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Why is Pain's plan for achieving peace different from Tobi's?
There are clear ideological differences between Tobi and Pain, who are both the leaders of the Akatsuki, and nowhere is this more obvious than in how their plans in achieving peace differ. In Tobi's plan, an Infinite Tsukuyomi will be reflected off the moon and everyone will be trapped in a world of dreams. In Pain's plan, the chakra of the Tailed Beasts will be turned into an ultimate weapon, the activation of which will create so much pain and terror, that people will naturally go to peace for a time, until the weapon needs to be activated again to restart the cycle. Both plans require the use of the Gedo Statue and the combined chakra of the Tailed Beasts.
What best explains these differences? Did Tobi merely keep Project Tsuki no Me secret from Pain? Was Pain planning on betraying Tobi in the end, and going with his own plan? Or is there another scenario to explain this?
Specific references (like direct quotes) from the manga or anime for backing up your answer are appreciated, but the answer should be grounded in events and details at the very least, so that it isn't merely speculation (details on the Fandom wiki are usually reliable). What's necessary kind of depends on what the answer is.

Not an answer, and just speculative, but, it stands to reason their plans differed. Although they both wanted world peace (via incredibly awful methods, although) Obito was just using Nagato to get his Rinnegan and further Tsuki no Me. It would be much easier for Obito if he aglined with Nagato because they both had the goal of capturing the Bijuu, something Obito by himself couldn't do.

@ᴅᴀɴɪᴇʟ Hmm. That's one point, but I don't think it explains it alone. By the way, is this a duplicate question? The more I think about it, the more I think I've seen it before. I can't seem to find it though.

Maybe I was thinking of this one, where it does get mentioned: https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/5552/how-exactly-is-the-eye-of-the-moon-plan-supposed-to-work

(I used the names Tobi and Pain to avoid spoilers in the question, but herein I will use the character's actual identities, as it is necessary to avoid confusion. So, spoiler warning.)
Reviewing episodes 346-348 (World of Dreams, Creeping Shadow, The New Akatsuki), which tell the backstory of both Obito Uchiha and Nagato, I found no indication that Obito told Nagato about the plan to use Infinite Tsukuyomi. Obito, posing as Madara, speaks to Nagato several times and they argue; These episodes make their ideological differences clearer than anywhere else. Nagato, trusting in his friend Yahiko's ideals, says that the world can be saved by sharing pain. Obito argues that it's all futile, and that though they try to understand others pain, others do not try to understand theirs, and that peace is impossible in this world. Obito does allude to Nagato that with the Rinnegan, Nagato can actualize or create a world free of pain, but goes into no specifics. And when Nagato finally turns to his side, he seems to let Nagato form his own conclusions on how to do this, as Nagato basically forms his cycle of pain plan for world peace (at the end of The New Akatsuki).
It's difficult to say for certain Nagato didn't know the Tsuki no Me plan, and I can't go through all of the episodes to make sure, but I'm going to go off of the assumption he didn't, because that's what I'm seeing here. My conclusion here is that Obito saw no reason to get Nagato on board with Tsuki no Me, so long as he was able to align their interests in collecting the Tailed Beasts. It's likely he realized Nagato wouldn't be able to completely shake off the influence of Yahiko's idealism, and so merely sought to corrupt the whole idea of sharing pain. Considering awakening the Rinne Sharingan was necessary to achieve Infinite Tsukuyomi, and it seems unlikely Obito would have trusted Nagato to become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki (he didn't trust Madara to do it, since he decided not to revive him), it is very likely he always planned on betraying Nagato. Thus, it makes sense to limit Nagato's knowledge of the plan. It's unclear how much Nagato discerned on his own and how much he trusted Obito, but it's likely he and Konan were suspicious (I think there are indications of this in the series, but I haven't had a chance to look back at them, but for instance, Konan was very much aware Obito would come after Nagato's Rinnegan after he died).
Another aspect to consider is that Obito's plan would have been very unappealing to the rest of the Akatsuki (referring to the rogue ninja Deidara, Hidan, etc., not Yahiko's original members, who Obito straight-up killed, but who probably also would have disliked the plan). I don't recall if the other Akatsuki even know what the true goal of the organization was, so I checked the wiki to jog my memory:

Although some members joined Akatsuki to further their own goals, all are united in Akatsuki's ultimate goal of gaining world domination. Their leader has mentioned a three-step process to work their way towards this goal. First, they plan to obtain a large amount of money to support their organization. Second, they plan to set up a mercenary group loyal only to Akatsuki. To build their reputation, they plan to accept any mission below the usual cost and operate off of the excess funds earned in the first part of their plan. Because there haven't been any wars in some time, the established shinobi villages couldn't afford to charge such low prices, leading the smaller countries to hire Akatsuki over the more expensive shinobi villages. By using the tailed beasts, Akatsuki would start wars and then immediately quell them, solidifying their reputation and convincing every country to depend on them, thus cornering the market in shinobi labor. Without any business, the other shinobi villages would collapse due to the lack of funds. Finally, after Akatsuki is the only major force of shinobi in existence, they can easily conquer the other countries. Members do not automatically learn of the plan upon joining; Hidan didn't find out about it until he had been a member for quite some time.

The plan told to the other members is far closer to Nagato's plan than Obito's. If they told the other members they were going to trap everyone in a genjutsu, including all of them, chances are good they wouldn't go along with it (people generally dislike being told they'll be trapped in a dream forever). But even Nagato's true plan might be appealing for many of the Akatsuki members, since, as the ones with the super weapon, it would put them at the top (they all already agreed to world domination). Thus, it makes a lot of sense that Nagato (as Pain) is the acting leader of the organization, while Obito (as Madara and Tobi) is the shadow leader, with his secret plans.
To review, the plans probably differ because Obito never told Nagato the actual plan. Obito likely did not trust Nagato with that information, and only sought to use him as a pawn to his ends. Thus, he allowed Nagato to come up with his own answer and never corrected him; so long as their interests were aligned, he didn't care.


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Why did Madara want to resurrect if with the Edo Tensei he was immortal and supposedly he had full power?
If I recall correctly, one person brought with the Edo Tensei stated he had his full power (I believe it was Madara just as he was resurrected). But then Madara who supposedly had full power and immortality through the Edo Tensei wanted to resurrect out of the Edo Tensei (he supposedly broke the dominance of the Edo Tensei invoker before, so aside of having red eyes I don't know what's the difference between this resurrection and a resurrection out of the Edo Tensei, aside that when you are "fully resurrected" you lose your immortality)
So why did he want to resurrect out of the Edo Tensei if he had full power and immortality? What did he gain by doing so aside of losing his immortality?

Madara wanted to become the host of the Ten-Tails so he could fulfill his plan. He could not do that unless he was fully resurrected. The wiki says:

While under the Impure World Reincarnation, Madara was unable to use the full extent of his Rinnegan's abilities. After being revived and obtaining one of his actual eyes, he could summon and control the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path,[116] seal the Ten-Tails inside himself,[117] and generate a corporeal invisible shadow to aid him in battle. While Madara was in Sage Mode and further boosted by Kurama's chakra, this shadow was powerful enough to knock down the tailed beasts.[118] With access to both of his Rinnegan, Madara could produce at least four shadows to aid him.[119]

Additionally, Edo Tensei may be convenient in terms of being immortal, but I suspect it doesn't feel great, since it is an incomplete resurrection. Edo Tensei resurrections don't seem to feel pain (at the very least, they don't react very much when their bodies are blown apart), so it stands to reason that they don't feel most other sensations; in other words, it doesn't really feel like living. Though evidently so long as they're not being suppressed by the jutsu caster, they can feel emotions. I'll note they still seem muted in many cases, as the dead seem quite depressed to be back, as in the case of Haku and Zabuza, though there are exceptions, such as the animate Deidara.

Also, IIRC, being resurrected under Edo Tensei means you're under the control of the caster and subject to their will to some degree. Madara wanted complete control of his actions

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Does Megumin just need more MP?
Megumin's explosion spell drains her to the point where she cannot move, and she can only use it once a day, but could she move if she had more MP (or whatever equivalent KonoSuba uses) for casting? It could be that the spell cost is defined such that it drains all MP, but there's evidence there's at least a minimum MP requirement, because she was unable to cast it after Kazuma drained some of her MP in one episode, though she wasn't at zero MP. But we see in some episodes Megumin can cast the spell twice if Kazuma uses his drain spell to give her more MP. So, is raising your MP a thing in KonoSuba (I'd think it would be, since it has an explicit leveling and stats system), and could Megumin potentially move after casting her explosion, and maybe even cast it twice in one day if she doubled or tripled her MP?
Do the light novels or manga have any information that would answer this?

