u/OddNefariousness1199

I’ve seen people argue that because Daniel was dominant in this fight and stated, “Nothing is holding me back,” his adjustment mechanic must no longer have been active. But that conclusion ignores the distinction between being conscious while in UI and actually controlling UI.

Daniel was never previously conscious while in UI, so treating that statement as definitive proof that the adjustment mechanic disappeared is questionable—especially when Gun and PTJ have established that Daniel’s subconsciousness is what allows his normal restraints to be removed while in UI. The adjustment mechanic is what prevents UI Daniel from simply using his maximum level of strength against every opponent.
If base Daniel is already stronger than Vasco, then why would a Daniel who is supposedly using half of UI’s power with zero adjustment whatsoever not completely overwhelm both Vasco and Jay? That interpretation creates an obvious inconsistency.

Daniel repeatedly states that he is not in control of his body, which indicates that UI is still controlling his actions. He is simply conscious enough to understand what he is doing. It was never stated that the adjustment mechanic completely disappeared during this state. In fact, Daniel only regained actual control over himself after biting his tongue. That strongly suggests the adjustment mechanic remained active throughout his fight with Vasco and Jay.

The same logic applies to the argument that UI Daniel “reached his limit” against TUI Gun. If people claim that UI Daniel can reach a limit against Gun, then suddenly argue that a partially conscious UI Daniel with supposedly no adjustment whatsoever wouldn’t instantly one-shot Vasco and Jay, they need to explain that contradiction.
Otherwise, we would have to apply the same logic to Daniel’s previous fights. Jake, Samuel, Johan, Jerry, and Warren were all able to last against UI Daniel for a considerable amount of time. Does that mean Daniel simply wasn’t adjusting his level against any of them? Obviously, that interpretation doesn’t make much sense when the adjustment mechanic has already been established as part of how UI Daniel fights.

Then when asked to provide proof you get insulted and calling straw-manning or the source of your proof is mistranslated once again I don’t mind being wrong but insulting because you can’t provide actual prove to back your statement and and cherry picking specific dialogues is pathetic

I could see them making this Thor looking guy a mage SP and honestly I wouldn’t even be mad in the slightest if they implemented him correctly with his skills and totems and honestly a literally god as a mage SP would be so lit

Titan is so busted with the right build I’m only 1k power below this guy and my titan dominated the whole game

Just want to know if there is anything I can fix or change around I use the launch pads whenever I get that boss I have pryo because I just finished a coop

I had on king titan and he was holding it down till the very end I can’t do that now because I finally got him to level 20 and the more king titans you have on the field the main king titan gets a 10% final damage boost which isn’t bad at all

We can make a reasonable guess about James’ path by looking at the pattern behind every other path we’ve seen—they all stem from the user’s dominant trait or ability.

Daniel’s path revolves around his heightened senses. Johan’s and Jinyoung’s both originate from copying, but they evolve differently: Johan developed Infinite Arcs, while Jinyoung’s Apex Copy combines the copies in his arsenal into a single application making it more suitable for his own body. Gun’s and Kitae’s paths appear to focus on their bodies, fitting two of the most durable characters in the series.

So what is James primarily known for? His overwhelming speed and flawless technique. That’s why I think his path is most likely centered around those two traits. Rather than being overly complex, I believe it combines something similar to Bullet Time with OVT—using his speed to accelerate his perception while relying on his technique to redirect an opponent’s own power against them.

If that’s the case, James’ and kitaes path could naturally counter each other . Assuming my theory about Kitae’s path is correct and it functions similarly to Vegeta’s Ultra Ego, James continuously redirecting or reflecting damage would only make Kitae stronger, creating a constant stalemate between a fighter who can’t be hit and one who grows stronger the more he’s hit. And if I’m not mistaken paths seem to have a passive ability as well so maybe James path passive could also have something to do with misdirection because we have seen tom question how did he miss James vital point and that was well before James used his path and his ear drums where still damaged.

Do these skins stack or is it based on the one you have selected at the time? Unsure so just wanted to ask

I’ve seen this argument repeated countless times, and at this point I don’t think it’s a reliable way to scale Kitae anymore.

The main piece of evidence people rely on is Kitae’s statement that he wanted to “test his limits,” and almost everyone automatically assumes he was referring to his physical strength. However, the context of the scene suggests otherwise. The panels indicate he was testing who could endure longer before one of them went down—not who could output the greatest amount of physical power.

