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The Rocks Pirates are a legendary pirate crew that ruled the seas of the One Piece world around forty years before the current timeline. They were led by the all-powerful Rocks D. Xebec, and the crew had the likes of Big Mom, Kaido, Whitebeard, and Shiki, among others, sailing under his flag.

To date, the Rocks Pirates remains to be one of the strongest crews, if not the strongest, seen in One Piece. Only a handful of crews can stand up to the might of one of the Rocks Pirates, let alone the whole crew. Here are five pirate crews capable of fighting the Rocks Pirates and five that don't stand a chance.

10 COULD FIGHT THE ROCK PIRATES: Roger Pirates

Gol D. Roger's crew is known to have been the greatest pirate crew in One Piece. Although Roger clashed with Rocks during the God Valley Incident and needed the help of Garp, he was likely far from his prime back then.

In the following years, Roger grew incredibly powerful himself and would've been able to fight Rocks without Garp's help. Even if the crew wouldn't beat the Rocks Pirates, they would put up quite a good fight.

9 CAN'T FIGHT THE ROCK PIRATES: Gecko Pirates

The Gecko Pirates was the original crew of the Gecko Moria which he created long before the formation of the Thriller Bark Pirates. Back during these days, the Gecko Pirates were one of the strongest crews in the New World.

Moria, their Captain is known to have matched Kaido in a fight spanning over a long time, which just goes to show that they weren't pushovers. Despite that, this crew was not a match for the might of Rocks.

8 COULD FIGHT THE ROCK PIRATES: Whitebeard Pirates

The Whitebeard Pirates were led by the legendary Edward Newgate, also known as Whitebeard. This crew was one of the Yonko crews in the world of One Piece who rule over the New World with great power.

Although Whitebeard was a subordinate of Rocks, he is confirmed to have grown several times stronger after forming the Whitebeard Pirates. Being a match for the Roger Pirates, it's no surprise to see that this crew was strong enough to fight the Rocks Pirates as well.

7 CAN'T FIGHT THE ROCK PIRATES: Rumbar Pirates

The Rumbar Pirates sailed the seas of the Grand Line around 50 years before the current story events in One Piece. They were led by Yorki, a powerful pirate in his own right.

Unfortunately, this crew crumbled apart after being afflicted with a life-threatening disease. Having split up, the remaining members of the crew perished in the aftermath of a battle. A crew this weak would stand no chance against the might of Rocks.

6 COULD FIGHT THE ROCK PIRATES: Golden Lion Armada

Led by the Flying Pirate "Golden Lion" Shiki, this pirate Armada was known to be the biggest and the mightiest in the New World shortly before the beginning of the Great Pirate Era in One Piece.

Their might was such that even the Pirate King's crew was said to be on the backfoot against them. When the two clashed during the Edd War, a fateful storm saved the Roger Pirates by destroying the armada that stood in their way.

5 CAN'T FIGHT THE ROCK PIRATES: Thriller Bark Pirates

The Thriller Bark Pirates are led by Gecko Moria after his defeat at the hands of Kaido and the Beasts Pirates. During his time as the Captain of this crew, Moria grew significantly weaker than he was in his prime.

Relying on the Zombies that Hogback provided him with, Moria aimed to become the Pirate King without even lifting a finger. Since he was beaten by Luffy, it's no shock to see that this crew would also lose to the Rocks crew.

4 COULD FIGHT THE ROCK PIRATES: Beasts Pirates

The Beasts Pirates are led by the man known to be the strongest creature in the world of One Piece, Hundred Beasts Kaido. Currently, he is known to have the highest known active bounty of any One Piece character.

His crew includes the powerful All-Stars and the Tobi Roppo, all of which are worthy opponents for anyone. Surely, this crew would put up more than a decent fight against Rocks' men.

3 CAN'T FIGHT THE ROCK PIRATES: Heart Pirates

The Heart Pirates are led by one of the most vicious pirates of North Blue, Trafalgar Law. Prior to the time-skip, Trafalgar Law had a bounty of 200 million berries on his head which has now shot up to 500 million Berries.

Strong as Law is, he and his men are no match for an Emperor crew of the One Piece world, and similarly, would be absolutely no match for Rocks and his men.

2 COULD FIGHT THE ROCK PIRATES: Big Mom Pirates

The Big Mom Pirates are led by the Great Pirate Charlotte Linlin, a former member of the Rocks crew. Big Mom is just as strong as Kaido and her crew has a total bounty of over 10 billion berries, which is the highest known amount for any crew in the series so far.

With tremendous might and authority, the Big Mom Pirates would do great in a fight against the Rocks crew.

1 CAN'T FIGHT THE ROCK PIRATES: Straw Hat Pirates

Led by Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw Hat Pirates are one of the fiercest crews in present-day New World. Luffy has come to be known as the Fifth Emperor of the Sea and his underlings, especially Zoro and Sanji, are also very impressive fighters.

While the crew is small in number, the Straw Hat Pirates are definitely very powerful, which makes up for the lack of numbers. Undoubtedly, this crew is destined to achieve greatness in the future and surpass even the likes of the Roger Pirates. However, they're still no match for either the Roger Pirates or the Rocks Pirates at the moment.

NEXT:One Piece: 10 Storylines That Were Never Resolved

In the Naruto universe, Sasuke is one of the top ninjas in the whole world. Very few could come close to his level, let alone defeat him in combat. The same holds true with many of the creatures in the Forgotten Realms. There's very few that you could truly say would defeat a character that's almost god-like in their powers.

There are a few out that could give him varying degrees of a tough fight. Some could push him to his limit, while others would force him to dig into his large bag of tricks. Of course, there are a great many that would be destroyed as well.

10 Destroy: Zombie

Zombies are up there with goblins in terms of your generic starter level monsters that a party is going to run into. They are known enough that you don't have to go in-depth describing them and their mechanics are pretty simple. They hit weak enough that they are just walking punching bags, for the most part. Sasuke would have no issues with them. They are such fodder that it's unlikely he'd even need to use ninja techniques, taking them out with just a sword.

9 Put Up A Fight: Wyvern

Wyvern aren't as heavy a hitter as some of the dragons that populate the Forgotten Realms, but they are dangerous in their own right, any dragon is really. Their size presents a problem in itself, as does the frequency in which they can attack. Sasuke would also have to be wary of its stinger, poison from that attack able to do more than just slow him down. The biggest question would be if the large beast could keep up with Sasuke's movements.

8 Destroy: Worg

Worgs are often used as mounts by goblins, hobgoblins, and even orcs. They are ferocious animals that make wolves look like a pack of house puppies.

Their size dwarfs some of the smaller player races, and as you can see from the image above, they have no qualms about ripping you limb from limb. They wouldn't ever be able to land a bite on Sasuke, his speed far too much for them. His skills equally so, such a simple creature isn't much of a fair fight.

7 Put Up A Fight: Weretiger

We aren't talking about the strange Tony the Tiger monstrosity that Mizuki became in the fillers here. Weretigers are far from a joke in the Forgotten Realms, being one of the stronger were creatures in the world. It possesses all the strengths of both a humanoid and a tiger, creating a deadly combination. They have a keen sense of hearing, able to stalk their prey for miles before pouncing on them. Once in combat they can use such an array of weaponry, from their claws to a scimitar. It'd be an interesting battle until Sasuke pulled out some of his higher-end abilities.

6 Destroy: Vulture

Vultures in any sort of universe wouldn't be able to stand up to Sasuke, be it ours, Dungeons & Dragons, or even Marvel. They all pale in comparison, offering very little tools for the job. There's a reason that vultures tend to dine on already dead or dying carcasses, and it's not just because they prefer the taste. They aren't the same level of a hunter as some of their brethren. Sasuke could zap most of them out of the air before they even tried to dive-bomb him.

5 Put Up A Fight: Water Elemental

Fighting a creature of water is always going to cause a level of difficulty, their body being so pliable that it could be hard to land a solid attack on them. Sasuke's use of electricity like the Chidori could help in that regard, but it may not be enough on its own due to the elementals ability to grapple foes.

Once it manages that, it can slowly try to choke the life out of him. Thankfully, he has a counter in Susanoo that would help negate that form of attack.

4 Destroy: Violet Fungus

The violet fungus is a fun thing to introduce with a newer party of adventurers since it can be indistinguishable from other fungi, making them unable to tell what they are about to walk into. The fungus themselves aren't that strong, only ever able to strike with their tendrils, but they are fun with lower levels. That said, Sasuke is far from that, and even if he was walking through an entire patch of them, he'd come away relatively unharmed.

3 Put Up A Fight: Vrock

If you mixed a demon with a vulture, you'd get a Vrock. They are awful looking creatures which you'd expect some fiendish general to unleash on the world to cause mass amounts of terror. They are more than strong enough to do just that, even in a world like the one Sasuke comes from. They can attack in the ways you'd expect, with their beak or claws, but also through toxic spores that extend out of its body. These spores poison anyone within a fifteen-foot radius of them. They also have an ear-piercing screech that can even manage to stun the staunchest of fighters, leaving them open for attack.

