Thursday, October 31, 2024

Duo Mo is a Fun Guy for DEATH BATTLE!

                

Duo Mo, the Brave Mushroom

Mushroom Brave was created by Lord Shibu, it can be read on Mangakalot


Welcome back to the blog! Before I took my hiatus, some loyal readers may recall that when I did the Val blog, the character I decided to research next did not match the silhouette of the following character I covered, Kit Ballard. I planned to make a blog on Duo Mo after Val, but when I wanted to make my return, I wanted to start out with something that interests me first. I really can't say much praise for Duo Mo or the series he comes from. However, I did extensive research while reading his series and it does have one really absurd feat that would be fun to cover, so y'all gotta join my suffering.

As a disclaimer I will say that the blog isn't fully researched. To keep it brief, author got tired of people pirating the series and made many other pages in sketch before eventually unceremoniously dropping the series. These sketch pages have not been translated yet, and for that reason will not be used in the blog. As another disclaimer, some of the content in this blog is gonna be a bit… weird. With that being said, let's begin.

Background

"The closer you are to your limit, the greater the improvement."


Tell me how many times you've heard this setup before.

There's a geeky shut-in college student who's a skilled online MMO player. He's nowhere near as popular in real life compared to the game, and dreams of women fighting for his attention. His life starts to turn around when one of his online game friends asks him out on a date in the real world, and it turns out she's legit. Just as he's starting to break out of his introverted shell, boom. Truck-kun strikes.

As he dwells on how uneventful his life was, he wakes up in a fantasy world much like his favorite MMO. As he comes to his senses, a game-like system starts talking to him. It explains he was reborn in a new world in a different body, and that if he completes all the world's tasks he can choose to be reborn back in his own world. He accepts of course and comes to his senses, before realizing he's… a MUSHROOM?!

The mushroom doesn't receive a name until much later in the webcomic's run many websites advertise him as named Wazi in the description but he's never really called that in the series, so I'll start calling him Duo Mo for convenience's sake. To escape this isekai, Duo Mo's ultimate goal is to stop the Demon King Golumn's followers from resurrecting him. But how can he do that when he's an enemy—the WEAKEST enemy—adventurers known as braves want to farm for levels? Thankfully, he learns that he can level up just like in his MMO by fighting braves or monsters, bestowing him new abilities and skills. Due to his stubby mushroom body, he really has to think outside the box in order to survive. Duo Mo has a decent head start fighting braves levels lower than him, but is quickly humbled when he's jumped by way higher leveled braves. While the fight left him for dead, he is rescued by a pig named Piggy that takes a liking to him and becomes his loyal steed.

Even with Piggy by his side, the world is incredibly dangerous with so many monsters left and right. Not to mention, humans treat monsters with utmost cruelty. Duo Mo gets used to the grind of completing missions, leveling up, and unlocking new skills as he interacts with the cheeky system more.

At a certain point in his leveling, an evolutionary line is revealed to him. He decides he wants to evolve into a Mushroom King, and ventures off to the Mushroom Kingdom (no relation) to see the Mushroom King in action. This eventually leads to him witnessing a fight between the King and adventurers, which is cut short when Golumn's followers interfere and the King sacrifices himself. Then braves bombed the island. This seems irrelevant to everything going on but trust me it comes back later.

After fleeing the Mushroom Kingdom's destruction, he figures he doesn't want to become a monster that can still be defeated that easily. Instead, he decides he'll join them and become a brave himself… a Mushroom Brave. Too bad he's unable to change classes as a monster, so he sneaks into a human village to learn secrets of class change. Through… repulsive means, he manages to absorb enough EXP to be able to evolve into a Mushroom Brave… giving him and Piggy human forms.


While the duo are now human, they risk turning into monsters again if they're low on mana. On top of that, Duo Mo now has to re-learn all his abilities with his human body. The system gives him tips, but he just ignores them for whatever reason.

