Erina Goldsmith
Marcy: One thing that’s very difficult to talk about is Japan’s xenophobia. Considering it’s a homogeneous country, foreigners aren’t often respected there and can be subjected to harsh treatment.And sadly, that is where our story begins.
Muta: Enter a little blonde girl named Eleanor “Erina” Goldsmith. Despite being born in Japan in the city of Osaka; Erina herself was a full blooded American girl. Because she was different from her peers, she became the target of discrimination, bullying, and harassment. The only one who could comfort her during these tough times was her abuela; who she adored with all hear heart.
Dr. Ross: But unfortunately, her poor old gran-mama was eventually flown back to the states, leaving poor little Erina to deal with her problems all by her lonesome. Needless to say, everyone has their breaking point, and after this it wasn’t long until Erina reached hers.
Maestro: The american girl eventually got back at the students who tormented at her by mercilessly beating them to an inch of their own lives. But it didn’t stop there. She’d go on to fight and beat down even the toughest of delinquents in her school, becoming one herself as she would go on to form her very own gang. She would go on to lead an army of bunny girl delinquents who terrorized the streets, while Erina would go on to be known as the strongest woman in Osaka!
Muta: As some one of mixed blood, I too have suffered such prejudice before I fought my way to the top and formed a gang of my own.
Maestro: Wow Muta… I had no idea. I guess I can see why you love her so much; because you can relate to her on a personal level.
Dr. Ross: And here I thought she was only your favorite because she checks a lot of your fetish boxes, Mu Boy. So she ended up forming a gang, huh? Makes you wonder why she and the rest of her gang members dressed like bunnies anyway.
Marcy: I think it’s subtle way of Erina acknowledging her American roots. The Japanese word for Rabbit is usagi, and the first 3 letters of that word are U-S-A. That, and maybe it was just a way to promote her very own family restaurant.
Dr. Ross: Say what?
Muta: You see Mi Rosa; as time went on she would eventually go on to open her very own casino and restaurant known as “The Rival”. When she wasn’t terrorizing the streets with her bunny gang, she was running her restaurant on the side. Plus, all the waitresses who worked at said restaurant were trained to be deadly fighters on the side! Hot Tamale!
Dr. Ross: That is a hell of a way to advertise. Then again, this is a world where family restaurants sponsor sporting events where women are beaten, stripped nude, humiliated, or straight up violated on live TV… Yeah, trust me; Variable Geo is a fucked up franchise.
Maestro: Ah yes; the V.G.Tournament. An event to determine the country’s strongest woman sponsored by family restaurants. The winners are awarded 10 billion yen, prime real estate anywhere on the planet they choose, and are awarded the title of “Virgin Goddess”. Unfortunately, those who who lose are subjected to the very horrid consequences that my aunt just described.
Marcy: But that didn’t matter to Erina. She entered the V.G. Tournament in hopes of bringing her kindly grandmother over to live with her in Japan as well as just be able to properly take care of her. So… she’s financially stable enough to run a casino that doubles as a family restaurant, but she still can’t afford to fly an old lady over to Japan? Was her business bombing?
Dr. Ross: Considering her gang members scared people off the streets, I wouldn’t be surprised if they scared away the customers too. Just saying!
Muta: Well, perhaps her abuela was very weak and sickly, so it might have made bringing her over much more costly. Maybe she also had an abundance of possessions that would have been too expensive to move to the country as well.
Maestro: Which ever the case; Erina went on to partake in the V.G. Tournament where her strength and skill would be put to the test… All for the sake of her of beloved grandma!
Marcy: YEAH! FOR GRANDMA!
Muta: Being that Erina could take down entire gangs of delinquents bigger than herself, it’s obvious that she was muy fuerte! Like a bunny, Erina can hop high into the air; high enough to jump right over your cabeza. She can lift a full grown woman over her head before spiking her like a foot ball.
Marcy: She’s also way more dangerous than any member of her bunny gang. Case and point; just one of them is strong enough to split a crash helmet and a bar stool in two with a single swing of a bike chain. Imagine what that could do to some one’s skull! And keep in mind, her entire gang of bunny girls were one-shot by the weakest participant of the V.G. Tournament; Manami Kusunoki.
Dr. Ross: Ah yes, her. You might remember her from season 1 where she beat the crap out of a little girl who used balloons.
Muta: Ay! I still shed tears over poor Mikan’s defeat! [*Sighs*] Despite Manami being able to one-shot Erina’s entire gang, she was STILL too afraid to fight Erina herself knowing full well she stood no chance in a one on one fight.
Maestro: Erina may have gone unchallenged in Osaka, but that was not at all the case in the V.G. Tournament. Being that this was a tournament to find the strongest woman in the country, you can bet that the competitors were all the toughest ladies around.
