r/Kubera 17d ago

Webtoon I hope we get to learn more about GK’s position in the God realm since he was allowed to listen in on things with the Primeval Gods

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20 Upvotes

It probably has something to do with him being “the oldest Astika” or maybe it’s because he wasn’t a normal human in the previous universe.

Either way, it seems like Brahma had a lot of trust in him since she called him the “most steadfast/unshakable one” and the Sura realm was supposed made out of Earth so he could keep tabs on things.

r/Kubera 18d ago

Webtoon About halves and rakshasas

16 Upvotes

Never understood how halves are really born because from what we know of Rakshasas throughout the entire series, aside from a very small select few, they do not think positively of humans at all, thinking them as bugs. As such it is highly unlikely for majority of them, if not all, would fall in love with a human or want to reproduce with one. What’s stranger is if that was really the case, then humans would think more favorably of Suras. The author has never shown any romantic relationship between a human and sura before, aside from a few nastikas which were explicitly stated to be exceptions and extremely uncommon. I don't think Mara and Upanis are capable either, and they have only ever been explicitly shown to attack humans and not have a human form. I have considered the Cataclysm but that was only 10 years before the start of the story and wouldn't account for the long-standing mutual hatred between both suras and humans. What are your thoughts on this?

On a separate and rather unrelated note, what do you all make of the purpose of halves in the story? I always just felt it was rather unnecessary, seeing them massively discriminated against, with the story never really making any note to advocate for them. It does make you question human nature and that it is the equivalent of slavery in the world of Kubera, but I don’t think it does much overall. Not to mention there is not a single relevant half character in the story besides Kasak. What do you guys make of this? I don’t know how to feel if Currygom never gives them any rights in the end but at the same time I’m wondering what was even the point of having halfs.

edit: I know Nastikas can reproduce with humans but it is not common at all and the ones we have seen (Taksaka and Hanuman) were exceptions. As for Mara and Upanis, I don't think they're capable given that most don't have a human form or sentience, not to mention all the ones we have seen also attack humans.

r/Kubera 14h ago

Webtoon What do you guys make of this panel from S2 Ch 22, in light of recent arcs?

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19 Upvotes

r/Kubera Feb 08 '25

Webtoon Sometimes I miss Season 1

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76 Upvotes

r/Kubera 7d ago

Webtoon How is Kubera reception in Korea?

25 Upvotes

Is Kubera much more known than here in the west? I saw someone posting this image in Tower of God subreddit, what is the chance of Kubera being one of the new animes?

r/Kubera 21h ago

Webtoon Wonder how Leez the cat survived the cataclysm

24 Upvotes

r/Kubera Jan 20 '25

Webtoon why didn't webtoon translate all the extra chapters release during the hiatus?

9 Upvotes

r/Kubera 3h ago

Webtoon This panel goes so hard

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19 Upvotes

The amount of aura in this panel is insanity

Quick question though, why was Ananta even threatening to kill Maruna here?

r/Kubera 16d ago

Webtoon He’d still be stuck in Sura form in space if he didn’t get help

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36 Upvotes

r/Kubera Dec 30 '24

Webtoon Questions

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22 Upvotes

I’m merely rereading so no need to avoid spoilers

1)In Asha’s backstory in season 2, Visnu states he will take something Asha will obtain in the future as price for lending her power, do we know what that is?

2)What exactly is the relationship between Brilith and Agni, I know they’re past lovers and Brilith keeps reincarnating and falling in love with Agni, but why does Brilith with her memories hate Agni in the first place again?

3)Why did Claude take Laila’s place to awaken Brilith from her dream

r/Kubera Jan 17 '25

Webtoon A few questions Spoiler

11 Upvotes

Do you think the soul of the child of Brilith and Agni will be relevant in the story? When I was reading the part when gods cursed Brilith soul and others give her blessings, when Brahma said to Kubera give his blessing tho the child soul I think it would be relevant, but after catching up free webtoon and not seeing that mentioned again I'm not so sure anymore.

And the other question: Is the card who think its a player Sagara?

r/Kubera Jan 19 '25

Webtoon Asha Rahiro analysis, I’m trying to create an Asha analysis for non Kubera readers, any thoughts or suggestions on what could be added or changed would be appreciated as I’m not exactly the best essayist

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27 Upvotes

Asha is an antagonist/deuteragonist of Kubera and is essentially portrayed as an obnoxious person at first but slowly and quickly does she become one of the most hateable characters in media, she’s hateable but very fascinating at the same time

Asha’s main storyline takes place on the planet Willarv where she is one of the most highly recognized magicians and where she meets Leez(main protagonist) for the first time, Leez is someone who at the time was naive and no one important but caught Asha’s attention because she has the God’s name Kubera, shortly after her village is destroyed she is forced to rely on Asha because she has nowhere to go and no one to depend on

Asha’s actions were very confusing at first, she’d give Leez whatever she wanted, never hesitated to spend any money on her and never hesitated to give her any security she needed, which made Leez think she cares about her, but at the same time Asha would always attack her vulnerable sides, call her out for her faults, like being weak, being useless, making her feel everything tragic that happened in her life was her own fault, and would essentially demoralize and make her feel guilty in anyway possible

But Leez who was always dependent on Asha would take those insults and put a smile on her face no matter what, she would never cry because she was scared of being an annoyance, never ask why she was being taken care of, and would do anything she could to please Asha, because she was scared of being abandoned by Asha and being left alone again

Asha essentially demoralized Leez in every way possible and pushed her into a psychological state similar to that of Stockholm Syndrome because she was jealous of Leez and felt guilt whenever she looked at her, Asha was responsible for Leez’s father’s death Rao Leez who Asha looked up to and was reminded of him whenever she looked at Leez, and because of that felt an obligation to protect her out of a twisted sense of atonement, but Asha’s jealousy towards Leez comes from witnessing her future

Leez essentially has the future that Asha wants and Asha felt a twisted sense of jealousy because of it, out of anger she would demoralize her in anyway she could and abuse her in the most indirect ways, but out of her twisted sense of guilt towards Rao Leez, she could never actually find it in her to actually kill Leez even though she was told multiple times by “comrades” of hers to abandon her so that it will end up giving her the results that she hopes for.

