FRB (Fan-Made Rap Battle): Futaba Sakura vs Penny (Pokémon) Discussion Thread

[paleogamer11]

I’ve officially wanted to collaborate with an FRB (fan-made rap battle) creator since the latter half of 2023, when I was exposed to someone in the comment section of the Freshy Kanal rap battle Kokichi Ouma vs. The Riddler. Said user brought up the matchup of Futaba Sakura (Persona 5) vs. Penny (Pokémon Scarlet/Violet) and almost a month after seeing it, me and my best friend discussed the idea in detail and since then, we’ve grown fond of it. I would also bring up the idea to two FRB content creators (SIR Rap Battles and JAY SAVAGE) and later watch rap battles on my own to see what mistakes to learn from (I’d even give the latter creator constructive criticism on some of their battles). I’m getting to know and learn the concept of rap (and the production of a rap battle) and I think some of you people may provide further help on things each character can be dissed for.
This will be a thread for discussion of this idea and its history since first being exposed to it.

 

[paleogamer11]

Prologue: My History and Evolution of My Understanding of Rap Prior to Encountering the Idea

First and foremost, I should bring up how I was intrigued by the fan-made rap battle community and my prior history regarding it and my experience in rap/what to do right in it.
Prior to 2022, I have been exposed to rap battles (and some YouTube-based rap content in general, particularly from rappers Cam Steady and Mat4yo), but was more subjective and usually just enjoyed to listen to the rap battles I came across. In late 2022, however, I started getting more interested. My interest in FRB creator Freshy Kanal has started to form more and I began listening and judging rap battles in more objective views. Nowadays, I treat sane rap battles as actual rap battles. 2023 was the year I started getting more invested in the music genre. I would discover the channel that I considered to be the most underrated in the FRB community (to me): SIR Rap Battles. Discovering this channel was one of the greatest things that has happened to me recently. I did so in January with Sayori vs. Sayaka Miki and immediately after, I would watch one of my all-time favorite rap battles, also from that channel: Lofi Girl vs. Kousei Arima. I would then further get into some other FRB channels, particularly Eddiefrb (and Freshy Kanal, but I was already invested by 2023) and later 3ple. Overall, FRBs are a pleasure to listen to when executed with the right effort.
Regarding rap, I was already interested in YouTube-based rap battles, but rap content overall really saw growth in my likeness towards it after Cam Steady released his Pokémon Trainer Cypher in the first half of 2021. I would then properly get into Mat4yo and even subscribe to him. Speaking of Mat4yo, his old "Fans Get Chiseled!" miniseries intrigued me, and the criticisms he provided to the creators whose content was being reviewed in said videos were genuine and insightful. I've since taken this criticism in mind and have brought it up with my best friend. Currently, I'm taking notes from this series and his Chisel This! Tutorials, the latter of which will help develop my rap profile and identity.
All in all, the impact of my development within the YouTube-based rap community has changed a lot since my first exposure, and I strive to practice and become part of it (though I should also mention that my main career/dream job (for now) is more focused on paleontology).
In my next post, I will talk about my first thoughts on the matchup and the first month or so for me after being exposed to it.

 

[paleogamer11]

Part 1: The First Month-Or-So After the Discovery of the Comment That Started It All

As I was scrolling through the comment section of the rap battle "Kokichi Ouma vs. The Riddler", I stumbled upon a comment that caught my attention. It (approximately) read:
"Here's [a] (matchup idea) that I would like to see: Futaba (Sakura) (Persona 5) vs Penny (Pokémon Scarlet/Violet). Two geek girls who have a high IQ on computers and (are) hackers. (They both) [a]lso become the [founder] of an organization(,) but soon left that position (and also) [a]sk for (the player character's) help and [become] (their) friend and ally".
I then replied to the comment with:
"I'd wait several years for this matchup (and by then, maybe Sofia Porter of Meta Runner may have a great amount of material to work with to make her a better opponent for Futaba), but I really hope that Penny is [given] a British accent to reference the [indirect] confirmation of her being from Galar, which in turn is based on the U.K."
Later, I would show this to my best friend, who then replied to me with his own viewpoint and Futaba's backstory (experiencing the loss of her mother, becoming a shut-in, which then lead to her hacking, copycats appearing, to which Futaba would join along with, then her turning to the Phantom Thieves, stopping the hacker group, and then grow as a person). We would then say goodbye for the day this all happened.
The next day, I asked my friend for his reaction to his introduction on the matchup. He replied, saying "[he] was surprised to see someone mention [F]utaba for a rap battle." I then told him that it wasn't surprising to me, and brought up a comment from a community post made by FRB content creator Eddiefrb on the matchup of Sofia Porter (Meta Runner) vs. Futaba Sakura (Persona 5). My friend subsequently mentioned that this matchup could also work. I then told him that seeing Penny suggested was more surprising, as Penny was introduced just over a year at the time, and that Scarlet/Violet weren't even a year old at the time as well. Later that day, the discussion shifted to a different rap battle with a Pokémon character in it: Colress vs. Dr Wily by 3ple.
About a month later, the proposed rap battle idea was brought up again. I told my friend that I was brainstorming the transition to the first verse to the second, specifically through the character going second hacking into their opponent's device. He agreed, and after I asked him who should do the hacking, he replied with "Futaba, since her skills in hacking are most likely way higher than [P]enny's". After a further explanation on this answer, I then how this would work if my intention on Penny going first was factored. The aforementioned intention was based on my principle stating that whoever goes first should be the character with less to work with unless both sides had roughly the same amount of material to work with. After considering this, my friend ultimately decided that Penny would attempt to hack, but Futaba would cut her off and do the hacking instead. I concluded that day's discussion stating that storyboarding the battle is complicated.
Two days later, exactly a month after I was first exposed to said comment, the two of us talked again. We first brought up the storyboarding plan from yesterday and I added on to this topic with the idea that voice filters could be used for each character from each others' perspective. This idea was based on the comment section of a video on voice interpretations of the S/V cast in certain cutscenes. One of the comments read:
"Giving Penny a filter when she's speaking in her Cassiopeia persona was such a genius move."
A reply to said comment read as:
"was thinking of [F]utaba in [P]ersona 5 while playing the game, the voice filter was an obvious and good call".
I would then ask my friend for his insight on potential disses to Penny, and once he could respond, he brought up the potential diss material of Penny initially being afraid to show her face to her friends. I then proposed that the dialogue of the players' friends/rivals in Area Zero could be worked into the rap battle and that Futaba's opening lines could be in a state of disbelief on who the Team Star boss really is. My friend agreed to both ideas.
The next day, my best friend came up with some possible things Penny could be dissed for. As I had yet to go through the S/V academy side-quests that unlocked access to the dorm rooms of the players' friends/rivals, my friend bringing up Penny's dorm room felt strange to me. I then replaced such a mention with Penny's hacking into the LP (League Point) system and feeling bad about that. After a brief discussion on Futaba having a decent amount of baggage to go at, I then brough up that Penny could actually participate in Pokémon battles, while my friend completed this comparison by stating that Futaba cannot battle. I then brought up a couple of ideas for disses to Penny based on her Area Zero dialogue and a separate idea on a diss to S/V being infamous for their many bugs and glitches on their launch date. This diss isn't specific to Penny, but can still be brought up in a relevant way given how one of Penny's specialties is hacking. My friend agreed to all of this.
The next day was more focused on a general FRB discussion, starting with how the two of us should wait for our idea to become true. I then brought up some basic knowledge on how to make good rap battles:

• Line enunciation matters; when lines are rushed and hard to understand, they can make a viewer feel jarred.
• The flow of a battle shouldn't sound out of place; off-beat performances can also make a viewer feel jarred.

I also realized that we had come quite a long way in the development of the battle and was surprised by this. My best friend was also surprised. What was initially someone else's idea/request on a matchup had become a WIP being made possible by at least two different people. I also brought up that the two of us should take notes on the project. This topic continued into the next day, in which I asked my friend if he started creating a journal and writing notes on it. He replied with yes and then stated the notes in further detail. After that, I brought up the question on who the bigger shut-in was between Futaba and Penny. My friend replied by saying it was "100% [F]utaba" before going into reasons supporting his answer. This then made me come to an idea for a diss that Penny would then provide a rebuttal to.
Later that day, the two of us discussed the battle's structure. My friend decided on a slower/weaker start before getting stronger later on to reflect the two's character growth within their respective games. What I meant was the amount of lines per round, which I usually associate the number sixteen with. My friend agreed to stay within said amount.
I would then see a new community post to the YouTube channel I wanted the two of us to work alongside, SIR Rap Battles. I thought to myself, "Now's my chance to tell an FRB channel about the potential collaboration idea!" So I did just that. I then told my best friend all about this and that I made a comment incorporating the history of and similarities between the two characters within the matchup. This comment also included some of the things me and my friend decided on, that I enjoy fan-made rap battles and have learned what to do right in making one, and that the two of us could assist in the making of the battle. After reading this, my friend replied saying that my comment was extremely detailed.
Special Inquisitor Rayyan/SIR Rap Battles would eventually reply with, "I really like the idea of using Futaba(.) Penny is cool too but she has wayyyy less material unfortunately". I told my friend about this, but not long after, I also told him that I defended my viewpoint with another reply. Said reply states that the project should take months to years to complete, that disses pertinent to her other appearances, if any, can be taken into consideration, and some of things she could be dissed for, such as:

• Her shut-in status
• Her frequent habit of skipping school
• Her bad memories from school due to everyone ignoring her
• The fact that she initially didn't show her face to her friends (specifically the Team Star admins/crew bosses)
• Her relationship with her father as described in her Area Zero dialogue
• Something along the lines of the irony regarding Penny being persuaded by Team Star grunts into joining Team Star; as, unknowingly to everyone else, she was the one behind the formation of Team Star
• Pokémon Scarlet/Violet being infamous for their many bugs on launch date
• The fact that three main-series projects came out within the span of a year; S/V were the third of this trio and thus, it would've made more sense to postpone them to the year after their actual release
• Penny hacking into the LP system and feeling bad for that after confessing
• Something regarding the story behind Team Star's formation

I concluded that I could see this battle as a close one, that Season Two, at the time, could be finished prior to the project's true start, and that Rayyan could always count on me and my best friend when stuck (and I would also later edit this comment to add something else that could be incorporated into the battle). My friend appreciated the reply and the discussion would continue the next day.
A day later, I asked my friend if he updated his journal. He did so by writing down the information from my comments from yesterday. I asked if I could see some of his notes, and he accepted.
On the last day of September that year, I asked my friend if he had since added more notes, to which he replied with "no". I would then ask if he has transcribed his digital notes, to which he also replied "no" to. I concluded that day's discussion by asking my friend if he could tell me something interesting that he had yet to transcribe. He told me about the two having a connection to outer space: Penny forming Team Star and having the alias of Cassiopeia, which is based on the constellation of the same name, and Futaba's persona being a UFO. I asked how the UFO came to be, to which my friend replied that this was what the persona looked like after its awakening, which ironically was similar to an awakening from Persona 4. This was the final discussion related to the project that occurred within the first full month since being exposed to the comment that started this all.
In the next post, I will discuss the progress of the project that occurred within the last three months of 2023.