People please I preach to you out of love belive on the lord Jesus Christ and trust in him for you salvation and not in yourself Christ came to die for our sin we have all sinned and deserve hell but God is so merciful and Jesus died on the cross to take our punishment so that who ever belive on him will not perish but have eternal life john 3:16 romans 10:9 if we confess with our mouth Jesus is lord and belive in our heart that god rose him from the dead we will be saved we can not earn salvation it is the free gift from God❤❤❤ .,.,,.
@@36crazymonkey you are infact, not good. For these few mortal years you might have a somewhat comfortable life and then die. Eternal life or damnation is your choice whether you want it or not.
“Keep riding and never look back” John hearing Arthur say this to him before parting ways with him almost feels like a curse to John. In rdr1 he’s always moving forward, regardless of what happens. It’s almost as if he doesn’t harbor any regrets at all. This line keeps him from “looking back” and reflecting on his actions. If he did look back, then he wouldn’t have gone after Micah. As Arthur puts it, “revenge is a fool’s game”. Because of him killing Micah and stirring up all that trouble, Ross is eventually able to find him, leading to the events of rdr1. Sure, you could argue that Ross would’ve found him regardless, but I think John would’ve died later rather than sooner. Ross would probably focus on Micah and Dutch’s shenanigans rather than John. If John had completely moved on from that. If he had “looked back” and changed, then he, Abigail, Uncle, and Jack would’ve arguably had a more peaceful life.
The devil probably would get a kick out of a nun being robbed. Just like he'd appreciate the misery of a broken marriage. That's what makes it hard for me to understand this character, if he is death then why does he present John with choices to be good or evil? Death is impartial so what does he care?
@@YeetSpace I don't really get what you're trying to say. I agree that death is impartial and that killers have agency, but that doesn't really answer anything.
The Strange Man's face when he says, "Then why would you remember me, friend? You've forgotten far more important people than me." is absolutely superb. Really sends across his disappointment in John. Really good animation, man. Love it!
I have to think that John remembers Heidi. I think he was just assuming the Stranger was a friend of hers out for revenge or something of that nature. So he says he doesn't remember. Just to be contrary.
Most people to associate him with death. An omen. He mentions how important that girl was, if signaled the start of a downward spiral for Dutch which caused the death for a lot of gang members that we cared about. He mentions this being a beautiful spot (where some important characters are buried), he mentions that he’s an accountant which hints that he deals in death, people’s accounts being their lives and such. He also says that many have damned him, which I think is talking about grieving people damning death for taking their loved ones from them. He mentions that he knows John from all over, which I interpreted as saying he’s killed people in all those places. Some say that the three shots he fired were people close to him, and the fourth, jack jammed. And that when he says John will be responsible for his actions he’s saying that all he’s harmed will bite him in the ass, hinting at his death.
The first red dead reminded me a lot of Blood Meridian. The dirty art style, how bloody and messy the violence was, the sad message, the gruesome ending, and of course the supernatural.
3 gunshots, 3 deaths, Abigail, Uncle and John, the gun jammed on the last shot, saving Jack. Honestly a theory I came up with a friend, but It's stuck in my mind since I've re-played the game after playing RDR2, John forgot about death thinking he's escaped it and death knows about Johns honor helping the man from cheating on his wife and giving the nun money because he takes it into his mind when their time will come which I think is why there's multiple different version of Arthur's death.
@mr.mcnerdo unless I am mistaken, (it's been a bit) John keeps pulling the trigger but no more shots fire. So maybe it didn't jam, but the gun does fail.
lil buddy really thought he could pretend he came up with that one. Also 3 is the number of the holy trinity and a divine number. I think its meant to signify this man is god or an angel trying to offer John a chance of redemption but he never truly achieves it because he's always selfish and never actually benevolent.
This mystery man has always fascinated me and I have always wondered who the devil himself could be. Cain could be a mystery to you, who or what could he be?
or he could be an angel sent by God to test John. The Games have a theme of The Bible in them. and an added unsung tragedy of them is that despite all efforts you cant earn redemption. Its given by God because he sent Jesus to die on the cross. and whats beautiful about them is that if you look at the games through that point of view. both were trying to be seek redemption on pure instinct. And Arthur Even knew he couldnt make it right. he was simply trying to be better. i mean look at the Good ending for Arthur and the death of John. John 3:15 says "No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends." [the way its said will change because of the version but the message stays the same]
Always loved the symbolisms behind the bullets John firest at him. The first three bullets go off normally (Uncle, John and Abigail will die), but the fourth one *jams* (Jack will live).
