Are there any other Leg Style combatants other than Okamas, Sanji and Zeff? Sanji's fighting style is using his leg and his epithet is also called Kuroashi no Sanji / Black Leg Sanji.
He learnt this style of fighting from Aka-Ashi no Zeff / Red-Leg Zeff.

As far as I remember, Okamas also use (at least) their legs to fight, like Bentham and Emporio Ivankov.

My questions are :

besides Sanji and Zeff, is it only Okamas that using Leg Style for fighting?
are there any other Leg Style combatants other than Okamas, Sanji and Zeff?

1. The Longleg Tribe uses their legs to fight.

The incredible long legs of the Longleg tribe endows them with not only height but incredible leg strength as well, and those that are hit by the legs of a Longleg fighter consider them to be like metal whips.
As acknowledged by fighters in the Corrida Colosseum, the legs are the most important part of the tribe's fighting form. Therefore, aiming for them seems to be their most vulnerable weakness. However, due to the speed a trained Longleg fighter can move their legs at, landing just a single blow is not always possible to do

This includes:
• Blue Gilly : You can see him use his legs for fighting in this video. He is also a practitioner of Jao Kun Do.

Jao Kun Do is a close range attack-based fighting style which involves leg motions so swift that foes cannot predict where a kick will land.
The only known practitioner of this art, Blue Gilly, has leg movements so rapid that they create afterimages that confuse opponents. He can then attack with force comparable to that of a steel whip.

• Baron Tamago : We haven't yet seen him fight in the anime but it's implied that his key fighting strength lies in his legs. As One Piece Wiki says:

As a member of the Longleg Tribe, his long legs are considered to be the main point of his combat strength

2. Inuppe, the zombie penguin who had Sanji's shadow uses the Black Leg Style fighting techniques as well.

In the Thriller Bark Arc, Inuppe, the zombie who had Sanji's shadow also used the Black Leg fighting style due to the Kage Kage no Mi's powers.

3. Vergo can be considered a strong leg fighter as well, although he does far from only using his legs. You can see his fight here with Sanji where he uses his legs for fighting for most of the part.


Was the titan in the last episode of AOT S1 inside of the wall or on the other side? Also about walls origin First, is the titan really inside of the wall like being trapped in it or just doing his/its job (lol)? I thought it was on the other side ever since because I have seen many comments/texts using the word "inside" which is very confusing.

Also it was said so far in the anime (currently S2 E6), that walls are (possibly?) made of titans' "crystals" making it pretty much indestructible, so doesn't that mean that titans aren't neccessarily inside of the walls since it would make the plot point a very funny one.

I am also confused as to how the walls are said to be "indestructible" like titans' crystals except certain parts like "entrances/exits", but some titans are seen to be able to pretty much destroy wall parts that are said to be indestructible like how (the collosal titan destroyed some parts of it) not sure if it really did though?

P.S. It's okay to spoil about the origin of the walls in your answers.

Please try and phrase your question so that it is not ambiguous.

Also, explaining this will be a major spoiler.

However, a few answers can be given.

   1) Yes, that titan is inside the walls.

 2) Yes, that titan created part of the wall with its hardened skin

 3) No, it is not trapped.

 4) The colossal titan can destroy a part of it, but not the whole wall.


Where is Yuma Kuga’s mother? If you think about it, we all know what Yuma’s father, Yugo, looks like and what happened to him, but the manga and anime never seems to mention Yuma’s mother. Whatever happened to her? Is she dead, did she and Yugo have a divorce, or what? Because there had to be a relationship with a woman if Yuma is Yugo’s son. (Or is Yuma adopted?)

As of current writing, Yuma's mother has never been mentioned ever in the story, and not even in any interviews/Q&A sessions. (Otherwise, information about her in Japanese should come as popular/surprising, but I found none and only the same questions in Japanese with fan theories about her being a Neighbor or not, etc.).

Thus, it's also impossible to answer any questions related to her: whatever happened to her, is she dead or divorced, etc.

There are some fan theories if Yuma was adopted, but that's just fan theories.


Why was there never a dub for Skip Beat? I don't quite understand it - the manga is popular, ongoing and their are plenty of fans, and yet - from what I've researched - there was never a North American licence and never an English dub.

Why was there never a Skip Beat dub?

The anime of Skip Beat was in 2008/09 , by Hal Film Maker. Shortly after the anime, Hal Film Maker merged into the parent company TYO Animations. There may have been some issues with licensing works from a company that didn't exist anymore.

This was also around the time of legal online streaming's emergence - so interested studios (possibly Funimation, who took on B Gata H Kei - Hal Studio's next production) had a lot of business decisions and work at this time.

Most dubbed anime go under a lot of cost analysis to see whether it is worth it to produce. Usually shounen works are the easiest of works to pull a profit on. Shoujo works are harder to sell, so perhaps it was decided by most companies that it just wasn't worth it.

Any of these could be potential reasons and this probably isn't a very satisfying answer, but unless there's an official announcement by a involved company, we won't know due to company secrecies.

The longer it remains unlicensed however, the less likely it is to be picked up as it slowly looses the target audience's interest.


Did Pokemon start off as a Manga? Was Pokemon initially manga and then tv producers changed the story they wanted it or was it a product of imagination of tv producers?

Pokémon actually started as a pair of video games published by Nintendo for the Game Boy in 1996. Known as Pokémon Red and Blue (although in Japan the games were released as Pokémon Red and Green), these games were followed up by some short stories.

IIRC, first came the Pokémon comics, then the Pokémon series debuted on television on April 1, 1997, and shortly thereafter the manga was released on August 8, 1997.


Is Bishamon a god of war or a god of fortune? In Noragami, somethings are still not clear to me. Bishamon was first introduced as a god of war. In fact, Yato said that she was the mightiest god of war. But in the second season, she is said to be one of the seven gods of fortune.

The question is what exactly is Bishamon a god of. Is it common for gods to be for two entirely different things?

Same goes for Yato. He was said to be a god of war and also a god of calamity. And why is there a need of two gods of war if Yato is a god of war?

In short:

Bishamon is both, the God of War and the God of Fortune.
Yato is not only given the title of the God of War and the God of Calamity, but is also a self-proclaimed Delivery God. Besides these:

   • In Chapter 40, Fujisaki Kouto revealed that Yato is a "God of Depravity," meaning that Yato only knows how to steal and not to give, and that those people around him will suffer terribly.
 • He has also decided to become a God of Fortune now.Source

In detail:

Firstly, a God of Fortune is the title given to a God who brings good luck or uses his/her special abilities/powers to guard or enhance one's everyday life, and is, for the most part, not directly related to their powers (so as to say, they do not cast a spell which causes good fortune to come to someone).

Neither is one "born" a God of Fortune, or if one is, he/she may be stripped of the title should they bring dishonor to their kind (Similarly, other Gods can also be given the title of the God of Fortune.

As mentioned on the Wikia:

  The Seven Gods of Fortune (七福神 Shichi Fukujin), commonly referred to in English as the Seven Lucky Gods, are the seven gods of good fortune in Japanese mythology and folklore.

  They are some of the most widely worshipped, prayed to and wished upon Japanese gods in modern times, with figurines or masks of them being especially commonplace in small businesses.

Like for Kofuku, it's almost impossible (if not completely impossible) for her to become a "God of Fortune", given that she is the Goddess of Poverty.

  As the Goddess of Poverty, Kofuku has always been hated and scorned. She was never allowed to own her own Shinki, possibly since it would augment her powers of disaster and create further destruction and chaos.Source

Secondly, a God doesn't have any "occupation". They are given the title based on their powers and how they use it. For example, Yato is technically only a God of War. The other titles were given to him based on how he used them. In the past, he used to be merciless and cruel, using his powers to kill other Gods in the battle, giving him the title of "God of Calamity".

Similarly, there is no reason why a God cannot be given two or more titles. This trait can be seen in real-life Gods and Goddesses as well. For instance:

  Saraswati (Sanskrit: सरस्वती, Sarasvatī) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning. Source

  Parvati (IAST: Pārvatī) is the Hindu goddess of fertility, love and devotion; as well as of divine strength and power. Source

These are just two among many Gods and Goddesses who are believed to have more than one power for themselves.

I do not know much about Buddhism, however since the Gods of Fortune are based on real-life counterparts, of which you can read in detail here, it is not at all far-fetched for the Gods to wield more than one power or for more than two, or even ten Gods to share the same title. Even if their Buddhist counterparts in real life wield only one power or even none, the concept of the
Gods having more than one title is nothing new.


Confused as to why ANBU agents are so easy to kill off Why are the ANBU agents the easiest to kill off in Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden?

Naruto's team was shown to be stronger than a team of ANBUs.

I'm just so confused why would they say that the ANBU are the best of the best when they are the easiest to kill off

In simple words because the enemy forces were seriously STRONG that ANBU agents were not able to defeat them (as said by Happy Face in the comments).

According to me, Naruto's team is an exceptionally very strong.

Kyuubi's Chakra + Sharingan + Healing = STRONGEST

So there is no doubt that they are stronger. They are exceptionally strong, so we might say that they are stronger than ANBU agents.

When some strong enemies come to their village let's say Nagato, aka Pain, then it's quite obvious that ANBU agents won't be able to defeat him because Nagato is really strong, but Naruto did because he is exceptionally stronger than the ANBU agents.

According to wiki :

  One of the Fifth Hokage's ANBU bodyguards attributed his chakra supply to the Rinnegan. Nagato could also constantly alter the nature of his chakra to prevent him from being located by sensory type ninjas.

This is also written in wiki that:

  ANBU commander is very observant, seen when he recognises that Pain's chakra-levels must be immense and that he is controlling the bodies used to destroy Konoha by chakra alone.

But that doesn't mean that all anbu agents are nothing. For example Yamato is also an ANBU agent, and if you have seen him then you may have know that he is not easy to be defeated by enemies just because he is strong.

There are many ANBU agents which differ from each other. They are responsible for carrying out assassinations, tracking, surveillance, and missions requiring specially trained ninja. Also some ANBU serve as interrogators.
All ANBU agents have their own skills.

But there's a point that we must note:

ANBU are expected to destroy their bodies when they are badly injured on a mission like that they won't be captured.

Which might explain why they kill themselves every time they are badly hurt. Source


Why was the Buddy Complex "second season" just a two part finale? It seems like there were expectations for a full second season of Buddy Complex, e.g. from here in March 2014:

  ... the official Twitter account and website for the anime confirmed that the series will still continue.

