Board Thread:Manga Discussion/@comment-28702329-20180621120402/@comment-1512833-20191110164921

SomeDuuuude wrote: Funny Valentine, and this is why. I'll get the lucy thing outa the way first: you gotta realize these are being released by araki weekly; not all of the characters are fully fleshed out or even ready to see the light of day half the time. Araki probably thought he needed something to make him seem more hateable at the time, while in reality, he needed the opposite. Canonically the valentine after him showed no interest in that sort of thing anyway. Valentine is neither the hero or the villain (Diego is a villain) of SBR, he is the antagonist. He is what causes the protagonist's conflict, Jonny is a man who needs (both literally and figuratively) to get back on his feet. He searches for, and finds, self-growth through the SBR race and uncovering the corps parts. This is a good thing; this is how Jonny is going to improve his own life/sustain himself. Funny Valentine is the president of the USA (not the world). His job is to make the lives of the American people collectively better. He knows of the corpse and see's war coming as a result. The best possible solution for him was to create the SBR race to collect the corpse parts unsuspiciously and with minimal casualties. He was doing his job as the president. What else could he have done? He wasn't "screwing over every other country" he was protecting his homeland from war. He is not particularly evil, he is just an obstacle in Jonny's way. This is proven by the fact that he asked Diego to lock the corpse away. SBR is begging the question of what should be valued more: the individual or the group. Do you get back onto your own feet or break your own legs carrying everyone else on your shoulders? Jonny believes in every man for himself, while valentine wants to improve his country generally. Wrong. Improving your country by endangering every other country is very much an act of evil. Nobody not of a selfish, imperialistic mindset sees it any other way.