The Curious Case of Porky Minch
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มิ.ย. 2024
- Porky, or Pokey Minch is another Earthbound related character that just needs some more love. Is he evil, or did he just want to be Ness' friend? Find out all that and more on today's video!
Beesquared's Video: • Is Porky Minch Truly E...
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Special Thanks to Playing With Mah Wii for the amazing Earthbound Let's Play footage! Find him here: / playingwithmahwii
Clips from the following videos are also in the video!
"Porky" by Ghostvoltage: • Porky
"Pokey and Tears" by Sony Shock: • Pokey and Tears
"EarthBound Animated Episode II: Finding Picky" by ardwickofonett: • EarthBound Animated Ep...
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#porkyminch #earthbound #themegamancave - เกม
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You never actually get the chance to defeat porky as he leaves mid fight, so Porky never became tame, like everyone else influenced by giygas.
oh shoot
Oh god, that makes sense.
Exactly plus Porky was probably the most exposed to Giygas unlike other NPC so that would make sense he kept the corruption and power from Giygas
it would explain why he still had to will to live so he just stayed in the ASC
@@gay4sswhovian Except there is a problem. Mother 1/Earthbound Zero establish what Giygas is not evil. Same as Pokéy calling him "dummy" contradict those claims. I personally support theory that Pokéy is actually manipulating Ness to cure Giygas, as he was locking invasion system. After all Great War did happen as we learn from Mother 3. Pokéy actually went time travel after world was destroyed. Quite interestingly Cowboys reach they new home on "White Ship". What is meaningful as Giygas ship is called "White Mothership". Which is why I think that Dark Dragon is no one else then Giygas himself, as otherwise his lack of presence in Mother 3 is weird.
Fun fact: his freindship fake out in the happy happy village is only in the English version, In the Japanese version, He actually wants to be freinds but he takes ness' silent protagonist attitude the wrong way and assumes ness doesn't want to be freinds
I find it interesting that in his boss fight in Mother 3 Porky uses incomprehensible attacks like Giygas did in Mother 1 and 2.
Since Porky knows the similar Giygas ancient attacks of Earthbound and him only, basically his attacks won't be figured out what it is. This is different from Giygas because if Poky knew the exact attacks of Giygas, the Porky boss fight would had been harder.
I think that is because the characters themselves cannot understand Porky's attacks, hell it could have been something we understand. But knowing how "back in time" the protagonists were, I think it is unlikely for them to understand these types of technologies.
@@Alt_DiegoBrando not really the characters are shot with bullets lasers and missiles in mother 3 so they definetly know about modern/futuristic weaponry
The victim has fully become the monster
@@Alt_DiegoBrando i don't think that's the case. my interpretation of the incomprehensible attacks is that they're truly incomprehensible. eldritch psychic power that hurts the brain because it literally pains it to even try to come close to understanding what he's doing.
In mother 3, it’s said that Porky’s time traveling antics caused him to be banned from all timelines, which is why he’s chilling at the end of reality where the game takes place.
What
What does that even mean
When was that said? I don't remember.
@@TheRealSuperKirbyLeder says Porky "was apparently shut out from all other times and spaces and tumbled into this era and these islands." when you talk to him in Chapter 8
My interpretation of it starts when Ness learns about the prophecy. The lack of enthusiasm and desire silence has on an abused boy who was more than likely seeking Ness's attention is probably the reason he baited Ness to chase him. Of course he considers Ness a friend, that part is obvious in Mother 3, but he was sadly raised to show love through violence. Him knowing he wasnt 1 of the 4 kids was very pivotal in his role and fed his cries for attention.
Considering how scared of responsibility Porky is I don't think it's jealousy or attention it's just beceause he don't want to lose Ness and stay alone at his home were he's beat off and all That's even why he get to happy happy village in first place, he knew Ness was going somewhere and probably asked some people were did he go and got possessed later
He started as a sympathetic character, he didn't deserve the abuse he gets
But one can never forgive him for his actions later in life
He had enough time to grow up and accept reality, but he never wanted to, he never know how
He got his childish wish to live forever and to be king of his world but at the price of being locked away
He had a little bit of hope but he was fated to turn into such a sad specimen
At the end, Porky sealed himself inside an Absolutely Safe Capsule that is ironically unsafe that you cannot able to get out.
He is not a real person.
@@makutas-v261 obviously, but I love his writing! It's so sad to see a genuinely innocent but cowardly kid slowly die and turn into a soulless monster
All of mother 3 succes just because ness is a silent protagonist and did'nt say "okay" when he had to say it
Hahaha pretty much
Not saying "o k e y" is a big mistake
Honestly it can be a lot of reason there than "Ness don't speak lol" (wich he does btw) like for simple : THE CHOCK THAT YOUR BEST FRIEND KIDNAPPED A GIRL FOR A SACRIFICE
So thats why thats his taunt in smash
@Jacoby Clyde you too
Something that always stuck out to me was when Ness goes to Magicant, a place created from his memories and thoughts, you see Porky there, and he says Ness will always be his best friend. I believe this could mean Ness always viewed Porky as a good friend, but despite this Porky still ended up betraying him. I've also found it very strange that Porky's stolen helicopter is found just abandoned in the swamp, with its engine missing. What the hell happened? Certainly he couldn't have survived a helicopter crash, and even if he did, he's never seen in the area, or at all until the end of the game. He's definitely a really strange character.
It's been a while since I played Earthbound thoroughly, but I think Porky parachuted out of the helicopter, leaving it to crash, and used the missing engine to power his spider mech in the final boss. At that point, he should be under the control of Giygas, so he would have this "goal" of getting to the Cave of the Past. The helicopter can be seen again in the Empire Porky Building, so it must have had more significance than, "escape helicopter". Even then, the whole Porky situation is very weird, who know's what really happened...
@@Glisten456 That makes sense. Especially because there's a path to the Cave of the Past in Deep Darkness
quick headcanon: porky took the engine out so jeff couldn't fix it. he knows about your team.
I headcanon that Ness pitied Porky.
Could be that there wasn't an engine in that helicopter at all, and Giygas used his powers to control it and lead Pokey where he wanted him. And because he was pretty cruel, he just crashed the heli once Porky was at his destination.
Porky is one of my favorite video game villains and it’s always made me a little sad how most fans chalk him up to just be an inherently evil person. He’s an abused kid being brainwashed by an incomprehensible horror. It’s so evident in mother 3 that he is still very much a child and does not grasp the full scope of his own actions and what has been done to him. Not so say that what he does is excusable, but it’s definitely more than just “well he’s just evil”. There are so many layers to him that often get overlooked.