But then, only three months later, a two-episode finale was announced instead, seemingly to the surprise (a reaction of confusion common in other forums as well, which I share) of many. The finale was released in September 2014. The finale announcement article also concludes with the same note that "the story will still continue" but this seems to be more copy-pasted from the first announcement than an actual announcement (it links back to the same old Twitter post).

Why did Buddy Complex not get a full second season? Was a second season scheduled and then reduced to two episodes because of poor sales or anything like that? Is another season still planned? I don't know Japanese and so searching for sources was difficult. I'm looking primarily for official news and announcements, interviews, etc.

The official tweet you link to simply says: "Regarding Buddy Complex TOKYO MX, that everyone [kindly] watched episode 13, thank you very much! That is to say... To be continued！This work will continue! Please wait for the follow-up. Later on, [we'll] release BD privileged information! #buddycom" (「【バディ・コンプレックス】TOKYO MXにて第13話をご覧頂きました皆様、ありがとうございました！という事で・・・To be continued！本作品はまだ続きます！続報をお待ち下さいませ。この後BD特典情報を公開します！ #buddycom」)

There is no mention or implication within the text that indicates any particular set length of running time, nor even the media type of the promised follow-up. 「作品」 (sakuhin) is a non-specific word for a work of some sort, such as a production, a piece of art, a piece of work, handiwork, even someone's opus.

Thus, the 2014/10/27 post on the official website announcing the 完結編 (kanketsuhen, the last program of a series), which was released November 21st, 2014 and comprised of a two-parter 前編 (zenpen, first part) and 後編 (kouhen, second [after] part), does not in any way conflict with the original Twitter announcement. This means that, no, a second season of TV anime was not scheduled and then cancelled. 「完結編」 (kanketsuhen), by its very meaning, is the last program of a series; to title a release that way is to explicitly state that there are no plans for ever produce a following work such as a second TV anime season.

Therefore, it does not seem that proficient readers of Japanese would have misunderstood the tweet to promise a season's worth of upcoming anime. Someone who reported on the tweet in English for an English-language source seems to have jumped to a conclusion regarding in what sense the 「作品」 (sakuhin) would continue.


Are all the angels children of the Great Priest? According to the Dragon Ball wikia article Great Priest

Vados, Whis, Cus, Marcarita, Martinu and Korn are children of the Great Priest. What about the other angels? Are they also children of the Great Priest or who's his father?

Well as of now, it has been confirmed to a certainty in the anime that Whis and Vados are siblings. As for the other angels, the reason you see them being linked as sisters on the wiki page is because of this image(linked here) posted on Instagram by Toyotaro listing Vados, Whis, Cus, Maracarita and Marinu as siblings.  The post translates to "4 Beautiful Sisters".  Personal Opinion: I personally believed at the start that it was very likely that all the angels are kids of the grand priest. However, after episode 118, my opinion of the same has changed. After Universe 6 is erased, we see Vados immediately going towards Whis as seen in the picture below. We also know that this isn't temporary as Vados is seated next to Whis in episode 119. We don't see any of the other angels joining another Universe or being seated next to another angel once their universe is erased. Please Note: There is a very high possibility that this doesn't mean anything and it was only because Vados and Whis might be very close since they are from parallel universes, or they might be two siblings who get along and don't get along with the others or only the two of them might be siblings and we don't know for sure.

 Hence, there is no actual answer to your question and it's personally up to you to decide what you believe in.


Has Miyazaki's Future Boy Conan ever been licensed for US release? With the popularity of all things made by Miyazaki, has Future Boy Conan ever been licensed for US release?

I know it wasn't created by Studio Ghibli; are there some legal issues that might be preventing it from being released in the US?

No, Future Boy Conan has not been licensed within the US.

Although, there has been plenty of speculation as to why this never happened.

Reasons people speculate include:

being too expensive to produce
fear of it not selling
it being too old
general licensing hell

Apart from these speculations, there has never been a conclusive answer, nor has it ever been said that it will never happen.

So it might still happen some day.

Answerman from  Anime News Network also stated the following:

  We have no idea what's holding back the show from the US. I used to think a show like this would be a slow seller -- it didn't exactly blow up the fansub scene back in the day, either on VHS or via Bittorrent. But then again, Discotek just hit a home run with their Castle of Cagliostro Blu-ray so who knows -- it might do OK. Regardless, it's not going to happen in the foreseeable future. Throw another one on the "licensing hell" pile, and hope that, someday, something might change.


How come Rei and Shinji have different last names? Rei Ayanami and Shinji Ikari are supposed to be brother and sister. Why do they not both have the same surname as their father, Gendo Ikari?

They are not supposed to be brother and sister. Rei was created using material of Yui Ikari which would make their relationship closer to mother/son or aunt/nephew genetically speaking and this origin was kept secret.

Gendō Ikari brought his first clone (Rei I) to the Gehirn base, which is the predecessor of NERV and responsible for the development and construction of the first Evangelion units, introducing her as the daughter that an acquaintance entrusted to him.
...
Officially, Rei II is chosen by an organization called the Marduk Institute as the First Child and pilot of EVA Unit-00, though this organization is later revealed to be a front, with Gendō and the SEELE council pulling all the strings.

So officially there is no relation between Gendo and Rei except that he is responsible for her.
Giving her his surname would serve no purpose and instead make others more suspicious of her and what connection she shares with him.
Quote from Wikipedia


Name of soundtrack in Shippuden episode 485 when Sasuke and Orochimaru were talking in the boat What is the name of the soundtrack in Naruto Shippuden episode 485 at 13:07 when Sasuke and Orochimaru were talking in the boat?

This is Sen'ya, from Shippuden OST II track 23. Also commonly known as "Itachi's theme".


Why are child pilots used in the first place? About midway through Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Kaji notes that the dummy plug system being introduced is considered more humane than the use of children, after Misato tells him that she distrusts it. But this raises the question: why are children even used as EVA pilots in the first place?

Obviously, from a storytelling perspective, the use of children probably better allows for some of the ideas in the series, such as Asuka and Shinji's parental issues, to be developed. But I do not remember seeing any official, in-universe explanation for this.

Heavy spoilers for the original series:

But if after a decade you haven't still watched the original series, blame on you.

TL;DR:

   Because their moms' souls are what makes the EVA alive. And the EVA activates when the child (pilot) is placed inside the womb (entry plug).

Since the background story is the same for the rebuild movies, we can assume this is unchanged for rebuild.


How does Sara become a child in Mermaid Melody? I watched this anime when I was in grade 4.
I still can't see why Sara (the orange mermaid) becomes a child.

Sara had lost her memories but the few fragments of her former self who loved Masahiro created a body. So the child form of Sara is the feeling she had for Masahiro.


In "Kiss Him Not Me" how does Kae just automatically become beautiful by just going to sleep? I've just been wondering this since I started watching it and couldn't figure it out so I hope someone can help!

She didn't become "Automatically beautiful just by going to sleep" Instead, out of depression of her favorite anime guy dying, she locked herself in her room for a week without any food, therefore reducing her body fat and making her thin.


What does Tobi mean by "There lies truth in a single consciousness that has abandoned all individuality"? In Chapter 594, Tobi says, "There lies truth in a single consciousness that has abandoned all individuality."

What is the context of this statement? Is there something specific he is referring to?

I think he is referring to the Eye of The Moon Plan to unite the world under Infinite Tsukuyomi, thus being able to control every living creature, and to cease conflicts by removing any free will.

So looks like that with this line he is just supporting/justifying his idea again.


What is the typical equipment/clothing for a Soul Reaper? As the title says, I'm interested in what the typical equipment is for a Soul Reaper and if there is any difference in equipment...

... they have when operating in the World of the Living as opposed to operating in the Soul Society
... between regular Soul Reapers, Seated Officers, Lieutenants and Captains

I'd like to see actual names if they exists rather than generalized named. For instance, while the white jacket that a Captain wears on top of their black robe could just be referred to as a Captain's Jacket, if it has a proper name I'd rather that be listed.

I also including clothing as I remember it being mentioned the black robe is actually some sort of protective gear.

Added information/links on the functionality of the piece of equipment is also welcomed (for further reading).

Individual items don't need to be included (i.e. the thing Mayuri Kurotsuchi injected into himself to regrow his arm during his fight with Uryu Ishida during the Rukia Rescue Operation by the Rioka (2nd/3rd season?)).

Clothing
It's actually relatively simple for the "standard shinigami". They will wear:

a Shihakushō (死覇装, Garment of Dead Souls), the black .. thingy which comprises of:

a white shitagi (下着, under clothing)
a black kosode (小袖, small sleeve)
a black hakama (袴, "trousers")

white tabi (足袋, foot pouch / socks)
and waraji (草鞋, sandals)

Additionally the Lieutenants will sometimes wear an armband with the division symbol and number.
The Captains wear a white overcoat called Haori (羽織) with their division symbol in a rhombus (the Gotei 13 symbol)
There is differences for the Covert Ops (隠密機動, Onmitsukidō) They wear a stereotypical ninja outfit.
The other subdivisions of the Covert Ops (namely Detention Corps and Inner Court Corps) also have different clothing.
Equipment
Every shinigami has a Zanpakuto of their own. They will always carry them especially on duty. Usually they don't carry any further equipment.
Additionally the fourth division (healers) is regularly seen with pouches for medicine and related material.
Furthermore Lieutenants and Captains will automatically be given a Power-Suppression-Sigil when they pass the Senkaimon to go to the World of Living.


Differences between anime and manga versions of Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic I watched Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic and want to pick up the manga starting from anime end. If manga and anime are too different, I might read skipped chapters.
How different are then anime and manga versions? Do I need to read it to cover the whole story?

They're about the same, but the anime doesn't always follow the manga's plot.

If you're new to the series and want to know where to start, go with the manga first, then watch the anime, because the anime is based on the manga.

If you want to know the differences, I have spotted a few changes in season 1 that differ from the manga. The examples below are from chapter 120:

   In the anime, Alibaba became a Dark Metal Vessel user or Dark Djinn Equip near the end of season 1, which isn't part of the manga.

 Another change is that Hakuryuu got his arm cut off in a sword fight trying to protect Alibaba, instead of falling off after the Zagan arc in the manga.


Are Hell Butterflies living creatures? The Shinigami use Hell Butterflies for communication while they are on missions and need to communicate with HQ (or vice versa).

