Koko Hekmatyar: How Anime's Best Character Tests Humanity 

Don't see many videos on Jourmungand, this is a treat!

Koko is the greatest anime villain because she's the only one who can go full monologuing megalomaniac mode about her plan for world domination... and then actually dominate world like she said she would.

Leaving an immediate like simply for taking about my most favorite anime ever.

Kinda reminds me of a quote from Frank Herbert, the writer of Dune: "I thought charismatic leaders ought to come with a label that read "may be hazardous to your health.""

So is anyone gonna tell him the Jormungand and Black Lagoon takes place in the same universe, and there is even a one shot manga showing how the two line up?

It is difficult for me to see the deeper meaning of animes, back stories of characters etc. because of my autism. Your Black Lagoon videos really made me look differently at the anime and mainly the characters. Now, after watching this video, the same goes for Koko. I could never put a finger on her(even autism aside) I always wondered why she waited 2 whole years to launch Jormungand. Why Jonah always monologue'd about his hatred for guns, and that he travelled with an arms dealer. And many more of the points you listed. Just watching your video once (at about midnight, pretty darn tired) made many dots connect for me. She, her crew and the series as a whole makes so much more sense now, that I cannot thank you enough :) I watched the subbed version of Jormungand once (back in 2018 or '19) and read the manga at the same time, I will give it another spin in English after I finished Initial D (this one has been in my 'bookshelf' for a long time because I cannot commit to a 24+ episode anime. I eventually lose track of some major plot elements, though Initial D's kinda stand alone seasons make that less of an issue)

I just rewatched it and randomly searched "Koko Hekmatyar" on Google to get her character sheet to cosplay her, and this video popped. I can't complain lol it's a well-thought one! Now I'm contemplating life choice to cosplay lord Koko or not bcs she's so great -

I got so hyped when I recieved the notification that you were doing a Jormungand video lol. This anime and Koko definitely are definitely top favs of mine and one of the best out there... Well besides me of course 😁 Anyway, banger vid as always

You have such a way with words!

Greatly underrated anime; especially the Jp version. The VAs did an absolutely stellar job. This show made me think for years on end since I watched it for the first time.

So this video got me to rewatch Jormungand and it was quite the ride, I feel like this anime deserved much more attention than it actually got, especially compared to the constant barrage of power fantasy isekai garbage we are bombarded with now. Anyway, watching it again and keeping in mind the contents of this video, I feel like many people view Koko as an omnipotent bond villain, trying to piece all of her actions into one coherent logical masterplan that was laid down from the very beginning. I personally disagree with that viewpoint - to me, lot of reasoning that led Koko to act the way she does are subconscious and based more on emotion and logic. I would go as far as to say that Koko herself doesn't really realize the true reason behind many of her own actions. Let's take the bath kissing scene, to me, it makes perfect sense. I don't think it was done to control or manipulate Jonah, rather it's a consequence of Koko's own emotional deprivation - she hates everything around her, the world, the people, weapons, herself, and all of that burning hatred and self loathing hidden behind a mask of confidence and indifference she is forced to keep on since childhood. In her eyes, Jonah is the only person in this world who can truly understand her, he's quite literally a single flick of light in a pool of darkness that is Koko's world, the only one with whom she can share her deepest dreams and desires and who can make her feel accepted. Saying all of that, since Jonah is her only chance to experience genuine bond without having to worry about letting her mask slip, she projects all her emotional desires on him - older sister, mentor, lover, all of that and more -at the same time. Its best seen at the end of her rant in ep23, where there's a shot on her widening eyes as she whispers "You are the only one I love Jonah, and I know you are just like me" that scene still sends shivers down my spine, you can feel the absolute pathological obsession for him she kept hidden up until that point. It does explain the two year wait - him suddenly leaving must have been pretty shocking, and if the only person that truly understands you and that is "just like you" doesn't approve of the plan, what is the point? Is it even what she really wants? In a way, Jormungand was her defense mechanism to deal with the overwhelming guilt she must have felt for causing so much death and destruction, a convenient way to rationalise all the evil she has committed. If something could snap her out of it, Jonah leaving her would be it. Except that he came back. Notice that he only makes the decision of coming back when he finds himself unable to throw away his gun. I view the ending as quite a tragic one. After the boat rant, Jonah knows for a fact that Koko is not alright in the head and following her further would contradict everything he believes is right. So he does not, even after leaving Casper he's ready to start a new life. But he can't. In possibly the best moment in the show, it dawns on him that he's just too far gone - despite hating guns, he lived his whole life with one by his side, and has no idea how to exist without it. That's the thing about child soldiers - they never had a normal life, so they cannot go back to it, regardless if they live or die, they are bound to the battlefield forever. After realising that there never was any hope for him, and that he will have to spend the rest of his life doing what he hates the most, he breaks down. He capitulates on all of his moral principles, joining Koko not because he believes in her plan, but because Koko's affection is the only thing that can allow him to bear the weight of his ultimate fate. I think that the true climax of the show was exactly that - Jonah's choice, and how it was a wrong one, for all the right reasons.

