So far, I've listened to tens of thousands of songs, and found only three that can actually make me cry. Here they are, along with the why.
Changes by Black Sabbath
This song is so emotionally moving. There really isn't much less than I can say about this song except it sounds incredibly moving.
Janie's Got a Gun by Aerosmith
This song gets me every time. There's not a single time that I've listened to this song and NOT cried, except for maybe when I was extremely young and not able to understand the lyrics.
The last track from the Bejeweled 2 Soundtrack
Yeah, yeah. Say what you want. But if you've played this game long enough for it to move on to the last track, you'd know just how beautiful it sounds. The entire soundtrack is absolutely stellar, but this song shines above them all.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Skills any person should learn how to do.
Okay, so quite a while back, I can across a list of skills every person should learn to do. Honestly, some of them were quite mundane. So I figured I'd assemble a more practical list. I got up to 14, intending for 25-50, but some of them seemed cliche, so I just decided to delete the post and start over. So, without further ado, I shall begin over and start anew the list that was to be.
1. Learn to adapt yourself without bitching about it.
Why is this first on my list? There is a major reason, and the reason is, this one is quite important. You'd be surprised how many people fail this one on an epic level. Maybe it's just 90% of the people I've met, but I have yet to meet more than a couple people who could gracefully adapt to a given situation without complaining. I am among those who cannot, and I'm still trying to master it. The first, and most difficult part of things, will be to understand that your situation can and will change. In fact, it does so more frequently than you realize, but every once in a while, you actually get into a situation where you have to change in a major way. Not fun, I realize, but to do it gracefully means you've realized that it happens and that griping about it won't change matters. However, also learn your boundaries, and where not to change. Which brings me to define...
2. Learn what is meaningful to you.
Learn what has REAL value to you. Stick to it like glue. Give it the time of day. I could go on and on with facsimiles of roughly the same phrase, but that doesn't change the fact that some things are worth it in life. Learn what they are before they're gone. Which brings me to...
3. Learn that money is merely a means to an end.
Money is not your God. Nor should it be. As the title for this thing goes, it's merely a means to an end, and you should only let it go that far. At the same time...
4. Learn to be frugal with your money.
This is one of my pet peeves. If I have money, I'm very liable to spend it. But I do realize that it's ridiculous to do so. I'm starting to save it (or at least, try to, as is very difficult in my current situation). If you don't a decent proportion of money saved up (based on your situation, of course), things may go horribly awry. Call me a hypocrite, but someone has to say it.
5. Learn to balance family with self.
You're going to need a certain bit of alone time in proportion to family time. I understand that. Just don't let the alone time consume you. I try to spend time with my mother when I have the chance. With her new job, that's ever difficult, so I fully intend to get in any time with her that I can. In fact, we just went camping recently, for the uniformed. A bit of a hard day since she didn't reserve, but overall time spent with her is more than worth it.
6. Make a dream. Stick with it.
You know how we all had dreams as a kid? Mine was to be a pilot. I've sacrificed that for owning a computer business eventually. But have I given up on my dream? No. It's just shifted in perspective. I realized that I probably wouldn't like being a pilot, so I wanted to do something better suited to me. Which brings me to...
7. Learn your limits. Expand them constantly.
If you don't know your limits, you don't know what you can't do yet. And if you don't know what you can't do yet, you don't know how much more you can do. Not only does this one give you a sense of humbleness and respect for yourself, but also, if you're in any sense of the word human, it'll most likely make you want to expand on it and better yourself. And a word of advice: it doesn't matter what your age is. Which brings me to...
8. Learn how to hide your age without beauty products and lies.
I mean this with a sense of duality- both young and old. I'm 21 years old, but I have much more wisdom than quite a few people I've seen, because I listened, believed, and questioned. On the other side of the coin, never grow old mentally. Keep your brain aloft no matter what- it's one of the things that will keep you alive longer, and let you accomplish more in that time.
9. Discover something new every day.
It doesn't matter what it is. So long as it has meaning to you. Let me repeat that: learn something every day that has meaning to you. Only be a master of trivia if it means something to you. Personally, I prefer to learn a large amount on a specific subject rather than 100 facts about 100 different things.