Also its really disrespectful to Itoi's writting lmao Itoi isnt an amateur in term of writting so saying that one of the most important character in his series IS just evil is idiot and even go agasint the anti manicheism Mother series always had
No matter the background by irrelevance, it's the actions that weights the pending justice upon you and which decide your fate. Regardless if you're corrupted or not, be it for laws or actual moral justice. It quite shows you underestimate and lack the knowledge the cognizance a child can have, especially after years of pondering, it only grows such as nature created the human mind to work. As for Porky...
It's layered, but ultimately simple: what matters in the end universaly is what you do and for what end, not what pushes you to do what you did. Your basis of thought process as an intense ammount of bias otherwise and lack actual objectivity for the later.
Evil:
"Adjective: profoundly immoral and wicked."
"Noun; profound immorality and wickedness, especially when regarded as a supernatural force."
What Porky ultimately did at the end was Evil per definition, and done through self-awareness, and used extensive means to convey his ambitions. Such as destroying a family, killing humans numerous time, and use brainwashing and stripping an individual of his identity and much more.
If Itoi trully wanted to write it as anti manicheism, therefore to introduce shades of greys instead of black and white, Porky would have to be redeemable through Redemption or an objective that justify his journey at the end; such is the only way it can be done at the end of the day. And we both know what Porky did, and for what purpose while laughing out loud wholeheartedly.
No need to flex any mental gymnastic or breath copium, not that i expect Nintendo's or Undertale's demographic to do anything else as i'm well aware of its respective terrible reputations through the net, but just in case you search to extend your... limited perspective; i do recommend to read more books, or simply try other Video Games out of Nintendo's library, the CRPG genre has an extensive library these days i would recommend.
@@ProsecutorValentine god damn the amount of snob coming out of this comment
@@ProsecutorValentine The hilarity of this entire comment is backed by the fact that they never once said Porky wasn't evil; they pointed out how fans chalk him up to "just be an inherently evil person" and that it goes deeper than "well, he's just evil" alone. Meaning all of this snobbery is next to meaningless and still ironically misses the point. lmao
@@ProsecutorValentine jeez you’re smug
Didn't Pokey turn evil due to Giygas' brainwashing power that made animals and humans go crazy? I just thought he was a victim of the brainwashing.
Nah, he was evil from the core.
You know, Gyigas just let that evil heart go all out on the world.
It could've of amplified it tbh.
@@dephmin4620 it definitely amplified it
One thing I’d like to point out is the mole’s advice from Twoson. He states that those with “different colored faces” are influenced by Giygas’ power, and at the end of the game, Porky’s face is a shade of blue rather than his natural skin pigment. Might just be an unintentional/overlooked detail, but I can’t think of anything to disprove it.
@@cowboyluigi5275 You sir are a genius.
I feel so bad for picky, he was a good kid and really all his family are really mean or dead and he did not deserve this and i want to protect him
Does porky need protection though?
@@howard8614 yeah he does have a spider machine
His mom killed Buzz Buzz and I’ve always hated her for that.
@@jerimywilliamson9673 She is even worse than Mme Thenardier in Les Miserables
@@PK-Radio what did porky do???
50 50 *MISS*
He's the representation of a rotten child who never allows himself to grow or overcome his selfish ambition. Of course he's evil. He wanted possession of emotional connections, because everything to him was just a collection. That's why he became a dictator.
And I don't really think "he was abused" was the sole reason for that either. His brother was also abused and wasn't a monster.
I don't think his tale is meant to be sad so much as gruesome and shocking, because in Pokey's reality before the last needle was pulled, he had gotten everything he wanted except for genuine affection, which he could only imagine as something you could display behind a glass window.
His brother was actually the fav child too
I will say, your bit about him vs his brother being abused is more speculation then a point.
Some people are abused till they die, some are to various degrees, and while the abusive parents might be abusive to their children doesn't mean the children react the same to it nor receive the same treatment.
You can't use "My abuse led to me finding the cure to cancer so clearly you're not a bad person because you were abused." as reasoning.
Yeah I don’t really think being abused gives him the right to literally wipe out the human race. Giygas also has a depressing past, but nobody pretends that he isn’t a bad guy. If it was Giygas’s influence that made porky this way, that’s a shame, but even then I’d hardly call him a good guy. For all he knows, when the last needle is pulled the world will be destroyed, and he’s fine with it. Just because a villain has a sad past, that doesn’t mean anything they do as a villain is justified.
@@trueamerican6733 I don't think this is trying to use abuse as a justification of his actions, rather it's trying to find what led to these events to happen.
i dont even think he wanted to wipe out the human race particularly,he just saw ness was trying to save it and he hates ness so much that he was motivated enough to do the opposite
The answer is Narcissism
He wanted to be above the one friend he was banned from speaking to and side with his father
Homie just lived through his own hell and it didn't shape him into what's considered a hero/good guy. No one is born evil
Except ness mains
@@supernintendoentertainment6971 As a ness main, can confirm
So I have only personally ever known one person in my whole life who I'd call truly evil and let me tell you that it was terrifying. It's easy to say Hitler or Bin Laden were evil but interacting with someone who seemingly had no soul is a whole new level of unsettling. Oddly enough, there were TONS of parallels between him and Porky. Like, down to his appearance when we went to high school together. I thought he needed friends and I set out to be one a few times. I kinda gave that up when I learned he kept a spreadsheet on his laptop of everyone in our school and their "weaknesses" he could use. Also gave me the chills when he once said to me, "You have so much potential if you weren't so hung up on all that morality BS."
Who knows what makes a monster, but it probably doesn't happen all at once. It doesn't surprise me that the abused are caught up in attaining money, power, fame and really anything that restores some feeling of control. Perhaps there's a cocktail of genetics, abuse, power hunger, and an eventual disregard of continuing to try to do "the right thing" that does the trick. Have some sympathy for people who genuinely pursue what they think is right even if they have terrible conclusions but be very wary for those who don't even try except in how it affects themselves.
Damn dude that mess up, stay away from people like him homie
@@ballownfist3497 Its fine to stay near people like that actually.
Just keep a concealable weapon on yourself at all times and don't go to sleep when in the same room as them.
@Wafflest Waffle It was a list of things he could exploit, specifically referring to it as weakness. There is nothing wrong with collecting information, it is usually a good thing where you think of others. This was not that. It was how he could get things HE wanted out of people. Pure manipulation. Stuff like: Use X kid’s drug problem to have him steal shit in exchange for dope.
@@KitFoxboy He seriously said "If you weren't so hung up on that morality BS"? Geez, I can only wonder how he got that mindset. I can only wonder the type of person he will end up becoming and frankly it is scary. He is such a psychopathic/sociopathic person with a fundamental lack of empathy and really only seems to care about bettering himself.
