(L) D.Gray-man (Season 2)

[Traece]

Originally Posted by Mazus

In general killing is all that's needed in order for an akuma to evolve. As the akuma keeps killing the soul that inhabits it keeps degrading allowing to akuma to have more control of it's functions giving it more abilities. Thus the reason why they evolve by killing, be it humans or other akuma.

At least that's my theory anyway but it's pretty sound from what I've seen on how the soul look each time it evolves.

Oh and the reason why akuma can count is because it seems like the soul is aware of what the akuma possessing them is doing. So it's stands to say that they know by killing other akuma they are destroying the souls that inhabit since they are purifying weapons like the innocence.

Again it's just a theory stemming from the soul degradation as the akuma evolves.

Don't they say like, 95 episodes back (roughly anyhow) that Akuma evolve through the destruction of souls? So I've always thought that Akuma had to kill to get stronger.

I think that's what happens with Krowley's lover too (I forgets her name...). She recollects her past and all the killing she did at all the balls and what-not.

[Guido]

Originally Posted by Traece

Don't they say like, 95 episodes back (roughly anyhow) that Akuma evolve through the destruction of souls? So I've always thought that Akuma had to kill to get stronger.

I think that's what happens with Krowley's lover too (I forgets her name...). She recollects her past and all the killing she did at all the balls and what-not.

Actually, Allen explained it to Moore at the very, very first episode of the anime.

The souls trapped inside are continuously tormented and induced with pain and grief, and the resulting despair and frustration from the soul at being both powerless and helpless to try the stop the akuma from killing, because it's free will is being tampered by the programming inside the akuma vessel, is what power-ups the akuma enough to evolve and then go uber with each phase.

This was visually better explained when the Pierrot Akuma (the first level two) evolved in the Ghost of Matel Arc.

It was previously a fully, round shaped Lv. 1, and after it killed just one, one more of the finders it went bonkers and powered-up to evolve into level two.

[Fynal_Fyre]

I wrote a wall of text on this. tl;dr you have been forewarned.

And the Level 4 looks pretty damn overpowered.

[Vegard Aune]

Originally Posted by Fynal_Fyre

And the Level 4 looks pretty damn overpowered.

Indeed. Looking at how utterly powerless Allen was against it, you've got to wonder how it's even POSSIBLE to kill that thing.

[Fynal_Fyre]

Even still, it's not going to be a walkover.

[Vegard Aune]

I read the manga and I seem to vaguely recall how the fight ended, but it still looks rather hopeless at this point, what with how the guy wasn't even scratched by Allen's sword and stuff. But I have a tendency to forget stuff a bit easier than I should. For example, until I picked up volume 8 of the english translated manga a while ago, I could not remember anything about how Lenalee beat Eshi, except that it resulted in her hair getting more or less burned off.

[Shiroth]

You know that's basically a spoiler (or hinting at one). Could a mod delete these posts?

[incube]

My guess would be that Allen's master saved everyone with that singing lady of his before everything was wiped out... And that lvl 4 will be dealt with in the next episode... after all evil minions arent supposed to last too long xD

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by Mazus

Oh and the reason why akuma can count is because it seems like the soul is aware of what the akuma possessing them is doing. So it's stands to say that they know by killing other akuma they are destroying the souls that inhabit since they are purifying weapons like the innocence.

Though Like I've said before, when an Akuma kills another Akuma, they don't just kill; they also consume it's body. Which we can assume that by doing so, the Akumas can somehow absorb the 'power' of their victims and possibly speeding up the evolution process.

It took all those Akumas to produce just one Level 4.

----------------------------


One more interesting food for thought that I don't see people bringing up...

As the Akuma evolves, they seem to becoming more and more human-like.

At Level 2 they develop character and personalities, at Level 3 they start to form uniform bipedal shape bodies. And now at Level 4, they even have a human face and body, resembling even more humanoid than machine.

[yezhanquan]

I was quite literal when I said that the Akumas were the Earl's babies.

[skyline^]

I like this series but eps 97-99 were by far the worse in this arc... i have ep100 yet to see but i dont think it will be any better...

[Traece]

Originally Posted by incube

My guess would be that Allen's master saved everyone with that singing lady of his before everything was wiped out... And that lvl 4 will be dealt with in the next episode... after all evil minions arent supposed to last too long xD

Well we KNOW The Generals are still alive. They couldn't have been killed by something like an AoE (Area of Effect) attack. When do those ever work against top-notch characters (in power)?

More than likely, the Level 4 will be dealt with between the three generals and Allen.

[Sinestra]

Originally Posted by Traece

Well we KNOW The Generals are still alive. They couldn't have been killed by something like an AoE (Area of Effect) attack. When do those ever work against top-notch characters (in power)?

More than likely, the Level 4 will be dealt with between the three generals and Allen.

I surely hope so because imo the order is encountering the worst situation possible in a war. An insanely strong enemy behind your lines reeking havok and causing a server amount of casualties. Just like the egg they need to destroy the Lvl 4 before it returns to the Earl letting an enemy like this get away will hurt you later on. I think the only thing the Order can be happy atm is that the egg was destroyed which weakened the Earls offensive power but they too have been weakened. Even though the egg was destroyed and many lives were lost it had to be, but at what price and was that price worth it?

[King Lycan]

Originally Posted by Traece

Well we KNOW The Generals are still alive. They couldn't have been killed by something like an AoE (Area of Effect) attack. When do those ever work against top-notch characters (in power)?

More than likely, the Level 4 will be dealt with between the three generals and Allen.

Winters could take that lvl 4 with no problem

[Fynal_Fyre]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

You know that's basically a spoiler (or hinting at one). Could a mod delete these posts?

