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I just got back from a month-long vacation in Europe, only to realize that I never posted the full Sifu opera series! So here it is! :D The poster at the top was inspired by Sifu's marketing poster; I just adjusted MC's stance to look more like an opera pose loll
I will speak as obliquely as I can but there will be mild spoilers for 2022's Sifu within
The protagonist of Sifu embarks on a pretty classic pulp martial arts plot at the start of the game: avenge your master (who in this case is also your father) by killing the five evil disciples that killed him years ago. I suppose you're sort of also avenging your own murder, since the protagonist carries with them an amulet of uncertain provenance that allows them to resurrect when killed, but at the cost of aging a certain number of years every time.
As things unspool and plenty of teeth fly the story gets more complicated, but the reason I've chosen it for this category (other than my distaste for non-lethal pulp heroes in general) is: SPOILERS START HERE SKIP OVER IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU'VE BEEN WARNED
Once you take your final revenge the first time around, it is revealed that you have trapped yourself in an endless cycle of violence by succumbing to temptation and murdering those that wronged you. To escape the cycle and truly achieve peace, you must defeat but *not kill* each of the Disciples, to prove your superior kung fu beyond doubt and achieve enlightenment.
Sifu's a fucking infuriating game to learn but if you like beat-em-ups that demand precision and expect near-perfection it's a good time.
(There, @krinsbez I found *something* to talk about for today :P)
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Sifu has so many elements that i admire, which is it learning aspect, the persistence of keeping fighting, it's universe and visual, but there's one thing that never stick with me, that is wude, it just doesn't make sense.
The Bosses
All the Bosses represents big and powerful corporations (as we all know are ill-intentioned), each of them has their own red flags, and doesn't seem to regret or acknowledge the bad they caused to the MCs.
Fajar
-He works for a gang and is responsible for cultivating the purple flower that is used on the purple mist drug.
-As the MCs says the gang has loads of money, and this money comes from drugs, robberies and killing, Fajar seem to have no problem with that, MCs also says the drug production has increased right after Sifu was killed, probably due Fajar's involvement in the field.
-He displays a blade on his room, showing off his assassin past, the blade is putted on a cushion, like is a item of pride, It could be the same one that was used to kill the MCs as a kid, no remorse i see.
-Shows no hesitation in killing when MCs encount him.
Sean
-He creates a competition that makes his students fight each-other until death, we find several dead bodies on the entrance of his wuguan, he is sadistic and likes to be idolized.
-On the training room we see one of his students struggling, saying he can't take it anymore; has a phrase on the club that says "this is a burning hell", his students trains excessively.
-He tortures his best students by burning the body part they fight the best, as a symbol of resistance and possession, now whenever they fight with these parts they will feel pain.
-Tech guy insinuates Sean treat others badly
at the moment the MCs encounter him, the winner student is on the floor worshiping Sean, as if he is a high class or divine figure, Sean sees himself as superior and likes to see others at his mercy.
-Sean encourages his students to not fear death, we see phrases like "shall not fear the death", "death as home", "fight or die"
(视死如归 // death as home, 非战即亡 // fight or die)
but in reality Sean is a big hypocrite, because when the MCs threaten to kill him, he crawls and covers his face, proving that he himself doesn't follow what he says, he fears death too.
-He still orders his students to finish the MCs on the museum, even when they spares him.
Kuroki
-She used to be a shinobi, she and her sister were raised to be assassins; on the exhibition 2 we see a painting of two female figures in a almost dancing pose killing a more manly one by cutting it neck
many of her guards are men, men seem to be attached to her, they get allured by her delicate appearence and polite manner, while in the past she seduced them to kill them, in the present she use them to protect her and kill for her.
-MCs says people seem to lost their mind somehow thru the exhibition
Kuroki's museum experience is through headphones, we see signs strongly encouraging the use of It, her guards also use headphones, when MCs enters on the first exhibition It has a juggernaunt looking at a screen on a dark room with big radios, sawing a video of an ocean wave flashing some symbols, he seem almost hyponotized by It.
