Welcome back, let's talk about Bedman?, or Bedman's bed.
It's inclusion in Strive was surprising, but also… very confusing! On a lore level! Why does it do… any of that? Is it possessed? Is it sentient? Why does it's hurtbox go that far off it's body sometimes? I really, really wish I knew that……
The good news is that I'm not normal about Bedman and went through every piece of official content I could find that could give answers so you don't have to!
The big question we're answering is: is the bed possessed by Romeo? Nope!
Despite it being the most common theory, and also misconception, we have three instances of otherwise being said. As always we have to prioritize Daisuke's own words, as he is the creator of… all of this, but I'll tell you the other two anyway.
First, Ken Miyauchi, in an interview with mxdwn:
"In Another Story, Bedman actually appears, but it is actually not really directly Bedman, it is the bed frame with part of Bedman’s spirit in the bed frame trying to protect his sister Delilah."
This can seem to contradict literally what I just said, but, keep in mind the specifics here of only a part of. This also doesn't line up completely with what Daisuke says later. If canonically there is any part of Bedman's soul in the bed, it's only a small part of it- meaning the rest of him is elsewhere.
Second was Akira Katano, in an interview with 4gamer that took place at EVO. He mostly talked about gameplay, but there was this:
"ただのベッドではなく何かの意思、お兄ちゃんの意思を感じると。ただ確証があるわけではないという点や、あのベッドにどういう意思があるのかというところも含めて、“ベッドマン?”という名前になっています。"
What he's saying here is that what's actually being felt is more like Bedman's will- the word can mean things like "wish". But also that this is what the other characters believe, and there's no proof of this actually being true. Which ties in nicely to our third,
That being Daisuke Ishiwatari himself, in an interview with IGN:
"And what I wanted to do was kind of take a little bit of inspiration from Annabelle and say the kind of fractured feeling of Bedman is still remaining inside the bed itself."
Daisuke's word is the word of god in this franchise, don't forget- this is the most important answer on the status of the bed frame being possessed, and it's a pretty big no. There's only a feeling of him left in the bed, which could range from previous statements like being his will, or simply just remnants of his magic keeping it running. A feeling, especially a fractured one, is not a soul.
How does the bed act on its own if it has no soul in it, though?
This one is answered by its official profile, available in-game and on the website:
"The bed can continue to act independently after Bedman’s death due to the program he entered in his last moments."
It's just a program. Think of it like an AI. That's why it's moves are all programming language.
But then that begs the question, why can Baiken apparently sense him in the bed? Why does she, and other people, talk to the bed like it's him? As was said before… None of the characters actually have proof he's in there. They're all going on the same "feeling"- keep in mind Baiken has never actually met Bedman before this, either. They're all sensing something in the bed, and assuming it's him. That something could simply be the fragmented feeling Daisuke said, or, a sign of something else. But for now, we know it's not Romeo. The other characters don't.
So is Bedman still connected to the bed, somehow? Also no. As put very simply by The Circle:
"World I left and can't reach"
We don't know where exactly Bedman is. All we know is, it's not in that world, and he can't access it whatsoever. For him to be able to reach the bed frame specifically to give it commands, he would need to be seeing everything else going on, and therefore be able to reach that world. Which… he can't. He is disconnected from it. Somewhere else entirely. The bed isn't getting commands from anywhere else, it's running a program internally that Bedman made to decide what to do. But this doesn't mean the bed is entirely programming.
I'll keep it very brief, but long story short, the bed may actually just… be a creature now. A living creature. Back in Xrd we saw it be quite expressive overall and even able to produce saliva, and now in Strive we have it overriding it's programming and seemingly crying. It could be that it's some creature we don't know of, or a Magical Foci- which is definitely a possibility given how they're created. For now we don't know! There's so many questions left unanswered that if Bedman and his bed creature don't play a big role in the next game I think I'll just. Explode . Please, Daisuke… answers…….
As always you're welcome to ask questions or for clarifications. This shit confuses me too but I will do my best 🫡
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Hey there! You seem a little lost, is there any way I could help?
Bean: "!!!"
Bean: "Who said that! And how do you know my name!"
Bean: "Oh cheese and beans, nobody said this was one of them fae forests! I already gave up my firstborn, I don't have much else to give!!!"
Bean: "Look- Look up...?"
Bean: "I should not trust it, but they already have my name, what more is there to lose..."
Bean: "Oh! Not what I was expecting..."
Bean: "Actually, I don't know what I was expecting, but still."
Bean: "Uh, hey there! I don't really have anything of value to trade, and I imagine I'd be pretty chewy if you wanted to eat me, so mayb-"
Bean: "Eeeeohhhhhhh!!! You're just a little guy!!! A little guy who is so ears!!!"
Bean: "Does this mean I finally get to go on a magical adventure with a talking animal companion, which is something I have wanted since I was like seven!!!"
Bean: "Oough, you're so cute!! And fluffy!!! And you got a little heart on your tummy!!!"
(??? the Garlic Babulb (i.e. you guys) have joined the party!!!)
Bean: (gasp) "Wait! I gotta finish my current quest before any other adventures!"
Bean: "So, why am I in the forest? Well, I was mainly looking for my... Uh... Friend...? Yeah, friend..."
Bean: "And we're kinda new to the area, so I got a bit lost, heh... Know of any way out of here?"
(Tada! This is how Bean will receive asks from you guys! And unlike Pep's phone, you can interact with the world with fewer limitations! Still some tho, so lemme list what you can do!;
Ask questions, of course!
Minor magical abilities (M!As or summoning small gifts)
Flight
Prehensile toesies for grabbing (can also use wing thumbs or mouth)
Appear as a singular being, or a swarm (several beings)
Eat things! (Garlic Babulbs are usually vegetarian, but we are making an exception here, hehe)
Enhanced Hearing
And more?
And not quite an ability, but this little guy is somewhat of their own character, and may occasionally act on their own accord, without any input from you guys, so probably keep that in mind hehe)
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