Three lucky and/or talented Commenters have their work featured on this week's RPGP Winners page - send in your best Comments at the Arena, cross your fingers, and YOU could join them! Luc vs Luca Blight neoelfboy@hotmail.com: Luc stood at the edge of the ring, taking stock of his much tougher-built opponent. A worthless physical attacker. His magic and evasion had made short work of three of those already this season, why not a fourth? Was he not the bearer of a True Rune, an obvious distinction of Godlike power? Luca stood no chance with his berserker rage. Luc started calculating which spells he would use to win this one... Luca, meanwhile, just thought about what a Harmonian Bishop would like like impaled on his sword. Much like anything else, he decided, as the starting bell rang. Luca rushed forward, and Luc prepared to cast a spell. But before either had a moment to get their attacks off, a huge pillar of flame erupted in the centre of the arena. Luc and Luca looked stunned as Hugo, Chris, and Geddoe descended into the middle of the arena atop Fubar. Hugo, the Flame Champion, lowered his right hand, the True Fire Rune's glow subsiding. All three turned to face Luc. "What's the meaning of this?" screeched the Wind mage. "We have a score to settle with you," said Hugo, hopping off of his griffon steed. "After all, we each have a True Elemental Rune, just like you." "Yes," nodded Chris. "And it irks us that we are stuck in Heavy, while you score inexplicable wins a division above us." "Don't be ridiculous," smirked Luc. "How could any of you compete with me?" "We did," said Geddoe. "We beat you. Many times." "BESIDES that!" said Luc. "You may have True Runes, but I'm simply much stronger than any of you!" "Actually," Chris interjected, "Your stats are pathetic. Suikoden heroes always have good stats." "That's us!" interrupted Hugo. "You, on the other hand, haven't gotten any stronger statistically or otherwise since fifteen years ago, when you last fought Luca. You still can't take a hit to save yourself in Light." The Highland King's ears perked up. He smelled another pig. "There's no way we'll stand for being in Heavy while you take home a Godlike championship! You're trash, Luc." "I AM NOT TRASH!" "That's my line," muttered Ramsus from the stands. "We're making sure you lose," said Hugo. Geddoe nodded. "Frankly, we're bitter." "Enough!" cried Luc. "Allow me to demonstrate my superior prowess with my True Rune!" He began charging an Eternal Wind to blow the trio away... ... and was interrupted as Chris raised her right hand and cast Silent Lake, completely nullifying the casting abilities of all present. "Oh yes," smiled the Silver Maiden of Zexen, her True Water Rune glowing. "My Rune charges faster than yours, despite your greater magic ability. Didn't you know?" The Karayan Flame Champion cracked a broad grin. "So much for your superior prowess, you conceited brat." Luc was astonished. With Silent Lake in effect, he couldn't cast any magic whatsoever, so he settled for a glower to make any villain proud. "How DARE you! You do realise this counts as interference!" "No," said Geddoe. "You're wrong." Hugo continued to smile. "The spell affects everyone equally. Neither you nor Luca may cast any magic. And since we didn't attack either of you directly, and we came on our own accord, rather than Luca's, the match must go on." "You wretch!" cried Luc, throwing himself at Hugo. The Karayan dodged Luc's feeble charge easily. "And one more thing," said Hugo. "Your evade is completely unremarkable. Evasion is my specialty, not yours. Please try not to use that as an excuse when you fight any more Godlike fighters." "This is taking too long," said Geddoe. "Right, you have a match of your own," nodded Chris. "Let's go. And Luc... don't run for the entrances. It won't save you." "What?" asked Luc. He looked behind him at the gates. Claude, Lenneth, and Yuri stood there watching, and the glares that pierced Luc weren't friendly. Hugo hopped back on Fubar, and the trio lifted into the air. "So long, Luc!" he called. "Enjoy the fight; I promise you that we will." Luc simply stared up at them. His Godlike run... it couldn't end like this. Could it? "TIME TO DIE, PIG!" were the last words the Harmonian heard. LUC: 130 LUCA: 144 -Infinity Dragon- Luca has a nice 50% Reduction to all magic, which hurts Luc. Luc, however, is the True Wind Rune Incarnation. Luca ain't getting past full, infinite Healing, infinite Soaring Bolts, infinte Earthquakes, infinite Hellburners, or infinite True Rune Unite attacks. Tuxedo_Mask_hr@yahoo.com Game viewing probably Lucca...but since you stated it yourself,Luc was a young extremelly powerfull mage even in the time of Lucca.Think of all the experience,all the power he attained since that meeting with Blight.Sorry Berserker...but you lose this one to the wind edawg67@hotmail.com Quite frankly, Luca is too stubborn to die by one enemy's hands alone... it'd take one helluva effort to do so. So I gotta give this one to Luca, because Luc is neither multiple skilled warriors, nor a physical powerhouse. He might have high evade, but Luca does throw several hits in a row... one is bound to hit... and one good hit from the Highland madman might be all that's needed. If not that... the Beast Rune is always available... Luca > Luc 'nuff said. angelicus85@hotmail.com Neither should have won last week. Neither of these two contestants should be a Godlike finalist. However, in light of fanboyism, they are, so it cannot be helped. Wind pushes things. Lots of wind pushes things very very hard. Ring