Talk:Kuuderika/@comment-2607:FEA8:55E0:6E7:D9A3:CE5C:812:F1D0-20180404024731/@comment-36676058-20180822141532

The explanation of how this plot choice is connected to the massacre at the Katze Plains is interesting. In some ways, I can appreciate this as a briliant move, both strategically and as a writer. And I can appreciate making it clear to readers (or viewers) that, whatever else Ainz may be, he is still a villain and that innocents will get sacrificed or otherwise caught up in these events.

That said, I find the explanation given on why Arche in particular - and, especially, her twin sisters - had to be sacrificed for "artistic reasons" or the betterment of the story to be a poor excuse.

I'd consider killing off Arche as acceptable or even reasonable... in other circumstances. However, a not-insignicant amount of story is focused on this character and her sisters - enough to make her so relatable to readers/viewers that we can't help but care about their plight and fates. Such story focus is not only pointless, it essentially becomes a type of red herring and we naturally feel betrayed by the author. Instead, we could have been given only a glimpse of Arche to establish that she was an innocent and she would merely need to mention her young sisters who adore her and rely on her in passing (if at all). We did not have to meet her sisters and feel so sympathetic for them just for Arche to serve her given purpose in the story.

Indeed, there was no need at all to use Arche as yet another innocent victim. The story had plenty of those. Instead of "kicking the puppy", it's more like torturing a puppy that's already dying.

Further, I can't imagine a good reason for the story to mention that Arche's young sisters were sold into slavery and died of exhaustion - unless that purpose is to have us cry and make the story even more dark and distopian than it already is. Again, it's like torturing an already dying puppy. Instead, that detail could have been left out and their fate could have been left to our imagination.

I would also argue that Arche's rare talent of "All-Seeing Eyes" as well as her being a former student of Fluder (with the potential to one day be as great as him) are red herrings. These facts would naturally lead to the expectation that this character had more of a future or at least more significance to the story than her tragic fate in this brief arc.

How would having Arche survive change the story in a significant way? How would that ruin things? It bothered me that she, of all people, acted foolish instead of immediately pleading with Ains for her life.

I understand that Arche had a role to play in the WN which does not exist in the LN. But a new role could have been created for her. For instance, after swearing allegience to Ainz or being turned to a vampire, she could have been used as a spy, among other things. Actually, with her "All-Seeing Eyes", I expected her to survive and relate to someone just how insanely strong Ains and the denizens of Nazarick are. Ainz's main goal is to spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, is it not?