Dr. Ross: And bare with us because we’re about to scale her to a bunch of other characters here; but when dealing with an obscure fighting game franchise you gotta use what ya got, yano? The best character to scale her to is Jun Kubota; a woman who Erina grew to have a rivalry with and even sparred with outside of the tournament.
Muta: Ah, Jun… My second favorite of the Variable Geo cast! She’s a power house of a woman and arguably one of the heaviest hitters among the other fighters. She’s strong enough to crush and mangle a barbell with her bare hands, send people flying with her punches, and smash the ground hard enough to leave a small trench. Jun is so monstrously strong that she can shake the ground beneath her with some of her attacks. Ay, I wish that were me!
Marcy: Um… NO YOU DON’T!
Dr. Ross: Trust me Newbie; Muta’s masochism is beyond our understanding. Believe me, I’d know.
Marcy: How would YOU know? Hmmmmmmmmm?
Maestro: SO ON THE TOPIC OF ENDURANCE: Erina is tough enough to no-sell Yuka’s Screaming Devil Bullet; an energy attack that’s powerful enough to reduce a car to burning scrap metal. She would go on to survive a more powerful version of the same attack; and while it did knock the wind out of her, she did get right back up with out any injury.
Dr. Ross: Keep in mind that despite Yuka being victorious at the end of their fight; she acknowledged that if Erina and her ever fought again that either of them could win. She likely only lost because she lost her cool at the end and left herself unguarded. Plus like the other participants of the V.G. Tournament, she can shake off being struck by lightning bolts or being set on fire.
Dr. Ross: But if you REALLY want to know how tough these senoritas are, then look no further than the time Satomi Yajima punched a large ball of energy so hard it caught up with a speeding personal jet; a feat we covered back when we talked about Manami.
Maestro: To briefly sum it all up; such a feat would be worth 0.03 tons of TNT to 0.28 tons of TNT.
Muta: Like an actual rabbit she is quite the nimble and tricky to catch. During her fight with Yuka; Yuka could barely keep up with her as she kept avoiding her attacks while bouncing all over the place.
Marcy: Eheheh… Jiggly!
Dr. Ross: For comparison; the girls in the various Geo Tournament are fast enough to disappear from human sight. But if that wasn’t enough, they’ve proven to be lightning timers, as they can react to lightning bolts being brought down from a stormy sky by one of the game’s end bosses.
Dr. Ross: Too bad those things don’t mean shit in an actual fight, Mu-Boy. I mean, what’s she gonna do? Offer her opponent a place to sit and then bring them a menu?
Marcy: I’ll have the shrimp scampi, please!
Maestro: Erina is and always has been a street brawler first and foremost. She’s never practiced any particular martial art, but instead relies on her what ever she’s picked up from years of facing bullies and gang members on the streets combined with her brute strength.
Marcy: And while the little official art book thingy said that she practices a fighting style called Kenka Sappo, that’s not a real martial art. Kenka Sappo seems to translate to “Brawl Skill” which, as my Maestro said; emphasizes street-fighting prowess and brute strength.
Muta: In real life; it’s possible that a stronger more experienced fighter can beat some one who’s had more training, but less experience to actual combat. And since Erina has spent a large chunk of her life getting into street fights; it’s no wonder she can hold her own against more traditional martial artists. Including Ninjas of all things.
Dr. Ross: Her fighting style seems to be a total mish-mash of things she’s picked up over the years; ranging from belly flops to flying kicks to rapid punches to hip drops. Plus she often spars with Jun; who specializes in wrestling and grappling, so she’s picked up a few moves her on the side.
Muta: That said; she doesn’t just rely on brute strength alone! By combining her agility with her jumping abilities, Erina hops around her surroundings in order to evade her opponent’s attacks or attack her them from above.
Dr. Ross: Oh yeah; at some point in her life, Erina also some how learned how to manipulate her own Ki so she could weaponize a lighter. How and when? I have no idea.
Muta: Erina Goldsmith keeps her trusty lighter safely tucked away between her cleavage. By channeling her ki into it, it goes from being able to light a cigarette to being able to set an entire human being ablaze with the force of a flame thrower!
Marcy: Best of all; she doesn’t even need to pull it out in order to use it. Even when the lighter is between her boobies, she can still shoot bursts of flames from it as if she was spitting flames from her chest. That’s kind of dangerous when I think about it… she could toast her tatas if she’s not careful!
Dr. Ross: Also, being the brawler she is, Erina doesn’t leave home with out a lovely pair of brass knuckles. Not only do these make her punches all the more harsh, but it is said they help her to manipulate her ki. How that even works, I don’t know.
Maestro: You might notice we kept bringing up ki (Or “Energy Force” as it was called in the OVA’s English dub). While there’s no explanation for what exactly Ki is in the context of the Variable Geo world, it could be assumed it works like ki often does in other kinds of media; Basically it’s a finite energy source from one’s self that one can tap into and use for a variety of purposes.
