*Castlevania-esque intro* "I'm a fucking liar and i dont deserve to be alive" *sick ass guitar solo*

"I want to die so badly." *Sick guitar solo*

This theme makes him go from "funny unga bunga man with book" to "sad soldier with crippling survivors guilt"

The sound of intense PTSD, Survivors Guilt and spamming Gold burst on round start to absolutely murder a 22 year old who abuses dolphins.

I still adore the way the "We're going home alive a-liar liar liar" line flows. The first "liar" sounds like hes about to say alive, and i just cannot love that enough.

God I wish my panic attacks had this cool of a soundtrack!

"Leo's character mechanic is his back turn stance, where his mix-ups and damage potential increase. Leo's his strongest when facing away from his problems" - Some Comment from the original video

The reason he's stronger while facing away from the opponent with his guard down is that he *_wants_* to lose, die and be put out of his misery. And in poetic irony, this causes him to win.

I love how this song not only recontextualizes Leo's character, but also his gameplay. The reason he is the ungaest of the bungaest is because he fights with 0 sense of self preservation. He fights 110% prepared and expecting to die.

"We're going home alive, liar liar" Why do I literally imagine the ghosts of his comrades haunting him when this plays?

"I have intense survivors guilt and PTSD i have nothing left to do on this world all my aspirations, dreams and hopes died the moment my comrades did. I hide this all under a mask of faux bravado. For all I wait for is the sweet embrace of death" *SICK-ASS GUITAR SOLO*

Giovanna: "you are just my type" Ramathal: "he's so cool..." Leo:

I like to think that the reason Leo has soldiers follow him so closely isn't so that they can back him up in case things go wrong, it's so that he can see them and make sure that they're alive.

Leo in Gameplay: Absolute Gorilla Leo in actuality: A man riddled with survivor's guilt and PTSD.

god I will never get over how raw of a line "Today strangers say hello to me. Tomorrow their names will be carved into stone." is. That lyric alone says so much about Leo's mindset.

As a wise man once said, "He's running at you with as much unga and bunga as possible"

Leo really needs a hug and someone to talk to. He's got a mountain of issues to work through.

"I led countless soldiers to their deaths, robbing their families and loved ones from ever seeing them again. The only reason I didn't die is because I was a better fighter than they were so I throw myself into battle recklessly in hopes that someone will kill me and rid me of this terrible burden" *Guitar solo intensifies*

2:40 "I am the reaper, took my friends to the netherworld, that's why i have to go home" *Guard pranks him in the background by pulling his chair*

"I fight with 0 sense of preservation and want to die so bad" *Sickiest guitar solo you may ever heard*

That "those who dream of heaven" bit sounds almost like a definition you'd find in a dictionary. Wish there were a few more segments like that in the song.

If people say sol’s theme is basically “you a in a bar fight and you are winning”, then leo’s theme invokes “you are fighting against the whole bar and pulling out the comeback of century” energy in my opinion

Ah, the part that really get me in the feels is the absolute meltdown between 3:01-3:45 where it's all an culmination of Leo's mental anguish. From saying he is just a soldier, questioning if he was on the right side, coming home alone once more, and how his platoon of soldiers were slaughtered with his enemies. All this while being called out by the people he protected/or in his mind.. and he comes back to say "BRING IT ON YOU BASTARDS!" With righteous rage!

I like to imagine the chorus is “Hellfire!!” cause genuinely thinks he’s going to hell when he dies

Leo Externally: Blowhard Leo Internally: PTSD

I love the intro to this song going into the first verse so damn much. It really exudes the feeling of some naive chump going to war expecting it to be a noble and glorious fight, only for it to immediately devolve into everything going wrong and mindless slaughter Every time I hear it it just reminds me of how people thought World War I was going to be fought, and then the soldiers stuck in trenches with machinegun fire threatening to blow their head off at any second realizing how wrong everybody was

Leo needs: -A hug -Hot coco -A Therapist -Someome to talk to -And a session of DND with Testament,Ky and Happy chaos

"I wake up one morning, strangers say hello to me, tomorrow their name will be carved onto stones" is such raw line that it's impressive that is the lyric of fighting game character. it express almost everything you need to know about the character and if that's not enough then the next lyric "We're going home alive but I'm a terrible liar" and "forgive me that's not the arc de triumph" give you the rest. Leo, as character, is a King who regret to survive to his people, they trust him and he let them die, after all the promises he was the sole survivor and that haunt him and forever will

This song in a nutshell: I have survivor guilt and ptsd *badass guitar solo*

I haven't played Guilty Gear, but I fell in love with this character after I saw him completely accepting of the fact that he just lost to a little girl wielding an anchor while showing no fear seconds before said anchor-wielding girl shot him out of a cannon. Now that I have learned his backstory through this song and the comments I love him even more.

