Antoni Matteo Garcia

This “What if Character Replaces Character in this Scene” meme template originally belongs to MagicalKeyPizzaDan and is dedicated to everybody rooting for Tommy Oliver’s and Inuyasha’s genuine friendship, let alone brotherhood. This is also considering that Tommy serves as Uncle Phil to Inuyasha’s Will in the iconic scene from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse.” Sit back, relax, and revel in the final part of this feels trip. Prepare your tissues because this is going to be a very tough read to endure, especially if you have seen the real-life Fresh Prince episode “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse.”

You knew this was coming. There was no way you could escape this iconic yet tear-jerking moment, especially when Tommy and Inuyasha embody this scene between Uncle Phil and Will. I am talking about Will’s tirade which culminates in his tearful breakdown and, eventually, Uncle Phil’s comforting embrace, thus assuring Will that there is somebody there for him. This is the same assurance that the greatest Power Ranger of all time, Tommy Oliver, will give to the mighty dog Yokai warrior with an attitude, Inuyasha. Just like Uncle Phil is toward Will, Tommy is the rock in Inuyasha’s life way more than the four losers who should no longer be mentioned here. Yes, Tommy may put up with Inuyasha’s impulsiveness and rowdiness. Yes, Inuyasha may find himself rough-housing with Tommy. However, Tommy and Inuyasha possess a thoroughly unbreakable brotherhood that sees these two mighty warriors rise above their trials and emerge triumphantly as stronger people. Furthermore, Tommy’s presence in Inuyasha’s life is also proof-positive that even strong warriors like them can have their vulnerable moments.

As soon as Inuyasha’s four so-called friends leave him to stew in his deep-seated anger and sadness, he stands there feeling helpless inside. Tommy shares in Inuyasha’s sorrow, standing with his arms crossed.

“I’m sorry, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha tries to brush what has happened off with his trademark rough charisma, “Feh. You know actually this works out better for me. You know, there’s a lot of monsters and demons that need a good clobbering, you know what I’m saying?”

Tommy can see right through Inuyasha’s hidden sorrow, “Inuyasha, it’s all right to be angry.”

Inuyasha still tries to put up a front, “Hey. Why should I be mad? At least they said they don’t need me anymore. I just wish I hadn’t wasted my time with those stupid beads!”

As he is saying that, Inuyasha snatches the Beads of Subjugation from Tommy and rips them apart, with them falling to the ground. Inuyasha’s anger is still being built up, while Tommy stands there with sorrow in his eyes.

“I’m sorry. You know, if there was something that I-”

Inuyasha cuts him off, “Hey, you know what? You don’t have to do anything, Tommy. It’s not like I’ve been always tied to them like their pet dog being ordered around, you know? It’s not like I have to lose sleep every night knowing that they could be in danger at any moment, die from any threat much stronger than them, and it would’ve been all my fault if I wasn’t there to save their useless butts, you know? Who needs ’em? They weren’t there when I was being shunned by both humans and demons because I was different from them, but I had to survive and cut my own path. And I got damn good at what I did, Tommy.”

Tommy agrees, “Yeah, you were.”

Inuyasha continues with his tirade, as his pent-up anger turns to wild frustration, “I got through defending myself from all types of danger without them, right? I learned how to look fear in the eye, build my own strength, hunt for my own food, take down bigger and scarier demons without them, and use my full-demon blood to my advantage. I had spent my entire life protecting myself! They never even gave a damn that I was hurting so much from trying to protect them! TO HELL WITH THEM!!!!!”

Inuyasha yelled out that aforementioned phrase in the same direction Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou were walking. All Tommy can do is put his head down in sorrow, as his lips wobbled. After that moment of sheer frustration, Inuyasha attempts to walk away with tears almost about to flow from his eyes.

“I didn’t need them then, and I don’t need them now!”

Tommy tries to stop Inuyasha, “Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha faces Tommy, “Look, you know what, Tommy. I’m gonna destroy Naraku without them! I’m gonna finally show Sesshoumaru that I am just as powerful as he is as his brother! I’m gonna mangle that mangy wolf Kouga! I’m gonna win over Ayame! I’m gonna marry Ayame! And I’m gonna have a whole bunch of beautiful kids with Ayame! I’m gonna be a great husband to her, a great dad to all our kids, and a greater role model than any of those losers ever were! And I sure as Hell don’t need them for their approval ’cause there ain’t a damn thing they can understand about how willing I am to protect those I give a damn about!!!”

Tommy’s expression goes from sorrow to almost breaking down in tears after taking in all of Inuyasha’s pain, frustration, sadness, and grief.

Inuyasha breaks down in tears, “How come they keep using me, man?”