-On the hidden self exhibition, as the MCs pass through it, the fighters become more and more silent, like they lost their identities.
-Has a mysterious sound that can be heard in some of the exhibitions (could this be a brainwashing scheme?)
-On the surface, Kuroki seem calm, wise and harmless, but it's a trap, MCs fall into a scary, dangerous and sneaky place.
-On the fourth floor, there is a painting of a creature with the body of a snake and the head of a woman, the creature appeared to be wearing a mask, which broke in half revealing a snake tongue along with a malicious look
the figure in the painting looks very similar to "nure onna", nure onna is a creature from the japanese folklore that has the appearance of a woman with long hair and a body of a snake, she appears near rivers and seas, pretending to be a distress woman asking for help to then drown her victims in the water.
The tale shows that things are not what they seem, and that sometimes even the most innocent thing can be malicious, and that we should not just trust and believe in appearances, the tale is similar to Kuroki, who appears innocent because of her sophisticated and delicate appearance, but in reality hides a malicious side.
Jinfeng
-Losted her family by a criminal attack, but in the future she is involved in a massacre that includes killing a father and a child, despite having been harmed by criminals in the past, She works with them now.
-She have security cameras on places like the squats, and the club, the squads is a property dominated by gangsters who works doing drug trafficking and the club is a clandestine one.
-She has assassins, who MCs describe as cold-blooded fanatics.
-She has a secret hideout under her tower, which is actively used, she always ready to get rid of anyone who gets in her way.
-Jinfeng has a thing for wealth, we see blocks of gold in her hideout and locker, she wears gold accessories, she is greedy.
-Tech guy shows excitement when MCs reveal they are going after her, for a humanity figure she is not very admired, she doesn't seem to be much adored by ordinary people.
-She is said to be empathetic and kind, but she is extremely cold and cruel towards the MCs.
Yang
-He killed his own father and little sibling, Yang express a big hatred towards the MCs (who were just a kid at the time), he does a very annoyed face when he sees the child after killing Sifu, he was the only one who didn't face away when Fajar kills the kid.
-Is said that Yang has a wife and daughter, and that explains his doing, but Sifu and MCs were family too.
-Yang is a manipulator and sociopath, he tries to manipulate the MCs for a briefly moment, saying that they were family and that Sifu didn't cared about them, even tho he demonstrates to have no sympathy for the MCs, he often humiliates them by saying how foolish and weak he finds them since they were kid
he don't care about the MCs, he never did.
-His workers refers to some of the guests as "unfits"
one of his workers ask if the MCs is an "unfit", either because of their appearance (who looks impoverished and too casual) or mental state, guests goes there with struggles, Yang and his workers see those guests as imperfect beings who needs to be purified in order to "fit".
-Is said that people disappear in the sanctuary, whatever Yang's do, or he kills them or they are so far gone that not even Yang's cure is enough to heal them, and they end their lives in there.
-Yang's business is similar to a spiritual scam, demands of purification, unrealistic promises about a miracle cure with no proof.
-Yang is snobbish, he constantly belittles MCs hability and relevance, comparing them in relation to him, claiming that he is more wise and noble than them, he calls them by "fool".
The Bosses shown themselves to be very arrogant, they tease and get angry when the MCs try to spare them
they don't get not even a bit moved by it, they were wrong people before and continue proving to be, they are not worthy of such an act.
Yang's Vengeance
Yang had a wife and a daughter, something bad happened to this wife and daughter, Yang stole the talisman in a attempt to save them, he tried to ask Sifu to let him use it, Sifu didn't like it because Yang broke his promise by doing this, Sifu exiled Yang along with his wife and daughter, his wife and daughter died, Yang blames Sifu for it
Yang comes back years later to murder Sifu and MCs as a way to avenge his deceased wife and daughter who Sifu didn't let him save, but there's no evidence of this Yang's wife and daughter, no art, no photos, no background item, they are only mentioned once on the board, and they are not addressed by no one, including even Yang.
