VOLUME 43!YOU GAMBLERS GET IN HERE!!!!!WE GOTTA SEE HOW AIR POKER CONTINUES!!!!IM GOOMBLING SO HARD RIGHT NOW!!!
Looks like I got the "timing" right.
Other Volumeshttps://pastebin.com/9HGt1efZVolume 42 1/2>>291858416Volume 42 2/2>>291879837
>>291902517Yep, just Baku’s two most important allies
Well done, Maradame Baku... You have "arrived" at schizophrenia...
>>291902533Someone is being a little indiscreet right now.
>>291902571This guy is fucked up Chrissie
>>291902571>Nardo you wa my fren opening plays
>>291902554Now wait a minute, I don't think those people are really there... unless?>>291902571Nanpou...Amen...Ikon...Our heroes...
>>291902554In the 4th panel, it’s Ranko, Marco, Yukiide and who else?
>>291902571underrated spread tbqh
>>291902628cute lalo on the bottom left
>>291902622Baku is going nuts, kariume withdrawl is serious business kids.
>>291902641OVERCOMING HIS DESPAIR, THE MAN MAKE ONE LAST CALL!
>>291902685Believe in the heart of the cards Baku...
>>291902709Yeah...it's over once you start seeing younger versions of yourself...
>>291902734BAKU HAS "SURPASSED" SCHIZOPHRENIA?!
ARE YOU A GAMBLER ANON???AS FOR ME...___Yes i would say i am___
>>291902763>400+ chapters weekly>just to call gamblers patheticSako was on some good shit
>>291902803OOUUU SHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
>>291902785Still confused what happened between these 2 in the 4th round. They both made an invalid hand and that was it?
FUCKING CINEMA10/10
>>291902825Remember kids, never gamble
Amazing Paneling
>>291902818Stay tuned
>>291902571Everyone is here for this gamble
>>291902763I am a... Jobber!
TELL ME ANON THIS MANGA WAS DRAWN HOW OFTEN?
>>29190294052 times a year
>>291902894>>291902913He really is a basilisk huh
>>291902894>>291902913>>291902940Baku outright sees your soul.
>>291903049Fukurou? Still the GOAT of poker
old man...
>>291903068He still is, this wasn’t traditional poker. He kinda got hosed here, he wanted to play poker and instead they chose this
>>291903132Not so perfect now is he?
>>291903152Unless...
>>291902940is he reaching for his penis?
>>291903215Jesus, he took a hit of that thing?
>>291903181This is what I would've done too.
>>291903215Mad respect for Shion testing it himself
>>291903215Lmao that carry pose, like an 80s action movie poster
>>291903160Kaji got it!
>>291903255Say that again strapped to the witch pain
>>291902940AMATERASU!
Bum Nowa is letting Kaji explain everything because he himself doesn’t know. He flopped at explaining ToK after all
>>291903277I would simply endure the pain and calmly make the same move as Hal here.
>>291903355ToK was just Baki and Baku jobbing to a retardmaxxer.
>>291902913>>291902940Baku's damaged eye showing what Baku wants to see. Then he's disappointed it's not real?I remember Baku didn't want Sadakuni to die calmly and provoked him.
>>291903444He did not overcome the instinctFukurou...the raped
>>291903444The wedge? I removed it.
Even if Fukurou didn’t make the best possible hand for 63, wouldn’t he still beat the 26?
>>291903504If the "omega" is in your mind. Just forget "it"
Probably one of my favorite pages in this arc with everything that leads up to itYou Anons were right this is a 11/10 arc.I wonder if the next one can even come near it
>>291903504>>291903528This is a literal superpower, more insane and advantageous than any other superhuman condition in the series
>>291903528I will refrain from hyping things up, you'll just have to find out.
>>291903475Invalid hands are an auto lose unless the other guy also makes one.
>>291903504GETOUTMYHEADGETOUTMYHEADGETOUTMYHEADGETOUTMYHEADGETOUTMYHEAD
>>291903528He looks ethereal, perfect Souichi is top 1
How did Hal know to do that tho?
>>291903528>Drew the dead by gunshot agony>The dot on his head looks like a gunshot woundPretty kino
>>291903528I know StL is next after this but it feels like the penultimate gamble with how many quality pages there are.
>>291903607Keep reading, Gakuto
>>291903528>execution by shooting>hal has a literaral laser dot on his front>kino
>>291903475I don't think Fukurou can do anything to make 63 beat 26 and 44 beat 25. Best hand or not.Best Fukurou can do is slow the game down with another wrong hand. And hope Lalo reads that signal right.
>>291903622I agree STL has more impressive pages
>>291902554>>291902571You have arrived at schizophrenia
>>291903666D R O W N I N G
>>291902940Air Poker has to have the most OPT-tier spreads and pages per chapter out of the entire Usogui gamble collections, and it isn't just Lalo and Baku making silly faces at each other
>>291903710Fukurou really got dealt the worst agonies.
