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#Bi-Han deserved more than to be just a flat villain
darkdrin6 · 9 months
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Hi.
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It's no longer a secret that NRS is just abominably treating Bi-Han in the new game, and the more materials appear, the more we are outraged. This man was the embodiment of the tragedy and injustice of the life of an assassin, he did not do the most righteous deeds, but it could not be said that he was devoid of honor or at least some compassion. Bi-Han was just doing his job, it was something he had been used to all his life, and he didn't know any other life than the one the clan gave. And now, from a man with a gray morality, he turns into a flat villain who gets punched in the face in the very first chapter. Thank you, NRS, but you made Tanya, the main traitor of the series, noble. A luxurious solution, just ten out of ten.
And in fact, we feel the need to somehow protect and justify Bi-Han. Yes, of course, we most likely will not get at least some clear motivation for his actions, except for POWER. And, perhaps, more POWER. But this man deserved something more than just the flat motivation of some petty villain for one episode. There are too many antagonists in MK who want POWER, so this is already some kind of bad taste.
(We will not consider Bi-Han from the MK 2021 movie as a worthy motivation, because he also does not have a clear motive. He wants to cut out Hanzo's entire bloodline because he wants to cut out Hanzo's entire bloodline, and there's no explanation for it at all.)
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What if we suggest you look at Bi-Han's situation from a certain angle? Consider it a fanon, a random idea, anything that will help us justify and protect this person, we don't care, we will fight for him.
So… How about the fact that Bi-Han's downfall is entirely his father's fault?
Yes, we remember that their father, an unnamed previous grandmaster, is still portrayed as a noble man who loved his sons and even adopted the orphan Tomas, who lost his parents due to the actions of his people. It sounds even too good for someone who leads a clan of assassins in the service of his homeworld.
Such a person must have a certain self-control, such is his life, and this is required by his duties to his clan and the Earthrealm.
Let's remember that Lin Kuei is still a clan of assassins, a secret organization (or at least moderately secretive). Were Bi-Han and Kuai abducted from their mother, as in the original? Most likely, yes. Did the grandmaster feel guilty for this, because he deprived his children of their mother? It is quite possible that yes. But he has a duty to his clan, and his children are primarily a valuable resource. Yes, this is a cruel approach, and what kind of father could put up with it? But when a person is pressed by such strong obligations, he has to put up with it. From the extended scene, we can know that the previous Grandmaster saw the clan's path in service, which was probably part of his views too. And here you can go to the next point.
There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Bi-Han, as the eldest son, had always been regarded as the Grandmaster's heir. Is there any logic in this? Yes. In the clan, as we understand it, the primacy is passed from father to son, and traditionally the older children become the heirs.
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What did this mean for Bi-Han himself? Probably a very special attitude. Realizing that his son would have to carry not the simplest burden, the Grandmaster had been preparing him for this since early childhood. He was stricter and colder with him than with Kuai, because Kuai is the youngest child, he should be an ally of his brother, not the head of the clan. Seeing the unequal treatment, Bi-Han felt jealous and tried to earn his father's attention with his successes. But the more he succeeded, the more was demanded of him. Trying to raise a worthy heir from his son, the Grandmaster unknowingly broke his life from the very beginning. Feeling the pain of being so cruel to his son, but unable to back down, the Grandmaster accepted Tomas into the family and gave him father's unspent love. For Bi-Han, who was desperately trying to be better and achieve a better result for the sake of his father's recognition, it was like being ousted from his own family, replaced by someone else.
His whole life was devoted to serving the clan. Bi-Han grew up with the idea that one day he would lead the clan, that this was the meaning of his existence. All his efforts, efforts, sufferings, everything he went through, were only for the clan that all this was not in vain. His unconditional devotion to Lin Kuei was encouraged, and everything that could distract from this goal was ruthlessly eliminated, leaving only the clan and its goals in Bi-Han's life.
It's not easy to become the best, but he has become. The years had honed his skills, his upbringing had instilled in him unconditional loyalty to Lin Kuei, all his aspirations from now on were directed at the clan and its greatness. For Bi-Han, the clan meant everything, was his whole life. He lived for this purpose.
But seeing how bitter the son was, and realizing that he had gone too far, the Grandmaster said that the head of the clan would not be Bi-Han, but Kuai.
Was it a cruel betrayal? Yes. Bi-Han was literally robbed of his life, the meaning of his existence. Father devalued in one moment everything that he had experienced, what he valued, for which he tried and suffered.
Did he kill his father in anger for the way he just threw years of his life into the trash? It is possible that yes. After all, this man trained him, made him what Bi-Han is now. It was his father who ruined his life, trying to raise the perfect warrior for the clan. The death of the previous Grandmaster finally tied Bi-Han to the clan. His whole life, his personality, his whole world was locked in the interests of Lin Kuei. Because while Lin Kuei is succeeding, Bi-Han is not living in vain.
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His fanaticism and his irritation with his father and brothers (to be honest, with everyone in general) could easily be explained by such a development of events. Of course, the studio will not allow itself to outline something like this and probably will not give any explanations at all, so we will prefer to stick to this version of events. In the end, it would make at least some sense.
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