" DAMN YOU!" " Yes...many have " I just love the delivery of that line, I like to think its Rocksteady playing into the Stranger being death or the grim reaper in general. Many have cursed his name, but he comes for all in the end to collect on their dues.
@@paloim It's Cain, dammed to walk the Earth for all eternity. That's why he's said many had dammed him. It also explains why he's such a nihilist, someone who has watched the fates of people like John for so long, surely would be.
Gotta applause the design of the Strange Man in this. The whole "Death being an exhausted, depressed soul," trope is kinda overused, but your art, combined with enigma and mystery of the character takes what would be cliche and makes it feel original. Great work.
I see it as him trying steer John away from his path, how he reminds him of his past deeds, how it was only moments where he was doing / could do a form of good deed. How he reminds John that “he is responsible” of the bad and that “fine spot” was actually where his grave was placed, giving a small reminder that no matter how famous an outlaw he becomes, he dies the same as everyone else, alone and honest.
A fine spot indeed. Death was never our enemy, Time is. Our time in life can be short or long, yet it is all guided by Death, the inevitable. The actions of a Cowboy or any other way of life may not be remembered but are remembered by Death. The end is something our player or we cannot escape but like our player, death can guide us to good and noble aspirations. Yet at the end we will meet with that mysterious person, Death and laugh like old friends. Fantastic work by the way. This part of RDR stuck with me for a long time and probably will continue until the day I finally go.
I always loved how human the characters talk in RDR1. They don't immediately jump from sentence to sentence, and there isn't a filter on them that sounds 'game-like'.
Every cutscene plays like a mini movie, and it's amazing. I wish more games had the time taken on them to make their cutscenes nice and crisp like this.
For people who don’t know. Rockstar based him off Cain from the Bible. He killed his brother Abel and was marked by God to forever wander. This is hinted at in RDR2 when a black dog turns up at camp and Dutch names him Cain. Cain was actually known to turn into other forms, including a dog. It’s also a fact that if someone tried to harm Cain, it’d come back on them 7x worse. John shoots the man 3 times and John gets shot 21 times when he dies. Micah abuses the dog and is implied to have killed it and we all know what happened to Micah.
So to that point it seems Cain in a way is doing gods work upon the earth. Like John in the Bible he’s to walk the earth till Jesus comes again, and doing the work. The stranger/ Cain is testing John to see if he’s redeemed himself or if he’s the same old John, that killed a girl on the boat in black water.
I've seen this scene over a dozen times at the bare minimum over the years Thank you for giving me the same chills I got the first time I encounter the Strange Man. I honestly didn't think I could get that feeling towards this moment again You did a phenomenal job ♡
I love this art-style so much! I love the dark shadow cast over the strange mans upper face and eyes, really encapsulates the gloomy and enigmatic energy he gives off
@@sam8742 that’s why I said that it might sound crazy. Arthur played a huge part in John’s life, and he’s never mentioned once in Rdr1. It’s just speculation and I doubt they meant it but it’d make a lot of sense
@@ndroidryan7659It’s just cause John doesn’t like talking about Arthur and dwelling on what happened to him. Theres a dialogue bout it in rdr2, and you can find it on RU-vid
That guy was always my favourit, because he had this...mysterious aura around him. His calm, sometimes...depressed behavior, as if he knows exactly what will happen (which he does), yet hoping he is wrong about it. As if he had seen things, that no one has. And yet also his interest into specific persons, as if it gives him hope for something or someone.