I LOVE this anime so much!!!! So under rated and under appreciated

This anime is great, characters, storytelling, action, all of it is amazing. But that last name "Hekmatyar", it is honestly one of the coolest names I have heard for a character. It's got an exotic but sophisticated ring to it, plus it gives off authority, like a European lineage. This is a great analysis my friend, Jormungand is truly a hidden gem and offers a lot more than simply fun gunfights and action.

This is what changed my view on whole series, thank you

Well... Now I'm not going to work, I'm going to watch Koko and friends

Koko is like Light Yagami and John Kramer. I love master manipulators because it’s more fun to see people out whit everyone rather single handily pile-driving through an army. Not to mention I find them way more terrifying that serial killers, since they’re way more common and harder to stop at a glance. John was especially cool because even in death, he was still 10 steps ahead of everyone. Even his protégés were none the wiser.

Koko is terrifying im currently in the army if i ever meet someone like her im running in opposite direction

Loved this video. It's always great when somebody more eloquent than me can express the reasons why I love a show or a character and also point out things I missed.

I like the ending. The show became all about faith, faith that there was hope. Koko Vs Kasper. Will the fighting stop or continue. I think if the show had taken a side it would have spoiled that. Also after watching the whole thing I feel the show is just a James bond film if James bond was dead. You just follow this bond villains plot, learning her motives and methods and how she treats her henchmen and in the end there's noone who can stop her and she wins. Sure she won a world she can't guarantee will become what she wants but you know She has faith...

Loved this show Balmet was my favorite over Koko only because of the episode they went to the beach. Koko overall is an amazing character and could honestly see someone doing this in real life. Like if Elon Musk decides he wanted world piece at any price.

It’s hard to believe that Koko (and Casper) was inspired by the Hansel & Gretel twins 👯.

>recommended the show >gifted a new waifu Dayum, i'm good 😎 Anyway, I'm really glad that you liked the series.

_grabs popcorn_ Alright now this should be good

Loved the black lagoon vids, but staying fo the great vids too come💪🏽

Loved this video! It's been a while since I watched 40 minutes of youtube non-stop haha I agree with most of the things mentioned, I would have liked to go a bit deeper into the bombing of Hex. In my opinion this is a very important scene because it is the point in the entire series where Koko can be seen as a human. For the first time, someone was able to mess with her. Koko clearly uses her team but we get glimpses and hints of her actually caring a lot for them. While she can certainly lose people and go on with her plans and life, she is heavily reliant on them not only for physical protection but also emotional support, people that contributed to her sanity. Judging by their interactions, R had the closest relationship with Koko on pair with Jonah who also functioned as her compass (as you mentioned, proving to herself that she was on the right track). Hex being able to kill R and almost doing the same to Jonah was a direct and serious punch. For the first time we see a very human reaction of her. Anger, hatred and emotional vulnerabilty. While usually cold, efficient and cunning she could have killed Hex like usual, as she does with anyone that tries to mess with her plans. Hell, Willee, Lehm and Lutz were already on the location to confirm the kill anyways. But this time it was clearly personal, the bombing of Hex's location was not just a murder. It's a straight up expression of that anger and hatred to the person that dared inflict pain on her. As the scene is presented in the series it really gives the impression of someone staring at the consequences of incurring the wrath of a god and Hex mentions Koko's anger as something almost extraordinary. Edit: I also completely forgot that the first time it happened was almost identical with Echo's death which shows Koko taking completely irrational decisions in desperation. Another member with a close relationship that would later be replaced by R. So there is definitely a sense of revenge in the second time around with Hex. Is she furious because she consider her team a possession of hers or does she care for them? It's very debatable but I think that both can be true at the same time. We can't really disconnect it, she can both use them for her means while also caring and seeking support from her more human side.

Ok,now I love this channel even more. Thats something I wanted to see when I'll see list of your videos. AND ITS 40 MINUTES!YASSSS

Is there cases about that show, I wonder 💭. However do you mind discuss about Alderman of the sky and the truth of Ikta and Yatori or Yatorishino, if you feel like it.