Are Hell Butterflies living creatures or are somehow artificially created (like miniature robots) by the Shinigami?

The true nature of the butterflies was never revealed in the manga. Take a look at this page from chapter 59:

Here you can see Rikichi having troubles catching a butterfly that was trying to fly away, also trying to lure it with a female butterfly. That suggests us that the butterflies are at least living creatures (as far as you can describe an inhabitant of Soul Society as "living"), and not "robots", because:

It's useless to try to lure a robot with a female robot
A robot could behave better, and there should be no problems with handling it.

I would assume they are real butterflies that are being bred up in Soul Society and somehow trained to perform their duties. Maybe they are somehow different from normal butterflies (for example they could have been modified by the 12th division), but since it wasn't stated anywhere, it's just a speculation.


How many 104th corps cadets joined the scout regiment? Most of the 104th cadet corps walked out when they were given choice to join the scouts. But how many of them actually joined the scout regiment?. Plus how many of them are still alive.

The following are the top ten of the 104th training regiment, southern division:

Mikasa Ackerman
Reiner Braun
Bertolt Hoover
Annie Leonhart
Eren Yeager
Jean Kirstein
Marco Bott
Connie Springer
Sasha Blouse
Krista Lenz

Of these top ten, 8 of them went to join the survey corps.

    The only ones that did not were Annie Leonhart, who joined the Military Police, and Marco Bott who died before he chose his division.

The rest of the known members are:

Armin Arlert - Survey Corps
Ymir  - Survey Corps
Thomas Wagner - No division chosen (deceased)
Hannah Diamant - No division chosen (deceased)
Franz Kefka - No division chosen (deceased)
Samuel Linke-Jackson - No division chosen (deceased)
Nac Tias - No division chosen (deceased)
Mylius Zeramuski - No division chosen (deceased)
Mina Carolina - No division chosen (deceased)
Daz - Unknown division
Tom - No division chosen (deceased)
Floch  - Survey Corps
Gordon - Survey Corps (deceased)
Sandra - Survey Corps (deceased)

The following three were in the 104th training regiment, but in another division, hence why two of them were able to join Military Police:

Marlowe Freudenberg - Survey Corps (deceased)
Hitch Dreyse -  Military Police
Boris Feulner  Military Police

From these numbers we see that the answer to your question is: 14 members of the 104th training corps joined the Survey Corps.

However, in the anime I count 18 bodies at the "true salute" scene in episode 16:


In which place of the timeline of Toaru Majutsu no Index series does the Toaru Kagaku No Railgun series happen? In the timeline of Toaru Majutsu No Index (no the release dates of the series/ovas/specials etc which is a completely different thing) where do the Toaru Kagaku No Railgun series happen?

A Google search would actually get you several timelines for the series, one of which is shown below:

Here, you can see there is an overlap to the events that occurred in 'Toaru Majutsu No Index' and 'Toaru Kagaku No Railgun'.

Here's an even more specific timeline and it clearly shows which episodes and arcs these overlaps happen:

Other timelines are more or less similar.

Sources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/57uwv8/spoilers_about_the_joint_timeline_of_a_certain/
https://www.reddit.com/r/toarumajutsunoindex/comments/cclkap/ive_translated_this_awesome_series_timeline/


Could one make a Devil Fruit eat another one? We saw deers, guns and swords that have Devil Fruit powers. Would it be possible (with Vegapunks help) for a DF to eat a DF?

Would it explode like if someone ate two DFs? If not, one could try to eat that DF to get both powers (And should explode).

If it is possible, it is worth thinking about whether or not the resulting DF has it's own powers too. E.g. take a fox Zoan, feat it to the fire fruit (no offence to neither Ace nor Sabo here) and create a "Firefox".

Well, since both Vegapunk and Ceasar are doing weird experiments on DFs, i think that could happen one day and we can be sure they are working on it.
However, we can't know if they will successfully fuse two DFs as it will be decided in the future by the scenario. Only Oda knows.

Hope that helped.


What chapter is the episode 413 of Naruto Shippuden I  want to start reading the manga Naruto Shippuden, but I would rather start reading from the last episode that was aired (currently episode 413). Do you know which chapter that episode (episode 413) would be?

Naruto: Shippuden episode 413, titled Hopes Entrusted to the Future, is a filler episode. The entire arc, In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths, is a filler arc. Meaning, none of the episodes from the arc has a manga equivalent and is anime exclusive.

However, if you want to check the manga equivalent of an episode from the main arc, you can get the episode details from Naruto Wikia.


How can the man in the back see? In the back of this screenshot from Naruto episode 80 (during the Third Hokage's funeral), circled, is a man with his face entirely covered by bandages. Is it known how he can see?

That ninja was shown, earlier, in the Chunin-exam.

Because he takes care that nobody cheats in the exam, he must have an ability to sense things without using his eyes. It's most likely a special jutsu or Kekkai Genkai.


What philosophical concepts and/or authors are referenced in the series? As the series develops, it seems that Ergo Proxy has a growing number of philosophical references:

The concept of Anamnesis in episode 11.
The Council/Collective figures.
All the events in episode 20.
Every discussion Vincent has with Ergo about the 'self' (especially episode 11)
And numerous others that I don't recall at the moment...

Which philosophical concepts/authors are referenced or portrayed in the series?

It's been a long time since I have watched the anime, but here's a quick rundown of some of the concepts I think the anime portrayed:

Absurdism

The resulting conflict, called the "Absurd," to find meaning and not being able to find any, at least, not in a humanely possible way. In other words, meaning can be logically found, but not be achieved. This concept is shown in Raul's mental breakdown as he slowly loses any possible source of meaning in his life. His adopted child, for example, could have been a source of meaning, but as he loses that and Pino, he began to create the Absurd and the way he resolves this is through suicide. The are other examples of the Absurd, more noticeable when they're talking about their Raison d'Etre. Others can handle the Absurd in a different way, particularly the Proxies because they're not (normal) humans, although those like Re-L was able to handle it as well in the end. The way Ergo Proxy portrayed Vincent's journey can also classify this work as an Absurdist Fiction.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absurdism

Mind-Body Problem

This is more broad and can be divided into two subcategories: dualism and monism or physicalism (also called Identity Theory). Dualism is where the mind is separate from the body and the latter is when the mind is the body. This issue is addressed when the robots begins to acquire sentience on their own. The Cogito virus, which seems to be immaterial, is what gives the robots in the series their free will, their "mind," similar to how dualism says that the mind is immaterial and separate from the body. Yet, the experiences each robot has is what makes them act different, which also depends on the body. The state of mind of an intimidating military robot is going to be different than that of Pino, where people are more likely to treat her like a child. This issue is also more notable between Ergo and Vincent.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind%E2%80%93body_problem

Social Contract

The anime briefly touched on this, but it's there. The legitimacy of Romedau's government is questioned. Cities can be created and destroyed easily by the Proxies, so it seems that the council is very powerless. More than that, no one voluntarily enters these cities. Rather, people are forced to exist inside them, either through artificial birth or through emigration (they were either to die in the harsh outside environment or live inside). In contrast, the commune outside of Romedeau works the opposite, in a way. Thus the problem: would you be willing to give up some of your freedom for comfort or would you rather have complete freedom?

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract

Existentialism

Very similar to absurdism. This problem is the question of where meaning comes from, if there is at all. It also deals with the issue of where existence came from, whether we existed without our bodies and how does it relate to our meaning. Existentialism on its own is too broad, however, but it seems to me that the anime touched on this as well.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism

There's a lot of references on the other hand, so I'll only list a few:

Utilitarianism - Society should be guided so that everyone is equally happy. Thus everyone in Romedau is given meaning.

Transhumanism - There was a scene where a city is run completely by robots. This seems to be more of a jab on transhumanism rather than a support for it, as it shows there's no need for humans if everything is mechanized.

Divine Command Theory - Whatever the council says, it has to be good. Why? Because they said so.

Übermensch - Nietzsche's idea of a perfect human and how human propagation gives meaning. The proxies aren't perfect, but it somewhat alludes to it considering how obscenely powerful they seem to be and that their mission is to perpetuate human society, if I recall correctly.


How did Impel Down's staff not know Buggy was a devil fruit user? How did the staff of Impel Down not know Buggy had a devil fruit when they put him in ?
Don't they dunk prisoners in boiling water?
Seriously how did Buggy get by these people ? Is Impel Down security that bad ?

There is a lot of questions there, and some led by some misundertandings.

  How did the staff of Impel Down not know Buggy had a devil fruit when they put him in ? Seriously how did Buggy get by these people ? Is Impel Down security that bad ?

The reason why Buggy was able to overcome ID's security system remains unknown. Buggy is discovered by Luffy in Chapter 526 and it is just said he managed to hide his power, without further explanations. I don't know for the anime so if someone could check that would be awesome. I believe the scene takes place on episode 420~.
However, it is easy to make some assumptions :

The fact is, Buggy has only a 15 millions berries bounty on his head, which is pretty low. His very low bounty is also the reason why he was sent to the first level of Impel Down, because as he stated himself in chapter 549, every prisoner from level 2 that escaped with him has a higher bounty than him.

His insane luck must not be forgotten either as he shows an incredible ability for deceive others (e.g. Impel Down break led him to become the Shichibukai replacing Teach) without doing even doing it on purpose (even if he often looks stronger than he actually is, not weaker).


Was Vegeta's design altered mid series? When we first see Vegeta, while he is in space headed to Earth and on the Bug Planet he looks like this

But when he gets to earth he undertakes a sudden colour change to this

Now at first since Vegeta is initially off world i though that maybe it might have been the local suns had a different colour light to Earth's, but then that wouldn't explain why his scouter would remain the same colour.

I am wondering, is Vegeta's colour change a result of his design changing mid series? or is there a reason why everything but his scouter changes colour when he arrives on Earth?

From what I can find, there was no official explanation given for the color change. A couple of fan theories, including this one, are basically that the coloring was done before the mangaka announced the actual hair color, and that they fixed it once the color was announced. This is corroborated by the Wikia trivia for the episode, which states:

  This episode marks the debut appearance of Vegeta and Nappa in the anime. They are shown in colors quite different from their later ones, especially Vegeta. This is because Toei guessed their colors, as the corresponding Manga volume was not in color. Vegeta's case is corrected in the Dragon Ball Kai version of this episode and in the Dragon Ball Full Color Manga version as well. Nappa's was not, though it is possible he owns more than one suit of Battle Armor.