The Crimson Demon Clan is a clan naturally gifted with magic and intelligence so they have high mana reserves, Megumin included. But the thing here is that Explosion Magic drains so much mana that not even the highly skilled Arch Wizards in the Crimson Village can cast it twice without resting. If we're talking about Megumin here, She only chooses to spend all her points into Explosion Magic and nothing else.
That being said, there is a way to cast more Explosion Magic continuously which is to find a Mana source. Kazuma did this in the anime via transferring mana from Aqua to Megumin, letting her cast another one in the process.
Or use an item that can give you mana when you use it. One of the better known one is the Manatite which can store mana and is capable of even powering up magic. Megumin got a whole load of them in the last volume (vol 17) which had higher purity than normal ones (higher purity = higher mana and magic amplification) and she used them to cast off her Explosion Magic like a madman until they got depleted.
So why not just use them off then? Turns out the things are very expensive to the point that the highest purity of them can buy out a whole house and their usage is also one-time so Adventurers tend to avoid them.
So, even if she does increase her MP, Chances are she still can't cast it twice, but she can use some alternatives to help her use it twice or even thousands of times.

Megumin has spent all of her XP into improving "Explosion", at the expense of every other possible skill or spell - this is mentioned in the Legend of Crimson film, and also I believe in the show itself.
What this implies is that she always levels "Explosion" to the point where she can create the largest explosion possible, which probably requires that she spend all her MP to do so. If she does have an opportunity to deliberately increase her MP, it seems likely that she would also increase "Explosion" to match, and so would stay at the once-per-day limit.

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Did Gohan start with all the power he has?
In Dragon Ball Z, Gohan was born with a lot of hidden power. On two separate occasions, Guru and Elder Supreme Kai used rituals to awaken his hidden potential. His ascended Saiyan form used against Cell could also be thought of as an awakening of his true potential. Does this mean that Gohan was born with all the power he has as Ultimate Gohan? Or are there power multipliers or something at work here? Did his potential perhaps change due to him training? Or was the potential he used against Majin Buu truly always within him?

Gohan was born with a very high power level, which I believe was compared to Broly's (don't really remember that part) and because of this he was capable of doing things that took other saiyans a ton of training to achieve but because he had slacked off on his training, he never seemed to get any stronger nor does he seem to have the drive/battlelust of saiyans so he eventually got left behind by other characters. So yes, he was born with high potential and that potential was unlocked but beyond that... he lack the saiyans drive for battle, and the more saiyans fight, the stronger they become... Gohan human nature apparently dominates his saiyan's side...


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What are the full details of the Kurta Clan's destruction and what was Kurapika's role during it? Was he present?
Kurapika was the only member of the Kurta Clan to survive. How? What happened to him? Did he watch his clan die? I know his past life and motive for getting revenge on the Phantom Troupe is mostly just for the story plot, but I still don't understand the full thing.

The circumstances of the slaughter of the Kurta clan are described in the special two-chapter volume Kurapika's Memories by Yoshihiro Togashi ( https://hunterxhunter.fandom.com/wiki/Volume_0 ), specifically at the end of part 2.
The clan was slaughtered some time in the 6 weeks following Kurapika's departure (so no, he wasn't there). Details about signs of torture and eyeballs having been removed from the bodies, along with a message left by unnamed culprits, were reported in the news. Unbeknownst to all the members but Kurapika and his late friend Pairo, Kurapika's actions before leaving had prompted information about their otherwise secretive clan to be leaked to a nearby community, presumably allowing what we know is the Phantom Troupe to find them.

thank you, that helped.


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How can Sasuke's Sharingan erase Jiraiya's memory?
In the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations - Episode 136 Crossing Time!, Sasuke uses his Sharingan to erase the memory of both Jiraiya and Naruto since they have learned things they shouldn't which can disrupt the timeline. Since Genjutsu won't affect Jiraiya, how did the Sharingan's ability erase Jiraiya's memory?

How can Sasuke's Sharingan erase Jiraiya's memory?

Tampering with people's memory, although not necessarily with genjutsu, is definitely a thing in Naruto's world: for instance, in Naruto manga chapter 247 Sasori claims to have a few sleeper agents whose memory he had previously concealed; films and anime have used this trope a few times to mantain consistency of fillers with the main storyline. So it isn't surprising to learn that sufficiently powerful genjutsus can erase memories, and we may as well take Jiraya's nonchalant claim that this is possible as an in-world declaration that it is possible.

Since Genjutsu won't affect Jiraiya, how did the Sharingan's ability erase Jiraiya's memory?

The premise is false: it's never been stated that Jiraya is immune to genjutsu.


