Arajin Analysis & Hate

Jan 21, 3:46 PM

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Jul 2021

As I've kept up with discussions about the series, I've noticed a lot of uncalled-for hate surrounding the main character—Arajin. In some cases, I have even seen users contrast him with Reki from SK8 the Infinity when they are simply not comparable. We were introduced to Reki at his best during SK8 the Infinity, albeit with a flaw beyond the surface, which we saw develop firsthand and could therefore empathise with his plight. Arajin, on the other hand, is a deeply flawed person from the get-go and this has seemingly been the case long before the time the series is set.

In the series' very first scene, we see Arajin practising a persona he sought to perform upon his transfer to Ichizu High School. It's clear that he's trying to hide his truth from himself and play into a specific character he wants others to see, and in doing so avoid confronting his traumatic past, involving specifically fighting, in which he failed to protect Matakara and whatever else we may come to find out about their shared history (potentially involving Matakara's older brother, as some others have suggested). This persona ultimately falls apart when he runs into the very crux of his trauma, Matakara, and though prompted to confront it, instead attempts to avoid it consistently. This is further evidenced by his attempts to engage in romance with others (a "cutie" to be precise), which feels very forced and obsessive because it very much is; Arajin has deluded himself into thinking that high school romance will distract him from his past and therefore solve all his problems. Again and again, we see him running from his problems while desperately hoping that someone or something will solve them for him, and I can only imagine that this is a result of the trauma that we've glimpsed in his nightmares, that might I add affect him every time we've seen him go to sleep, in which he was too afraid to act to protect his best friend. He has seemingly embraced this role he played, a coward, and can't overcome it except when it comes to the welfare of Matakara (when he stopped him from falling), or when pressed between death and his convictions as seen when almost killed by Marito (just imagine what a good friend, or more, he could be if his head was in the right place). This characterisation may seem to dissipate in the latter half of the second episode, but I disagree, it's a combination of the power afforded to Arajin by Senya in combination with it being related to his delusions of dating Mahoro that compels him to seek Kenichiro out. Whether this will remain consistent, we shall see.

With that out of the way, we're on the second episode of the series, yet some viewers expect Arajin to be a paragon of virtue and righteousness—that is absurd. What we have is a character with tons of room for growth in the remaining ten episodes, and even despite his flaws originating from his childhood trauma, he still demonstrates plenty of redeemable qualities. His love for Mahoro, though misguided, was nevertheless sincere in his dedication to her, and despite his estrangement from Matakara, rushed to catch him and share his handkerchief.

Setting aside everything above, Arajin still gets repaid in full for all the bad karma he accumulates: IBS, beaten up, knocked out, mugged, nightmares, bonded with a Majin (not that I think Senya is bad, but Arajin might disagree given how much he wanted to distance himself from fighting), and finally the menace that is Mahoro. Like seriously, not only did she break his heart, she's also determined to orchestrate his downfall. But I honestly love her for that, she's so entertaining.

Jan 21, 4:41 PM

nikunderline

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Aug 2019

Exactly, Ara-teen is that way because he's supposed to, it fits along all the over the top personalities across the ensemble - all those dudes all up in his business "wanting him so bad as a fight buddy", while he's just not that appealing, being a horny coward egoist, at least for now.

This series is delightfully stupid and doesn't waste a second trying not to, it just wants to be fun, it doesn't make any sense to demand (yet another) Isekai Messiah from it.
Enjoy the drip. Enjoy the fights. Do the crossing arms move at every ending. Pray for it to get another season.

Jan 22, 1:32 AM

perseii

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Jul 2021

1390

Very well-said. I did not really hate this character, even though I often found him annoying (especially when he gives Matakara the cold shoulder). I was trying to put my finger on why.

He's a pathetic idiot horny teenager, who just wants to live a "normal" life. This crazy comedy action show could've been happy enough with a protagonist like that, but no, it's actually taking the time to hint at his "inner self"/"true wish" that makes him this way. That was a pleasant surprise for me.

This hidden side of the character may still end up going nowhere, but I'm feeling optimistic. And even if we don't get that development, the show has more than enough things to appreciate, like the dumbness, the comedy, the action and the visuals.