In-universe, his hair didn't change color, as he stated

  that a pure-blooded Saiyan's hair does not change from the day they are born, aside from Super Saiyan transformations (Wikia)


If demi-humans age by leveling up, then can they die of old age? If demi-humans grow older by acquiring more levels or becoming stronger, then could higher level demi-humans die from old age? Or is there an internal aging system that does not affect physical appearances?

Demi humans only use the level to age method until they become adults then it's just normal age growth.


Who is the woman in the opening cutscene of Tales of the Abyss 3DS version? In the opening of Tales of the Abyss (from the 3DS, not sure about the PS2), at around 1:40, there's a shot of the Daarth Cathedral where there's a woman letting out something like a gust from behind her (moment before you see Ion or Florian at the alter behind). There seems to be more of this woman, as when I start a new game, the first cutscene shows a group of them gathering above the planet.

I'm currently on the final battle. At first, I thought the woman was Lorelei, but the characters call Lorelei a he. I checked the walkthrough to see if I was on the very last battle, since in Tales of Graces F there was a second story after I defeated Lambda which focused on fighting Little Queen, I confirmed that the fights I'm on are the last. (Then again, the walkthrough is for the PS2 version. A second story could have been added for the 3DS version, but I doubt it.)

Since I'm at the endgame, I am still wondering who this woman is?

I'm pretty sure it the spirit of Yulia Jue. It's also her her spirit floating about the world in the opening scene.


Is Haki visible to other characters? We know of the several forms of Haki, the Kenbunshoku Haki, Busoshoku Haki and the Haoshoku Haki. I've been wondering, are those Haki visible to other characters in the One Piece universe, or only visible for the reader?

And I am mainly interested in the Busoshoku Haki, as this seems to harden the body and makes the skin look metal like. Can people in the One Piece universe also see this metal like change? Or is this just for the viewer to differentiate between normal fighting and Haki fighting?

Both Kenbunshoku and Haoshoku are not visible at all, since, well it was not made as something that is visually needed to the reader, since they're basically perception and sheer will power respectively.

Busoshoku, however, can be seen both by the user and others alike, though not all the time, since it acts like an "invisible armor" or coating, in a sense. At that point, it is not seen, which could be demonstrated by someone like Zoro, for example. But, when in is concentrated heavily on certain areas of the users body (i/e: Luffy or Vergo) or to a weapon of theirs (i/e: Vergo or Smoker), it hardens said part (or extension of the users body) and turns it black, making it "denser".

(As for Vergo's extension for to his bamboo: Chapter 672, page 4 Smoker: Chapter 690, page 8.

For a use of Buso, without demonstrating it physically: Chapter 512, page 12, among many others. Zoro vs Monet for instance.)

Hope this helps.


Can users of Rinne Rebirth exchange other's life to revive someone? For example, if Nagato use Ningendo and extract soul from someone, can that soul be used for reviving someone else?

A common misconception is that a life is needed for the Rinne Rebirth.Let me clear that first.

During Pain's fight with Naruto,when Pain becomes good,he uses the Rinne Rebirth to revive everyone he's killed.At that point,Konan tells him that he doesn't have enough chakra to cast such a powerful jutsu.

So you need a large amount of chakra to pull off the Rinne Rebirth-which is often confused with the life of a person.You could die because of the exhaustion though.

Now coming to your question.

Yes,it is possible if the life force of the person from whom you've pulled the soul out is enough for the jutsu to be cast.

Example:You can't expect a 5 year old boy's life force to be enough for the Rinne Rebirth.


Did Elsie catch the runaway spirit (kaketama) that was in Nagase Jun? In The World God Only Knows 2 (Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II) episode 11 around 23:00, we can see kaketama of Nagase running away. After that, there is no information about that kaketama. It also doesn't show if Elsie catching the kaketama.

What happened to that kaketama? Did Elsie catch it?

Not sure if it's ever shown in anime but in manga we see Elsie caught it.

From manga, The World God Only Knows, chapter 42 "A Demon That's Tiny = The Little Devil", page 15.


Does Eren have to be in contact with a titan with royal blood or an eldian with royal blood to activate his founding titan commanding powers? Supposedly Eren have to be in contact with someone of royal blood to activate his founding titan habilities to command other titans. Does he have to be in contact with a titan with royal blood, or can just be a human non transformed eldian with royal blood to activate those powers?

According to the latest manga episode it is said that he has to be in contact with a royal blood to activate his power of founding titans and they also proved this when they recalled how the very first time eren was able to control titans, that was when he hit diana(his stepmother,a royal blood) and that time he wasn't in this titan form.
So from this we can say that he just had to be in contact with the royal blood to activate the power of titan


Has Naruto's less-than-stealthy costume been explained in-universe? Out-of-universe, Naruto's day-glo orange costume was chosen to make him "pop."  In-universe, it's hard to imagine a less efficient color for a ninja, especially in a wooded area.

Has there been any in-universe explanation for why Naruto wears that color, and was allowed to continue doing so even during missions?  Failing that, has the absurdity of it at least been lampshaded?

First of all, I think its obvious what Naruto's favourite colour is. From Genin to Kage, he maintains his signature orange colour.

The poppy orange colour was not only focused to make Naruto's appearance pop to the readers/viewers. There were several other factors:

Naruto's appearance was a tribute to the Dragon Ball series by Akira Toriyama. Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto creator/mangaka) was deeply inspired by Toriyama's works. Naruto's colour scheme was designed with respect to that of Goku's.
From Naruto Wikia:

  Naruto's mother was nicknamed the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" while his father was famed as the "Yellow Flash". Naruto's appropriate self-styled title of "Konoha's Orange Hokage (木ノ葉のオレンジ火影, Konoha no Orenji Hokage, Literally meaning: Tree Leaves' Orange Fire Shadow)" refers to the fact that the colour orange is a mixture of red and yellow.

The fact that Naruto's signature colour is a result of the mixture of the signature colours of his parents, is a significant reason for its implementation.

Naruto's childhood was a very rocky one. The villagers used to isolate him and ignore him. Due to which, Naruto would put up acts so he would be noticed or appreciates or be cared for. The poppy orange plays a crucial role here. Combining the two logic, i.e., orange pops out and Naruto wanted to be noticed, his dress code makes sense.

Some other factor(s):

Due to the Kyuubi being orange in colour. Kishimoto purposefully made Naruto and Kurama's colour scheme similar so they would look more related. This is something that I read a while back. It makes sense, but it's just an unsourced info.
Here's another factor I found while going through the post, Why does Kakashi Hatake always wear a mask? (credit to @InfantPro'Aravind'):

  @user1526, adding to starPilot's, color orange signifies ENERGY, a will to be sportive and always ready .. that's the character of Naruto .. – InfantPro'Aravind' Mar 17 '13 at 13:23

As for in-universe talks about his dressing, I couldn't find any reasoning or questioning references.


How much do the live-action Nana films cover? I've seen bits and pieces of the Nana films before, and I'm thinking of watching them again for the nostalgia kick. I am aware that there is also an anime adaptation of the manga, which I assume does not cover the entirety of the manga. (The anime ran in 2006, and the manga last published in 2009.)

I've been recommended the anime before (albeit by a friend who had somewhat different taste in this sort of thing), so on the off-chance I end up wanting to watch the anime or read the manga after seeing the film: how much of the manga do the live-action films cover? Are there any major changes to plot or characters that I should be aware of?

The live action goes up to episode 19 of the anime series, which in turn is shorter than the manga (only goes up to the 12th volume out of 21).

There's a lot of plot and relationship changes that happen in the future chapters, rather than spoil them here you should read to find out :D

Unfortunately, the manga does not have a conclusion just yet as it was put on hiatus in June 2009 when Yazawa became ill. So just be aware that there is a lot of loose ends in the current final chapters


OST in BNHA when the HUC child scolds Izuku? In My Hero Academia S3E19 around 9:35 - 10:30, when the HUC child scolds Izuku, what is the ost?

That would be Kibasen from the 2nd Season's OST! Here's the link


Why does the Shield Hero manga have the qualifier "The Manga Companion"? I was looking for manga adaptations of the Rising of the Shield Hero story and noticed something odd. Or at least something I haven't run into before.
The tittle of the manga was often appended with the qualifier "The Manga Companion", like on Amazon. I also saw the following phrase repeated some some stores:

This is the Manga companion to the Ultimate Light novel series.

What does the "companion" qualifier mean in this context?
Is it common for a manga adaptation of a light novel to have this qualifier?
Does it imply that the manga isn't intended to sand on its own, or am I just reading too much into the word?

In short, this was done by the publisher to prevent confusion, by indicating that it is the Manga companion to the original light novel.
Currently the light novel is sold under the same name, without the appended "The Manga Companion" which given the similar covers might lead to people buying the light novel when they intended to buy the manga, and vice versa.
As to why they chose "The Manga Companion" specifically over just "manga", I wouldn't know. Only One Peace Books would be able to tell us that.


What's the name of the instrumental music played when Yato releases Hiro in Noragami Aragoto Episode 13? Could you please name the song? My friend wants that song. Help. Thanks.

Not sure if you're still looking for the answer but that song is called 夜卜譚 ("Yatotan"). It's the 13th song of the Noragami Aragoto soundtrack.


Why can only females pilot IS? Why is it that females can pilot IS and males cannot? Is there a special reason? Also, why is it that Ichika can pilot IS?

Why only female can pilot IS ?

The reason why only females can activate the IS (and why Ichika
Orimura is the only male who can do the same) is currently unknown.
But it is hinted in the novel that Tabane Shinonono, the creator of
IS, did not deliberately configure IS to be a female-only platform.
She mentions that it was a accidental side-effect, and since she
didn't really care about that factor, she didn't see any reason to
bother with it.

Source
Why Ichika is the only male IS pilot ?

A speculation on why Ichika can pilot IS.
By ShadowFiend1000
This is my theory behind it, I think the reason why Ichika can pilot
IS is due to Tabane pulling strings at the back. One possbility is
that Ichika is not related to Chifuyu, and like Adam Jensen from Deus
Ex Human Revolution along with JC Denton of Deus Ex, is genetically
altered. This truth is possibly known to Chifuyu, Madoka and maybe
Tabane only.
For those who never played the game. In Human Revolution, mechanical
augmentations require the user to use a drug for life to prevent
gilial tissue build up in order to use the augmentation. Adam was
genetically altered (unknown to himself) by White Helix resulting his
body would not form any gilial tissue. This is a secret only David
Serif and his girlfriend Megan knows about. And it plays a big plot in
the game as well.
Do you guys see the link here now? You might ask who altered Ichika?
My guess, is Phantom Task.
If this is true, it might serve as a massive plot point considering
how many leaders of the world would want to bio mod their soldiers to
wear IS.