Kitae is already familiar with UI, and even Changsu was able to recognize that someone in UI possesses seemingly limitless stamina and feels no pain. With that in mind, why would Kitae use UI Daniel as a benchmark for his own physical strength? If my theory about Kitae’s Path is correct—that it either significantly reduces incoming damage or allows him to ignore it altogether—then the comparison makes even less sense. If both fighters possess abilities that drastically improve their endurance, the “limits” being tested are far more likely to be their ability to outlast one another rather than their maximum striking power.

The idea that Kitae possesses limitless strength also creates a major narrative contradiction. James Lee has repeatedly been portrayed as Kitae’s equal and rival, both narratively and in terms of overall strength. James himself states that he had already reached his peak, so claiming that Kitae’s strength is limitless doesn’t fit with that portrayal. I think people have taken one line of dialogue and interpreted it without considering the surrounding context.

This interpretation is further supported by what Kitae tells Daniel afterward: “The only thing I’ve learned is your limits.” That statement aligns much more with him evaluating Daniel’s endurance and capabilities than discovering the upper limit of his own strength.

Another claim I disagree with is that Kitae was holding back against Jinyoung and UI Daniel. The story doesn’t really support that conclusion. After both encounters, Kitae immediately attempted to kill them. He explicitly states that he had no reason to keep Daniel alive, then throws a punch powerful enough to shatter a cement pillar while aiming directly for Daniel’s head. That’s not the behavior of someone intentionally restraining himself.

I’ve also seen people argue that because Kitae didn’t use Strength or Endurance Mastery, he must have been holding back. That reasoning doesn’t make much sense either. Paths are consistently portrayed as superior to Masteries, so why would he intentionally switch to an inferior ability against opponents he fully intended to kill?
We’ve already seen Kitae has no issue killing people when necessary. Jinrang is a perfect example. James wanted Jinrang brought in alive, yet Kitae immediately incapacitated him with a single blow and likely would have killed him if Jinrang’s ally hadn’t intervened and taken the axe strike instead.

My interpretation is that Kitae fought both UI Daniel and Path Jinyoung at the highest level he could access in his base state, and activating his Path elevated him to an entirely different level. That explanation is far more consistent with what the story shows than the claim that he was holding back against two opponents he intended to eliminate from the very beginning. Changsu was basically telling Kitae to use the weakness against Daniel yet Kitae basically said nah imma slug it out until the end. Daniel has never had an issue adjusting to the stats of someone so why would he with Kitae? His body was breaking down due to copying SB UI Daniel’s techniques not kitaes stats

The drone and ballon guys are literally screwing over my runs the drones are in invulnerable and invisible and are suppose to lose invulnerability within two tiles of the base yet they never lose it. I have sea king and Annie taunting them, and its supposed to get rid of the invisibility effect and invincibility effect and it does nothing I’m not sure if this is a bug but having enemies be bullet sponges and not working the way they are intended to is starting to get highly annoying with this game

I’ve been genuinely curious to hear people’s thoughts on this.

If Jinyoung had awakened his Path after Gapryong’s death, and neither James nor Kitae knew about it beforehand, do you think the outcome of HFW would’ve been different?

More specifically, do you think a Path-mastered Jinyoung would’ve been strong enough to permanently defeat Kitae during their confrontation?

For the sake of this discussion, let’s assume Jinyoung had fully mastered his Path before losing his sanity. With that in mind, do you think spending so many years in his unstable mental state would have weakened or affected his Path in any meaningful way?(his insanity caused for him not to be able to access his path that’s why James and Kitae wouldn’t know about it)

These two panels appear to contradict each other.
Based on the information we’ve been given, a character cannot awaken a Mastery without first reaching their physical or mental limit and overcoming that wall. That is the established requirement for obtaining a Mastery. Because of that, I don’t understand the argument from some Kitae fans that his strength is “limitless” or that he has never displayed his full power.

PTJ explicitly shows that Kitae possesses Strength Mastery. By definition, that means he reached the limit of his physical strength at some point and surpassed it. If he had never encountered that limit, there would have been no reason for him to awaken that Mastery in the first place.

This also raises an interesting comparison with Gapryong. If Gapryong never awakened Strength Mastery, even during his prime, wouldn’t that imply his natural physical strength was already on a level that remained unmatched? Since he never reached the wall required to unlock that Mastery, his raw strength may have simply exceeded everyone else’s from the start.

Conviction Mastery is a different case entirely. It is driven by one’s willpower and the desire to protect others, so its growth is based more on mentality than raw physical limitations. As long as someone’s conviction continues to strengthen, it makes sense that this Mastery can continue to develop.