Allot of people seem confused, so here's my own synopsis on this guy, which I feel makes PERFECT SENSE. The Stranger is referenced throughout Rockstar games. He is not labeled as the devil, god, or death. Yet the most plausible answer, based on evidence presented, is God. The Devil knows his own name and would never send a mortal towards good deeds - especially to a nun. The Devil is the tempter. Death is indifferent to the quartels of man - and if he got involved in one man's quarrels and not everyone else's, it'd damn near be a crime to every other living being. John isn't special in the world, he's just the protagonist you follow. The Stranger... he speaks cryptically but *never* dishonest. He doesn't know his own name but he knows EVERYTHING about anything else. He sends John, a soul who's out for NOTHING but red dead redemption.. to commit redeeming acts. For fruits to propser upon his tree - for there to be traces of him in the book of other people's lives. Who knows how inportant that marriage and that donation was one hundred years from then. He also reminds John of the traumatic deaths he's forgotten about.. as those should be far more important to him than trying to figure out The Stranger. "DAMN YOU!" "Yes... Many have." How many people in the west, and even all over our own world, say "god damn" at least once a week? Or just have a damning image of God every now and again for the cards you've been dealt? I'm no lore expert; but from what we know, the Stranger is either God himself, or a divine messenger for God. Edit: Ontop of all of that. John shoots at The Stranger. Nothing occurs. His bullets damn near disappear. That's control of reality and nature. Death is a force of nature who is under the same regulations as anything else. He has no influence over it. Not like God would. "Where do you know me from..?" "Oh - well - I know *you* from ALL OVER..."
God damn isn't damning god it's asking God to send your enemy to damnation. And the strange man also suggests John do bad as well as good. If he is the god of the red deaf universe he is a strange one.
@@sovietdoggo43 the nun could be wrong maybe it was the devil tempting a man into killing and robbing her. Than again it could be god trying to help John on his path of redemption we'll never truly know
Great video for an intriguing character. I love these kinds of characters in media, the ones who even to this day we don't know much about, similar to G-Man from Half-Life. This one is no different.
This is actually brilliant and goated with the sauce especially with the cursive title adds so much to the mystery i cant wait until this becomes a real animation
My head cannon is this is Arthur sending death to get John straight one last time. Tryna save John from damnation just before it all heads south along with johns soul
This might be the best animation I ever saw. It’s now canon that there’s a universe where this is what the world looks like, all drawn and stuff. Like Beyond the spider verse but with red dead.
the man knows much, he pretty much knows everyone, he knows what will happen and so much more, plus he calls himself an accountant, that's pretty much what the grim reaper is, is it not?
"You can be a King of a Street Sweeper, but everybody dances with the Grim Reaper". It doesn't matter who The Stranger is. He could be God, The Devil, Death, or Cain. But he does judge everybody in the end.
For those who still wonder who the man in the hat is, he’s most likely the grim reaper or death incarnate, following John from back out west, from Mexico, everywhere John took lives feeding death itself only to bury John where they met for the last time.
What a lot of people don’t know. John shoots 3 bullets at the strange man and the 4th one jams. 1 bullet was John, 1 bullet was Uncle, one bullet was Abigail. And the bullet that got jammed was for Jack. That’s why he’s alive. When John says “tell me your name or I won’t be responsible for my actions.” That’s why the strange man says “oh, but you will.”
I think the man is the personification of death. He tells John the details about the girls death, and John says he doesn’t remember, and then Death says then maybe you don’t know me. Then at the ranch, John shoots him 3 times in the spot where all 3 adults in the ranch would be buried: Uncle, Abigail, and John. He also claims that he follows John wherever he goes, as if to say John always kills people wherever he goes. He’s not the devil because he’s not trying to get John to sin, he’s not a lord figure like Jesus or God because he’s not trying to get John to repent, he’s not Cain because if he were Cain he would’ve felt those bullets John shot, and there’s no symbolic reason for him being there. Death is simply there to let John know “I’ve had to follow you around for years now and I think it’s time I showed myself.”
Arthur knew he was death in the beginning, but he went through 5 stages of grief(not in order) when meeting him. First was denial of knowing him, bargaining for his name wanting to deny it, anger to the point he shoots him, short depression within him knowing the aftermath of his actions(high honor or low honor) as shooting him confirmed his assumption, and finally acceptance of what had happened.
Hes god bc he has the list of all the people who go to heaven, that's what he means by "accountant" also, the nun literally told john that the lord sent him to her, many damn him "God damn", also, in the last scene, they were standing where John's grave is, 3 shots are fired, symbolizing John, Abigail, Uncle, he says that john has forgotten God, but the lord is merciful, so he allows him to redeem himself by giving to charity and stopping sins like adultery, this could not be more clear
This is not possible, Strange man says he forgot his name while God cannot forget anything. Also, he states "You have forgotten far more important people than me John" Who would ever be more important than God???
