The Chess Tournament Arc | Trash Taste Special 

Antagonist: "I'm pretty sure I'm gonna win." Protagonist: "I am not feeling confident at all." Basically Anime.

Connor: The antagonist. Gigguk: The protagonist. Joey: The protagonist's best friend. Syd: The waifu. Rustage: The antagonist's underling. Mother's basement: The filler to show the skills of the protagonist. Eyepatch wolf: The weak side character that gets shit on by the antagonist just to show how bad they are. Revel: The antagonist's second underling.

Y'all know Gigguk had a flashback when he started living off increments. A flashback of when Joey and him played chess as children, vowing to become the best in the world.

You know, after the whole bike thing, I am starting to think that Gigguk really has some sort of good luck plot armour stuff going on. How much good karma did he get while being a monk...

Gigguk: "Is this it" Gigguk: "Is this it" Gigguk: "Am I going to lose?" *[PLOT ARMOR KICKS IN]*

Garnt: I don't know who the protagonist is. Everyone: Sounds like something the protagonist would say

I *just* realized Garnt and Joey stalemating in the training arc was foreshadowing for Garnt getting Connor to draw by repetition Damn this series has some deep planning it's so well written

Based on this... Garnt: The Protagonist Connor: The Villain Joey: The Rival

This is literally the meme of the villain who has been training for like a thousand years and the mc beats him with like a week of training.

Best quote of arc: "Man, this win was so free, and I didn't even have to use coupon code BASEMENT"

Find yourself a wife that tells you you were the protagonist all this time when you win a chess competition.

I love how Syd wasn't stoically celebrating Garnt's victory out of respect for the fallen opponent, she was all like: Fuck you Connor! **middle finger

Everyone: *dressed casually* Connor: *S U I T*

When Gigguk was like, "Is this it? Is this it? Am I going to lose?" And that FAT PLOT ARMOUR kicked in it was the most anime-esque turn of events I've ever seen.

"Look at him, he's calculating. He is looking for possibilities" Rustage: *I'm absolutely lost*

"He is calculating. Let's check in." Rust: *"I'm absolutely lost"*

the fact that Garnt used so many weird rules, the pawn thing in his first match and the draw by repetition, it's such a classic anime thing for the underdog protagonist to win in an unexpected way

I swear to god, in every Trash Taste Special, Garnt just always become the Protagonist and Connor the Main Antagonist while Joey is the Protag's best friend, I love it.

Me who knows nothing about chess: "Mmm" *strokes chin* "Good move..." One of the announcers: "why'd he do that? That's going to cost him the game!" Me: "Ah yes like I said bad move indeed!"

Connor wearing a suit makes him the villain. He is literally Light. I take this piece ... and move it!

gigguk: still trying to figure out his role in all this... yup, we have our protagonist

Connor: “I am gonna take out all of his pieces” He was the antagonist

Connor was the overconfident antagonist that made himself lose. Garnt was the protagonist. And Joey was the rival the protagonist fought in the semis that jobbed but still got third place.

51:18 "Don't be scared, it'll be fun, *take the trade* ." really speaking like a villain lol

Connor when talking about chess experience: They were so mean! Connor now: So I want to be the bad guy *You either die young or live long enough to see yourself become the villain*

Japanesetutor: "This move is called pp on the pp." Connor: *Yaoi reading flashbacks*

> "Hey Lets make an open tournament and invite people from outside of trash taste" > immediately kicks out everybody invited in the first round

“Fuck em up” -Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

Garnt is actually a real anime hero, saying that he’s trying to find his place and he’s not sure where his role in the arc is he’s the hero who’s reluctant to accept his destined role in the story but eventually accepts his role

Gigguk: Protagonist Connor: Antagonist Joey: Protagonist's Rivial

"This game I haven't fucked up. I haven't fucked up royally." *immediate checkmate* Holy shit I laughed so hard

Talk about perfect anime plot. Connor: The confident heel. Gigguk: the determined underdog that knows he disadvantaged. Joey: the mutual friend. This was hype as hell. Great event guys.

Omg the antagonist was beaten by the protagonist with a simple move that the antagonist didn’t see coming *Classic*

""Connor's out here playing Code Geass and we're just out here playing K-On" I WAS WHEEZING

Damn, Connor foresaw the entire arc until his loss. "I've seen so many timelines but never pass this moment"

the best line from Sydney: OH MY GOD!! YOU WON!! YOU WERE THE PROTAGANIST THIS WHOLE TIME!!