10. Never stop questioning.
It's part of the tool that you use to develop yourself. Never, ever stop questioning. But also...
11. Learn where some things should just be accepted for the sake of time.
You can't learn everything in your lifetime. It's as simple as that. There's just too much to know. Learn what's really important to question and what's not. When dealing with the media, question. When dealing with the computer guy, question. When dealing with something life threatening where questioning could kill you, don't question. This does not include religion.
12. Learn how to keep track of things... in your head.
I have a horrible memory. Some people this comes to naturally, but honestly, there are some things you just have to know. Learn to manage the myriad of life, but don't overdo it, or you might lost track of what's truly important.
13. Learn when to rely on others and when not to.
This is an extremely trial-and-error thing, and there really is no one-size-fits-all definition to it. But that's life.
14. Learn to laugh and smile more often.
You can never do this one enough. If you're a serious person and a realist like myself, you don't get in nearly enough laughs. But it's contagious. Spread it.
15. Learn to eat healthy.
Most Americans don't know what true healthy is. Most Americans couldn't follow true healthy. I don't think anyone truly has this one 100% right.
16. Learn to work well with your niche.
In my now deleted previous draft, this came in the form of "learn to group with a specific niche of people". I then went on to define niche. What I realized is that it was pointless. We all have a specific niche of people we work best with. Get to know the ins and outs of that, because life is too short to try to adapt to everyone.
17. Learn to balance all of these.
Finally, no one part of life is going to present itself perfectly. Learn to do all of these, but learn to run the balancing act of life instead of devoting yourself solely to one or the other. All are important. Some more than others, but still, all of them.
1. Learn to adapt yourself without bitching about it.
Why is this first on my list? There is a major reason, and the reason is, this one is quite important. You'd be surprised how many people fail this one on an epic level. Maybe it's just 90% of the people I've met, but I have yet to meet more than a couple people who could gracefully adapt to a given situation without complaining. I am among those who cannot, and I'm still trying to master it. The first, and most difficult part of things, will be to understand that your situation can and will change. In fact, it does so more frequently than you realize, but every once in a while, you actually get into a situation where you have to change in a major way. Not fun, I realize, but to do it gracefully means you've realized that it happens and that griping about it won't change matters. However, also learn your boundaries, and where not to change. Which brings me to define...
2. Learn what is meaningful to you.
Learn what has REAL value to you. Stick to it like glue. Give it the time of day. I could go on and on with facsimiles of roughly the same phrase, but that doesn't change the fact that some things are worth it in life. Learn what they are before they're gone. Which brings me to...
3. Learn that money is merely a means to an end.
Money is not your God. Nor should it be. As the title for this thing goes, it's merely a means to an end, and you should only let it go that far. At the same time...
4. Learn to be frugal with your money.
This is one of my pet peeves. If I have money, I'm very liable to spend it. But I do realize that it's ridiculous to do so. I'm starting to save it (or at least, try to, as is very difficult in my current situation). If you don't a decent proportion of money saved up (based on your situation, of course), things may go horribly awry. Call me a hypocrite, but someone has to say it.
5. Learn to balance family with self.
You're going to need a certain bit of alone time in proportion to family time. I understand that. Just don't let the alone time consume you. I try to spend time with my mother when I have the chance. With her new job, that's ever difficult, so I fully intend to get in any time with her that I can. In fact, we just went camping recently, for the uniformed. A bit of a hard day since she didn't reserve, but overall time spent with her is more than worth it.
6. Make a dream. Stick with it.
You know how we all had dreams as a kid? Mine was to be a pilot. I've sacrificed that for owning a computer business eventually. But have I given up on my dream? No. It's just shifted in perspective. I realized that I probably wouldn't like being a pilot, so I wanted to do something better suited to me. Which brings me to...
7. Learn your limits. Expand them constantly.
If you don't know your limits, you don't know what you can't do yet. And if you don't know what you can't do yet, you don't know how much more you can do. Not only does this one give you a sense of humbleness and respect for yourself, but also, if you're in any sense of the word human, it'll most likely make you want to expand on it and better yourself. And a word of advice: it doesn't matter what your age is. Which brings me to...