Just in case, you haven't finished RDR1 or RDR2 yet, there are SPOILERS below. In my opinion the Strange Man has to either be: Death, or something along the lines of Fate. In the 1st Strange Man mission in RDR1, you go to Thieves' Landing and see a husband (his name is Leland Byers) who is talking to a prostitute. You can either: give him money to buy the services of the prostitute (or in other words cheat on his wife); or you can convince him to be faithful to his wife. In the 2nd Strange Man mission in RDR1, you go to Las Hermanas and see a nun (her name is Mother Superior) standing outside with a bucket of money. Here you have the choice to donate money to her and the nuns at Las Hermanas, or to rob her. Keep in mind, if you do give money to Mother Superior, in the future you will get more random encounters where you can give money to other nuns. Furthermore, it must be said that in the ending lines of the first two Strange Man missions, the Strange Man does not order you to choose a certain action (i.e. Do Good or Do Evil). This is an important observation to make. In the 3rd Strange Man encounter, (in my opinion this is the most important one and I will go into more detail here) the Strange Man is on a hill south of Beecher's Hope (John's ranch) over looking John's home. As you approach him he says "We have to stop meeting like this John." Then the actual cutscene begins and I will give you a transcription of what is said: SM: Strange Man J: John SM: "Ain't this a beautiful spot" J: "Sure. What are you doing here?" SM: "My accounts. I'm an accountant" J: "Is that so?" SM: "In a way." J: "What's your name?" SM: "You know, it's the darndest thing, but I can't remember." J: "Tell me your damn name, and where you know me from." SM: "Well, I know you from Mexico, and I know you from back out West. I know you from all over!" J: "Tell me your name, or I won't be responsible for my actions." SM: "Oh, but you will. You will be responsible. This is a fine spot. See you around, cowboy." J: "Damn you!" SM: "Yes, many have." By now, the Strange Man is standing several paces away from John and is facing away from him (he is facing towards John's house) J: *John pulls out his pistol, and fires 3 shots at the Strange Man which all seem to phase through him. The 3 main theories that deal with the Strange Man's identity is that he is The Devil, God, or Death. The Strange Man can not be the Devil as the Devil is Evil, and would make you do only Evil. The fact that you have a choice in whether the husband cheats on his wife means that the Strange Man can not be the Devil as the Devil would make you give the money to the husband to cheat on his wife. Same thing with the nun. If the Strange Man was the Devil, he would make you rob the nun as The Devil is only capable of committing evil acts. The Strange Man can not be God as God is Good, and God would make you do only good things. The same logic which rules out The Devil is the same logic that rules out God. While you can convince the husband to not cheat on his wife, you could also give him the money to cheat on his wife. While you can donate to the nun, you can also rob her. So this means you can do Evil in both of the first two Strange Man missions. If the Strange Man were either God or The Devil, they would order you to act a certain way - the Strange Man does not. In fact, he even mentions that you could rob her the nun after mentioning that she could use help. Therefore, he must be someone or something incapable of being Good or Evil. Now I'm going to analyze the 3rd Strange Man encounter: As you approach him he says "We have to stop meeting like this John." It is known that the 3rd Strange Man encounter is only possible once you unlock the West Elizabeth area which is getting closer to the end of the game, or in other words: John's death. The Strange Man saying "We have to stop meeting like this John" could mean that he is unsatisfied in meeting John in such ad hoc/random ways (i.e. out in the wilderness). It is almost as if there is a more permanent place that he would like to meet John again (in death). Or of you look at the part where he says "like this" he could be talking about meeting in a mortal form (i.e. man to man/in person). SM: "Ain't this a beautiful spot" The hill he is standing on when he says this is the same hill that Jack buries John, Abigail, and Uncle on. J: "Sure. What are you doing here?" SM: "My accounts. I'm an accountant" J: "Is that so?" SM: "In a way." Notice how he says that he is an accountant. Death is very much an accountant as well, taking them to God or The Devil to be judged, or perhaps to some afterlife. The Strange Man is at the residence of Marston's family when he says this line, and he could obviously be talking about accounting or managing what he is going to do with John, Abigail, and Uncle once they die (which like I said is not a long time from this point as you must be in the 3rd act of the game to complete