Kokos plan could work partially with the chance of ending war outright being very low, jourmundgand would take the severety of war down a few notches with taking out everything computer assisted from a fighterjet/mbt up to nuclear weapons and icbm's sure humanity could continue with ww1 style massacres or going further down to black powder and pikes, but if that would happen again on such a scale, humanity would deserve it honestly

YESSS YOU DID IT!

Oh shit I am so fucking happy I am waiting for this video YEARS

You miss one possible factor in why the team just accepts Koko's plan upon reveal. You have to be a bit damaged to see it this way. Maybe they just agree with her. I can only assume that most if not all of her team, having lived their lives in that world of conflict ultimately agreed with her conclusion. Observing nature, knowing human history, and being steeped in that side of the world might lead one to conclude that chaos, not peace, is the natural state of life. I certainly think that way. That Peace is not something that can be kept, it must be made and to make it comes at the cost of death. Just as standing guard in the night with a spear is how you kept your tribe safe from the wilderness, and sometimes you have to go out and hunt that predator during the day, on your terms. Given that I am at least one example of a person who thinks this way, I see their lack of reaction as acceptance. That Lehm, Valmet, Lutz, Tojo, etc, etc, didn't disagree just because she's their leader but because they actually agreed with every word that left her mouth. They too believe that those hundreds of thousands of lives Koko is about to take to be the neccesary sacrifice of lives to attain a semblance of peace. Notice that in the great reveal scene, the only people besides Jonah who seem unnerved by the suggestion are the two "doctors," even though they too have been under Koko's manipulation they have doubts. They still at least in theory believe in a natural state of peace. Along that same vein what is more cruel? To kill 10,000 people a year over the course of 10 years, or to kill 100,000 in a single day and end the war right there? Would Afghanistan and the rest of the Middle East be better off if we had fought a more savage war using our superior technology to it's greatest potential, amassing unfathomable casualties among the AQ, Taliban, and inevitably civilians but securing victory, or are they better off now 20+ years in, an entire generation of adults over who've had to live their literal entire lives in the timeframe of that war, and in the end all of our efforts have been reversed. Now that we have the capabilities to do so should we fight wars in a "civil manner" and attempt to minimize collateral damage, thus encouraging civilians to stay in the AO and potentially still be caught in the crossfire or used as shields, or should we fight wars like we did the world wars? Flattening everything. How many years should a refugee be forced to stay away from a home they wish to return to, or should we destroy that home quickly such that they can return and rebuild?

As long as people fight over resources war will never end. Even if it devolves into fighting with sticks. Just remembered I watched this almost a year ago. Well worth the re-watch. Will say though jourmangand won’t end war the ferocity of it would definitely decrease. Even without much mechanized equipment solders died in the millions in WW1 so maybe it would lead to peace but doubt it.

This was a phenomenal breakdown. Koko is definitely one of the greatest and most complex characters ever written in my opinion. Jormungand deserves more praise and eyes on it.

I totally get you on the ending part As part of the concept of the show, the ending was great but I still would have wanted to see what would happen to Koko

Lutz beeing former GSG9 and a police officer questioning her plans was really fitting. ^^

Loved this video Im so glad you did Koko justice!!

You missed a key part of Koko and John's constitution and that's her wanting him to smile at her

a bit late maybe, but i have to say this: I fucking LOVED Koko, in every way possible. Call me crazy if you want, but if i were Jonah i would've stayed with her forever, even when she tells her real plan. Why? Because she's Koko. Yes she's an arms dealer, yes she's a freaking psycho that wants to put the world to its knees, but she knows how to "play the game of life". I liked Jonah a lot too, because he kind of remind me of myself: he hates guns and violence, but he'll do everything he can to protect the ones he love, often pushing himself over his own limits (like he does in the episode where R dies). Honestly i'd love to be a member of Koko's team, not because i like to kill people, blow stuff up or putting my life at risk 24/7, but because i think that peace will never be achievable in the world we live in, so i might as well follow the one who can challenge the entire planet and beat it at its own game.

Thank you for +1-ing my favorite anime character ever. Up until now, everybody interesting I've watched in anime has been playing for 2nd place no matter how interesting they may be.

Gotta be honest, as much as I love this show, I still think the crew gave in to Koko too easily at the end. Especially Lutz. I thought it would have been a lot more powerful if Koko had waited those two years, and literally nothing changed or maybe even improved slightly. I would have loved to see the mental breakdown Koko would have had after that.