Connor when he lost: You're a third rate duelist with a fourth rate deck

I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to coach the Trash Taste Boys. Y'all really made me proud! Can't wait for Season 2

3:22 'It's gonna be like when a movable object meets a stoppable force' an underrated line by Grant on how his and Joey's matches were gonna be.

58:38 "Gave up a piece and blew out my eardrums" LLMAAOO

I completely underestimated how entertaining this was going to be.

Garnt:"I'm just going to try and fail as many times as I can" Ah, the Re:Zero training method, I see.

"This is the mura mura mura - check after check after check" Gigguk invented the Jojos Offensive

"I haven't royalty fucked up" Almost list his queen before, gets immediately mated.

rustage is that one character that shows a glimmer of hope against the villan, before getting utterly destroyed

Connor cursed himself to lose when he said he was the antagonist. The protagonist has plot armour. He always wins.

them: "we couldn't find any good chess anime" Highschoool DXD: "crying in the corner"

Just got into the podcast and found the special. Love how this was basically an anime Protagonist: Garnt Best Friend: Joey Antagonist: Connor Love Interest: Sydney Friend we made along the way: Rustage

3:00 Connor: "I still make really dumb mistakes." THE INCREDIBLE FORESHADOWING

"Man this win was so free and I didn't even have to use coupon code basement." Damn Gigguk, he has a family.

Joey was like the heroine that looks up to the protagonist, but is really unconfident. And just happy to have 3rd.

Cdawg is like the antagonist that summons all three blue eyes while Gant pulled an Exodia winning by technicality

49:08 “If we look at Rustage, he is calculating, looking for possibilities” Rustage: I’m absolutely lost

I loved when Syd was like: oh my god! You were the protagonist the whole time! XD and Connors face after the draw

Garnt-o: Kuso! My pieces are being captured faster than I can move them! Connah-san: Heh heh heh, what's the matter, Garnt-o? Not sure where to move next? Garnt-o: (grimace) Connah-san: Face the truth, it's hopeless. Soon I'll be able to promote my lowly pawn to a queen, and I'll emerge victorious when my king is the only one left standing! Garnt-o: (internally) Maybe he's right, maybe it IS hopeless. I can't stop his pawn, and once he has a queen, I'll lose for sure! And my time is running dangerously low. There's nothing I can do... unless... What was it that Grandpa Joey told me about when we were training? (Flashback) Grandpa Joey: Garnt-o, there is an ancient rule that has been forgotten to the world. Only the most skilled chess masters have kept the knowledge of its existence alive. In a chess match, if at any time the same position appears for a third time, the game is automatically drawn. Garnt-o: Oh, I get it! If all the pieces are in the same place for a third time, then the game is a draw! Grandpa Joey: Ha ha ha, that's it. Remember this rule, Garnt-o, and it may one day mean the difference between victory and defeat. (Present day) Garnt-o: (internally) That's it! Grandpa Joey told me that if the same position repeats three times, the game is a draw! Now I just have to hope Connah-san doesn't know about the rule... Garnt-o: I move my king to B6, threatening your knight! Connah-san: Big deal. All I have to do is move my knight away and it will be safely protected by my pawn! Garnt-o: (internally) He did it! Connah-san: Make your last pathetic move, Garnt-o. Garnt-o: My pieces don't make any pathetic moves, Connah-san. But my king is able to move to... C7!!! Connah-san: C7? So what? It won't change anything! Garnt-o: That's where you're wrong, Connah-san. You see by moving my king to C7, I will have repeated the same position for the third time, meaning that the game will automatically be a draw. Connah-san: What!?!?!? No!!! It's not possible!!! Garnt-o: King! Move to C7! And... DRAW!!!!!!!! Connah-san: (As he's enveloped in a blinding white flash) AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! AAAAHHHHH AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Referee: DRAW! Garnt-o wins the tournament! Cool guy: Heh, well whaddya know? A draw. The kid won after all. Syd-chan: Garnt-o-kun, you did it! We always believed in you! You were the hero we always knew would win! Garnt-o: And it was that belief in me that allowed me to win, the faith of my friends. Connah-san: No! It's not possible! How could I lose!? Garnt-o: It's simple, Connah-san. You were overconfident and you played arrogantly. Only once you learn to treat each of your pieces with respect can you truly become a master. Connah-san: Heh. Maybe you're right after all. You may have won this tournament, but I'll be back again to defeat you, and I'll be stronger than ever. You can count on that. Garnt-o: I look forward to it, Connah-san. (Melodramatic outro theme plays)

Gigguk: I don't know which role I am playing CDawg: I am the Antagonist, the last boss Gigguk: guess I'll be the protagonist that climbs to the top what an epic arc,

connor: i can't stand story in games. also connor during a chess tournament arc: so i wanna be the villain-

When there's no Chess Anime, but you still make a live adaptation:

Garnt "I'm going to fail as many times as possible in hopes of winning" ah yes. The Kojiro Sasaki approach

Who else found it so adorable that Sydney got SO HYPED by Gigguk's win? Good job Everyone!