outs are still wins. Luc, Yuri will be gunning for you next season, and this time he will have a Flare Brooch. MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org After last week, both Luc and even Luca were keeping a close eye out, because obviously Kazan could turn them into PASTE. But, protected by their supposed 'Godlike' status, these two otherwise worthy challengers were free to cower far from REAL danger. Unfortunately for Luc, he had no such protection against Luca. He did get to act first, it's true - but when Luca can absorb more punishment than all five True Elemental Runes could deal out, that didn't really matter. "I'm coming to put out all four of your eyes, pig," Luca announced, shaking his blade at the Reigning Champion's box. Unoriginal Luc, knowing full well that a direct assault would be futile against Luca's incredable endurance, decided to go for a T.K.O. via a True Wind assisted Ring-Out. And so as the match started Luc sent forth a furious gale to drive Luca out of the arena... unfortunatly for him the moment Luca felt himself being push back he drove his sword into the ground to steady himself, and then stomped hard enough to drive his feet into the arena floor. Luc could barely maintain his composure as he watched Luca slowly stomping his way over to his position, with every stomp being followed by a cry of "PIG". Luc was forced to slowly back away from Luca, forced to keep up the windstorm lest Luca simply rush up and finish him, and the few attack spells he was able to get off had no visible affect upon the wielder of the Beast Rune. Luc grew steadily more tired as they proceeded in a slow circle around the arena, and, unable to watch his step and focus on his spells at the same time, tripped over one of Luca's 'potholes', giving Luca ample time to un-root himself from the floor and finish off the exhausted True Rune bearer. GrandmastaBrick@aol.com This Godlike championship match is a travesty. Luc should not have beaten Claude, let alone Yuri. Luca should've lost to Odin. Ahh, oh well, I suppose it's the classic warrior vs. mage situation. Although normally the mage isn't Wind based, and the warrior is usually completely insane. Luca Blight shall take this one home, because even if he takes him awhile to hit Luc, Luc won't be able to put Luca down for the count. Shraifer@hotmail.com Luc needed the help of 17 people and a group of skilled archers the last time he fought Luca, so no matter how much stronger Luc gotten, he is out matched in every way. Blight claims Victory. babbwa@vcu.edu Sorry, Luca can trash Luc pretty much any day. No contest. SimPlus@hotmail.com Dance, pig, dance. Dodge my blade 'till that fateful moment. Try to catch your breath to cast a spell. But don't stop moving. I'll get you somehow. Dance, pig, dance... tylorh@hotmail.com "Hmph, you do know that I have gained much strength since we last fought. And now you're no match for me," Luc sniffed at the Highland Prince as the match began. "You do know," Luca said, drawing his sword. "That I don't care! Now die!" And with that, he charged. Luc just shook his head in derision as he cast a Shining Wind at his foe, only to see him run straight through it. And then, with one well placed blow, Leknaat's Apprentice was struck down. CainofSolaris@aol.com Luca will have this bishie-boy for breakfast. Beast Rune's cool factor > rest of Suikoden. Ashton Anchors vs Geddoe neoelfboy@hotmail.com: Ashton Anchors drew his swords, as he prepared to attack the Captain of the 12th Harmonian South Frontier Defence Force... ... and was promptly incinerated on the spot by 10,000 volts of Lightning. The Suikoden cast sitting in the crowd (and there were a lot of them!) erupted in cheers. "Way to show him your True Lightning Rune, boss!" cried Ace as the other members of the SFDF mobbed Geddoe in celebration. "But... I didn't do anything," said Geddoe quietly. *** Ashton sat in pain in the Arena emergency ward a few hours later. "What do you mean, freak lightning strike?" "That's what I just said," said Lucca, pouring over a collection of weather charts she had brought. "These things happen every once in a while. But what extraordinarily bad luck for it to happen in the middle of the biggest fight of your career..." ASHTON: 125 GEDDOE: 152 -Infinity Dragon- Ashton takes a Hammer of Raijin and survives. Poor Geddoe, unfortunately for him he spent the remainder of the match in a stream of Hurricane Slash+Dead Triangle combos. Lackshmana@aol.com As the countdown to the match began to wind down, Geddoe thought to himself. "I have faced a brave warrior in Leo, a truly brilliant fighter in Emerelda, a champion of battle in Arc. I might have battled the likes of Sir Glenn, Clive Winslett, or Vincent Valentine. But now, I face....this?" As Ashton came in at Geddoe, the one-eyed mercenary turned away and raised his right hand. Shocked by this move, Ashton stopped for just a moment. But that was all it took. Geddoe had unleashed his most devastating of techniques. There was no up, nor down, nor even ground, and to escape or dodge was not possible...for Asthon, there was only the unrelenting fury of the Raijin Hammer. Ashton was defeated even before the move could be finished. As Geddoe walked away from the battle, and accepted his championship title he could be heard muttering to himself. "You should have lost to Kain." MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org Ashton and Geddoe were both still too far gone after being attacked by Kazan last week. It'll be another month before they can even be Raised. Unoriginal