Dr. Ross: Basically chi exists justify why these bitches can do the shit they do. It can be used to enhance one’s physical abilities, explaining the strength and agility that people like Erina posses. But Erina also uses her Ki in another way. Remember how we said how it can be used to super charge her cigarette lighter so she could use it as flame thrower? Turns out she can do WAY more than that.
Muta: Erina would later prove that she could create greater quantities of fire with her lighter, but even manipulate the very flames she creates. By mixing her chi with the flames, they become so potent that they can explode upon what ever they hit. She can also make multiple flames surround and attack the opponent in different directions, giving her more ways to attack her opponent.
Marcy: According to Erina; her ki and fire attacks are fueled by her own rage. In other words; the angrier she becomes, the more destructive her attacks can become.
Muta: Ah, yes! And this is another reason why I love Erina; for she too is also a manipulator of flame who empowers it with rage the same way I empower mine with passion! Needless to say that makes her muy caliente.
Dr. Ross: Being from a fighting game, Erina has quite a few fighting moves and special attacks she can perform.
Dr. Ross: First we have the “Bunny Chop” in which she puts her ki and weight into a heavy karate chop. I personally would have called it the bunny bitch slap, personally.
Muta: We also have Erina’s trademark attack; her Elirin Fire. She pulls out her lighter, aims it at the opponent, and lets out a brief blast of fire straight ahead. Now, the range and power varies from game to game (Example 1, Example 2, Example 3) but it is likely based on how much Ki she’s pouring into it.
Marcy: She also has the ‘Elirin Mach Punch’ in which she unleashes a rapid flurry of continuous punches upon her opponent. Not only can she land multiple hits, but she can enhance it further by charging her firsts with chi just before unleashing it. Given that she strikes at an angle, this attack is handy for intercepting opponents coming from above and tends to knock them away.
EX Moves and Super Moves (V.G. Advance 2):
Maestro: Then we have her EX Moves, which are essentially just stronger versions of her attacks. While performing them, Erina glows with a red aura while her speed increases so she can deal punishment all the quicker.
Maestro: The EX Elirin Mach Punch is basically an enhanced version of Erina’s mach punch. It tends to land more strikes (Often landing 10 rapid fire blows before stopping) and Erina performs it while moving into her opponent opposed to remaining stationary.
Dr.Ross: The EX Elirin Fire isn’t much to talk about either; it’s just a stronger version of her Elirin Fire, but it still small potatoes in comparison to her her more powerful (and frankly more impressive) fire based attacks. Don’t worry, we’ll get to those soon!
Marcy: When Erina uses the EX Elirin Tsuutenkaku Otoshi, she knees her opponent up into the air before spiking them back down into the pavement with her first! Also, it some how lands five hits despite her only striking twice. Fighting games are weird.
Super Move:
Muta: And finally we have Erina’s most powerful move from the games; the apply named “Elirin Smash”. Erina just begins wailing on her opponent with a flurry of quick yet brutal blows before she kneeing her opponent and sending flying straight ahead. This attack lands 20 mighty blows so fast that the opponent won’t know what hit em once it’s all said and done. Ah, such an attack is both brutal and beautiful… Brutaful!
Marcy: But while that last one might be her strongest attack in the games, it’s NOTHING compared to her attacks from the OVA! Seems who ever made the OVA’s took a lot of creative liberties, which is good for Erina because frankly her in-game moves were kinda boring.
Muta: HEY!
Dr. Ross: She does have a point. Her move set is just typical attacks ripped off from other (and frankly better) fighting games from around the time. Hell, even her titty fire move is just a rip off of Dhalism’s “Yoga Fire” from Street Fighter 2.
Special Attacks (OVA):
Muta: Until NOW! I have taken the time to name them myself!
Maestro: Eh… You realize that we won’t be able to use the names you came up with, right? They’re not canon.
Marcy: Aww. I wanna hear what he came up with!
Dr. Ross: Ah, let him have this. Anything he comes up can’t be worse than her official attack names, that’s for sure.
Dr. Ross: By harnessing her ki into a purple glowing ball, Erina can then punch said ball to release a massive wave of flames that can cause an explosion upon hitting the target. Definitely puts her moves from the game to shame already, doesn’t it?
Muta: I call this one, the Elirin Heatwave!
Muta: Erina can shoot out six balls of energy that float in the air and surround the opponent from all sides. From these violet orbs come violent flames which hit the opponent from different directions.
Muta: I dub this one her “Bunny Bombardment!“
Marcy: Not sure why Yuka doesn’t just walk out of there though.
Dr. Ross: Because if she does, then she gets blasted!
Marcy: And if she doesn’t?
Dr. Ross: … She gets blasted!
