To Aru Kagaku no Railgun - Character Discussion - Saten "Level 0" Ruiko

[babohtea]

Originally Posted by Yufankun

No, the point of the Level Upper arc was to be a lead into the following Sisters Arc in the manga, by introducing the concepts of a brainlinked network which is based on ideas from Mikoto's power. The everyone is so inconsiderate to level 0's angle was played up arbritrarily in JC staffs adaption, together with Satens much increased roll here. Some parts worked better than others IMO.

You don't exactly need a Level upper arc to introduce the sisters. Just have Misaka glimpse one in the crowd one day and give chase?

Also remember that Kamachi is working very closely with the production of Railgun. What goes on in the anime can actually be considered more canon than the manga Railgun is based off of. So the part about the Level 0's in the Level Upper Arc was as much intended to portray the Level 0's sympathetically as it was to lead into the sisters.

[tsunade666]

But the point in the anime. They didn't even mentioned on what kiyama based it from when she's been taken away so no sister arc and then again in the OP we see another kiyama which should had been imprisoned. And episode after episode I got to see ranting about level 0 that its getting on my nerves.

Originally Posted by dahak

This is something I disagree with Saten about. How is it more of cheat than the drugs that she's had injected into her brain? Or the more conventional biofeedback training?

It's not like the majority of espers came by that status naturally.

And when it comes down to it, Level Upper was designed by one of the people working on improving Curriculum and worked as advertised. That it was also a trojan distributed computing project does nothing to that.

Well from injecting drugs on your brain to splattered brain. Just using music to mess up with your brain waves. Would have been better but are they even continuously drug? or its just the first time you enter the academy and then from their you enter the curriculum to awaken your powers. If it its a continuous process of messing up your brains then the figure of 60 % died from it could be possible and then using the authority to cover it up.

But if the injection of drug is only one time and then after it its for your own strength to rise it up your power then after being dejected and giving up resulting to level upper for me is still not the answer. IT MAY SOUND NICE THAT IT HELPS STRENGTHEN YOUR POWER BUT DID THEY NOT THINK OF A " WHAT'S THE EFFECT ? " is shouldn't be just your wonder music that will help you or the pressure or antagonizing of the others are too painful to bear?

I have read other manga and light novel and those that easily give in really irritates me. Though that one the persistently cling on to hope is just like a shinning day light to me. No matter what they shouldn't just use some "SHORT CUT" thingy. Because their is no easy way around even in reality.

EDIT:

What the anime considering more canon than the manga? that's absurd.

WITH ITS TONS OF INCONSISTENCY hehehe

[Yufankun]

Originally Posted by babohtea

You don't exactly need a Level upper arc to introduce the sisters. Just have Misaka glimpse one in the crowd one day and give chase?

Also remember that Kamachi is working very closely with the production of Railgun. What goes on in the anime can actually be considered more canon than the manga Railgun is based off of. So the part about the Level 0's in the Level Upper Arc was as much intended to portray the Level 0's sympathetically as it was to lead into the sisters.

And Kamachi also writes the story for the manga, which timewise is following the existing timeline very rigidly, something the anime does not. A lot of changes in the anime version seem to be introduced by the producers with the intent on making the show more successful as a TV-show. Example would be the elevation of Uiharu and Saten into main characters. Another is the increased focus on the characters "every day life" making the show more slice of life, than any of the other incarnations can be considered to be. Some changes was to remove minor contradictions that would occur with the index anime otherwise. My point is, I find it quite a stretch to say the anime would be more canon than the manga.

Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoyed this different version for what it is, especially things like the increased focus on Saten, but I do not consider it canon.

[babohtea]

Yeah I know what you mean. Tons of people are complaining about how the timelines don't match in the anime, but I never noticed; it hasn't stopped me from liking the anime. In fact I'd say I like the character development in the anime more than the action in the novels. Then again I've never read a properly translated novel anyhow.

[Tabasco]

True, the Baka-Tsuki translation didn't seem to get off the ground.

But back on topic. So the short version is we really don't know what the total number or average power level of the students is?

I guess from a meta perspective it doesn't matter. Given how much pressure there seems to be on the level 0s and 1s to improve, it wouldn't matter if they were the majority or a minority.

[dahak]

Originally Posted by Yufankun

The everyone is so inconsiderate to level 0's angle was played up arbritrarily in JC staffs adaption, together with Satens much increased roll here.