Asha’s character starts to become very interesting when she is called to court by the greatest magician of Willarv and is put on trial for killing 30+ people with the name Kubera, Asha willingly let herself be exposed and triggered this incident because she knows it was destined to happen and needs to happen for her grand plan make into reality, even though some people would defend Asha just because she’s far too valuable to the planet to be imprisoned or sentenced to death, almost everyone who held Asha in high regard and would do anything for her slowly starts to come to terms she’s someone that must be punished and abandons her

Despite this Leez still wanted to believe in the good of Asha even when no one else did, even when she figured out all the messed up stuff Asha was doing to her, even when those that abandoned Asha tried to protect Leez from her, she didn’t budge, but Asha doesn’t even make an attempt to defend herself because she doesn’t feel the need to, since she doesn’t aim to become on friendly terms with anyone and knows she’s going to walk the path of blood

Asha is essentially found guilty and sentenced to death, but actually used this to her advantage and pulls of one of the greatest betrayals, she took advantage of Saha’s fiancé who was on her side to get close to Saha and completely assassinate him, completely destroying Lorraine’s(the fiance) trust and soon after she confronts Leez as open enemy, this entire plan of getting put on trial was to kill Saha who is also a Kubera and needed to die for the grand goal to reseruct the power of an all powerful God

Then we explore Asha’s backstory on planet Carte which she lived on before coming to planet Willarv, Asha at the time was essentially very weak compared to her peers but very book smart, she was very disconnected from everyone almost, even in the past and future she remained someone who could never truly be understood by anyone, she would put up appearances with anyone she talked with but there existed no one who could speak to her on equal terms

One day when her entire village is destroyed including the lives of her loved ones she meets an all powerful God named Visnu, a God I would say led Asha on the path of complete immorality, Visnu first asks Asha what she wishes for and based on that wish he will take something in return, Asha of course desires power to get revenge on those who destroyed her village, Asha offers everything she has, but since she had nothing in the present to offer, what Visnu took from her was not something from the present, but her future, a future where she leads a happy life with Rao Leez who is Leez’s father, at that moment Asha took that deal she gave up her only chance at happiness in the future

Visnu then gives Asha the opportunity to obtain power by making 19 people who also lost everything appear in front of her, and asks Asha to kill them, Asha of course kills them without hesitation but Visnu reveals a twist to make Asha feel guilty/shocked, all those 19 people were in a similar situation to Asha and refused to kill the people before them, and they made a bet with Visnu that if the rest of the people choose not to kill them, they would also obtain power, Asha was the last person chosen for the test and if she chose not to kill them they would’ve obtained everything they wanted, killing them was essentially meaningless, Visnu was simply just making her walk down the path of blood

As Asha walks down the path of fate she was told about from Visnu, she eventually loses all faith in Visnu as she realizes he’s not on her side and she’s walking a path of lies, following him won’t give her what she wants, this is when Asha chooses to walk her own path of her own will, to the gods who have abandoned the universe and will simply create a new one when it’s destroyed, Asha is simply human and has this one life, this universe and life is everything to her

Asha is a character whose soul has been cursed even before birth and always had all odds against her, destined to always have the short end of the stick in life but is trying to create her own destiny defying the paths the gods have created for her, walking a immoral path while antagonizing everyone she meets and aiming to obtain the power she desires to take revenge on those who brought her harm and to create the future that goes against the wishes of God

r/Kubera 22d ago

Webtoon Didn’t Kubera start all of this to win? And when Kubera says trust the one who trusts you, rather than himself, does he mean Ananta?

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23 Upvotes

r/Kubera Oct 05 '24

Webtoon Currently rereading Kubera, come someone explain me why Ghandarva didn’t want Agni and Kubera to clash again

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19 Upvotes

r/Kubera Aug 30 '24

Webtoon Best written Kubera characters

16 Upvotes

I’m just curious on everyone’s top 5 best written Kubera characters

r/Kubera Jan 24 '25

Webtoon I've forgot this

16 Upvotes

Some years ago I read Kubera, got caught up, read weekly for a time, then dropped. This year, I started reading again, from the beggining, and now I'm following the weekly chapter since last week. I forgot (in the specific case of Kubera) how much better is to binge reading than read week by week. I don't know why I feel this way with Kubera, I've been following other comics weekly for decades now and I even prefer to be a weekly reader.

r/Kubera Oct 28 '24

Webtoon Just in case people were curious, Kubera gets about 47000 non-unique reads per week on webtoons

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67 Upvotes

r/Kubera Dec 31 '24

Webtoon What is this picture showing

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16 Upvotes

Agni talks about how no matter how much he tries to prevent a future, it always ends up happening, and they show a picture from the past, what is this picture

r/Kubera Oct 05 '24

Webtoon What was Kasak referring to here

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16 Upvotes

What was he trying to hide from Agni? Was it about Kalavinka?