"I WANT TO FUCKING DIE" *absolutely destroys a guitar*

0:17 Wouldn't mind hearing this part a LOT longer.

this is the Hey ya! of guilty gear

theres a cruel comedy to leo he wishes to die in battle, so he fights as recklessly as he can, but that very thing makes him undefeatable, keeping him alive to fight another day.

"My voice withered away, limbs can't hear my commands But still, I can see the way home I am the Reaper, I took my friends to the netherworld That's why I have to go home" I love this part so much, makes you think a bit, but once you think it hits hard. For those who haven't thought too hard yet, It's implying that his home, *is hell.*

One thing that I actually got from the comments of an analysis video: "who can say that" and "hellfire" are choruses, which in army culture is done by the subordinates to the CO's soliloquy. So, Leo's soldiers went without any blame to leo, bringing "hellfire" to their final foes. No wonder he's the military king.

When the song is so tragic it takes a 180 degree turn and becomes BADASS !

I do not know why i am here I do not know what a guilty gear is All I know is this theme slaps

Going from the town inside me to this song is quite the emotional rollercoaster.

It's interesting how so many of Leo's attacks put him in vulnerable positions like his Brynhildr stance which literally has him facing his back to his enemy. In some ways, its like he is trying to meet his end.

so many entries in his dictionary yet none for "therapy"

Once you understand the lyrics of the song it makes it so much better.

I remember the Battle of Rome was described as the most brutal thing in guilty gear history, but shit Leo got hit hard by "that day"

Leo: I came home alone today again. Ram and Giovanna: Who decided that?

Leo Whitefang In-Game: • Pretty Goofy • Charismatic • Is Fucking Insane To Play Leo Whitefang's Character: • Depressed As Hell • Filled With Guilt • Is Probably Mentally Insane

I love how Leo and Dimitri from Fire Emblem compare and contrast. They’re both PTSD ridden kings that have seen way too much murder and way too few therapists, but how they handle it is completely different.

He fights with his backturn stance not just because he's trying to die in battle, but because he's most effective with his back towards the battlefield... like he's running away...

That synchronized scream on 3:06 is so funny

I've seen so much death and destruction I don't think I deserve to live anymore *banging guitar solo*

The most dangerous person is someone who has nothing to lose.

The Crusades having affected Leo so much really recontextualize how much of anomaly Ky really is. Sol didn't have to care, he was immortal already. But Ky ? He was just a kid, war became his life. No wonder he became such a strong believer in faith.

I always felt Leo‘s moves had this desperate energy to them

"I am the reaper, I took my friends to the netherworld. That's why I have to GO HOME!" This is honestly my single favorite line in this song. Up to this point the song makes it seem that Leo has a deathwish thanks to his survivor's guilt and trauma, but this...this shows otherwise, what he has is a duty to keep on living and fighting for the sake of those who died in the past, he puts himself at risk by fighting alone and with his style that leaves him open because he feels he can't do his best unless his life is on the line and on the very brink like it once was when he stood by his comrades. And that's why even if his life was rife with tragedy Leo Whitefang continues to carry on no matter what and fight with his best as a king. And that is why is the freaking coolest.

Leo is a weaponized panic attack and I love him

Part of me thinks that *"my voice withered away, limbs can't hear my commands, but still I can see the way home...I am the reaper, I took my friends to the netherworld, that's why I have to go home"* is a flashback to a near-death experience Leo had in the crusades (maybe at the battle of rome?) where he basically forced himself to survive through sheer force of will for the sake of his fallen comrades

"i can still see the way home. i am the reaper, i took my friends to the netherworld, that's why, i have to go home." that part is sad for me, because i know what it means. leo's contemplating suicide there. for those that don't know, "going home" is an analogy for dying. people usually use it in reference to going to heaven to be with their family. survivor's guilt is a beast.

I see that, between Leo and Zato, Strive is representing the two genders: Survivor's Guilt PTSD from not surviving, actually

local man gets PTSD, goes back to war

The *"SWING THE FREAKING SWORD DOWN!"* line might be Leo basically saying just kill me already, because of how they used to execute people in the middle ages by cutting their heads off with an axe or a sword. "swinging a sword down" is another way of saying executing someone.

