him as he steps into another day of being “nice.”

but to me, it’s a reminder fueled by self-loathing.

nice has nothing- is nothing- without being perfect, adored, and envied. he's a former ballet dancer- an art form known for its severe dedication to the craft. we don’t even know his real name. If he can’t be the perfect hero, what is he? And when that image is threatened, what will he do to maintain it?

according to the official trailer 3, nice says he will “use whatever dirty tactics it takes to prevail.” the “villain” we see in his PV calls him out on his hypocrisy, implying that he was involved- or at least knows of some of nice’s misdeeds in the pursuit of perfection.

hell, even his own hero name calls him out. To be nice is to be agreeable, pleasing. niceness is a surface level trait: a veneer meant to cover imperfection and rot. he's not supposed to be kind, much less good.

“Nice” has to be perfect, and whoever held the mantle before lin was unable to afford the cost.

Could u elaborate more on what u said about how dick is the linchpin of dc?

Sure! People refer to Dick Grayson as the linchpin of the DCU largely because of this quote:

“Just in terms of links to other characters, though. Dick has so many connections to other characters. In many ways, even more than Superman or Batman, Nightwing is the soul, the linchpin, of the DCU. He’s well respected by everyone, known to the JLA, the Titans, the Outsiders, Birds of Prey – everyone looks to him for advice, for friendship, for his skills. He’s the natural leader of the DCU. His loss would devastate everyone and create ripples through the DCU.” - Phil Jimenez 

For context, Jimenez is one of the people who worked on the Infinite Crisis comics. This quote is from one of the interviews where he (along with other DC creators like Geoff Johns, Eddie Berganaza, and Jeanine Schaefer) explain why it wasn’t a good idea to kill Nightwing off in those comics, despite Dan DiDio’s plans to the contrary. It’s interesting to hear everyone’s perspectives, you can see more of the interview here. 

But yeah, as Jimenez describes, Dick is connected to pretty much every single hero in the DCU. Have you ever heard of ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’? Because you could easily play that game with Dick lmao. Many of the JLA see him in a motherly/fatherly way, since they were at the very least there when he was Robin. At the most, these older heroes, Superman in particular, actively had a hand in raising Dick into the man he is today. 

In addition, he is very close friends with his generation of heroes because he formed the Titans. That alone gives him connections to so many people: Donna, Wally, Garth, Roy, Kory, Vic, Gar, Raven, Joey, etc. But it doesn’t even stop there! He often acts as a mentor to the next generation of heroes as well: specifically Tim, Kara, and Conner come to mind. And he helps out the Birds of Prey. And the Outsiders. And the Batfamily. The amount of characters he has influenced and interacted with is frankly a little ridiculous. 

The Brave and the Bold (2007) #15

Dick had such a great reputation, and so many people trusted him because a) he had worked with them before and had proven his mettle b) he had been a leader for a team they were on or c) he had mentored them. Like, not to say he was universally liked, but. Even when people hated him or disagreed with him, they usually respected his skills and expertise. And he kind of acted like the bridge/commonality between the old generation and the new:

Teen Titans (2003) #6

He used to be considered such a capable and valuable member of the superhero community…which is one of the reasons why it is so frustrating to see how he is treated in the newer comics/continuity. But really, I am only scratching the surface here on why Dick is considered to be so important. This post by @theflyingwonder goes even further into detail. They also explain what the fallout for Dick’s death should/would have been considering his connections, it’s worth a look. 

I feel like Dick and Damian definitely do regard each other as father and son to a certain extent but in a way that is so tied to Bruce's "death" that they'll never actually say it. Damian will just keep referring to Dick as his Batman, a role that has only ever meant father to him, and Dick will refer to Damian as his Robin, a name that has only ever meant son.