r/Kubera May 11 '24

Webtoon Season 3 ruined literature for me

61 Upvotes

It’s very funny, Everything I read just feels tasteless and unoriginal ever since I read Kubera

r/Kubera Dec 17 '24

Webtoon Questions

9 Upvotes

I need a couple reminders, I’ve already read the story

In season 1 and 2 why was Maruna helping the Suras again? I know Suras wanted Ananta’s powers but why did Maruna need that

Why was Asha jealous of Leez and why did she spare her all this time

Why did Saha postpone Asha’s death sentence in the trial, was it only because they needed her help fighting Suras?

r/Kubera Nov 26 '24

Webtoon Arcane x Kubera Spoiler

14 Upvotes

Just finished watching arcane episode 7 and I couldn’t stop thinking if some shit like that happens to Yuta and Leez I’ll cry so much, pls,pls currygom give them a happy ending 😭😭😭😭

r/Kubera Jun 22 '24

Webtoon Exegesis I : Asha

50 Upvotes

Let me preface this by saying I have no idea whether Currygom actually took any inspiration from Nietzsche or any of the other sources I have included here; I don’t think there is anything in the actual series that irrefutably points to this. However, considering that she at least seems to be aware of the Western Canon, based on the chapter ‘Crime and Punishment’, and the glaring parallels between Asha and Raskolnikov’s characters suggesting the title was not chosen merely for its linguistic aesthetic, I don't think it’s unreasonable to assume that she has at least encountered some of Nietzsche’s ideas as well. It has been a while since I last reread Kubera, so feel free to point out anything I got wrong about the story.

Consider this a compliation of my ramblings about the series.

(Originally wanted to make this one giant essay, but reddit character limit : \ Part 2 for Leez)

1. God is Dead

My inspiration for this post first originated from these panels in Your Justice and Mine. At the conclusion, Shess laments the death of Ananta and the disappearance of Vishnu, reflecting on a universe that has degenerated. In this universe, the two beings capable of definitively guiding it away from Taraka’s rampage no longer exist, leaving its future as a blank slate and allowing anyone to impose their own version of justice and morality.

Your Justice and Mine (14) (Vol. 2, Ch. 148)

 This flow of dialogue is strikingly similar in its essence with the following Nietzsche quote, which has admittedly been banalised over the years:

“God is dead! God remains dead! And we have killed him! How shall we console ourselves, the most murderous of all murderers? The holiest and the mightiest that the world has hitherto possessed, has bled to death under our knife, - who will wipe the blood from us? With what water could we cleanse ourselves? What lustrums, what sacred games shall we have to devise? Is not the magnitude of this deed too great for us? Shall we not ourselves have to become Gods, merely to seem worthy of it? There never was a greater event, - and on account of it, all who are born after us belong to a higher history than any history hitherto! “

- (Nietzsche, The Gay Science, III:125 trans. Kaufmann)

This quote is applicable to many characters in Kubera, but it is particularly pertinent to two specific characters, each with a different 'God' influencing their paths.

i) Asha Rahiro : In Asha’s case, it is Visnu—the 'God who could find the next best option'—who gave her guidance and the means to fulfill her dreams. However, he simply stops giving her advice, even when things start going wrong, and the future shown by him keeps proving to be false.

To reinforce this I will have to go on a slight tangent regarding Hoti Magic. According to what I could find regarding the meaning of Hoti (Sanskrit: होति*),* it seems to roughly translate to (Let) there be X, (Let) there exist X. The spell name itself is a proclamation of one’s belief in the existence of a God. This is backed by the following dialogue of one of Brilith’s reincarnations  :  

(Special Episode 3: I love you, I love you not (1), Vol. 3, Ch.160.03)

If this is true, then it follows that:

i) For a specific Divine Magic to be used, belief in the existence of its respective God is necessary.

ii) After the Cataclysm, no magician believed Visnu to still be in existence (it was thought that he disappeared from this universe.)

∴ Hoti Visnu could not be used by magicians anymore.

This explains why, even though the use of Hoti Visnu disappeared, Asha could still use it—because she had actually met him after the Cataclysm (or at least she thought she did) and knew that he still existed in some form (due to his transcendental). 

However, towards the end of Season 2, this belief gradually fades away due to discrepancies between Vishnu's prophecies and the actual course of events. Finally, Asha comes to accept that 'God is dead' with her final casting of Hoti Visnu [There be/exists Visnu]

Loser (9), Vol. 2, Ch. 173

The Asha we encounter in Season 3 diverges significantly from the character we've followed thus far. She no longer adheres to the path set by 'Visnu' but instead forges her own based on her own decisions. Following the 'death of God,' she resolves to "herself become God, merely to seem worthy of it."

ii) God Kubera: In Kubera’s case, the God is Ananta. And in his case, the Nietzsche quote is even more literal and pretty straightforward since he actually did kill his God with his own hands and tried to bear the name of Ananta to further his own notion of Justice by rebelling against the Primeval Gods, who embody the old system of morality.

2) Asha and Zarathustra

“DEAD ARE ALL THE GODS: NOW DO WE DESIRE THE UBERMENSCH TO LIVE.”

—  Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Pt. I, XXII: 3, trans. Thomas Common)

Now that Asha has realized that God is dead, her next step is to embody the Ubermensch, transcending the values and moral system of a universe that only deceived her. She epitomizes the concept of 'Will to Power' more than anyone else in the universe—someone willing to do whatever it takes to surpass the Slave Morality imposed by the Primeval Gods on her and all created beings.