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When did Yukino and Yui fall in love with Hachiman?
It's evident that Yui's been in love with Hachiman quite early on in the story. I always thought that it started right after her matter with Yumiko's been solved (I think it was episode 2 of the anime).
But the issue with her cookies for Hachiman in the last episode of season 2 made me doubt it. It's clear that they're meant romantically, and it's been hinted that the ones she gave him in the very first episode were also meant that way, which would mean that Yui loved him since the beginning of the story. Although, I'm not completely sure if I understood it correctly. The cookies in the first episode could have also been just her way to thank him for saving her dog.

Regarding Yukino, it's very difficult for me to find the moment she started to fall in love with Hachiman ("started" because I believe that she fell in love with him slowly over time) as she doesn't express her emotions as much as Yui, and for most of the first half of season 2 her relationship with him had been "overshadowed" with their confronting principles (maybe not a good description of what actually happened, but you get the gist of it).
I think Yukino started to love Hachiman shortly after their "dispute" was solved in episode 8 (s2). That is further supported by that picture of herself with Hachiman from the amusement park she'd kept behind her plushie on her bed (see episode 2, s3). Thanks to a Reddit post I've realized that the paper sheet Yukino quickly put away after that waterfall scene is most likely that picture.
Maybe another interesting fact: according to a different Reddit post, that plushie was the one Hachiman won for her. Unfortunately, I don't know if that's true as I can't remember having seen it in the anime. Maybe it was depicted in the novel?
But maybe she loved him even before they solved their dispute but there was simply no moment in which she could have expressed it (properly) because of that dispute. Or maybe a reason why Yukino became so upset with him after his fake-confession to Hina was that she cares greatly (and romantically?) for Hachiman and doesn't want him to get hurt any longer with his methods.
Going further back: at the end of episode 13 (s1), there's a scene that might hint that Yukino has already started to fall in love with him (she blushed when Yui pointed out that Yukino also watched Hachiman during the sports festival), although it could be also interpreted that she cared for him as a close friend.
Worth mentioning is also Yui's monologue after finding the picture behind that plushie on Yukino's bed. If I understood it correctly, she already felt being "the third wheel" for a long time. Maybe that hints that Yukino's already started to love him in season 1. Or it might be that Yui simply felt their "good chemistry".
A scene that might support the first one is the confession-scene in episode 11 (s3, 18:40+): Hachiman asks Yukino to allow him the privilege of distorting her life. Yukino then tells him that both of their life's already been distorted from the very beginning and Hachiman further says that it's only going to get even more distorted.
A Reddit post came to an interesting interpretation: it said that "distorting" here means to become so much involved in the other's life that it's being distorted. And the only relationship that could accomplish it is a romantic one. It concluded that Yukino actually said she and Hachiman had been in love "for the longest time" (so likely also since season 1). But does life really only become distorted when a romantic interest (or relationship) is involved and not already with e.g. simple friendship?

When did Yui and especially Yukino (start to) fall in love with Hachiman? If there's no clear answer to that question from the anime's perspective, does the Light Novel give an answer to that or at least obvious hints?

It feels like Yukino started falling for him, once she realized that her personality and demeanor didn't affect Hikigaya in the way it usually does with normal people.
In fact, he couldn't care less about how she is, due to the fact that he was forced to join the club to begin with.
Yeah, he was a pessimistic bum who was antisocial, but that time being in that state allowed him to see the hidden nature and flaws of people, along with their tendencies.
This common ground between Hikigaya and Yukino, seeing the bad and ugly in others, and being subject TO that same bad and ugly, formed the basis of their relationship.
Hikigaya was different. Hikigaya was unique. So was Yukino.
They both saw things from the lowest of the low, and when they both realized that they have synergy with how they convey things, the seeds started planting themselves in all the right spots. This was widely apparent throughout the entire series.
Over time, they became comfortable around each other, being able to communicate and mingle in the only way they know how. They didn't receive the same flack they usually receive when they conversed among each other, compared to talking to normal people.
Although, on the surface, their conversations were usually filled with petty banter and the like, people like Yukino and Hikigaya are used to decoding the hidden meanings behind words.
Yukino isn't very good at conveying her feelings, or anything that's on her mind for that matter, which only leaves a few events in the anime that hint at her fondness for Hikigaya.
Their first "outing" in the mall. She was insecure as all hell.
Her displeasure with Hikigaya's solutions to club jobs. She reprimanded him for always throwing himself under the bus.
Her realization that Hikigaya contributes a lot to the club, often relying on him to find a solution to an seemingly unsolvable problem.
Her standing up to Tobe when he publicly talked down to Hikigaya.
Her reluctance to let Hikigaya use his way to solve the presidential election. She didn't want him to be self-destructive again.
Her voluntary discharge of his club membership. She wanted to honor his wishes echoed from when he got into the club in the first place.
The time in the nurse's office when they locked eyes for the first time.
When she kept the photo of them on that water ride next to her bedside pillow.
When she knew Hikigaya would come in and save the prom from being cancelled.
It's very subtle, and coupling Yukino's often reticent demeanor with that subtleness, leaves little to go off of other than what's made obvious.
===============
Yui is easier to discern. The initial spark was at the very beginning, when she witnessed Hikigaya saving her dog.
Ever since that happened, she's attempted to repay him back for the deed. Once she realized why Hikigaya told her to stop with the act, to free her from feeling indebted to him, she found out that Hikigaya isn't all about doom and gloom.
Another dimension to a seemingly dimensionless character.
She started seeing the other sides of him, and how, despite his outlook on life, he carries on with his solutions, paved the way for Yui to find her own strength to find her own path.
To take control for once, rather than be controlled. To actually feel like she did something for once, without following the flow of others.
Yui didn't think too highly of herself to begin with, that's why she started looking at him. Hikigaya was her role model. She looked up to him. That's why she started liking Hikigaya, for giving her the key she needed to discover herself.
She found herself getting swept away by his resolve to continue onward, quickly becoming entranced by his waltz.