自分用 I faked out. Call me out (俺は欺き、自らを責める) Who can say that? (誰がそんなことを言える？) I came home alone today again (俺は今日もただ一人生還した) I faked out. Call me out (俺は欺き、自らを責める) Who can say that? (誰がそんなことを言えるというんだ、と) My people are all dead, but so are those bastards (仲間はすべて死んだ。だがあのクソ野郎共も死んだ) I wake up one morning, strangers say hello to me (ある朝目を覚ますと、見知らぬ誰かが俺に挨拶した) Tomorrow their names will be carved onto stones (明日には彼らの名が墓石に刻まれるだろう) We're going home alive ("皆で家に帰るんだ"だって？) I'm a terrible liar (俺はとんでもない嘘つきだ) Forgive me (許してくれ) That's not the Arc de Triomphe (あれは凱旋門なんかじゃないんだ) For the sake of that day (その日を迎える為に) Keep crying out (俺は叫び続ける) Swing the sword! Swing the sword! (剣を振れ！振るんだ！) Swing the freakin' sword down! (忌々しい剣を振り下ろせ！) Hellfire! Hellfire! (業火よ！業火よ！) Bring it on, bastards! (かかって来い、クソ野郎共が！！) Hellfire! Hellfire! (業火よ！業火よ！) Hellfire! Hellfire! (業火よ！おお業火よ！) All of 'em are going down with us (全員道連れにしてやる) Those who dream of heaven, (天国を夢見る者達) Those who dream of heaven never last very long (天国を夢見てちゃ長生きなんてできない) The rotting flesh and the dirty sky infect my wounds (腐った肉と濁った空が傷跡に染みる) We're going home alive Liar (家に帰るだって？嘘吐きめ) Liar (嘘吐きめ！！) Forgive me (許してくれ) Just get me out of this hell (俺をこの地獄から救ってくれ！！) For the sake of that day (その日を迎える為に) Keep crying out (俺は叫び続ける) Swing the sword! Swing the sword! (剣を振れ！振るんだ！) Swing the freakin' sword down! (忌々しい剣を振り下ろせ！) My voice withered away (声は既に枯れ) limbs can't hear my commands (手足は言うことを聞かず) But still, I can see the way home (それでも俺にはまだ家路が見えている) I am the Reaper (俺は死神だ) I took my friends to the netherworld (戦友達を地獄に落としたんだ) That's why I have to go home (だから俺は家に帰らなきゃいけないんだ) I faked out. Call me out (そう誤魔化しては己を責める) Who can say that? (誰がそんなことを言える？) I'm just an ordinary soldier (俺はただの一般兵なんだ) I faked out. Call me out (誤魔化した後で己を責める) Who can say that? (誰がそんなことを言えるっていうんだ？) Will I be on the right side of history? (俺は正しい歴史の側にいるのだろうか？) I faked out. Call me out (俺は自らを欺き責め立てる) Who can say that? (一体誰がそんなことを言える？) I came home alone today again (俺は今日もただ一人生還した) I faked out. Call me out (俺は欺き、自らを責める) Who can say that? (誰がそんなことを言えるというんだ、と) My people are all dead, but so are those bastards (仲間はすべて死んだ。だがあのクソ野郎共も死んだ) ---Bring it on, you bastards!--- (かかって来いクソ野郎共が！！！) Hellfire! Hellfire! (業火よ！業火よ！) Bring it on, bastards! (かかって来い、クソ野郎共が！！) Hellfire! Hellfire! (業火よ！業火よ！) Hellfire! Hellfire! (業火よ！おお業火よ！) All of 'em are going down (全員叩き落としてやる) Hellfire! Hellfire! (業火よ！業火よ！) Bring it on, bastards! (かかって来い、クソ野郎共が！！) Hellfire! Hellfire! (業火よ！業火よ！) Hellfire! Hellfire! (業火よ！おお業火よ！) All of 'em are going down with us (全員道連れにしてやる)

This song sounds like a bar fight, and you're only winning because you have nothing to lose.

Don't let this distract you from the fact this dude is carrying 3 belts

There's a part of the chorus that really sticks with me. With the flow of it, I swear, Leo is hearing a voice he vaguely recognizes, someone he knows he can't begin to ask for forgiveness, and it's telling him exactly what he heard that day. "Swing the sword! Swing the sword!" And in his peripheral he catches just a glimpse of their face. "SWING THE FREAKING SWORD!" Leo lets out a scream as he moves. Perhaps he screams in fear. Perhaps in rage. Perhaps in sheer pain. Leo doesnt know, nor does he think about it as he follows the command of his lost comrade. Eating a kasuragama to the cheek, but sprinting through the pain, and breaking his opponents advantage with a single hit, a little disappointed that the blade hit his face instead of his neck.

the return of the king

The lyrics are dark while the song is such fire wtf

That "Bring it on you bastards!" Right before the final chorus always sends chills down my spine I love it

GRAVE CRIMES DESERVE "GRAVE PUNISHMENT!" PETTY CRIMES DESERVE "GRAVE PUNISHMENT!" YES! AND ONLY *I* MAY PARDON!