In the prologue, Yang doesn't act like someone who is there to avenge a loved one, Sifu even compare him to a child, saying that when he look at his eyes he only sees a frightened and angry one
Yang is a father, Yang doesn't look like a father, for a father figure he despises childishness, Yang is always humiliating MCs in relation to how they were as a kid, it says that Yang's bitterness comes from a loss (his wife and daughter), but he proves to be bitter before that.
With the discovery of Yang's loss, it shows Yang's vengeance comes from a place of grief and justice, that doesn't justify him killing Sifu, Sifu didn't killed this wife and daughter intentionally, Yang did, the MCs are not obliguated to understand Yang and feel his "loss".
Wude Symbolism
Some treat Wude as a forgiveness, MCs forgiving the Bosses for what they did to them, and moving on from the past, what kind of forgiveness is this that is given without being earned?
The Bosses are not affected by what they done (their struggles are not even related to that), MCs are the only one shown to be affected by that day, The Bosses just don't care.
Others treat Wude as a virtue (which sounds more believable), MCs proving to be stronger than the Bosses, showing them what they are capable of as a form of warning, for the Bosses not mess with them ever again, and demonstrating to be a better person by deciding to spare them.
"He who has Kung-Fu and Wude. Makes the other know he can break him. And the other doesn't want to fight anymore. This is Wude"
Wude is showing you're stronger than your opponent till a point it accept defeat, but MCs journey is not about proving any one anything, is not about a bruised ego. MCs lost the father by the Bosses when they were a kid, Sifu died, they find this unfair, MCs thinks the Bosses need to lost something too, and is gonna be their lifes, just like Sifu.
By Wude logic, the opponent accepts defeat, but that is not what happens on the fights, the Bosses keep trying to fight the MCs as much as they can, they only "give up", because MCs threaten to kill them.
Judging by everything the MCs discovers about the Bosses on their way, it's a bit of a strange decision to let them unpunished.
The Guardians and The Alchemists
Wude symbol appears in both the Guardians' and the Alchemists' vows
Who MCs are representing when they do Wude?
The Alchemists is an ancient group that is against the Guardian's belief of gatekeeping the talismans, this disagreement between groups regarding how the talismans should be used appears to be much older than the Dawn and Sifu itself.
The Alchemists is a very extremist group, they think the Guardians should be eliminated, they believe that whenever a trace of the Guardians' legacy appears there will always be some group to oppose and bring "justice" (wasn't Wude all about intimidating the opponent, instead of killing)
The Guardians are treated as an ignorant and selfish group, while the opposite, the Dawn, is considered good and intelligent, because they use and see the talisman in the right way, by the Guardians belief the talisman is a cursed object, on real life feng shui coin is not a bad sorcery, it's a lucky charm, why Sifu (a literal old man) would be the one who doesn't know the real meaning of the feng shui?
"The talismans are traps created to corrupt (...) guarding the talismans will protect the people and the world from corruption"
Isn't that what's happening? the Bosses used the talismans, became people of power and with this power they are corrupting the city.
The Post-Credit
After the credits, we in a wuguan, there's sounds of fighting in the background, there's a person sitting in a chair, this person is moving their hand, a student appears calling for this sitted person
this person is the Master, the Master stands up and it is revealed that they were holding the talisman, this Master is the MCs (the identity of this Master is ambiguous, but i will refer to them as the MCs).
MCs rebuilt the school, and become a Master. Why MCs traced a similar path to the Bosses? Creating a business for the sake of being remembered and relevant, the Father literally died because of all that, Sifu taught and showed too much, his own allies became his enemies, his legacy was the reason for his downfall, why MCs would do the same mistake?
it's like they're making up for something, MCs feel guilty for not having avenged the Father by killing the Bosses, so they try to honor him by rebuilding his school instead.