Glad to see people still talking about how great this show is.

one of my favorite anime of all time

Jormungand? Haven't heard of that name in a long time

its my fav anime im so thankful finally someone feels it

god i love it at 12:29 Koko: dont think i didnt notice you calling me by name earlier, thats twice now, i like it, i think- Jona: **hits grenade on car roof** Koko Koko: -we are making real progress Jona: **hits grenade on car roof again** KOKO

Thank you boss !!! ❤️❤️❤️

Been waiting for a channel to hit on this one

Little know fact black lagoon and jormungand are set in the same world by one manga you should make a video about it .

If anyone here is more interested in Jormungand check out the subreddit and discord that comes with it.

YES!!!

$1 patreon tier please, and I don’t understand why you don’t link your patreon in all your videos. Love all the work you put into your videos, and I hope one day can make videos full time.

Subbed!!! She's definitely a very charismatic leader.

Great video! I like so much Jormungand, please make a video of Makima from chainsaw man. She's also a great character I think she has similarities with Koko

Oh shit that's a big one

Sophia Valmer is my fave character.

You made vids for black lagoon AND jormungand? I see you too are a man of taste ;)

War never changes

Great video!!

Well in my opinion koko is crazy but right if the world is plunged into chaos and only one step away from world War 3 Jormungand is the best option to keep the casualties to a bare minimum well less than a full fledged war between superpowers. I know it's not right to judge upon an amount of lives but sometimes hard decisions must be made and the system can be shut down world peace would still never happen but at least this world would be free of ICBMS and other digital guidet missiles for a while

You obviously have great taste! Gurren Lagann, Black Lagoon, Jormungand... I was wondering when you'd be getting to "Monster"? ;:)

Jormangand's message is the irony that: Everyone wants a better world, but no one can give up the life they currently live; instead judging others' based on their current biases. Peace **is** an achievable state of being, but everyone who holds a negative opinion -of literally anything else- has already decided that peace is boring. Often, our negative opinions are not even informed by our own perceptions on life, but by others that we simply won't let ourselves dispute, for one reason or another. We often surrender ourselves to the whims of other people, simply because we don't feel a purpose without them. Koko isn't dangerous because she's so much better than anyone else in her role; she's dangerous because she could be anyone.

YES THANK THIS IS A UNDERRATED ANIME EVER

I think I would have to go with Shogo Makishima from Psycho Pass as the best anime character ever, but Koko is definitely up there.

It really is scary how good at manipulation and selling herself Koko is. I just...wish she was a TINY bit better. Because maybe then Chinatsu would've been able to come around in time...

Why is she obsessed with her child soldier and why is she so psychotic to the point its borderline insane

Jormungand is my 4th favourite anime and this video reinforced this (below rainbow, black lagoon, and attack on titan)

Love this anime : )

1:25 Sounds like a Discord Mod to me

the only anime i ever watched. +

truly an amazing analyzer

It would be cool to see a double video were they work together or something since they take place in the same universe like they do with TV shows sometimes does anything else take place in this universe

One of my favorite Anime!

I love her, i wish I'll get reincarnated in that world as Jonah 💀

underrated show!!!!

Jormungand is a masterpiece of a Anime.

Yes

A personal realization I came to is similar to kaspers weapons will never disappear now I’m fond of weapons but also of peace. In my belief peace comes from a motivation in oneself to not be overly selfish or greedy selfishness and greed are not objectively bad in moderation selfishness and greed helps people not starve. But the question you must ask yourself to truly be a good person is are you willing to make sacrifices as to not hurt people or are you willing to hurt people to go after selfish gains. If you say the latter you are part of the problem and should try and change that. If everyone decided to stop hurting people war would end. I also believe that their should be no rulers. Without rulers people can’t make armies at least not coherent ones and without armies people can’t do war

Great video, what the name of the soundtrack at 7:23?

Please this Anime is so underrated

Yo whats the music in the beginning pls? The one used in test 1, great video btw i love this anime 😄

Great analysis but I kinda disagree with your view of Jormungand's ending, especially after seeing how AoT ended. Ending things on a more ambiguous note feels like a good decision to me due to fitting the themes regarding human nature that Jormungand portrays. There is no guarantees for the future and even Koko admits this in the last episode. Plus it is not that easy for humans to stay clear of its warmongering ways and even Koko isn't someone free of human flaws. Jormungand might put and end to warfare as it is known in Koko's time but the means of war could simply evolve in order to adapt to a post Jormungand world. As such, its better to leave things uncertain that try to provide a solid answer which AoT somewhat tries to do and one of the reasons the ending doesn't feel that good.