Not much. Academy city is hard on level 0's is pretty much a theme of Touma's life.

Originally Posted by Yufankun

Some parts worked better than others IMO.

Agreed. Saten's in most of the bits that worked better.

The first episode and the conversation were Mikoto couldn't get over that level doesn't mean anything to their friendship were both improvements I felt. Pushing Kuroko's dismissiveness towards L0s from episode 15 back to earlier ones might have helped keep Saten feeling she might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb [as would moving how we met in Judgment till later.]

Originally Posted by Yufankun

Dahak, what page can I find the original sentence on, do you know?

I'm working from the Baka-Tsuki translation where it's about halfway through the Volume 1 Prologue after Touma gets onto the Bridge.

[tsunade666]

Originally Posted by dahak

Not much. Academy city is hard on level 0's is pretty much a theme of Touma's life.

If its a them of a level 0 I would agree with this. But the thing about saten I don't see much problem with her life style. In the anime I think she had good grades from her report card and has friends that can rely on plus she looks cheerful even though it looks like just a mask at least his not getting maltreated or always involved in fight.

If a typical level 0 life. It should be touma that we are talking about.

Bad grades, delinquent always involve in fight and teachers number one pet. Plus improper uniform. That's a perfect looks of a level 0. Like what you see in the other level 0 through out the series.

Plus being antagonize by higher level..... .I'm not sure but for me on what I see its more like level 0 ganging up on a innocent higher level. From the latest episode. And also it's more like they also gang up on other level 0. Venting their anger on other people which is bad.

And if its background. Saten leaves the house disobeying her parents but still got a charm and with a dream of being an esper.

Touma being a gemstone a inborn esper goes to academy city to find a cure on his never ending bad luck and probably a new life. Away from the people that always antagonize him being a walking plague or disaster.

...................... as I see other level 0 even though they are having a hard life they still go on. And from what I like and respect I like them more from the others that bent on their anger on others and cling on to wonder music.

I just don't see a good reason for using level upper.

Well sorry guys

[babohtea]

Touma is not your ordinary Level 0. That, and I guess nobody can stop you from disliking Saten.

Back on topic anyhow. Everyone else remembers the manga saying that Uiharu/Saten's powers would be revealed right? Do you think it's going to be in the Anti-skill arc?

Under what kind of circumstances do you think Saten's powers will be revealed?

[Marcus H.]

I think it would be under the same situation she was in when she and Kuroko encountered the optical illusion guy. But this time, she might be alone.

Oh, and btw, I wonder if Saten's grades in Clairvoyance would actually be a reference to her sniffing out the cash cards? Like "olfactory clairvoyance", perhaps?

[babohtea]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

Oh, and btw, I wonder if Saten's grades in Clairvoyance would actually be a reference to her sniffing out the cash cards? Like "olfactory clairvoyance", perhaps?

Saten: "I can smell their fear". LOL.

Yeah, I think she'd discover them under pressure to make it more epic. I doubt the writers would have her discover it on a sunny day in the park.

[tsunade666]

Originally Posted by babohtea

Touma is not your ordinary Level 0. That, and I guess nobody can stop you from disliking Saten.

Back on topic anyhow. Everyone else remembers the manga saying that Uiharu/Saten's powers would be revealed right? Do you think it's going to be in the Anti-skill arc?

Under what kind of circumstances do you think Saten's powers will be revealed?

NO you got it all wrong. I LOVE SATEN MORE THAN MIKOTO!

In railgun she is one of the reason I watch it beside kuroko harassing mikoto. But her continuous rant on the anime about her mistake and the never ending level upper plus the fact she use it. Really irritates me.

Don't get me wrong I hate the crime but not the person who do the crime.

If her powers will be revealed I would like to see it test on uiharu right away.

KAMIKAZE!

[Alhazred]

If Ruiko's power gets revealed it will still start out as a mostly useless level 1 power just like Uiharu's, so the script writers will need to be pretty creative with setting up the situation if they want to make her and Uiharu's powers integral to getting them out of whatever situation they're in (even Kuroko couldn't think of any way Uiharu's power could ever get her out of danger, whatever it is). That is, unless her power has some sort of useful synergy with Uiharu's, or it's some sort of weird game-breaker that is useful at any level.

