Anime definitely seeks to trump reality in a lot of ways and since it has fewer limits or boundaries by the virtue of being animated, it kind of goes that extra mile and then some. With Lu Bu though, it still kind of comes up short since the Chinese general that fights against the deities that have given up on humanity is indeed mighty, but in the Record of Ragnarok series, Thor still manages to put him down even as Lu Bu puts up a tremendous fight. Arguing for a solo series on Lu Bu’s behalf isn’t too hard since it would be great to find out just how a character like this came to be. Anime doesn’t always need or even use the most in-depth explanations though since the artistry and the action that dominates the screen tend to tell a great part of the story. Plus, some anime manages to inject enough exposition into the mix to make it clear just who each character is and why they’re important, or if they are at all.
Being based on a real-life character and being blown completely out of proportion wasn’t bound to decrease Lu Bu’s popularity, as he’s been the basis for a few different versions of himself. All one has to do is read the histories of this individual to realize that he is a big deal and could possibly inspire many other stories that people would enjoy if he hasn’t already. In Record of Ragnarok though it’s fair to say that even the most powerful fighter on the human roster was bound to be stymied by a god, even with a weapon that could split the sky and create an effect that would stun or destroy any other opponent. It is evident that Lu Bu took Thor to his limit, which isn’t an easy thing to do since the Norse deity is one that’s known to have a definite love for battle, and apart from the MCU version, other Thor’s haven’t always been so skilled at calming their temper.
Arguing for any solo series or movie isn’t always that easy since saying ‘just give it to them’ isn’t a convincing argument, nor is it something that anyone in charge is really going to listen to. Like many historical characters that have been displayed in a number of different ways over time, Lu Bu is one of those that should be taken into consideration when being given his own series or movie since his recorded exploits and those that have been created via manga and anime could be enough to create a very compelling tale that a lot of fans might enjoy immensely. The kind of over-the-top stories that might result from someone taking the liberties that are taken with so many other characters could be pretty awesome since as anime fans might tell you, this fight between Lu Bu and Thor was actually pretty cool. The imagery and power levels are over the top even for what one might know about these two legends, but that’s pretty much par for the course since a lot of anime tends to go above and beyond.
But it does highlight the idea that Lu Bu is an interesting character and could likely carry his own series since there’s plenty to him and there’s enough within actual legend that would be able to bolster this and help those in charge create a saga that could carry Lu Bu for a while, or for a movie at least. Those that don’t like, understand or comprehend anime might be bored even thinking about this, but that’s okay. Every genre has its fans and every style has those who can’t help but love what they see since it speaks to them in some manner that others might not grasp. For instance, the depiction of Thor in this anime is, to me, kind of silly since following the Norse mythology, Thor is not some pretty boy with a hammer the size of a horse carriage. In fact, the only things that were taken that could identify this as Thor was the concept of the hammer, the red hair, and of course the powers and love of battle. But like all things, it’s a matter of perception and point of view.
If Lu Bu were to be given his own series or movie it would likely be wise to keep him in anime to avoid risking any offense to his character, even if all mythological and historical characters are up for grabs in some way. At the very least, the idea of Lu Bu being anything but an anime character feels as though it would avoid any pointless criticism. He could likely carry his own show for a while if the stories were given the same over-the-top feel as his fight against Thor was.
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