As he continues leveling up, Duo Mo is approached by a cowboy from a high ranking guild to take on a bounty: defeating two criminals residing in the remains of Mushroom Kingdom. Duo Mo gets along with him well, but he turns out to be a villain who double crosses him. Thankfully he's rescued by the criminals, who turn out to be the two Mushroom King's previous mushroom generals Beau and Kage.

Duo Mo is soon declared the new Mushroom King and now has reverence over all mushrooms. However, the kingdom is still recovering after the whole island was bombed by the braves, so they need someone to lead them back into prosperity by bringing back their lost tribesfolk. Duo Mo is taught by both to master his mushroom abilities, learning he can even switch between human and brave forms and trains to master that technique.

He takes on quest to get revenge for all mushroomkind, which ties into stopping the leader of the guild responsible for the kingdom's destruction, who is also aiding in the resurrection of Gollumn…… and that's where the series has stopped so far. Seems like Duo Mo's gonna have to brave through this isekai for a while.

Experience and Intelligence


Prior to the isekai, Duo Mo was just an average nerd skilled enough in a video game to become a popular guild leader. While his game knowledge proved somewhat useful in navigating this new world, it didn't get him very far. He repeatedly makes poor choices throughout the series, he can be pretty impressionable, and flagrantly ignores the advice of the System.

Although he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he does know how to fight dirty. While he started out with the most unlucky existence in the isekai, he managed to survive for a while using underhanded tactics against braves. For example, he played dead before wiping out a team of novice adventurers gathered around him.

When he befriended Piggy, that was a game changer for him, but he was still able to accomplish a bit on his own. A lot of his experience comes down to farming various low level monsters and inexperienced braves for EXP, but he has tussled with some higher level threats throughout the series like one of Golumn's giant demons or the level 78 grandmaster mantis, which took several attempts to beat.

He's also traveled across the continent, trained under the previous Mushroom King's guards Kage and Beau to the point where his stamina became infinite, and finished many quests with the aid of Piggy.


Equipment


Resurrection Coin

Duo Mo has a single resurrection coin, which will fully restore his health before disappearing.

Potions

Duo Mo has many potions on hand, and can craft more using a brewing stand and various ingredients, or through decomposition (we'll get to that later). Many of these potions are self-explanatory, but these include
  • Healing potions
  • Stamina potions
  • Magic restoration potions: Restores MP
  • Curse removal potions
  • Poison healing potions
  • Super potion: Drinking this instantly cures all status conditions

Recall Scroll

The recall scroll is an item that can only be used by humans. It allows Duo Mo and Piggy to teleport to specific locations.

Sword

Not much to it than that

Mushroom Rapier

Originally a branch from the Divine Tree Mother, it transformed into an unbreakable blade after imbuing enough magic into it. The Mushroom Rapier is a legacy weapon of the Mushroom Kings, first appearing before its wielder in a miraculous manner. Aside from being unbreakable, the sword is known for having a different power depending on its wielder. For Duo Mo, it’s duplication. Another specialty of the rapier comes from the branch it transformed from. As the branch could accumulate power, Duo Mo can store magic power in it over time before unleashing an ultra powerful magic attack.

Mushroom Shield

It has a cute design at least.

Incantation Coin

This coin contains the spell Blessing of Fire, which causes fire/heat resistance

Miscellaneous Items

Here are some other items that are part of his inventory
  • 89 coins
  • Werewolf king's pelt
  • 1 slime gel
  • 12 ashes


Abilities


The System

The invisible system that lets him use and gain skills in combat. The System keeps track of his stats, quests, and can keep track of his location with a map. They automatically warn Duo Mo when he's low on health. The System used to have a cheeky personality, often providing Duo Mo useful information only if they're compensated, but has since become much kinder and emotive once both they and Duo Mo evolved. Despite their vast knowledge, the system isn’t omniscient.

Inventory Box

The system gives him access to an inventory he can access at any time, storing whatever item he collects inside it.

