IM BACK IN THE FUCKING BUILDING AGAIN???

Even if X tries to loose the upcoming tournament, I don’t think he can, or I at least not in a meaningful way. 

Notable example: [The Bar fight, all he had to do was throw a coin and stuff happened that ensured his safety. Reality bent over backwards to let him both have his drink and put out of order his assassins]. X isn’t doomed to fail, he’s doomed to win. 

I think Fate just won’t let him lose that easily in the tourney (as in fake losing a ranking match or him giving his title) and could arrange circumstances that would force him into the spotlight (I don’t think X  would be the kind of person that lets innocent people be in danger if he’s the only one who can do something about it) or circumstances that would leave him as the only valid candidate that the public could support.

[Note 1] It is also quite possible that the other top 10 have received orders to kill X in the tournament if possible, though I’m not 100% certain sure the commission would have taken the risk of causing a wave of fear by basically having a very public execution over the risk of X becoming another Zero. If they attack, he's gonna have to either defend himself (by constantly dodging or making a counter-attack) or teleport away.

[Note 2] I’m not sure X can lose by just giving away his title. If giving the title is even possible, (accepted by the public and authorities). And if so, is it a true victory for the inheritor if they just get it hand over to them? That just reinforces the idea that X is unbeatable and is the one with the authority to choose who X is, basically changing him from king to a kingmaker. I'm also not sure his trust value would actually drop from him giving the title (it could actually rise), and an interview with LHO about Ah Sheng’s situation implies that you don’t have to win the tourney to become X, as much you have be the person with the most trust value (though winning the tourney most likely gives the winner an immense trust boost, as everyone has to acknowledge that your are the strongest hero). Therefore, X not being X but still being alive doesn't solve any of the problems X has with the commision and as he still is a lingering threat even if he drops in ranking, because in the mind of the public he can always make a return and seize back the title in the blink of an eye like he during his first Victory.  

Though I will admit that doing such a thing could contribute to making the title of X irrelevant, which maybe could go into X's plans to defy fate ?? (I just don't fully see how)

[Note 3] X revealing his civilian identity very publicly actually goes against the idea of him stepping away from his status as a hero. Aside from taking away the leverage the HAC has against him (which would allow them to "make him disappear" without a trace if nobody else knows who X is), X is quite literally burning down any chance he has as a normal life. The whole world knows who he is, are they really gonna leave him alone because they now know what he looks like? No, he won’t be able to go anywhere without people recognizing him, without reporters, paparazzi and envious heroes hounding him down. Even in his civ form, when someone meets him for the first time, they will think of Hero X first, not his civilian identity. His apartment is destroyed, I doubt he will be able to keep his FOMO job (not without signing a contract), everyone knows his face. Frankly, when we clearly see how much he enjoys normalcy, this is, incredibly sad. The "clocking out" scene is a hollow victory, a last gotcha before X, as a person not as a hero, is at his most vulnerable. This is as statement to how much Fate is pushing him into a corner, trying to ravage his personal life and so only the hero persona is remains. 

[Note 4] It certainly seems possible for the top 10 to unify against a common physical enemy, which could represent Fate and becomes a big metaphor for breaking the cycle of exploitation and violence (with heroes choosing to uplift each other instead of fighting for the throne). However, while surely an important moment, I don’t think this would be the true endpoint of the story, the true cathartic heart of the narrative. Because, unfortunately, punching your problems away does not fix systemic issues. The uniting would be more a result of everyone achieving a healthier state of mind than the other way around. Furthermore, if the problem is purely physical, why would the top 10 need each other, especially X? Unless we are dealing with an issue of overwhelming numbers (and even then we all saw how the X’s fight against phobiaclone went), a lot of the top ten heroes could manage alone. A core issue that ruins the lives of heroes (and tbhx citizens) is that everyone contributes and suffers from the Trust/Fear system, nobody is truly innocent and they are all also trapped in a world that tramples upon those who try to uphold true heroism.

