Justification

counter!

Ky isn't the most popular guy in the series, by far. In fact, he is possibly the most "bashed" because of his flaws. I respect most opinions, and I agree that he is, indeed, flawed, but there are some rather immature points that I feel that Ky doesn't deserve. Plus, it's always fun to play Devil's Advocate. I'll address the general arguments people use to attack the blond. Please be aware that this isn't really convincing anyone to like him, not at all, but rather my rebuttal on these types of attacks. Believe it or not, some of these "attacks" were indirectly quoted from forums (Who expects decent quality debates in forums, though?), some FAQs, and just interpretation from bashing gimmicks, like doujinshi.

» Ky is a pretty much OBLIVIOUS to what everyone is going through!
Not entirely so, it just takes him a bit more time to grasp the main picture. He knows about the Bureau's attacks, he knows something on That Man, and he understands the sufferings of many. It's all in the matter on how he plans to carry that. Ky is a political figure, so he has to watch out from his superiors. But as shown in the drama CD, as well as his Postwar Administration Bureau report, he is not opposed to checking on his superiors if he feels injustice.

» Ky won't STFU about justice! Does he even know what it means?!
I admit, it is a bit amusing to hear how he repetitively uses that word. Despite it, he is firm with the word because... well, in this doomed planet, isn't justice an important issue? To save those who are mistreated, to punish those who kill and massacre others, to understand the meaning of redemption. Justice is a huge issue in our society, and injustice is just about everywhere. While it is something Ky obviously can't control with one fight, he has a hope it will somehow reduce the misery the war has brought. Because the happiness of others is his happiness, remember? A naive wish indeed, but something pure in a sense. Regardless, they are his beliefs - just like everyone else. His goals for fighting are different from others, but nonetheless, everyone has their own agenda.

» Ky is a bible-throwing priest!
While Ky is a religious man, he doesn't constantly throw preaches in the air. Nor does he persuade others to follow his religion. He talks more like an official than an actual priest. The only real significance to his religion is his cross, his uniform, and some of his moves. Rarely does he mention God in his dialogue in the games.

» Ky is a racist! (... I'm serious, I read this in some Christian game-review site.)
Hey! Haven't you heard of that song "Everybody's a Little Bit Racist"? Okay, kidding aside, Ky is not entirely racist. He doesn't have a fondness for Gears for obvious reasons - he grew up during a cold-bloodied war, where he lost people dear to him to the Gears. It's obvious cold feelings might be inside of him. Wouldn't you be in his shoes? However, just because Ky has some hard feelings, doesn't mean he commits hate crimes (that's just irony right there). His meeting with Justice also opened his mind to their own defense during the war - he even questioned his own belief at the end of the conversation.

If you look more recently, Ky has slowly re-developed his opinion on them - he allowed the entire IPF to take care of the now-Gear Solaria, and he aided Dizzy in controlling her powers and saved her life for a lifetime of bounties. And of course, look at Overture: He fell in a love, and well, made love, with a Gear! Ky still loved her enough to risk his Fuuraiken to save her. He also, though with cold relations, loves his son, Sin, who is partially Gear.

» Ky is a goddamn stalker! Just let it go already!
It's funny how everyone makes fun of this part, despite a lack of good evidence. Actually, it's more like he keeps coincidently meeting his rival. He does have a life outside that. We can clearly see in the official art, hell the story itself, that Ky has other priorities. He plays chess, reads books, collects cups, and of course, commutes as a police officer. He might be training secretly to overcome his loss, but the truth is, Ky does make the effort to let it go - it's just hard. Once he sees Sol, he flares up. For example, much of X Plus, he is searching for the Gear, Dizzy. Sol is also looking for her, so Ky takes the moment to tag along and try to settle a duel with him at the same time. It also doesn't help that every time the two cross, Sol is always stopping him from his work, much less pull him down each time by insulting his goals.

And besides, can you blame him? In the Drama CD Side Black, Ky hints that a bit of him trusts Sol ("When you're here... I feel safe."). Then, one morning, he wakes up and Sol is gone, with a sacred item stolen from you. It must have done a major blow on Ky - he most likely felt angered, hurt, and ashamed. To lose control of his own members, and to break his trust, must have damaged his pride immensely. I'm not sure if some of you ladies know, but men are very big on their egos.

Plus they're rivals... it's traditionally their thing to keep fighting aimlessly...

» How is Ky even important with the plot (other than chasing Sol down)?
Ky is certainly important to the plot. If his relation with Sol was the only important thing, Daisuke surely would have dropped him sometime. Ky may be more independent, but he holds political status, which not many characters have in this game. Because of his political power, he has made astonishing works in history. He seals Justice away, ending the war. Without his intelligent mind, the Seikishidan would have failed once Kliff retires. Ky helps Dizzy live her life free by proclaiming she is dead, and stoles her away with the Jellyfish Pirates. And in Overture, Ky is given such responsibility as being a king, which is a pretty important role on its own.