2 Destroy: Wererat

While the Weretiger is towards the top end of the were-creature ladder, the wererat is at the very bottom. It isn't much of a surprise when you consider how weak a rat is. Sure, they do gain a keen sense of smell, but without pounce to gain the initial advantage on Sasuke, there's little they could do. They can't swing out enough damage and certainly don't have the durability to last in an extended fight with the Uchiha.

1 Put Up A Fight: Vampire

Above any of the others, this is the one that could push Sasuke the most. There are so many tools that a vampire has to be a major pain to deal with, perhaps one of the more underrated foes in the Forgotten Realms. Its ability to regenerate is the biggest hurdle to overcome, especially as Sasuke would have no idea of its weaknesses going in. More than just that, its ability to charm could be used to an awful degree, being used on Sarada or anyone else close to Sasuke in a fight. You'd still favor him, but a vampire would give him a hell of a fight.

NEXT: Naruto: 10 Beatdowns Sasuke Should Have Never Survived

As a sequel to the hugely popular Avatar: The Last Airbender (albeit separated by several decades in TV time), The Legend of Korra is about a new Avatar — a teen girl belonging to the Southern Water Tribe. Korra's adventures are as explosive and filled with heartbreak as those of her predecessor, but this show has a few more tricks up its sleeve.

In the first season, known as Book One: Air, Korra naturally gets embroiled in the political narratives that plague Republic City, especially in the form of the anti-bender Equalists. At the end, she must find a way to save the city from its oppressors. Here is a list of the best and worst episodes (Chapters) that make up Book One, according to IMDb.

10 Worst: Welcome To Republic City (Chapter 1) — 8.5

The Order of the White Lotus plans for Korra to learn the art of airbending under the most prestigious master of all, Tenzin, Katara and Aang's son. However, Tenzin has a lot to focus on vis-à-vis his responsibilities to the Council, so Korra gets a bit antsy and decides to go to Republic City by herself anyway.

Unfortunately, she discovers that it is not the beacon of hope it is made out to be, as she gets punished for protecting an innocent person. At the same time, the Equalist leader is revealed to be Amon, a man who keeps himself hidden behind a mask.

9 Best: Turning The Tides (Chapter 10) — 8.9

Korra barely has time to recuperate from the experience Tarrlok puts her through, before Amon's radical organization attacks Republic City. Luckily, Tenzin, his wife, and their kids manage to escape (but Team Avatar is forced to go underground and recoup their losses before deciding on a counter-measure.)

Several of their friends are captured by the Equalists, for instance, Lin Beifong, but she never exposes Korra's location to the enemy. Finally, Zuko's grandson, Iroh, responds to Republic City's call for help.

8 Worst: The Aftermath (Chapter 7) — 8.5

When Korra goes to meet Mako and Bolin (currently residing on the Sato Estate after the Pro-bending Arena is shut down), she hears tell of Hiroshi Sato's betrayal.

The suspicions are shown to be justified, as Hiroshi's hidden facility is uncovered — but the Equalist forces assault Lin, Korra and Tenzin when they go exploring. Thankfully, Asami, Bolin and Mako come to the rescue. At the end, the three saviors are offered refuge on the Air Temple Island.

7 Best: Out Of The Past (Chapter 9) — 8.9

In her platinum prison, Korra spends her time interpreting the strange visions that have been coming on, stronger and stronger. Tarrlok pretends that the Equalists are to blame for her disappearance, which almost leads to disaster but the villainous politician is exposed for his "bloodbending" powers.

Korra figures out the Tarrlok is actually the child of Yakone, a famous mob boss from the past. In the showdown, Amon and Tarrlok fight, with the older brother sneaking victory by stealing the younger's powers.

6 Worst: A Leaf In The Wind (Chapter 2) — 8.4

As usual, Korra's impatience with airbending leads her to other ventures, namely, the Pro-bending Arena in Republic city. Though Tenzin is firmly against her decision, this is how she first meets Mako and Bolin, who are to become her closest allies.

Korra agrees to replace Hasook in the Fire Ferrets, as he is not available to help his teammates in the current match. While Korra is, at first, unable to make a dent in the fight, she learns how to manipulate air to snatch the match away at the last moment.

5 Best: Skeletons In The Closet (Chapter 11) — 8.9

Team Avatar are hidden in a secret "camp," in which there is no discrimination between those who can bend and those who cannot. When Iroh's ships are sighted, the Equalist defense measures take them out almost immediately, but the General is rescued by Korra.

This chapter shows that Tarrlok and Amon are actually siblings, and that Amon's real name is Noatak. In the meantime, Bolin and Asami team up with Iroh to incapacitate the nearby airbase (and thus prevent the Equalists from going after Commander Bumi.)

4 Worst: The Voice In The Night (Chapter 4) — 8.3

Tarrlok plays the innocent councilman at this point, but he tries to compel Korra into joining his pro-bending "task force", and destroy the Equalist threat. She seems to be in a different head-space, and demands that Amon face her in a match at midnight.

Although she becomes his captive, Amon taunts her by saying that he won't remove her powers (yet), as he believes that such an act might galvanize the movement against the Equalists. Later, Tenzin manages to find Korra, but she is in shell-shock from her recent experience.

3 Best: And The Winner Is... (Chapter 6) — 8.9

The Pro-bending finals are already coming up, but Amon intimidates the Council of the United Republic by promising reprisals if they allow the tournament to go on. The Council calls his bluff, to their own peril when Amon arrives and issues a declaration of war against all benders.

The Arena experiences considerable devastation due to the Equalist attack (considering that Korra fights off the Lieutenant to save Lin, and is subsequently saved by her minutes later.) The "revolutionaries" flee in their airship, and Tenzin sadly accepts that dark times are finally at hand.

2 Worst: The Spirit Of Competition (Chapter 5) — 8.0

Due to Hitoshi Sato's gracious sponsorship, the Fire Ferrets are able to take part in the Pro-bending Tournament. Korra is upset when Mako shows more attention to Asami Sato, and takes "revenge" by hanging out with Bolin. She makes the situation worse when she kisses Mako, as it frustrates Bolin (and the whole thing just drives a wedge through their team morale.)

Luckily, having to work together helps them understand how much they really care about each other. The final match is to be fought against the White Falls Wolfbats, who remain defending champions three times in a row (and hold on to their title.)

1 Best: Endgame (Chapter 12) — 9.3

In the Season finale, Mako and Korra try to out Amon as a bender (given his staunch denials of the same), but he then tells them that Tenzin is under his "guardianship" now. The pair help save him, but Korra loses her bending abilities to Amon, save for her airbending powers.

This failure allows her to air-kick him through the window and into the ocean, where he is promptly unmasked in the attempt to save his own life. Later, Amon is murdered by his own brother, Tarrlok, and Korra is officially proclaimed the Avatar after Aang's spirit brings back her bending powers.

NEXT: Avatar: 5 Ways Korra & Aang Are Exactly The Same (& 5 How They're Totally Different)

Mentors are figures that everyone needs in their lives. Whether it is in real life or in fiction, mentors have generally guided the protagonists one way or another in order for them to achieve their goals. Great examples would be the great Obi-Wan Kenobi who had trained Luke Skywalker or Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda, who have carved their heroes into something beyond legend.

However, with anime, it can really be a toss-up on who is a great mentor and who isn't a good mentor. As such, here are the 5 best mentors in anime and 5 of the absolute worst.

10 Best: Lisa Lisa

Starting off this list is the mentor figure of Joseph Joestar and Caesar Zeppeli. This mistress of Hamon is incredibly powerful and has placed her students onto extremely dangerous tests in order to improve their skills in respiratory martial art.

However, in spite of all this harsh training, it was never done in a way that never went anywhere. If it wasn't for their extremely harsh training, Joseph Joestar and Caesar Zeppeli would have never gotten as far as they did. That is incredibly important to consider.

9 Worst: Ging Freecss

Ging Freecss is one of the worst fathers in all of anime. But on top of that, he has a very interesting way of mentoring his child. Although Gon Freecss had a lot of proper mentors like Wing and Biscuit, the main driving force for a lot of Gon's journey is Ging.

In fact, Ging made an entire game for Gon to explore called Greed Island for him to get better. But when Gon finally meets him, the guy didn't really make much of an effort. So in other words, the character is a very weird mentor that's an even worse father.

8 Best: Izumi Curtis

Izumi Curtis is a mentor to the Elric brothers. Her alchemic abilities make her extremely powerful but her teaching skills make her an even more terrifying mentor. Regardless of this, similar to Lisa Lisa, a lot of her training helped the Elric brothers understand the fundamental mechanics in the world of alchemy.

But what also makes her amazing is her motherlike relationship with the brothers as she relates to them arguably the most next to Winry Rockbell.