Source


What's this music in Darling in the FranXX? It's Hiro and Zero Two during their childhoods when they are separated by the guards :

https://youtu.be/gqvZJMcIxHA?t=66 . (spoil)

The OST start at 1 minute and 6 seconds.

Also, this OST is in the 13th episode and start at 21 minutes and 17 seconds

Thank you for your help !

After a few days of research, I found it : this is the 4th ending of Darling in the FranXX : Hitori

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltXFpzHxcoY


Where can I find a full list of all the Naruto Shippuden uncut box sets? Can anyone direct me to a site or does anyone have the full list of all the Naruto Shippuden uncut box sets. I have Season 1 box set 1, 3 , 4.
I am trying to buy all of them. I am hoping to NOT have to buy individual dvd's
Thanks for any help

There are currently 26 Box Sets been released, the 27th Box Set will be released on July 5, 2016.

You can hang around on these websites to find the best price.

  Ebay
  Amazon
  Walmart


How can Hyouma see and use Gennosuke's technique when he permits to do so? Hyouma is completely blind by birth. There is no doubt on this. But there is an unexplained connection between Hyouma and Gennosuke. With the order/granting/permitting of Gennosuke, he becomes able to

see.
use Gennosuke's ability to control other people's bodies.

What is the explanation of this behavior? What exactly is Hyouma's special ninja technique?

It is used in only two scenes which are listed below. Note that, in the both times, Gennosuke was temporarily blind because of the poison of Hotarubi's snake. His blindness may have something to do with it.

Episode 11

Episode 17

Naturally, the answer contains spoilers.
Because Hyouma is actually the one who taught Gennosuke his eye technique. Gennosuke inherited the Dojutsu skill from his mother, and as his uncle, Hyouma also possesses the same Dojutsu skill. However, Hyouma's case is special as

In the anime,

Hyouma's Dojutsu is constantly activated, forcing him to keep his eyes shut at all times to avoid killing the wrong person at the wrong time.

In the original novel and manga,

[Hyouma] was born with light-sensitive eyes, [and therefore] is only able to open them at night or other low-light conditions.

Reference: Basilisk Wiki.


What kind of institution is Gotei 13? Authority? Justice? Policy maker? According to Wiki:

  According to Yhwach, the original Gotei 13 were "defenders" in name only, comprising nothing less than a brutal mob of killers, but it was for this very reason they were a force to be feared, especially because Yamamoto was a ruthlessly pragmatic leader whom would hold even his subordinates as expendable. It is noted the Gotei 13 underwent dramatic changes after the extermination of the Quincy, mellowing out in the ensuing peace, having now found a sense of justice upon discovering things to protect and treasure.

Does this  mean Gotei 13 is acting as private organisation in Soul Society or is it an authority or law maker than can judge souls. If Gotei 13 is govermental authority, How can they exterminate Quincy if they act on behalf of Soul King? I know Soul King doesn't directly control Soul Society. And I believe what Gotei 13 has done was unjust. Therefore, I conclude that Gotei 13 is not ultimate source of justice. Therefore,  every soul can do whatever it wants in Human World, Soul Society, or Hueco Mundo without disobeying anything since authoritive figure doesnt exist among souls.

I believe the only thing that makes Gotei 13 an authoritative institution is because they have group of Bankai users that are willing to punish other soul on behalf of Yamamoto.

The Gotei 13 was mainly used to keep the control and order in the Soul Society. They are also the first line of defense from any enemies, such as Hollows, Quincies, etc. They maintain the balance between the spirit world and the real world by eliminating Hollows, and guiding lost souls.

The main purpose of the 13 was to provide an authoritative sense. Hope this answers your question.


Why is Yoruichi able to transform? Why/how is Yoruichi Shihōin able to transform into a cat? Was she always able to or did she learn it somehow? Does she have some object that allows here to?

As far as I can remember she seems the only one to be able to transform (into an animal).

According to the Bleach Wiki's page on the character:

  Yoruichi possess the unique ability to shape-shift into a black cat at will. How she alone, out of all Shinigami, is capable of this is currently unknown. She has possessed the ability for well over 100 years, and it's known to others she knew from that time. She apparently has no set time limit on the transformation, as she had been in this form for over 100 years.

Basically, it is unknown.


Roshi is over 300 years old because he used Dragon Balls, but how is Master Shen still alive? Roshi and Master Shen (Crane) were rivals while growing up. But why did Crane not die of old age?

A major thing to keep in mind is that Roshi is an unreliable narrator (and his turtle isn't terribly smart by human standards). He routinely lies and twists half-truths to help people get through something tough, motivate his students to work harder, or get something he wants that he thinks people otherwise might not give him. It's a generally benign sort of thing, serving his mostly comedic perversions or serving some sort of "greater good".

As Gary mentions, in the original series there is mention of an Elixir of immortality/Fountain of Youth, and Roshi at one point tries to console Tien by pointing out that he (Roshi) is immortal, so there's nothing to really worry about.  This was another lie or half-truth, though, as Tien was soon knocked out and Roshi was killed by the strain of the technique he used to try to save the day. So, as indicated, he twisted the truth, or outright lied, to help someone out. Most people at this point presumed that in fact the elixir/fountain only stopped him from dying of old age (and possibly other natural causes), but suicide/exhaustion/getting eaten/laser beams to the face/etc. would still be lethal in the usual fashion.

In Super, Roshi sends Goku and Krillin out to fetch some paradise herb in exchange for teaching them a super secret technique.  The technique was a half-truth, though. It was meant to motivate them to do the quest, and thereby help Goku increase his control of his energy and for Krillin to overcome his (very justified) fears. So they were taught something useful for combat, but not really a "technique" (and certainly not one of Roshi's martial arts techniques). He had also stated that eating the herb would increase his lifespan by another thousand years.  Whether that was another lie, or a bit of dramatic license, or not...we don't know.  But it stands as the current best explanation for Roshi's long life.  Presumably, Master Shen and his brother also partook of this herb.

Alternative options do exist, however.  Demon King Piccolo used the dragon balls to acquire Eternal Youth, which was inherited by Piccolo. This prevented Piccolo from aging once he hit his physical prime (a mere 4 years later), but neither of them had true immortality and could be killed by means other than aging. Conceivably Roshi, Shen, and others may also have made such a wish at some point.

A standard martial arts trope is the long-lived master, where their supreme skill and spiritual development gives them an unnaturally long lifespan; this may even be a specific "technique/skill" of theirs. Such a technique may have been found by Roshi/Shen/General Tao/Baba and used amongst them, only they found it later in life and it does not revert your body to an age before you acquired it. Part of Roshi's character is how he at once serves this role of a transcendent master of martial arts while also being a perverted, lazy, goofball.

And there's the fact that if he is in fact several hundred years old, then he may have gone through a lot of stuff, and the reason he has lived so long is buried somewhere in all of those adventures, possibly stretched across several of them in a complex fashion, and he may not even remember them all. After all, he once had true immortality by owning a Phoenix (which ironically died, and the immortality was lost). Which is to say there's plenty of story telling room to "retcon" the reason for his long life and insert some new justification(s) later.  All of which serves the handy purpose of making others distrusting of his claims, and difficult for others to achieve what he has (which could be dangerous to the world, as well as those attempting the feat).


How did Subaru lose the ability to enter the trials? After he failed or passed the second one, he could not enter anymore. How did this happen? And, is there a way to get back the ability?

I will grant you the right to face the trial of the Sanctuary.

While placing her hand over his chest, Echidna said this to Subaru at their very first meeting, just before sending him back (Episode 3, first half of second season). This was the reason Subaru was able to enter the trial of the Sanctuary in the first place, despite not being a half demon (a qualification needed to enter the trial).
In the last episode of the first half of the 2nd season, Echidna took this ability away from him after Subaru refused to form a contract with her, again by briefly placing her hand near his chest.
Unless Echidna decides to give this ability back to Subaru, there's no way for him to enter the trial again.
TL;DR: Echidna giveth, and Echidna taketh away.


Who was the first cosplayer? Who was considered as the first cosplayer ever? Or, who popularized cosplaying anime? Was cosplaying started in Japan as well or it started elsewhere?

The Costume Fandom: All Dressed Up with Some Place to Go! written by By Dr. John L. Flynn says that it goes as far back as:

  At the First World Science Fiction Convention in New York in 1939, a 22-year-old Forrest J Ackerman and his friend Myrtle R. Jones appeared in the first SF costumes among the 185 attendees. The future editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland was dressed as a rugged looking star pilot, and his female companion was adorned in a gown recreated from the classic 1933 film Things to Come. Both of them created quite a stir among the somber gathering of writers, artists and fen plural of fan), and injected a fanciful, imaginary quality into the convention's overly serious nature.

According to the Cosplay wikipedia page,

  The term was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi of the Japanese studio Studio Hard while attending the 1984 Los Angeles Science Fiction Worldcon. He was impressed by the hall and the costumed fans and reported on both in Japanese science fiction magazines.

However, the act of "cosplaying" was around before the term was coined by Nov Takahashi:

  It is said that the first cos-play ever performed at a fan event in Japan was that of a young woman portraying Tezuka Osamu's character Umi no Toriton (Triton of the Sea) back in 1978. But contrary to popular belief this performance seems to have taken place not at the Comic Market but at the "Ashicon" science fiction convention, and was performed by none other than the then 20-year-old Kotani Mari, now renowned as a critic and author of science fiction.

With this as an additional source(Japanese).


Why was Ueno-san trying to have Tanaka to drink her urine? In the first episode of Ueno-San wa Bukiyou, Ueno was trying to make Tanaka to drink her urine. Why was she doing this?

Pretty much every episode is about Ueno's scheme to make Tanaka do some silly fetish-esque activity in the hope or either A) make Tanaka aware of her or B) have an opportunity to say some sort of comeback about how much of a pervert he is. It always fails because she either gets hyper-aware of the situation itself while he's always the straight man or she just can't spit it out.