So basically, the way you interpret good or evil is based on how you were raised
Isnt moral ambiguity just great
I think I remember watching a similar video and the point was brought up in the Japanese version of Earthbound Porky genuinely asks for Ness' forgiveness, but since Ness is a silent protagonist Porky took his silence to mean no.
Oh wow 😅
Porky’s story is really interesting and sad. A boy with only one friend, corrupted and made evil by losing his one and only pal. I will admit, I forgive him for what he did. He was angry. He was lonely. He, and I mean this, is relatable.
He was also a complete prick. I mean did you SEE what he did to claus?
you forgive that easily. he just brainwashed claus and killed lucas's mother. not to mention creating a facist
@@HabitualThinker Brainwashing aside, he didn't kill Claus--he kept him alive after a natural accident and severe mutilation. The brainwashing, on the other hand... Anyway I can't say shit if death was a preferable alternative.
I think it’s a combination of the abuse he faced, wanting to be Ness’s friend, and Giygas’s + maybe the Mani Mani statue’s influence that caused him to become evil.
Unlikely. Giygas is not evil. Somone else was spreading Mani Mani Statues to use his mental breakdown to own needs. And Pokéy was always close.
@@TheRezro well Gyigas is described in the game as "the evil personified"
@@jfk4589 Not everything what is said somewhere is automatically true. Especially considering what was established in the first game (Gyigas was raised by humans and has mental breakdown after he was manipulated into destroying them). And that if I recall was opinion of Pokey.
Also fun fact. War in fact did happen, what mean that Gyigas was not the cause. In fact considering that Dr. Andonuts is shady (he abandoned his son and was creator of Chimeras in the sequel) it is possible that our team is in fact manipulated to take out Gyigas, so Pokey could take his place and start the war.
I hope this little gremlin gets a Smash invitation and brings his Spider Mech into Ultimate.
That would be awesome!
#Cartman6Smash.
Tccccccc, ouch.
@@takanamoon9907 Yeah lmao
@@takanamoon9907 now ALL I’m wondering is why he isn’t in the game at all.
Unrelated note: a large majority of earthbound/mother characters have blonde hair
Porkey goes 10 years (in between games) without desserts. Then at the end of Mother 3 he finally gets desserts. His JUST DESSERTS!
Perfect
Pokey is one of my favorite villains in gaming because you can make entire video essays exploring his motivations, pathos and descent into ultimate madness and isolation and you look at him and he's. Just a fat little kid in overalls
Honestly, I love Pokey because I can relate with him, I've been that kid that nobody wanted to hang out with, I've been the kid that was an asshole without even realizing it. I've been the 'bad guy' and I can't help but see Pokey as someone who could be redeemed. I almost wanna learn how to make Rom hacks just so I can give Pokey a redemption after the Happy Happy Village, and have him be a teammate like it was sort of teased in the beginning of the game. Obviously he wouldnt be incredibly useful but I think you could make a neat mechanic usilizing his selfishness, like maybe he can use his teammates as shield and negate damage to himself for a short time, or hell maybe he can use PSI by using his friends, like he acts as a 2nd turn for whatever party member you feel like using. Idk I just think Pokey could make a really cool teammate even if he isn't a "chosen boy", I just can't help but feel like he's a good person, though that might be because I think of his character in Mother 2 more so than his genocidal evil character in Mother 3
yeah i really think that be a cool rom hack hopefully someone can make it and yeah hopefully you didnt have the childhood that pokey had cause yeah abusive parents suck
I love villain arcs like Porky's from nuisance to absolutely the worst of the worst more than "near the end of the arc, here's the tragic backstory".
I remember hearing that in the Japanese version, Ness turned his back on Porky after defeating Carpainter meaning Porky lost the one friend he had. Meanwhile, Ness gets a "girlfriend" in Paula, Jeff who traveled across the world to rescue him, and Poo who basically offers himself as a servant to him. Seems like he's better off without that lead weight on his neck.
The thing intersting with Ness is that the only person he show by himself (via Magicant) to really love and missing a lot isnt any of the chosen 4 (who dont have any place in Magicant for reason i still dont get) but Porky, just Porky outside of his family there is no one he miss as much than Porky and even in japanese version ill add. Wich is why i never really consider chosen 4 as Real best Friend, party member, crewmates or buddies yeah but not "friend" or at least Big friend
@@gay4sswhovian i think is because he IS travelling together with them, my theory is that in magicant Ness is putting his life in perspective and thinking in the people who he cant see often (like his family) or his regrets (the tomb of buzz buzz, the monsters pain, his sadness over how Porky betray him and choose to be a villain because he knows Porky is a lonely kid, etc). Magicant is basically everything Ness was trying to not think about in his adventure, while his companions are the most comforting presence he has in his adventure, so it makes sense they aren't there
I think it's a combination of the abuse, his desperation to maintain his only positive relationship (Ness), and Gigyas's influence kicking about in the back of his head.
That last theory gives a whole new meaning to Porky saying “What did Porky do?” when you fight him.
Yes, sadly. Giygas found the perfect minion, an abused child. Porky was a lost cause, eventually losing his mind
WHY AM I ALWAYS GETTING FAVORITED
Giygas himself was also abused, so maybe he wanted an underling who would see his views and be easier to manipulate...?
@@redacculous it's not that deep.
@@JoJoZaka it’s a theory video
@@redacculous I mean, he was basically a sentient weapon
your favorite is gone now because you edited the comment
Porky's mom is the only character in the whole series with fully drawn eyes LOL
Don’t the characters have beady eyes?
Some of the other NPCs have fully drawn eyes for example the Captain piloting the boat to Scaraba
Porky was basically abused so much he started to regress backwards. In fact, in Mother 3, he practically becomes an infant, with the spider mech being slmost like a crib, and the safety capsule being like a womb...
4:30
This quote made me realize something...What if the effects on Pokey aren't from time travel,but rather by losing Giygas' evil influence?Sure he is still evil in Mother 3,but he acts a bit more childish than he did in Earthbound.You may also say that a part of the evil was kept with Porky after the time travel.Well perhaps he had way more power in Earthbound and the death of Giygas caused his power to start to decrease.He still acts evil in Mother 3 because the power hadn't fully worn off yet.You could even point out the fact that he is immortal in the ASC,but maybe the capsule helped Pokey retain what power he had and thus never left Porky.
It's also beceause Ness din't have the time to knock him out like any Gyigas victim and he got in another timeline so it won't stop having his power
I kinda think that it was the extreme amount of time Porky lived, alone and self-absorbed, that enhanced his childish features.