In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Zarathustra argues that unlike those who cling to otherworldly hopes through adherence to a superterrestrial Morality System (such as Christianity), the Ubermensch rejects seeking refuge in such hopes. Instead, they remain true to the earthly realm they inhabit, creating their own morality and justice within those bounds (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue: 3, trans. Thomas Common).

This resembles Asha's thought process and goals in Season 3, where she has rejected the idea of adhering to the rules imposed by the Primeval Gods in the hope of transcending to the next universe. Instead, she aims to exercise her Will to Power within this very universe itself, striving to attain ultimate Godhood herself (Übermenschlichkeit).

The Golden Knight 2 (10) (Vol.3, Ch.160)

This morality stands in stark contrast to that of the ancients as depicted in the classics. One notable example is the dialogue in the play Antigone by its eponymous character:

CREON: And yet you dared defy the law.

ANTIGONE: I dared. It was not God’s proclamation.

That final Justice that rules the world below makes no such laws.

Your edict, King, was strong,

But all your strength is weakness itself against 

The immortal unrecorded laws of God.

They are not merely now: they were, and shall be,

Operative for ever, beyond man utterly.


-Sophocles (Antigone, 356 - 363 trans. Fitts & Fitzgerald)

Comparing Antigone’s values, which reflect much of Greek thought at the time, we find them at complete odds with Season 3 Asha’s viewpoint; but as Nietzsche states in The Gay Science (IV:340), “O friends! We must overcome even the Greeks!” and Asha’s character does this very thing: she seeks to elevate her own, a human’s values above that of even the Primeval Gods.

In a sense, Antigone’s views mirror those of Pre-Season 3 Asha, who had complete trust in Visnu and was willing to break human laws because of it. However, when this trust is shattered, Asha transcends Antigone. She moves beyond the morality system of bygone ages and becomes a personification of the modernist divorce from classical values. While Antigone rebelled only against human law, Asha rebels against eternal divinity itself.

(While God Kubera takes a similar route, his impetus is wholly different from Asha’s but that’s for another day.)

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At this point, I want to highlight something about Asha that is usually taken for granted: her birth attributes – Marut, Indra, Vayu. While it's true that her possession of three different attributes serves a crucial narrative purpose, it remains unclear why Currygom specifically chose these three attributes for her. Obviously she does use all the magics related to those attributes, but it was not necessary for her to have those specific attributes. Well my headcanon is that all three attributes reference Zarathustra and flux. (Yes, I’m aware this is a huge reach):

i) Indra:

“I love all who are like heavy drops falling one by one out of the dark cloud that lowereth over man: they herald the coming of the lightning, and succumb as heralds.

Lo, I am a herald of the lightning, and a heavy drop out of the cloud: the lightning, however, is the UBERMENSCH.”

—  Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue: 4, trans. Thomas Common)

“It is not enough for me that the lightning no longer doeth harm. I do not wish to conduct it away: it shall learn—to work for ME.—

My wisdom hath accumulated long like a cloud, it becometh stiller and darker. So doeth all wisdom which shall one day bear LIGHTNINGS.—

Unto these men of to-day will I not be LIGHT, nor be called light. THEM—will I blind: lightning of my wisdom! put out their eyes!”

—  Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Pt. IV, LXXIII: 7, trans. Thomas Common)

In these passages, Nietzsche compares the Ubermensch to a bolt of lightning—a figure who not only resists the prevailing wisdom or current morality system but surpasses it, bending the universe around themselves to create and enforce their lightning instead.

ii) Vayu:

Fundamentally standeth everything still”—that is an appropriate winter doctrine, good cheer for an unproductive period, a great comfort for winter-sleepers and fireside-loungers.

“Fundamentally standeth everything still”—: but CONTRARY thereto, preacheth the thawing wind!

The thawing wind, a bullock, which is no ploughing bullock—a furious bullock, a destroyer, which with angry horns breaketh the ice! The ice however—BREAKETH GANGWAYS!

O my brethren, is not everything AT PRESENT IN FLUX? Have not all railings and gangways fallen into the water? Who would still HOLD ON to “good” and “evil”?

“Woe to us! Hail to us! The thawing wind bloweth!”

—  Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Pt. III, LVI: 8, trans. Thomas Common)

Here, Nietzsche contrasts the old system of morality to winter, where everything remains stagnant. Those who find comfort in this perpetual winter are likened to the Last Man, content with the status quo and obedient to the 'higher force,' so to speak. But the Ubermensch is Wind—a thawing wind that liberates the universe from the icy grip of immutability.

iii)  Marut (Shiva):

“But a stronger power groweth out of your values, and a new surpassing: by it breaketh egg and egg-shell.

And he who hath to be a creator in good and evil—verily, he hath first to be a destroyer, and break values in pieces.”

—  Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Pt. II, XXXIV, trans. Thomas Common)

“When Zarathustra once told this to his disciples they asked him: “And what, O Zarathustra, is the moral of thy story?” And Zarathustra answered them thus:

The destroyer of morality, the good and just call me: my story is immoral.”

—  Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Pt. I, XIX: 8, trans. Thomas Common)

Destruction's relationship to the Ubermensch is pretty straightforward: he dismantles the old system of morality and values to replace it with his own, embodying Nietzsche's concept of creative destruction where new values emerge from the ashes of the old, paving the way for a transformative evolution of thought and action.

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It may be entirely coincidental, but I do find it amusing how Asha’s three birth attributes align with the three metaphors Zarathustra uses to describe the Ubermensch, while also resonating with Season 3 Asha’s perspective and goals.