7 Worst: Kyubey

When it comes to magical girl show animes, it has been seen in animes like Sailor Moon that they transform using a mentor-like animal as a source of power. Kyubey is one of those characters who offer to make the characters into super-powered magical beings in order for them to fight witches through a wish.

However, this is only a facade as every wish they make after fighting a witch, their soul gets absorbed into a crystal of Kyubey's design. Essentially if anything happens to the gem depending on the circumstance, the girls either die or become witches.

6 Best: All Might

Viewers might be surprised to read this as Gran Torino was primarily the practical mentor to Deku in terms of his abilities. What's more, All Might has proven to not be a great teacher but what he lacks in terms of practical experience, he makes up for in wisdom.

All Might is the stuff of legends in the My Hero Academia universe and has inspired many young heroes. If it wasn't for him, Deku wouldn't be where he is today, while also ensuring he succeeds. The important thing about him is that he at least tries.

5 Worst: Orochimaru

Orochimaru is a piece of work; that is something that is undeniable. But he has also been a mentor character to a variety of villains in the series. One of the most notable ones was Sasuke Uchiha, for a time.

However, as fitting as his moniker, Orochimaru is a snake. Even though Sasuke got incredibly powerful while training under Orochimaru, he was really only using the young ninja as a means of taking his body for his own. This makes him one of the most dangerous and cutthroat mentors in the entire series.

4 Best: Jiraiya

However, the opposite of Orochimaru is one of the best mentors in the entire series, being Jiraiya. Acting almost as a father figure to Naruto, he trained the fourth Hokage and his ideals were remembered by many all over the Ninja world.

Although his teaching methods were rather unorthodox, they are really there to make Naruto an incredibly powerful ninja. It also helps that through his example, Naruto really did become someone truly extraordinary.

3 Worst: Saitama

To be fair to the Caped Baldy, Saitama never wanted to be a mentor. In fact, if anything, Genos is the one that kind of forced himself as the student of Saitama. But despite it all, Saitama proves a lot of the time that he isn't an amazing mentor.

Saitama's teaching if one would call it that, is primarily just everyday suburbia or showing Genos what he is really capable of. He's not really much in the grand pantheon of pure mentors.

2 Best: Master Roshi

Master Roshi is arguably the mentor when it comes to the world of Dragon Ball. Even if he is far weaker than a lot of characters over the course of the series, he was the one that made Goku the person that he is today.

Even though the lessons that he brought to the table were unconventional, he laid the foundation of Goku's initial fighting style while also teaching him about how there is always someone stronger than he is.

1 Worst: Younger Toguro

The Younger Toguro is the antagonist of the Dark Tournament arc in Yu Yu Hakusho. Although he didn't really appear to be the case, in his own twisted way he acted as a mentor figure to Yusuke in the hopes of making him stronger while also making him grow as a person. To the point of Yusuke even looking up to him in a weird way.

With that being said, he did it in the most morbid way possible, like faking the death of Kuwabara and actually killing Genkai. This didn't help when the whole point of the Dark Tournament was all a threat for Yusuke to get better. For if he didn't, he would kill everyone he loved. An extremely harsh "mentor" archetype that makes him the worst when it comes to results.

NEXT: 10 Best Teachers And Mentors In Anime

Since its original 1995 release, Neon Genesis Evangelion has cast a long shadow over mecha anime. On one hand, the series dark deconstruction led to many common tropes seen in mecha anime being revaluated. On the other hand, the series also played a major role in jumpstarting the revival of mecha anime in the 2000s through it bringing a bunch of interesting new tropes to the genre.

An examination of Evangelion's full impact on the mecha genre requires examining the exact ways it deconstructs and improves the genre. This article will look at the five ways that Evangelion deconstructed the mecha genre and five ways that it improved the mecha genre.

10 Deconstruct: The Teenage Mecha Pilot

While Evangelion is not the first mecha anime to show the psychological strain of piloting a mech would have an ordinary teenager, it was the first to depict it in a manner of condemnation. While series like Gundam showed teenage pilots showing mental strain from piloting a mecha, they usually end up a stronger as persons.

Evangelion in comparison has none of its teenage pilots end the series in a great state of mind. The series realistically shows how using teenagers as soldiers against an alien threat would lead to them have the psychological issue seen in soldiers in real life like PSTD and trouble relating to civilians.

9 Elevated: Organic Mecha

The titular Evangelion brings a new type of mecha design to the genre, the organic mecha. Unlike most other mecha, Evangelions are cyborgs rather than being solely mechanical. Evangelions are clones created from Angel DNA that are modified to be controlled by a human pilot.

While mechas made with organic components are still rare in the genre, the Evangelions lead to mecha to adopt the more organic asymmetrical design. post-Evangelion mecha tends to look more like a living creature than suits of armor. Example ranges from the Gundams in Iron Blood Orphans to Evangelion's spiritual anthesis Gurren Laggan.

8 Deconstruct: The Alien Invader

The most common type of enemy in mecha anime would be the alien invader. Despite evolving separately from humans, these aliens tend to be rather human-like in appearance. While some series like Macross use this similar appearance to provide the conflict with a more peaceful resolution, most of the time the design reflects science fiction media preference for human-looking aliens.

Evangelion instead presents a more realistic take on the alien invader with the Angel being depicted closer to what actual aliens might look than most mecha anime. The Angel are all design to look unearthly with none looking like they would naturally evolve on Earth. The Angels are also completely alien in their motive with their exact plans left to in-universe speculation than directly given.

7 Elevated: Mixing The Sub-Genre Of Mecha Anime

Since the 1980s, mecha anime can be divided into two main sub-genre. One is Super Robot Genre that depicts mechas and their pilots as superheroes defending Earth from alien invaders and mad scientists. The other is the Real Robot Genre that depicts mechas as weapons and often involves a war being the show's central conflict.

Evangelion instead presents itself as an interesting mix of the two sub-genres. The Evangelions are both depicted as using giant-size versions of real-world weapons and using At-Fields that break most known-laws of physics. Evangelion even mixes the genres' premise with the show having a city protected by a small team of mechs maintained by semi-realistic military organization.

6 Deconstruct: Having All The Battles Taking Place In One City

Mecha anime, especially of the Super Robot variety, tends to feature a single city being attacked by the villains. Evangelion deconstructs this trope in two directions. One is that show gives a real reason why alien invaders would attack a single location on Earth. That being that Toyko 3 has the corpse of Lilith, which is key to the Angels' agenda.

Another way that Evangelion deconstructs this trope, is that Toyko 3 has people moving away from it as the series goes on. During the show's last five or so episodes, Toyko 3 sees a massive evacuation of the city's civilian population. This gives the show a more lonely feel that fits with its depressing feel at this point.

5 Elevated: Rempathizing Character Before Mecha

While there has been mecha anime that focused more on the characters than mecha, by the mid-1990s mecha anime has become the closest it ever has been to the stereotype of them solely being made to sell toys or models. Evangelion took a stand by being a very character-driven show.

This primary way this occurred was by having eight of its 26 episodes focus solely on character interactions instead of mecha battles. Even then some of the shows' battles are designed to reveal a new aspect of a character, most infamously Aral's telepathic assault was used to reveal Asuka's dark and troubled past.

4 Deconstruct: The Absent Father Scientist Archetype

A recurring archetype in mecha anime is of the father who is absent from his son's, often the main character, life to take part in constructing the show's main robot. This archetype is old as the genre's beginning with Mazinger Z revealing in its final episode that the main character Kouji Kabuto's father faked his death to create the Great Mazinger.

Gendo Ikari is perhaps the show's most brutal deconstruction of a trope. Gendo is presented as a realistic conclusion on the character of the man who would prioritize constructing a giant robot over the well-being of his son. The show's conclusion being that man would be self-centered to the point of villainy.

3 Elevated: New Character Archetypes

Perhaps Evangelion's largest legacy on the mecha genre is that it introduced several new character archetypes that were adopted not just by mecha anime, but by the larger medium itself. While some of these archetypes were more grounded takes on pre-existing archetype like Gendo inspiring a ton villainous father figures in later anime series.

The most popular archetype created by Evangelion would be the Rei Ayanami Clone. The Rei Ayanami Clone is a character heavily influenced by the Evangelion character of the same name. That being that character is usually appears to be lacking in emotions, female, have blue hair, and usually has some connection with non-human entities.

2 Deconstruct: The Government Built Mecha

One of the more concentrated examples of Evangelion's deconstruction of the mecha genre is that show's seventh episode is entirely dedicated to deconstructing the traditional mecha. This episode follows Misato as she takes part in a public demonstration of Jet Alone, the Japanese government's answer to the Evangelions.

Jet Alone deconstruct several common mech tropes. One is that having the mech powered by nuclear power creates a problem in that the Evangelion has to more cautious in taking down without rupturing its reactor. Jet Alone also deconstructs having government agencies involved in mecha construction in that Jet Alone goes on a rampage due to NERV's agents wanting to eliminate a potential rival.