[babohtea]

Originally Posted by Alhazred

If Ruiko's power gets revealed it will still start out as a mostly useless level 1 power just like Uiharu's, so the script writers will need to be pretty creative with setting up the situation if they want to make her and Uiharu's powers integral to getting them out of whatever situation they're in (even Kuroko couldn't think of any way Uiharu's power could ever get her out of danger, whatever it is). That is, unless her power has some sort of useful synergy with Uiharu's, or it's some sort of weird game-breaker that is useful at any level.

Maybe not. I think it'd be possible for somebody to start out at level 2 or 3.

Interesting idea with Uiharu. I have no idea what Uiharu's power is going to be, but I think it was hinted at having to do with plants. If that's the case, maybe Saten controls light to... help the plants... grow? -____- lame.

But if she did control light that'd be a pretty amazing power. Having control over light gives you a lot of utility abilities. For instance:

Super plant growing (lol)
Blinding people
Illusions
Invisibility
Complete Darkness
Lasers
Gamma rays/Radiation
Heat
Assorted chemical reactions that use light radiation or heat as a catalyst.

Oh well I'm getting off topic. I don't think Saten controls light. I'm not even sure if Uiharu controls plants. I'm not even sure if we'll see their powers this season.

[dahak]

Originally Posted by babohtea

Maybe not. I think it'd be possible for somebody to start out at level 2 or 3.

Isn't sort of implied that the Queen and some of the other L5 skipped some of the levels in the little spiel, about how Mikoto worked her way up from level 1, the teacher gave?

I've been assuming some powers [Vector Control and Teleportation come to mind as otherpossibilities] don't have all the low levels due to needing a certain minimum of contol to do anything with them.

[Yufankun]

Unless I'm mistaken, once you go through the process that draws out your ESP ability, it is then assigned a level between 0-5 based on your initial strength. This strengthl is more or less predetermined at birth, but possible to increase through hard work, thereby increasing your level. Mikoto started out as level 1 and worked her way up to level 5, presumably one level at a time, something which is very rare. Saten won't start out at level 2, 3, because she already started out at level 0. With hard work she could be able to increase it from there, though.

As for what her power it is, I felt the anime made it rather clear it's wind manipulation (aka aero hand?) Sure it could potentially be a number of diffrent abilities that made the leaves twirl, but thinking on the choice of what they chose to animate, the answer is most likely the least complicated one.

[babohtea]

Or maybe Saten already has some "potential" as we've seen in her "report card". So when she finally realizes what it is she starts out at a whopping Level 2 due to her understanding of how to use it.

Sort of like having the right muscles but not knowing about how to swim. If you learn, you might actually be quite fast immediately. Not assuming anything, but it is a possibility.

Meh, I think Aero Hand would be boring seeing as the other girl already has it. While it is the most plausible answer, I still want to think of other possibilities that would make the leaves twirl. LIKE VACUUM POWERS.

[Miraluka]

Its not necessary to be wind control, there is powers of the same style but in a different form like the telekinesis(redirection) or teleport(move point, blind-spot movement, etc).

[Alhazred]

One extremely unlikely possibility: Ruiko's major block seems to be that she can't fathom the idea of a 'reality' that is hers alone; whenever she's encouraged to picture 'personal reality,' she thinks of her relationships with her friends and such. So...

When she was using the level upper, one of her friends nearby was using telekinesis, and the anime showed her using something that might be telekinesis too. If her power was actually to copy the power of someone else nearby (maybe only someone she knows well), that would probably be useful even at level 1 - and insanely useful later on, so yeah, it's probably not that.

[Marcus H.]

So she's like Rogue from X-Men? That would be nice.


But IIRC, there's another person who was reported to be able to copy other espers' abilities:

the AIM Stalker herself, Rikou Takitsubo.

[babohtea]

Originally Posted by Alhazred

One extremely unlikely possibility: Ruiko's major block seems to be that she can't fathom the idea of a 'reality' that is hers alone; whenever she's encouraged to picture 'personal reality,' she thinks of her relationships with her friends and such. So...

When she was using the level upper, one of her friends nearby was using telekinesis, and the anime showed her using something that might be telekinesis too. If her power was actually to copy the power of someone else nearby (maybe only someone she knows well), that would probably be useful even at level 1 - and insanely useful later on, so yeah, it's probably not that.

That kind of ability would be really really fun to write about. I mean, when its a 1 on 1 Saten's always at a disadvantage because her opponent is more familiar/skilled even though they'd have the same ability. However, if it's a team situation, Saten could easily become ownage by practicing and using her allies' abilities.