this encounter). J: "What's your name?" SM: "You know, it's the darndest thing, but I can't remember." This could be a nod to the fact that Death has been called many names by many different people throughout history, and he can not choose a single name. J: "Tell me your damn name, and where you know me from." SM: "Well, I know you from Mexico, and I know you from back out West. I know you from all over!" The Strange Man says he knows you from all Mexico, back out West, and all over. At first glance it seems he is talking about the first two encounters. But he also says, "all over." Think of all John Marston has done up to that point in RDR1 and RDR2. He has no doubt killed a great, many people in his time, something that Death would know him for-all over. J: "Tell me your name, or I won't be responsible for my actions." SM: "Oh, but you will. You will be responsible. This is a fine spot. See you around, cowboy." The Strange Man saying that John will be responsible for his actions shows that he will be judged whether or not he knows who is judging him. And then he says this is a fine spot, again. At this point he is standing exactly where Jack buries John, Abigail, and Uncle. J: "Damn you!" SM: "Yes, many have." J: *John pulls out his pistol, and fires 3 shots at the Strange Man which all seem to phase through him. These lines show that John is just like many men who have come before him, damning and cursing Death for ending their lives. Him firing 3 shots is indicative of how many people are put to rest there - 3: Himself (John), Abigail, and Uncle. (A further message can be discerned here, which is that John caused the deaths of those 3, by the way he lived. But however, you choose to interpret that is another conversation.). This shows that John can not escape his fate - death, no matter how much he damns and curses Death. This is why I believe the Strange Man is Death, or possibly some kind of Fate.
Very good breakdown but isn't death indifferent to the affairs of mankind. You would think he would be very busy being death and all that why would he make so much time for John and why is he testing John.
@@thehazyblob Well, death is indifferent in usual cases. However, I believe that John Marston is an exceptional case here. He is the protagonist of two RDRs (excluding revolver) and has encountered the Strange Man throughout his life, so this clearly means that Rockstar has placed some emphasis on the relationship between the Strange Man and John Marston. 1899: The 1st known appearance of the Strange Man to John is the Ferry Boat Heist which occurs right before the beginning of RDR2. The Strange Man himself mentions this heist and says that John was there. 1899 or 1907: While it is not 100% John (it could be Arthur) that sees the Strange Man here, the small easter egg of him showing up in the shack in Lemoyne is still an appearance 1907: The 2nd appearance is when John walks into the general store in Armadillo and says he recognizes the picture of the Strange Man in the store. 1911: The 3 encounters you have with him in RDR1. So this is 4 distinct scenarios where John sees the Strange Man. Clearly, Death is not indifferent to a man such as John Marston who to him is an interesting, almost extraordinary person. This is due to the fact that the Strange Man seems to only reveal himself (besides the Lemoyne encounter) to John Marston. And if you take a look at the stories of RDR1/2 it shows that John Marston is meant to be the most important protagonist to the entire series since you can play as him in RDR2, RDR1, and after his death you play as his lineage: Jack Marston. So what my main point here is that while Death may be indifferent to almost all of humanity, he has certainly taken a distinct interest in John Marston. Side note which I forgot to mention in my main comment: The way the Strange Man dresses is also an invocation of what John Marston and the rest of the people like him (i.e. outlaws & rural folk) view as the death of their way of living which is a theme that RDR repeatedly espouses. He is a clean, well dressed man who wears attire similar to what you find oil barons, wealthy bankers, and bureaucrats wear back in the cities of the East, which by this time (1911) were rapidly moving their ideals to the West. He dresses similar to the main antagonists of RDR1: Agent Ross & Agent Fordham. And John Marston has lived to see the Golden Age of Outlaws pre 1899, and its death in 1911.
This is amazing.. I love the art, and I love the animation! Red Dead Dedemption was and still is an amazing game, and just know there are people out there who still live the game as much as I do. I just fill my heart with love! 🤠
The gun jamming in the final scene is so much stronger with a revolver equipped, especially since it’s one of the most reliable guns of all time. It really brings home, if not for the message and the unaffected stranger, that this was some terrible omen given by an unknowable entity.