Dr. Ross: And last but certainly not least is her ultimate move. Erina gathers a bunch of energy balls above the opponent. They all combine into one giant ball before raining holy fire on the target in the form of a large column of fire which, of course; explodes upon impact. Considering she used this move at the height of her own rage, this is likely her most powerful attack.
Muta: Ah, and I have a special name for this one… Elirin’s Infernal Indignation!
Maestro: You’ve thought a lot about this, haven’t you?
Muta: That’s because I spend a lot of time thinking about her.
Marcy: Aaawwwww… That is both adorable and sad!
Maestro: Just to recap some of Erina’s notable achievements; She not only defeated every delinquent gang member there was, but she went unchallenged for years during her time in Osaka. She went from being some that people looked down upon to some one that was feared and respected through the new reputation she earned for her brutality. The fact that civilians would evacuate the neighborhood the moment her bunny gang was passing through proves this.
Dr. Ross: I’m just more impressed by the fact that she was both a gang leader AND a runs a casino. If there’s one thing she has over almost every other girl in that tournament, its that while the rest of them are just waitresses, Erina herself is a full fledged business owner. It’s not every day you find out that the dangerous street gang leader who beats the crap out of everyone also happens to own one of the swankiest places in town.
Muta: Let’s not forget that she took part in the V.G. Tournament; a tournament consisting of super human women with super powers, ninjas, evil clones, and even genetically engineered super soldiers. Meanwhile in the video games (assuming you beat the game as her); Erina goes on to defeat Reimi Jahana; a three time champion of the V.G. Tournament who held the title of the strongest woman in the country. As a result, she was able to fulfill her goal and bring her dear old grand mama home and be reunited with her once and for all.
Maestro: Awww… that’s actually pretty sweet!
Muta: Ay, such a beautiful reunion brings me to tears!
Marcy: Hooray for happy endings!
Dr. Ross: Well she’ll have a bad ending if she doesn’t keep her weaknesses in check. For example; if ANYTHING happens to that lighter of hers whether it’s destroyed or stolen, then she can’t create or manipulate fire anymore what so ever. Plus she isn’t much of a strategist either; she often just falls back on her experience and brute strength in a fight.
Muta: And while her anger makes her attacks stronger (and makes HER more beautiful I might add) it can get the better of her. Thankfully ever since meeting Yuka, her rage and anxiety seem to have been toned down.
Marcy: Wouldn’t that be a detriment though? I mean, if you get stronger by being angry but you start being less angry; then aren’t you technically getting weaker?
Maestro: A fair paint, but in the very least it could allow her to remain focused. All the power in the world won’t matter if you can’t make proper use of it.
Muta: Plus it’s very likely that her supply of ki is very finite, and that using it all can leave her exhausted. This can explain a few things, such as why her fight with Yuka was considered a loss despite Erina still being conscious and lacking any significant energy. Plus considering that she poured all her energy into one big explosive attack at the end; it’s likely that getting enraged makes her burn more energy. This means while her attacks are stronger, she likely out of energy sooner. Now this is all just speculation on my part, but this what I could gather from observing her.
Marcy: “Observing her” huh? What are you? A stalker? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM?
[*Marcy looks at Muta judgingly*]
Muta: QUE? Ay, no! I might be un pervertido, but even I would never stalk some one! I’m a researcher! I was merely researching her for the sake of this fight, amiga!
Dr. Ross: I think she’s just busting your balls, Mu-boy.
Muta: Indeed, Maestro Amigo! After spending years of her life hated and feared just for being born a foreigner; she managed to find many people who loved and respected her regardless. She gained loyalty from the girls in her bunny gang, respect and compassion from her rivals in the tournament, and even a deep bond and friendship with Jun Kubota. Those two became such close amigas that Erina’s abuelita mistook them for lovers!
Marcy: Sounds like her grandma ships them.. Or that she knows something that we don’t!
Muta: Well, Jun is canonically bisexual. But regardless of their relationship; Erina went from being filled with rage to being content with her life. Even upon losing Yuka in the OVA, she humbly accepted her defeat with no animosity before stripping naked as of the results of the tournament!
Muta: I feel such a moment displays an important part of her life; that Yuka managed to free Erina from the rage she suffered by showing her a kindness no other opponent had shown before. That despite the prejudice she faced, she can accept and takes pride in who she is with out an ounce of shame. It proves that she is comfortable and content in her own skin even if it’s completely exposed! The fact that her gang members joined her in exposing their bodies (when they didn’t have to) showed solidarity and loyalty and enforcing that she truly is not alone anymore!
Marcy, Maestro, and Dr. Ross: …
Dr. Ross: … Only Mu-boy can take a scene of blatant gratuitous fan service and inject a deeper meaning into it, I swear. I guess she’s really special to you, huh?
Muta: That she is, Mi Rosa…. That she is.
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