Jan 22, 1:47 AM

Artemis_Furrson

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Mar 2023

I honestly love Arajin. He's the "must protect at all costs" character of the season.

But he definitely does have room to grow, so I really look forward to what kind of backstory they are cooking up for him and what kind of way they will redeem him. For now I think it is still too early to criticise him for being horny or cold-hearted at times.

Jan 22, 4:21 AM

OnlyAraku

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Jul 2021

Reply to Artemis_Furrson

@Artemis_Furrson I didn't want to comment too much about it in the original post because I know not everyone will relate, but I absolutely agree. If Matakara is a golden retriever, then Arajin must be a black cat - he's really endearing. Combined with his size juxtaposing the other characters of the ensemble and the banter between him and Senya, it's just really entertaining to watch and I can't bring myself to hate him or anything of the sort. Arajin giving Matakara the cold shoulder in my opinion just means that their relationship will be ever the more sweet and satisfying when they do eventually reconcile, kind of like a slow-burn romance haha.

It's unfortunate there is no upvoting because I agree with the other comments people have written too, but individually replying is a hassle.

OnlyArakuJan 23, 9:54 AM

Jan 22, 4:41 AM

ann246

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Apr 2016

I agree with everything said above, especially the part with Arajin trying to hide behind a mask because he's too scared of showing his true self and being vulnerable with others. It's also worth mentioning that Arajin is an anxious person, which makes his stomach act up. When Matakara recognised Arajin at school, his first reaction was holding his stomach. He's basically scared to show Matakara his true self and shatter his expectations of Arajin, so he gives him a cold shoulder out of fear. I think Arajin's flaws are relatable and I'm hoping we will see the development of his character.

Jan 22, 8:48 AM

Mikaelamofu

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Oct 2015

There’s literally nothing for me to add because all of you have said it better then I could have but wow I just want to give my kudos to this thread and happy to know there’s people who aren’t blinded with the potential of arajin’s character

Jan 22, 8:48 AM

Mikaelamofu

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Oct 2015

Also black cat arajin and golden puppy matakara omg 🥹🫶

MikaelamofuJan 22, 8:51 AM

Jan 23, 10:07 AM

OnlyAraku

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Jul 2021

Reply to ann246

@ann246 Thank you for mentioning that, I completely neglected to bring it up. You’re completely right, and it pretty consistently occurs whenever Matakara is involved.

On the topic of Arajin, I thought I’d mention that there does seem to be some logical reasoning as to why the mark is placed on the bottom of his back. He has a tendency of being stripped down to his boxers as we’ve seen so if it weren’t hidden beneath them then Matakara, for example, would’ve noticed it when he was changing his clothes after Arajin got soaked. Honestly didn’t realise it when I first watched the episode so thought I’d share it.

Jan 24, 8:51 AM

#10

littlegal100

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Nov 2009

Right now I'm pretty neutral towards Arajin if i'm being honest. However I will say this, I do not think Arajin is a horrid MC or a horrible character in general. the 2 episodes makes it clear that he's dealing with guilt with whatever happened between him and Matakara and is currently dealing with it in a self-destructive way.

He is supposed to grow and get better, this is his journey for that. If there are indeed people writing him off as bad character already (i'm not following the discussions that much) then they are the ones that needs to be patient. Obviously, he's gonna need to address the way he acts towards Matakara including his guilt and his past, his feelings of inadequacy and his 'feelings' towards Mahoro. This is gonna happen towards the series (12 or 24 who knows).

Jan 24, 8:53 AM

#11

littlegal100

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Nov 2009

Jan 25, 6:41 AM

#12

alfarockets

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May 2015

This anime is giving so much gaaaaaaaaay vibes

Jan 29, 12:42 AM

#13

perseii

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Jul 2021

1390

OK, I have to admit that I was pretty annoyed in Episode 3 when he joined a gang for the girl, immediately fell asleep during briefing, and tried to weasel out of the very first instance of gang activity. But then I got instant relief when he just tanked a punch with his skull.