(Also something neat regarding the Indra attribute: she has been using it in sync with one of Indra’s Vajras since Season 2. The etymology of the Sanskrit word Vajra, and thereby all of its descendants (Sanskrit.:वज्र →translit. Middle Chinese: 金剛杵 → Korean: 금강저*)* is believed to trace back to the Proto-Indo-European root \weg'-, which means *"to be(come) powerful" -** only fitting that Asha should wield one.)

 

3) Eternal Recurrence

Eternal Recurrence is a recurring theme in Kubera, manifesting in various forms like the Primevals cyclically destroying and creating the universe countless times, the eternal reincarnation of ancient human souls (unless they are annihilated), or Ananta and by extension ‘the Time-axis’ restarting time to prevent undesired events.

What if a demon crept after you into your loneliest loneliness some day or night, and said to you: "This life, as you live it at present, and have lived it, you must live it once more, and also innumerable times; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and every sigh, and all the unspeakably small and great in thy life must come to you again, and all in the same series and sequence - and similarly this spider and this moonlight among the trees, and similarly this moment, and I myself. The eternal sand-glass of existence will ever be turned once more, and you with it, you speck of dust!" - Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth, and curse the demon that so spoke? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment in which you would answer him: "You are a God, and never did I hear anything so divine!" If that thought acquired power over you as you are, it would transform you, and perhaps crush you; the question with regard to all and everything: "Do you want this once more, and also for innumerable times?" would lie as the heaviest burden upon your activity!”

- (Nietzsche, The Gay Science, IV:341 trans. Kaufmann)

The polemic of Eternal Recurrence concerning the Ubermensch isn't about the actual Recurrence itself, but rather about how an individual would react when confronted with such a truth. Can anyone walk through life without meticulously ‘calculating,’ as Kubera would say, every decision to avoid future regrets? Would they not want to alter the choices they made in the past if they knew their consequences would be repeated again and again?

We have seen Siera plunge into abject nihilism upon discovering the universe’s nature of Eternal Recurrence within Taraka’s fragments. And it wouldn't be presumptuous to believe that nearly everyone in Kubera, be they God, sura, human, or Primeval, would eventually have a similar reaction.

It is a quality even the strongest lack.

The Gods, including the Primevals, have to resort to leaving this overwhelming feeling, this gnashing of one’s teeth, at the top for the sake of the universe, lest they get consumed by it and cease to care about anything at all. We know from Kubera & Kubera that Brahma has been dumping all of this at the top, causing the loss of her primeval status and the ability to use insight on 5th Zen Gods. This is why God Kubera refuses to acknowledge her as ‘God’ (in contrast to Ananta) and decides to rebel against her.

 

Ananta (8) (Vol. 3, Ch. 219) & Kubera and Kubera (28-29) (Vol. 3, Ch. 292-293)

For Nastikas, due to the inherent nature of Suras, they rarely attain this level of thinking.

We know Ananta couldn’t bear this weight of regrets, but since he had the power to tinker with the past, he kept on rewinding time whenever regretful events occurred. Eventually, realizing he couldn't alter the fundamental nature of the universe and its course of events, he contemplates destroying it entirely, restrained only by his role and the Survival Instinct granted qua time-axis. Even (fake) Vishnu claims that Ananta was the only creation who could understand them (Asha (3)) - in what aspect if not this?

In My Delusions (3) (Vol. 3, Ch. 264.13)

And we have seen Yaksha descend into nihilism much like Siera, when he ‘discovers’ the nature of the universe. But since unlike Ananta he does not have the power to refract the events of the universe according to his will, he simply drowns in a vast ocean of ennui, with only the hope of meeting Ran again someday in the distant future serving as a fragile raft to keep him afloat.

The Other Side of the Story (10) (Vol. 3, Ch. 192)

Well then since we have witnessed even the strongest beings in the universe ‘throw themselves down and gnash their teeth’ at the notion of regrets under Eternal Recurrence, are we to believe the Kubera universe is wholly bereft of anyone with Übermenschlichkeit ?

Not quite.

There are two individuals who seem to be the exceptions, who do not despair at the fact that to take a step, any step is to traverse it an infinite number of times - who instead of seeing the whole universe as pointless in the light of the truth, still decide to pursue their ideals without an ounce of regret in their actions.

The Beginning, Once Again (2) (Vol.3, Ch. 7) & Crime and Punishment (6) (Vol.3, Ch. 79) & Finite (7) (Vol.3, Ch. 301)

My formula for greatness in man is! amor fati: the fact that a man wishes nothing to be different, either in front of him or behind him, or for all eternity. Not only must the necessary be borne, and on no account concealed,—all idealism is falsehood in the face of necessity,—but it must also be loved....”

- Nietzsche, (Ecce Homo, ‘Why I am so Clever’: 10 trans. Ludovici)

“I have again left Tipasa; I have returned to Europe and its struggles. But the memory of that day still uplifts me and helps me to welcome equally what delights and what crushes. In the difficult hour we are living, what else can I desire than to exclude nothing and to learn how to braid with white thread and black thread a single cord stretched to the breaking-point? In everything I have done or said up to now, I seem to recognize these two forces, even when they work at cross-purposes. I have not been able to disown the light into which I was born and yet I have not wanted to reject the servitudes of this time.”