Why did Saki's cantus arrive late? It's been long since I watched this, but as far as I can remember, Saki's cantus "arrived late". I think it was in the scene where her bedroom's things begun flying around violently while she slept.

When she arrives at the academy, she says something along the lines of

  Well, it's not so weird for somebody to get their cantus late, right?

But they tell her that nobody else got their cantus late. She was the only one.

Is it ever explained, perhaps in the novel, why did her cantus arrive late?

It was implied that one gains cantus with the onset of puberty*. My explanation is that Saki got into puberty a bit later than the others.

*: I've read or heard this somewhere, but can't find a good link.


What's the song they are playing before Kaneki sees the news reports in season 2, episode 9? The track is played again at the end of the same episode when Kaneki is on the rooftop with Nishio and Tsukiyama.

The song is called Das zweite Kapitel, which, according to Google Translate, means "the second chapter" in German. It is track 26 from the first disc of Tokyo Ghoul Original Soundtrack.


Can Kumagami in Charlotte possess Yuu Otosaka? So since Yuu looted all abilities, including Yusa's of course, does that mean he can be possessed by someone just like her? And if so, can that person be Kumagami?

Yes, seeing that Yusa's power is Spiritism, she can be a medium for the dead. Which is also mentioned in the wikia.

  Yusa has the ability of Spiritism. She is understood to be a medium,
  seemingly capable of channeling and/or conversing with the dead.

So it is not entirely impossible so long as they have a way to communicate with Kumogami's soul.


Were there any parts of the manga that were skipped in the anime? I just finished watching Bakuman anime (seasons 1 thru 3) and really enjoyed the series. Right after finishing the anime, I found out that they skipped a portion of the manga in season 3 (around episode 16) and would like to read more about it the potion that they skipped.

What part(s) of the manga did the anime not cover (were entire chapters or arcs skipped?) and where would they have fit into the anime?

Yes they did skip some of story in the manga version.  There was one part in particular where they make a manga, and in the anime they submit it whereas the anime they just said no I'm going to turn in a better one.  I'll add the episode\chapter numbers when I find it.
Starts sifting through chapters


Does the usage of Haki affect the user in any way? We know that Haki is a mysterious power present inside every individual. But only few people are able to awaken and use it. It is very closely related to the willpower of a human being. So the question which arises here is: Does the use of Haki affect the user (physically or mentally) in any way? Does excessive use of Haki take a toll on the user?

If it is so, how exactly does it affect the user, since Haki isn't something like a physical energy?
If it isn't so, why don't the Haki users use it all the time? Why do they use it only in specific cases like a battle, or entering enemy territories, etc?

Does it affect the user (physically or mentally) who is using the Haki in any way?

No. I encourage anyone to point out otherwise, but my memory says Haki isn't proven to be exhausting. The conclusion I draw from that is that it's not a powerup (i.e. energy drawn from an inner pool of life force/chakra/ki/Namekian-hand-holding).

Does excessive usage of Haki take a toll on the user?

N-- but yes. By nature, excessive activity will generate stress but in accordance with my above answer, this is just an unlikely result.

If it is so, how exactly does it affect the user since Haki isn't something like a physical energy?

Haki is akin to concentration to activate, which also makes it task-orientated. Things like Observation are always on, because these are your most basic senses. As long as the user is conscious, there will be a heightened sense of plot convenience—I mean, the ability to detect hostile presences like the "wild beast" in Fishmen Kingdom's Palace. For Armament, this is used only for strengthening, i.e. intensifying the muscles. This is like getting in the zone, turning on that killer instinct, you know what you're about to do and you're gonna do it. So while the user can turn it on at the tip of a hat, there's no point to stay amped up and flexed. That's like walking around with a balled up fist all the time. Haki isn't going anywhere else. Nor is it a get-out-of-Death-Flag card that activates when your enemy has gone too OP or you're a pummeled mess.

My train of thought: Haki users are just flexing and intensifying their basic characteristics of observation, density, and intimidation. So it is physical energy if you take all the potential energy and turn it into kinetic energy for battle. Since it's not a powerup but more of a concentrated assault mindset, the training makes more sense. It wasn't for the purpose of controlling the uncontrollable, but for developing this state that allows you to demonstrate more strength like knowing how to brace your forehead with hardening for a headbutt or tighten a fist to punch. Not to undersell it, I'm sure the power behind one Haki-shrouded punch will make the difference versus another eventually, but it's never been the deciding climax to a fight.


Did Estarossa Full Counter against Escanor didnt work or Escanor was faster than him? In the battle of Escanor vs Estarossa, at the end, Estarossa charges against Escanor and he said to have reflected his attack with Full Counter but after some seconds he finds he was cut but Escanor. What does this mean? Did Estarossa Full Counter against Escanor didnt work because Escanor attack was too powerful, or Escanor was faster than him?

Yeah he full countered Escanor which is why Escanor got some injuries but after sometime Escanor seems to become faster that even Estarossa can't see his attack since Escanor grows stronger and faster every seconds.


What is the full lyrics of the song Si deus me relinquit? During the 1:42 of the song there is some choir (priests?) singing in the background.
But I couldn't find out what they actually singing about.
Where can I found the lyrics of this song with the choir part included?

It seems to say

Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi
(eng: Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world)

recalling this other music.


Why does the Port Mafia need a licence? In Bougou Stray Dogs, it seems the organisations need a licence to operate with gifted people using their gifts at work. (Cant remember the exact licence name)

At some point in Season 2,

   The government wants to protect their now ex-double-agent Ango from the Port Mafia...

and the Port Mafia uses that opportunity to get a licence from the Government

This makes no sense to me. Why would a criminal organisation like the mafia want a licence to operate legally? Criminal organisations usually don't care if things are done legally or not.

Typically, organisations like the Port Mafia are pretty good at keeping their illegal dealings at arms length so that it's hard for law enforcement to catch them doing anything. It may be all but public knowledge that they're doing all those things, but they try to leave as little evidence as possible (and have a few lawyers and other legal types in their pockets to help deal with the few bits that get away from them).

As such, often the law enforcement will look for any excuse to prosecute them, and use that as a proxy for all the stuff they can't actually be caught doing. For example, notorious gangster Al Capone was arrested for tax evasion.

So prior to getting the licence, presumably there were police detectives or the like keeping an eye on known Port Mafia members hoping that they'd see, I don't know, Akutagawa using Rashoumon to destroy a stray piece of garbage, then take him in on a charge of "Unlicenced use of ability on public property". With the licence, though, the actions of the Port Mafia are halfway legitimised by the government, and it becomes that much harder to take action against them.


What is typically done when a voice actor for an ongoing series passes away? It was recently reported that Matsuki Miyu, a voice actress, has passed away, perhaps from pneumonia or related complications (RIP). She voice-acted key characters in as-yet-incomplete shows, including at least Prisma Illya (Sapphire).

This surely can't be the first time this has happened. What is typically done when a voice actor for an ongoing series (ongoing either in the sense of a continuously-aired show like One Piece or a show with future scheduled seasons like [currently] Prisma Illya) passes away?

(I see three main options - put in a new voice actor for the character; write the character out of the show; or, worst case, cancel the show altogether. But all three options are imperfect. Historically, what has been done in these situations?)

A similar thing happened with Tomoko Kawakami, who voiced Soi Fong while Bleach was still airing.  While she went on hiatus due to ovarian cancer, she was replaced by Houko Kuwashima.  Once the news of her death broke, Kuwashima assumed the role until the end of the series.

It's a sad day when a seiyuu passes, but the general trend has often been to keep the production going.  Characters are seldom written out of the anime if they are based on an existing media (Bleach, One Piece, etc), so anything that would involve the character not showing up during critical, canonical pieces of content wouldn't be feasible.

The only times I've heard of series being cancelled is when a major player, such as the mangaka, passes away.  This was done in the case of Kaze no Stigma, as Takahiro Yamato had passed away, leaving the series incomplete.


Why do anime girls have huge chests? Today while reading "Mushoku Tensei" I once again got confronted with a character with (in my opinion) an insanely large chest. It even got mentioned that it could easily be a J size chest.

I understand that there will off course be some difference per person in their preference in size. But seeing as a D cup is already considered "big" where I live, a J size would be considered insane. Hence my question: Why are anime girls often depicted with a huge chest?

Is this just another part of the culture gap between western countries and Japan? Or does it maybe serve as an additional sales point towards a specific fandom?

Because some people like women with big breasts. As usual, anime exaggerates; it can't just have a woman with big breasts, it has to have a woman with ridiculously gigantic breasts.

This isn't purely a Japanese thing. Actually, I would argue that it came in origin from American media that were exported to Japan. In the US, large breasts are often considered more attractive. The supposed ideal of American young men's fantasies is 36D-24-36: 36 inches around the chest, cup size D, 24 inches around the waist, 36 inches around the hips (the "hourglass" shape). There are even articles using these three-sizes as a shorthand for the tyranny of societal beauty standards.

The epitome of this standard of beauty in American media is Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Women with large breasts are also common in American comics:

Anime and American comics both tend to exaggerate everything, so essentially they took a preference for large breasts and massively exaggerated it, to the point that characters have J-cup breasts. (US readers, keep in mind a Japanese J cup is an American H cup.)

Japan gets a ton of American media, so there have been ample opportunities for this American love of big boobs to seep into their culture. My theory is that it started during the US occupation with pinup posters brought over by the servicemen:

Then it was refreshed with every Hollywood movie that came in showing men lusting after women with big breasts.

Speaking of Jessica Rabbit, Cracked has an interesting theory on psychological and evolutionary reasons why animated women with ridiculously exaggerated boobs appeal to viewers. They're obviously a humor website and not a peer-reviewed scientific journal, so take it with a grain of salt.


Can Natsu eat fire from objects he burns? I have been thinking that if Natsu can't eat his own fire, can he set some object on fire using his magic and then eat that fire??

As per the Fairy Tail Wiki

  In addition, the user can consume external sources of fire to restore their body to a healthy state and regain their reserves of strength, something that also makes them immune to most types of fire, due to their capability of nullifying fire-based attacks by sucking them in and eating them; the consumed fire also seems to possess a different “taste” according to its “quality”. However, the user can’t eat their own flames, or things set on fire by them, to reinvigorate themselves.


How old is Naruto in Boruto series? Naruto failed the graduation exams three times at the academy before he could graduate (performing the transformation/clone jutsu).

Does this mean he is three years older than his comrades from the academy? So, in Boruto, what would his current age be?

