(Good fiction requires good characters who promote inspiration and aspiration. To demonstrate this, we shall be looking at characters from multiple series and judging how deep their archetypes go. We shall be calling upon individuals who take on the personas of their favorite characters in order to establish these traits).
CHARACTER INTERVIEW!
Interviewee: Ryuko Matoi (Kill La Alternate Universe)
Portrayed by: @MaleMatoi (Twitter)
Bio: Following his victory over Master Ragyo Kiryuin, the male analogue to Ryuko Matoi has been busy protecting both Honnouji Academies from all kinds of life-fiber and non-life-fiber based threats. Recently, a significant battle left him disabled from the waist down, and he has been making every attempt to keep up morale for him and those he cares about as he sets about finding a way to recover. He was kind enough to meet with us for an interview.
Q: Please tell us your name, your position within your world's Honnouji Academy, and your weapon of choice when facing an opposing threat.
A: My name is Ryuuko Matoi, I am a No-Star student at my Honnouji Academy, and I would use my Scissor blade as my weapon.
Q: When your world was being plagued by the life fibers, what sort of thoughts were going through your mind? What were your goals, and who were the people you thought about most?
A: At the time, I was angered. I felt I was one of them due to the Life Fibers. At the time, I wanted to eliminate the threat, and I was thinking most about the Mankanshoku family and Satsuki.
Q: Having learned that Master Satsuki was your brother, how did that affect you?
A: That shocked me. I never thought it could be possible. However, I was more shocked to find out Ragyo was my father.
A: That shocked me. I never thought it could be possible. However, I was more shocked to find out Ragyo was my father.
Q: Nowadays, you're seen spending time with your doppelgangers at the other Honnouji. What has that been like for you? And what are your goals while living there?
A: I didn't expect to be here with ourselves... But it's been fun. My goals here are to have a great time with my Uzu and get out of this chair.
A: I didn't expect to be here with ourselves... But it's been fun. My goals here are to have a great time with my Uzu and get out of this chair.
Q: I want you to talk specifically about your other half. What is one thing you criticize about them, and one thing you feel they excel at?
A: Well... They excel at being different, but tend to be quite hot headed sometimes.
A: Well... They excel at being different, but tend to be quite hot headed sometimes.
Q: When facing your world's life fiber crisis, what is one thing you decided to do differently than your other half?
A: I always wore Senketsu. Even though we were both monsters, I trusted her with my life, and she kept her promise.
A: I always wore Senketsu. Even though we were both monsters, I trusted her with my life, and she kept her promise.
Q: Finally, out of all of the doppelgangers from the other Honnouji, who is your absolute favorite?
A: I actually enjoy spending a lot of time with Nui, to other's surprise.
A: I actually enjoy spending a lot of time with Nui, to other's surprise.
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Contrast (2.5/3): The male Ryuko Matoi comes off as far less impulsive than his female half, almost to the point of demonstrating a reluctance to act. You can clearly see a constant battle playing out within his mind, a constant second-guessing of actions taken and actions yet-taken. To draw a parallel, he's a lot like Masaomi Kida or Maverick Hunter X in that he knows how precarious things can become and never wants to be the cause of another's pain. At the same time, trauma doesn't seem to impact him as hard as it does his female half. He lacks the naivete of his female counterpart which can be both a blessing and a curse.
Overlap (3/4): Underneath his hardened exterior, you can definitely see a much softer side who wants just to be a normal teenager with a normal family and a normal anxiety-free life. He cherishes the simple things, and makes the most out of things many other people take for granted. And like his female counterpart, he won't hesitate to put his life on the line for the sake of bringing about peace.
Verdict (3.91/5): The male Ryuko Matoi may not be as deep or symbolic as his female half, but he is still quite fascinating. In a way, he is more of an analogue to Satsuki Kiryuin, serving as a mentor or teacher as opposed to a world student. His path will be drastically different to that of his female half, and that's okay so long as we remember to approach our observation of that path in a different way.
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