Concerning Yukino: So you mean to say that it’s not possible to find out when she started to fall in love because of her reticent demeanor? If that’s true, is there an episode where we can clearly say that she’s already in love with him?
I suspected that, at the latest, it must have been after their „dispute“ has been solved, mainly because of how she treated that paper sheet I’ve mentioned before. But maybe there’s another scene that happened further back in time.

Concerning Yui: if I understood you correctly, she started to have a growing interest in Hikigaya ever since that accident which slowly turned into love after she discovered more and more about him. If that’s true, do you know when she started to genuinely love him? Was it after Hikigaya helped her with the matter with Yumiko? Or were the cookies she baked him in s1 already meant romantically?


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Why didn't the ninjas in Kumogakure adopt Chidori?
Chidori was invented by Kakashi Hatake and the only users of Chidori apart from Kakashi are Sasuke and Sarada. Now, Lightning release technique are primarily used by ninjas in Kumogakure and they are the best in the business when it comes to lightning related Ninjutsu. So, why didn't they adopt Chidori? Is it so inefficient that they can not be bothered to use it or is it that they have other jutsu in their belt so that they don't require Chidori or is it that they have a strict rule of not using jutsus invented from a different region?
Come to think of it, if they are that proficient in lightning release technique, they could have invented Chidori a long time ago. How is that Kakashi was the one to invent it?

Chidori was invented by Kakashi Hatake and the only users of Chidori apart from Kakashi are Sasuke and Sarada.

Something that these three ninjas have in common is that they possess a Sharingan, which is a requirement to use this technique to its fullest potential.

The speed at which the Chidori is performed, despite being one of its greatest assets, also represents one of its biggest drawbacks: users move at their target so fast that its causes a tunnel vision-like effect for them. Because they charge in a straight line it is easy for opponents to attack them, and because of the tunnel vision it is difficult for the user to see these attacks, much less react to them. For this reason, most ninja cannot use the Chidori safely. However, a user of the Sharingan can overcome these drawbacks due to its heightened visual perception preventing the tunnel vision from occurring and its predictive capabilities making it easier for the user to avoid counterattacks.

Wiki
The average Kumo ninja doesn't have a Sharingan, which makes this technique unsuitable to them. That is not to say that they don't possess similar jutsus.
For instance, the Third Raikage's Hell Stab technique bears similarities to the Chidori and Raikiri. Sasuke's technique, the Sword of Kusanagi: Chidori Katana, where he channels the Chidori through his sword, closely resembles Killer B's Supervibrato Lightning Release Swords. Darui is also able to channel his lightning chakra through his sword.


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Why did Rudeus decide to look for the rest of his family with his group instead of looking for them with his father?
In episode 7th of the second season of Mushoku Tensei, Rudeus decides to look for the rest of his family with his group, instead of looking for them with his father? Why did he do so? Why didn't he join his father's group in the search?

Rudeus promised to take Eris home, and ruijerd promised to look after them both until they made it home. If rudeus had gone with his father there would have been a lot of arguing and fighting between them due to their strained relationship. Plus, having a separate group is better as you can search multiple places/regions at the same time.