Let's say after the end of The Fourth Ninja World War, Naruto is 17 years old. Then, in The Last: Naruto the Movie, it's stated that the event occurred after 2 years.  You can rever to this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last:_Naruto_the_Movie.

Then sure, Naruto married after that, let's say it takes several months for marriage preparation, and Naruto married at the age of 20, and Boruto is born 1 year later at Naruto age 21.

Now in Boruto: Naruto Next Generation series, Boruto is already graduated from the academy and as a gennin. The common age of a ninja who graduated from the academy is 12 years old. Many things happen after Boruto become a gennin, and let's say his age is 13.

So Naruto's age now in Boruto: Naruto Next Generation series is about 21 + 13 = 34 years old.


What's the deal with Orochimaru and seals? During the chunin exams, when Orochimaru attacked Konoha, the Third Hokage managed to seal the hands of Orochimaru, rendering him incapable of using any jutsus.

But later in the series we see that Orochimaru did use jutsus. For eg, during the battle with Naruto he uses the Kawarimi no Jutsu.

Though it has not been depicted that he uses hand seals to perform Kawarimi no Jutsu, but I presume that a jutsu of that level needs a hand seal to be pulled off.
So, Orochimaru had never lost his jutsus.

Next, Sasuke managed to absorb Orochimaru into his body which was sealed off by Itachi using the sealing powers of Sword of Totsuka. How then is it possible for Orochimaru to be present in someone else's body and "pop out at will".

So how is it that no sealing techniques work upon Orochimaru?

How Orochimaru resurrected the 4 Hokages.

There was only a part of Orochimaru that was in Sasuke's body. I believe that the curse mark transfers a part of his chakra and thus a part of himself into the body of the target.

It was the part of Orochimaru that was inside Sasuke that was sealed away by Itachi using the sealing powers of Sword of Totsuka. But a part of him still lived inside the others who carried the curse mark and his chakra was there with Kabuto, who absorbed Orochimaru after Sasuke killed his main body.

Remember that Orochimaru was very weak when Sasuke revived him that he had to absorb his chakra from Kabuto to become somewhat normal again.

And it is not true that Orochimaru couldn't be sealed.The 3rd Hokage couldn't seal him just because he was too weak by then to pull Orochimaru with him. And it is not that Orochimaru can pop-out at will from anyone's body. Sasuke resurrected him. He didn't pop-out at will.


Why did the "until we graduate" provision enter into the ending of OreImo? In the last episode of Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (season 2, episode 16 / OVA episode 3), we learn that Kirino and Kyousuke agreed to the following:

   Kirino and Kyousuke will be boyfriend and girlfriend starting on Christmas Eve (when Kyousuke confesses to Kirino that he loves her), and ending when they both graduate (Kirino from middle school and Kyousuke from high school).

This is kind of weird, since:

   That's just 4-5 months. It's fairly clear that they're in love with one another, and Kyousuke goes so far as to reject all the other girls that are basically throwing themselves at him. Why would they cut it off after so little time?

In an interview, FUSHIMI Tsukasa (the author of the light novels) was asked for his comments on the following:

12巻は全体的に美少女ゲーム（ギャルゲー）を意識した構成になっていて、原点に帰った印象を受けます。
I felt that volume 12 [the last volume] was written in a manner informed by galges. It felt like a return to the way it originally was.

Fushimi responded:

そうですね。狙って１巻っぽいシーンを書いています。すべてに決着をつけて禁断の道に突っ込むという痛快な物語は、電撃文庫で、直接描くのは、とても難しいですし、桐乃を幸せにするエンドにしようと決めた以上、彼女の今後には、可能な限り良いレールを敷いてやらなくてはいけないし……非常に悩みました。結果は、読んでいただいたとおりなのですが、再読する方向けに、蛇足ながらコメントさせていただくと、
・「完全なる桐乃エンド」
・「最初の人生相談と同じように、兄妹は、二人だけの秘密を抱えて終わる」
１２巻は、そんなお話です。
I guess so. I wrote so that it would have scenes that felt like those in volume 1. With Dengeki Bunko [Fushimi's publisher], it was very difficult to write a thrilling story in which they settle everything and head down a forbidden path. I was sure I would give Kirino a happy ending, so I did my best to set up as good a situation for her as possible, for the sake of her future. I found it very difficult to do so. It ended up the way you read it [in volume 12], but if I were to add a few unnecessary comments for those readers who are reading it for a second time, I would say:
"A Completely Kirino Ending"
"The story ends with the two siblings sharing a secret, the same way their first life-advice-talk [jinsei soudan] began."
That's basically what volume 12 was about.

In another interview, Fushimi was asked:

すでに最終巻を読まれた読者には既知の結末になるんですが、エンディングに向けての展開はどういう風に決めていったんですか？
The ending [of the anime] will probably come as a bit of deja vu to those who have already read the novel. How did you decide how the story would reach its end?

Excerpted from Fushimi's reply:

[...]桐乃の想いが完全に報われる結末が[...]ひとつもなかったんです。普段表には出さないし、いろいろな事情があって、分かりやすい形で書いてあげることもできないけれど、彼女がとても主人公のことを想っているのを、僕は知っていたので、何とかしてやりたかった。[...]
In the main story [as contrasted with the PSP game], I couldn't write an ending where Kirino's affection is truly and entirely rewarded. Various circumstances prevented me from plainly writing that sort of ending. Nonetheless, I realized that she cared deeply for [Kyousuke], and so I felt I had to do something for her.

Fushimi's comments strongly suggest that he wanted to write a different ending - presumably a more "taboo" one in which Kirino and Kyousuke remain in a relationship - but was prevented from doing so by his publishers. Hence the "until we graduate" provision.


Is Otohime really the mother of Shirahoshi? One of the interesting and weird things I saw in One Piece was the mermen and mermaids in the Fishman Island Arc. But one of the biggest confusion I have is the relation between Shirahoshi and Otohime. I don't know how Shirahoshi can be a real daughter of Otohime. Otohime having such a small body and Shirahoshi being huge even in baby stage. Anyone has any ideas?

I found this in SBS Vol. 10

D: When the Arlong guys and the other Fishmen give birth, do they lay eggs like fish?
O: BZZZT. Fishmen are still mammals, so they give birth the way humans do. There are fishwomen too, of course.

From this we can confirm that Shirahoshi was not born from egg. Fishmen and Fishwomen are mammals.
If Shirahoshi was not born from egg the most logical explanation behind her birth is that she was probably born small and had a massive growth spurt. Growing to a massive growth is not impossible because she has royal blood and her father Neptune is of a giant size merman after all.
So the answer to your question is yes. Otohime is the mother of Shirahoshi even with differences in their size.


Why does Obito only have 6 reanimated jinchuriki when he fights with Naruto and Bee, I thought Obito got 1-7 and he said in the fight "6 against 2 is unfair" to Naruto im confused af.

episode 325 btw.

He has extracted the Bijuus with one to seven tails but the former Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi - Gaara - is still alive.
Another reason is that he is controlling them using the Six Paths of Pain

  an Outer Path technique that allows a Rinnegan user to manipulate up to six bodies as though they are their own.

Wiki


Why does Horo call Lawrence Master? Horo calls Lawrence "mushy-o" (phonetics), which in the translation I'm watching is translated to "Master", which seems strange for a proud wolf.  I've never heard that word before, though I understand that there are several ways to say "Master".  Most of them are "Go shu jeen" (phonetics) or related though.

Is the translator wrong?  If not, why does Horo call Lawrence Master?

Disclaimer: I'm no expert in Japanese, just a die hard fan of Spice and Wolf.

Holo speaks in a dialect known as "Oiran" that often replaces the common "Watashi" to "Wacchi" among other things. The creator of Spice and Wolf, Isuna Hasekura-sensei made a few adjustments here and there so Holo's dialect is loosely based on it. There has been a bunch of people in the past discussing this here (a reddit post).

Additionally, you can see in an interview with Isuna Hasekura-sensei here where He mentions Holo's unique speech pattern (which is antique in a way), and the fact that this unique way of talking is often lost/corrupted in translation.

When Holo says "Nushi" it roughly translates to "You" when taken into the correct context. Many translators translate the word "Nushi" to mean "Master/Valued Customer", because the word "Nushi" is more commonly used by Courtesans (back in the day) to greet their guests.


Is Haku a man or a woman? In Naruto, Haku is a rogue Ninja that fights along Zabuza. He has a sad history of death and mistreatment that I won't treat here.

In any case, the Haku's peculiarity is that although he looks/behaves/dresses like a woman, he is a man. But not all sources agree with this, so... Is Haku a man or a woman?

Is there a reason for the first part in my spoiler? Or is it just a plot device?

If your answer contains something that appears or is explained after the Bridge battle with Team 7 (as far as Haku is concerned), please use a spoiler.

I do not think that Haku was considered as a woman is considered a spoiler.

After all, they discover that only 1 episode after Team 7 met him. I can guarantee for sure that Haku is a man. Despite what other sources probably say, there are plenty of men in real life who look like women (Justin Bieber is good example). What I cannot tell you is what was the perspective of Zabuza for him (if he was just a Friend or something "Else").

I say this only because the one who told Naruto that significant detail was Haku himself, so there isn't a lot of room for mistakes.


Was the apparition Shion saw in his flashbacks Izanagi? In flashbacks of when a star fell while Shion and his father was camping, in the reflection of his eye there's an apparition like Yin's possessed specter, was this Izanagi or was Shion born as Izanagi?

EDIT: From an answer, it's clear the apparition was not Izanagi. However, I did type the description wrong, as I'm asking about the apparition Shion saw after the star struck him and his father.

Prior to awakening, Izanagi was a gold humanoid specter (we see this at the end of the OVA when Yin talks to izanagi). So as izanagi was not yet awakened, if Shion saw a gold specter, he was seeing Izanagi. But, if he saw himself, he was seeing Shion.

I could not find this scene in the anime, but Izanagi only awakens at the end of the series, so up until then Izanagi would be a gold specter.

EDIT: The scene is at 09:20 in episode 11. That is not Shion or Izanagi; rather, it is Yin's evolved specter. I do not know the relevance of that scene, but Yin may have been Kirsi at that time and not yet a doll, so Shion may have been seeing the future.


How does Hiyori figure out Yato's real name? Hiyori manages to save Yato from the underworld by discovering that his true name was Yaboku. How did she come to this conclusion?