As my tbhx bestie said * Basically, what they need to defeat to achieve freedom from the system is therapy ~Dat* 

For similar reasons, I don’t think things would be fully resolved by having a fight due to Rock semi-succeeding in making a half-baked Zero simulacra. I also don’t really expect Zero to actually be resurrected and become the "final boss", because first, Zero was very much the result of society not the core problem and second, defeating him would only reset things to post-Dawnfall state, which sucks for everyone as s1 has shown. 

[Conclusion] So. How do you defy an unstoppable force? By being an immovable object? At best, this creates a tie, a war of attrition that ends ups with Fate winning or X dying (not playing the game only works so long if non-players get to live and I don’t think X is too keen on dying, especially if it just risks Fate restarting over with someone else). And, can you brute force something that is as intangible as Fate, as the domino effect ? -> The best course of action to defy Fate might not be fighting it, but convincing it to change course. To kickstart your own domino effect and hope Fate picks it up. 

Part 2: How come X is able to defy Fate and what does Fate want, actually? 

Now, let’s try to answer a crucial question. Why does X have a shot at defying fate? What is, concretely, so special about him that he has the potential to rewrite destiny?

(Of course, there’s the real possibility that X, no matter what he wants or believes, does not have the power to defy fate, but let’s push aside the possibility of this being the worst most tragic timeline for the sake of making an actual theory instead of having to write an obituary).

I think that one of the reason X can defy Fate is related to the specifics of his power. Not just the literal "reality warping" definition of his power, but a focus on the fact that the core of his skillset is never about brute strength, it’s about changes in perspectives and transposing them into reality, to create an overwhelming environmental advantage. Going from 2D to 3D and vice-versa, manipulating and skipping along the xyz axis (even moving along the time axis), flattening or giving volume to things, making things that appear smaller or bigger actually so (ex: a coin in front of one’s eye becomes a shield) & creating a additional "fourth wall" and using it to "take a step back" to edit/constrain reality (aka paper boy treatment). 

Shifts in Perception are not only a key theme in X’s powers, but also regarding his character. X’s is the most known unknown figure in the public eye, nobody knows is true self, down to his name (we didn’t even get to see Smile or his coworkers use it, if they ever knew it) and the brackets of his personal timeline (not knowing his birth year means he could have been involved at any point in the timeline, though I doubt he was alive before Dawnfall or that he intentionally intervened in heroes affairs before 35 AC). There’s also the reversal of expectations that changed him from a powerful mastermind to a guy who wants to quit being a hero (and who probably became Fate’s unlucky lucky champion by pure chance). Also, X has an uncanny thing about looking at the camera (including the viewers), notable example being him reaching out to the screen to adjust the camera in the smartwatch ad, and perceiving when he’s being followed/attacked without physically looking.

Furthermore, the show’s themes also play on the concepts of truths, lies and perception, i.e the whole Trust system and the hero manufacture that feeds of it. 

[First Conclusion] Perception being a crucial theme overall, the idea is, X is the one who can defy Fate because he’s one of the only ones who can perceive Fate (There is a high chance Tarot Girl also can, perhaps even to a greater extent, but X also has the capabilities to make a grab for power). X he can see Fate’s movements and perhaps the one(s) who is(are) enacting them. Even if he might not be able to directly change Fate’s movements, he might be able to influence the direction Fate desires to go. Perception control (notable example: X’s double life and him possibly actively erasing footage of himself from his character teaser) and knowledge is a main reason why X is free from the agencies/commission’s control (+ the fact that he can teleport and change his looks)and those might also be a key to X’s plan to defy Fate. 

Why does X has such power? 

Is it just because X is Fate’s favorite little blorbo and it "doting" on him accidentally gave him the skills necessary to defy it? Is it just for the thematic irony of a plain nobody being elevated to the status of world destroying god, karmic punishment for this world’s greed and lack of self-responsibility? Did X just get plain lucky in his bad luck? Does Fate’s design need specifically a powerful reality warper, somehow? Maybe all of those reasons form a nexus that inevitably ends up in our X being twice chosen as the protagonist of Fate’s story and in the story of Humanity against Fate. 