Geddoe's lightning spells were drawn to Ashton's swords like a magnet. Unfortunatly for Geddoe they were sailing through the air in a bee-line for his chest, courtesy of Ashton's Peircing Swords technique. GrandmastaBrick@aol.com Geddoe took aim and fired on Ashton. To no suprise to anyone in the arena, Ashton used Leaf Slash. Geddoe turned swiftly to face his opponent, but he was nowhere to be found. "Annihilate all the enemies!" Rang throughout the arena as Ashton finished casting Tri-Ace, and effectively ending the match. Inuyashatachi@aol.com Once again The Unluckiest Man in the RPGP shows that skill can overcome abysmal luck anyday as he proceeds to win the match taking down Geddoe using the techniques of the House of Anchors. gopher_beater@hotmail.com Geddoe stood in his corner of the arena, quietly awaiting the bell to sound the start of the match. On the opposite side, Ashton stood twiddling his thumbs impatiently. After seeing Geddoe make quick work of his previous opponents with the True Lightning Rune on his right hand; he had little faith in himself. He knew that Geddoe could charge up his Rune and blast him clear to Arlia in less than a second. He needed something quick and devastating to take the win. Suddenly, he felt an idea enter his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his key to success. [The bell sounds, and the match begins] Geddoe, as bored as he was, decided to make it quick win. He began charging up his Rune. Ashton wasted no time himself. "Piercing Swords!" he yelled as he threw his short swords across the arena. Geddoe, caught a little offguard by his opponent's quick action, held his ground and concentrated on his rune. As soon as Geddoe felt the sting of the swords entering his flesh, "Dead Triangle!" rang out through the Arena. Geddoe quickly found himself frozen in place surrounded by Ashtons. Ashton had equipped a Link Combo before the match, and Piercing Swords and Dead Triangle were the perfect moves to link in succession. Shraifer@hotmail.com Geddoe steps into the ring puzzled, as he watch Ashton carrying a barrel around him instead of armor. Geddoe, "I don't know what your thinking Ashton, but it time to say good night," as the true lightning rune goes to work. After the dust settle, Geddoe turns to see a black circle around the spot where Ashton was standing and turns to walk out of the arena. Only to find Ashton appearing out of nowhere yelling LEAF SLASH!!! Geddoe is so shocked by Ashton's appearance that he doesn't even raise his defenses up and is soon crushed by several brutal blows. As Ashton leave the bloody form of Geddoe on the arena floor, Geddoe surprises everyone by raising his head slightly and saying "how???" To which Ashton merely replies, "Barrels absorb electricity. LeonG0124@aol.com Geddoe looks at his new opponent and laughs, "what could a fool like you hope to achieve here?" Ashton smiled, "This, DEAD TRIANGLE" Geddoe watches his opponent dissapear into thin air, then found himself frozen. "What form of magic is THIS?!?" He exclaims, as Ashton reappears in his face and splits into 3. Ashton finishes Dead Triangle then ran to Geddoe and hit himn in the head with the flat of his right sword, making him dissoriented. Ashton jumped back and raised his arms almost as a prayer, "OH, THE ALMIGHTY TRIA..." His swords and dragons meld and turn into a large glowing sword, "TRI-ACE!" A large explosion engulfs the battlefeild, with Geddoe in the center, he falls. Ashton smiles, "...is what I wanted to accomplish." soveryez@attbi.com Before the match began,Geddoe and Ashton shook hands. Then took three steps away from each other with their backs turned, and when the final step fell Ashton drew his twin swords with ferocious speed at Geddoe. Geddoe jumped out of the way, and dodged both of the blades and both of them clattered against the arena wall before falling on the floor. With his hopes to end this already desperate match quickly and efficently, Ashton ran hastily to the wall to continue his offensive strike. "In your effort to take care of me quickly you have left yourself defenseless." Geddoe said solemnly as green sparks began to emit from his body, and then fly around him as musquitos do around nightlights. "Your attack was admirable, a fine ploy, but it shall cost you your life." "You forgot one thing." Ashton teased. The sky began to darken, Ashton stopped for a second as he grabbed his twin swords and looked into the sky. They were coming, it was too far into the spell to stop it now. He could see the dragons that would pull off Geddoe's Hammer of Rajin. That would probably end him. But if he could buy end this before it happened... "...And that is?" Geddoe asked with some frustaration, for he knew the booy was bribing...there was nothing else he could do in his position...could he? "This!" Ashton yelled as both dragons opened their mouths and engulfed Geddoe in their crimson fire. Geddoe screamed, not because the petty flames hurt but because he was shocked. Ashton's only hope had come true, Geddoe had little his guard down despite his long years of fighting, and now it was all or nothing. Ashton pulled off a Leaf Slash before he Geddoe could defend the attack and managed to pierce one of his swords through Geddoe's armor and almost through his left arm. Geddoe screamed with pain, and Ashton continued his relentless attack. But he forgot the spell, and before he could even remember it he felt the dragon's carry him off into the dark sky and as they coiled around him a surging pain began going through his body. In the pain he dropped