Since calling him by his name "Yato" didn't work, Hiyori knows that name is fake.
Yet, she recalls how fondly Yato looked as his small shrine and the name engraved on it.
So she deduces the name engraved in the shrine is correct, but pronounced differently.

She changes the reading of the katakana ト(to) to the reading of the very similar kanji 卜(boku).


What exactly is Korosensei? He was born on Earth but moves at incredible speeds, has incredible powers and looks very different in comparison to a human. What is he and how did he become like that?

He was being experimented on , and yes he was a mere human , and also a failed experiment
It will all be revealed in the anime if you keep watching


Was L suspicious of all Light's girlfriends or only Misa? In Death Note, Chapter 33 (Vol. 4), Misa Amane is arrested under the suspicion she was the Second Kira. After that, L said that they collected lots of evidences in Misa's room (the cat hair found on the video cassette, make-up powder, clothing fibers etc.), besides the fact the criminal who killed her parents was killed by Kira. Supposedly, the objects L was analysing in Chapter 32 (a hair, crumbs from a snack) were collected from her room.

However, how L became suspicious of Misa before seeing her in Chapter 32, in Light's university? I suppose he discovered the relationship between Light and Misa because Mogi saw when the girl appeared suddenly to Light in Chapter 31, and so L ordered an inspection to her room. So, is there any indication that he was him investigating every one of the Light's "girfriends" (including the "Refined Takada"), or it was just Misa that caught the attention of the detective?

I feel like it could've just been the way Misa acted toward's Light... That and the fact that she was a very popular model talking to a regular student. He could've seen how bubbly her personality is and how much she doesnt fit into Light's "no nonsense" studios type of personality. If you can tell he doesnt really want to be around her then it wouldnt be a far reach to assume that she's around for some other reason.


How can Mewtwo Mega Evolve? Mewtwo being an artificial pokemon, how can it mega Evolve? Has the mechanics of Mewtwo mega Evolution been explained in the Genesect movie, game or any other canon?

It's only theoretical and the evidence may not me be true to the games, but in the first movie we see Mewtwo create new Pokeballs, that can even capture a Pokeball, and the pokemon once captured going through DNA engineering device to be cloned, so it's not too far to say that Mewtwo is the one who created the Mega Stones for him.

Although the theory might not well combined with the game, I can bring reference to that from the game, once captured in Pokemon X\Y the player is given automatically the Mewtwonite as shown it was where Mewtwo is found, it may imply that Mewtwo already had the Mewtwonite.

Though in the remakes for Sapphire and Ruby the player finds the mega stone for Mewtwo in the Pokemon League buildings, still it's only theory.

(all this support @kaine comment)


Who is the strongest Hokage? Who is actually the strongest Hokage? It would be such a simple question and answer if Kishimoto just gave us a direct answer. But instead, Kishimoto feeds us different information along the way as the story progresses.

Pre Chuunin Exam
Sarutobi was highlighted as the genius Shinobi. The manga stated that he quickly surpassed both the first and the second at a young age, and was widely known as the Professor. We also find out later that the first and second died in war, while the third and fourth sacrificed their lives to use the demon god.

Chuunin exam era + beginning of Shippuden
Minato was considered the strongest Hokage. Recall when Orochimaru was using Edo Tensei to revive all dead Kages - Sarutobi was most afraid of the Fourth. For a while, everyone regarded the 4th as the strongest shinobi. I am not sure if this is because they never witnessed the first, but it seems evident that Minato was the powerhouse. Everyone kept saying - If the fourth was here, Orochimaru would be no problem, etc.

Late Shippuden when Tobi starts acting and Madara is revealed
Hashirama is the God of Shinobi. He is depicted as the strongest of all four, even recognized by Minato. He is the only one to resist Orochimaru's control. Madara Uchiha also regards everyone else, aside from Hashirama, as insignificant.

The thing that bothers me the most is how Sarutobi was not worried and was able to handle fighting both Hashirama and Tobirama. Minato was the source of his fear.

And then later on, Hashirama just seems like he is on another level. So I guess I have to redefine my question. Was Hashirama always the strongest Hokage, or did Kishimoto develop his strength later on? Or can this just not be determined?

During the fight between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Edo Tensei Hokage brothers, the 1st and 2nd Hokage were not able to use their full power, because, Orochimaru hadn't perfected the jutsu at that time.

Also, Hiruzen was not afraid of Minato alone, but he was afraid that he wont be able handle all three of them at once.

In my personal opinion, Hashirama Senju is considered the strongest Hokage because of his abilities like Sage Mode, extraordinary life force, Wood Release techniques, impressive clones, great stamina (many people have tries to replicate it, like Orochimaru, Madara Uchiha, Zetsu, Obito Uchiha).


How do Luffy's Gear attacks work? Might just be me missing an explanation part in the manga, or just not properly understanding at the time. But how does Luffy's Gear 2nd and 3rd attacks work?

Gear Second

With gear second, Luffy increases his blood circulation by pumping his blood through his body at higher speeds than normal. A normal human wouldn't be able to withstand this kind of pressure on its veins' walls. If Luffy wasn't a rubber boy, they would burst. The increase in blood flow results in a higher discharge of red blood cells, which provide the human body with oxygen and nutrients. The additional oxygen and nutrients would make the muscles work more efficiently and thus result in higher speed and power. In sports this process is called blood doping. In blood doping, the discharge is increased by adding additional red blood cells, which were extracted at an earlier time, instead of letting them flow faster.
Gear second also comes with side affects. The extreme oxygen usage would result in an acceleration of his breathing and the increase in his metabolism causes him to be hungrier than usual or even have a paralysis type effect after prolonged use of it, like in the second fight with Rob Lucci. Due to the acceleration and thus friction inside his body, he turns quite hot, which results in his sweat evaporating right off his body. This explains the smoke and redness of his skin.
Luffy obviously needs to keep pumping or the effect wears off. As it would deplete his energy storage quite rapidly, he doesn't use gear second constantly during fights. The increase in metabolism might also affect his life expectancy as mentioned by Rob Lucci.
Gear Third

With gear third, Luffy bites into his thumb joint, making a small opening, and blows very hard into it, which inflates his arm. He blows the air inside his bones and since our skeleton fully connects all our joints, he can then rearrange the amounts of air as he pleases through his body, without releasing it accidentally. Luffy basically pushes the air towards his hands, stretching his body, but also increasing the air-pressure. This would result in Luffy having a larger area of attack (eg: the size of a giant's hand), and an increased hardness due to the air pressure.
After the time-skip we can see how Luffy decreased the size of his arms, but focused solely on the point of contact. He pushed all the air in his hands, increasing the air pressure and thus hardness of his attacks. The air in his arms would be wasted otherwise anyway. Also since it is air he is carrying, it doesn't cost him much additional strength to move those large hands, but the additional damage done due to the vast increase in area of attack is well worth it.
Gear third also comes with side affects. Before the time-skip, we could see Luffy become tiny after using this attack. After attacking, Luffy blows out all additional air, resulting in a rapid decrease of body size. The rapid decrease and massive amounts of energy needed to inflate and keep the air where he likes it, makes him unable to retain his original size. I think it is mainly due to the energy he needs to position the air where he wants and keep it there, since Luffy didn't shrink after using his balloon attack. After the timeskip and training with Rayleigh, Luffy became strong enough to keep his body intact after using the 3rd Gear.

 Gear Fourth

 With gear fourth, Luffy, similarly to gear third, bites down on his body and blows air inside. The difference this time is that he bites down on his forearm and blows air into his muscles instead of his bones. By having air inside his muscles he can control their expansion and contraction and can thus control his muscles by displacing the air inside of them. People's muscles aren't as strong as their bones though, so if a normal person or even a normal rubber man would blow such amounts of air inside his muscles, they will explode due to the massive amount of pressure. That's why Luffy can only use gear fourth when coated in Busoshoku Haki.

 He then uses his Haki coated body, to further increase his manipulation over his body. By changing the amounts of Haki he manipulates the elasticity of his rubber. As a child you might have played around with rubber bands, and you might have noticed that the harder the elasticity, the harder the rebound will be. This is exactly what Luffy uses with his attacks. Before Gear Fourth, Luffy would throw his arm back to increase tensing, but now similar to Bellamy's Spring Fruit, he pushes his arm inside creating tensing, letting it hit the opponent much harder and faster.

 Having such great control over his Haki and his rubberiness, Gear Fourth has another advantage. Luffy can now bypass other people's Busoshoku Haki as mentioned here. Luffy was hit by Doflamingo, yet Doflamingo's attack bounced right off. By fusing Haki with rubber, he is now freely controlling the expansion and contraction of his rubber despite what the other person throws at him.

 Gear fourth also comes with side affects. The usage of such amounts of Haki comes at a price (as can be read here). Therefore, at the time of writing (chapter 787), there is a time limit to using Gear Fourth. Luffy can only use Boundman for 20 minutes and after that he is rendered unable to use any Haki for 10 more minutes. Another problem with having inflated muscles is that they become bouncier and thus making Luffy incapable of just standing still on the ground. Although this might change in the future, similar to the other gears. Luffy has overcome his other side-effects so he might overcome these ones too.


What's the name of this movie with a sandman? It was English dubbed, and I remember seeing it on some anime channel around 2008. It involved a short, fat character with weird teeth creating dreams. I think the main characters called him a sandman. The one thing I remember well was the main characters flying into space from earth after weird stuff happened. They discover the earth is shaped oddly. It is flat and looks like a city being held up by giant statues of people. They seemed to recognize the statues. The sandman character mentioned something about creating a pure dream from the mind of an individual girl in the main cast. This sandman seemed to be an antagonist. Sound familiar to anyone?

It is Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer. I highly recommend Urusei Yatsura, but I would urge you to watch the TV series before even beginning to think about enjoying this movie... or not. This movie kinda stands on its own, but not knowing the characters is kinda sad.

The most convincing proof is this Youtube video, it starts right where the group lifts off the planet and they see what you described.

Here is part of the synopsis from IMDb:

  However, when they get a ways above the city, everyone is shocked to see that the province of Tomobiki-cho is on a circular disc on the back of a turtle, floating through space. The group also zooms in under the disc, noting that there are two giant statues holding it up on the turtle's back: one of Onnsen-Mark, the other of Sakurambo, Sakura's uncle (who she noted had seemed to disappear recently).

Here is the fat dream man.

Here is the oddly shaped world and a statue.