Tommy wraps Inuyasha in a tight hug, comforting him in his moment of vulnerability. Inuyasha also hugs Tommy, as tears flow from his eyes after many years of being unloved, rejected, used, bullied, and abused. While Tommy and Inuyasha are hugging, the broken Beads of Subjugation remain on the grassy ground. All the moments of torment that Inuyasha has been enduring under Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo are gone and will never return to him again. At least Tommy and Inuyasha have each other as best friends and brothers for life.

Goodness me. This was such a roller-coaster ride to get through. I have always envisioned this iconic Fresh Prince scene to be engendered by Tommy Oliver taking on Uncle Phil’s role and Inuyasha taking on Will’s role, which makes perfect sense. Tommy’s lengthy experience as a Power Ranger and Inuyasha’s strength as a dog Yokai warrior with an attitude come hand in hand. Sure, they may be strong warriors on their own. However, Tommy and Inuyasha are stronger when they are together even in moments of crippling vulnerability. Their brotherly relationship is also on the level of Uncle Phil’s and Will’s surrogate father-surrogate son relationship, which makes them win in my eyes.

I hope you have managed to be touched by this moment between Tommy and Inuyasha taking on Uncle Phil’s and Will’s roles from “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse.” Until then, I will see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and may the power protect you and your loved ones, everybody.

Tommy Oliver from the Power Rangers franchise belongs to Saban and Toei.

Inuyasha from Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.

Philip “Uncle Phil” Banks and William “Will” Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air belong to Benny Medina, Andy Borowitz, Susan Borowitz, and NBC.

This “What if Character Replaces Character in this Scene” meme template originally belongs to MagicalKeyPizzaDan and is dedicated to everybody who believes that it is a wonderful idea for Tommy to call out the four losers known as Miroku, Sango, Kagome Higurashi, and Shippou and their hypocritical falsehood toward Inuyasha. This is also considering that Tommy calls the four losers out akin to how Uncle Phil does a similar deed to Lou Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse.” Sit back, relax, and revel in the first part of this feels trip.

I always insist that Inuyasha’s 100th episode “The Truth Behind the Nightmare: Battle in the Forest of Sorrow” still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth the more I watch it. Every time I watch this episode, I am constantly reminded of how Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou should have developed a higher sense of compassion and understanding toward Inuyasha. Instead, they still treated him like nothing more than their pathetic lapdog, even after their lives were in great peril under Garamaru’s poisoned cocoons. The epilogue encapsulates everything I despise, loathe, and abhor about Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou. They were nothing more than shiftless liars, vile manipulators, and abject pieces of toxic waste toward Inuyasha, considering that they had taken him for granted. I do not even blame Inuyasha for being overly suspicious of those four losers’ hypocrisy and thinly veiled falseness toward him. Then again, fans of Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou are also to blame for being way too blind to notice the red flags and just ignorantly cruising along with them being toxic allies to Inuyasha.

If there is one man who can try to set these four lying hypocrites straight, it has to be none other than the Power Rangers legend himself, Tommy Oliver. Yes, Tommy possessing the moniker of the greatest Power Ranger ever may appear to be quite an amazing stretch. However, considering his growth from the new dude to Rita’s malevolently brainwashed pawn to redeemed hero to full-time hero to leader to mentor, he had quite the odyssey to endure during his long tenure as a Power Ranger. From being the Green Dragonzord Ranger to the White Tigerzord Ranger to the Red Zeo Ranger to the first Red Turbo Ranger in the Saban era as well as the Black Dino Thunder Ranger in the Disney era, Tommy has seen it all and done it all. He may be a hero on his own accord, but he could never have achieved being a hero without the help of his great friends. Unlike the four losers known as Miroku the cheating monk, Sango the stupid demon slayer, Kagome the crappy main heroine, and Shippou the terrible excuse of a Kitsune, Tommy is always true to himself and to the people he holds nearest and dearest to him.

I can imagine Tommy being the Uncle Phil to Miroku’s, Sango’s, Kagome’s, and Shippou’s Lou because they represent different sides of seeking pro-social relationships. Tommy would never make lame excuses to his comrades, friends, and allies, thus sticking to his word and never giving up on them. Miroku’s, Sango’s, Kagome’s, and Shippou’s bond with Inuyasha may appear to be defeating Naraku, but they constantly treat Inuyasha like their lapdog without giving him space to be himself. What is worse is that Kagome’s constant sit commands are enabled by Miroku, Sango, and Shippou because Inuyasha does not heed her beck and call, and they think that he is two-timing with Kikyou. I have already made it clear that neither Miroku nor Sango nor Kagome nor Shippou understood the depth of Inuyasha’s pain, loss, and trauma of losing Kikyou before she was unfairly resurrected. Furthermore, Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou are incapable fighters and fail miserably without Inuyasha coming into the rescue. Tommy will definitely have his work cut out for him in putting those four losers in their place.

