Oh boy they're back!

and with the 10 minute time limit, Byakuren is gonna be fighting at full power. This could be a good one

The last panel reminded me of Flash and Batman

Wha...again? Why?

Uh oh.

Zaku_Zelo said:
Wha...again? Why?

Why not?

On the one hand... I'm disappointed to not see a new team but on the other hand, it is just ten minutes so introducing an entirely new team for just that would be silly.

Oh and I'm also glad to see these two fight again

Lot less happy-go-lucky this time.

Zaku_Zelo said:
Wha...again? Why?

They're the only team that are actually technically skilled at wrestling?

With the whole TEN minutes thing, I could swear Miko and co. would appear.

OHMIGAH! They're back! I was not expecting that, but pleasantly surprised~ this artist makes Byakuren look sooo hot. We need more Tenshi tho! More Tenshi, I say!

IIRC, Byakuren's strengthening magic will fail after about 10 minutes in the barrier, which explains the time limit. As much as I like the Buddhists I would have greatly preferred Kasen/someone than a resurrection.

Sanae said:

If we lost in ten minutes somehow, we intend to forfeit right away.

That's pretty spicy. I wonder whether that would put Lotus into the semis or the winner of the other match directly into the finals.

Sanae's truly intent on evening the field, even putting her own team's status through the same risks.

Shou :(

It didn't work the previous time, Byakuren, replace her asap!

shadowbringer said:
Shou :(

It didn't work the previous time, Byakuren, replace her asap!

Shou's a skilled combatant and the ONLY person in the entire wrestling tournament who knows how to properly wrestle.

Shou isn't bad, she just had difficulty dealing with the heaven sky's strengths (Okuu is the glass cannon while Tenshi's the iron wall)

Not sure how she'd do compared to Suwako, but she'd have a major advantage over Sanae.

Well Ill be damned, they actually brough back Byakuren and Shou

This is the Moriya Shrine's chance to wipe away the fallout from Subterranean Animism! Show them a god's wrath, Suwako!

Zaku_Zelo said:
Wha...again? Why?

They're the reserve team. There would have to be a reason why they wouldn't be called up to fill the slot... it's what they're there to do. Since all the other teams are healthy and present, and new characters apparently didn't petition to get scripted in... they're up.

Pumpkin_Eater said:
IIRC, Byakuren's strengthening magic will fail after about 10 minutes in the barrier, which explains the time limit. As much as I like the Buddhists I would have greatly preferred Kasen/someone than a resurrection.

Actually, it lasts longer than that. When Byakuren said she had ten minutes left before, it was after they had already gone through quite a bit of a match, she only had enough power for ten minutes after that.

I gotta say though, unless Sanae really did get Kamen Rider upgrades, I don't know how she's going to handle either of the Lotus team.

Everyone is underestimating Sanae again. Miracle Creation has already swung two matches against stronger opponents than Lotus in Moriya's favor, on top of the fact that Sanae's power level has crept up noticeably over the course of the series. Lotus is formidable, and underdogs are exciting, but if they can't beat Heaven and Hell, they can't beat Moriya.

Oh, I swear to god, if the Moriyas lose to a team that isn't even supposed to be in the tournament anymore...

Zaku_Zelo said:
Oh, I swear to god, if the Moriyas lose to a team that isn't even supposed to be in the tournament anymore...

Would be such a twist that no one saw it coming but you!

Pumpkin_Eater said:
Everyone is underestimating Sanae again. Miracle Creation has already swung two matches against stronger opponents than Lotus in Moriya's favor, on top of the fact that Sanae's power level has crept up noticeably over the course of the series. Lotus is formidable, and underdogs are exciting, but if they can't beat Heaven and Hell, they can't beat Moriya.

Sanae's main trump cards are her miracle defeat-proof plot armor and her willingness to risk herself for her goals. She lacks the speed/strength/skill/experience the other contestants have.

See, this is really damn irritating. I enjoyed the Lotus team because of their skills and will enjoy watching them again... but I can't believe they will win this. Sort of takes the fun out of the fight.

inb4 next comic: Moriya team will about to lose, but the end bell rang first.

old tricks...

I don't care how this impacts the tournament. I want to see Byakuren kick Sanae's ass.

Oh, I get it! Team Moriya will lose this match, Lost Servants will lose their match, and Scarlet 75% will lose their match! That way, all of the teams that actually existed at the start of the tournament will be eliminated.