…All these speculation highlight a key question, a critical bit of information we are missing. What is Fate trying to achieve? What does Fate want, for it to make X its champion? Why, of all heroes to give the crown to, choose the one that happens to be best suited to defy it? Does one need the power to rewrite reality to achieve Fate’s goal? Is it because X powers couldn’t have occurred in another person, and that power set makes the best shot at holding the X title long enough to become a God? But why not focus on Queen then? Her powers are the most similar and she’s the most capable and motivated to become X. Or Dragon Boy or E-Soul? We’ve got Rock literally begging on his knees for Fate’s favor. Why the hell did Fate choose the most unmotivated guy in the whole cast? What kind of self-sabotage is this??? Unless…

A possible answer: Fate isn’t looking to create a God or end Humanity, those things are just a byproduct of Fate’s true design … and Humanity’s  unfortunate tendency to trapped themselves in misery and exploitation at the sight of any kind of power system that doesn’t have proper rigorous checks and balances. 

What could Fate want? A compelling story. An ENTERTAINING story. Gripping twists, dramatic backstories and lovable characters, "Heroes" to root for. The Ups and Downs of engaging and thrilling storytelling. A great enemy to be deafeated in a cathartic manner! Thing is though… most readers don’t want their favorite story to end. So Fate allows the rise of the Trust/Fear system, made to constantly uplift and cause the downfall of heroes, an unending cycle of heroes fighting for the public’s attention. Give this to modern society, let it amplify, abstract into reality, its best and worst qualities and your neverending hero adventures are good to go! But the faith of the audience is fickle and to keep the spectators engaged (both in and out of universe), you have to continuously push for bigger and bolder narratives, causing a domino effect that inadvertently leads to the creation of another Zero, a world ending dragon.  Then the cycle restarts, but human lives aren’t a game and crashing & rebooting human society could very well lead to its permanent end. 

Maybe there are a plethora of realities where X isn’t Fate’s chosen. Those alternate realities just… happen to not last very long, humanity wiping itself out in a kaleidoscope of whimpering bangs. And this would go against Fate’s desire, because a dead world is a story that’s over. In this sense, X wouldn’t be the chosen one, just the one where reality happens to survive a little longer, for now. 

[Second Conclusion] But not all good stories have to be bleak and edgy narratives and X’s plan might be to offer an alternate script, to propose a thrilling narrative where the protagonist fights fate itself, a fight against the Story itself, the pinnacle of all stories. And the downfall of the Trust-Fear system would be the reward. To allow the dawn of an era where heroes are a little happier and truer to themselves, while still leaving space for moving narratives. For I don’t think tbhx advocates for the fall of heroism, as much stands against its commodification and restriction in the hands of the powerful. A New type of heroism where everyone can be the hero of their own stories. 

Part 3: Fate, the Audience and the Trust system in both reality

Why insist on such a strong link between Fate and Storytelling? Because in and out of universe Belief has been linked to narrative control and the power the audience has in shaping the story/characters. In-universe, it is quite obvious with the Trust system, with every citizen being at the mercy of society’s perception of them and their worth (along with self-perception, which modulates how belief affects you, how resistant your ego is and how well you can channel what other deem valuable about you) and with the media and business corporations heavily influencing the flow of trust (controlling news coverage, restricting opportunities to marketable heroes, literal assassination plots) even if the power of Belief rest in the average citizen’s  hands. For heroes, narrative is everything. 

Out-universe, in our universe, beside the fact that the tbhx celebrity and social media culture is basically the same as ours without the superpowers, we can draw a more direct connection by looking at the link between the writers, the audience and the characters polls. 