Drama CD Side Red and Black highlights more on Ky's influence to the plot. When a single moment in history is altered, the entire story is changed. Ky's death inspires Sol to become the new danchou of the Seikishidan. Dizzy and Testament turn evil. Faust is still homicidal. Johnny is dead, and the Jellyfish Pirates and Zepp work with Sol to defeat her. The war ranges for several more years... so as the narrator states, in a way, Ky was "the last hope of mankind".

» Ky is such a weak fighter (in game)! His moves are so boring and mediocre!
Technically, story-wise, Ky is a powerful fighter. He not only fights with pure strength, but, as a military man, he fights with strategy. In most canon fights, he wins, maybe by an inch. It's only with Sol that he gets pummeled.

In the game though, Ky may not hold much when it comes to competitions, as anyone can easily kill him off; but it doesn't always mean you would always lose. I hardly believe in "top tiers" to be honest. I believe it doesn't really matter who you play, but the controller himself. Just about anything can happen in a battle that can turn the tides - someone accidentally pressing a wrong button, a strategy fails, someone managed to instant kill you. Nothing is perfect. Ky is certainly a challenge to master, but if you just relied on the usual characters like Millia, Sol, etc., it makes it boring. In fact, if you use the overstatement of Ky to your advantage, I think that alone makes you a more experienced player.

Being the only "normal" fighter in the game, it's obvious that his moves can't be too flashy. Apparently being "sane" is a sin in fiction works. And although his moves are a bit mediocre, it's changed over the years. With Accent Core, Ky got some new tactics to aid him in combat.

» Ky is such a dork!
I used to believe the definition of a "dork" was some computer jerk with socks raised above his pants, who drools over fictional girls because real girls won't talk with him, and lives with his mother at the age of 32. Oh-la-la-When Geeks Attack. But I guess the meaning has changed over time. Excuse my bad interpretation of the new meaning.

The main problem with fans and Ky is that they can't connect. A man of Ky's age in our culture should be shagging off women, drinking cans of beer, and debating about how the Giants killed the Super Bowl last night, not spewing things like justice. We fail to remember how different... and similar our world is with the Guilty Gear world. The youth can't connect much history to Ky, because most of them aren't in war. But we have seen men like Ky go off to serve our country. We've seen Presidents speak of truth and hope. The only difference is that Ky is younger than we expect.

In addition, Ky is burdened with plenty of responsibility that he has to maintain the order by being a political official. Scandal, propaganda, confusion, and disrespect is common among officials who blow it when speaking more than their mind, and as a result we lose trust on them. Ky was a man of war, he couldn't lose the trust of his men by messing anything up. I believe Ky is more than what we see as a "goody-two-shoes", but he has kept up with this charade for so long, he's adapted to it.

There are several instances where Ky shows a different side. As I argued on his negative personality, Ky isn't as confident as we think he is. During the Holy War, Ky was secretly hoping his men would give up, hoping that they would turn chicken and turn around. In direct words, "Sometimes I feel angry at myself... even though I'm telling them to commit suicide... they follow me anyway." Despite his attachment on religion, Ky is no saint. He has spat out a few curses here and there, especially with Sol. Even his ideals with justice are often loosened when he is faced with split paths.

» Ky is as gay as a picnic basket!
Years ago, the word "gay" was used to describe someone who was happy, and we heard it in many places, including some classics like "The Flintstones" or "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Now we rarely use the word because some idiots mingled the word with stereotypical, flamboyant homosexuals. Such odd references are why the original donkey word 'ass' became offensive, why the female dog 'bitch' became offensive, etc. So I'm assuming that by 'gay', it is because of his connections with the stereotypes.

I personally believe Ky isn't homosexual, at least not for those sort of reasons. Unless he is a very conflicting man (which would be interesting though), he is symbolized by the good and holiness of mankind... making him homosexual is considered a sin to Christianity, and sorta ruins the image of him, not matter how stereotypical it may be. While Ky's sexuality is still to be questioned, I wish to counter the fallacies that he is homosexual because of more obvious reasons. Much of Ky's misleading evidence is his "feminine" looks. While it can't be denied that he is supposed to look more "pretty" than most boys, he's not swinging child-bearing hips either. He does have some masculinity in him - he holds a very serious job, he got his pair of muscles (and if you want proof, look at his 'afro'd' sprite), and his interests wrap around fighting and God rather than love and sex. And certainly he fails to act like a flamboyant homosexual with his voice and his actions with the other characters, which such an affirmative tone. He doesn't even have much of a fashion sense, in my opinion. Whatever he may mislead, it fails to make any real evidence to his sexuality. As with his questionable relationship with Sol, you may want to read this page.

Even though Ky is charismatic and a busy man, there are hints that he is interested in women. He acts embarrassed in front of certain women like Jam; in fact, he couldn't help but look up her skirt in one part of the GGXX while she was fighting him. In the Drama CD Side Red, when I-No flirts with Ky and practically requests that he sleep with her after the battle of Rome is over (at least it sounded like that to me). And what was Ky's reaction? He completely flushed, and responded, "I-I'll... do my best...". Too bad he died and all, or he would have gotten laid. And of course, Overture, canon or not, proves that Ky has the ability to indeed love women in an intimate way.

There is still no good proof of his sexuality, so for now, I can say he's straight. But seriously, who really gives a damn even if he was gay?