Pumpkin_Eater said:
Everyone is underestimating Sanae again. Miracle Creation has already swung two matches against stronger opponents than Lotus in Moriya's favor, on top of the fact that Sanae's power level has crept up noticeably over the course of the series. Lotus is formidable, and underdogs are exciting, but if they can't beat Heaven and Hell, they can't beat Moriya.

First. Team Moriya was up against a very unbalanced team that had no teamwork in their first match, so I don't know where you're getting the idea that Lotus is somehow weaker than Frozen Sunflowers.

Second. I can't see how you think not beating Heaven & Sky somehow makes Lotus weak either.

Third. Sanae may have been the one to deliver the final blow in Team Moriya's matches but in both of them it was Suwako that was always doing the heavy lifting.

Something else is that both matches Team Moriya has been in have had unbalanced team dynamics in their opposing teams. Frozen Sunflowers had a dominating Yuuka who only wanted to inflict pain and not actually win, as well as Cirno who is "the strongest". Red 200% had Meiling who was hampered (apparently) by being of a mediocre youkai species and having to look after the loose cannon Flandre, and Flandre who was pure destruction but also childish and lacking strategy. Lotus Star White Tiger is going to be their first match against a trully balanced team that doesn't have any real deficiencies aside from Byakuren's limit on how long she can keep her powers up, which isn't a problem here because of the time limit. This match is also going to be one where the teams are going to have to go out swinging from start to finish due to the time limit.

I don't doubt Sanae might (emphasize might) have miracle powers helping her WIN but so far they haven't been helping her actually FIGHT. I don't know who's going to win this match (Most likely Team Moriya) but I'm pretty sure that Team Moriya is going to have had the tar beat out of them before it's over.

You also have to remember that Hiriji and Shou are both skilled fighters. One is the avatar of a god of war and the other is the leader of a Buddhist temple and a powerful aesthetic who has defeated and sealed hundreds of yokai.

Meiling wasn't terrible, it's just that well.. she pales compared to Oni and War gods, but for all its ability and strenth scarlet 200% had various weaknesses.

Tiger Lotus isn't anywhere as weak overall as Byakuren at full power gave even Tenshi (iron wall) and Okuu (Explosive cannon) a hard time. I'm not sure how well Shou'd compare to Swuako, but she's more than a match for Sanae. I get the feeling though even if Moriya wins it, Sanae's going to be in pretty sorry shape

My big question is how would Swuako conduct herself in these matches.

SpecterVonBaren said:

Snip

First, Yuuka is stronger than Lotus by herself. Disagree if you like.

Second, I didn't say Lotus was weak, I said Moriya is stronger than Heaven and Hell, at least in pure ability.

Third, that's why I used the word "swung." Suwako easily has more combat ability, but miracles are what changed the outcome in Moriya's favor.

I also wouldn't discount Meiling's abilities; she was one solid hit away from taking down Suwako at one point.

Pumpkin_Eater said:
First, Yuuka is stronger than Lotus by herself. Disagree if you like.

Yuuka didn't seem to know any fighting styles and went for brute force and pain. Yuuka may be more powerful outside of the ring where people fight with magic but in these matches it is physical combat that is used with inner power added to it if possible due to the nature of the fighter (Like Cirno freezing Suwako or Okuu having a nuclear punch). Shou has fighting history and Byakuren has an inner power that increases her physical strength.

Pumpkin_Eater said:Second, I didn't say Lotus was weak, I said Moriya is stronger than Heaven and Hell, at least in pure ability.

Sanae is not stronger than Okuu or Tenshi. At all. Pure fact. She has magic ability but in canon and in this comic, she doesn't know fighting moves, her strength is her devotion, purity, and will. Okuu in canon has nuclear fusion behind her and Tenshi can control earthquakes and is actually armed. Sanae is a shrine maiden that used to live in OUR world. In this comic Tenshi has been shown to be an iron wall of defense and Okuu a glass cannon of offense. Sanae has a righteousness that was the key to beating Yuuka but she is the worst fighter of all of the remaining teams. Suwako does allot to make up for this but an unbalanced team isn't nearly as effective as one with two competent members. Heaven & Hell is far superior as a team to Team Moriya except in the aspect of coordination and planning (Tenshi and Okuu would support each other but they seemed to play mostly by ear) when/if the two fight, the battle will be decided by the individual points of the characters, the biggest factor likely will come down to how Okuu and Suwako interact as I can see Suwako being really harsh on the childish Okuu if she goes into her ruthless mode and Okuu seems to have a fragile body. It will likely be up to Tenshi to shield Okuu from the more harsh blows.