First, in a real 4th wall breaking way, Fate is the writers’ script. Every events, every tragedy, the origin story of each hero, has been penned and sealed long before the show ever aired. Additionally, Fate is shaped by the Audience (Us)  perception of the story.  First with the polls having a real effect on the direction of the story and what info is revealed (unlocking pvs and such), second with our engagement in social media. The story is after all only truly given life through those who witness it (which can also include the writers) and the story expands beyond what a single individual can imagine through the fandom space. Even more, the fans’ beliefs have also affected minor, but concrete things; like the fact that X’s height used to be 180cm briefly before changing to 190cm and it’s implication that it was because of fans claiming everything that said he was under 190 cm should be ignored as not canon. Furthermore, like the citizens being influenced by the hero agencies and HAC through information control, the Audience (we) opinion on the characters heavily influenced the marketing and writing of the show. aka the polls are obviously rigged in X’s favor, the guy having a 2 years head starts on the other characters, a notable example amount many many others. On an even more meta note, the writers also influence what we think is true, what the viewers assume is and isn’t possible, simply through the lens of storytelling. A story is never told with a true omniscient viewpoint, things are always filtered out, otherwise it wouldn’t be a story, the narrative drowned under the amount of pure facts. 

Hence, it is possible to say that the citizens, the authorities (agencies/HAC), and the Trust/Fear system directly mirror the relationship between the Writers, the Audience and fandom engagement with the Heroes/Characters as a connecting point. Is it such a stretch to hypothesized that Fate, this overwhelming force that orchestrates events toward an unknown destination, is from our world and the result of the viewers expectations guided by the writers' pen?  

If Fate is us, the Audience, then a lot of things about X’s entwinement with Fate start to make sense. How did his trust values shot up so quickly when he was a nobody (as we see in his new inertia mv)? Because he had the backing of millions who saw his concept movie and he won the first poll (and is well on his way to win the second by a landslide). How come he was the one who happened to meet Lucky Cyan at the exact point in time where she would see his donation as life-changing? Maybe it’s because we all decided that the one who gave the coin had to be X. Why is Fate fixated on him? Because we were told in all but words that he is the protagonist (while the show has many main characters, X is the one driving the whole story). Because ironically him not wanting to be a hero and being an average person behind all the mysterious persona makes him an incredibly compelling protagonist. People are gonna root for that (points at the polls stats where X has consistently gotten at least twice as much new votes than LL for WEEKS).

If so, this also fits with what was theorized earlier about Fate’s goal. What do viewers want, above everything else? To be told a good story, to see their faves triumph in face of adversity, to be entertained. While this is fertile ground for the cycle of exploitations that we see in the show, it does imply the possibility that within the right conditions, Fate could be convinced to change course, if the argument, the story, is compelling enough. 

I think X might be betting on this volatile side of belief, because while viewers cannot stray too much from the writers script, they are the ones who have full authority to imagine what happens to the characters after last scene ends.

[Conclusion] Fate is the Audience (that follows the path carved by the show’s writers, yes in a way LH0 was the villain all along XD).

Part 4: What X wants to tell the Audience and the Ending

Now that we have established the connection between our world and Fate’s role in tbhx, what does it mean for X’s plan to defy it? 

First, based on ep24 domino montage, the second trailer (where we see X in the void snapping with concentration as we see glimpses of the other top ten backstories) and the fact that the animation changes at critical points during s1 (especially the fight between Wreck and LL and the death match between the two Esouls), there’s a strong possibility that the events of S1, or at least a good portion of them, represent X investigating the other top10 in order to understand Fate’s involvement in everything that lead to the Smile incident, Nice’s suicide  and his own personal situation regarding the 41 AC tournament. This probably leads him to come to terms with the fact that the current system isn’t sustainable (probably supported by prior experiences with Nine and Tarot girl, who would have respectively given some insights into the manipulations of the agencies/HAC and into the existence of Fate), that things are bound to implode very soon and that he will be forced to play a major role no matter if he wants to or not. So he sets out to act under his own terms (similar to how he reveals his identity before the HAC does, functionnally destroying his civilian life before the HAC can use it as leverage against him). 

