: boys, I have a hunch we're not winning this one. better let it go
: well, she does hard counter Awayuki so I suppose B could work
: i'll allow it, in the name of love
Mashiron’s rank is the one thing I won’t give up! I’ll beg my chat for forgiveness if I must! Just look at this cute, adorable, †seiso† face!
...
†Seiso† looks like the tombstone marking seiso’s grave. I made myself sad and won’t be doing that again.
Next: Is Nekoma-senpai C-tier?
“Honestly, this was a tough one for me as well. I don’t know if it’s the cat in her, but I just can’t quite put my finger on her.”
: definitely not weak
: weak physically. but calm as a cucumber and wields filth as weapons
: but she's so nice though! she wouldn't hurt a fly
: yeesh this is a tough one
: I mean it's Nekoma so put her lower, why not?
“You guys aren’t even trying anymore! But maybe that is what Nekoma-senpai is all about—a kind, considerate, conflict-averse senpai. Yeah, you know what? I’m sure she’d be honored to be put in C-tier.”
And that was it for a while. The discussion continued, but nothing fruitful came of it. Something was just missing...
But then...
“Oh, right, Sei-sama. Totally forgot. All memes aside, how about putting her in B? She’s a bit of a glass cannon. Can really dish out the damage but can’t quite take it.”
: bruh what is wrong with me I burst out laughing just hearing Sei-sama's name
: She looked so pretty in Zed I totally forgot
: eh, B, sure.
: BBBBBBB
: she's definitely no match for any of the names in S or A so B!
And with that missing piece of the puzzle fitting snugly in place, those were the middle tiers, all set. Here is the current tier list reproduced for your convenience:
[S] Hareru Asagiri Awayuki Kokorone (Shuwa) Ehrai Sonokaze (boss)
[A] Shion Kaminari Ehrai Sonokaze (zookeep) Churiri
[B] Sei Utsuki Awayuki Kokorone (Awa) Mashiro Irodori Hikari Matsuriya
[C] Nekoma Hirune Alice Soma Kaeru Yamatani
[D] Chami Yanagase Tadasu Miyauchi Dagger
Finally, we reached the endgame—the all-important D-tier.
: D looks good as is!
: Chami is a counter to Ehrai, and Tadasu+Dagger counter Churiri, the higher-ranked champions with their lower-ranked foils. It's like poetry
: Gen five continues to be the most precious gen
: The counters make the whole list pretty balanced imo
: sign it, print it, ship it
Agreement right off the bat—you love to see it. It seemed that D, like S, almost spoke for itself as an extreme.
And with that...
“The Live-On strongest character debate is officially over! Thank you for all your most valuable input!”
The tier list was complete. We took what was thought to be a fruitless discussion and not only made it bear fruit, but fruit that was practically bursting with juice. Who would’ve thought? Not me, that was for sure. With an audience as large and varied as mine, I hadn’t thought we’d be able to arrive at a single mostly palatable conclusion, let alone fourteen-plus. The strongest character debate: it was totally doable if you just tried.
This feat I owed to the wonderful audience of Live-On, whose magnanimous acceptance of others, no matter how different they might be, surprised even me. When I thought of myself earlier, the me who feared conflict, the me who hid my fear of my faves getting criticized behind a mask of cynicism, all I felt was shame.
When people talk—and I mean really talk—they come to an understanding. Of that, I am now abundantly sure.
: let's goooo
: good job team!
: woo-hoo!
: ￥8,888
: Pshh! ￥220
The chat was awash with messages celebrating a job well done. After a long, hard-fought battle, had there ever been a sweeter sight? The finish line was just ahead, and we had done the impossible. What better way to mark the occasion than to cross that line hand in hand, together with everyone?
“Are you ready, everyone? Here it is, the fruits of your labor, the culmination of discussion upon discussion. I proudly present to you—the definitive Live-On strength tier list!”
[SSS] Hareru Asagiri Shion Kaminari Sei Utsuki Nekoma Hirune Awayuki Kokorone Mashiro Irodori Hikari Matsuriya Chami Yanagase Alice Soma Ehrai Sonokaze Kaeru Yamatani Tadasu Miyauchi Dagger Churiri
“Just look at it. What a beauty!”
: Huh?!
: Wait...
: Hm? Hm???
: all right, who used King Crimson?
: boys! quit messing around and help us clean up the timeways!
: what...is this...
: were all of our efforts...for naught?!
: You blew it up! You blew it all to hell!
: years taken off my life (actual)
: what the FUCKKKKK
: Looks like my E-rated fists will get their turn after all. Time to shatter that (seiso) illusion!
: kids these days with their participation trophies
: this whole thing was just because you wanted to do that, wasn't it?
“Aha ha ha! I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I had this tier list prepared in case we couldn’t wrap things up nicely. Already had it made, so I figured I’d use it to fake you all out. Don’t worry, the actual tier list is the one before and it’s already saved. Forgive me!”
: you came prepared...
: bold to move forward with a stream idea you already thought was going to be a shit-show
: it do be like that sometimes
: I mean that is the correct tier list as seen by the general public
“And you know, in this tier list, we were strictly talking about who would win in a fight, but everybody who’s made it into Live-On is SSS in one way or another. So who’s to say the gag tier list is even wrong? Yep. All right. Well, I think that about wraps it up for today. Thank you, everyone! Let’s meet again when the light snow falls!”
: truth ￥320
: even the D-listers in this tier list are a 9.9/10 on the power scale
: all members of Live-On are absolute beasts compared to the average joe
: thanks for the stream!
: whew that was fun!
And so, with that familiar farewell, the stream drew to its close. In its wake, I found myself contemplating just how crucial communication really is. Humans are, for all their sociability, often so disconnected from one another. We’re flawed, mostly because we like to think we aren’t. We’re dumb because we think we’re smart. I think that’s why dialogue is so important. Through conversation, we get to know other people, and only by knowing other people do we start truly to understand ourselves.
In that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder how Tadasu-chan and Churiri-sensei were doing. My all SSS-tier list, my final words before the stream had ended—if I was being honest, they hadn’t been entirely for the viewers. They were like little prayers from me, a small hint I hoped would reach those two, who were so lost in figuring themselves out. Maybe that was why I’d planned the stream to begin with, just to say those things, even if they weren’t listening.
Tadasu-chan especially. In her current state, I knew the chances of her tuning in were slim; my words would probably never reach her. But still, I needed to, and was glad to, have said them.
I realized how hypocritical this made me. That despite my advice to Churiri-sensei to leave her alone, I was doing the exact opposite. I know, I’m disappointed in myself too. Was I worried or not worried? Calm or not calm? Seriously, figure it out, Awayuki...