Opinions and Questions about 'The Breaker' so far.

[Asvin]

I apologize in advance, this became a lot bigger than I expected. :blink

Like a few others out there, I started The Breaker by reading New Waves first. A few weeks went by and with nothing to read in between updates and deciding that I really enjoyed reading New Waves, I decided to read The Breaker.

So, I went back and read the first part of the series and this helped fill in a few of the gaps in New Waves. Sadly, the more answers I got, the more questions there were. Maybe with this, another perspective, I will be able to fill in most of the gaps and answer the questions I have.

First, let's start off with what exactly the title of Nine Arts Dragon is. At first I thought one had to study and master the arts of nine different or competing schools, which was odd since Goomoonryong is relatively young but it would explain his familiarity with the most of the different school he came into contact with as well as their secret techniques during The Breaker.

The down side to this theory is that most of the (fictional) martial art schools I've read about only pass on their hidden techniques to the chosen heirs or successors of that particular school.

Later we get a semi-explanation that... Well, what we're told is that there is this 'legendary' tournament, the Shinmujengpe, (yearly/bi-yearly/every-ten-years/Tekken/KoF?) that determines the rank Arts of the participants, 'Nine Arts' being the highest one can attain. So far we've only been introduced to a Three Arts Dragon and a Nine Arts Dragon. Which is odd since in theory there should be more Arts Dragons running around. (1~9) Instead what we do have running around are masters, elders and other ranks.

The flashback (that's how we learn about the Shinmujengpe) also seems to suggest that only through the tournie can you earn the right to learn a Dragon Art, even if you already belong to a Dragon Art School. Not to mention that despite the variety of martial arts, only those specific nine count towards the title.

Does it make sense to take part in a tournament like that? Wouldn't winning and proving that your art is superior or that you are superior be enough? Or could it be that these nine are the core and everything else is a spin-off/variation there of? For those that read 'Naruto' it would be like the one-handed Rasengan that Minato invented and the modified two-handed Rasengan that Naruto is famous for. (Nine Arts Dragon = Sage of Six Paths?)

Here's another question; If winning one of the Dragon Arts earns you the right to learn the corresponding hidden technique, how would elders be able to pass on clan secrets is they are regularly giving them away to outsiders? Are the hidden techs given back like trophies? Do the nine major Dragon Arts Schools only aim at keeping their specific Art within their clan/school? Would mean then that every Dragon Arts School has a One Arts Dragon within the school. Is this perhaps why Munju and the other elders were upset with Goomoonryong?

Another thing I've been wondering about is why Goomoonryong joined the Black Forest Defence (BFD). At no point in part one was he surprised by his own power so why didn't he try to assassinate the elders responsible for his master's death? He could easily have infiltrated the various schools, compounds or what ever. His obsession with destroying the Alliance feels misplaced and over dramatic.

My guess would be that he wants to end the ways of the Murin such as needless killings, cover-ups, ect. but he demonstrates that he fully embraces life as a Murin. Does he think the BFD will do better if they are in charge?

What is the author planning to do with Saehee? I hate to say it but she started out with so much potential and now she's become a secondary character and contributes little towards the story as a whole. I have to wonder why, instead of Jinee, Saehee wasn't developed more and taught martial arts.

Lastly, where is the author heading with the story. I thought it would be a simple 'stand up for yourself' of about 140 chapters at most but The Breaker alone is 70+ and New Waves could easily run past that not including a part three. Was this all part of the plan or has the story received a life all it's own.

There were some other things but they aren't coming to mind atm. so I'll leave it here for the moment.

[tehwes]

Unless I'm confusing this with another series, when you defeat an enemy clan the loser hands the secret technique over to the victor. So if your clan is weak, people will keep beating you, you'll start having your secret techniques spread around, and eventually it will all snowball until the clan dies out. This is why that steel-body guy was pissed off in the flashback, that 9AD "stole" the technique. 9AD responds by saying that clan had it secret for so long that it had stagnated.

I don't think a person would spread a technique around that they won. It seems like they just keep the tradition going and pass it to their disciple, or not at all.

As for Black Forest, we don't know much about them, really. Not how/why 9AD joined them, nor what the shady guy behind it all is really after.

Don't be fooled; Saehee isn't a character, she's just motivation and development for Shiwoon. The first volume is the ONLY time she has a scene without Shioon, and that was just to show how brainless she is. She has no personality, no development, and above all she is stupid.

[Monsterguy]

... why Goomoonryong joined the Black Forest Defence (BFD)...

Simple, becouse at that time when he was alone against so many and he realized that he "alone" would not be able to "find and take out" all elders with their hidden co-workers who were responsible for his master's death. So he decided to take a different approach with joining BDF and attacking them when they would be alone.

He needed backup or better to say he needed to use people (although it turns out that he himself was used by them) to dig more information of his enemies.


...At no point in part one was he surprised by his own power so why didn't he try to assassinate the elders responsible for his master's death?...

He did, remember in a flashback when he sweared that he will kill all of them but there the flashback ends. So it is logical to assume that he was not able to take all of them at once, but decided he will take them out one by one in the near future !!!


...He could easily have infiltrated the various schools, compounds or what ever...

If he really won the tournament in front of all those people, than at least a few of all those people would recognize him when he would want to infiltrate !!!

So it's useless to do something like that.


...His obsession with destroying the Alliance feels misplaced and over dramatic...

You are wrong here, Martial Arts Alliance was the strongest (and although right now much weaker, is still one of the strongest) "organization" and all Murim people/groups or even other organizations are afraid of this large organization !!!

How should a single man be able to handle constant attacks with no time to rest? Eventually that man dies eventhough he is the strongest (dehydration, ...) !!!

PS: Otherwise hands down, good thinking... :worship

[Asvin]

Unless I'm confusing this with another series, when you defeat an enemy clan the loser hands the secret technique over to the victor. So if your clan is weak, people will keep beating you, you'll start having your secret techniques spread around, and eventually it will all snowball until the clan dies out. This is why that steel-body guy was pissed off in the flashback, that 9AD "stole" the technique. 9AD responds by saying that clan had it secret for so long that it had stagnated.

Don't be fooled; Saehee isn't a character, she's just motivation and development for Shiwoon. The first volume is the ONLY time she has a scene without Shioon, and that was just to show how brainless she is. She has no personality, no development, and above all she is stupid.

Good point about why winners should get the rights to clan secrets, it goes with ‘strong live, weak die’ mentality that a lot of 'school' are portrayed as having. (original Karate Kid) I guess it also helps weed out weak schools but keep the martial arts in circulation and adds to them creating something new, improved and tested. I don’t know if I like it but your logic works better than what I came up with on my own.

You killed me with that comment about Saehee. xD Too bad, she is a sweat kid. So, what happens to her now? If she lives she gets to take care of Shioon’s babies or she dies as the ultimate motivational art? Kinda sucks either way.


He did, remember in a flashback when he sweared that he will kill all of them but there the flashback ends. So it is logical to assume that he was not able to take all of them at once, but decided he will take them out one by one in the near future !!!

Yes, yes... The scene where Unwol kills himself. While Goomoonryong was able to take an eye for the most part he was struggling and I thinks it says somewhere that after that all the masters beat him to a pulp and toss him off a cliff, that's why everyone thought he was dead. I blame the author then for me believing that event was months ago when it was probably years. (I need a timeline) So, the BFD found him, saved his life and gave him battle experience? Might explain why he feels loyalty to them, I seriously doubt even in his broken condition that he'd willing accept help from anyone after what happens near the end of part one. That might be where Lee Shiho came in... and why she had to die!