Jan 29, 12:40 PM

#14

Supirosk

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Oct 2019

129

Agreed 100%, couldn't have said it better myself. Not sure in what way they're going to develop his character but from the examples you mentioned it's clear they have plans, so I'm not sure why people assume he's just going to stay that way forever. 3 episodes in just seems way too early to start doing that. Plus as others have said there are a lot of other reasons to enjoy and appreciate the show, I doubt Arajin alone was ever supposed to be the highlight of it to begin with.

Feb 12, 7:59 AM

#15

Malisa90

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Jun 2021

I'll just be here eating popcorns and laugh at you all, when it will be proven that anime never changes, and that they will beat this joke of him being in love and coward like a dead horse till the very end. Especially because it's original. Arajin is a bad MC and he will never get better.

Feb 12, 10:35 AM

#16

OnlyAraku

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Jul 2021

Reply to Malisa90

@Malisa90 I'm not much of betting man, but I'll be sure to get back to you on that when the anime concludes. I'll admit I'm apprehensive, but it's still only episode 5 and there's 7 left to go -- a LOT can change in that time, especially with how much each episode covers in this series. Bucchigiri is the first of Utsumi's works to differ so drastically from the rest of her repertoire, so I'm plenty optimistic things will change from what we've seen so far.

Feb 12, 6:32 PM

#17

Malisa90

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Jun 2021

Reply to OnlyAraku

@OnlyAraku

I can see how this show might end, MC will at some point realize that he needs to forgive himself for leaving his friend to the bullies and he will suddenly power up and beat up the big bad, but at the end of the day after all that something will happen that will still use some of the same three jokes that have been established and are constantly happening for now already FIVE episodes.
Joke number 1. How he wants to fuck a girl.
Joke number 2. He wants to be with a bitch girl.
Joke nubemr 3. He has to go to the toilet because he is scared.
And one of these things will singlehandedly undermine his entire "character growth" like 95% of anime shows like to do to their MCs at the very end.
So you can defend the MC as much as you want but in the end he will still be a bad and pathetic MC.

Feb 13, 5:53 AM

#18

OnlyAraku

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Jul 2021

Reply to Malisa90

@Malisa90 I thought I'd humor you in good faith discussion, but if you're only seeking to unreasonably hate on the series then you'd find better company elsewhere.

Feb 14, 6:50 AM

#19

CheliosX

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Dec 2022

1832

I personally find Arajin annoying ash and I'm just 3 episodes into the anime. You say there's space for a lot of growth for him, I'm yet to see that but I guess I'll wait and see. Tbh, I'd have loved it if Matakara was the mc and merged with Senya, not Arajin. What's making me watch this anime is the fact that Matakara is trying to change Arajin and I like that if not, Arajin has had no influence or impact on me. Well, I'll see what he has to accomplish in the future. Then and maybe then, I'll change my opinion on him. Still, I find him quite amusing and the fact that he is the embodiment of comic relief in the show makes it even better. I'm looking forward to his future. I won't criticize him that much when we've barely seen what his future holds.

CheliosXFeb 14, 6:56 AM

Feb 14, 7:26 AM

#20

OnlyAraku

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Jul 2021

Reply to CheliosX

@CheliosX I understand what you're getting at, but Bucchigiri wouldn't be Bucchigiri if someone other than Arajin was the protagonist and possessed Senya. The entire story would have to change, and you'd already have a pretty much perfect character in Matakara who has little room for growth--so he'd inevitably have to be altered as well. Nevertheless, I too share my misgivings about how static Arajin's development has been thus far. We should have at least some semblance of growth within the past 5 episodes, but that's nowhere to be seen. Rather than building up this one flaw of his and resolving it later in the series, it should have been segmented so that they could be tackled sequentially. I plan to see the series through, though.

Feb 14, 7:29 AM

#21

CheliosX

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Dec 2022

1832

OnlyAraku said:
@CheliosX I understand what you're getting at, but Bucchigiri wouldn't be Bucchigiri if someone other than Arajin was the protagonist and possessed Senya. The entire story would have to change, and you'd already have a pretty much perfect character in Matakara who has little room for growth--so he'd inevitably have to be altered as well. Nevertheless, I too share my misgivings about how static Arajin's development has been thus far. We should have at least some semblance of growth within the past 5 episodes, but that's nowhere to be seen. Rather than building up this one flaw of his and resolving it later in the series, it should have been segmented so that they could be tackled sequentially. I plan to see the series through, though.