Appraisal

A skill that lets him see the level and info on anything in his level range


Statistics Amplification

After beating enough monsters or braves, he can level up. This not only makes him stronger, but can lead to him gaining new abilities. He can view his current stats any time on the System's attribute bar. Every time he levels up, his injuries are completely healed.

Spore Manipulation

As a mushroom, he’s easily able to manipulate spores. He can unleash a huge puff of spores to mask his movements and damage opponents. Later on, his spores evolve to make mushrooms grow out of his opponents if they are hit by them. They're also highly flammable, as even small flame can instantly turn a huge spore cloud into a raging fire.

Decomposition

One of Duo Mo's weirder abilities. As a mushroom, Duo Mo consumes by absorbing nutrients through his roots…… which is his ass. That isn't the only use his butt has. Through his roots, he can decompose anything from nature to nourish him.

He can only use decomposition 24 hours at a time. This power is especially effective against plants. He can also use decompose to create potions. By decomposing a mix of potions, he can spew out a new mixture. Thankfully when he's in his human form, he doesn't have to decompose with his ass.


When it comes to monsters, here are the following abilities he can gain from decomposing them:


Invisibility Vision

For one reason or another, he was able to see Golumn's invisible follower


Limited Magic Absorption

Unlike humans, he can physically absorb condensed magic power to gain EXP

Sage Mode

Entering sage mode calms him down and improves his focus. He can use it to react quicker to fast attacks or calm down from excessive stimulation (in the range of his level)

Magic

All his abilities run on mana. If his MP drops enough, he’ll become a mushroom again

Regeneration Negation

Decomposition can bypass objects with magical protection and regeneration

King's Heritage

As he was recognized as the new mushroom king, this floating crown started following him around that protected him from all attacks, before fusing with him and giving him the powers of a Mushroom King


Mushroom King Powers

While most of these are self explanatory, I do want to elaborate on Domain. Domain lets him teleport to any place within the Mushroom Kingdom, and automatically teleports him and others away from him if anyone attempts to attack him. This is only functional within the kingdom and is limited to 10 uses every hour. Each use consumes 400 MP

Transformation

After the shooting star incident (………we'll get to that later), he can focus on the energy from the shooting stars to transform between his mushroom and brave form at will. As someone who can properly control his mana, this is an easy task for him. Duo Mo learned an excellent strategy to frequently transform between species mid-fight to throw his opponents off. Not only that, but it allows him to use his mushroom abilities and mushroom magic simultaneously.

Infinite Stamina

His training paid off, as he broke past his limits and gained infinite stamina

Regal Spores

After becoming a Mushroom King, his spores evolved into regal spores, which he can use to make duplicates of himself that all share his abilities, magic, and transformations. Later on he should be able to spawn different types of common mushroom monsters. The higher level the ability is, the better summons he has at his disposal. There doesn’t seem to be a limit to how many clones he can make, as he can regularly spawn massive amounts.


Extrasensory Perception

He can sense when someone is trying to use Appraise on him


Spore Link

When attempting to decompose curses within someone, Duo Mo learned that he can use spores to link his mind with his target’s to enter their mental world. Within their mental world lies their inner self, which is the essence of the target and everything that makes them themselves. Theoretically, Duo Mo should be able to decompose anything he wants that isn’t immune to magic. In the series, he uses it to decompose multiple layers of curses in a brave


Resistances


Techniques


Mushroom Bash

AKA Mushroom Ting Ting, it's a skill that lets him ram into his opponents. He can completely knock out novice braves with it. As a human, this ability is a super jump.

Spore Explosion

AKA Spore Eruption, it's a giant explosion of spores. It can deal damage as well as act as a smoke screen. Using this on natural enemies causes mushrooms to grow out of them before dying.

Mushroom Jet Stream

Duo Mo unleashes spores from underneath him to propel himself through the air.