8. Learn how to hide your age without beauty products and lies.
I mean this with a sense of duality- both young and old. I'm 21 years old, but I have much more wisdom than quite a few people I've seen, because I listened, believed, and questioned. On the other side of the coin, never grow old mentally. Keep your brain aloft no matter what- it's one of the things that will keep you alive longer, and let you accomplish more in that time.
9. Discover something new every day.
It doesn't matter what it is. So long as it has meaning to you. Let me repeat that: learn something every day that has meaning to you. Only be a master of trivia if it means something to you. Personally, I prefer to learn a large amount on a specific subject rather than 100 facts about 100 different things.
10. Never stop questioning.
It's part of the tool that you use to develop yourself. Never, ever stop questioning. But also...
11. Learn where some things should just be accepted for the sake of time.
You can't learn everything in your lifetime. It's as simple as that. There's just too much to know. Learn what's really important to question and what's not. When dealing with the media, question. When dealing with the computer guy, question. When dealing with something life threatening where questioning could kill you, don't question. This does not include religion.
12. Learn how to keep track of things... in your head.
I have a horrible memory. Some people this comes to naturally, but honestly, there are some things you just have to know. Learn to manage the myriad of life, but don't overdo it, or you might lost track of what's truly important.
13. Learn when to rely on others and when not to.
This is an extremely trial-and-error thing, and there really is no one-size-fits-all definition to it. But that's life.
14. Learn to laugh and smile more often.
You can never do this one enough. If you're a serious person and a realist like myself, you don't get in nearly enough laughs. But it's contagious. Spread it.
15. Learn to eat healthy.
Most Americans don't know what true healthy is. Most Americans couldn't follow true healthy. I don't think anyone truly has this one 100% right.
16. Learn to work well with your niche.
In my now deleted previous draft, this came in the form of "learn to group with a specific niche of people". I then went on to define niche. What I realized is that it was pointless. We all have a specific niche of people we work best with. Get to know the ins and outs of that, because life is too short to try to adapt to everyone.
17. Learn to balance all of these.
Finally, no one part of life is going to present itself perfectly. Learn to do all of these, but learn to run the balancing act of life instead of devoting yourself solely to one or the other. All are important. Some more than others, but still, all of them.
Monday, September 21, 2009
The surprising comparison between the social networking industry and the gaming industry.
While talking to my friend Beau today, I realized an incredible parallel. The rise of the gaming industry and the rise of the social networking industry are practically era-for-era extremely similar. I'm about to walk you through the how's and why's of it.
First off. Be aware that I'm talking about the rise of the first major console from Japan, not the Atari 2600. The reason for this is because while the Atari 2600 was the first true gaming console, there was no competition at the time, at all, for something that didn't double as a computer. Thus, I'm starting with the first console that had competition, the Nintendo Entertainment System, hereby abbreviated NES.
Also, the comparison with the social networking sites' rise is being made to myspace and facebook, for obvious reasons (as will become apparent later). If you think something should be changed or don't agree, I have done fairly extensive research on the topic, and at times used both, so I can vouch for what I'm saying.
Now then. Shall we begin?
1st parallel:
The rise of the NES: 1986 (USA)
Once it got going, it never really stopped. Millions upon millions poured into it to play the awesome games that were on it. There were hits and misses, but for the most part was a solid console.
The parallel with Myspace: 1999 (USA)
It was the first, and at the time the best. Millions upon millions came onto the Myspace scene because at the time, it was new and awesome.
2nd parallel:
The SNES versus Sega Genesis: 1990 (USA)
Albeit, the Genesis was out a year earlier in the USA, It was clear there was competition. Sega and Nintendo was one of the greatest rivalries for all time at this point, and there really was no clear-cut contender for best.
The parallel with Myspace versus Facebook: Early 2000's (Worldwide)
At the time, it was really hard to tell which one was going to win. Both had features very distinct of themselves and it made a clear-cut better impossible to tell for.
3rd parallel:
The N64 versus the Sony Playstation 1996 (USA)
The N64 saw Nintendo losing quite a bit of steam, as Sony emerged on the scene to be the best contender.