>>291903622Ideal has been trying to dominate Kakerou and Baku since Hangman. Lalo, is the main villain. StL is a lot more personal, since it’s between Souichi and Baku who have history together
>>291902763Not much of one
>>291902803NOOOOO MY SPPPPPPP
>>291903710Anatomy flex
>>291903730>Both losers drowningPottery
>>291903215Honestly, I would give those things a spin out of morbid curiosity
>>291902913How is there a drop flowing down your face when you're underwater
>>291903723I've actually heard drowning isn't super bad, but that waterboarding really sucks, so maybe the bitch pain version of drowning is just worse than actual drowning.
>>291903787Would you burn your entire face to win a gamble?
>>291902940About the time it takes for 700 incense sticks to burn
>>291903813How can the top side even hear those sounds when the banging was underwater and plenty of feet below them? Baku sure is lucky
>>291902571Honestly my favorite spread from Usogui.
>>291903049>everyone gathering around grandpa nowa to receive his wisdomCute
>>291903850Surely you didn't miss the morse code OP?
>>291903160Manabe isn't even wet from the water anymore, he's just sweating over how intense this game is
>>291903181Guessed it correctly, and I wouldn't be surprised if Fukurou fucked up intentionally as well
>>291903215Best odd couple
>>291903215Not surprised these two got along quick, they are whimsical in their own way
>>291903852As someone with a neighbor that loves to play his stereos with maximum bass, that thumping sound carries super well.
>that srupid fucking convoluted nickname ended up mattering God tier wordplay
>>291903444The wedge was...erased?
>>291903976What the fuck happened to his face? Souichi did not look that boyish in the bookstore arc chapters. He still looked an adult man, now he looks like a 10 year old
>>291903647Not only that but it looks kind of like a hole in that page
>>291904044Evolving art style, please understand.
:)
>>291904044Baku was stealing children's books from children all along
>>291904075:)
>>291903622I honestly forgot for a second that we've got another grand gamble after this, because this just feels like a finale so much
>>291904075>when even the literal superhuman thinks your puzzles and mindgames are bullshit
>>291904075My favorite page of Air Poker, right here.
>>291904075Cute
>>291904075Remember in previous volume ended with baku saying the lines "Hal I will bet on you" and he did gamble his life in hopes that "Hal" will come back
>>291904030Would be embarrassing if he used the 25 for the 4th round
>>291904075Kino friendship
>>291903582>crushed a thick metal plate with his bare handsWhat the fuckOh wait, is it supposed to be metaphorical? Probably is isn't it
I see yes i totally thought of that as well when i read that page...
>>291904075It's fucking kino
>>291904107Cute dynamic
>>291902554Damn now I want to get pissed on...
>>291904137You can read it even earlier, with the sound effects from Baku hitting the table
>>291903787so his face looks like that because he burned it? did we know this already? I thought he just looked weird
>>291904137Why did Baku include the だ?
>>291904137People definitely predicted morse code, but I bet less than 1% of readers thought the code would be related to his name HAL
>>291904189Our RACIST is here.
>>291904179That's how japs add the "it is" part of the sentence.
>>291904165Now i gotta pick up morse code!I would've probably thought about it being a hint if i knew morse code.I will probably start after the storytime finished
>>291904189Billy bros, we’re number 1 in Lalo’s eyes. His truce ace, not Robert Kek or JOBja
>>291904189Billy would've caught on to the hidden message no he wouldn't
>>291904137Seriously though, the group translating Usogui were insanely good at their job. Their job really elevated this manga for us filthy gaijin
>>291904217Baku is breathing slightly faster
>>291904241Duwang is one of the very few reasons I don't consider ALL Chinks to be subhumans like I do with Indians.
>>291903635is his head stretched?
>>291902763 baku being a pathetic manchild thats just really really good at larping isnt something I picked up on until the end of the very end of the manga on my first read, even though its spelled out cosntanrly over and over again. Like the author is litteraly telling you here outright and I didn't understand it, hes just that good
>>291903475Your hand has to add up to 63, the ideal victory for Fukurou here is to endlessly stall by making mistakes assuming Hal keeps doing the same strategy so that Lalo can get his air bios victory. 63 is a very specific high number and there aren't enough cards to slice it difference ways, so Usogui's 25 will always be safe as long as Hal is willing to reserve the 4 of clubs. The topside mental game here is actually pretty fascinating, in theory they can both lose endlessly, in which case Lalo will win by default (more air bios), or Hal will notice Fukurou is actually willing to stall and risk death, avoiding it by actually making a proper hand which will result in Usogui's victory since Lalo GOOMBLED an extra 4. Of course, Usogui invalidates this by folding anyway, though if they actually dueled cards it could be a pretty intense mental game.
>>291904075doesn't this work only if Hal has his memory of meeting young Baku? did Baku predict that Hal would get back his memory?
>>291903688>Fukurou was in either world war 2 or vietnamHOLY ANCIENT
>>291904337Lalo and Billy’s dynamic looking homoerotic here
>>291904319My man Lalo was going into this Ban heavily nerfed
>>291904336He didn't "predict" it. He "bet" on it.
>>291904336In the end of previous volume Baku says "Hal im betting on you" so yes and no. He doesn't predict he hopes.
>>291904336Yep it only works if he remembers. Did he predict it? No he gambled
>>291904396What a gracious loser Lalo is.