Pumpkin_Eater said:Third, that's why I used the word "swung." Suwako easily has more combat ability, but miracles are what changed the outcome in Moriya's favor.

My only problem with this is that the comic doesn't actually say that Sanae has been using her powers to win these matches. I more believe it has been due to circumstance.

Pumpkin_Eater said:I also wouldn't discount Meiling's abilities; she one solid hit away from taking down Suwako at one point.

I was really just going by what was said in the comic itself. They seemed to point out Meiling's species(?) not being a very powerful one allot during her fight.

And I know Team Moriya isn't really weak but Sanae is a very technical fighter, she doesn't have anything to bring to the table in terms of stats and experience, she's the kind of fighter that takes advantage of the more emotional and psychological problems with her enemies, which Lotus doesn't seem to have any of and Heaven & Sky don't have any readily apparent ones (Though I can see several possibilities for ones to show up).

They're only technical in the sense that Sanae has apparently watched professional wrestling and knows some moves, and Suwako, as defined by her past actions in the Central vs Native war is a skilled combatant. But aside from that they're a disorganized mess of a team.

cd_young said:
They're only technical in the sense that Sanae has apparently watched professional wrestling and knows some moves, and Suwako, as defined by her past actions in the Central vs Native war is a skilled combatant. But aside from that they're a disorganized mess of a team.

What I mean by Sanae being a technical fighter is really that she doesn't have a good offense or defense or build or experience, her talent comes from when she capitalizes on things that aren't directly battle statistics.

Doesn't Sanae have a barrier akin to Reimu? That makes her a "wall"-type doesn't it?

Steak said:
Doesn't Sanae have a barrier akin to Reimu? That makes her a "wall"-type doesn't it?

She does, but she's less proficient at using it then Reimu. The reason she was nearly killed by Flandre was because her internal barriers weren't strong enough to take the trauma.

Steak said:
Doesn't Sanae have a barrier akin to Reimu? That makes her a "wall"-type doesn't it?

cd_young said:
She does, but she's less proficient at using it then Reimu. The reason she was nearly killed by Flandre was because her internal barriers weren't strong enough to take the trauma.

Yeah. It seems her barrier has only allowed her to be able to keep up with everyone else instead of be a complete powerhouse like the other barrier users. Though if I'm remembering correctly (It's been a while) wasn't Sanae getting some sort of training from someone in a previous strip?

Come to think of it, Yuugi and Rin coulda subbed in.

cd_young said:
Shou's a skilled combatant and the ONLY person in the entire wrestling tournament who knows how to properly wrestle.

her "code of honor" (plus her inability to hold Okuu on a critical moment, allowing the latter to save Tenshi from Byakuren's drop) > her. She's her own worst enemy.

I'd like to see (maybe in future tournaments) characters such as Kanako, Yukari, Kasen, the Watatsuki sisters and Mamizou fight as well (plus the obviously missing Mima+Shinki combo... to replace Marisa's quartet), until then I'll cheer for Sanae and Kaguya's teams (and Byakuren), I think.

Byakuren might do more than in her previous fight, in this match, if she were to either become obsessed with winning and being more heel-like, or if she were to somehow get to fight Miko, later. Or she might lose, who knows.

SpecterVonBaren said:
Yeah. It seems her barrier has only allowed her to be able to keep up with everyone else instead of be a complete powerhouse like the other barrier users. Though if I'm remembering correctly (It's been a while) wasn't Sanae getting some sort of training from someone in a previous strip?

I think she was practicing on her own. after watching one of Reimu's nosell matches.

SpecterVonBaren said:

And I know Team Moriya isn't really weak but Sanae is a very technical fighter, she doesn't have anything to bring to the table in terms of stats and experience, she's the kind of fighter that takes advantage of the more emotional and psychological problems with her enemies, which Lotus doesn't seem to have any of and Heaven & Sky don't have any readily apparent ones (Though I can see several possibilities for ones to show up).

You seem to be confusing Sanae with Kaguya.