his only remaining sword, and then the dragon's stopped abruptly, and he fell back into the arena. Coming back to consicousness, Ashton struggled to his feet, but before he could Geddoe's sword was driven through him. Ashton opened his mouth but no sound came out as he looked at his chest and the sword that went through him. He felt blood come from his lips and looked at Geddoe with a sense of surprise before to the floor. It would take Ashton almost an entire season to recover from his injuries with Rena's healing. But as he slipped into unconsiousness, Geddoe pulled his sword out and said words that would haunt Ashton for the rest of his life. "..I here you have bad luck." he said. "Then here this, luck is an excuse to hide and cower away. Do not forget that. I have spared you, and could simply cut off your head right now if I wanted." he threatened. "See you next season." Geddoe said. And as those words came into Ashtons mind he fell into darkness... ospreymr@hotmail.com Ashton has low luck. Geddoe does not. Well... The Truth: Ashton > j00 Peco vs Worker 8 ANONYMOUS: Peco confidently stared down Worker 8, with his incredible Defense, Worker 8 would eventually kill himself with his HP-sucking work. You can imagine his surprise when he was obliterated in 2 hits. Apparently, he didn't know that Work ignores everything except for Zodiac, which didn't matter here. With his Middle Championship, Worker 8 celebrated the best way he knew..by dancing!. "Worker 8, stop that and get out of the Arena!" Ramza ordered from the stands. "ERROR: Command can not be executed! 2 legit to quit!" was the reply. 20 minutes later, Worker 8 grabbed his trophy, and, (ignoring the laughter from his performance in the arena) left to go heal what wounds he sustained during the fight. PECO: 128 WORKER 8: 159 -Infinity Dragon- Both are excellent tanks. Peco has better HP and has actual defense. Worker 8 has psuedo defense in the form of Defense UP and better damage. Ahh, but you can't discount Peco's healing. Peco just heals while Worker 8 exhausts all his HP on Work (If Worker 8 attacks, he runs a 50% chance of Reprisal attacks, and a 25% chance of a Critical Reprisal). Peco just busts out his normal attack in Attack Stance when the bot is near death, and kills Worker 8 in one shot. neoelfboy@hotmail.com CRUSH. DESTROY. COMPRESS. DISPOSE. octillus@hotmail.com Worker 8 vs. Peco Both oddities Both quite powerful Both with a distinct appearance But only worker 8 has a vegetable chopper attachment for a hand. ANONYMOUS Peco got in close, ready to try a Dream Breath on his robotic foe in the hopes it might disable it long enough for a Venom Breath to take effect. Such an unorthodox strategy was neccessary, Peco thought to himself, because regeneration and high hp wouldn't help him if- Peco's thought was left unfinished as Worker 8 used Compress. Match: Worker 8 shibakev@earthlink.net Worker 8 can't survive Peco's normal attacks, which are extremely accurate and almost always score critical hits. MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org Peco and Worker 8 entered the area, veritably bristling with power and determination. Admittedly, their expressions were difficult to judge, but the blank stare of Worker 8 and the inscrutable, well, however one would describe an onion's expression, looked sort of like determination. Peco wasted no time getting into close combat. In a flash, the little onion grew into a musclebound oniony powerhouse, towering over Worker 8, and threw a devastating flurry of punches. The Ivalician robot blocked a few, but came out of the exchange with several dents and scratches. Peco returned to his onion form and waited to see what his mechanical foe would do. Worker 8 seemed surprisingly unconcerned, but that might have been just because his 'face' was two little unblinking lights in a suit of armor. On the other hand, it might have been because he was about to show off his latest Work command: Mow. Unoriginal Worker 8's Compress attack has instant-death attached to it, but the fact that it requires Worker 8 to be next to his opponent as well as the same height means it doesn't get too much use. Unfortunatly for the heavily melee oriented Peco, the arena is a nice *flat* area... GrandmastaBrick@aol.com Lasers > Onions. NinjaFire2@aol.com Well, folks, it's the moment we've all been waiting for. Worker meets Peco, robot meets organism, steel meets onion. Who will prevail? Let's review: Peco can hit very, very hard. Worker 8 can hit very, very hard. Peco isn't all that fast. Worker 8 isn't all that fast. Peco can regenerate lost health over time. Worker 8 can't, and his best attacks hurt himself as well as his opponent. I guess that in the end, machine just can't prevail against the ingenuity of talking plant things. dragon_blaze@hotmail.com The night before the match worker 8 not needing to sleep was up watching late night tv. After seeing some late night infomercials we was intruigued. As pico and worker 8 entered the arena worker 8 had several new attachments that sliced and diced. Cuts and Cubes, Shreds and pulvarized. Needless to say pico was cut into so many little peices then fried on the george forman gril. Shraifer@hotmail.com Peco has the highest Natural HP out of all the character in Bof3, so I'll simply say two words, TIME BLOW! babbwa@vcu.edu I had to come down to this question: Which did I prefer to have in the party and how vital where they? Sorry Worker 8, Peco beat you out. All hail the Onion God. rurounikenshi@gmx.net Peco = GOD CainofSolaris@aol.com Peco made Gremio regret beating Anrietta