>>291903850I love how this is entirely indecipherable without a childhood inside joke between a terminal brained-gambler and an amnesiac nepo baby
>>291904396Swell dude recognizing he lost
>>291904364Yeah he got a really big hit after Billys death.Billy is no gambler but i think he would've understood air poker as well with how quick he knew that Usogui is playing NIM.
>>291904423Yeah Lalo's a good guy.
>>291904444>quads of death
>>291904444Billy is more dangerous than Lalo, he’s just as smart but is also a physical monster. He’s like a slightly lesser perfect Souichi.
>>291904336Usogui's gamble and efforts would be fruitless if he can't gain Hal back through gambling. Please understanderu... muh brotherly love can only be attained through the ritual combat called gambling Usogui legitimately thinks this by the way, the same way he won Kaji as an ally instead of telling his mother to fuck off permanently because Kaji is his own man
>>291904483I dunno, I think Billy going insane the moment he falls asleep sort of puts him below Hachina.
>>291904137>>291904075>「――HAL 〝36〟だ」Something to note is that the Japanese have their own version of the morse code. Baku here is deliberately using the international version and conveying "HAL36DA" instead of "ha-ru-san-roku-da" to give him a hint because, you know, IBM and such.
>>291904267>and I lost my styleWhy his style just picking random cards?
>>291904531DROWN WITH ME YOU CRAZY DIAMOND!
>>291904531Uhhh are diamonds a euphemism for something else?
>>291904531Diamonds... ARE UNBREAKABLE!>BREAKDOWN BREAKDOWN
>>291904267>Well, I'm not interested anymore nowLalo really has a one-track mind huh
>>291904531Even with the table bolted to ground he still finds a way to flip it
>>291904557REFEREEEE REEEEEEE SAVE BAKU RIGHT FUCKING NOOOOOOOW!
>>291904107awnntt
Bruhhh...A true diamond Shizo to the end.Still one of my favorite antagonists in media
>>291904505Imagine perfect Billy who could control his goblin mode though
>>291904364>Lalo enters a gamble>He squanders his men and resources>Somehow this triggers Usogui to enter a gamble>Lalo enters a gamble again
>>291904600Yeah that would explain why he went apeshit over Arata handling his diamonds
>>291904557Do something Marco!Huh?
>>291904600Battleship happened immediately after ToK, how the fuck did someone grab Billy’s body and turn him into diamonds so quickly?
>>291904337>He kept the diamonds with him like a fucking goblinoShouldn't this be an illegal move?
>>291904600>panel 4I see. Baku swam closer because he really wanted to kick Lalo in the head.
>>291902763I only gamble on gacha games.
>>291904423>>291904531HOWEVER>>291904600Usogui's average opponent being some warped psychopath or inhuman is quite kek worthy
Kinda wanna finish on this chapter but i saw what the name of chapter 468 is...So i wont extent 6 chapters only reason i do it is if i'm really am hocked and cant stop which hasn't really happend yet but it was closeSo 5 or 6 chapters today?Anons can decide
>>291903796Probably is, just like how burning to death was a worse version of actually burning to death since you don't pass out
>>2919046756 chapters
>>2919046755 because I'm evil
>>291904675>billy’s diamonds already disregardedLol, and he was his right hand man.
>>291904513>Baku actually feeling slightly sorry for Lalo here
>>291902571He's goombling
>>291904675OP-san... you know what to do.GO ALL THE WAYDAMASHI MORE OXYGEN BAKUWe should gamble on it
>>291904711He literally says that right now he wants Baku(forma bling bling) here >>291904531
>>2919046756
6 chapters it is!
>>291903444>just forget it
>>291902734>>291902763Madarame Baku is a Gambler.
>>291904778>Lalo's behavior is against the rules>Nuh uh, says the other refereeKekarou really cannot be trusted
>>291904812Having two refs for one gamble has always been dumb. Literally every single case of that in the manga had at least one of them being overtly biased.
>>291903160Fukurou closed his eyes and missed the omen.
>>291903215Makes sense that they had to test that thing. Jesus.
Nowa...
>>291904933>I am going to stop him!>...As I cannot swimHahaha
can't Baku just kick Lalo's hand or hit it with a Bios? the gamble is over, violence can be used again
>>291904851>The referees of this battleTechnically, didn't the battle end already?
>>291904933Lmao I love this guy
>>291904959He tried kicking but you know how he is, feeble Baku.
>>291904933This adult man can't swim...
>>291904959Baku couldn’t win a fight against a little girl, let alone an adult.
>>291904959It's very hard to do that underwater, and Baku is kinda weak
>>291904933>referees are meant to be the elite of the elite physically >this guy can’t swim
GOT EM!
>>291904531h-hot
>>291905051AIEE THE SPICY AIR-LESS BIOS TRICK
>>291903852Water carries certain sounds very well, although I don't know if hitting the table is one of them
>>291905051UH OH LALO-BROS WE GOT TOO COCKY
>>291902877>>291902734There's no 44 on a roulette wheel after all>>291904075awww>>291904241Absolutely goated, no question>>291905051GOTCHA BITCH
>>291905009Manabe already showing off as a ref, good thing Tatsuki recruited him
>>291904959it's never easy to win against someone with nothing to lose
>>291904075>Baku's nicknames are so fucking shit they made Hal cry
>>291905051I think Lalo is getting the best head of the rest of his life right now
>>291905051>I'm a genius>Oh no
>>291903773People suffer long lasting PTSD just from traumatically losing a finger or something. Your 'morbid curiosity' would most likely lead to you waking up screaming from the agony of having all your limbs ripped off every night for the rest of your life. Bad idea.