If Fate is indeed a product of our world’s intervention, what can X really do against the individual the will of millions, against the hands that wrote his very existence? Come to our world and slaughter each person that has watched tbhx? Crash into LH0’s office and demand compensation at swordpoint? Inefficient, crude, bothersome, and unlikely to succeed without dire consequences, we can safely say that this isn’t gonna happen. I believe X’s plan might be to convince the audience to believe in a world where Trust Value doesn’t exist (or has been drastically modified). To watch the top 10, love them, cheer for them and earnestly believe they would be happier  if they were A) allowed to be normal flawed people instead of idols on a pedestal of perfection B) part of an alternative system that allowed for healthy self-expression. 

The point is, S1, which heavily focuses on the other top10 (with X, barely appearing, possibly dodging the « cameras of the story » cuz he’s the only one who can see them) might have been X’s Introduction to his thesis (S2) on why the rules of his world need to change and what is the alternative he is proposing. Though this heavily depends on how much our viewing experience is influenced by the writers or by X breaking the fourth wall (which are also not mutually exclusive!). 

It is possible that X, after winning his fourth tournament (or even before), has gained enough trust value, in & out universe, to take down the Trust/Fear system and replace it with something else, but that the change won’t be permanent unless Fate accepts it as reality. The number 4, related to death, could represent the « death of an era » which could foreshadow gaining enough power to remake anew reality, or be a death flag for X, possibly both. 

Perhaps he aims to isolate individual perspectives in a manner that you can only be affected by your personal fear and trust (which could or could not mean the end of superpowered people, though knowing LH0 hopes to create a well-known IP that gives a platform for lesser known studios, there’s a slightly higher possibility that superpowers will remain in some form at the end of the show). To create a world where everyone can be Hero x, because only yourself can be the judge of your own worth. Which would be the a callback to the title (To Be Hero X, with belief anyone can be a hero), to the lyrics from Inertia which we know is from X’s pov (« didn’t you know it’s enough, just to deserve that love, without a crowd, without a stage, You’re still a real hero »), to the whole Kontinuum ending vid (which has X bringing back individual colors and all the superhero merch disappearing after his snap) and to, funnily enough, the X smartwatch ad (which starts with the words « What X can be » and ends with « X to be everything »). 

X « Clocking out » at the start of the 41st tournament could also be a be linked with the idea of destroying the pedestal heroes are put on. By making the public realize that X isn’t an out of reach God, but a very normal guy (undoing the myth that people have to be inherently extraordinary to earn the right to become a hero; X didn’t to anything special, he was kind to a little girl and got lucky).

[Sidebar] All of this doesn’t mean that their won’t be a big fight against a being that represent Fate, but moreso that this opponent could be a plot device that is a stand in for the will or the writers/audience, in the meta sense. Maybe that Fate is also a character that achieves freedom from the narrative, even if that freedom means its demise. And perhaps X is planning to deceive the audience by convincing them that he can beat a being called Fate, without the audience realizing that it is them he is talking about. 

[Conclusion] X’s plan might be to convince the audience that a world without the Trust/Fear system would make for a better story, for a better happy ending for their beloved characters. Specifically a world where it becomes undeniable that anyone & everyone can be a hero. 

Part 5: X, the free hero and the shackled character

X is free in his universe, but is he really free in ours?

In our reality, X’s character is the most restrained by the needs of the story. Every appearance in the show carefully calculated so he doesn’t upset the balance of the narrative, yet he haunts the narrative because he represents the goal that every other hero is trying to achieve. When we learn the other characters backstories, goals and motivations we learn what drives them to participate in the hero tournament. 

Furthermore, X is the face, the mascot of the show. Exemplified by how he was conceptualized and marketed years before the other heroes. Not only does he have his theme song like the other characters; Inertia, Kontinuum and some might even argue Jeopardy (though I think this one could apply to most heroes in general), were also clearly made with him in mind. His name is even in the freaking show title! 

Before the airing of ep 21, the Smile incident, (the only event that we know of where X was personally, emotionally, involved), we never got a close look at X’s “true self", his civilian self. Inside the the show, that is. However, we did see plenty of his civilian side, in the promo material for the show (ex: the show concept movie, both of his characters teaser mv, the Mizone soda ad, both inertia openings). In our world, X is LHO’s favorite doll that he dresses up whenever he needs to promote the show, when he needs to create engagement and hype for the story. 

