Watanabe
“Leave my dad alone!!”
—Watanabe Junior in The Strongest
Watanabe is a name that refers to a pair of recurring joke characters in Live A Live. representing a father-son pair. In every chapter, the father winds up getting killed, often causing the son to freak out over it, blubbering inelegantly.
The roles played by the Watanabes vary greatly from chapter to chapter. Some of their scenes are required to see, while some are secret. Their appearances, and oftentimes their names, differ throughout the eras. Sometimes the father's demise is played for drama instead of comedy, and sometimes the Watanabes are not shown alive at all. The one commonality they share is the ignominious fates they are doomed to suffer for all of human history.
Appearances
Prehistory: The First
Should Pogo leave the cave of the Kuu Tribe and return to the Wild Lands just before the final confrontation, he'll encounter two Kuu cavemen attempting to cross a pit trap made by Zaki earlier on. One falls into the hole after making himself into a bridge for the other to cross. The second caveman bawls and runs off.
Imperial China: The Successor
If Hong was trained the most out of the three disciples, a boy of the Wan Tan Na Bei clan is seen confronting the students of the Indomitable Fist Fortress as the Shifu enters. He fights to avenge his father by charging a secret technique, only for it to blow up in his face, leaving him to flee crying.
The Wild West: The Wanderer
A cowboy father and son pair, with the son being named Watt, approach Success after walking though the desert for three full days in search of civilization. The father is shot by an offscreen member of the Crazy Bunch, and Watt drags his body away in tears.
Twilight of Edo Japan: The Infiltrator
Two thieves from the Watanabe clan are seen attempting to raid Ode Castle to bring money to their village and restore their clan's honor. Despite his agility, the Papa Rat is killed after getting stabbed with a spear by a retainer through the ceiling, as the Little Rat carries him away, sobbing comically. If the samurai is killed beforehand, the duo are successful and the three boxes they were aiming for are now empty. However, the chests there only contained a single koban.
Present Day: The Strongest
The elder Watanabe is attacked offscreen after heckling and throwing a soda can at The Great Aja, who returns the favor by mauling him. The son pleads for the luchador to stop, to little avail. To trigger this encounter, the Great Aja must use his Bite attack against Masaru while Masaru is standing up and to the left of him. In addition, the original Super Famicom game only has a 1 in 50 chance of this scene occurring if the conditions are met. In the remake, the scene is made 100% certain.
The Near Future: The Outsider
The younger Watanabe is a child of the Bright Sparks Orphanage. This is the scenario Watanabe plays the largest role in, being an NPC with a fair amount of dialogue and story significance. A meek and sulky boy, he is occasionally bullied by the other orphans, including Akira, who recruits him into stealing Taeko's dirty little secret.
His father, Kozo Watanabe, was the former lab assistant of Doctor Livingstill. He was liquefacted by his superior, and made into the power source of the LH Combat Robot W-1 combat robot, which the heroes have to destroy.
In the game's true ending, Watanabe watches Taroimo try out Doc Tobei's teleporter along with the other children of the orphanage, only to be caught in a blast of smoke.
The Distant Future: The Mechanical Heart
The Cogito Ergo Sum spaceship is outfitted with two Watanabe Hypercaster-brand communication antennae, produced in Japan. In the course of the story, the main "parent" antenna malfunctions and later breaks off, causing the "child" sub-antenna to break down in turn, leaving the ship without communication.
The Middle Ages: The Lord of Dark
Watt of Nabe appears at the very beginning as one of the semi-finalists of the Lucretian combat tournament, meeting his end at Streibough's hands. His son comes in crying as the knights carry him off.
Final Chapter: The Dominion of Hate
Both father and son are found petrified in the Trial of Instinct, rock-hard tears flowing from their faces. Reading their minds with Akira refers to a panther that turned them into stone for their cowardice.
Quotes
The Successor
Indomitable Fist Acolyte: "Who do you think you are? A boy, alone, challenging the might of the Indomitable Fist? Speak!"
Wan: “Heh... Forgotten me, have you?"
Indomitable Fist Acolyte: "You... You're the Wan Tan Na Bei kid, aren't you!?"
Wan: Long have I waited for this day—the day I finally avenge my father! I've trained relentlessly—till my hands were raw and bloody—to master my art! And now I shall slake my thirst for revenge! With the secret technique of the Wan Tan Na Bei— Calamitous Rage! Yaaarrrgh!"
The Wanderer
Hopeful Father: “Thank god, finally. After three days and three nights of walking through the desert... Civilization, at long last. See Watt? The good lord hasn't forsaken us.“ (Gets shot offscreen)
Watt: “Father…? Father!"
The Infiltrator
Little Rat: “We did it, Papa!"
Papa Rat: “Shhh! Keep your voice down... Aye, you're right. Now comes the hard part..."
Little Rat: "I know, Papa... One thousand ryo—that's all we need to steal for the Watanabe clan..."
Papa Rat: "To restore us to our former glory... And share with the townsfolk, too. They'll surely honor us as gallant rogues..."
Little Rat: "Then let's hurry, Papa!"
Papa Rat: "Wait! We must proceed with caution. This attic may be riddled with traps. Just leave it to me..."
Little Rat: "Papa!"
Papa Rat: "Hmm..."
Little Rat: "Be careful..."
Papa Rat: "Of course."
Retainer: "Wait... Someone's skulking about the attic!"
Papa Rat: "Hmph. This rat won't be caught so easily!"
Little Rat: "Well done, Papa!"
Papa Rat: "Hah hah! What now, samurai!?"
Retainer: "Found you!"
(Papa Rat gets stabbed)
Little Rat: "Papa! Papa!"
The Strongest
Dad: (Throws can at Aja) “Cheater! This match sucks, and so do you!”
Great Aja: “Oh, yeah? Suck on this!”
Son: “Leave my dad alone!”
The Outsider
W-1: MY SON... LOOK AFTER... MY SON... THE ORPHANAGE... HE...
(The W-1 explodes)
Akira: Was that Watanabe's dad...? You bastards! You're gonna pay!
The Mechanical Heart
Rachel: “It's a Watanabe Hypercaster. Made in Japan and everything. The main and sub units are designed to function independently, so one going down shouldn't necessarily affect the other.“
The Lord of Dark
???: My father! No!
The Dominion of Hate
Watanabe Elder: Whatever you do, don't run... If you keep running away, it'll come for you, too...
Watanabe Younger: Don't end up like me and my dad... Don't let the black leopard catch you...
Development
The idea for Watanabe was conceived by Live A Live's battle designer, Nobuyuki Inoue. His intent with Watanabe was to represent the weak, everyday people who were to be sacrificed in the story. [1]
Etymology
Watanabe (渡辺: "ferryside") is the fifth most common Japanese surname. The first to be named Watanabe were the samurai clan founded by Watanabe no Tsuna (953-1025), a descendant of the Emperor Saga.
Gallery
Watanabe in Flow (SFC)
LINE sticker for the remake