1 Elevated: Mixing In Mystical Imagery Into Mecha

One aspect that makes Evangelion unique beyond its deconstruction of the mecha genre, is its uses of Judeo-Christian imagery and names to give the series a more mystical vibe than its peer. This can be seen in how all the Angel are reported with the name of obscure angels from Judeo-Christian literature.

Evangelion's success leads to many of the Mecha to follow in its wake to adopt a variety of elements to make the series feel more mystical. For example, Raxephon mixes Mayan mythology and New Age mysticism to create the series' unique and mystical vibes.

NEXT: Neon Genesis Evangelion: The 10 Most Confusing Things About The Anime, Explained

Kalos was the sixth Pokémon region and accompanied the sixth generation of Pokémon. Ash journeyed here during the Pokémon X & Y series and teamed up with fellow travelers Bonnie, Clemont, and Serena. This is also the generation that introduced Mega Evolution to the Pokémon canon.

Like the prior regions, Ash made a fresh start in Kalos, keeping only his Pikachu on the journey. He caught a team of new Pokémon while in Kalos, with some rising to the top while others did little to help Ash advance in the Kalos Gym challenge. We are going to rank Ash's Kalos catches here today, from worst to best.

5 Noivern

Noivern was found as an egg by Ash's Hawlucha, and it hatched into a Noibat. It and Hawlucha were kidnapped by Team Rocket not long afterward, and the two had to work together to escape. Noibat learned how to fly better from Hawlucha and through participation in a Flying-Type Pokémon race. It finally evolved in a battle with the Legendary Pokémon Zapdos.

It held its own against the rampaging Zapdos until Team Rocket captured Zapdos, and Noivern and Pikachu freed Zapdos and defeated Team Rocket again. Noivern later battled Pokémon Trainer Sawyer's Doublade but lost to his Clawitzer. Later, when Lysandre's plan came to fruition, Noivern fought against his Pyroar and Mega-Evolved Gyarados. When Gyarados launched a Dragon Tail attack, Noivern took the attack on Pikachu's behalf, allowing Pikachu to keep fighting the battle.

4 Hawlucha

Hawlucha started off as the Champion of the Forest, a guardian to a community of Pokémon. However, a nefarious Ursaring and Conkeldurr began stealing food and blaming it on Hawlucha. Ash encountered Hawlucha and helped clear its name with the other Pokémon of the forest, and Hawlucha joined up with Ash after a Machamp took up the Champion of the Forest mantle. Hawlucha quickly helped Ash against Team Rocket and later took down Gym Leader Korrina's Mienfoo before being knocked out by her Mega-Evolved Lucario.

Hawlucha took part in a staged wrestling match-esque battle called Carl's Super Pokémon Battle that ended with a very real battle against a shiny Hawlucha. It came in handy in Gym Battles, taking out Ramos' Weepinbell, Clement's Heliolisk, and Valerie's Spritzee. After Ash caught Noibat, Hawlucha served as a mentor for Noibat, teaching it how to fly, gain speed, and battle better. Hawlucha later proved invaluable by taking out a Mega-Absol and later a Weavile in the Lumiose Conference. Hawlucha also participated in the climactic battle against Lysandre's Mega-Evolved Gyarados.

3 Talonflame

Ash encountered Talonflame as a Fletchling, and Froakie fought Fletchling so Ash could catch the Flying-Type Pokémon after it stole a berry from Bonnie. It later struggled in the challenge against Gym Leaders Viola and Grant. Eventually, Fletchling entered a sky battle against a Talonflame, which is the final form of Fletchling. Fletchling evolved into Fletchinder and actually defeated the Talonflame. As Fletchinder, it scored a trio of victories in Gym battles against Korrina's Machoke, Ramos' Jumpluff, and Valerie's Sylveon.

It battled against the Legendary Pokémon Moltres, though it was badly outclassed. Fletchinder evolved into Talonflame during the fight, but it still didn't achieve victory. It teamed up with Frogadier to fight Olympia's duo of Meowstics and won the battle, and it battled another Legendary Pokémon in Zapdos. It scored another Gym challenge victory in Ash's rematch with Wulfric, when it defeated the Ice-Type Avalugg. In the Lumiose Conference, Talonflame took out a Slaking before being defeated by Clawitzer.

2 Goodra

The Dragon-Type Pokémon Goodra first came into Ash's life as a Goomy that was driven from its home by a swarm of Bug-Type Pokémon led by a Florges. When it found Ash and his friends, Goomy was weak from the experience. After being healed and helping Ash and his friends against Team Rocket, Goomy joined up with Ash.

Goomy started off afraid of Ash's other Pokémon, but it grew to trust them after another showdown with Team Rocket. Eventually, Goomy evolved into Sliggoo while helping Ash take on Team Rocket and a rampaging Grumpig. During another attack from Team Rocket, Sliggoo evolved into Goodra while saving his friends from a fire. Goodra went on to team up with Pikachu and defeated a Raichu and Wartortle belonging to Tierno, Ash's rival in the Kalos Region.

Goodra was one of Ash's choices for the Lumiose Gym battle, and it took on Gym Leader Clemont's Luxray in the battle's climax. A mixture of Rain Dance and Bide helped Goodra win the battle and earn Ash the Gym Badge. Eventually, Ash's journey brought Goodra back to the wetlands it once called home, and Florges and its army of Bug-Type Pokémon allied with Team Rocket. Goodra battled against Florges and the Bug Pokémon, but Team Rocket ended up betraying Florges. This lead to Goodra and Florges teaming up to defeat Team Rocket and making peace. After this, Goodra decided to stay in the wetlands to protect its home. However, it did return to help Ash during the Lumiose Conference and aided against Lysandre and Team Flare - teaming up with Pikachu at a pivotal moment to take out Lysandre's Gyarados and Pyroar.

1 Greninja

Greninja met Ash as a Froakie and was the first Pokémon to join Ash in the Kalos Region. Froakie helped Ash capture Fletchling and Hawlucha, and Froakie took out Gym Leader Grant's Onix. Froakie eventually evolved into Frogadier while saving Sanpei and his Greninja from Barbaracle, which is the partner of Sanpei's mentor Saizo. Frogadier won Ash more Gym battles against Ramos' Gogoat, and teamed up with Talonflame to take out Olympia's two Meowstic's.

Eventually, Frogadier evolved into Greninja during another encounter with Sanpai while battling a Bisharp. Greninja's bond with Ash became so strong that it developed a pseudo-Mega Evolution called Ash-Greninja while battling Pokémon Trainer Sawyer's Sceptile. With the help of Clemont and his Luxray with Alain and his Charizard, Ash and Greninja tested out this synchronicity, which would drained Ash as well as Greninja.

Ash and Greninja went on to beat Gym Leader Wulfric's Abomasnow, and they championed over an Altaria, Sawyer's Sceptile, and Alain's Bisharp. When Lysandre and Team Flare began their takeover plan, Ash-Greninja and Pikachu were pivotal in taking down Lysandre's Mega-Evolved Gyarados and helped take down the Giant Rock.

NEXT: Sailor Moon: 5 Pokémon Sailor Mars Could Defeat (& 5 She Would Lose To)

An update on the Percy Jackson Disney+ series has arrived thanks to tweets from Becky and Rick Riordan.

The first of these tweets were posted by Becky Riordan, who said, "Any news to share? A couple of studio meetings this week. Getting close to wrapping up the pilot outline. A script outline isn't the same as an outline for a term paper but is more of a script without dialog if that makes sense. We are having a blast! We love our team! More soon."

A tweet from Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan responded to a fan question regarding a timetable for when the show will be released. "So it takes me 6-12 months just to write a novel all by myself," Riordan tweeted. "Making a TV show is infinitely more complicated, especially w/unknown factors like the pandemic in play. We are still in the earliest stages of writing, which will take months. Most optimistic guess 2 years? Maybe?"

In May 2020, it was announced that Disney+ would be adapting the five Percy Jackson and the Olympians books into a multi-season TV show. No further creative participants beyond Rick and Becky Riordan have been revealed for the program.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, published by former Disney subsidiary Hyperion, follows the titular Percy Jackson -- a boy who learns that he is the son of Poseidon, Greek god of the Sea -- and his various adventures at Camp Half-Blood, a training ground for demigods. The books see Percy and his friends Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena, and Grover Underwood, a satyr, grow over the course of four years as they fight against reincarnated Greek monsters in service of the Titan Kronos, who is gradually rebuilding his strength and armies to defeat the Olympian Gods.

No release date has been announced for the Percy Jackson Disney+ TV series.

KEEP READING: Rick Riordan Is Absolutely Trashing The Percy Jackson Movies On Twitter

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Batman #94 by James Tynion IV, Guillem March, Rafael Albuquerque, David Baron and Clayton Cowles, available now.