For F sake! Giygas is not evil! Did no one played Mother 1? Giygas was only suffering on mental breakdown.
@@TheRezro most people probably haven't due to it being in japan i assume that a whole new wave of people will dig for roms now that mother 2 or 3 is on nintendo switch online
Theory 4:Porky is controlled by giygas
The Conclusion:Porky is an A$$ hole change my mind
Nobody here talking about how the manimani stature could be playing a role in this too
Porky IS Giygas.
His outrageously abnormal obsession for Ness devolved into something so nightmarishly chaotic.
my theory: porky, due to his unfortunate upbringing and character, he was uniquely susceptible to giygas' madness. his role as antagonist and eventual villain was from gradually escalating feelings of loneliness and jealously towards Ness. he wanted to be Ness' friend, he wanted to be a beloved hero, but his own cowardice, weakness, selfishness, and lack of freedom made sure he could never measure up to Ness, and this led to an inferiority complex. his attempt to gain wealth and power was a coping mechanism to prove to himself and other's that Ness isnt "better" than him. and in his pursuit for wealth and power, he aligned himself with bad people where he would be repeatedly thwarted by Ness. So to porky, Ness is his antagonist. He thinks Ness doesnt want him to succeed. the increasing frustration and resentment towards the heroes would make Porky a perfect vessel for Giygas madness. he eventually without knowing, crossed over from being lonely and misunderstood into being a true villain. and his cowardice would make sure he could never be redeemed and freed from the madness that grips him. we saw in the game that one is freed from the madness by having it physically beaten out of them. Porky always escapes before that can happen and thus he can never be redeemed
To be honest: I mainly thought about Pocky as "The cartman of earthbound."
He is the Cartman of earthbound as opposed to Ness being the Kyle and Stan of earthbound and Lucas is the Clyde of Earthbound and Claus is the Kenny of Earthbound
More like the Eric Cartman of Nintendo.
@@alexanderip1003 not entirely accurate
the earthbound fandom: “porky is evil!! he was abused!!”
*also porky* : hehe let’s poop on the floor
I feel like every theory mentioned in this video is true to an extent. Pokey’s childhood abuse leaves him in a weak mental state. This combined with Ness’ silent response to his request to continue being his friend lead to him being easily corrupted by Giygas/Mani-Mani, exaggerating his greed exponentially. Essentially, everything bad that ever happened to Porky contributes to what made him the way he is.
Everything that happened to you contributes to who you are...
I like that! What a great way to accept responsibility for your choices while acknowledging outside influences too.
A very concise response to that age old debate between free will and determinism.
Best analysis of Porky ever !!!!!!
Thanks for watching!
@@PressStartToContinueYT you forgot the "it's just a theory A GAME THEORY"
Well, he wont get abused anymore, Afterall he is absolutely safe
Pokey/Porky: I wanted your friendship…
Ness: I’m sorry, Pokey.
Lucas: *F!ck this guy!*
*Accurate*
It's a trick question. Yes, He's evil, but not immediately. He starts as a bratty child, slowly succumbing to the evil influence that Giygas exudes. In the end, he allows that evil to take over.
I never see any proof of Porky being a brat in his action honnestly so i can't claim such thing
My personal take is that Giygas allowed what was already inside Porky to grow and manifest itself. (Which is sad, but still reflects poorly on porky’s character)
Sidenote: picky seemed like a nice kid despite having the same parents as porky, just goes to show how people handle abuse in different ways.
Porky might’ve become a better person with time if it wasn’t for Giygas, but the reverse is also possible.
Not saying that porky was always evil and twisted, but he was a very selfish albiet lonely kid
towards the end of earthbound and during the events of mother 3, I had trouble viewing porky as the same sympathetic character he was at the early beginning.
Shigesato Itoi said he viewed porky’s character and fate as poetic, and I couldn’t agree more.
Either way, I really enjoyed the video. it got my brain juices flowing.
Poor Pokey. Abusive parents, a seemingly uncaring 'friend', a much braver brother...no wonder he ended up the way he did.
Giygas was supposed to corrupt people psionically. With your theory in mind, it makes sense someone predisposed to that level of negativity would be easily taken in by Giygas.
I think Pokey knew he was an awful person and wasn't able to reconcile this within himself. As per the monologue he gave at the end of Mother 3, he probably wanted friends and wanted to experience the happiness he saw others receive. But he was jealous, poorly developed socially, and the rest is history.
As a kid, I always thought it was Giygas that controlled Pokey. As an adult, I can see why Pokey was acting the way he is. Pokey came from an unstable household of physical and emotional abuse. Just simply getting in trouble just because of "kids being kids." His father even used him to the point of being successful. Pokey was jealous of Ness. He had it all: being one of the chosen four, having powers, having a loving family.
Then came Giygas. Pokey got to know him and just being around him or thinking of him or being influenced by the statues made him go crazy and have his jealousy and hatred grow. It grew to a point where he just wanted to demean him and to just watch him die. It was truly a worst case scenario for Pokey. Unstable family 'caught' by an unstable being.
So what would happen if...let's say, Pokey and Ness swapped families. Would Ness be different? Probably, and even more powerful-to the point where it would be nearly impossible to save the world from Giygas's influence. Would Pokey be different? Probably. He and Jeff could share some similarities since they don't use PSI and have other ways of damaging enemies. Ness would definitely be jealous if he wasn't one of the chosen four-and he has PSI abilities...but Pokey doesn't and he would be one of the chosen four!
It just shows how much a family life and living situation can affect someone so deeply. Growing in a household full of love allows you to spread love across the world. Growing in a household full of hate spreads and infects the world like a virus.
Ness probably couldnt since he's a pure soul and Heart of gold as a gifted boy even with parents like this
AU where Ness gets Bridge to Terabithia'd in the very beginning, Buzz Buzz has to make a concession and name Pokey the chosen one. He teaches PSI to Pokey, but he can't learn it. He then tries to teach Picky and he gets it first time. Pokey then uses Picky as a PSI staff in combat. He finally tells his parents to fuck off and the journey begins!
Wrong. Picky had the same upbringing and is a perfectly decent human being. "Muh parents" is not an excuse to be a piece of trash. Porky was a disgusting creature before Giygas and remained the same after Giygas. He doesn't deserve a shred of remorse.
@@loregasmic tell me on awful thing porky did before Giygas come on then !
Being an asshole? It's never actually shown in the game lol
Being annoying? How can he be considered as ? Even Ness appreciate him a bit that just a kid who like to joke around.