The parallel with Myspace versus Facebook: Mid 2000's (Worldwide)
By the mid 2000's, Myspace has lost quite a bit because of Facebook and its ever-expanding arsenal.
4th parallel:
The GameCube versus Sony's Playstation 2 (USA)
By the time the Playstation 2 came out, Nintendo had lost much face in the industry. They were seen as unoriginal, for the most part, and lack of solid titles plagued the console for the first several years. In addition, the Gamecube had the lowest overall fanbase of any console made by Nintendo. Quietly refusing to admit this, they lost face because of it. Playstation 2, on the other hand, may well have been one of the biggest hits in gaming history.
The parallel with Myspace versus Facebook: 2007 (Worldwide)
Frequent usership dropping rapidly, Myspace added many of the features Facebook had from launch. They were not as well-rounded, and so they lost much of their fanbase for trying to be an imitator. Facebook continued to rise in usership due to this. It may well never have a rival in total usership.
5th parallel:
The Wii and Playstation 3 versus the 360 (Current)
Yes, the Wii is a fairly solid console. But let's be honest. How many of the original Nintendo fanbase is left? Not me. There are so few solid games on the Wii it's ridiculous. When compared to the plethora of excellent games on the 360, it makes the Wii look like a flaming piece of crap. Compare feature bases, and there literally is no comparison to the 360. However, at this point, there is no clear way to tell who will win THIS era's console war. Nintendo may just pull out some incredible bag of tricks just yet, Sony may address the numerous issues with not getting good features and mostly not getting good games, as well as the mandatory installs, or Microsoft may remain the clear-cut leader for this era.
Facebook and Myspace versus... TWITTER?
Yes, the more I think about it, the more Twitter may be the clear-cut leader for social networking so far. It has almost a bigger base than Facebook now. And facebook is losing users, as is myspace. However, in this case, I interpret this as more of a trend. On the console side of things, it was more obvious. But here's where the distinctions drop a bit. There are three social networking sites in a battle for supremacy, yes... but the numbers are far more even than the console wars.
First off. Be aware that I'm talking about the rise of the first major console from Japan, not the Atari 2600. The reason for this is because while the Atari 2600 was the first true gaming console, there was no competition at the time, at all, for something that didn't double as a computer. Thus, I'm starting with the first console that had competition, the Nintendo Entertainment System, hereby abbreviated NES.
Also, the comparison with the social networking sites' rise is being made to myspace and facebook, for obvious reasons (as will become apparent later). If you think something should be changed or don't agree, I have done fairly extensive research on the topic, and at times used both, so I can vouch for what I'm saying.
Now then. Shall we begin?
1st parallel:
The rise of the NES: 1986 (USA)
Once it got going, it never really stopped. Millions upon millions poured into it to play the awesome games that were on it. There were hits and misses, but for the most part was a solid console.
The parallel with Myspace: 1999 (USA)
It was the first, and at the time the best. Millions upon millions came onto the Myspace scene because at the time, it was new and awesome.
2nd parallel:
The SNES versus Sega Genesis: 1990 (USA)
Albeit, the Genesis was out a year earlier in the USA, It was clear there was competition. Sega and Nintendo was one of the greatest rivalries for all time at this point, and there really was no clear-cut contender for best.
The parallel with Myspace versus Facebook: Early 2000's (Worldwide)
At the time, it was really hard to tell which one was going to win. Both had features very distinct of themselves and it made a clear-cut better impossible to tell for.
3rd parallel:
The N64 versus the Sony Playstation 1996 (USA)
The N64 saw Nintendo losing quite a bit of steam, as Sony emerged on the scene to be the best contender.
The parallel with Myspace versus Facebook: Mid 2000's (Worldwide)
By the mid 2000's, Myspace has lost quite a bit because of Facebook and its ever-expanding arsenal.
4th parallel:
The GameCube versus Sony's Playstation 2 (USA)
By the time the Playstation 2 came out, Nintendo had lost much face in the industry. They were seen as unoriginal, for the most part, and lack of solid titles plagued the console for the first several years. In addition, the Gamecube had the lowest overall fanbase of any console made by Nintendo. Quietly refusing to admit this, they lost face because of it. Playstation 2, on the other hand, may well have been one of the biggest hits in gaming history.