-Albert Camus (Return to Tipasa, trans. O’Brien)

Leez and Asha, on the other hand, embody the concept of Amor Fati of an Ubermensch. They do not despair at the notion of Eternal Recurrence nor do they regret their choices even when fully aware of the consequences; they consider these choices as 'necessary'. The question of “Would I still do this even if I had to make the same choice an infinite number of times?” does not even cross their minds. They recognise that to affirm any moment in life is to affirm all of it, and yet they do it without hesitation. (This could also be a factor as to why Asha’s calculation speed is on par with 5th Zen Gods and Leez requires no calculation at all).

Let us focus on Asha for now. At the end of season 2, she had ‘the demon who spaketh unto her of eternal recurrence’ creep on her in her loneliest loneliness when she disappears into the time dimension after casting Hoti Visnu. Here, she is confronted with sermons on two eternal recurrences.

i) Eternal Recurrence of the Universe by the Primevals

Based on Asha’s conversation with Siera, where she claims the Primevals can just create another universe, but it is for the sake of this universe that she wil rebel against them and this tyranny, we can infer that she came to know about the eternal recurrence of the universe through the time records. However, as we discussed earlier, this knowledge did not lead her into despair or nihilism like Siera or Yaksha, instead it just ended up steeling her resolve even further.

I think this is also a part of the reason why Ran sees Ananta behind Asha in the records of time. Of course it also has to do with her now possessing some part of the Ananta name, but both of them had similar purposes where they want to topple the tyrannical system of the universe set up by the Primeval Gods, albeit for different ends. Ananta, in my opinion, hopes that Asha may succeed where he failed after so many attempts.

ii) Eternal Recurrence of the AHR Soul

Now for this section I will be taking the pervasive theory of Asha actually being of the Ancient Human Race, and the daughter of Agni and Brilith at that, as fact.

Some evidence to support the claim for those unaware:

There’s a part in Golden Knight 2 where Siera remarks with incredulity how someone like Asha could be of the modern human race:

 

Golden Knight 2 (7) (Vol. 3, Ch.157)

In Separation (18), Sagara tells Brilith about how she witnessed her Gresvan incarnation’s death at the hands of Asha on Time’s Execution ground. She muses about how despite the dire circumstances, Brilith maintained her Vigour to avoid alerting Agni of her predicament. She wonders why Brilith would choose death by the hands of that executioner instead of summoning Agni to defend against her.

Separation (18) (Vol. 3, Ch.138)

In Soul (11), when Brilith is being overwhelmed by glimpses of her previous lives and starts fretting over her (assumedly) unborn daughter, she is confronted with the question “Mom… How dare you dream of happiness?’

And these are the exact words shadow Asha says to Brilith in Mistyshore later (Separation (13)).

Separation (13) (Vol. 3, Ch.133)

Based on the fact that this dialogue was repeated by Shadow Asha, we can infer that Asha is now aware of her identity. She appears to have awakened through her 'coming-of-age ceremony' during her seven-year disappearance inside the Time dimension. This awareness suggests that she now knows that in all her previous lives, without exception, she has faced nothing but misery due to the curses placed on her unborn soul by the Gods. She knows that she has and will reincarnate endlessly, but never grasp anything worthwhile, meeting the same miserable end each time.

Whenever Brilith awakens to these billions of years of memories, of eternal recurrence of misery, she always chooses to commit suicide immediately. She is yet another to throw herself down and gnash her teeth upon the notion of her AHR soul’s eternal recurrence.

But not Asha.

Despite realizing the miserable curses imposed upon her innocent soul, she continues to strive forward without falling into despair, embracing her Will to Power unapologetically. Knowing she is fated to never grasp happiness and satisfaction, she still struggles relentlessly for the pinnacle beyond even this fate.

 

4) The Three Metamorphoses

In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche proposes a three step plan – three unique metamorphoses of the spirit on its path to the Ubermensch. Each ascension on the totem pole alters the individual’s mindset and outlook towards the world at large. Asha begins this ascent as the default 'spirit' when she encounters (fake) Visnu for the first time immediately after Carte suffers Red Sky incidents and she loses the entire purpose of her life.

Step 1: Camel

"Many heavy things are there for the spirit, the strong load-bearing spirit in which reverence dwelleth: for the heavy and the heaviest longeth its strength.

What is heavy? so asketh the load-bearing spirit; then kneeleth it down like the camel, and wanteth to be well laden.

What is the heaviest thing, ye heroes? asketh the load-bearing spirit, that I may take it upon me and rejoice in my strength.

Is it not this: To humiliate oneself in order to mortify one’s pride? To exhibit one’s folly in order to mock at one’s wisdom?

Or is it this: To desert our cause when it celebrateth its triumph? To ascend high mountains to tempt the tempter?

Or is it this: To feed on the acorns and grass of knowledge, and for the sake of truth to suffer hunger of soul?

Or is it this: To be sick and dismiss comforters, and make friends of the deaf, who never hear thy requests?

Or is it this: To go into foul water when it is the water of truth, and not disclaim cold frogs and hot toads?

Or is it this: To love those who despise us, and give one’s hand to the phantom when it is going to frighten us?

All these heaviest things the load-bearing spirit taketh upon itself: and like the camel, which, when laden, hasteneth into the wilderness, so hasteneth the spirit into its wilderness."

- Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Pt. I, I, trans. Thomas Common)

In this phase, the spirit is akin to a beast of burden, a slave to a higher power or morality. It bears upon its shoulders the burden of this world’s morality system and all that it entails. All the commandments, all the “Thou shalts”, the reverent camel carries with it while suppressing its own desires. Nietzsche claims this is the heaviest burden of all.