"The opportunity to defeat the enemy is given by the enemy himself."-Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

Did Connor put on the god damn Giorno suit for the final, a true Jojo villian to the end

Gigguk just accidentally wins like the protagonist he is in both games.

Ya'll talking about the Trash Taste crew, what about the others that played? They're just as important side characters Sydsnap is the protagonist's love interest that loses early and supports from the side lines the whole time Rustage is the pretty boy that plays more for the camera than the game Who else? Come on

WE DID IT LADS, WE FINALLY DID IT.

You can't beat him : -He's the underdog -He got the girl -He got the brainz

I wish this anime had an opening

33:17 that perfectly cut scream tho- LMFAO

sydsnap reaction to gigguk winning was such a power couple moment. That honestly was fucking greatly.

the grandmasters: WOW, knight D4 is such a strong move. me who knows jack shit about chess: mhmm mhmm, i agree

It's been two years now; I believe it is the time for a second tournament!

Looking back on this now, I appreciate this a lot more than when this aired. When this dropped, I was sick with COVID and to pass the time locked in my bedroom essentially, RU-vid and books were there. And when I heard there was a tournament arc with chess, I was stoked. And just replayed this until my fever broke a few days later. Thank you guys! Thank you!

Gigguk: “I don’t know who the protagonist is” How ironic xD

this is the OVA we deserved, season 1 ended with a banger and the studio scrambled to get this out asap

“That’s pretty much a grandmaster move.” Garnt, you are the protagonist.

This is the best damn Podcast episode and Chess Tournament I've ever witnessed.

I'm so sad by the realization that Rustage is a side character that gets taken down by main antagonist early in the arc

Connor: I want to be the true anime antagonist 2 months later in the drift episode Connor:I HATE BEING THE ANTAGONIST

I don't think I've ever been as entertained, or hyped over time from anything chess ever, holy crap!

The commentary was awesome! Perfect amount of context, not at all condescending, good tension. Awesome!

SuperEyepatchWolf: “The fact he’s castling now makes me feel like he’s taking it seriously now” Connor: “Heh, so you’ve noticed,” *adjusts glasses* “I was just playing with you before!”

I hope there's a second season where Connor gets the redemption arc

Ever since I binge-watched that Chess show on Netflix a few months ago, this was a very entertaining video to watch! I can't wait to see the next chess match up you guys play! :D

this has been on my watchlist for so long and i never expected it to be this intense!! i enjoyed it a lot i'm the type who knows how to play chess but don't know how to strategize so just move whatever but watching this made me go analyze mode too

Garnt 2018 (guess the anime song quiz): "I'm not feeling very confident..." *wins quiz* Garnt 2020 (chess tournament): "I'm not feeling very confident..." *wins tournament* Coincidence?

So: Garnt was Yugi Moto Connor was Seto Kaiba and... Joey was Joey Weeler

Man, when I saw Garnt get that dub against Connor, I yelled like I was watching the battle between Todoroki and Midoriya

This was really fun omg. Even the commentators were sweet and fun to listen to

Gigguk did the passant, a move Connor never had a chance in his life to do, and later won the tournament. He went full protagonist, what an anime!

Garnt: Optimistic protagonist Joey: Passionate rival Connor: Elegant antagonist

Truly a masterpiece from trash taste. Even with the council in the back being the narrators. I loved all of that.

I'm rewatching this now that I finally understand how chess works lmao

Gigguk: Yugi Connor: Kaiba Joey: Joey (what a coincidence HAHA)

Connor's like: haha, you fool, I can take your queen, but then it wouldn't be as entertaining as watching you suffer while I take ALL of your pieces

Gigguk = protag Joey = rival Cdawgva = villain

Looking at how Connor plays now, I'm actually kinda scared of him as a kid. He must have been an absolute tank.

When you realize at the beginning Connor predicted exactly how this tournament would go. And since he chose to be the antagonist, it was obvious he was gonna lose.

_Gigguk was the protagonist the whole time._

When Connor is wearing a suit, you know it's gone serious mode

I wanted a chess anime but this is the closest we can get and I am very delighted! the pressure and intense was so real while watching every match and everyone's reaction was just so fun to watch! waiting for Trash Chess Season 2 let's goooooooo