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Can males become witches?
There are shown to be male mages in Wandering Witch: Journey of Elaina, and Elaina indicates that mage and witch denote rankings of magic users, with mages progressing into witches by taking the exam and then completing an apprenticeship with a witch. There would seem to be no reason a male mage couldn't become a witch, but is that the case in this world? I certainly didn't see any show up in the anime.
The term witch historically was not entirely exclusive to females (males were accused and executed during the Salem Witchcraft Trials, for instance), but in modern times witches are almost predominantly female, and is often used as the female equivalent of the male wizard, in spite of terms such as sorceress and wizardess existing that contain much less negative connotations. Some fantasy settings will, of course, make distinctions between all of these labels and have them mean different things, which can be quite cool. And there are some cases, such as the masterful manga Witch Hat Atelier, which do indeed have male witches.
So, what is the case in Wandering Witch?

Though I haven't checked the light novels, the manga has an answer. From volume 1, chapter 1, we get this narration (it isn't 100% clear, but it seems to be Elaina narrating, and it is narration irregardless):

Mages are people who can use magic. Nearly all factors are hereditary. When it comes to magical ability, the genders aren't equal. For female mages, there are two ranks above "novice". Those are "apprentice" and "witch".

This is elaborated on slightly in the second volume, chapter 5. When the character Emil appears, Elaina internally comments that it is rare for boys to be mages and also:

Magical ability tends to be stronger in women than in men.

So the answer is no, males cannot become witches, because they lack the magical power necessary. Though the anime neglected it, it is explicitly established as a world-building point in the manga. And though the light novels would be a preferable source, I have no reason to think that the manga would make this up on its own, so I suspect it is also stated in the light novels.

@JoeW "For female mages, there are two ranks above novice. Those are apprentice and witch." This is an exclusionary statement. Males cannot achieve these ranks.

And your focus seems to be on the fact that it says women tend to be stronger than men but that does not rule out the possibility of a strong male having similar abilities to a witch. They might not be able to become a witch because the rules prohibit it but that doesn't mean that there are not men out there that are strong with magic.

My answer is focused on two statements in the source material that literally answer the question asked. These statements literally say nothing about men being prohibited from becoming witches because of social rules. What they do say, when combined, is that men cannot become witches because they do not have enough magical power. These statements literally say that women have more magical ability and that the ranks of apprentice and witch are only available to women.

And the second part doesn’t suggest that men can’t be powerful enough to become a witch

The first quote does imply that though. The second quote merely clarifies this.

And the second quote doesn’t prevent men from becoming witches. It only means on average that they are less powerful.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.


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Are the second halves of the first two seasons of A Certain Scientific Railgun canonical?
The second halves of the first two seasons of A Certain Scientific Railgun seem to contain content not seen in the manga. Are they considered filler and thus not canonical to the overall plot of the Raildex Universe? In particular, I am asking whether the Silent Party Arc (Season 2: episodes 17-24) and the Poltergeist Arc (Season 1 17-24 + Season 2 episode 1) are canonical.

First, let me say I am personally not inclined to offhandedly label anime only content as non-canonical. That being said, I do believe these two arcs introduce some problematic elements.
One problem I see is the theme of the power of friendship in these arcs, which is much more prevalent than in arcs from the manga. Namely, Mikoto Misaka teams up with all her friends to try and solve the problem. This is problematic because this "lesson" Misaka seemingly learns here that she should trust her friends... she doesn't actually learn it. Elsewhere, she maintains her prerogative to go solo and keep her friends out of it. This is particularly true after the Poltergeist Arc, since it is followed immediately by the Sisters Arc. But even after the Sister Arc, rather than with her friends, Misaka seems more willing to team up with

 Shokuhou, a fellow level 5 esper.

particularly when the dark side of Academy City is involved, to keep her real friends out of danger. Also, as a side note, the ending of the Silent Tea Party Arc might be more than a little surprising to anyone not already aware of this relationship. And Misaka seems a bit resistant to and also remorseful about involving Kongou in the next arc, saying in volume 8:

Whatever you do, don't get too involved. I don't think you'd be in any real danger, but I also don't fully know what she's capable of.

and later:

Be careful, Kongou-san... This isn't your problem, so please don't get hurt.

Evidence For Being Canonical
Moving on, we can get into actual evidence for and against. As far as the Poltergeist Arc goes, Haruue Erii does make cameos in the manga, thus proving her existence and relationship to the main characters. Uiharu is talking to her on the phone in Chapter 31. She says:

Haruue-san said she'd meet us after she visits the hospital.