I'm sticking so hard with you right now

I wish they made more like this any recommendations y’all ? Besides black lagoon ofc

Yo I love his beard

I can only see as her plan as highly flawed and would not even last a year... But still, it was a very fun watch seeing all the peices!

Her name is Koko she is loko

Ah, Jormungand: A series that started out great and falls the fuck apart in its closing third. I was on the fence with her before that, but after learning what her dumb Bond villain-esque plan was I honestly hated Koko and hoped Jonah would blow her brains out. Alas.

So in the grand scheme of it if say for example we’re putting the cast of jormungand in a dnd alignment chart Koko would be considered chaotic good?

As in the southafrican army I'd love to have her as a CO . I'd know were I stand in life

Some spoilers down bellow: Haven't watched anime for 2 years and literally just watched this in the last week when I was free, both seasons. I have to say that it was a good show with its moments and I would give it an 7 out of 10. The problems I had with it where that the first few episodes where really good and hyped me up while the rest where slower and not really what I expected from this anime, then they pick up again with emotional and crazy action parts here and there and they slow down again... The 2nd problem was that the last 2 episodes of S2 where rushed and we didn't get a proper explanation and conclusion to Johna's and Coco's relationship (trying not to spoil anything). I really wanted a big villain too but as soon as we got someone, like in the case of that crazy girl in episode 2 or that CIA girl in S2 they get killed off which was kinda annoying for me. I also think that more dangerous missions and a few guys from Coco's crew dying would have been a better plot and focusing more on Johna's past and relationship with Coco would have been better. Also him just forgetting that Casper indirectly killed his parents and not wanting revenge was just stupid for me. Could have been a great anime but it was let down by the points I mentioned above imo... I still enjoyed it and Coco is a type of character that would win people over really easily irl because I met a few Coco's trough out my life and they are really good at making people like them and do what they want.

What I kinda find funny is like you said jona never really returned to help Koko. Jona was starving and didn’t know how to speak the language to eat, it’s a possibility he could’ve died. Koko and team gave him life again, and with the 2 year time skip. Jona is what maybe 14-16 (he’s apparently 11 at the time we see him but he’s with the team for so long and in different seasons. He’s probably aged at least a a year or 2 before the time skip). Before people shit on me I’m not shipping them cuz it’s kinda weird but in jona head, someone who gives him physical and mental affection. Constantly and literally bathes with him and kisses him jona could’ve been blinded by his affection by koko that at the time he didn’t understand. He was a kid, I liked the theory that R had. Jona was Koko limiter, but we never asked what Koko meant to jona. A friend, a boss or something more? On the surface she was an employer but after all that time together as jona grew into a teenager, it’s possible he started to see her differently.

Jormungand is m favorite anime thanks men!

I have a question about Koko and Jonah: what kind relationship does she have with him? inspected being a big sister or mother to him we see sometimes it looks like she has a romantic moment sometimes by teasing him and even kissed him in one scene explain that to me?

I left jormunagnd feeling disappointed. I went in comparing it to black lagoon and never thought it measured up.

This show was so slept on 🤦

Koko Hekmatyar 🤍

I need someone to explain to me the ending of this anime. I didn't get it. An why isn't there a season 3 I feel it wasn't complete

i like her "good" crazy side but hate homicidal, arms dealer side or "bad" crazy side, i simultaneously like her yet hate her, if that makes any sense. I am crazy too, just not in the homicidal way (i mean when angry i get a little bloodlust but i am able to control myself not to hurt anyone and instead hurt objects like the wall, punch air, scream and cry my anger out) edit: on a side note, Johah is blessed and cursed, cursed because of the fighting and manipulating but blessed because he gets to be around Koko, Valmet and Chiquita

Seems my comment got censored? Said nothing negative or political. RU-vid is really getting outta control with their deplatforming, geez.

I had some bad fridge logic after enjoying the anime because Jormungand is only going to have so many means of keeping humanity in check before it either runs out of ammunition, fails, or is just outsmarted by people. If I recall correctly, Jormungand is separated from external devices so while it can't be remotely hacked (and will shoot down anyone who tries to get close to it), it can't be updated either. One day down the line - even if it's a century away - somebody is going to find a way to fool the machine if it doesn't fail or break down on its own and then humanity is going right back to square one with wars and murder. There may not be another Koko to stop it.