No matter how much we may want to at times, we can't go through life alone.
What we really need are people who will stand by us no matter what.
People who know your past, accept your present,
and who can see the bright future that's ahead of you.
And on today's episode, we're looking at a character from World Trigger
who puts his life online for his friends day in and day out.
And that is the ace of Tamakoma 2, Yuma Kuga.
Hey, what's going on guys? My name is Nate and you're listening to the Yotaku Liberation.
A show where we help you break free from the chains that are holding you back in your life
by connecting some biblical principles with themes from your favorite anime.
And without further ado, let's get into it.
So, Yuma Kuga. Yuma is an interesting character, at least to me anyway.
And at times, he seems like he should be the V main character and not Osamu.
But I do know that the author made it this way because he wanted to play with the ideas of opposites.
And like I covered in Osamu's episode, Osamu is the definition of your average Joe.
Whereas in a world where everyone else is special in some sort of way, he's not.
And in a lot of ways, he's actually below average, even compared to other agents.
And in every way that Osamu is lacking, Yuma excels at.
Yuma is an excellent, excellent fighter. I mean, that's why he's the ace of their squad.
Because for a long time, he was the only one that could earn points for the team.
He was the only one that could score points and actually get kills off the opponents.
And not only that, he excels in whether it's a 1v1, many v1, no matter what the situation is,
he always finds a way to at least take his opponents down with him, if nothing else.
And outside of the top of the top ranks, there's not really many people who can beat Yuma.
So a little background on his skills and what makes him so dangerous, really.
But the verse I want to go over for this episode, it kind of ties into Yuma's role in Tamakoma 2,
more or less, at least the way I see it. The verse is Proverbs chapter 18, verse 24.
And that says, one with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer
than a brother. And essentially, if you call friends, I kind of believe that a lot of people
call each other friends when really they're just acquaintances. You don't really know that much
about the other person outside of maybe work or school or something like that. But you can always
have... Typically, you can find that one to two people who go beyond the title of friends,
they're actually family, right? They're your chosen family. And I know me, I've had a handful
of those growing up throughout my life. Some have changed, others have been friends for
close to 10 years now. And for me, it's kind of making that shift from trying to find that person
to being that person. And what I mean by that is, I always say on here is, find people who
support you, who tell you the truth, who basically lift you up when you're falling down and who are
when you're falling down and who are right there with you in the thick of it. But now,
I want to encourage us all to be that person, be the type of person that you want to attract.
And if you want to attract people who are just real, because finding real people is hard nowadays,
and you want to find people who are real, honest, and trustworthy, then you have to be that.
Because you basically, you attract what you are, more or less. It's a weird thing to say and to
think about, but I've noticed that really honestly all my life, and especially now that I'm in the
working field as an adult now, is that just being you is not down to it is enough. Just be you,
right? Be you and be the good, the bad, and the ugly. And then you're going to attract people who
are just as true to themselves as well with their good, bad, and the ugly. And honestly, like I
always say, when you get people like that together who have such a level of self-awareness and trust
and honesty, then anything's possible, really. And the way Yuma does that for Osamu is, it's funny.
It's funny to me. So Yuma, for those of you who don't know, Yuma is actually, he's a neighbor,
right? He's one of the aliens that are present in the series of World Trigger. And Yuma's initial
goal of coming to Earth was to find a way to revive his father. And essentially what happened,
so while Yuma was still in the neighborhood in the alternate dimensions and things like that,
his father died to protect him from enemy forces, essentially. And Yuma's father died and became
Yuma's Black Trigger. And essentially what a Black Trigger is, is again, triggers are the equipment
that the agents are using in World Trigger. And Black Triggers are more or less anomalies. They're
not your standard triggers. They're typically much more powerful than the normal ones. And Black
Triggers are only made when somebody who has a lot of Trion dies. And they turn themselves into Black
Triggers. And then Black Triggers are typically, at least for all the ones we've seen, except for
one, are only compatible with one, maybe two people. Because it's essentially based off the
bond the person who turned into the Black Trigger has with the person who uses the Black Trigger.
So in this case, Yuma's father became a Black Trigger that only Yuma can use because they had
such a strong bond as father and son. And so that's kind of the backstory of Black Triggers and how
they're made. And Yuma came to Earth to try and find a way to essentially reverse this process,
right? To kind of be able to find a way to save his father. Because again, they're dead.