Chrysanthemum Fully Bloom

By far the most WTF part of Duo Mo's movepool. When he absorbs too much stuff his body can handle, the remaining decomposed properties are converted into cartoony shooting stars that shoot out of his rear… becoming a star shower spanning the entire continent. Somehow when a monster is hit by one of the shooting stars, it turns them into a human. I'm not making this up. This ACTUALLY happens in the series.

Mushroom Sword Dance

They're sword slashes used in conjunction with Mushroom Bash.

Mushroom Sword Slash

He can create huge walls out of spores to act as barriers

Spore Jetstream

Duo Mo thrusts himself forward in multiple bursts of spores. Think an improved Mushroom Bash.

Four-Fold Mushroom Sword Dance

A version of Mushroom Sword Dance that uses three clones.

Spore Flare Bomb

Duo Mo and his clones make small clusters of bombs that rain down on his opponents at blinding speeds.

Dust Explosion

A combo move with Piggy. Duo Mo surrounds the area in spores while Piggy throws a burning log. Igniting the spores makes the flames spread like wildfire.

Feats


Overall


  • Completed many low level missions and killed many low and middle-level monsters
  • Rescued a level 47 firestorm hawk and her eggs from being killed by a merciless mage
  • Survived the destruction of the Mushroom Kingdom at the hands of the Eye of the Firebane Guild
  • Wrecked four waves of newbie braves
  • Completed the Penalty Space challenge, where he had to touch 10,000 unique platforms in the space in under an hour to escape. He did so all the while carrying Piggy around
  • Duo Mo decomposed the Divine Tree Mother, which allowed newbies in the starter village to change classes. Absorbing it caused him to level up over 30 times and turned the Divine Tree Mother into the shriveled up Divine Tree Grandmother
  • With Piggy’s help, the two completed the bounty of slaying tree spirits, including a level 60 elder tree spirit
  • Held his own against members of the corrupt and poison-centric Serpent’s Death Kiss Guild
  • Was the only survivor in a massacre caused by Dick, the manipulative gunslinger and member of the Sacred Sanctum Guild, one of the six greats
  • He decomposed a stack of 1,000 herbal grass he piled up all night so he could gain 12,500 EXP
  • Trained under Kage, one of the four Mushroom Generals who trained the previous King Mushroom.
  • After multiple attempts, he defeated a grandmaster mantis, an elite level 78 monster. He unlocked his regal spore powers during the fight
  • Saved a town from a giant demon with his squad
  • Current stats:
    • Level: 62
    • HP: 15,819
    • MP: 12,001
    • SP: 
    • Attack: 987
    • Magic: 987
    • Defense: 335
    • Speed: 52
    • Critical Rate: 10%
    • Magical Defense: 335

Strength


Speed


Durability


Weaknesses

  • All of his skills run on a cooldown
  • His mushroom form is hardly flexible. I mean look at those stubby limbs!
  • Identification cannot give him information from monsters or braves with too high levels
  • His ego can get the better of him, which really backfires when things don’t go his way
  • Leveling up can’t cure poisons
  • Decompose won’t work on anything that’s too high of a level, and will still give him a cooldown if he attempts it
  • If Duo Mo frequently refuses to do missions given by the system, he will be sent to a realm called the Penalty Space. There, he will have to complete a difficult platform challenge within the time limit, or he will die. The system is super petty… well, the old system anyway
  • Humans have finer control over magic, which is a boon after he evolved. However, he has to consciously turn off his abilities when not in use, otherwise it’ll overdraft the mana in his body and eventually faint
  • If he’s running low on mana, he will regress back into his mushroom form

Matchup Potential




I'll be real, I found Duo Mo an insufferable protagonist to follow. However, his mushroom powers are pretty cool and it would be funny seeing Wiz and Boomstick react to all the weird powers and feats he has. Thus, I am open to see he has a neat matchup. The isekai transformation plot is overdone at this point, and all the characters I know that fit that criteria all have better options compared to the likes of Duo Mo.

NEXT TIME ON WCAB… whenever I feel like it

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