In Batman #93, the Dark Knight finally faced the new villain known as the Designer and unmasked him. As Batman suspected, the Designer -- or more precisely his body -- was controlled by the Joker, who has gone to great trouble to take his war with the Caped Crusader to the next level. But while this meant that the Designer never came back to Gotham City to torment Batman, it didn't take away from the fact that the colorful villain did actually exist at some point in time.

In fact, in Batman #90, a flashback sequence showed us Catwoman, Joker, Riddler and the Penguin meeting the Designer back when Bruce Wayne was only starting his crusade to save his city. When the Designer introduced himself to the quartet of villains, he revealed part of his origin -- a story we weren't sure we could believe.

But now, thanks to Batman #94, we know the Designer was telling the truth.

In Batman #90, the Designer revealed that before he reinvented himself as a supervillain, he had a long rivalry with his very own nemesis, a brilliant detective who remained nameless. The Designer's story showed the two enemies fight with swords on top of trains and blimps, which called into question the veracity of the story, given that it was difficult to put a time stamp on it.

Still, the Designer kept telling his story, adding that it was this constant one-upsmanship between him and his adversary that inspired him to lock himself up in a room for a full year, deviously planning and designing the most elaborate schemes possible. And when he finally emerged from the room, he was now the Designer.

Since we know so little about the Designer at that time, it was difficult to believe anything he claimed. But in Batman #94, we learn his story was actually true. The issue opens with a flashback sequence taking place before Bruce Wayne became Batman. During this time, Bruce was traveling the world, seeking teachers and training to become a one-man army that would one day take on the criminal element of Gotham City.

At the start of Batman #94, we find Bruce years ago, seeking out an old man named Cassander Wycliffe Baker. Cassander was once the greatest detective in the world, but he eventually disappeared after being disgraced by the Designer. "I was humiliated and outmatched. So I ran like a frightened child," he says. Bruce explains that it has taken him years to find Cassander, and that he hopes he will become his teacher. Only once Cassander trains him to become the world's greatest detective does he believe he will be ready to return to Gotham.

However, there is a complication: Cassander is now a bitter old man, and he has no interest in training Bruce. Instead, all he does is offer him a lesson about loss. Cassander Wycliffe Baker was truly, utterly defeated by the Designer, and that loss is all he cares to share with Bruce. As the number of facts about he reveals that he's observed about Bruce shows, his detective skills clearly haven't diminished, but his choice to teach Bruce a lesson about loss gave him a dose of humility that the young Bruce Wayne likely needed.

While Cassander ended up turning Bruce down, that didn't stop the latter from becoming the Dark Knight, who became the World's Greatest Detective without his help. And considering what the Joker has done to him over the past few issues of Batman in the lead up to "Joker War," Baker's lesson in how to lose may come in very handy.

KEEP READING: Batman/Superman Finally Solves Gotham's BIGGEST Mystery

When season 2 of The Boys premieres, it will pick up on one of Season 1's lingering plot points. However, it will do so in a rather unorthodox manner.

Showrunner Eric Kripke revealed in an interview with Collider that a short film titled "Butcher" would be released after Season 2 that will fill in the gaps between seasons and reveal what Billy Butcher was up to after disappearing. Originally, the footage that comprised the film was meant to be in Episode 2 of Season 2 but was cut due to time constraints.

Based on the Wildstorm/Dynamite Entertainment comic series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys centers on the vigilante exploits of Butcher and his eponymous group that recruits a young man named Hughie after his girlfriend is killed by a superhero. However, it's only under the guidance of Butcher that he learns of the corruption bubbling under the world of the so-called "heroes."

Amazon's official synopsis for Season 2 of The Boys is below:

The even more intense, more insane season two finds The Boys on the run from the law, hunted by the Supes, and desperately trying to regroup and fight back against Vought. In hiding, Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capon) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) try to adjust to a new normal, with Butcher (Karl Urban) nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Starlight (Erin Moriarty) must navigate her place in The Seven as Homelander (Antony Starr) sets his sights on taking complete control. His power is threatened with the addition of Stormfront (Aya Cash), a social media-savvy new Supe, who has an agenda of her own. On top of that, the Supervillain threat takes center stage and makes waves as Vought seeks to capitalize on the nation’s paranoia.

Amazon Studios' The Boys stars Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Jack Quaid as Hughie, Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk, Tomer Kapon as Frenchie, Karen Fukuhara as the Female, Erin Moriarty as Annie January, Chace Crawford as the Deep, Antony Starr as Homelander, Aya Cash as Stormfront and Simon Pegg as Hughie's dad. Season 2 premieres Sept. 4 on Amazon Prime Video.

While the spotlight of Spy x Family shines most brightly on Anya and Loid's attempts to navigate the elitism of Eden Academy for Loid's mission, Yor Forger is probably the most dangerous of the makeshift family. Despite having a penchant of denseness regarding the obvious, that same density makes her an immaculate assassin. If you point her in the direction of her enemy, they're as good as dead. No questions asked.

When we first encounter her in Chapter #2, the world-class assassin presents herself as a shy, single 27-year-old. It's only when she's on the phone, later on, that we see her act to the contrary. "I have a 'client' for you, Thorn Princess," a voice rumbles. The light fades from her eyes, and she proceeds to single-handedly massacre a group of people at the Royal Hotel. The client? Vice-minister Brennan from the Auditing Department, who's described as a traitorous scumbag. "May I have the honor of taking your life?" she asks.

Having been an assassin since she was a teenager, Yor is one of the most legendary contract killers in the world of Spy x Family. She's able to target pressure points with perfect precision and hides incredible strength -- able to change the direction of a moving car with a single kick.

Combined with her ability to tolerate poisons and resist pain from a gunshot wound, the quiet assassin exudes a feeling of near-invincibility whenever she's in action. Her weapons of choice, so far, have been two needles, much like the ones found in Tower of God (but a lot shorter). These weapons are likely the reason behind her codename, "Thorn Princess." Her lethality is second-to-none, in particular, whenever her adopted daughter Anya is in danger; a strong maternal instinct born from taking care of her younger brother.

But her common sense doesn't quite match up to her abilities as an assassin. In the same chapter, she readily believes the integrity of Loid's "concussive therapy," a term he uses to justify beating up supposedly hysteric patients. In reality, he's being chased by a smuggling ring, but Yor very quickly falls for Loid's story. Though it might seem hilariously stupid to some, it may be representative of her behavior as an assassin. Whatever she's told about a target, she believes without question and takes them down without mercy. It's a terrifying mentality, though it also makes for some hilarious scenes.

And if that wasn't enough, Yor manages to even unintentionally attack her allies. It's established that Yor's cooking is abysmal, with several people having passed out from it. Though she's later able to replicate her mother's stew with some help from a friend, anything else she cooks causes Loid and Anya to suffer the consequences upon consumption. Even her brother Yuri, who has a "sister-complex," throws up (though he tries to hide it through praise). Though Yor might be able to tolerate it, as she doesn't place value on taste, it's clear that the rest of the cast can't -- especially when they haven't developed a resistance to poisons as she has.

One thing she does manage to bring success into the family, though, is the ability to clean immaculately. But, even that has dark roots: after numerous bloody assassination missions, Yor developed this knack in order to make it look as if nothing happened. The floor might seem spotless, but you have to wonder: was it just dusty? Or was there blood before it was cleaned..?

Keep Reading: Why Reborn! Is One Of Shonen Jump's All-Time Greats

WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for "Shiv, Part Two," the latest episode of Stargirl.

Cindy Burman just got grounded. Literally.

In "Shiv, Part Two," the latest episode of Stargirl, Courtney Whitmore went back for round two with Cindy. The ensuing fight didn't go well for Courtney, but the outcome wasn't in Cindy's favor, either. After all, Cindy disobeyed her father, the Dragon King, by engaging with Courtney so publicly. As a result, he sent his drones to drag her back down to his lair against her will.

Prior to abducting his daughter, Dragon King expressed his displeasure about her extracurricular activities -- and this wasn't the reaction she expected. After she defeated Courtney at the end of last week's episode, she quickly found her father to tell him the good news, fully believing she had earned herself a place on the Injustice Society of America.

"I did it, Dad," Cindy announced. "What no one else in the Injustice Society could do: I found Stargirl."

"I know," Dragon King snapped, gesturing towards his surveillance feeds. "And you didn't alert me. Is she dead?"

"Yeah, probably," she replied.

"That is a yes or no question," he shot back. He slowly made his way around his desk, so that he was inches from Cindy's face, before he yelled, "Let me answer: she's alive! I sent drones to retrieve the body. It was gone."

"I beat her," she insisted. "There was someone else there, and I couldn't see who."

"A new member of the Justice Society, I'd imagine," he said. "Stargirl isn't the only one we're dealing with. And even so, you put on your graduation uniform without my approval. You took my staff, and you went out, risking exposure, jeopardizing us all. And for what?"

"I hurt her," Cindy reiterated.

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Dragon King hissed. "You are so good at hurting things."

