Will Keitaro clear Stage Two ?

[darthvaderlim]

I don't mean to sound like Pizza, but do you think Keitaro would clear Stage Two this time, considering that he conquered his demons in 39?

For me, it's hard to say, considering that he barely cleared with 1 second left and only due to the Rolling Log being nerfed. However, it's possible that in Sasuke 40, the time limit in Stage Two could be decreased or there might a slight obstacle modification.

[dakohosu]

I'm going with unsure.

He absolutely has the capability to clear even with the time limit decrease as he's very fast throughout most of the obstacles. The issue is more that he takes AGES waiting before the Bsckstream and Reverse Conveyer (seriously, I remember screaming JUST f***ing GO during the live broadcast); I worked out he would've cleared with like 15 seconds left if he hadn't waited in 39 (which means even with like a 10 second reduction he should technically be ok). It wasn't like Koji Saikawa who was clearly going as fast as he could but still timed out, hence I'm a bit less confident in him clearing Stage 2 if there is less time.

No doubt the waiting around was due to his negative experiences with the Backstream and Stage 2 in general, but now that he's finally cleared, whether he'll still be mentally plagued by his past failures enough to do the same thing I'm not sure. I presume if there is a time limit decrease he'll force himself to go faster, however this could either result in him still taking too long and timing out like he did in 36, or trying to overcompensate by rushing the first few obstacles and then making a fatal error like 35 and 38.

I do hope to god he's learned his lesson but it's hard to tell. It's kind of a shame because he's consistent in clearing Stage 1 which is WAY harder imo, but he's clearly developed some kind of mental block when it comes to Stage 2. Given that he only cleared last tournament it's impossible to tell how this will affect his future performances. 

[Messup434]

You guys are opening a potential large can of worms lol.

[kanzenbella]

i'm going with unsure. he's certainly capable but he never cleared the second stage until last tournament.

[dakohosu]

Dec 3, 2022 19:42:57 GMT -5 Messup434 said:

You guys are opening a potential large can of worms lol.

I mean not really. PizzaKing57 (the guy who obsessed over Keitaro and claimed to have cried when he failed Stage 2 again in 38) has been banned multiple times now so we're safe lol.

[subtleagent]

Well one could argue that clear in 39 could give him confidence, but then again his epic flub on Stage 3 suggests otherwise and if there is a reduction or something else happens he could very well time out. Clearly mental blocks effect him as much as they did Yuuji and Ryo in the past, maybe even more so. Cause initially I was like "he beat it, so that'll reinstate his confidence", but then he chokes on the Sidewinder and I'm wondering if that'll be in his head during Stage 2. See cause with Ryo and Yuuji they tore through Stage 3 and even almost cleared it once they reached it again, but Keitaro... not so much. So I will ultimately go with unsure.

[dakohosu]

Dec 5, 2022 22:01:32 GMT -5 subtleagent said:

Well one could argue that clear in 39 could give him confidence, but then again his epic flub on Stage 3 suggests otherwise and if there is a reduction or something else happens he could very well time out. Clearly mental blocks effect him as much as they did Yuuji and Ryo in the past, maybe even more so. Cause initially I was like "he beat it, so that'll reinstate his confidence", but then he chokes on the Sidewinder and I'm wondering if that'll be in his head during Stage 2. See cause with Ryo and Yuuji they tore through Stage 3 and even almost cleared it once they reached it again, but Keitaro... not so much. So I will ultimately go with unsure.

I think this was mainly because he probably knew that he was pretty significantly hyped up as one of the most capable competitors as far as Stage 3 is concerned so probably had a sh!it load of mental pressure knowing how long fans had waited to see him attempt the stage. I mean I remember several guessing games positioning him as the dark horse or saying he'll even reach the Final, no doubt this sentiment was likely shared among the Japanese fans too. This mental pressure likely clouded his judgment which resulted in making that Sidewinder mistake which was easily avoidable. I distinctly remember posting on this forum when he cleared Stage 2 saying I can't wait to show what he's made of and then realised how poorly that comment had aged barely an hour later....

I'm not sure how much his Sidewinder fail would affect his chances of clearing Stage 2, unless his willingness to reach Stage 3 and avenge his last failure results in him overlooking or rushing Stage 2, but given how infamously problematic his relationship with the latter has become I doubt it.