Beceause he's a coward ? Bro it's a beat up and abused child of course he's a coward but something I like to point out : did Porky leave Ness behind when they got to the meteorite? Did he force him to search for his brother alone ? Did he make chantage with money to forces him or anything ? No if porky was really like you say he would have done this (except if you consider Itoi as someone who don't know how to write character) wich he never did the only bad thing porky did back in time was being scared and leaving his little bro, only to get his best friend to help him get him back unlike Ness's own damn dog porky never leaved him it's even opposite and we get to see that Ness didn't wanted to later in the games.
I hate people like you who use victim blaming and think that thing are totally binary it's awful, idiot and false.
@@loregasmic people process abuse differently tho. That doesn't really mean anything
I am inclined to the last one where Porkey, due to being abused and probably bullied, having no friends, caused him to feel powerless and him throughout the game was that classic example of when a powerless victim has power and the abused becomes the abuser
He wasn’t born pure evil. He wasn’t the pinnacle of virtue, don’t get me wrong. He’s obviously effected by being beaten by his parents, friendless, manipulated by a cult leader, and never being shown true forgiveness by his family nor the one friend he ever had. No one taught him the importance of empathy. His greatest moments of comfort were when his parents were living the high life in Fourside, which taught Porky that sticking to power would always provide him comfort. Being influenced by a cult leader may have put a damper on his critical thinking skills. The man learned all the wrong lessons, but he learned what he was taught. Some people are born into circumstances that they can overcome and learn good lessons from them, and sometimes it turns good people bad. But he did turn sour, and he turned sour fast and hard. He’s a nonmoral monster.
Reminds me of an analysis of DIO Brando. Both characters seem to be obsessed with the protagonist. Similar to a serial killer both took a piece or trophy of their obsession. Porky took Ness's yoyo long after Ness was dead and Dio took Johnathan's body for himself. Both also seem to let childhood trauma control their actions and prevent character growth. Like how both want to stand above everyone else so Porky and DIO won't feel they're being looked down on.
Collecting/hoarding things (videogames, shot glasses, money, whatever it may be) is one way we try to gain a sense of control back in our lives. That's why hoarders often tend to have some emotional baggage/unresolved trauma.
So when Porky and Dio collect the possessions of their obsession (Ness/Joseph,) it's them trying to regain some sort of control.
@@REvoLverj98 it’s Jonathan not Joseph lol. Joseph is from part 2.
Didn't he take Joseph's body because he had to, not because he wanted to. Hell he would have been in a better position without it
@@mr.raider7865 Dio could have gotten a different body and attack Jonathan later. Instead he went after Jonathan while he was still a head which is risky. In Dios mind no other body would've been as worthy as Jonathans. There are also plenty of scenes in part three where Dio is checking himself out in mirrors as if he's obsessed with his new body. He also dress in more revealing clothing in part three compared to what he wears in part one. This implies he feels more comfortable in his new body. I do agree taking Jonathan's body was a bad idea but that's more reason that Dio was obsessed with Jonathan because Dio must of had some knowledge of how bad that would be but still did it.
@@benjamincuevas9627 I cannot quite remember, but I could have sworn he took the head because he actually needed the head and the commotion etc provided a great cover for him.
"What other game do you fight a 12-year old boy as the final boss?"
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
With regards to the friend theory and "why did he have to time travel a thousand years into the future"... hiya, 20-something with depression and social anxiety here, or some other cocktail of psych issues. There's this thing that happens with me sometimes where I feel the need to cut off a relationship altogether if I cause some kind of interpersonal conflict. I suspect that the other person wouldn't want anything to do with me -- would just be accepting an apology so as to not hurt my feelings -- and so I flee from the relationship altogether so we're not hurting each other, too scared to ever give it another chance. Could be something similar to that.
To me Porky is a young soul who in an abusive houshold seeks friendship in ness, when . Gigas takes advantage of porky Via the Mani Mani statues. By the end of the game we have a porky whose worst is brought out with gigus. This includes his cowardness. Porky leaves never being freed from gigus's influence, and activating the
The part at the happy happyist cult where porky says he was lying is a mistranslation. in the og version he is genuine but since ness is a silent protag he takes it as ness refusing his apology, and thus his hatred for ness begins
this is why this scene seems so weird- its why hes walking away so slowly at random, hes supposed to be sad
It can be true that he's both evil and sympathetic. It can definitely be possible for an abusive villain to be both.
Ooo, VERY well done! You brought up a lot of points I hadn’t considered, and the editing is top notch too! I definitely have a lot more respect for the character now.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@PressStartToContinueYT faxs
Porky is so cosmicly horrifying i wish i could forget he exist, i have nightmakes where im stuck in the spider pig mech trapped forever in the lone expanse of space
oh god, it’ll be alright!
When I first played mother 3, porky gave me nightmares for a week straight lmao
bruh, porky lives in your walls
Psychologically viewed people can be born “evil” in the sense of sociopathy and psychopathy and many other mental conditions being able to genetically manifest within humans. Sometimes it really isn’t abuse or a sad background or whatever, sometimes people really are just bad people and are just really evil. However, I don’t think Porky is inherently “evil”. But I do think the evil that came from within him is something that was amplified by Gyigas and shows that he already had poor character traits to work with. And there’s only so many times that you can excuse someone’s evil deeds with abuse and neglect and “oh they went through so much” because at the moment that you pick to make these harmful decisions over and over you might have to accept that you are or have become, evil. Yes I’ve seen the argument that porky is a child over and over but I don’t think people give children enough credit. Trust me a lot of children are very smart and self-aware and especially old and aware enough to know that what they are doing is really bad.
I have to say, that one of the most disturbing traits in media is that most villains who could have a chance for redemption or ones where their situation isn't even their fault get fates worse than death.
I feel bad for porky but at the same time i hate him so much
I remember fighting The Stray Dog I my first playthrough a time ago. I was a kid and I thought Pokey was a little turd since even though I was helping HIM, he had the nerve to just ignore the fights.
I mean, even from the beginning, Porky didn’t want to be the hero. He says flat out that he’s not the hero type when BuzzBuzz appears
The Eric Cartman from Earthbound/Mother.
Porky was jealous of Ness, he wanted to be his equal but since he couldn't, he decided to become his opposite.
Porky is the antithesis of Ness.
Jealous of what ??? Porky said himself terrified:
"3 boys huh ? I... I'm not one of those 3 right ? It's not my kind of thing you know... Ness ! It look like you get in huge trouble this time ! Gosh my heart is almost pounding out of my chest !!
Giygas was supposedly influencing a lot of people to be evil, based on what the NPCs are saying. Giygas is an almighty evil, but not intelligent if what pokey says is anything to go on, so it was likely corrupting him based on Pokey's conflicting feelings and proximity to Ness, and giving him a drive to achieve it in some warped way, as well as inadvertently providing the means to do so, with the happy cult and all that. Pokey's still his own person though, and so was able to abandon Giygas when things were starting to turn against him.