and Worker beat Liete. Oh, and, uh, Peco is a GOD. Duh, Peco wins. Bowman Jean vs Rikku tylorh@hotmail.com: As the match was about to begin Bowman, wanting to make sure he had every edge he could, took a quick nip from his "Secret" medicine in order to take the edge off his nerves. After all, not every match had a Light Title riding on it. It was only after he stepped into the ring when he realised that he had misread the lable. A few hours later, Rikku was cleared of any infraction of the rules for the spontaneous explosion of Bowman Jean. And, accepting the fact that things sometimes happened for no apparent reason in the RPGP ring, simply accepted the trophy and the title. BOWMAN: 115 RIKKU: 162 Tuxedo_Mask_hr@yahoo.com This may be an insult to anyone,but in my opinion who ever says that Rikku has even the slightest of chances against Bowman...well either hates Bowmans personality or didnt play with Bowman at all.Rikkus main advantage is her mix command and her Al bhed healing.Bowman is at least twice as fast as Rikku and the sheer speed of his attacks is something that Rikku can never hope to obtain.There is no chance...in no matter what the universe this match is played at that Rikku could pull this one off.Secret medicine+Poison-Explosion pills+Death siege and Pillory make Rikku one dead Al Bhed. ANONYMOUS This match is a tough call. Given enough items, Rikku will crush Bowman like an insect, as she'd heal constantly until a mix allowed her to pull off a huge damage total. Without a well-stocked inventory of items, Rikku won't get through Bowman's wall of pills. The wording in the rules suggests that Rikku isn't going to have such a stockpile... Match: Bowman Jean wyrmspirit@hotmail.com Bowman tossed a poison pill, Rikku, from FFX, where poison is an extremely damaging thing, had to use an antidote, Bowman tossed another.. and another.. and another.. it wasnt long before Rikku was killed by poison damage.. MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org Hopefully, Bowman will set her up the bomb, courtesy of his Explosion Pills. Better yet, make it slow (er, make that 'not as fast') with Poison Pills. Die, Rikku, for daring to hurt Maya! Unoriginal Bowman spams his pills. Rikku opens up her Use menu. Bowman spams his pills. Rikku Uses an Al-Bhed Potion. Bowman is still spamming those pills. Rikku goes into her Mix menu. Bowman spams yet more pills. Rikku sifts through countless junk items looking for the right items to Mix. Bowman is... spamming pills. Rikku finaly finds the items she's looking for and... drops from Bowman's excessive pill spamming. KeithValentine0@yahoo.com Well considering Rikku does about 126 damage throughout the entire game, I'd say Bowman had best watch out, he may have to use some of that "secret medecine" The_Deadpool2000@hotmail.com Rikku throws a Chocobo Feather, doubling her already immense speed. Bowman starts his poison pill barrage. Rikku could have thrown two Dark Matters and ended this quickly, but this IS a Championship match so she figured she'd give the audience a show. So she uses her speed to pump herself up with Stamina Potions (double HP), Curtains (Protect and Shell), Healing Spring (Regen) and of course, kept the Healing Water (full cure) completely cutting off Bowman's attack. Frustrated, Bowman presses his attack... Unfortunately, Rikku just got her Overdrive. A little Shining Gem, a little Warp Sphere and BAMF, Trio of 9999 kicks in. Rikku then throw a single Fire Gem, 6 hits of 9999 damage a pop... Bowman drops unconscious and Rikku goes back to wondering what in the HELL she's doing in Light... GrandmastaBrick@aol.com Rikku will try to wait until her overdrive bar fills so she can actually do some damage. But, as soon as the Poison Pills start hitting, they don't stop until the enemy is dead, or Bowman is out of MP. Personally, I've never run out of MP with Bowman using just poison pills. You be the judge. babbwa@vcu.edu Bowman procedes to hurl pill after pill after Rikku to keep from being able to use her overdrive... unfortunately, none of his poison pills worked. "Why?" A bewildered Bowman asked. "It's called a Ribbon," replied Rikku before she sent some Dark Matter in his direction. ValkyrieFreya ALWIGHT! I had Rikku learn Ultima, Haste and Regen and I found this item she can use to bring those expensive spells to 1!Plus she completed Auron's path to build strentgh Defense:1. USE item that brings magic spells to 1 2. Regen and Haste 3.when the chance is open,use POWER BREAK Offense: 1.Attack 2.attack 3.attack 4.attack (PS..di i mention she had her GODHAND ultimate weapon unlocked?) 5. when MIX is ready, throw a dark matter Sromero@DigiPen.edu This season’s Light Championship saw two very similar characters facing off. Both fighters had a rather pathetic regular attack using their fists, they had secondary attacks that were much more reliable and effective than their regular attacks through the use of thrown items, they are both very fast at attacking, and most importantly, they are both arguably under ranked down in the Light division. That’s why this match was important to each of them. Winning the Light Championship could be a key step into moving up a rank. Both fighters stood in the arena staring each other down. This was likely going to turn into a long distance match of throwing weapons with Bowman’s pills vs. Rikku’s items. Both stood there quietly with their hands twitching by their pockets ready to attack while waiting for their opponent to make their first move. This scene had the appearance of a very odd Western style