He's right you know. The cowardice of others is no excuse for you you to shirk your own heroism. Someone has to stand first. If you can tell yourself it doesn't need to be you, they all can too.
TheAdmiral14 The irony being, this is EXACTLY what Megaman does in Sons of Fate. He abandons the crowd that follows him because they won't stand up for themselves.
I dunno... I see it a bit differently. In Will of One the idea is "someone needs to do something, if we want the world to be a better place." But in Sons of Fate, Megaman doesn't say, "Someone else will do it" and doesn't really pass the buck in any way. He basically decides folks aren't even worth saving at all. He will be absolutely fine, and he could win any time he wanted... he just sees humanity as... "dead."
@@halocrafter300 Hmmmm I don't know. I don't think he abandoned them because he was shirking his heroism. They were screaming for Protoman's blood, even after he'd stood up as their hero, even after he'd died for them, even after he'd had to live under Wily's rule without them ever once trying to stand up for what he believe in and fought for. And even after everything they screamed for his blood and spit on everything he'd stood for the second they saw an easier way to save themselves. Right before he left them to die, Megaman stated again that he won't let evil live... Then he let the crowd die.
@@splatbubble listen to act 2 again. You can't drop the responsibility to save to world at mega man's feet and expect success anymore than you can expect to drop freedom at humanity's fate and have free men. It's very easy to talk about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps when you're made of metal. Megaman was undone because human and machine do not see the world the same way. Megaman doesn't know what it's like to be a Joe, unable to even find a solution anymore than Joe knows what it's like to be Protoman, to see all those people watch you die as you sacrifice yourself for their freedom and never take the second step for themselves.
@@shoopoop21 I think we might sort of be in agreement... I'm not judging Mega Man, and I'm not expecting him to have a human moment. I'm just saying his statement is less of "the criterion for me saving you is for you to stand up for yourselves, and then I'll save you" and more of "honestly, screw this." However, your point is also interesting in that... Protoman got his tail kicked because he... I guess... had some human in him. Even though it was not explicitly said, was Mega Man... LESS human? More machine? Coz that'd be a cool take on the whole thing. Finally... not for nothing, but I don't get what this argument has to do with Act 2... directly? (I listen to it all the time... so just askin.) :)
Those who are too afraid to stand will assume themselves unimportant, a lone voice against the tides of opposition. What they don't understand is that they are surrounded by others, thinking themselves alone. For that is how tyranny wins: by making you believe that you are the only one who would stand against it.
I remember seeing The Protomen live. The energy from both the crowd and the band was unbelievable. The audience got to the end of the song and chanted the last verses for a full minute in sync with one another while the musicians just looked out into the crowd. The vocalist had his fist raised with us all and watched the magic that was going on. It was a special moment. And that was just the intro!
They're an AMAZING live band. Last time I saw them Panthers voice was a little shot from it (I think) bring the end of the tour AND he was fighting off a cold, but he gave it 100% and still sounded fucking awesome.
Saw them live last year. Had chills down my spine when the crowd was chanting during the end. Absolutely incredible. Alcohol helped. Then I hugged the commander. Thank you San Francisco.
One of the single, most powerful lines, ever screamed in a track. Long live The Protomen. Thank you for bringing our childhoods to life and inspiring us.
Just rewatched his video for like the 6th time thought I'd come back and listen again. Pretty cool seeing this as the first comment. Soooo glad he introduced me to these guys.
The dark is generous and it is patient and it always wins - but in the heart of its strength lies its weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. Hope is more than a candle. Hope can ignite the stars. All it takes is one person to rise up. All it takes is *The Will of One.* (A variation of a quote by Matthew Stover from the revenge of the sith novelization.)
@@radiofreeacab8159 Fucking amen. The struggle for freedom is more important now than ever as corporate control becomes tighter along the working class.
The one thing that makes or breaks a song, in my opinion, is how well it can portray and express the message/emotions that it tries to tell. And this song here..does expresses it greatly!
FIRST GODDAMN TIME LISTENING TO THIS SONG, BEFORE LISTENING I SCROLLED DOWN AND SAW THIS COMMENT, AND WHEN I WENT TO LISTEN TO IT, I COULDN'T WAIT FOR THE PART IN YOUR COMMENT. AND WHEN IT ARRIVED. OH BOY. GODLY GOOSEBUMPS.
I once spent months making a detailed animation for this song, and when it was nearly finished, my computer got a virus and the video got deleted... I cried for days.
Even though the band mostly doesn't like the other spin-offs of the series, the 8 bit chorus/guitar chord, 0:38 through 1:30 reminds me lots of Departure from MMZ 2.
