Rampant speculation

[terabient]

IN THIS POST: total geeking out over a rushed fighting game storyline.

So there's this fan theory going around that Graf Dumas/Nightmare is actually Raphael (or at least, his body consumed by Soul Edge) which is one of those things that is like, 'wat' when you first hear it but has become slightly more plausible as people overanalyze uncover more stuff.

Examples: Nightmare's base model is the same as Raphael's, (it's not possible to take off most of Nightmare's armor, but enough can be removed to make the model obvious) Nightmare's physical stats have changed so that they are more inline with Raphael's than Siegfried's, Nightmare's profile mentions using a 'spare host underneath Ostrheinsburg,' Graf Dumas looks and acts similar to Raphael, etc, etc. Apparently there is also a Japanese light novel that hints pretty heavily at Raphael-as-Nightmare's-host without actually committing to the idea? @_@ finding information on the light novel itself is kind of hard.

I DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS. Well okay I guess it's a pretty awesome dramatic development, but I sort of hate the idea of Raphael just being, like, the Newest Nightmare, because Nightmare is super-boring. But! The idea that Raphael's actual soul/spirit/whatever is wandering around while Nightmare uses his body as a host is oddly arousing is a lot more appealing because it feels truer to his character. (in that he's always been willing to use Soul Edge's powers but refuses to become just another ~minion.) But then there's the problem of whether or not the Raphael in SCV and Nightmare/Graf Dumas are operating/existing at the same time, like - maybe Raphael's story, such as it is, is supposed to take place after the events in the main story mode? Nightmare/Dumas isn't killed there iirc, Z.W.E.I.'s stopped by Pyrrah Omega and Tira before that, right? Anyway that would mean Raphael is totally boring New Nightmare most of the time, and only his much cooler self in a plot that kind of doesn't exist yet-

WHY DO I CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THESE THINGS :/

Have also been spoiling FFXIII-2 since I don't really feel like buying or playing it any time soon, and after seeing the main game + extra endings I feel confident in saying: "Well, that's a huge fucking mess."

Also Goddess Etro is an amazingly incompetent higher power.

Comments

[badgal]

Considering that Dumas's voice, face model, and hair are all the same as Raphael's (I checked! They both start with the same hairstyle in creation mode!), I... kind of have to think it's intentional? If it was just the face I'd be like, "They were just being lazy," but with the other physical evidence it would make more sense for it to have been intentional, wouldn't it?

ANYWAY, it's pretty vague but I think Nightmare falls off a cliff after ZWEI fights him? There's no saying whether or not he's dead dead, but considering he's Nightmare, I kind of imagine a simple cliff fall wouldn't be enough to take him out! As Raph's story/profile thing starts with him "waking up" and not having any real idea where he is or what's going on or how much time has passed, it's not much of a stretch to figure that was him, er, coming back to his senses after having Soul Edge's influence removed. So personally I'd figure that it's supposed to take place after the main story, yeah :\a

BUT WHO KNOWS, IT'S NOT LIKE NAMCO ACTUALLY SEEMS INTERESTED IN TELLING US SHIT.

[rutato]

I think we're all curious about what happens...*cough* fanfic writers...I didn't think about Raphael's story too much. I have to admit it was strange and there was no time frame mentioned in his or how he got a hat. And there was almost nothing there about Amy either or where she disappeared to between 4 and 5. The fact Raphael (as we know him) wasn't in the story mode just makes that Graf Dumas thing more plausible. The story also takes place in Hungary (wasn't Raphael's castle in SC3 there?).

But the fact they wrote character descriptions without finishing them just made it worse xD I hope Namco doesn't use the promise of a story to sell a crazy-expensive sequel or DLC.

[terabient]

But the fact they wrote character descriptions without finishing them just made it worse xD

ya. I mean, I know hyperanalyzation is just something fans do no matter how tightly plotted something is, but not doing anything with characters not involved with the Alexandra siblings just....you're left going 'OH MY GOD THESE TWO HAVE A UNIQUE INTRO WHAT DOES IT MEEEEEEEAAAAAN.

...still not as bad as FFXIII-2, though. :P