Daniel is another example that raises questions about how Mastery is supposed to work. He possesses incredible innate endurance and has repeatedly endured punishment from top-tier fighters, even while already in terrible condition. Despite being pushed to what should have been his absolute limit, he still didn’t awaken Endurance Mastery. If the established requirement for unlocking a Mastery is truly reaching and overcoming one’s limits, Daniel’s case seems inconsistent. Unless PTJ intends to retcon or further clarify the conditions for awakening a Mastery, this creates a contradiction in the current explanation.
Finally, Kitae himself states that he wants to test his limits because he believes he has never truly reached them. However, that statement doesn’t align with the fact that he already possesses Strength Mastery. Unlocking that Mastery is, by definition, confirmation that he encountered and overcame the limits of his strength. Considering how powerful Gapryong was, I also find it highly unlikely that his fight against both James and Kitae didn’t push them to at least a high- or extreme-difficulty battle.

The only explanation I can think of is that awakening a Mastery doesn’t permanently remove a person’s limits—it simply allows them to break through their current wall and establishes a new ceiling for growth. If that’s the case, then characters can continue to become stronger after obtaining a Mastery because new limits eventually emerge. However, if that isn’t how Mastery works, then Kitae’s statement about wanting to “test his limits” makes very little sense, since obtaining Strength Mastery already confirms he reached and overcame his previous physical limit.

There has been a lot of discussion ever since the female Yamazaki was revealed, with many people assuming that if she turns out to be Kitae’s mother, it would automatically make him significantly stronger. I don’t think that conclusion is supported by the story, and there are two major flaws with that argument.
First, Kitae’s fighting style is fundamentally different from Daniel’s. Kitae’s combat ability revolves around his intelligence, overwhelming innate strength, his Path, and his Masteries when necessary. If Kitae were to enter Ultra Instinct, he would lose the very qualities that define his combat style. UI removes conscious thought, meaning his intelligence would no longer play a role. Likewise, Path and Masteries require conscious application and intent, so those would also become unavailable. At that point, Kitae would be reduced to relying almost entirely on raw physical ability.

This is why comparing him to Daniel is misleading. Daniel’s UI removes his mental limitations while still granting him access to his complete arsenal of copied techniques. Although he is still restricted by the adjustment mechanic—which prevents him from always fighting at his maximum output—he continues to benefit because his entire fighting style is built around an enormous library of martial arts. Kitae doesn’t have that advantage. He doesn’t rely on a diverse arsenal of techniques, so UI would arguably take away more from his fighting style than it would add.

Second, where did the idea that every Yamazaki possesses Black Bone come from? The story has never established that as a clan-wide trait. If anything, it suggests the opposite. Black Bone appears to be exclusive to those born with reversed eyes, specifically Shingen and Gun. The clearest contradiction to the “every Yamazaki has Black Bone” theory is Shintaro. Despite being Shingen’s biological twin brother, he has never been shown or stated to possess Black Bone. If even Shingen’s own twin lacks the ability, there is no basis for claiming that it is an inherited trait shared by the entire Yamazaki bloodline.

Because of that, assuming Kitae would automatically possess Black Bone simply because he may be half Yamazaki isn’t supported by the narrative. His incredible durability has never been presented as evidence of Black Bone, and endurance alone is not proof of possessing that specific ability. Kitae’s fighting style closely resembles Gapryong’s—he overwhelms opponents through overwhelming power, tanks attacks, and delivers devastating punches. We’ve already seen just how durable Gapryong was. If Kitae inherited Gapryong’s immense physical strength while also inheriting the Yamazaki clan’s naturally superior physique and durability, that alone would explain his resilience without needing to assume he has Black Bone.

In my opinion, that’s the only logical benefit of Kitae potentially being half Yamazaki. Combining Gapryong’s extraordinary innate strength with the Yamazaki clan’s superior physique could result in an even more powerful body. Beyond that, however, there is no evidence that simply possessing Yamazaki blood would grant him Black Bone or that UI would automatically make him stronger.
Finally, people’s perception of UI seems to come almost entirely from the unconscious variant we’ve seen used by only three characters: both Daniels and Gukja Yang. Daniel is able to maximize UI because he possesses an enormous arsenal of copied martial arts that the state can utilize automatically. Gukja, on the other hand, only had a single fighting style available, and we all saw the limitations of that approach.