Hey guys, I'm back with another Earthbound related video for you! Today we look at perhaps the second most interesting character in the series, Porky Minch. Specifically, what makes him the way he is? Are his evil tendencies just a reaction to his upbringing or is there something more there? Let's find out!
I only like porky because of his smash bro’s brawl theme
This channel is too good, and underrated!
Thank you!
I can't be the only one who kinda thinks picky should have been a party member, because he really doesn't deserve to be stuck in a family like that and definitely needs a friend.
11:19 "What other game do you fight like a twelve year old boy as one of the final bosses?"
A lot of the early pokemon games?
My take on this is Porky was always evil in some way, he was raised by bad people and showed bad and cowardly tendencies from the very beginning. Giygas leeched off that and gained control over him by feeding into his ego and influencing him.
By Mother 3, Porky has gone completely off the edge and lost his mind. The only resemblance of humanity left in him is that he still kept and cherished Ness's yoyo even after all these years.
That yoyo shows that at some point a long long time ago, Porky did see Ness as his true *friend* but that Porky is gone.
So is Porky evil? Yes. But that was mostly Giygas fueling it and manipulating him like Palpatine and Darth Vader.
This guy needs WAY more recognition. Great content.
Ness and co could have helped him through his juvenile behavior and negative family.
But once Giygas became present he brought out the worst in Porky, and he was beyond the point of it.
You get to see the guy get more evil. By the end of Earthbound and throughout Mother 3, Porky's an evil boy.
I always viewed Ness and Pokey as opposites. Even when Buzz Buzz joins your team, Ness stands up to the challenge and Pokey just wants to go home.
They both started off as friends as they were neighbors, and both of their fathers knew each other, and Ness's Dad was in debt to Pokey's (IIRC).
I think Pokey is trying to be like Ness in his own way, but the dispute between their fathers and Pokey's temperament due to his upbringing is exploited by Gigyas turning him into a rival.
Mother 3 also has that same theme with Lucas and Claus too, where we all know Pokey makes another appearance.
So in Mother, we had a boy in his pre-teens defeating an alien menace by singing a lullaby.
In earthbound, it’s really the same, but his friend Paula prays this time.
And in Mother 3, we have to fight a spoiled brat who turned a YOUNG CHILD into some type of menacing servant, and all he wants is Ness to give two craps about him. And the absolutely safe capsule makes him more insane.
That goes deep.
dude fantastic work! im glad this was recommended to me
_10:28_
*"Well, of course I know him; he's me."*
He is just really sad. His last action in the series is giving into insanity and imprisoning himself inside the perfectly safe capsule because it is a logical impossibility to him that he lost.
Originally, Porky was supposed to die and appologize to Lucas (who he thought, in his last moments, was his only friend, Ness).
In my opinion, it would have been better for him to die so his suffering could finally end. But instead he's forever trapped in the Absolute Safe Capsule, condemned to eternal torment and loneliness.
@@heartgleam2868 whoa
Tbh I just think that Pokey latched onto the growing insanity and chaos wrought by Giygas, and instead of processing it like his brother Picky, he chose to succumb to the evil forced upon him as a child. It's really unlikely to me that an abused child acts out that drastically as a person that comes from a highly abusive family situation myself.
My memory is really patchy from when it was extremely severe, and I still deal with it today. My dad almost made me quit school and run away from everyone and everything I know, and that was like 6 months ago (about 2 1/2 years at the time of editing). Let alone years of my life before that. It started in about middle school, though my dad was always absent in my youth. And it's still ongoing on a lesser scale as I finish up my college degree (about the end of highschool/beginning of college is when the abuse started to slow down). But despite everything, I still had something I wanted to pursue in life. So I went for it. Yeah, there's still some darkness in my heart, and I've got shameful sinister parts of my brain that have shut off certain moral perceptions, but that doesn't mean I gave up.
Maybe it's just because I had direction or something, and perhaps that's the key difference between people like me and Pokey, but I'm not so sure Pokey can blame everything on trauma here, there's some malicious intent going on for sure. Great video though.
I gave up years ago. Maybe not heavy abused like others here...
But welp also have no reason to keep fighting.
@@Acacius1992 I first just wanna say that I apologize for trauma dumping here, like I really didn't need to divulge my whole backstory in a comments section. Honestly I barely remember writing this, and I've grown enough since to not want others to get caught in my hellstorm. I might edit this just to make sure I'm not oversharing while still retaining the point of my comment...
Secondly, I get how it feels to give up. You feel hopeless, alone, and afraid of giving your life value because that means you have to try and fight for it. There is a reason for you to push out there somewhere though, whether it's for someone or something else. Even if someone doesn't care about us in the moment, there will be people out there who can and will. Or, better yet, yourself is someone that will always care whether you like it or not. I grew up practically alone, I was the only person in my life that drove real progress and change. There were a couple people who supported me conditionally, but ultimately it came down to me to be there when no one else would. That's just my experience at least, I can't say for sure what your situation is or how you've been affected by it. Life is stressful and it goes by fast. Hopefully, you'll find a reason to fight one day though because it does exist.
1:02 this is the only freaking time when POrKY HAS CHeEKS
I know I'm late to the game, but Pokey/Porky has always been one of my favorite characters because I honestly believe that it's NOT just that he had all of this stuff happen to him and it "made him evil" -though a huge part of it, but I think that Gigas's influence affected him so much because of how young he was...he honestly doesn't know anything better...he never had the chance to be better ether.
I always disagreed. I thought at the start of the game we're supposed to see Pokey as misunderstood. But then he gets these chances at redemption, like the other characters in Earthbound, and unlike all the other characters, Pokey declines to be redeemed. Think about it, the climax of the game scrolls back to characters praying for Ness. Many characters like Frank or Everdred we're actually boss fights, but they took they became better people after you fought.
But Pokey does the opposite. He starts as a friend, becomes an enemy, fakes out like he's going to be friends again, but never does. He had more chances than the others, but opted to be rotten, every time.
Yeah he has a shitty home life, but the other reformed characters came from worse places. At certain point I interpret his character to be "some people are just rotten. Every body has an ex use to be rotten and a chance to be redeemed. But some people just choose to stay rotten."
You’re leaving out the amount of time he spent with the Mani Mani statue, which probably magnified these feelings.
I also can’t imagine just blaming his upbringing, as Picky wasn’t a villain himself.