Erii again appears in Chapter 32, in a picture on Misaka's phone. The picture seems to be from an event in the anime, according to the trivia section on Erii's wiki page.
Evidence Against (Timeline Inconsistencies)
A lot of the argument against the Silent Party Arc being non-canonical stems from Kongou and her two friends being involved in the arc. Kongou is actually introduced in the arc after the Sisters Arc, and she has just transferred in to Tokiwadai. However, from what I recall, this inconsistency seems to be a problem with the entire first two seasons of the anime. I'd have to verify what differences there are in the third season and the manga events.
I'm also seeing claims that someone on the Railgun anime team disavowed the Silent Party Arc in a tweet as a "mistake", though I have yet to track this tweet down.
Conclusion
Anyway, draw your own conclusions about whether these arcs are canon from the information available. I'm not going to say it is or isn't canonical, because that's subjective.
Addendum
Note also that the two episode Big Spider Arc is also anime exclusive, though it's wiki page states it is considered canon (without any explanation). I'm not going to go into it, but it's obviously relevant here.


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Is Shimamura Christian in the original text?
The Seven Seas translation of the Adachi and Shimamura light novels, particularly the early ones, are riddled with several artifacts that I've found just a tad annoying. One of these is that characters keep saying grace before meals. I hadn't seen it for a while, but then it popped up again in volume 6 with the Shimamura family. I'm not sure if this is limited to one character or not (I seem to recall Hino doing it too).
One example, in volume 6 chapter The Other End of the Calendar:

My sister and I pressed our hands together to say grace, and by the time we lowered them, my mother had already started eating.

I'd simply like to ask whether in the original text this is actually the standard itadakimasu, or if the author actually was having characters say grace.

Yes, it is itadakimasu.
I have checked my copy of the Japanese version, and it is indeed the standard itadakimasu. I understand the wanting to localize things to make it easier for non-Japanese to understand, but changing religion is a bit overreaching. Also, it changes the timing of things, since this scene is supposed to show how speedy the mother started eating the food, and saying grace takes much longer than an itadakimasu.


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Is Sotoka Rakita's name order reversed because she's a foreigner?
I noticed in one of the episodes that their homeroom teacher called her Rakita-san (or it might have been -chan), whereas Bocchi and everyone else calls her Sotoka-san (or Sotoka-chan or just Sotoka).　It would seem to be odd that the teacher is on more familiar terms with Sotoka than Bocchi and the others to be calling her by her first name. On the other hand, all her students are calling her Teru-chan, so it could be the case.
And in the episode where they go to the school, Bocchi's school issued swimsuit had 一里(Hitori) written on it, while Sotoka's had ラキター(Rakita).
On page 80 of the first volume of the manga, Sotoka's name is listed as ソトカラキター and on page 1 Hitori Bocchi's name is listed as 一里ぼっち.
Is it then the case that Sotoka's surname is actually Rakita and the manga and anime are changing the order of names to reflect what is more typical in western countries?
Additional Info

The swimming part can be found starting at page 20 of volume 2 of the manga and shows the same names on their swimsuits as the anime.
The incident of the teacher calling her Rakita-san can be found on page 105 of volume 2.

In inference - and this isn't a hand-wavy attempt at an answer - it would make some sense if the name of Sotoka was preserved as it was if she had come from another country.  Western names are very, very rarely reversed unless the person is also part-Japanese in canon (thoughts go to Saekano on this one).

I noticed Sotoka's name is usually spelled with a dot in the middle, like so: ソトカ・ラキター
So I started by checking Tom Cruise's Wikipedia page: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%88%E3%83%A0%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA
Sure enough, the dot was present in this name too, as well as all the names on the page. And further research led me to this Stackexchange question: https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/18069/middle-dot-%E4%B8%AD%E9%BB%92-in-non-japanese-names
It would seem this dot is used to denote a foreign name, and it would seem western name order is usually preserved for western names (as Makoto says in the comments). Which means Rakita is Sotoka's surname, and it was possibly easily inferred by anyone who understood the Japanese.
One caveat. The site jisho.org states the symbol is used to separate names spelled in Katakana, and Sotoka's name is spelled entirely in Katakana (which one would expect from a foreign name). But when we consider that it is Rakita on both her gym clothes and school swimsuit, and everyone else has their surname written on those, and all the other info, I believe it is still reasonable to conclude that her surname is Rakita.