I mean, they're dead when they become Black Triggers. And it's funny because typically
when you start a relationship, when you start a friendship, when you set off on your own journey,
your own path, we all have our own goals that we're trying to accomplish. They're all in our own
world, so to speak. Again, like I always say, we're the main characters of our stories, right?
So it makes sense. It makes sense that we have our own things that we're trying to do and that
we're trying to accomplish that we're striving for. That's the reason why we get up and grind
and work so hard each and every day. And it can be very easy to ignore the world around you,
not because... Not out of a selfish type of way, as in if it's not benefiting you,
you don't really care about it. It's more so like if it's not in your direct line of sight,
then you may not even be aware of it because it's not affecting you, right?
I know that it's kind of backwards, but let me try to explain it better.
So it's because it speaks from my own personal experience. And basically,
for the longest time, I would just focus on my own goals, my own things that I'm trying to
work on, whether it's doing school, I had projects that were due, I was at work,
more projects that are due, more things that I'm working on, things trying to learn how to invest
and be financially smart, all these different things that I'm working on for myself. And I have
a habit to go down a rabbit hole when something catches my eye, catches my attention. That's all
I'm focusing on day in and day out. And that's going to be like, I'm going to beat my head against
the wall until I figure this thing out, right? And on one hand, that's a good thing, because I'm
going to see it through. You can see it as a way, whatever you set your mind to, you're going to
see it through to the end, whether it works out or it doesn't, you can bet that you're going to stick
with it. But on the other hand, when you become so engulfed with it, you start ignoring everything
else around you, then it can also be dangerous, especially when you're not by yourself, right?
Because like I said, no matter how much we may want to at times, we can't go through life alone.
We're just not designed to. Life will beat you down and tear you down completely and utterly,
right? You have absolutely no one to lean on. Then yeah, you're just fish food at this point.
Right? But so when you're nurturing, when you're nurturing the relations with other people,
especially those who are close to you, they know that you care about and love, it's important that
you take a moment to pop your head back out and to see what's going on, just to be aware and not be
so blinded by your own ambitions, right? I know some people, and again, I'm not talking about those
who only think of themselves, like the King Borrow or Prince Vegeta, someone like that,
who's only out there for themselves, only if it's not benefiting them, they just, they don't care
about it at all, right? When I'm talking about people who care, like you care about it, when it's
brought to your attention, like once you're made aware of something, then you're all in and trying
to help or try to fix or whatever it is. Whereas for the type of arrogant people like Borrow and
Vegeta, like they're aware of it, they just don't care, right? Those two different things.
So the people I'm talking to are people who are like me, who, you know, once you're made aware of
it, you care, you genuinely care, you're compassionate about that person or whatever situation's going on,
I'm encouraging you to not to have to be made aware of it, just to be more cognizant of yourself,
right? No one should have to come bring these things to your attention, you know, as often,
right? I know it's harder, it can be hard, especially when you're focusing on something
that you're passionate about, but do pop your head up every once in a while, right?