No bro. Its jealousy...He woke Ness up in the middle of the night, wanting to explore the meteorite and find his brother. An adventure. That ended with NESS becoming the chosen one. And Poke being angry about it.... He woke up someone who didn't even want to help at first, Only to end up with THEM becoming the chosen one after HE left. Its like being a second late in becoming superman vs the guy who didn't even want to be there, who actually won. Also mixed in with the Power dynamic and you got yourself a villain
He'll always be Pokey. His parents didn't name him Porky.
HAVE YOU SEEN HIS DAD
Eric Cartman from South Park could’ve ended up like Porky. In season 6 “future self and me.” we see a futuristic Eric Cartman talk to himself, and unfortunately sabotages himself by telling him his future.
If Kid Cartman didn’t reject the future and actually embraced it for his own gain then he most definitely would become just as powerful as Porky. It’s a good thing at the time Cartman never had that Foresight about his actual potential, and was also weighed down by his insecurities.
Oh god, i never really noticed, but the MMX Password theme really gets me right in the feels everytime ! Great video !
The fun thing about the video is that the theories aren't mutually exclusive at all. Theory 1 suggests he's greedy, 2 suggests he just wanted to be Ness's friend, 3 suggests he was warped because of being from an abusive household. The occam's razor is that they're all true at the same time. His perception is warped from abuse so when he tries to be Ness's friend, he goes about it in incomprehensible ways. When that fails, he tries filling that void with greedy material desires, which pretty much leads to the events of Mother 3.
That's part of why I kinda like the contrast of themes between 2 and 3. 2 is about an outright malevolent alien menace and a kid + his friend's stopping it to save the world. 3 is about a kid's attempts to save the world from another human - with that human being both an embodiment and a byproduct of the worst results of humanity.
this is further adaged by the fact that in earthbound when you fight giygas, giygas is in a crazed, deranged and uncontrollable state because porky screwed him over by undoing the limits that the devil machine put on giygas
Porky is probably a character that would appear jn mother 4 if it ever existed
I’d even think a party member
@@crazycanyon3028 but he's stuck in the Absolutely Safe Capsule forever
I know that if I was an angry kid, I would do whatever my parents told me not to. Including talking to Ness
porky is like Eric cartman if he was a god -Vinny
Porky is Cartman.
I personally see Porky as evil regardless of the abuse theory or not. Porky is a kid who let his worst memories and flaws define who he was, though Giygas's mere existence certainly didn't help with that.
Here’s my thoughts about Porky in Earthbound.
I agree with you on the third theory. It’s very evident that he was abused as a child constantly and that can leave a LOT of scars and demons to be created. BUT, there is one thing that people forget about that could also be a catalyst that made Porky so twisted.
The Mani Mani statue.
The first showing of the Mani Mani statue was in Onett right after getting the Sound Stone and the sun rises on the town. Ness was told to go to Liar X Aggerate’s home in the day time, where Liar shows Ness what he found whilst digging underneath his home. The Mani Mani statue. It was really close by both Ness and Porky’s home. And it had been shown to have great, twisted powers, as evidenced by the Happy Happist cult and Moonside. It was a catalyst for Giygas to radiate and twist the minds of those who were close to it. And Pokey with his abused childhood was just right for Giygas to influence. Pokey showed up in all three instances of the Mani Mani statue. I feel like it’s kinda like the One Ring from LotR. Pokey was granted so much power, wealth, and influence, but had his mind and soul warped in the process. From his childhood, his father in general, and his jealousy for Ness.
Even after the statue was destroyed, it was to late. Giygas had twisted Porky so much that he became Giygas’ right hand man. And when that bond was severed when Ness went back to the past, Porky still retained his distorted views of the world. Nothing more than an immortal spoiled brat who wanted the last laugh. Who obsessed over Ness, his only friend. Because the Mani Mani statue, Giygas, and Porky’s shit childhood made it so Ness is the only thing he thought about.
That's a great point!
I grew up in a divorced family and it really tore me apart growing up. I think though porky didnt grow up in the same situation its a similar mental effect for the things hes been put through. He just wanted attention but in doing so declines mentally into a psychotic personalities.
It'd sure be an interesting idea to see an Earthbound fangame that is similar to Lisa the First, where you play as Porky before the events of the game that introduced him. Being abused by his parents, suffering from loneliness and so on. Maybe, even, dreaming of a better life.
Love this analysis!
I like how story wise porky really does become the real life conduit for giygas. His last remaining piece living after he is eliminated. Mother 2 really is the passing on of the chaos torch from giygas to porky
This was a pretty interesting look into the character of Porky.
i think gigyas came to him somehow on the night of the meteor, after he was punished by his parents. gigyas was looking at how ness was about to set off to defeat him, saw the malice and desperation in porky, and told him he was the chosen one
This guy reminds me of Eric Cartman.
As a wise streamer said “Porky is basically Cartman but if he was a god.”
@@valiant8248 True
He reminds me so much of Eric Cartman
Lets talk about Porky, but before lets talk about Ness :
Seriously small reflexion but i think a lot of people who played it (or not) either dinn't get the story, either infantilised and simplified it, either just blantly ignored the subtle message or worst confuse Ness and Ninten.
By what i see of how people potray and/or see Ness as is sad asf seriously...
No Ness isnt comparable to Ninten, Ness dinn't know about his psyshic power, no Ness dont become friend with people he just met it might be weird to say this but seriously i never saw the chosen 4 as friends seriously there is no freacking alchimie between them they only are following Ness beceause scenario said so and because some people or their instinct (in case of Paula) told them that Ness is the chosen one, NESS HIMSELF DONT SEEM TO CARE SINCE EVEN IN MAGICANT WE GET TO SEE NOTHING ABOUT WHAT HE THINK ABOUT THEM SERIOUSLY I DONT CALL THIS A FRIENDSHIP LMAO, not that its Bad , since its wanted by how its written its not something Bad its an Artistic decision and/or preference.
Ness is not someone who purposely go save the world like ninten does, Ness isnt named mister leader by his classmate, his parents's first dialogue are litterally them reassuring him and telling him that they're here for him and there is nothing to worry about and small reminder about how fiction work :
You NEVER introduce a character supposed to be already courageous and all since the begining as a child who became homesick and need his parents to support him, except if you dont know how to write story, and i think i can say without problem that Itoi KNOW VERY WELL HOW TO WRITE STORY SINCE *HE IS* A WRITTER especially in case of Ness's characterisation beceause, funfact :
he's a lot inspired by his own daughter i dont think a writter like him who got inspired by its own child would does an awful writting like this especially since his game keep going on this logical state and evolution.
(In simple term its impossible that its just an error of Itoi that Ness is shown reckless and needing to grow up and having self confidence.)