showdown. [Cue tumbleweed to quietly roll by] Rikku made the first move and in one swift motion reached into her pocket, pulled out one of her more destructive items, and threw it at her opponent. Bowman, having anticipated that Rikku would start the match by using a Dark Matter, was also quick to react and charged forward ready to attack. Just before the Dark Matter could explode, Bowman began to use his Killer Move ‘Death Siege’. While the attack was slow and hardly effective against faster enemies, easily giving Rikku the time to move out of the way, it effectively made Bowman invincible during the attack allowing him to avoid the blast of the Dark Matter that would have killed him with one shot. With Rikku’s plan for an easy victory ruined, she would have to try a different approach. Dark Maters are extremely rare items, and Rikku hadn’t planned on bringing more than one assuming that one was all she would need. Fortunately, she had plenty of other items available with a wide variety of effects. Rikku began the second stage of her assault by using a Chocobo Wing, setting herself in haste status. Bowman attacked with a quick barrage of Poison Pills and Explosion Pills, although with haste combined with Rikku’s already high speed, only few of the attacks were hitting their target. While avoiding most of the attacks, Rikku returned fire by throwing numerous Gems and attack items. Throughout the exchange, both fighters were able to endure a long hard battle due to their healing abilities and items. Finally came the point where Rikku had taken enough damage to charge up her Overdrive meter. Her Mix Overdrive had very high potential and variety ranging from healing, to unique status, or even massive destruction. So many things to chose from, yet she had something different in mind. Rikku ran up to her opponent, and in the first physical attack of the match, mugged him, pulling away a handful of his pills. Thinking how ironic it would be to give the man a ‘taste of his own medicine’, so to speak, she used her Overdrive to mix Poison and Explosion pills she had taken from him. It seemed like a good idea at the time, until the mixture unexpectedly exploded in her hands before she could throw it. The pharmacist figured that he might have to tell Rikku about the dangers of mixing different types of medicine that shouldn’t go together, but that would have to wait for another time seeing as she was no longer conscious. CainofSolaris@aol.com Cute water chicks always win in light (like, Yumei!). + Rikku has hot shorts, soooo she wins. Well, dear reader, this has certainly been an illuminating bonus match! Mr. Cranbud had expected one or two characters, most probably our more successful Godlikes, to essentially run away with things, so to speak, with 30 or 40 votes apiece, if not more. That has most definitely not been the case! Instead, what we've seen is a truly spectacular range of characters, hailing from the ranks of RPGP contestants, unrated RPG characters, stars from other games, and even a few from truly unorthodox sources, such as cinema and literature. All, of course, are most welcome. In recognition of this surprising result, Mr. Cranbud has decided to rate the top ten vote-getters who have not yet had this honor, as well, of course, as extending his congratulations (and a guaranteed slot in Season 21) to our winner: His Royal Highness, Prince Janus "Magus" Zeal! And now, the TOP TEN... er... eleven! Janus "Magus" Zeal Chrono Trigger 13 Arc Arc the Lad series 10 Riou Suikoden 2 10 Sephiroth Final Fantasy 7 8 Cloud Strife Final Fantasy 7 7 Drizzt Do'Urden Dungeons & Dragons 6 Hyuga Ricdeau Xenogears 6 Leon Geeste Star Ocean 2 5 Ryu Breath of Fire series 5 Shadow Final Fantasy 6 5 Yuri Hyuga Shadow Hearts 5 ALL 140 FAN FAVORITES ANONYMOUS sephiroth, prepare yourselvs for the ultimate one winged angel, the god of gods, his favorite attack...Sin harvest. AshburnerX@yahoo.com Solid Snake has gotta be my favorite. He's gone up against nearly impossible foes such as Metal Gear, Metal Gear Rex, and the bullet immune Fortune (Ok, he lost that one... but I was surprised he even survived, considering the heat she was packing) and has never lost his resolve. Besides, other than Ashton and barrels, Snake's got the second weirdest item fetish: Cardboard Boxes Lackshmana@aol.com This fan appreciation thing is great, I am just fearful it will leave us with someone who is in the RPGP too much as it is. I vote for Futch. Whereas many may like him for his battle power in Suikoden 3, anyone who watched him grow from childhood in Suikoden, Suikoden 2, and Suikogaiden would know that he has had a very difficult life. I would love to see him weild Humphrey's mighty Muramasa in heavy, and achieve his first RPGP victory. ANONYMOUS I picked Ari, from 'Okage: Shadow King,' as the character I'd like to see in the next tournament. Ari is (as he *is* a main character) very well rounded, with the potential to be the best swordsman in his game, no natural element weaknesses, a gamut of special abilities, ranging from mp-using healing spells to damage-enhancers and powerful elemental attacks that spend hp, and occasional extra Devil Crush attacks from Stan, the Evil King that has possessed Ari's shadow. I think Ari could fit in with the cast of Middle, or even Heavy. Ari's my choice because I identify with him. He is very quiet and lets other people run rampant over his feelings and take him for granted, causing even the game's villain, Beiloune, to completely overlook him. Yet in the end Ari may be the most important person in his world, for