And the way, now, the Yuma, he wasn't necessarily like this per se. I mean, he, I mean,
granted, he did come there with a goal and a mission in mind, but he was already, he already
had an open mind to the things that were going on around him, right? And that's really shown in him
partnering with Osamu and Chika, because when, when they decided, well, I guess when Yuma heard about
Osamu's ambitions and stuff like that, which was looking for Chika's brother in the neighborhood,
because again, Chika's brother left for some unknown reason that they want to figure out,
and Chika's brother is the one who trained Osamu in joining border and things like that. So
this Chika's brother has a relationship with both her and Osamu. And Yuma being the outsider that
he is, he, and knowing the type of person that Osamu and the type of people Osamu and Chika are,
he's all on board. He's like, all right, cool. You know, my plan didn't quite work out the way I
wanted it to, but I'm here, I'm here to help you guys out because, you know, they're, they're
friends, right? At this point, they're friends when they decided to form the squad together,
when they decided to have each other's backs like that. He's just like, yep, I'm here to help you
guys, no matter how hard it is, no matter what it is, I'm here to help. And you really see that
because Yuma always believes in Osamu's plans. Even if they, if they don't go as planned, Yuma
backs them, backs them up to the, to the best of his ability. You know, even, as I say, later on
would be, when I talk about another character who later on joins their team, when Yuma joins their
team, when that character starts challenging Osamu's, you know, plans or whatnot, because they
don't make any sense to him or whatever the case may be, Yuma like typically takes Osamu's side in
one form or another, whether that's just outright signing with him or coming up with an idea that
helps Osamu save face while also, you know, advancing their strategy. And I say just to be
like that, to be someone's right-hand man like that, to be someone's, you know, go-to, to have
someone's back like that, that's something I've always taken pride in, right? Just to be there
because I remember how many times people have been there for me and to pay that forward, you know,
it's a different feeling. If you get it, you get it. I mean, it's hard for me to put it into words
exactly, but just the feeling of being relied on, being reliable and you able to deliver is a
different feeling. I know, I do know that parents get this, especially fathers, right? You know,
father, typically the head of the household, they're the ones who are out there, you know,
providing and protecting and things like that. So I know they especially get it when, you know,
you know, when you do it, when you do it for the right reasons, you know, essentially you're
doing it because you want to, not because you expect something in return. And when you do get
something in return, that should be just a thank you, right? Just the appreciation for what you do
out there on a daily basis. And that, that in and of itself is rewarding enough in all honesty.
And I mean, that's something I had to learn, I'm still learning, right? I'm still learning to,
to really just kind of embrace that, right? I mean, because in today's world, everything's so,
you know, instant gratification, instant gratification, I need to have it now, I need
to have it now. Where this isn't really instant gratification, it's just you knowing that you
did something good, you knowing that you, you'll put yourself out there for somebody outside of
yourself, right? And ultimately you just knowing that, you know, God sees you and your rewards is
going to be in heaven, right? Now that's not instant gratification, I mean, that's going to happen
after we leave here. But, so it's taking that, taking that mindset shift from the worldly view of,
you know, of all the, you know, social media, you know, all the even video games and things like that,
TV where we want everything now, now, now, now. And, and taking that to go from a more of a
spiritual, more self-reflective aspect of like, you know what, my reward isn't going to be now,
it's going to be something way down the line. And I'm not even working for that, I'm not even doing
this for that, I'm just doing it because I want to. And honestly, that's, like I said, that's one of
the best feelings that you can honestly have once you truly accept that, once you truly dive into
that, right? And now it may be, it may be harder for some, harder for some than others, especially
if you're not used to doing that, right? If you're not used to looking out for other people and not
used to other people relying on you, or if you're not used to relying on other people, do, right?
Because I think once you find someone that you can rely on, it becomes easier for you to become,
for you to become, for you to be that person for them as well, right? Because it's kind of,
it's like a trust, it's like a trust thing. You know, you, you trust them enough with your stuff,
with your baggage, with your whatever the case may be. And now they can do the same for you,
right? Because I do believe if somebody shows you some kindness, you know, and kindness and respect
in a way, especially repeatedly, when they don't have to, when there's honestly no benefit for them,
and then I think you owe it to kind of pay it forward as well. And again, like I said, Yuma
does that for Osama and them day in and day out, because, you know, Osama sticks up,
sticks up for Yuma with, I guess the higher ups no less, like he, I guess the people in border who
at first, you know, they didn't trust Yuma because he's a, he's a neighbor, right? He's an alien.
And he, they tried to, to take him, they tried to, you know, essentially imprison him,
imprison him and take his black trigger from him. But Osama, along with some of the other,
some of the other senior members of Tamakoa, the branch that they're a part of, they stood up for,
for Yuma. It's like, no, you guys can't just come in here and just do things because you,
because you want to. And they made it so Yuma could join the team and they can all go on a
journey together. And like I said, Yuma's always has Osama's back, you know, he knows Osama isn't,
isn't that much of a fighter, you know, not just on the battlefield, but that's a personality type
as well. He's not, he's not one to go looking for fights. He's rarely one to finish them either.
Even someone brings it, brings it to him, which he's gotten better with, but Yuma has always been,
been the one to be at a side to back him up if, you know, if things go, started to go sideways.