Ness is Ness, a kid who is really attached to his family, Ness isnt a random cool kid extremely clever and heroic, he's a reckless kid who believe in redemption and in good people to the point of getting kidnapped by zombies later in the game and not even "learning" from it, beceause that's how he work ! He dont need to learn lesson beceause he just follow his philosophy nothing else, he think that everyone need a second chance (except of Giygas but its after Magicant and so his innocence being lost, accepting to let go people he loved who arent here anymore or the same person and accepting that sometime you cannot save everyone).
Anyways After that introduction and "small digression" lets talk about Porky.
Yes Porky is introduce as trouble maker *at first* and nothing else, just a random kid who is Ness's friend (and yes its canon its shown in BOTH character that they do care and take their friendship seriously, to make things more ironic there is more proof of Ness's feeling (not romantic of course even though i like this ship lmao) for Porky than Paula's where its like Tony with Jeff, Aka just onesided and never concluded lol) and just wanting to play outside (like Ness) since his parent litterally left him to go on restaurant alones.
One scene made me get interest on Porky's treatment, a scene i love and one of my favorite one with him and Ness (After the one in Magicant who make me cry more than Mother 3's both tragic death but for this its obviously just my opinion and its beceause its not my sensibility, death of character is not new in Mother and im not someone who cry a lot on death scene). The moment when Porky come get Ness and beg for him to help him finding Picky.
Thing i'd like to point out to people who compare Porky to h1tler (wich i Can understand but honnestly i think its a bit too execive especially for what he is in Earthbound at first like ill explain here :
-Porky consider Sharks (who arent even that Bad lmao) as ruffian and so, as dangerous people.
-hes really worried about his borther, yes he left him but Picky specificly say that its beceause he got scared, and as scaredy cat and a coward Porky is he still goes to Ness to ask him to help him to find his little bro so he dont get lost, attacked or worst punished by their parent (wich is why he say "my dad is really gonna get me on this one"
-And my favorite one, im adressing to people who call Porky being a coward, are you aware that first Porky is a child ? A child who is beat up and negligated by his parents ? A child who yes abandonned his brother but still goes back to search for him after getting help of his bestfriend who have a freacking baseball bat ? A child who is defenless and scared about a local gang ?
And most important, as coward Porky is he Dinn't let Ness goes alone, off course he does nothing, hide behind him and all but at least hes still with Ness he Dinn't left him (unlike his dog who did complain about going with them and helped a bit lmao), why ? Beceause Porky care about Ness simple as that, Ness is the only person he can count on, the only person who dont insult, beat up or negligate him, and most important, Ness's friendship , his love and support is his only reason to not let everything down and keep trying to stay in light, Ness is really his best friend and most important his only Friend and as coward as Porky is he will never let him searching for his brother alone in the night where a meteorite just fell down from the Sky, when a gang is getting more and more violent and with wild and dangerous animal around.
And After that what happen ? His dad beat him and Ness left him without telling him anything (again not Ness's fault of course he have better to do than trying to get his best friend in danger if his parent end up find out that he dinn't obey to his punishement.)
Later by searching for Ness he end up corrupted by carpainter who probably manipulated him to make him feel important and help him to get Paula to the cult and here Come the moment... THAT moment where everything have been destroyed :
Its after this moment Porky became definetly corrupted and all by mani mani statue, everywhere Porky is found doing something, mani mani is never far aways, and when mani mani is destroyed he got crashed on an unkow place and probably kidnapped (beceause im pretty sure he dinn't end good after such crash and end up at least unconscious after this) by one of Giygas's army and so under Giygas's influence more than anyone else.
The thing i like to point out is why Ness and Porky's friendship (or at least the part where it broke) is so important in the game, mani mani corrupt and brainwash people but not in basic way, she take the darkness of people's heart to make them evil, and whats the thing that could broke Porky enough to be totally broken mentally and litterally turned into a free host for Giygas's influence and indeed happened ? Losing Ness, losing his best friend, misunderstanding the person you love and care the most about and letting your emotion speak for you... just like this person you love but you dinn't know that they were also slave of their own emotion.
And thats why i love Porky in Earthbound, he's a incredibly realistic character, how much there is people like Porky who ended bad because of a misenderstood or heartbroken ? And Earthbound only, i have empathy for him in Mother 3 but just empathy, beceause he try to remember good old time, he still love Ness even after being litterally heartbroken by him and most important, his goal is to destroy humanity only beceause well first Giygas put in his mind that humanity is the ultimate ennemy and all sins of this World and second beceause its humanity who made him like this in a way, its humanity who broke his friendship with Ness, its humanity who kept ruining his childood and all.
Fun Fact in Undertale: If you change the A from the name SANS to E will be SENS, but if change some letters you got NESS and SNES too.
My headcanon is that Porky was always jealous that Ness has kind parents and surely hate his goody-goody attitude, so he used this neighbor status to says he's his friend to humiliate Ness. And when all the Buzz Buzz thing happen, it was the last straw, so Porky ran away and began his descent of evil.
And meanwhile, Picky was the only nice person in the family and even his brother belittled him, he still worry about him.
As tragic as it is, I think Porky's evil stems from psychological abuse from his parents. Both of them are selfish and seem prone to disproportionate retribution (as you mentioned with the hundred spankings), and very much seem like the kind of people who would constantly make their children feel like nothing would ever be good enough, thus, every time Porky sees an opportunity to seize power, he takes it, and by Mother 3, it's no longer even about getting his parents' approval, he's just escalated to madness and the only thing left in his mind is getting more powerful
The abuse theory is always the one that's made the most sense to me. I think between the fact that Porky wanted to be friends with Ness, and the influence of giygas, and his childhood trauma of his parents, all these events turned Porky into who he is. Not to mention Porky continues to rise to power repeatedly in earthbound as a child. He ultimately slips away, as a child, and convinces Dr. Andonuts to make mechs and machines for him. Even with his unknown age he's still just lashing out and latching onto a will for power because power will get him attention and attract people to him.
Had Ness taken him with him on the earthbound journey, or, if he had just been able to escape his parents without ending up under giygas. Porky could've grown and evolve properly. Been able to have actual friends in the end and faced his childhood trauma. Instead, its the major fuel behind his actions. Because in the end, even at the end of Mother 3 he's still outliving everyone. He still has the 'power' per se.
Porky is a wonderful example of the last impacts of child abuse especially when all the 'cards fall just right'. Its really sad
Yeah, I wonder how things would have played out if he had stayed with Ness. I think the game would have been a lot shorter
The worst part is that Ness himself show that he wouldn't be against him being with him again (hi Magicant) if there was ONE reason of Ness not wanting and letting Porky came with him it would have just been scared for his safety but definetly not beceause they don't like each other