Greetings Hero!

Welcome to the second breakdown of The Side Character Showdown. This week we have fewer matchups to cover, but that doesn’t mean there is less drama. Without further ado, let’s jump into some matchups:

Quota v. Tortoi: Last week, I mentioned that Quota narrowly escaped their first round battle, this week you all came to Quota’s defense and gave her an easy victory. She captured 69% of the vote, and got to soar onto the next round. I do think it is important to note that Quota is one of the early favorites, but the Tortoi are no slouch, this is a big win and shows signs of Quota making a deep run.

Wolly Lop-Dragon v. Snappie: In an effort to not make the suspense too great, our Cinderella story of the tournament continues! The Wolly Lop-Dragon did not come into this tournament a highly ranked side character (internally) and it has shown us that it is here to stay. The Wolly Lop-Dragon, WLP for short, wrangled in 62% of the vote and put the Yewniverse on notice with a super strong performance. Snappie you will be missed, but your streak has been… snapped.

Outlaw Yew v. Climbers: Outlaw Yew represented the last of our perceived antagonists, once again we don’t know if they are precarious or if we are judging a book by their cover, but we will not be worrying about it any longer because the Climbers put on a stunning performance in this second round. Securing a staggering 78% of the vote this week the climbers handled this week's matchup like a V1 (for all my climbers out there) and are ascending to the next round.

Baby Peng v. Cat: This is probably the highest octane matchup of the week. Baby Peng, also known as BB Peng, has sort of a cult following amongst the community, but people do love cats. Baby Peng showed that putting in the work and becoming a fixture in the community can help you overcome even the strongest love for cats. Baby Peng takes this round with 65% of the total vote. Sidebar, we are glad you all love BB Peng because there may be a new limited edition journal box with them front and center, but what do I know?

Twig v. Broccules: This particular matchup has sparked some heated discussion between the two co-founders. Kyle believes, yes I am speaking in the third person, that Quorgs would be a better matchup to take down Twig in this second round, but Nick thinks Kyle is a sore loser. We will never really know because Twig hands Broccules a bus ticket and sends them back to California (I just learned that 92% of the US’s broccoli is grown there). Twig is a powerhouse taking them down will be a tall task.

Baby Trike v. Will O’ Wisp: Baby Trike a relative newcomer to the Yewniverse comes in and upsets probably one of the most beloved characters in all of The Hero’s Journal lore. Let’s face it, Baby Trike is the full package: Cute, Curious, and has a bandana. We would love to see what William could’ve done in later rounds, but give Baby Trike some credit, they are on the scene and are ready to make some major waves. This round was a scorcher with Baby Trike narrowly winning with 58% of the vote.

Shadow Buddy v. Planters: I always find it interesting doing the breakdown of a singular character against a group of side characters. There is power in numbers, but singular characters get to really show us their personalities. In this showdown, Shadow Buddy’s perseverance and tenacity really seemed to win you all over. They take this one with a super close match with 53% of the vote going to the Shadow Buddy.

Kuma v. Istelle: I am going to be honest, I didn’t realize there were so many Kuma fans out there, and you all showed up big time for the loveable bear. Kuma gets 75% of the vote and shows that they will not be barely winning these matchups and needs to be taken seriously.

That finishes up our matchups for the week. Giving all of these side characters a stage to show off what they are capable of has been a really cool thing to see. The stories that all of the products we sell have so many incredible stories and characters in them and it has been a ball getting to share a closer look with you. Keep your eyes peeled for next week and make sure your votes get cast.

Comment who you have winning the whole thing or which result surprised you the most!

Until next week,

Kyle