No spoilers on my part. =x

Chaos > Yet somehow when the Akumas fuse. It's more like the souls within combine to form one degraded mass. Ironically this is a stark contrast with the outward appearance of the Akuma heh.

[Guido]

I did watch the episode yesterday, but I could not had any chance to comment upon it at that time.

Originally Posted by Traece

Oh don't worry... The Level 4 is unpleasing in all three ways. I promise.

It's double-hideous and makes nails on a chalkboard sound like paper in the wind. Swish swish... SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!

And so, D.Gray-man at last reached its milestone 100th episode; a manga-adapted 100th episode, which is not a filler or anime-original.

Four is the number of 'despair'......

Several of you who have from a little to basic understanding of Japanese realized how special was the screentime invested upon this demonic imp of Level 4.

'Four' in Japanese commonly translates as shi, which is the word can also be used, under a different context, as death.

That's what this atrocious imp does massive killing and genocide, dancing as an insane doll of death and despair over the resulting bonfire of the thousands or even millions of human corpses.

I did feel a little down that the visual effects for the starting evolution of level 4 were not as viscerally as I was hoping they would be in comparison to the manga, but D.Gray-man is broadcasted in an early timeslot when lots of children and preteens are still awoke, so making the evolving scene too nasty gross would have ended with some sort of censorship.
However, the animation staff beautifully drew, colored, and rendered the mother organism akuma, which later bore the actual Level 4 from within.

I do really give special thanks to DeathKillz, Chaos2Frozen, Fynal_Fyre, and Traece for their active comments about level 4 and the whole nature behind the evolution of akuma.

This episode gave a visual insight as to whole evolution process of the akuma, thanking to having read Fynal_Fyre's blog page about this episode.

The only thing that quite intrigues is that nobody commented upon the theme song played when Level 4 made its appearance.
I'm certain that at least one third of the eerie and creepiness factor attributed to Level 4's appearance and aura derives from its theme song. That is the song of an evil imp lurking everywhere and nowhere, ready to pounce undetected at the innocent creatures with its demonic pranks.

In fact, the song was very fitting for the brief glimpse of the soul within Level 4, which was not shown onscreen but Allen did see.

The first time that Allen looked at the souls of Level 1's he got frightened (see episode 27 flashback); the first time that Allen witnessed the corrosion of the soul, as the Akuma evolved from Level 1 to Level 2, he had a shock (see episode 3); when Allen first had contact with the soul of Level 3 he remained unfazed (see episode 70)
However, Allen was not able to look much longer to the real state of the soul of Level 4. In fact, I believe that Allen hardly did watch a part of the soul and not all of its entirety, before feeling nauseated and overwhelmed by absolute terror and despair before averting his eyes from that hellish sight.

The despair that Allen felt once facing Level 4 was not due to powerlessness but fear of knowing that the soul cannot longer be released or saved, that's IMO.

You'll find me strange, but Level 4's theme song reminds to some little extent to Kikuris' theme songs from Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori.

The fact that even the Bookmen were not awared about the existence of another Akuma evolution phase or had not even records of it in all the hundred-years war that the Order has waged against the Earl, then only means that the Earl might had intentionally hold back the evolution of his Akuma weapons for the ripe time to come, and that will be the time when all the conditions for his end-of-the-world scenario become fulfilled.
IMO, Level 4's evolution was to be expected but came too soon and before the time to meet the proper conditions.

But, none of that matters because that Akuma is the HAXX, and I mean it literally. It simply blasted the whole lab 5 along with the generals, some exorcists, and most of the survivors to oblivion with just a hammer fist.

[SkoolRumble4Ya]

They overpower the level 4 too much. There is nobody in the order that could stop it. That level 4 looks like a big midget.

[Vanehei]

That Level 4 seems more powerful than a Noah.......... its creepy....
Its interesting to notice that every stage the Akumas evolution, the most they look like humans, that make me think that they can become a Noah in the final stage.
I also have a theory about the exorcist evolution, but i guess that i will be able to write it in a few more episodes.

[Guido]

You know, Bookman made a comment that made felt both in tense and uneasy.

He was surprised that the Akuma could level up further in evolution.

This comment then leaves open the sinister implication that while Level 4 is the highest level seen so far in the story, that doesn't mean at all that it is the final stage of the Akuma evolution.

Henceforth, it's neither farfetch'd nor insane to conceive the idea of another evolution appearance in a far future.

Maybe Level '5', anyone?

After all, Hoshino-sensei in the manga has yet to disclose the end of an Akuma's evolution or what does the last stage would look like it?

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by Guido

You know, Bookman made a comment that made felt both in tense and uneasy.

He was surprised that the Akuma could level up further in evolution.

This comment then leaves open the sinister implication that while Level 4 is the highest level seen so far in the story, that doesn't mean at all that it is the final stage of the Akuma evolution.

Henceforth, it's neither farfetch'd nor insane to conceive the idea of another evolution appearance in a far future.

Maybe Level '5', anyone?

After all, Hoshino-sensei in the manga has yet to disclose the end of an Akuma's evolution or what does the last stage would look like it?

Well if the most they have seen is level 3 for all this time the appearance of a level 4 makes anything possible. Though hard to say how much further this can continue with the soul at this point being in such a terrible state. At any rate they do need to take action since a level 4 is just too much as it is. Just looking at the situation now a level 5 would be end game.

Do wonder if all level 4s would be fairly similar to this first one. The first levels are really all the same in appearance. Level 2 just goes all over the map in the kind of stuff that can turn out. Level 3 is fairly uniform shape wise with various in colour and to a degree appearance. Though considering the power I don't think we'd like to see any more level 4s pop up.