*Guitar solo* "I want to die because I led all my friends to their deaths and I deserve the same painful fate that they had" *Fuckin shreds*

You know when I hear this song I like to think that Leo is taking his troops into battle and everyone around him is dying and then at 3:45 he goes full unga mode and slashes through the enemy lines

Leo 'Survivor's Guilt' Whitefang

I’m going to be playing my first DND campaign sometime soon, and my character’s a Goliath barbarian who lost his wife and daughter in a tragic accident. You know what music I’m using as his theme.

It has truly been a roundabout path...

I can physically feel the Queen influence in this song. Justing in the first two minutes I can hear (00:44-01:17) Stone Cold Crazy from Sheer Heart Attack, (01:18-01:35) Tie Your Mother Down from A Day at the Races, (02:29-02:50) and Great King Rat from Queen I. Daisuke Ishiwatari definitely has great taste in music.

I have panic attacks daily **sick ass guitar solo**

Leo will go into a war as a one man army, do the dumbest stuff to try and get killed AND STILL COME OUT ALIVE, but won't go to therapy

So from what I'm gathering, Leo is unable to live with himself knowing that he's still alive while many of his comrades aren't. So he goes the f in like no one's ever gone the f in before because he wants this next battle to be his last in hopes for some kind of warrior's redemption (which ironically makes him a more dangerous opponent since he doesn't have much to lose and so is unafraid). And think, just a game ago he was this haha dictionary lion man who took most Instant Kills with a "Do it, I effing dare you!" attitude.

Are we not gonna mention how many times the lyrics themselves allude to longer-lasting scars and injury? Such as "The rotting flesh and dirty sky infect my wounds" which is effectively slang for "The death of my men has left a permanent scar on me." And that's not even mentioning all the other comparisons that are most definitely there.

Muffin time with sick guitar solo

İ listened to this 29 times today and got 30 goosebumps

Intro: sounds like a cool asf heroic intro The lyric: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I KILLED THEM AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Leo isnt a gear but he is guilty

bongos, survivors guilt, ptsd and a deathwish what the actual fuck

Despite the PTSD and Survivors guilt hiding underneath I really just like to imagine whenever hellfire is just chanted it’s just the soldiers around him and the ones who have fallen just cheering for there king

He looks like someone that would fit in Castlevania or Resident Evil. It’s definitely the coat.

My respect for the king with survivor's guilt! 🦁⚔

i led my people to death and am thus not worthy to live *sick ass guitar solo*

GOD it's been killing me for months now. The start of this song activates some dormant part of my brain every time, it sounds like some power metal song i used to listen to like. a decade ago but I CANT FIND IT does ANYONE get the same thing and know which song it might be

1:45 This part is just MWAH

As a comment I saw once said "I'm sad, now check out this sick solo."

this song is like you're in a bar fight and winning... But you don't want to be.

"yeah! We're gonna win this war and all go home hero's!" proceeds to watch all his friends die, comes home from the war alone, develops survivors guilt, PTSD and a severe panic disorder as well as a chronic need to hide his trauma with fake confidence while desperately wanting anyone to just kill him.

Ky: (sick ass castlevania-style intro) I don't care what anyone thinks, I'm going to keep standing for what I believe in and setting an example for the future Leo: (sick ass castlevania-style intro) IM A FUCKING LIAR AND HAVE SURVIVORS GUILT (guitar solo)

I don't know anything about guilty gear but from the lyrics I'm guessing this guy has some really bad PTSD or something

3:45 the rawest moment of all Guilty Gear.

Hearing all of the lyrics properly with subtitles really hits you in the heart

Leo’s Theme: *depression about being the only one who goes home after the war and deals with survivors guilt* Leo’s gameplay: UNGA-BUNGA BIG BOI SWORDS GO BRRRRRRR

This song sounds like a PTSD fight, and you're losing

Jesus Christ can we please get this man therapy Like the most therapy, I think almost all the cast needs it, but specifically Leo, and like a lot a lot

3:58 "ALL OF 'EM ARE GOING DOWN" Leo: *goes down*

"BRING IT ON YOU BASTARDS!" Unga bunga mode initiated