"Stop bringing up Mom!" she shouted.

"I didn't," he said softly.

"Don't passive-aggressive me," she pushed. "I've proved myself."

"The fact that Stargirl is alive says the opposite," he spat. "I'm done listening. And now, instead of focusing on my important work here, I'm forced to explain my daughter's ill-considered actions to the others. Truthfully, they might never give you a seat at the table now... She was in the tunnels, Cynthia, and you left her alive. Return home, and do nothing until I call for you. Do you understand?"

When Cindy didn't reply, he added, "Do not make me remove my hood." This threat shook her. She immediately stood up straight and took a step back, then fled the room.

Instead of deterring her, this conversation led Cindy to continue her mission away from Dragon King's prying eyes. When Courtney returned home from the hospital, Cindy paid her a visit and pretended as though nothing had happened between them. Then, as she prepared to leave, she unleashed the threat that led to their next confrontation.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention: I really like your Staff, Stargirl," Cindy said airily. "You think after all this time we've spent together, I wouldn't recognize you through that stupid mask? Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. I don't want to share it with my dad and get sidelined, so... better rest up, Stargirl. I'll be back -- after I kill your friends."

Despite promising Pat she wouldn't do anything on her own, Courtney flew into action to protect her friends. She grabbed the Cosmic Staff and headed straight for the Burman residence. She crashed through Cindy's window and attacked, which led them to brawl in the streets.

Cindy quickly got the upper hand, but a well-timed appearance by Henry King Jr. threw her off. His presence distracted her, up until the point he involuntarily released a blast of telekinesis that sent both girls sprawling. Furious, Cindy extended her blades, with every intention of attacking Henry in retaliation.

However, before she could reach him, several of Dragon King's drones emerged out of nowhere. They picked her up and dragged her screaming into a manhole. She disappeared into the sewers with them, presumably on her way back to her father.

In the comics, Dragon King had one punishment for failure. Whenever she returned in defeat, her father would attempt to "upgrade" her with more painful cybernetic enhancements and more intense training sessions. Cindy often lost to Courtney, which led to more frequent punishments. In turn, Cindy grew obsessed with killing Courtney and became her true nemesis. If the show follows the comics, Cindy might be in for an agonizing surprise when she sees her father again.

DC Universe's Stargirl stars Brec Bassinger as Courtney Whitmore (Stargirl) and Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan (S.T.R.I.P.E.). The series airs Monday on DC Universe and Tuesdays on The CW at 8 pm ET/PT. It also stars Amy Smart, Yvette Monreal, Anjelika Washington, Cameron Gellman, Trae Romano, Jake Austin Walker, Hunter Sansone, Meg DeLacy, Neil Jackson and Christopher James Baker.

KEEP READING: Stargirl Reveals Why Hourman's Powers Only Last An Hour

This month sees the return of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix for its second season, as the Hargreeves family reassembles for a new set of wacky adventures while they continue to come to terms with their powers and abilities.

Netflix has released a new teaser for the series, inspired by pop artist Andy Warhol and 1960s psychedelia as a visibly tripping Klaus Hargreeves is mesmerized by his own hand. As Klaus reveals his hand to the audience, a new trailer is confirmed for wide release on Wednesday, July 8.

Based on the comic series of the same name by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba, The Umbrella Academy follows seven children who were mysteriously conceived around the world, adopted by the eccentric Reginald Hargreeves. Raised as siblings, the group became a team of superheroes before going their own separate ways. Reuniting following the death of their adoptive father, the team encounters strange new threats requiring their special abilities to save the day.

Season 1 premiered in February 2019, with the second season filmed from June through November of last year. The second season will reportedly run for ten episodes like its predecessor.

Based on the Dark Horse Comics series created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy stars Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher and Justin Min. Season 1 of The Umbrella Academy is currently available on Netflix and Season 2 will be released on July 31.

In Magic: The Gathering, the plane of Ravnica is home to ten feuding guilds. Each guild represents a two-color pair, and Green and White mana have the most common ground out of all the two-color combinations. White mana embodies unity, civilization, the law, order and justice, while Green mana is about the natural ties that bind all things: The cycle of life and death, food chains, harmony with your inner self and much more. When these colors are united, they form the Selesnya Conclave, a guild where all are welcome, and all have a place, granted they're ready to fight on the guild's behalf. This is no guild of pacifists.

Here's what you need to know about the Selesnya Conclave.

An old saying claims that it's better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener on the battlefield; that is, better to have power and not need it than need it and not have it. But the Selesnya Conclave has it both ways. They aim to create a peaceful world of natural beauty and unity where all people have a place where they belong, while having the power to challenge the other nine guilds. The Selesnya warriors want a peaceful world where flower fields replace battlefields, but these Conclave mages are no pacifists. They can fight on par with the other nine guilds, and they always fight as one.

The Selesnya believe that all living things on Ravnica are ultimately the same blossoms of the same great tree, the Worldsoul. To them, separation is an illusion, and no one is an outcast or a misfit. Every supposedly lost or unwanted being or creature has a place where they belong, and they can find it, if they accept the teachings of the Selesnya guild and pledge allegiance to it. Trostani, a trio of dryads, rules this guild, and it believes that any lost child who wanders to the Conclave's front doors should be welcomed.

This means that the Selesnya Conclave has a massive and particularly diverse army with which to do battle. Many humans are in this guild, since humans are the dominant race on Ravnica, and they can be knight, soldiers, clerics, druids, archers and much more. Elves are also a common sight in this guild, often taking up the role of wolf-mounted cavalry or archers. Centaurs also have a place, being horse and knight in one, and the loxodon (elephant people) are the most burly clerics and druids on the plane. Dryads, nymphs, nature elements and saprolings (a sort of miniature plant people) round out this menagerie of the Conclave's ranks. Giant, white-furred wolves are popular mounts for human and elf archers and lancers, since centaurs take up the role that horses would. Enormous wurms are the trump card of the Selesnya Conclave, armored snake-like beings that can devour anything they come across.

None of these warriors is ever alone. The Conclave is all about unity not just in spirit, but on the streets, too. Where one Selesnya fighter can be found, a thousand more will be nearby, and any Selesnya company or regiment will be highly diverse and have a bit of everything: Centaurs, wolf-mounted elf archers, saproling berserkers and human knights, with some rhox battle clerics as backup.

In gameplay, the Selesnya Conclave builds up and goes tall at the same time. It has 8/8s and even bigger creatures on its side. Often, 5/5 Wurm creature tokens can be called upon, and the largest wurms and elementals might have double-digit power and/or toughness. These gigantic beaters may have squads of Knight, Saproling and Cleric tokens and creatures to back them up and handle smaller threats.

In 2005's Ravnica: City of Guilds, the Selesnya mechanic was Convoke, which allowed a player to tap creatures they control to lower the spell's mana cost. For example, a spell that costs 2GG may cost just 1G if the player taps a Green creature and a non-Green creature to help cover the cost. Since the Selesnya guild goes wide, it can become surprisingly easy to cast expensive spells for low costs or no cost at all. This mechanic proved quite popular and effective, and it has appeared in other sets as well, including 2018's Guilds of Ravnica and a variety of Core Sets.

In Return to Ravnica, the Selesnya Conclave upped its token game with Populate. This is what Magic: The Gathering Head Designer Mark Rosewater calls an "A-B mechanic," meaning it operates with two components. Any card with Populate can create another token of a type the player already controls. So, a Selesnya deck will have some cards that make tokens, and others that duplicate those tokens to make a massive army.

KEEP READING: Magic: the Gathering - General Strategies for Playing with Control Decks

Despite launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2008's Iron Man, Tony Stark met his end in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. The hero's end saw him stealing the Infinity Stones from Thanos and using them to defeat the Mad Titan's army once and for all, though he lost his life in the process. While he's not slated to return to the MCU anytime soon, there are ways Iron Man could come back if actor Robert Downey Jr. did want to reprise the role down the line. In this video, we're going to outline how iron Man could return in the future.

This theory about how Iron Man could return to the MCU is linked to Secrets Wars, in particular the 2015 version of the story. In 2015's Secret Wars, different worlds were merged together into one, which allowed various versions of the same character to run around. This would then allow for Iron Man to make some sort of return. However, that's not all there is to this theory.

Check out the video below on how Iron Man could return to the MCU.

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, it's not totally clear just what shape the next phase of the MCU will take. While there's a good indication the characters Disney acquired from 21st Century Fox will soon arrive, there's not much solid information on just when or how that might happen. For his part, Downey Jr. seems unlikely to return to the MCU in any significant form. Still, there are reports Stark will appear in Black Widow, though that footage is said to have been left over from other MCU projects. Since Black Widow is set before the events of Endgame, it also seems unlikely any appearance from Iron Man would bring the hero back for good.

Let us know what you think in the comments, and check out many other deep, thought-provoking videos on our YouTube channel! Don't forget to subscribe and click that bell for notifications of brand new content, posted every day!