Right. It's not just Osama either. Yuma does this with Chika as well, because like I covered
in her episode, you know, she, for the longest time had a problem with shooting people, even
though she's a sniper. Right. And that's, you know, that's pretty ridiculous in the honesty,
but neither Osama nor Yuma held that against her. And Yuma was always essentially her vanguard,
right. And in the battles or whatnot, if Chika's position ever got compromised, especially later
on when they had the wire strategy and when they added their second ace, Yuma was typically the
one that would cover Chika if her position got compromised or if he, if he needed to cover fire,
he made sure that he was somewhere in her vicinity. Right. And let me say he did it for Osama too.
He was always the one that had to go rescue them or cover for them in some form or fashion.
And he never once complained about it. He never once complained about it. Even when onlookers were
saying that, you know, they're, they're going to burn them out because he has to do all the heavy
lifting and he has to cover for them too. You know, and from the people who are in the battle,
for the ones who are looking on, commentating and saying, you know, how they are just essentially
nothing without Yuma, Yuma has never once said any of those things himself. He never once complained
about it. He never once, you know, said, you know, you guys are hopeless without me. None of that ever
never came out of his mouth. And that's because he, he just doesn't mind. He doesn't care because he,
he just want to do what he can for his team and for his friends. That's it. It's the bottom line.
If that means him flying across the battlefield, scoring points and protecting them, then that's
what he has to do. That's what he's going to do. And he has no hesitation, no, he's not upset about
it at all. And, and Ozzy, I think that kind of speaks volumes to, I know, I know at least to me,
right? Because full disclosure, a lot of the stuff with this podcast is just a letter to myself to
go back and remind myself of things that I've gone through and things that I want to improve in.
And for this one is really so much just to, you know, don't, don't have to expect a reward
for every little thing that you do. Right. And just do it, just do the right thing because it's the
right thing to do. Don't do it because your parents told you to don't do it because, you know, you
feel like, you feel like it's the right thing to do. Do it because you know it's the right thing to
do. Do it because you want to. Right. And don't expect anything out of it. Right. Don't expect,
just don't because, you know, nothing's ever guaranteed. Some people, even if you just because
you do something nice for somebody, it doesn't mean that they're going to appreciate it or even
understand it at that time, or they may, they may never do it. So if you're, if you're doing
something to be acknowledged by people, then you're always going to be disappointed because,
you know, people are fickle. We're, we're wish-washy, you know, we can be happy one minute
and mad the next and for no apparent reason. And what you may seem to be a good deed or good thing,
they could spin it in some way to make it negative. And now everything is just blown up in your face.
Right. So I just want to encourage you to, you know, do the right thing because you want to be
someone that people can lean on, people can trust, people can go to for help and support and,
and just give it to them. Right. Give it to them. Because at the end of the day,
you're going to feel better about it. You're going to, hopefully you're going to make them
feel better about whatever situation is. And at the end of the day, we just, we're just all trying
to be better, right? Just be better people, be better, you know, neighbors, be better family
members, just be better, just better people in general. Right. Because there's too much
negativity and hate in the world right now. There's not enough positivity and genuine love for one
another out there. So, you know, I just want you to really think about what can you do to help someone
else? Right. What can you do? What can you offer? What can you, you know, even if something small,
it may seem small to you, but it could be something life-changing for somebody else. Right.
It could be, I'm just trying to think, you know, it could be you picking up the check at a
restaurant first, just a random stranger, right? You know, it could be offering to wash someone's
car, you know, in the neighborhood, you know, go around, cut someone's grass, ask permission.
Don't just go out there and start doing stuff because that's weird. But, you know, just, you
know, just little, just little things that you can do within your power that, you know, because you
never know, you may make or break someone's day. We just don't know and we'll never know if we don't
try, even if we don't put ourselves out there. But anyway, that's all I got for you guys today. So,
I want to just thank you for tuning in to today's episode. And I pray that you get what you needed
out of it and that you learn something new about yourself and learn something new about what you
can, what you can offer to, you know, to this crazy thing we call life, right? Feel free to subscribe
to the podcast and leave a review. I love reading you guys' comments and it helps me improve each
and every episode. And always remember, you are the main character of your story and that story
doesn't end until he says so. All right, be blessed.