Well said, mate. I agree with you. Going by that logic, Matakara will have little room for growth since he is almost perfect. But for Arajin, he has a lot of room for growth hence the development via the episodes. I would have loved it if he was less annoying but oh well, it's already underway. Let's see what happens in episodes to come.

Feb 15, 9:27 PM

#22

Malisa90

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Jun 2021

Reply to OnlyAraku

@Malisa90 I thought I'd humor you in good faith discussion, but if you're only seeking to unreasonably hate on the series then you'd find better company elsewhere.

@OnlyAraku

And what am I precisely hating if I'm stating the facts?
I mean I really want to be wrong but, how much it has progressed up until now I don't see it suddenly changing. Is it too much to want a competent MC that is not a total fucking horny loser that gets "bullied" with the same jokes as every other generic No.32143 MC?

Also compare this to Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, at least there the MC stops being a total loser through the show and actually has somewhat deeper character development in contrast to most martial arts shonen shows of this kind.

Feb 17, 7:36 PM

#23

Technopunk

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Jun 2020

784

Arajin being an annoying whimp MC most likely by design, he needs to work through his weak nature and constipation (figuratively and literally). His behavior is not endearing, though its probably one the most realistic teenager behavior for Shonen MC. Like bruh, no way in real life would a teenager start being uber confident and combat gods and ghosts, most would loose their collective minds when thrust into similar situations, or be little dirt bags that cant express their emotions correctly.

Does this make an entertaining or enjoyable MC to watch? Well to a point, but there comes a time that they need to change the formula. You have very limited time to tell your story and extending the teenager angst part wont help. We got that he was a pos person, now lets see him finally grow.

"Don't let your memes be dreams."- Ancient Japanese proverb, probably

Feb 17, 10:40 PM

#24

Pablo_Neruda1

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Dec 2022

752

I hate him. he's a horrible MC

Feb 18, 4:26 PM

#25

OnlyAraku

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Jul 2021

Reply to Technopunk

@Technopunk That perfectly encapsulates my thoughts, couldn't agree more. It seems we have a two week break (next episode is delayed by one week) until we begin the next 6 episodes, unfortunately. Hopefully, when we return we'll see some meaningful developments on that front as the growth of the show's characters has been pretty stagnant so far.

Apr 6, 1:52 PM

#26

OnlyAraku

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Jul 2021

Reply to Malisa90

@Malisa90 He did get better though. Still, the series was mostly disappointing. There was some enjoyable comedy on occasion, and the production quality and creativity was of a high level pretty much the whole way through. But it’s definitely one of Utsumi’s worst works compared to the likes of Banana Fish and SK8 the Infinity.

Apr 8, 12:38 AM

#27

Tobimaroo

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Apr 2021

186

Arajin really can't be compared to Reki from SK8. Reki's main flaws are his insecurity, low self-esteem, and high self-demanding nature. If Arajin can be compared to anyone from SK8, it's Langa, who is incapable of thinking about consequences for a moment, overconfident

. I would say that Arajin slightly resembles Langa in both appearance and personality. Langa also wants to seem more badass than he really is, so he's constantly getting into stories that are dangerous to his health and life.

Apr 8, 8:39 PM

#28

Doutei-kun

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Apr 2018

2184

Arajin is a true legend. Even for a moment he didn't lose his purpose of
"I want to lose my virginity"

In this sense, Arajin is a true Honkibito. 💪🏽

Apr 25, 4:41 AM

#29

Piromysl

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Jul 2015

12301

People hate him because they see their own flaws in him.

Aug 17, 9:02 AM

#30

YamiPluto

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May 2021

Reply to Piromysl

People hate him because they see their own flaws in him.

@Piromysl no, not necessarily. They rightfully hate him because he is an insufferable person who treats his friend like trash because of his lustful desires.

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