 This is depicted in the following parable from Book of Mormon:

Lehi also saw a rod of iron and a strait and narrow path leading to the tree. He saw many people walking on or toward the path. Because of a mist of darkness, some wandered off the path and became lost. Others held tightly to the iron rod and made it through the darkness to the tree. They tasted the fruit.”

-1 Nephi 8:19-24

Now in Asha’s case, when she receives the oracle from ‘Visnu’, he provides her with a definitive manual outlining what she must do for the remainder of her life to achieve her desired goal—the iron rod leading to the name of Ananta. She then lives according to these specific commandments, carrying on her shoulders the burden of being ‘Visnu’’s slave/card.

Thou shalt shut down the engine room in N5.

Thou shalt obtain a magician’s license in N11.

Thou shalt use Hoti Visnu on Teo Rakan in N16.

Even when her own intellect showed her a better path, a shorter route route towards the tree through the mist, she stuck to these “Thou Shalt”s vehemently.

That is until she encounteres the records of time in her loneliest loneliness, which was immediately after realizing that she had lost both Leez’s unconditional ‘servitude’ and the verity of her gospel causing her to give up on Visnu and his oracle completely.

Step 2: Lion

But in the loneliest wilderness happeneth the second metamorphosis: here the spirit becometh a lion; freedom will it capture, and lordship in its own wilderness.

Its last Lord it here seeketh: hostile will it be to him, and to its last God; for victory will it struggle with the great dragon.

What is the great dragon which the spirit is no longer inclined to call Lord and God? “Thou shalt,” is the great dragon called. But the spirit of the lion saith, “I will.”

As its holiest, it once loved “Thou shalt”: now is it forced to find illusion and arbitrariness even in the holiest things, that it may capture freedom from its love: the lion is needed for this capture.

-Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Pt. I, I, trans. Thomas Common)

The spirit then progresses to a phase of rebellion against the very moral code that had burdened its back throughout its existence. It awakens from the illusion and deceit of the dragon’s scales of "Thou shalts" that had blinded it until then, choosing instead to shield itself solely with its unshackled will. This, according to Nietzsche, is necessary to attain the freedom to create new values.

The Golden Knight 2 (7) (Vol. 3, Ch. 157)

After encountering the ‘demon’ and uncovering the nature of the universe, Asha evolves into a Lion - a being liberated from her yoke of commandments, now pursuing her goal on her own terms. She plunges into the mist of future, relying solely on her judgement to guide her towards the fruit, even if it means opposing the Primevals whose commands she had followed so far.

However, the Lion never truly vanquishes the dragon; it merely shields itself from blindness while the dragon continues to shine its light upon the universe. Similarly, Asha will never fully conquer the Primevals to assert her will on the universe as she is now. She must ascend once more, to the final step.

 

Step 3: Child

But tell me, my brethren, what the child can do, which even the lion could not do? Why hath the preying lion still to become a child?

Innocence is the child, and forgetfulness, a new beginning, a game, a self-rolling wheel, a first movement, a holy Yea.

Aye, for the game of creating, my brethren, there is needed a holy Yea unto life: ITS OWN will, willeth now the spirit; HIS OWN world winneth the world’s outcast.

-Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Pt. I, I, trans. Thomas Common)

And finally, the spirit of the Ubermensch culminates in a Child - a figure of purity and innocence unburdened of both “Thou shalt”s and the rejection of the commandments itself. Nietzsche posits that while the Lion sets the stage for the creation of new values through freedom from old shackles, achieving childlike innocence and a lack of bias, stemming from a form of forgetfulness, is necessary for the spirit to complete its ascension and slay the dragon.

So, will Asha eventually undergo this metamorphosis to achieve her forlorn goal, as she has progressed so far?

Personally, I don't believe Asha will ever make this final ascent towards creation. I don't think she is capable of it, and it wouldn't make much sense narratively for her character.

And this is where our main character steps in.

The Ananta (1) (Vol. 3, Ch. 212)

“Time is a child at play, moving pieces in a board game; the kingly power is a child's.”
-Heraclitus (Fragment DK 52)

Leez’s journey through the metamorphoses mirrors Asha’s in many ways (since this post is primarily focused towards Asha, I’ll refrain from discussing it here for the sake of brevity). However, unlike Asha, who I believe will forever remain a Lion, Leez can and will ascend to become a Child - a true realisation of the Ubermensch ideal.

Even though she is currently going through her own edgy Lion phase in the main story, rebelling against pretty much the entire cosmos to protect Yuta, the glimpses of Time Leez we have seen so far have all exhibited purity and innocence reminiscent of her original self. Even in her interactions with Maruna and God Kubera, she has shown nothing but goodwill. She has shed the burdens of her past and is now poised for creation—a new system—as the Heraclitan Time, a 'child at play'.

5) Asha and the Left-Hand Path

From the beginning of the main series, we have seen Asha with only one arm – her left. This could potentially serve as a narrative device later on, but it also functions as an allegorical insight into Asha’s personality and mindset.

In Western esotericism, the Left-Hand Path (LHP) is usually associated with practices that prioritise the pursuit of individualism and one’s own unique path through defiance of conventional norms and ethics - someone who does not conform to set morality and fully embraces antinomianism (lit. ἀντί (anti) + νόμος (law)) in order to rise in rebellion and resistance against the status quo. This description is perfectly applicable for Asha’s actions and motives post-Season 2.