those very reasons! More importantly, I chose Ari because wherever Ari is, there must be Stan. Stan, like Ashton's dragons, is considered part of the same character by RPG rules, and therefore we get two characters for the price of one! Stan is just generally hilarious, providing the comedian to Ari's long-suffering straight man. As Evil Kings go, Stan's pretty incompetent, yet can't seem to understand why nobody takes him seriously. With this combination of power and personality, plus Okage's humorous character design, Ari (and Stan!) is my choice to see in season 21. MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org Experience. Style. Power. Dirty-old-man-itude. Well, scratch that last one. Endurance. Wisdom. Cunning. Agility. He is The Man. He has The Plan. He'll go The Span. And Hyu'll get The Can. His name? Kazan. Unoriginal What can I say? I just like Katt. She's got massive speed and an amazingly high attack power. In her Shamanized form these are boosted even further, and she picks up an Auto-Crit/Ignore Defence attack as well. Coupled with her high Evade/Counter rates she'd cut a swath through even the heavies... if only she had the HP to back it all up... ANONYMOUS Mario... you gotta stick with the classics, baby! chipstick85@aol.com Mog vs Shadow... who is the best? Mog walks into my mind busting out his break dancing moves combined with his overall cuteness. Shadow then walks into my mind and I realize he is a true badarse ninja... anyone who has ever been to realultimatepower.net knows that a ninja is the bestestestest. starsickle@yahoo.com God there are so many favorites: Miang, Rose, Lenneth, Hyuga. every game has a favorite for me. Most likely if the award goes to the most popular then it's probably going o tbe like someone from a new FF game. Probably Auron, Septhiroth, Lulu. or maybe Hyuga. I'm sticking with The Mother. PumpkinSed@aol.com Dekar for president!!! dark_nite2000@yahoo.com Cid Highwind from FFVII owns. He's the best Cid of them all, not to mention an all around cool guy. Plus, he's got a spear. All cool people have spears. ANONYMOUS The Dark Wind Howls... Sounds like it's about time for the Prince of Zeal to break that Most Unrated/Godlike Championships tie. octillus@hotmail.com Yes I picked Octillus a truely godlike being, with the ability to master all grades of magic, and he has the holy Queso as his weapon of choice. THE HOLY QUESO! The one cheese who can beat box! Through his time serving the mercenary cody to his time with marronis (pronounced Ma-Rone-Is) the gelificus maximus general, only he can take the crown of the jelly for his own. For more info on Octillus, and the gelificaus maximus race in general, contact me at octillus@hotmail.com ANONYMOUS Tommy Vercetii from GTA:VC for godlike! I know it's not an RPG by any means, but Vice City's main man would be no pushover against even the best godlike has to offer. He has enough "HP" to survive waves after waves of Vice City's police force, FBI, and even their army! Not to mention his wide arsenal of weapons, from a katana to a Tommy gun, Complete fireprooficity, and unlimited stamina. Plus, he's got the supreme power of the 80's behind him! ValkyrieFreya I suggest that no matter what..the great one SEPHIORTH, the god would be the in this match. But then, his chaleger would be Sir Auron. Let's see if masamune can win against Auron and his masamune! ANONYMOUS Normally, I'd vote for Ramladu, but that would be the mother of all lost causes, so instead I will vote for a character that, in all rights, really belongs here. Riou, from Suikoden 2(Generally, Riou is his accepted name). Why isn't he in, anyway? The nameless hero from DW7 is in, why not Riou? RydiaCaller@aol.com Rydia, the green haired Caller from Final Fantasy 4 is my absolute RPG character of all time (hence the e-mail address, webpage, so on, so forth). You get the picture. She's just awesome. That's my submission for the Fan Appreciation Match. Because you guys appreciate fans like me, right? :) 'Cause I appreciate guys like you for keeping this kick-butt webpage in existence! :D gamesaint@hotmail.com He has NEVER had a chance to prove himself! Today!!! HE WILL TRIUMPH! Sromero@DigiPen.edu Persnal notes: I already sent my vote in. I'm just sending in another comment. As for the Bouns Match, I hope you take this as a chance to get some of the forgotten warriors people may suggest ranked. Although my vote went for Riou(Suikoden II), I am also very interested in seeing Chocobo (SquareSoft) in the RPGP. It has been in more RPGs than anyone else and has some fighting skill from some of them, in particular, Chocobo's Mystyrious Dungeon wher it gets some strong magic to back up its regular attacks.(It would also be cool to have the company name as the character source since it goes beyond just the Final Fantasy series) ANONYMOUS What is Best in Life? Mongol General: "..I fear my sons will never understand me." Mongol Messenger: " We win again" Mongol General: "That is good! But what is best in life?" Mongol Warrior: "The open steppe, fleet horse, a falcon on your wrist, the wind in your hair!" Mongol General: "Wrong!, Conan, what is best in life?" Conan: "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!" Mongol General: "That is good" ........NEED I SAY MORE! neoelfboy@hotmail.com I know this is supposed to be an opportunity to vote for one's favourite character. Yet I'm going to pass that up, partially because I don't really know who my favourite character is (there are so many choices!), but also because there's a character that I'd really like