Everything about X’s character design (and powers) is meant to generate interest for the show and his story. He is visually appealing, has banger music, is full of mysteries and the nexus of other characters motivations. He both has a cool & confident attitude, with also a dorky tired everyman side. And then, his powers are absolute visual masterpieces, made to be rewatched over and over.

X might have been known to none in his universe, but he was known to all of us before he even made his first official appearance in the show. 

Even if X achieves his victory against Fate, wouldn’t that just be submitting to the show’s destined "true" ending? In the same manner, is a fourth wall breaking really such if it is instigated by the writers? Can a character break free from the shackles of its creators, when such bindings are what creates the boundaries of its being? Maybe freedom, if it exists, only lies between the lines of the writers’ script, in the margins of the unsaid. But even that is vulnerable to the whims of the viewers’ imagination. 

[Possible relevant sidebar] Furthermore, in the first minute of the new Inertia opening, which is supposed to represent X’s backstory, only X, Tarot Girl and Nine’s faces are visually clear (this is especially notable when Tarot Girl chases after X at the beginning). Which could very well be a stylistic choice or a way of signalling that the glasses trio is more defined/perceivable in our reality in a different manner than the other citizens are. 

[Conclusion] X might be the epitome of freedom in his world, but he is deeply embedded in the narrative in our world. Considering that the story implies the creation of a reality free from such force, this begs the question whether X will be forced fo stay behind (like at the end of the Kontinuum ending or the new Inertia could imply) or have to pay the price of his identity to usher in this new era. 

Part 6: What X doesn’t tell the audience and the Epilogue 

Without going through the list of the many death flags that are stuck on X’s back, we can imagine that things are looking a bit bleak regarding his fate at the end of the story. Even if I’m wrong about the specifics of his plan, I think that if X future actions involve the rises of a new system form the ashes of the old one and/or the separation of our worlds influence on the world of tbhx, it could end up in some sort of alienation of X’s character from this new reality. The hypothetical authority needed to change Fate, even if X ends up only influencing destiny instead of outright killing it (the latter which Kontinuum outright states « Kill this destiny that’s trying to tell you what you should be »), implies occupying an important position at the heart of reality, which doesn’t bode well when the plan seems to hinge upon it’s destruction (even if only metaphorical). 

Furthermore, TBHX isn’t a show where characters get to walk away from their actions, to act without consequences. Defying Fate will have consequences, a price to pay, something to fuel this change. It makes sense that the main instigator of this change would be the one the backlash ends up focusing one.  

However, they may yet be a ray of hope. TBHX has judiciously kept two crucial point X’s identity hidden: his birth name and year of birth. (let me also raise the possibility that his birthday isn't his real birthday, but the day he became known as a Hero) While it is no doubt that this is related to his mysterious persona and the idea that anyone can be a hero, could this be a secret backdoor that allows X to avoid the worse of the consequences (either his doing or the writers’), because he has yet to have a fixed identity? Would it be possible that the final lesson of tbhx to it’s viewers is to learn to learn to let go of well-crafted narratives, to stop idolising celebrities, step away from the screen and meet people equal-to-equal, human-to-human? That no matter how inspiring stories are, you have to apply those ideas to yourself through your actions in irl for them to mean anything. The idea that if your truly love something, you have let it fly away and love it no matter if it comes back to you or not. That the only way X can be free from fate, can escape from the story’s pages, is if the audience accepts that they can never know him fully, or at least not within the context of a scripted story, nor the inherent power imbalance of the Trust system. Maybe there will be a final poll, before the last episode airs, asking if the viewers if they want to unveil everything about X’s identity and we will have to make a choice that either dooms him or saves him, at the price of our own curiosity and letting him walk where we cannot follow.  

...and that's the end of this deep dive in the themes of Fate & Endings!