That's it for the first half Volume 43!Thanks for reading and dont be a liar anon or Nowa Jr. will challenge you in a Swimming gamble!See you tomorrow for the second half of Volume 43!
>>291905101Baku really drove the wedge deep with his unorthodox ways.
>>291904336That's what makes it a gamble.
>>291903925How could he possibly expect Hal's memory to come back though?
>>291905076Baku isn't a nice person...
>>291905076Sadakuni got treated with more dignity than this holy shit Baku hates every atom in his body
>>291905126Thanks OP, Baku really wanted this dude dead
>>291905126Thanke OP, the real Air Poker will end tomorrow.
*drinks grape juice*Baku.... is a gambler....
>>291904075>baku this shit is so ass
>>291905151His ally is responsible for Kyara’s death and his other ones threatened Kaji’s life. Baku does care about his comrades at least. Plus, Lalo is getting in the way with his personal battle with Hal for StL
>>291905140Non-spoiler: He wants to believe in his friend!!Spoiler: He's also testing how much Hachina can remember for the next gamble.
>>291905196Lalo stealing the 50B and forcing Souichi to commit to the ban ended up working in Baku’s favor though since it allowed him to do follow through on the leap second plan
>>291905126NOOOOO POST MORE REEEEEEE>>291905151Kyara's death probably made everything extremely personal, but no doubt Baku was beyond livid at the endless tableflipping as a somewhat honest gamer
>>291904241For any grammatical failings they might have they make up for it in passion
>>291905126AAAAAAGHGHH DAMN YOU OP I WANT TO KEEP READING
>>291905076Lalo was a pretty cool guy in the end i doesn't care what baki says
>>291904562I mean he's going to fucking die, wondering about "why" isn't really imperative
>>291905076He fucking baited him just to let him know he actually didn't save jack shit and that he misread him. Goddamn what a sadist.
>>291904319Voja the neglected
>>291903215And Fukurou and Hal tanked this multiple times?
>>291905392Only Fukurou, Hal erased his memories of it, the sly cheat.
>>291905392Nowa looking like an easily replaceable ref
>>291903215>
So what were the worst witch pains?There was dismemberment, burning, shooting, stabbing (?) and suffocation.
>>291905410He survived dismemberment and impalement. He erased his memories for the gunshot
>>291903850>Translator's note: Hal is Japanese for "Hal".
>Vincent Lalo enters a gamble>His precious diamonds are at stake>the game is air poker>the opponent is cheating, he is clearly using telepathy!>Vincent loses a round, our antagonist is in BIG trouble!>Yet he doesn't move...>Nowa Jr. is astonished by his calmness>"100 SP for Lalo!">Vincent Lalo suddenly gets a lot more warped>*ahem*>*You have to grab the knife by the handle*>"Only i can understand the true beauty of a body pressed together by tons of Newtons of Force!">darkness shot of his face, spiral eyes and ruptured mouth>cut to his opponent Anus getting wet...>"the winner is decided....>....by the difference between what they won and lost">this triggers bai long to have a flashback to his divorce>this in turn triggers yakkou to have a 10 page fight where he nearly gets eaten by a shadow dragon>a dark silhouette appears in the distance, looking at the Gamble!>"The real Air Poker... starts now">this is all merely a trick just try to choke Usogui and have a new diamond in his collection>Vincent Lalo enters a gamble
>>291905448That's incorrect. He was incapable of losing on purpose with the memory of the previous two agonies intact, so he chose to forget them.
>>291904641There was a little lapse, remember Hal was hanging out in Gackt's apartment helping him for a while
>>291904933>tfw this is a chekhov's
>>291905434>stabbingImpalement by multiple spears, precisely
>>291904600Kojima traced this
>>291905434Burning to death is by far the worse. Fukurou got the short end of the stick.
>>291905126>face to face with Lalonext chapter: Lalo reaches out and grabs Baku's air supply. Shion kicks Manabe into the water.
I... Jobbed...
So does Lalo has his diamond making machine with him all the time?Or does he send the dead bodies back to america turn them into diamonds and fly them to where he is…Because i think using something like that needs a lot of space to create so much pressure
>>291902571Did he ever met Amen before?
>>291904558Well, have you heard of a manga called Adamasu no Majotachi?
>>291902763Sometimes.
>>291902803LALOBROS, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!
>>291905124Witch pain reminds me of snuff braindances in Cyberpunk, maybe we will eventually evolve to tank them.
>>291904642Maybe they let him have it now that he's dying?
>>291903215Oh, I suppose they do need to test if those things are still working.
>>291904531>is that an upright table I see?
>>291904600I'm not sure you could make one diamond that size with Billy's body, let alone a whole box
>>291903393What about giga masochists? They'd gladly strap the damn thing on, no?
>>291904778Where's the judge when you need him?