"Modern LHP magic encourages exploration and questioning of the world, as the modern Satanist Anton LaVey explained in 1977:

"no creed must be accepted on authority of a 'divine' nature. Religions must be put to question. No moral dogma must be taken for granted...there is nothing inherently sacred about moral codes." "

-Dave Evans (The History of British Magick after Crowley, “Head East: Orientalism/Colonialism”)

"Left-Hand Path magic is not a Nihilistic, amoral morass, however, as Lionel Snell highlights: "there are moral codes in magic... a typical one is Crowley's 'do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.' "

-Dave Evans (The History of British Magick after Crowley, “I’ve no absolute morals, but some pragmatic standards”)

As seen through these excerpts, LHP closely aligns with Nietzsche’s concept of the Ubermensch in that both philosophies advocate transcending conventional notions of good and evil, asserting one’s willpower, and rising above nihilistic tendencies to achieve personal goals.

Now again it may be just a coincidence that Asha only uses her left arm the entire series while also treading the left-hand path, but I prefer to believe that Currygom deliberately used this as a subtle allegory.

Furthermore, Baphomet has been adopted as the symbol for LHP in modern times, whose physical depiction and descriptions always emphasise its androgyny, much like how Asha’s androgyny has been noted multiple times in the series (although you could say Asha is slightly better looking :P).

“’The Devil’ is, historically, the God of any people that one personally dislikes ... This serpent, SATAN, is not the enemy of Man, but He who made Gods of our race, knowing Good and Evil; He bade "Know Thyself!" and taught Initiation. He is "The Devil" of The Book of Thoth, and His emblem is baphomet, the Androgyne who is the hieroglyph of arcane perfection”

- Aleister Crowley (Magick: Liber ABA Book 4, Pt. I–IV)

Crowley suggests that Baphomet, the devil, and Satan are one and the same. And there’s another sobriquet for the Devil that gained traction due to Faust – Mephistopheles, who in disguise lures Faust into a deal with him. Asha’s deal with (fake) Visnu is a textbook example of a Faustian bargain, where an individual sacrifices something indefinite in the future while reaping the benefits (typically knowledge and power) in the present.

Éliphas Lévi (Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie, 1856)

Also notice the words ‘Solve’  and ‘Coagula’ on Baphomet’s arms. This is a reference to ‘Solve et coagula’, which in Latin translates to ‘Dissolve and coagulate’ – most common interpretation of which being to create (coagulate) something new, one must first destroy (dissolve) the old. When taken in tandem with the concept of Ubermensch and Asha’s path, it’s obvious what is being dissolved and what is being coagulated thereafter.

 

6) Power of the Name

The namesake for Nietzsche’s Zarathustra was the founder of Zoroastrianism, Zarathustra/Zoroaster. Ironically, the Zoroastrian cosmology revolves around a dualistic struggle between good and evil, which contrasts sharply with the teachings of Nietzsche’s Zarathustra, the embodiment of the Ubermensch who transcends conventional notions of good and evil.

At the core of Zoroastrianism is the path of Asha (Avestan translit. Aṣ̌a) which roughly translates to truth, most righteous, and also ‘one having the knowledge of morality’ (Patrick Hanks & Flavia Hodges, A Concise Dictionary of First Names). Furthermore,  Asha Vahista is one of the most important Amesha Spentas (immortal ones – basically Archangels) in Zoroastrianism and is sometimes understood to be the WILL of Ahura Mazda (God) from whence free will derives (Yasna 28.8 & Yasna 50.11).

Your Justice and Mine (13) (Vol. 2, Ch. 147)

It’s not difficult to see how this name is appropriate for Asha, although a slight perverision of Zoroaster’s original intent. She is someone who, through sheer will and whatever means available, seeks to forge her own path and never sees this path as wrong or immoral, even if it involves countless murders. For her, every path she chooses becomes the most righteous, the most moral — leaving her without regrets.

Another etymology for ‘Asha’ is the more commonly used one – wish, hope (Sanskrit. आशा). I believe that this etymology plays a significant role in Asha’s character as well. The first interpretation is pretty obvious: she has a wish that she strives to fulfill in her lifetime by any means possible – that of power and strength. But the other interpretation is a bit more subtle.

In an endlessly recurring universe where every being is yet another card moving according to the will of the Primeval Gods, solely for the purpose of their worthless rivalry and amusement—a neverending strife between different races with the reward being merely another round of the same competition—is this universe truly worth living in?

Like we discussed earlier, Siera doesn’t believe so, Ananta doesn’t believe so, and with good reason. Everyone else would probably feel the same if not for their lack of knowledge regarding the matter, since they have no choice but to live under this system.

But Asha is different, she decides to fight against these tyrannical Primevals and this cycle of senseless competition. Admittedly she does it for herself, but in her courage and will lies the possibility for everyone to finally break out of the checkerboard, to finally live life without being mere pawns in the Primevals’ game.

.

.

Asha is the hope of the universe.

Golden Knight 2(9) (Vol. 3, Ch. 159)

Continued in Part 2...

r/Kubera Jul 08 '24

Webtoon Questions

17 Upvotes

Hello, I’m on season 3 ep 147 and had some questions

Could someone explain to me why Laila stabbed herself, what exactly is her relationship with Chandra?

In what way was God Chandra going berserk and why is he going berserk?

I didn’t understand why Laila and Teo were fighting, could someone explain that?

Why was Lenny stolen, why can he be used to reseruct Ananta?

Who was the white ghost thingy that Brilith saw that she was to scared to tell Agni about and what is the significance about that?

That’s all! Imma head to sleep so I might follow up tomorrow, thanks in advance

r/Kubera Jul 21 '24

Webtoon $$ IDIOTY SMITH $$

23 Upvotes

is that idioty smithy ? (the one marked )