UI has never been portrayed as a power that magically grants its user mastery over every martial art. It only allows the body to utilize the techniques the user already possesses. If someone has a limited arsenal, then UI has a limited arsenal to work with. That’s why assuming Kitae would suddenly become dramatically stronger simply because he might possess UI ignores how the ability has consistently been portrayed throughout the series. I’ve
Seen some Kitae fans literally making up head-cannon assumptions like they never actually read the story when has UI ever just given mastery over all martial arts or made you immune to physical damage? Immunity and not feeling pain are two completely different things.

Week after week, it’s the same post recycled over and over again—usually using the exact same image, or the one of Gun’s hand on the glass while talking to Daniel. I remember seeing the original version of this post a few months ago, and it got a ton of upvotes. Ever since then, it’s felt like people have been trying to recreate that success by posting the same thing repeatedly.

A common argument is that Daniel and Gun’s relationship feels “forced” or “unrealistic.” But people seem to ignore the fact that strong bonds can form in a matter of days or weeks especially when it’s men.That happens in real life all the time, especially between people who go through intense experiences together.

I also find it interesting that people question why Daniel calls Gun “hyeong” because they “didn’t know each other for long,” yet nobody seems to have an issue when Sophia tells Daniel it’s okay to call her “noona.” The standards don’t seem very consistent.

To me, it feels like a lot of the criticism comes more from people’s dislike of Gun than from the actual writing. Gun helped Daniel develop something he’d struggled with for years: confidence. Daniel spent most of his life being bullied and looked down on because of his lack of self-esteem. Having someone push him to become stronger—both mentally and physically—would naturally leave a lasting impression.

Honestly, I’d rather see people pushing their own powerscaling agendas than seeing the same low-effort “Gun and Daniel’s relationship is forced” post every week. Most of these posts don’t even explain why they believe it’s forced. It’s usually just a title and a picture, and when people challenge their argument in the comments, the only response is, “They only knew each other for a month.”

If Sophia had been given more screen time throughout Lookism, I think we’d be having the exact same discussions about her relationship with Daniel that people currently have about Gun. Just because we see Daniel using Gun’s fighting style more often than Sophia’s survival training doesn’t mean her influence disappeared. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the reason OG Daniel survived that fall was because he instinctively applied one of the survival techniques Sophia taught him. So please stop with the same post over and over again and be creative for once. And also during that time we literally see moments of gun and Daniel chilling and just talking to each other like normal people there’s no telling what they spoke about to build that bond while Sophia’s training was literally just survival and eating then right back to survival training.

This post made me go back and reread the chapters right before the Hunt for Workers arc began, specifically when Lineman and Ms. Kim met at the church to exchange the files.

During the ambush, we can still see the former Discipline members from Jinyoung Corp lying on the ground. Lineman is there trying to protect Ms. Kim, and Jake arrives at the church—we literally see him holding Lineman.

So… is Jake already at the church or very close by?

If that’s the case, could Jake actually be the person Kitae was looking at?
What if Jake walked into the church to check the situation and ended up witnessing James kill Jinyoung? That would explain how Daniel eventually learns the truth. Jake could be the one who tells Daniel that James was responsible for Jinyoung’s death, which would naturally set up the final confrontation between Daniel and James.

It feels like a small detail, but it lines up surprisingly well when you go back and reread those chapters.

Shoutout to u/mlk55f—you got me to go back and look for clues, and I think there might actually be something here. I just look at it as Kitae would’ve had no reason to turn his back to them unless it was planning on just straight up leaving but that wouldn’t make much sense, since he also wants something from them as well so what caught his attention to make him turn his back to James and jinyoung?

He could’ve also just been heading towards the seats to sit down and watch from there but it’s just an intriguing little theory.

Jake also said someone was already heading there when he was holding and telling lineman, Daniel was on the phone with Jake neither he or Jake knew tom was on the way there Eugene made the call to tom only after he hung up with Daniel. So who did Jake send there or how did he know tom was already heading there?

What if tom indirectly played a part in gaps death we know tom had his finally fight with gap when they both were in old gap and they both appear to be the same version of gap(old and fat). So what if after Tom’s fight with gap that’s when James and Kitae decided it was the right time to fight gap or during the fight with tom and gap James and Kitae decided to take out Baekho Kwon then attacked gap I don’t know just don’t think it’s coincidental both tom and James saw gap in the same outfit when it was their final battle with him. Just something I was curious about and wanted to see what other people think because it’s a discussion I had with someone in the sub as well. And that would also explain why jinyoung believes tom had a part In killing gap as well tell me your thought want to hear what people have to say.