KEEP READING: Sony Animation Head Says Expect More R-Rated Movies

In Avatar: The Last Airbender it's normally the benders that get all the credit, wielding the titanic forces of the elements to hurl mountains and move the sky. But sometimes, deadliness doesn't come with power, but with precision, and perhaps one of the deadliest groups of all were the Yuyan Archers introduced in the first season of the show. Despite how outright cool and effective they were, the archers were largely forgotten after their only appearance. But, if there's any group that needs to make a return in the Avatar franchise it's these bodacious bowmen.

The Season 1 episode "The Blue Spirit" is remembered as highlight of the show for broadening viewers' perspectives on some prominent villains. Secondary antagonist Zhao receives his promotion to Admiral, giving him a leg up on his mission to capture the Avatar before Zuko, who begrudges the elder official's attempts to rob him of the opportunity to restore his honor. Since Zuko's secret mission as the Blue Spirit is a true standout moment, it's easy to forget that something even cooler debuted in the episode: the Yuyan Archers.

Legend tells that the Yuyan Archers can pin a fly to a wall from 100 yards away — without killing the fly. Zhao, in need of their immense skill, uses his new military rank to seize control of the archers for a mission to kidnap the Avatar...and they immediately succeed. The same goal Zuko and Zhao both struggled to achieve throughout the first season is barely be a challenge for the bowmen.

Their hyper-accuracy, impossible rate of fire, deft coordination and graceful agility make the archers the perfect hunters to take the flighty Aang down. Though he briefly resists their attempts, they successfully pin his limbs so that he cannot bend and take him in alive. At the end of the episode, the Blue Spirit nearly makes a clean getaway with Aang, but a lone Yuyan Archer snipes at the pair, firing an arrow at long distance and KO'ing the masked Zuko with minimal effort. Aang and Zuko barely manage to escape, and for some reason that's the last we ever see of the group.

The Yuyan Archers were introduced under the command of Colonel Shinu and used to guard the Pohuai Stronghold that briefly imprisoned Aang, but it seems they reverted back to their usual place when Zhao moved on. The only other time the franchise concerns itself with the Yuyan Archers is through the character Vachir, an ex-Yuyan Archer who travels with the Rough Rhinos. The graphic novel The Search showed how Vachir lost his position with the group, failing a personal mission from Fire Lord Ozai, but outside of that comic even Vachir received very little focus.

The Yuyan Archers had the easiest time capturing Aang out of anyone in the entire series, ambushing and successfully capturing him in a matter of minutes, whereas the likes of Zuko, Zhao and even Azula all failed. They were at the Fire Lord high command's beck and call, and there is presumably so much more story to explore in terms of explaining why they bear the red tattoos across their eyes or how they came to be in the first place.

Other groups like the Kyoshi Warriors, Dai Li and the White Lotus received plenty of backstory and fleshing out, but the Yuyan Archers were never seen again after their debut. If the Kyoshi novels were to explore any other group, the Yuyan Archers should be at the top of the list and, given that so little is known about the sharpshooting task force, it would be easy to establish them as an ancient order of elite warriors.

Nonbenders so rarely get the credit they deserve, and the Yuyan Archers certainly deserve better than Vachir as their lone named character. Whether it be in sequels or prequels, the franchise absolutely needs to flesh out their backstory. It'd be a massive opportunity missed, otherwise.

KEEP READING: Shadow Of Kyoshi Has Avatar's BEST Couple

MVP introduced a new United States Championship Belt on Raw. It's the second WWE midcard championship to have its look updated in recent memory, after Shinsuke Nakamura introduced a new version of the Intercontinental Championship Belt on SmackDown last fall.

The U.S. Title Belt was long overdue for an update, as it's had the same design for most of its 17 years in WWE. But the belt's lineage goes back even farther than that. It actually predates WCW, the company WWE inherited the belt from, and goes all the way back to the days when the NWA ruled over the territories.

The NWA United States Championship was created in 1975, when the legendary Harley Race won a tournament to become the first champion. It started as the top title in Jim Crockett Promotions, an NWA territory that covered the Carolinas and Virginia. It became the sole NWA U.S. Championship in 1981, when the NWA's San Francisco territory closed its doors and deactivated its own version of the belt.

The early champions are a who's who of future WWE Hall of Famers. Along with Race, that includes legends like Ricky Steamboat, Sgt. Slaughter, and Terry Funk. Roddy Piper had a star-making feud over the title with fellow Hall of Famer Greg Valentine in a series of Dog Collar Matches. Ric Flair, who holds the record for title reigns with 6, used the title as a stepping stone to his run as the face of the NWA in the '80s.

When JCP gained control of the NWA Championship in 1986, the U.S. Championship became the company's secondary title. Two years later, Ted Turner bought JCP and renamed it World Championship Wrestling. Lex Luger would be the most prolific U.S. Champion of the Turner era, holding the title 4 times under his ownership.

Luger still has the longest cumulative time with the belt, holding it for a combined 950 days. The bulk of that came in his 3rd reign, when he held the title for a whopping 523 days. Luger started his fourth reign as the NWA U.S. Champion and ended it as the first WCW U.S. Champion, after WCW started sanctioning its own titles.

WCW didn't just rename the title during Luger's fourth reign. While feuding with Luger, former champion Nikita Koloff destroyed the NWA version of the title belt. WCW replaced it with a new belt that was held by Luger until he vacated the title after becoming WCW World Heavyweight Champ.

No one would be as attached to the title as Luger was during his reigns, and it would bounce around to a variety of wrestlers over the years. For every legend in the making that held it, like Steve Austin, there was a General Rection. It also wound up in the hands of wrestlers like Bret Hart, whose angst over his WCW run probably wasn't helped by holding a secondary championship at that point in his career.

The wrestler who made the biggest impact as U.S. Champion post-Luger was Goldberg. The first title reign in his career came as U.S. Champion, after he defeated Raven for the title in one of the most memorable main events in Monday Nitro history. Goldberg overcame Raven's entire Flock to capture the belt and keep his streak alive.

Goldberg held the U.S. Title when he defeated "Hollywood" Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the July 6, 1998 episode of Nitro. The show took place in front of 40,000 fans in the Georgia Dome. Like Luger, Goldberg would later vacate the championship when he won the World Title.

The belt would remain in use past WCW's closure in 2001. Along with most of WCW's titles, it remained active during the Invasion angle in WWE. It was deactivated when Edge won a U.S./Intercontinental Championship unification match at Survivor Series 2001, which was WCW's last stand.

WWE reintroduced the title in 2003 as a midcard championship on SmackDown, creating a new championship belt instead of bringing the WCW version out of mothballs. Eddie Guerrero was the inaugural WWE U.S. Champion, defeating Chris Benoit at the Vengeance pay-per-view. One of Guerrero's feuds over the title was with John Cena, who would have runs with the title at two different points in his career.

Cena first claimed the title from the Big Show at WrestleMania 20 for his first title reign in WWE. He'd hold the belt 3 times before winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21. In the process, he introduced the "spinner" version of the belt, which JBL blew up in the middle of the ring during their WWE Championship feud.

When his time as a full time WWE star began winding down, Cena won the U.S. Championship again at WrestleMania 32. He would go on to become a work horse champion with his open challenge series, defending the belt on a weekly basis against everyone from Sami Zayn to Kane. Cody Rhodes, who challenged Cena for the title as Stardust, must have been taking notes. He recently started his own open challenge series in AEW.

Cena's open challenge era was an anomaly for the title. Even long reigning champions like Dean Ambrose, aka AEW's Jon Moxley, who holds the record for the longest WWE reign at 351 days, rarely defended the title. When it wasn't being held for lengthy reigns, the title has bounced around like it did in its least impressive WCW days.

It's been held by a series of big names, like A.J. Styles, Rey Mysterio, and Roman Reigns, but has rarely felt important in WWE. In one particularly egregious example, Randy Orton's reign in 2018 was literally "the Legend Killer" checking off the only title he hadn't won in his career. In fact, Zack Ryder's quest to win the belt in 2011 might have been the last time the title felt valuable to anyone outside of Cena's reign.

The current champion, Apollo Crews, might be the one to reverse this trend. Crews had never held a title before winning the U.S. Championship from Andrade in May. A long title reign with MVP's new belt could help Crews finally find a spot in WWE and make the U.S. Championship mean something again.

Keep Reading: WWE RUMOR: A Former Champ May Be Retiring – After WWE Wasted Their Career

In the first Wonder Woman film, Diana Prince left the island of Themyscira behind, but that doesn't mean the film's sequel won't be returning to the heroine's homeland. A new movie still from Wonder Woman 1984 showcases a flashback to Diana Prince's origin in Themyscira at the Amazon Olympics.