>>291905392Fukurou got dealt the worst pains too
last thing lalo saw
>>291904175He mentions early on his face was ravaged by diseaseMaybe he was lying then, maybe now. Maybe Sako forgot (I doubt this but it happens).
>>291906002Probably looking for leader...I mean no one outside of the refs for the ban know he's there.
>>291905434Burning + Drowning
>>291904963I think it only formally ends when one of them drowns.
>>291906023He said now that he burnt his face to pretend to be ill, so it's likely a lie back then. He was putting on a jobber act that whole match anyways
>>291904933>nowa let his daughter marry a guy who can't swim
I don’t get how Hal saved the cards by making a mistake
>>291906074He intentionally built a shit hand that didn't even fulfill the number requirement, guess picking the wrong cards still discards them from the deck.
>>291905064Kek
>>291905051>AAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
>>291905076Baku don't talk underwater, you'll run out of air
>>291906074If Hal made the hand like normal, he would use up both remaining 4s. So instead he made the hand continuously using a 4 that's already been used saving the last 4. He could've potentially not made a hand at all or used some other 2 cards as filler for the 4s, but that may have tipped his hand too much.Fukurou messing up was fortuitous for his side as it gave him the only chance/clue that something was going on. That Hal gave an invalid hand twice in a row was the point which he realized he fucked up. His only chance at that moment was to block an invisible straight flush he could only theorize. But being able to act on that unfathomable plan which only makes sense if you know Usogui's plan is nearly impossible.
>>291905126Thanks OP
>>291903635Counting the cards' value, maybe?
>>291904137B-bakana!
>>291904531>OOOOOOHHHHHH I'M FLEEEEEEEEEPING!
>>291904719>Referee Nowa, I have a different point of view than youThis line is so funny to me for some reason, even when I first read it I thought it was funny
>>291904600Huh, he was absolutely seething when Baku kicked the box.
How did Manabe instantly shoot up into being a high tier ref
>>291904562Consistent with his behaviour after the kaiser gamble. He immediately lost interest in the gamble itself after realizing he lost and just focused on fucking shit up as much as possible, same as he's doing now by grabbing Baku's leg
>>291904719Can you stop arguing and help the guy out already?
>leader went from the most boring to the best character in a single arc
>>291906444It's funny to me too, especially if you consider that he's yelling it out.It's like>I implore you to reconsider!
>>291903215We are...aliens...come to invade the Earth...
>>291904933>as I cannot swim...Really nigga?
>>291905064KEK
>>291906467I would say he's the strongest one of all of them at this point in time
>>291906596I'm 40 and cant swimWhats wrong with it
>>291906732Is that you Sonic?
>>291906732Jack...
>>291906815No>>291906823No either.And Jack-san must be an avid swimmer since he's a big fan of watersports
>>291906732You're always one spilled glass of water away from death
>>291904562Yeah that's his biggest strength. He doesn't waste time in rage and anguish, just reflect on how he lost then moved on to the next plan.
>>291906732You're brown, that's what's wrong.
>>291906911>and Jack-san must be an avid swimmer since he's a big fan of watersportsThe best that ever was...
>>291904933I wish we got more Shion, he's so fucking good.
>>291905126>baiting anons with the promise of 6 chapters dump today>didn't actually do itAbsolutely devilish.
>>291904075>>291904107Oh god the tears are back
>>291907222Is that Sako's twitter?If so, I genuflect
>>291904336The entire point of the Prince Bee arc was to establish that Baku was pursuing the conditions for StL so he could sit on his ass, wait for Souichi to reach Hal levels of memory loss, then try to jog his memory by reenacting their bookstore gamble and beyond. That crazy sonofabitch cared about his best friend so much he was even willing to bet his life on Hal coming back from the dead, and that right there is friendship fucking kino
>>291898103big spoilerswhat makes STL unique is the fact that it's to total reverse of every other gamble. Usually Usogui has to figure out the opponent's advantage and exploit what he can. But not in STL. In STL, once you think about it, Usogui has advantage over EVERYTHING. I love Souchi's behavior through all STL. Because he's playing the role Usogui usually plays.spoiler]
>>291906163>>291906074Hal being able to TANK that agony again was outside of Fukurou's prediction entirely, it's simply inhuman
>>291903444>have a problem>forget about it>have no problemLife is literally that easy
>>291907434 I actually prefer to think about how they swap back and forth from the underdog position because even though Hal is clearly augmented, Usogui is just THAT oppressive
>>291907341Nah, just some nip's joke. Someone did ask Sako on it
>>291904603Top tier intelligence combined with the pinnacle of superhuman strength? At that point Caracals gambling aversion doesn't even matter, he'd just smash whatever he should need to bet on
>>291905140My cope is that even if he didn't bet on exactly that thing happening, he had confidence that if he gave Hal enough information he'd find some way to win. In reality I do think Air Poker's solution, while very cool and dramatic, isn't the most satisfying. I think Protoporos is the one arc in Usogui that gets slightly worse the more you think about it.