The parallel with Myspace versus Facebook: 2007 (Worldwide)
Frequent usership dropping rapidly, Myspace added many of the features Facebook had from launch. They were not as well-rounded, and so they lost much of their fanbase for trying to be an imitator. Facebook continued to rise in usership due to this. It may well never have a rival in total usership.
5th parallel:
The Wii and Playstation 3 versus the 360 (Current)
Yes, the Wii is a fairly solid console. But let's be honest. How many of the original Nintendo fanbase is left? Not me. There are so few solid games on the Wii it's ridiculous. When compared to the plethora of excellent games on the 360, it makes the Wii look like a flaming piece of crap. Compare feature bases, and there literally is no comparison to the 360. However, at this point, there is no clear way to tell who will win THIS era's console war. Nintendo may just pull out some incredible bag of tricks just yet, Sony may address the numerous issues with not getting good features and mostly not getting good games, as well as the mandatory installs, or Microsoft may remain the clear-cut leader for this era.
Facebook and Myspace versus... TWITTER?
Yes, the more I think about it, the more Twitter may be the clear-cut leader for social networking so far. It has almost a bigger base than Facebook now. And facebook is losing users, as is myspace. However, in this case, I interpret this as more of a trend. On the console side of things, it was more obvious. But here's where the distinctions drop a bit. There are three social networking sites in a battle for supremacy, yes... but the numbers are far more even than the console wars.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
I will experience the majesty of nature...
And on today's agenda... I'm going camping!
That's right, sportsfans. I'm communing with nature for once. Deal with it. My mother and I are going to go spend some quality time together up at The Dells, at we like to call it. Most South Dakotans know it as the campground not too far down the road from Jesse James Gulch, the place were Jesse James dropped to his very doom (the western legend, mind you, not the bike maker). Despite the ominous presence of that fact, the area is beautiful, and I've been to both the campground and the gulch a good many times.
Sadly, this also means I'll be taking time off from blogging (for the few if no people who read it). Don't expect another blog entry for about two to three days (though it's not likely to be longer than that, as I'll certainly blog about the experience when I get back from this 50 or so mile round venture.
A new feature for every daily blog entry! Daily Stumbles I found interesting:
Snow geese stopover at wildlife refuge en route to wintering grounds -Incredible photography in the spirit of the series "Planet Earth". These photos will literally take your breath away from the sheer scope of it.
Rare tongue-eating parasite found -This left me absolutely speechless. What if something like this exists on land? Better keep your tongue in check- literally!
Obama calls Kanye a jackass -I had to laugh at this little clip.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have roughly an hour to pack. We leave at around 1:30 and I don't intend to be late because I got lazy.
That's right, sportsfans. I'm communing with nature for once. Deal with it. My mother and I are going to go spend some quality time together up at The Dells, at we like to call it. Most South Dakotans know it as the campground not too far down the road from Jesse James Gulch, the place were Jesse James dropped to his very doom (the western legend, mind you, not the bike maker). Despite the ominous presence of that fact, the area is beautiful, and I've been to both the campground and the gulch a good many times.
Sadly, this also means I'll be taking time off from blogging (for the few if no people who read it). Don't expect another blog entry for about two to three days (though it's not likely to be longer than that, as I'll certainly blog about the experience when I get back from this 50 or so mile round venture.
A new feature for every daily blog entry! Daily Stumbles I found interesting:
Snow geese stopover at wildlife refuge en route to wintering grounds -Incredible photography in the spirit of the series "Planet Earth". These photos will literally take your breath away from the sheer scope of it.
Rare tongue-eating parasite found -This left me absolutely speechless. What if something like this exists on land? Better keep your tongue in check- literally!
Obama calls Kanye a jackass -I had to laugh at this little clip.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have roughly an hour to pack. We leave at around 1:30 and I don't intend to be late because I got lazy.
Friday, September 11, 2009
I'm alive... finally!