Tommy calling out Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou occurs in Episode 100’s epilogue. As opposed to the four phonies claiming that they are grateful for Inuyasha for “saving them” and about to walk away, Tommy takes Inuyasha to the side to release him of those horrible Beads of Subjugation. Once that is done, the showdown between Inuyasha’s true friend almost like a big brother against the four hypocrites begins.

Tommy does not need to be a super genius to understand that Inuyasha has endured a lot of physical and psychological pain. Yes, Inuyasha is a dog Yokai warrior with an attitude, but even he cannot escape the abuse Kagome inflicts on him and the enabling that Miroku, Sango, and Shippou partake in. He saved their butts, but they still choose to treat him like their lapdog. Therefore, Tommy did the unthinkable. He tore off the Beads of Subjugation from Inuyasha for good and for all.

“Wow! That is amazing, Tommy.”

“Don’t mention it, Inuyasha. I’m just trying to help.”

“Well, thanks a lot, man.”

Finally having those accursed Beads of Subjugation removed off of Inuyasha is like a millstone gone from his life for good. It is thanks to Tommy’s help that he can feel free. He did not ask for it to begin with, but he can sense that Tommy’s intentions are genuine, pure, and noble aside from being a formidable warrior himself. Now, all Tommy must to do is to reprimand Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou for constantly lying and deceiving Inuyasha.

“You’re not gonna do those combos on them are you, Tommy? Because I don’t wanna miss that!”

Tommy sighs, “No, Inuyasha. Not at this moment.”

Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou are about to walk away from Tommy and Inuyasha. They think they could get away with giving Inuyasha a half-hearted token of gratitude for saving them from Garamaru’s clutches. However, Tommy is not having any of it. Just as the four deceitful liars are about to depart, Tommy is ready to give them his ultimatum.

“Stay where you are.”

Kagome responds, “Uh, we don’t have time for-”

Tommy interrupts with his tone becoming more commanding, “I said, the four of you stay where you are.”

Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou remain where they are standing and approach Tommy with their heads down. Even Kilala feels like this is going to be too intense for her to watch. So, she ends up flying away, not wanting to be a part of Tommy’s reprimanding.

“You know. Inuyasha has been saving your butts multiple times, and this one’s no exception. But now that you’re free, you also have responsibilities for him.”

Sango attempts to undermine Tommy, “Look, we still care-”

“Oh, that’s trash!” Tommy cuts in and the four hypocrites’ bodies are tense with intimidation, “That’s such trash! Inuyasha is not a lapdog you guys can order around from sunrise to sunset. His life goes on! He’s always been there for you, but you’ve barely been there for him!”

Miroku snaps at Tommy, “You get off our backs! You think we want this! He asked for it!”

Kagome then tries to continue, “Now, we all need Inuyasha to fight against threats that-”

Tommy has enough of their excuses, and his voice increases in frustration, “Shut up! Okay?! Shut up! ‘Cause I’ve been there! But I would never take my friends for granted. I was there every day for them because that is what a true friend does.”

Miroku undermines Tommy, “Fine, Tommy! You’re the man! Hey, you’re a better man than any of us!”

All Tommy can do is sigh in disbelief at what Miroku proclaims and turns away for a moment.

Shippou asks, “You happy?”

Tommy then shoots a sharp glare at Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou. They still do not understand the gravity of Inuyasha’s constant need of companionship, and they still treat him like dirt.

Kagome demands, “Now, are you going to help Inuyasha get back to us or not?”

Tommy has heard enough of their lies, “I’m not gonna do your dirty work for you.”

Sango replies, “Fine.”

Shippou adds, “We don’t need him anymore.”

Kagome tells Tommy, “We can just leave Inuyasha with you.”

Tommy responds, “Yeah, you just do that.”

Miroku concludes, “All right. We will.”

With that said, Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou walk off indignantly and shamefully, sorry they were caught by Tommy. Inuyasha, on the other hand, is hurting and stands completely still with an expression that combines scowling and sorrow.

Well, that was intense. Tune into the next submission for the conclusion and that one Fresh Prince of Bel-Air moment that many a true fan will never forget as embodied by Tommy Oliver and Inuyasha. Take care, stay safe, and may the power protect you, everybody.

Tommy Oliver from the Power Rangers franchise belongs to Saban and Toei.

Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou aka The Dunderhead Family aka The Four Hypocritical, Lousy, Lying, Low-Down, Four-Flushing Carcasses of Losers from Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.

Philip “Uncle Phil” Banks and Lou Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air belong to Benny Medina, Andy Borowitz, Susan Borowitz, and NBC.