>>291906467He had a severe case of order autism even before joining Kakerou
>>291905140He knows Souichi memories got reset to when he still uses the bookstore and constantly call him Hal. For what it's worth the morse code message also has exactly 25 taps and used the latin version to drive home the IBM thing.It's not a sure thing, but that's why it's a gamble
>>291907666Billy himself doesnt seem like a violent guyHe's always trying to talk things throughIts the damn yobo monkeys that keep touching him and messing with his spork that makes him violent.That and the whole sleep thing
>>291902533The bottom left would be a perfect Bog
>>291902803Fucking SPlets, when will they learn?>>291902940At a rate of around 0.0833 per hour
>>291902571Even more Psycho Doughboy
>>291904075absurdly satisfying payoff for the Prince Bee flashback.
>>291904444>Billy is no gambler but i think he would've understood air pokerFor sure.Billy being there would change everything.
>>291909095Why wouldn't you name it "Air Sporker"...
I don't want it to end...
>>291904958Windowlicker
>>291902857Thanks, Billy
>>291909165pronouncing "spork" mentally everytime I read it is just too satisfying
>>291909095in this timeline, Marco is dead, so he doesn't get any big moment during Protoporos, could you imagine it?!
>>291909560Listen.Protoporos ironically could have benefitted from being longer. It didn't feel rushed or anything, but it was a great chance to give Lalo some much needed character moments, and Marco should have gotten a fight too.But Sako has common sense, unlike someone like Togashi who drops everything to have side characters embark on a gigantic side arc that has nothing to do with anything else which has no end in sight, and so he knew he had to move on and move the story forward. It's a common sense approach to storytelling.
>>291904267Lalo played 99% percfectly. He had no chance tot guess the depth between Baku and Hal, and not him not Fukurou could have decoded the message, that's not on him. His only mistake was to stop playing like he had played all game long and starting to gamble against a gambler. He should have played by his rules until the end.
>>291904488What if Baku didn't know how to swim at all? Would the referees step in at some point, or would they just watch Baku awkwardly flail around trying to swim upwards until he drowns right after Lalo does?>Yeah, Baku won this underwater death match we set up and oversaw, but him not knowing how to swim can only be deemed as nothing more than the mistake of the winner.
>>291902763>Leave your fate to pure chance>Finally recognize that Gambler is pathetic
>>291909629I think Lalo could have gotten a glazing match like Hal's coin pushing game, probably to explain how he dominated his kingdom, but honestly I think we got enough from him outscheming Arata and cornering Baku to rely on his bonds with Hal in both the kaiser war and air poker.
>>291909776There's just so much potential in showing how Lalo climbed the ranks of Protoporos. He honestly could have just showed his first two days on the island where he immediately becomes citizen. It could have been amazing. Honestly some of the biggest wasted potential in the manga
>>291904240Billy would've tanked the witch pain as much as needed going by the incident in the prison
>>291909629I get your point. and I get that Sako delivers so much that he deserves the benefit of the doubt. But I really think a fight lasting 2 chapters (heck, even 1 chapter and a half) would change the way people feel about Sako's handling of Marcos in Protoporos completely. Midara vs Torpe lasts like 10 pages and Midara fans eat it up. readers are not really that hard to please once they're invested and the overall story is good. I honestly believe this was a rare instance of Sako getting too cocky with an unusual decision, and fans joking about it is a pretty tame reaction to such a decision
>>291904290I don't think the manga really validates any of the mindsets, gamblers are only pathetic because they accept they'll lose.
>>291909804Yeah but on the other hand I love how tight the pacing of the Baku gang's progress in the war is. A supplemental spinoff on Fukurou and Lalo's side could be neat though
>>291910116Or maybe just focus less on the developers. Honestly the most boring part of Protoporos
I wonder how this game would've gone if the cards were changed. I think Baku would still win, maybe easier than before.>>291903850>Lalo thought it was mnemonic instead of morse code when Baku was doing thatBaku is really good at bluffing
>>291908843Shame what happened to invader zim
There's a lot of potential spinoffs, but they will sadly never be.>Lalo and Ideal prequel adventures>Feudal Japan Kakerou games>everything surrounding Baku's first StL game>Hunting the rest of Ideal's targets>Baku's 100 ref interviews/gamble stories
>>291910363Or Baku's past in general. We actually know very little about him. What kind of environment did he grow up in? How did he get to be Usogui?
>>291909703If he took a deep breathe of air (and maybe took his clothes off), then he'd probably just float to the top.
>>291909703Then he should subject before the match
>>291909703>The referees then find that Baku had already made all the preparations for a posthumous attempt at surpassing the leader
>>291903528The next arc is even better, Anon, trust us
>>291904075kino
>>291905051>>291905064Here ya go anon.
>>291902571And no one hears a word they sayHas the memory gone? Are you feeling numb?Not a word they sayBut a voiceless crowd isn't backing down
>>291910442I do enjoy how Baku and Lalo have almost no backstories at all in contrast to their main allies and Kakerou. Despite bringing chaos and change to many people we barely know shit about them, also it's funny seeing how they have a blood feud after knowing each other for just over 3 weeks.Also for Baku, his "development" in the manga is slowly learning more about him, so it's neat how the manga culminates in seeing how he'd react to straight up losing and the epilogue ends in a hint into his past
>>291911731i didn't think about it until now that lalo has pretty much no backstory yet he's still a fun character
>>291904468The winner takes it allThe loser standing smallBeside the victoryThat's his destiny
>>291909629>But Sako has common sense, unlike someone like Togashi who drops everything to have side characters embark on a gigantic side arc that has nothing to do with anything else which has no end in sightLike the Succession wars arc?