Today I feel more alive than I've ever felt in the past 21 years of my life. I feel like I could take on the world and then some. It's such a powerful feeling, not feeling worthless anymore after all this time of feeling so empty and like life was pointless. Old songs have new meaning to me; the games I used to play well I play even better. The second I had played Bejeweled Twist for a full hour and was able to give it my full attention the whole time, I knew this was a new chapter in my life. I knew I had the power to change the world once again. No longer am I restricted to sitting in my apartment all day while I drown in self loathing. I actually feel like going outside right now, and were it not for the fact that in about 15 minutes my friend will be coming over to get me and wait for my check to come, I would. Not to mention the fact that it's raining. But I don't feel powerless or helpless or especially anywhere near overwhelmed right now. If I'm overwhelmed by anything, it's extreme happiness for my newfound inner peace.
So what allowed me to become like this? Believe it or not, I found my "miracle med". Turns out I haven't been depressed so much as anxious. So one night my mother decided to give me a Clonazepam and an Efixir, and within about 10 minutes, I actually felt like doing something.
So what allowed me to become like this? Believe it or not, I found my "miracle med". Turns out I haven't been depressed so much as anxious. So one night my mother decided to give me a Clonazepam and an Efixir, and within about 10 minutes, I actually felt like doing something.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The Top Five Anime Badasses Ever.
Okay, so as much anime as I've been watching lately, it's time I detailed who I think are the most badass anime characters ever. So many to choose from, only 5 make the cut. So without further ado, let's get on with it!
5. Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden- Why does this character make the list? For one, he never gives up. For another, he's one of my favorite characters in all of animedom. So why does he only make it #5 on the list? He can be a bit... ditzy at times, but he still deserves the 5th spot because when he goes into fox mode like he did against Sasuke (and later in Shippuuden, Diedara), he truly becomes an unstoppable badass (well, mostly). To add to his badassness, in the first Shippuuden movie, right at the beginning, he dies! Though this is determined as a fallacy later in the movie, all this gives him an irrefutable spot at #5.
4. Kino from Kino's Journey- While being quite possibly the best anime I've ever seen in my life, as well as being deeply philosophical, this anime girl (who you'd never be able to tell was if you watched with the sound off) is my #4 badass because not only does she carry a gun, but as we saw in the last few episodes (and in part throughout most of the series), she's not afraid to use it... at least to the means of self defense. Now tell me a woman that travels pretty much alone (accompanied by only her motorhead Hermes) and is willing to kill if necessary ISN'T a badass.
3. Gaara from Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden- Why do I have TWO "Narutites" in this list? Because while Naruto himself is pretty badass, Gaara takes the cake on the matter. In the original series, he was quite obviously willing to kill anyone or anything that stood in his way. He didn't care about anyone at the time. Then, in Shippuuden, they made him even more of a badass when they had him fighting to the death to save his own village- and even though he lost, he used the last of his strength to move his sand (which he had used to protect the village) out of the village. He went from the will to kill all the way to the will to save, and that makes him a true badass.
2. Gene Starwind from Outlaw Star- 'Now seriously,' you'd think, 'who could possibly be more badass than Gaara?' Well, if it weren't for my next badass, who I had originally planned to put at #1, Gaara would most certainly have the number two postion. Thing is, Gene Starwind is quite possibly one of the most amazing badasses there ever was. Not because he carries a gun. Not because he's an outlaw. Well, sorta because of that. The thing that makes Gene a true badass is the company he keeps, and the ability to live through practically any situation. Now seriously. When your friends are a superstrength metamorph, a cyborg computer that doesn't know her purpose, a little kid who's a literal genius, a woman whose beauty is matched only by her sheer will and ability as well as being extremely deadly, and (though she's dead by the fourth episode) a woman who's outlaw name is known throughout the universe for being such a badass herself, you truly have dunked yourself in the badass tank and woken up a badass in yourself.