Megaman: I have seen this city a thousand times Through the glass twenty stories high I have watched this city burn If everything that you said is true There is no hope someday they will learn But if I stay here with you Then I will never know the truth Do not say this is how it has to be As I walk through the city streets These frightened people watching me pass There is an evil that holds them here Yet they won't try breaking its grasp But if I stay here with you Then I will leave them to their doom Do not say this is how it has to be You do no better than the fools of this burning city Dr. Light: You have heard me tell this story Many times before you sleep No matter how dark this city gets Even now, there is hope for man Megaman: Even here it is not safe Even this grave has been defaced Someone has written on this stone In some angry hand Hope rides alone Hope rides alone Hope rides alone Megaman: If you say this is how it has to be You do no better than the fools of this burning city And as I live There is no evil that will stand And I will finish What was started The fight of Protoman Loudspeaker: We have control We keep you safe We are your hope We have control We keep you safe We are your hope Human Choir: We have control We keep you safe We are your hope We are in control.
It just realised to me, that observers/listeners always give the people a hard time, but I think megaman, protoman and Light were the instigators of the problems. Wily was right "men will follow those who turned the wheels" Megaman and protomen both started turning the wheels, but light and then later megaman stopped turning the wheels. Man does need people to stand behind, because it is afraid of failure, and Light nor megaman showed particular hope that they'd succeed, especially since megaman abandoned mankind to their doom, funny because he said "Do not say, this is how it has to be" he was possibly, along with Joe, the only one who actually believed mankind would win, but both stopped (not that Joe had very much choice) and mankind was left to it's fate. Hope may ride alone, but it is riding on the masses who are inspired by the confidence of the bearer of hope. Thoughts/opinions anyone?
I'd agree, were it not for the fact that the people were indeed terrorized by Wily. People would just disappear, never to be seen again, for the smallest dissenting voice. My hope is that Megaman will make a return. I feel like his spirit kind of broke when he killed Protoman, and with how the crowds reacted. It's a bitterly sad and beautiful moment. Proto and Mega man's view points seem to switch in that moment, from hopeless to hopeful and vice versa.
What we've heard of the act 3 songs seems to imply that there's going to be a human uprising independent of any "heroes", and that Megaman will return. Even now there is hope for man.
I remember a bit ago, someone commented about how corrupt the system is, yet I felt like this song answered that feeling with a resounding. "It isn't the systems fault, it's YOUR fault." I mean, lets be honest, it wasn't some alien race who made our system, it wasn't some tyrannical machine- It was someone just like you and me. Greed, Pride, and so much more took over. And it gets worse. It was you and me who allowed it to go on as far as it did. We acted irresponsibly and blissfully ignorant. We probably could've stopped it, but didn't. We didn't try to regulate their power, we probably could've. 'Course, regardless of blame, we still have a responsibility to restore it, or even upgrade it to something better. It's just passing on the blame and instead recognizing our own error won't help anything or anyone. It'll just have it start over.
It's like you didn't understand the album whatsoever. Have a little bit of self respect you coward. Or better yet, quit hiding behind your veil of jaded cynicism and actually see the world in front of you. Society at large and the global workforce is intentionally oppressed by greedy ruling classes. Who's "you and me," genius? It's just you. If you want to lash someone so badly, man up and lash yourself. The working class are oppressed by design in a system meant to perpetuate income and flow for those above us. That's quite literally all it is. Our lives depend on selling our labor as the costs of living rise exponentially, with lower wages and less worker rights and freedoms, and between economic situations and cultural indoctrination we're obliged to be competitive and hostile towards one another just to survive. Quit moping about "we could have," and "we should have." Man the fuck up and do something. Start changing minds, talking to people, voting, getting organized more. I'm sick of hearing this whiny bullshit from you keyboard losers and I hope that in the year since you made this nonsense comment you've actually found a functional frontal lobe. Rock had everything he needed to topple Wily. He gave in to the lies Protoman fed to him and the nihilism that Wily corrupted him with. You keep waking up every morning despite this nonsense pseudo intellectual outlook on the world. Maybe you should start living instead of just slaving. Do not say this is how it has to be. You do no better than the fools of this burning city.
I wish they'd redo this album. His range has gotten so much better, and hearing this is kind of grating on the nerves to hear him struggle to hit those falsetto/high notes.
This song is about the co-dependent nature of any oppressive society. The state provides safety and hope through enforcement of total control. Yet, the state's power rests precariously on the complacency of it's people. The state cannot "hope" to remain "safe" unless we remain ignorant. We are in control.
My friend Nori died. Cancer. Fun times. In a way, he was a father to me. He was Doctor Light. I didn't believe him. I didn't accept his warnings. I put my own life on the line, because there was no way the world was as shitty as he said it was. Lately, things say otherwise. Everyone has turned on me, yet they expect me to be their hero. They expect me to save them from their fates. Well fuck you, extended metaphor, 'cause I'm Mega Man today. Nori was still wrong. I'm going to fix everything.
from the lyrics wiki "Megaman stopped. His path through the city had led him to the grave of his brother. Men began to gather below the hilltop where he stood silently, reading the words of his father carved onto the crumbling marker."
![[HD] The Protomen - The Will Of One](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