>>291905126This page alone is the one that made me read usogui in the first place (alongside a couple more posted in the arc) all the way back in june.I have to admit, this did not disapoint at fucking all.
Just wanted to say SMT4's ost has been a perfect fit for reading Air Pocker.Has that (metem)psychotic feel that perfectly encapsulates how i imagine a gamble between two unhinged geniuses would sound like.https://youtu.be/VZIXqXKiZ7I?list=PLNUCb-AGXXGwiqjnq4zk0W9WNgkwwRWw2
>>291911914Yeah, for all we knew Baku and Lalo might as well be 2 demons from hell, just like how many people saw them in-universe.
>>291905140As amazing as the climax was, I don't think Baku could have really predicted that Hal would suddenly get his memory back at this exact moment. A quick google says it's not impossible, but it's still way too risky and unlikely to rely on it for a gamble, so I would say this part of Air Poker isn't perfect, and more of a miracle than a gamble.
>>291912175That’s what makes it a gamble, he’s betting on Hal remembering their friendship
>>291912009Yes that's what I was alluding to
>>291910442>>291911731The fact that we know very little about Usogui's past adds to the mystery of who he is and what he wants. At the start of the story he is an enigmatic gambler who wins with his brilliant skills. Many characters are bewitched by the devilish charm of the Lie Eater, and so too are the readers. No one understands the true depth of his plans, and his thoughts are rarely shown until he starts getting really pressured during Protoporos.But through the course of the story it slowly becomes clear that he's a pretty simple person. Baku is just a guy who loves gambling and he's good at it, and he also likes his friends.
From 3 hours ago
>>291904933Oh hell nah who let this guy be a referee
>>291905051>AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>>291902490Cool continuation of the previous 2 covers.
>>291902616Is that really Marco? I'm not sure.
>>291902571What does this mean?
>>291902734>>291902763BakuisagamblerLove these pages, this is what Baku is all about in the deepest part of himself.Also to me, the slicked back hair is the look of Baku's Usogui persona, like if there was an Usogui fighting game the fluffy hair version would be called "Baku" and the slicked back hair version would be called "Usogui".
>>291902877Cool-
"We" will "gamble" our "sanity" by "feeding" on the "nutritious" batch on this right "timing" when the "guru" will "huisheng" the weekly "Gu ritual" upon all of "me"! Over and out, me.Help me
>>291903437Hm I thought Baku looked into Lalo's mind but that's also a valid read.
>>291902940Handsome.>>291903210lol
>>291903049>>291903068Ye could Fukurou have done anything if he knew what was up? I don't think so.
>>291903215At least Shion tested it.
>>291906583yo
>>291907458lol
>>291903652>>291904315Hm true. There were ways Fukurou could try to win, which could lead into a 50/50 with Hal. Cool.
>>291903528Awesome page.>arcProtoporos arc as a whole or the Air Poker gamble? I rate the gambles separately but Protoporos as one entire arc.
>>291913811Anon... You're jobbing to madness...
>>291903622This is the penultimate gamble.pen·ul·ti·mate[pɪˈnʌltɪmət]adjectivelast but one in a series of things; second last:"the penultimate chapter of the book"
>>291903647>>291903616>>291904061True.
>>291903688that's crazy. Probably the best two panel backstory.It's a bit funny cause it's like Fukurou realized he lost and has to speedrun his backstory kek>>291904355Well he wasn't in the war but yeah he was born around then.
>>291903787That's also crazy. Yeah just give yourself permanent injuries to win one match.>>291906023I think that was the lie, a long running-bluff you could say. Reminds me of how the Joker changes the story about his scars, when he probably just made them himself.
>>291903850That's good. I want to add, with this >>291903756 page in mind, Hal could confirm that 36 was unlikely.
>>291904075Man :,
>>291904107He just wants to help his friend despite him being a terminal gambler, prey of Kakerou.
>>291904241Yep.>>291904189I remember this scene, one of my favorites.
>>291909642Lalo fell into Baku's fake-fake air-bios trap. Had Lalo folded, he would have won.
>>291904319True.
>>291904468Moving the air-bios?
>>291912441Yeah. In this regard I think Lalo work as the real deal to Baku's facade. He's exactly the amoral, devilish genius who see others as mere objects that people initially regard Baku as. I think it's partly why Baku wanted to expose his emotions
>>291904531Insert that mother holding baby in the water meme with Baku as the baby and Voja as the skeleton underwater.
>>291906396>>291904566kek
>>291904600Woah that was quick. Ideal picked up the Billy's body and turned him into diamonds in like... 2 days at most?>>291904641Yeah exactly.
>>291904808>>291904830Ohhhhh snap. I wouldn't even have guessed, this gamble has layers.
>>291904933>I am going to stop him.>...>Would you please go for me?lol
>>291905030Triple layered trap wtf>>291905051Imagine taking a breath and expecting air, only to find suffocating emptiness. ugh>>291905076Yeah Baku hates Lalo doesn't he.
>>291914188Yeah, that isn't possible either.Making memorial diamonds is a very lengthy process, purifying the carbon alone takes a couple of weeks and that's the shortest part.