In an interview with Empire, director Patty Jenkins explained the importance of including the Amazon Olympics. "What I love about the Amazon Olympics is everything that we got to really celebrate in the first movie... Here are these people who are incredibly powerful and capable, but different in how they approach things. If you've been training for hundreds of years because of an impending invasion, you’re going to be constantly working on all these skill sets. So, to me, every year, they would have these Olympics to see who’s doing the best on horses or swimming the fastest, and seeing new tricks people have figured out."

In addition to celebrating these women's strength, the flashbacks will also help build the framework for the upcoming Wonder Woman 3, an Amazon spinoff film and a possible Amazon animated series.

Directed and co-written by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal and Natasha Rothwell. The film arrives in theaters Oct. 2.

KEEP READING: Wonder Woman 1984's Golden Armor Designer Reveals One of Its Abilities

The first season of The Umbrella Academy saw the titular family of former child heroes reunite after their adopted father, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, died. While it’s evident once reunited at their father’s funeral none are the closest of siblings, perhaps the most estranged of them all is Vanya, the one presumed to be without powers.

Over the course of Season 1, Vanya endures a plethora of hardships: From her father’s verbal abuse and passiveness, to her siblings disregard for her. All of this eventually leads Vanya to embrace her dark side and become "The White Violin," which results in her ending the world. Now, with Season 2 on the horizon and the family back together, Vanya deserves a much needed break, and the show should give it to her.

Calm, kind and timid, Vanya treats everyone with respect after seeing them again at their father's funeral, a sentiment they don’t really return. Allison is, perhaps, the only exception, though even she has her moments. Through flashbacks, it becomes evident her siblings disregard for her is deep rooted, as Reginald treated Vanya more like a secretary than a member of the family. From a young age she was treated as worthless and less-than, a feeling she was never able to shake. This is what makes her susceptible to Leonard Peabody, who gives her the attention she's never been given. However, his intentions aren't pure, as he's playing Vanya for a fool in hopes of using her for his own means. The one person she feels actually believes in her and thinks she is special manipulated her, purposefully unleashing "The White Violin" in ignorance of what that would mean.

If being treated like nothing, looked-over, insulted, and used wasn’t enough, Vanya was also lied to. Reginald led her to believe Vanya wasn't special, and thus normal and a disappointment. However, this turns out to be false, as her powers have been repressed against her will and knowledge. Vanya never intended to turn evil; she lost control. Even when she slits open Allison’s throat, it's clear she immediately regrets the action. In fact, her love for Allison is part of what helps get her to stop playing her violin in the Season finale, albeit too late.

Season 1 of The Umbrella Academy saw Vanya take blow after blow. Her father was abusive, her siblings besides Allison didn't care about her, she was treated as useless and and was barely considered a part of the family. Vanya was manipulated, lied to, and used by people she trusted and cared for. The emotional beating didn't let up in Season 1. Instead, tragedy begets tragedy, and Vanya's family molds her into an instrument of doom, bringing about the apocalypse Number Five fought hard to stop.

Vanya went through a lot in Season 1, so she deserves a break in Season 2. Anything more bad happening to Vanya would feel redundant and frustrating, as we've already seen her down-trodden, helpless and villainous. It's time to to show a more heroically resilient, less abused and more accepted Vanya. With new villains sure to come, Vanya should be able to follow a more positive path of redemption, no longer the victim turned villain, but a hero in her own right.

Based on the Dark Horse Comics series created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy stars Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher and Justin Min. Season 1 of The Umbrella Academy is currently available on Netflix and Season 2 will be released on July 31.

Johnny Depp testifying was the key development of the opening day of the libel trial against the Rupert Murdoch-owned British newspaper, The Sun. The Fantastic Beasts actor had filed the suit after the tabloid repeated claims by Depp's ex-wife, Aquaman actress, Amber Heard, that the Pirates of the Caribbean star was physically abusive towards her during their tumultuous, short-lived marriage.

An earlier attempt by Depp's lawyers to have Heard barred from the trial on days that she was not testifying was denied and so the actress was in the galley wearing a red mask while her former husband testified that it was actually Heard who was physically abusive during their marriage, not Depp.

Before Depp testified, his lawyer, David Sherborne, made an opening statement noting that Depp was not a "wife-beater" (the specific term that The Sun used that Depp is particularly suing them over), but instead, that it was "Heard who was the one who started physical fights, who punched or hit him […] she was the abuser, not him.” Shelborne also read a transcript of a recorded interaction between Depp and Heard, where the actress says, "You got hit … but I did not punch you. I did not f—ing deck you. I f—ing was hitting you.” She then calls Depp "a f-ing baby," to which Depp replies, “Because you start physical fights.”

Besides alleging that it was Heard who was physically abusive and not him, Depp also painted a rather awful picture of his ex-wife. He described her as “a calculating, diagnosed borderline personality; she is sociopathic; she is a narcissist; and she is completely emotionally dishonest. I am now convinced that she came into my life to take from me anything worth taking, and then destroy what remained of it."

Heard's attorney, Sasha Wass, then cross-examined Depp, getting the actor to admit that he has used marijuana, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and magic mushrooms in the past. When pressed on whether he has anger issues following charges against the actor for assault and for damage to a hotel room, Depp replied, “I was angry, but that doesn’t mean I have an anger problem."

When Wass then played a video recorded by Heard of Depp trashing furniture in anger while pouring himself a glass of wine, Depp explained, that while he was not proud of his behavior, he did not become a "monster" when he drank. He noted, “It’s not Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

Determining whether that is true will be the driving focus of both this lawsuit and the related libel suit that Depp filed against Heard in the United States over a Washington Post op-ed that Heard wrote repeating the same abuse allegations against Depp.

Via Variety.

WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for the third and final season of Netflix's Dark, streaming now.

In Dark, as much as you feel for the families of Winden as they're drawn into this infinite loop, a closed circle of time known as the Knot, there are some downright despicable characters. The most selfish of which is Ulrich, a cheater and one of the biggest fakes in the series.

Over the three seasons, he's easily the most hated character but as Season 3 winds down and just as fans start to feel a sliver of sympathy towards him, Dark decides to give him the show's most heartbreaking deaths.

In Season 1, Ulrich was cheating on his wife, Katharina, with Hannah, Jonas' mom. As the patriarch of the Nielsen family and one of Winden's top cops, people expected more from him but he simply enjoyed the thrill of deception. Hannah had a crush on him as a young girl growing up and having gotten bored with Katharina and their three kids (Magnus, Martha and Mikkel), he embarked on the affair. However, he broke down mentally when Mikkel got lost in the time cave and the body of Mads (his brother who went missing in the '80s) resurfaced. Ulrich turned into an obsessive maniac, shunning Hannah because though she didn't exist and then lying to Katharina about cheating.

This led to him going through the cave but instead of finding Mikkel in the '80s, Ulrich got lost in the '50s, ending up in Winden's jail. Season 2 met him as an old man in Winden's criminal asylum and when he escaped and found Mikkel, just when they were about to go back through the cave, the cops stopped him. Mikkel returned to his foster mom, Ines, while old man Ulrich was sent back to the home.

Season 3 wraps this story when Katharina arrives in the late '80s, having gone through the cave in last season's finale. She can't find Mikkel, as he's in witness protection, but eventually, she tracks down Ulrich, forgiving him in an emotional moment. One can tell he's genuinely repentant, inspiring Katharina to devise a plan to break him out. But when she tries to steal a key card from her mom, Helene (who works the doors at the asylum), Katharine is killed. Helene didn't know this was her daughter from the future and what makes the scene even more painful is old man Ulrich is left waiting by the door in the dead of night, watching the clock. His wife never comes so he knows the journey's done. He also doesn't get closure because he never finds out what happened to Katharina.

Now, there's a chance for a do-over when Ulrich on Earth-2 surfaces. However, he's a cheater there as well, having left Katharina and the kids to start a family with a pregnant Hannah. To make him even more disgusting, he's cheating on Hannah with his fellow cop, Charlotte, so it's clear no matter which Earth, Ulrich just isn't a one-woman man. When Mads' body appears here, though, he follows clues through the cave, only to end up being killed. He's found tracking old man Helge in a similar arc to Earth-1 but finds younger Helge in the '80s in his child-killing days. But just as he's about to finish Helge off, old man Helge intervenes and bashes Ulrich's head in, killing him there in Earth-2's bunker.

It's symbolic because, on Earth-1, Ulrich did the same to try to kill kid Helge in the '50s because he didn't want him to grow up to murder children such as Mads and Mikkel. What makes this equally sad is Ulrich would have been justified as middle-aged Helge was murdering kids for his time-chair experiments, but on this Earth, it was part of Eva's design as opposed to what Adam laid out on Earth-1. In both cases, Ulrich was just a pawn who was always meant to die as a self-serving man trying too late to be a hero.

Created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, Dark stars Oliver Masucci, Karoline Eichhorn and Jördis Triebel. Season 3 is currently available on Netflix.

KEEP READING: Netflix's Dark: How the 'Origin' Completes Jonas and Martha's Journey