1. Vegeta from DragonBall Z- You were expecting Goku? Any true anime fan that's seen DBZ knows why Vegeta is number one. Throughout the 291 original episodes of the series, Vegeta was the only one that pushed himself to the most extreme. Goku trained at 100 x gravity. Vegeta trained at 300. Goku may have surpassed Vegeta in sheer power, but Vegeta beat Goku by light years in sheer determinedness to pass his rival. He gave every ounce of his strength into training up until the seventh season (and then surprisingly, married Bulma, of all people!) He had his pride, and he never once decided to give it away until he settled down (and then became an even stronger badass capable of matching Goku blow for blow in the Majin Buu saga). To this day, one of my favorite parts of any anime is the fight between Majin Vegeta and Goku. DBZ turned out to be the most badass anime ever in its own right, but it just wouldn't have been the same had Vegeta not been in the picture. From the very moment we first saw him in the 11th episode, to the final goodbye (until GT came out) in episode 291, Vegeta (mostly) maintained his state as badass. And that takes class. After all, he IS a Saiyan prince.
Like it or not, that's my take on the five most badass anime characters ever. If you don't like it, grow a pair.
5. Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden- Why does this character make the list? For one, he never gives up. For another, he's one of my favorite characters in all of animedom. So why does he only make it #5 on the list? He can be a bit... ditzy at times, but he still deserves the 5th spot because when he goes into fox mode like he did against Sasuke (and later in Shippuuden, Diedara), he truly becomes an unstoppable badass (well, mostly). To add to his badassness, in the first Shippuuden movie, right at the beginning, he dies! Though this is determined as a fallacy later in the movie, all this gives him an irrefutable spot at #5.
4. Kino from Kino's Journey- While being quite possibly the best anime I've ever seen in my life, as well as being deeply philosophical, this anime girl (who you'd never be able to tell was if you watched with the sound off) is my #4 badass because not only does she carry a gun, but as we saw in the last few episodes (and in part throughout most of the series), she's not afraid to use it... at least to the means of self defense. Now tell me a woman that travels pretty much alone (accompanied by only her motorhead Hermes) and is willing to kill if necessary ISN'T a badass.
3. Gaara from Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden- Why do I have TWO "Narutites" in this list? Because while Naruto himself is pretty badass, Gaara takes the cake on the matter. In the original series, he was quite obviously willing to kill anyone or anything that stood in his way. He didn't care about anyone at the time. Then, in Shippuuden, they made him even more of a badass when they had him fighting to the death to save his own village- and even though he lost, he used the last of his strength to move his sand (which he had used to protect the village) out of the village. He went from the will to kill all the way to the will to save, and that makes him a true badass.
2. Gene Starwind from Outlaw Star- 'Now seriously,' you'd think, 'who could possibly be more badass than Gaara?' Well, if it weren't for my next badass, who I had originally planned to put at #1, Gaara would most certainly have the number two postion. Thing is, Gene Starwind is quite possibly one of the most amazing badasses there ever was. Not because he carries a gun. Not because he's an outlaw. Well, sorta because of that. The thing that makes Gene a true badass is the company he keeps, and the ability to live through practically any situation. Now seriously. When your friends are a superstrength metamorph, a cyborg computer that doesn't know her purpose, a little kid who's a literal genius, a woman whose beauty is matched only by her sheer will and ability as well as being extremely deadly, and (though she's dead by the fourth episode) a woman who's outlaw name is known throughout the universe for being such a badass herself, you truly have dunked yourself in the badass tank and woken up a badass in yourself.
1. Vegeta from DragonBall Z- You were expecting Goku? Any true anime fan that's seen DBZ knows why Vegeta is number one. Throughout the 291 original episodes of the series, Vegeta was the only one that pushed himself to the most extreme. Goku trained at 100 x gravity. Vegeta trained at 300. Goku may have surpassed Vegeta in sheer power, but Vegeta beat Goku by light years in sheer determinedness to pass his rival. He gave every ounce of his strength into training up until the seventh season (and then surprisingly, married Bulma, of all people!) He had his pride, and he never once decided to give it away until he settled down (and then became an even stronger badass capable of matching Goku blow for blow in the Majin Buu saga). To this day, one of my favorite parts of any anime is the fight between Majin Vegeta and Goku. DBZ turned out to be the most badass anime ever in its own right, but it just wouldn't have been the same had Vegeta not been in the picture. From the very moment we first saw him in the 11th episode, to the final goodbye (until GT came out) in episode 291, Vegeta (mostly) maintained his state as badass. And that takes class. After all, he IS a Saiyan prince.
Like it or not, that's my take on the five most badass anime characters ever. If you don't like it, grow a pair.
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