>>291905126I'm almost certain this line was used before somewhere.Thanks OP.
>>291908209>the morse code message also has exactly 25 tapsOh that's neat.>>291905140Yeah I wonder too.
>>291909642Lalo didn't even notice the morse code message when Baku did it right in front of him, he should have at least caught that. Still, it's fitting and ironic that Lalo was wary of overthinking the whole time and then loses by overthinking Baku's bluff.
>>291905486decent>>291906017Oh that's good. Even Warrior Baku is there.
>>291907222kek
>>291907401Hm I guess so.
>>291909703They would let him drown.If Baku is stupid enough to not have a rule included that would let him live despite not knowing how to swim then he deserves to drown.
>>291912776F
>>291912070This.>>291912441>>291914148That's true as well.
Tomorrow is the end of the Protoporos arc right?
>>291911657Hehehehehhe
>>291911657KEK
>>291913933Protoporos and Air Poker are definitely not the same. If they were movies, they'd have different directors. Pacing, artistic priorities, dialogue style...Even the other one-on-one gambles in Protoporos are delivered in a completely different way. Air Poker is a return to the larger panels, lots-of-spreads style of ToK and Battleship, compared to the more utiliarian, smaller panels, lots of information crammed in each page style of Protoporos.
>>291915264>>291902490your response?
>>291903277not that anon, but the thing about the witch pain is that it's not permanent. yea it's absolutely mindbreaking and either side would be right in wanting to avoid it at all costs, but ultimately from a purely pragmatic (or dare I say gambler's perspective) the with pain doesn't actually do anything permanent but winning or losing the game is permanent if that makes sense
>>291915264its such a shame this manga will never get an anime adaptation
>>291914339>Lalo was wary of overthinking the whole time and then loses by overthinking Baku's bluff.I think it's more more like Lalo projecting. The point is not Usogui breaking the gauge and Lalo noticing. The point is that Lalo noticed it and at some point he decided Baku could keep some spare air just out of spite. OG Lalo would immediately go "and so? who cares, it's irrelevant. Completely irrelevant. I am the one who decides how the game goes" and he would win. Doubt Lalo instead goes the opposite of what he did all match long, without considering that Baku has spent rounds and rounds thinking more than him. At this point, if you're him, you KNOW you are at disadvantage: you know Baku spent more rounds thinking, while you deliberately did not (and not because you're stupid, but because you decided not wasting oxygen out as active part of the strategy) And you also know Baku is probably smarter than you, since he figures out the Law on his own, unlike you.The big mistake was assuming Baku all game long was doing like Lalo and trying to spare some oxygen here and there. That's textbook projecting, because every evidence in front of Lalo's face said Baku was doing the opposite.Baku's real genius move was cutting his own finger before the match.
>>291912776:(
>>291911657Fucking kino. I considered doing the edit myself but I couldn't have gotten it looking anywhere near that good
Every time I read Protoporos I read it as protoPOROS
>>291918498That’s a good thing, it would be a mediocre looking slideshow. None of the pages would hit the same. You think any studio would manage to capture the weight and art style of a page like this?>>291903528This is just one of hundreds, it would be exactly like the OVA
>>291903393The page when it's made clear Hal and Baku gamble the same way. No other gambler in the series truly reasons like them.
>>291904851>>291905076It's so refreshing how much these two hate each other
>>291919149Lalo probably still admired more than hated Baku until the very end.
So just to make it clear.... Baku won air poker by winning a Grand total of 2 rounds? Kino
>>291911657Truly we've been blessed with OC this storytime
>>291911731Usogui had a straight up blood feud with Lalo from the start before even knowing him, if you remember the pin in the chair trick
>>291917291Editors had to put a limit to Sako's self-indulgent marketing choices or shit would start to get too confusing (Usogui 43, Protoporos XIII, Air Poker IV)....
I love how everytime Baku does his high IQ bullshit he also becomes absurdly handsome >>291903215The way he carries him is so fucking cool wtf. Almost everyone in this manga is just cool as fuck one way or another
>>291918916Yeah. I really liked this parallel
>>291903850kinoI literally screamed like a girl first time I understood
>>291915264Air Poker is only about the length of maybe 1/3rd of Protoporos since it's essentially two gambles running concurrently and has a lot of introspective elements and setups for the future. Protoporos would be more like a movie trilogy like with Heaven's Feel with Air Poker being essentially a high quality OVA epilogue to Protoporos. It follows the general themes and style of protoporos and the protoporos death gambles, but it also transitions back towards traditional gambling
>>291881900the lack of symmetry in the original page really annoys me
>>291881900I AM THE ONE WHO BREATHES
I have nothing to do right now and kinda dont wanna wait half a hour to dump sooo...Im gonna start the next thread>>291923889
>>291923925Nice
>>291902496what a smile
>>291902530neither kyara nor marco are here though
>>291902763i'm the worst kind of gambleri play gacha f2p
>>291917855>not permanentlollmaoptsd would cripple you
>>291902763tch... what a pathetic gambler
>>291903688getting crushed by titties is not a bad way to go
>>291925352Unforgivable, death sentence
>>291925627fair enough