MCs appears anxious, constantly moving their hand while the student is training, MCs are distant as a master, they stay in an isolated corner very far from their students, don't look much comfortable with being a master.
They are continuing the Guardian's legacy by keeping the talisman and rebuilding the school, based on the Alchemists vow, there will always be a group to oppose the Guardians and retrieve the talismans, in other words, someone one day will kill the MCs.
Doing Wude takes in the Guardian's legacy, even tho the decision of doing Wude is based on being against the Guardians, because MCs lose the need to kill the Bosses for murdering Sifu, since Sifu was actually "evil".
MCs don't gain anything by doing Wude, they continue to grief the Father, the Bosses remain relevant, they will never be as important as them, the past still haunts them.
The Suicidal Implications
Wude is literally MCs giving up on everything, the Father, the vengeance, their sense of justice and even themselves, leaving things the way they are and should be.
By sparing Yang MCs are purposely killing themselves, Yang knocks them out and manages to take the talisman from their belt, he throws a punch, the same punch that killed Sifu, the scene gets in slow motion, showing MCs do noticed their disvantage and Yang's strike, but instead of fighting back, they close their eyes in acceptance, they want to die.
MCs are constantly insulted, told how much they are annoying and that they should be gone
Yang and Jinfeng use their relevance as a reason why MCs shouldn't kill them, they are important, MCs aren't important, they think MCs should be the ones who should die instead, those words may get into their heads.
MCs realize the bosses are not seen as bad to others, as they are to them.
Has a phrase in the sanctuary that conveys a lot MCs grief, despite being on Yang's place, i feel it resonates with them
"It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone."
very melancholy phrase, it claims that would be much easier to live without ever having seen the light, than to have seen it and then have to live without it, MCs feel that it would be better if they had died in that night, than to be revived to only live with the grief of having lost the Father.
MCs discovers things about Sifu and his past, they get a little confused and insecure, MCs slowly lose their drive as they spare the bosses, in some spares they may seem upset and numb at some moments, Jinfeng's one is the most depressed to me
MCs fiercely hanging Jinfeng, the decision of letting go seems almost like a torture to them, grinding their teeth, their hands hesitantly releasing the rope, then they suddenly let go, like they had been defeated, Jinfeng looks at them scared, we only see them with their backs turned, just standing there with their heads down
They don't know anymore, they hate the Bosses, but they can't kill them, they don't know what the Father thinks of them, they have nothing to hold on to anymore, their anchor is the Father, but they start feeling confuse about him, they spent all their life and energy fantasizing about the vengeance, to then end up not doing it, MCs feel lost and frustrated, there's no reason to be here, they don't belong in this world.
MCs demonstrate self-destructive behaviors, their place is dusty, messy and slightly abandoned, their garden is covered by plants, bags of trash outside, cups and beverages are scattered around the house, there's pizza, noodles and canned food packages left
MCs are an anxious individual, we see them having an anxiety attack in their room before deciding to go after Yang.
The Wude ending has a lot of connection with the color white, in asia white symbolizes death.
After sparing Yang (again), MCs fall and die, they see themselves waking up in a dark unknown cave, their awakening is somewhat calm, they get up confused and a little tired, the cave reveals itself to be a mountain with a very beautiful view, they walk to the top of the mountain and see a dragon flying in the sky, their eyes follows the dragon along with a smile
MCs feel so much better in there, they no longer need to feel the grief and anger of living remembering what the Bosses did to them, they will finally be together with the Father again, they close their eyes, holds their breath and take one final sigh, it all ends here.
At the time i saw Sifu, i was in a pretty bad state, i found myself relating to the MCs, remembering finding their outcome particularly bitter
why they need to be better for the Bosses? Why they are so nitpicked for doing the vengeance? The Bosses kill too, that's unfair. We only hear of Sifu through his killers, why MCs should believe and pity the Bosses? Why MCs are the one who have to die?
Wude will never be something remarkable of Sifu to me, Sifu should be praised for so many things and Wude is not one of them.