to see get into the RPGP, even if he isn't my personal favourite. He's a main character. He's the star of a game which has proved itself very popular at this site, a game which has produced a Godlike final just last week. Many members of his large cast have been ranked, and many have done serious damage in the RPGP. Yet he has never been given a chance to compete. He is the hero of Suikoden 2. Sometimes known as Riou, sometimes Genkaku's son, and sometimes just Nameless Hero, he's a True Rune user with duelling powers to put perhaps all others from his entire series to shame. Not only are his stats amazing, but his ultimate spell, Forgiver Sign, is not only one of the most damaging in the Suikoden series, but it also fully heals the hero as he uses it. And the other spells he has backing it up, including a full healing spell which also raises his attack power, are nothing to be trifled with either. I know I'm not the only one voting Riou this week. I doubt he will win (though I hope to be surprised), since I'm sure he's not the ultimate fan favourite. But regardless, this vote goes out in hope that Riou will get a match someday soon. william_lee_black@hotmail.com Good luck Billy. raikaiserallerowne@hotmail.com Frankly speaking, how anyone can deny Ryu's power after looking at his sheer potential after combining all of his four selves into one is amazing. In simple, for the slow witted fanboys who no doubt have lead Ryu down the path of destruction, pain and agony in the past, remember that he has the power of instant attacking as he does in Breath of Fire II. And, unless I am misinformed, he can use that ability with any of his dragon forms. Any of them. Also, unless all these so-called "God-likes" can survive a G. Dragon without the over used 999 hit point limitation, possibly sending damage to a nice round 9999 damage, or most likely higher, I doubt Ryu has any serious competitors against him. If nothing else, I voted for him simply because he is the best of the breed, and doesn't deserve the sickening wave of fanboys to alter his clear and obvious fate. gundamfreak357@yahoo.com Yuri+Seraphic Radiance='nuff said. tylorh@hotmail.com Of all the people in RPGdom to support, I have to go with Riou, son of Genkaku. Why him? Perhaps because he's the main character from one of the best games out there, Suikoden 2. Perhaps it's because of the uberness that comes from being the bearer of a True Rune, and the one best suited for a duel with Battle Oath and Forgiver Sign. Perhaps it's because of the fact that he's a user of a very rare style of weaponry in RPGs, the tonfar. Or, perhaps it's because he's the only even semi-important character from his game that hasn't been given a shot in the RPGP. No matter what the reason, here's hoping this guy will soon have his RPGP debut. Sromero@DigiPen.edu Dear Mr. Cranbud, I am the lead character in a rather popular RPG, yet for some reason I have been over looked by the RPGP. What happened was that when you were looking for new recruits in our area, somehow my name wasn’t included on the list. I would have said something, but I was sure that this was a minor oversight and that the problem would have been fixed soon, so I kept quiet. Soon after, I began seeing my friends, my comrades, my sister, and even my enemies competing in the RPGP, but it seemed like I was still forgotten. A few seasons ago, I received an invitation to the arena to compete along side my team in a Bonus Match. I thought that this would be a major change for me and that I could finally get into the RPGP, but once the match was over, I just went back to being ignored as before. I noticed you are having a unique Bonus Match this week where the winner will be able to compete next season, even if they have been “tragically passed over by the RPGP”. I thought that this would be a great opportunity to finally get ranked into the RPGP. I hope you take my application into consideration so that I may once again fight along side my team (or against them if necessary). Sincerely, Riou (a.k.a. Nameless Hero) ANONYMOUS I couldn't decide between Magus, a Worren, or from PC/paper RPGs, Drizzt Do'urden & Guenhuevar, this week (hey, I'm a cat person!). But the book in the RPGI was just too funny. Janus (and Alfador) forever! The_Deadpool2000@hotmail.com I know Lombardia won't win, but he'd be a fun character to see in a match... Perhaps a bonus Match. zkoff@cyou.com Too bad we can't vote for more than one character. I had to choose randomly between Crono, Magus, Orlandu, Agrias or Jet. Sac@sachw.cjb.net I really can't believe that Riou (Also known as "Bearer of the Bright Shield Rune" and "Genkaku Son" isn't already among the cast of Suikoden 2. If the only reason is his lack of a defalut in-game name...all I can say is come on! CainofSolaris@aol.com Emperor Cain!!!! This dude gets the chicks and rules the world for 10,000 years, how cool is THAT? ANONYMOUS Kefka destroyed the world, how many RPG villains have accomplished that? He was the first FF character to have a voiceline (his laugh). He uses Fallen One at the start of the fight, which means that he can attack and they're forced to heal. Plus, he's a psychotic clown! That's reason enough right there. Do you want YOUR comments seen at the RPG Playoffs Online? Just send them in along with your votes and Mr. Cranbud and the RPGP staff will review them for publication! Please refrain from using vulgar or otherwise offensive language in your comments, since Mr. Cranbud will only accept such language if it is used for genuine humorous effect, and only on a good day.