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What are all the Straw Hats' dreams?
For the starting members like Zoro, Nami, etc. it is clearly stated what their dreams are. But for the newer members like Jinbei and Franky, they are not so clear.
Dreams are very important in One Piece and for some time, I thought having a dream that sounded stupidly impossible to everyone else is a clear requirement for being a Straw Hat. But not so much now.

Luffy: the Pirate King

Zoro: greatest swordsman
Ussop: a great warrior
Nami: draw a map of the whole world
Sanji: get to see the All Blue
Robin: learn all about the history of the world
Chopper: be able to cure every disease
Franky: make the best ship in all seas
Brook: meet Laboon again
Jinbei: have Fish-Men live with humans

Welcome to the Q&A site Anime & Manga Stack Exchange. While we appreciate anyone's contribution, note that pure opinion/speculative answer is discouraged. Instead, consider [edit]ing and trying to back up the answer by providing supporting sources/references. Thank you.

Here is what I think about the dreams of all the members. All Straw Hat dreams:-

Luffy - Secret dream (needs to become Pirate King).

Zoro - World's no. 1 swordsman (to let his name reach the heavens).
Nami - Draw the true map of the whole world.
Ussop - A brave warrior of the sea (to be able to do things he lies about).
Sanji - Find the "All Blue". (maybe, to be able to cook anything anytime).
Chopper - To be able to cure any disease in the world.
Robin - Find the true history of the world (fulfill Ohara's legacy).
Franky - Make a ship capable of going anywhere in the world and see it do that.
Brook - Meet Labbon at the end of Grand Line (the whale nakama of Rumbar Pirates).
Jinbei - Bring the Fishmen above the sea and abolish their discrimination.
??? -- ??? (mysterious 10th member).

The dreams of the current members of the Straw Hat Pirates are :

Luffy - Become The Pirate King
Zoro - Become The Greatest Swordsman In The World
Nami - Draw A World Map
Sanji - Find The All Blue
Robin - Learn All The History Of The World
Chopper - Be Able To Cure Every Disease
Usopp - Be A Great Warrior Of The Sea
Jimbei - FishMen and Humans Live Together
Franky - Build A Ship Capable Of Going Anywhere In The World
Brook - Meet Laboon

This has the exact same issue as the previous answers in that it doesn't provide any references. Could you, for example, find manga panels in which they express these dreams?


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Do we know why each of the misfits is in the misfit classs?
For some of the students, it's kind of easy to guess why they're in the misfit class, like with Jazz; but others, like Keroli Crocell, not so much. There are also some that were specifically enumerated in the story, such as with Iruma and Asmodeus's fight, but I cannot recall if it is specifically explained why all the others are in there.
Do we know the specific reason each of them are in the misfit class? Could I get a list of the reasons? With references to when in the story it's learned, if possible (if there were an episode where it's summarized, for instance, that would be great to know).

I have a very vague recollection that Keroli got herself into the Misfit Class deliberately, possibly related to her activities as an idol, but I might just be making that up.

Asmodeus's, Iruma's, and Clara's cases are actually more complicated than I remembered. While their behavior likely was part of it, in chapter 5, Iruma's grandfather says he put Iruma and his two friends into the misfit class on purpose due to Iruma saying he didn't want to stand out:

Oh, Iruma, my boy! I'll have you know we put you into a class filled with problem children who stand out even more than you!

This is somewhat expanded upon in the preceding panel in the ending of chapter 4, where Iruma's grandfather is talking in the faculty room:

Alright. There we have it. I suppose we're all in agreement, then? My sweet boy Iruma and the other two will be placed into the misfit class for problem children!

Other two here refers to Asmodeus and Clara, as confirmed by dossiers with pictures of Iruma, Clara, and Asmodeus being present in the panel.
Also, it wasn't just fighting Asmodeus that was a problem. Iruma was involved in multiple incidents. Iruma, Clara, and Asmodeus were all involved in making a ruckus in the cafeteria and Kamu-Kamu attacking them for shoplifting. And Kaleigo was also greatly vexed at Iruma for chanting a forbidden spell during his speech to the student body during the entrance ceremony, and hinted at disciplinary action such as expulsion being appropriate. And of course, he turned Kaleigo into his familiar, which couldn't have earned him any brownie points.
The topic is brought up several times why certain students are in the misfit class, but Chapter 55: The King's Classroom: The Royal One in volume 7 has given the most complete list so far in my reading. Iruma asks Kaleigo directly what makes them misfits, and Kaleigo answers:

Iruma Suzuki: committed an act of violence during the entrance ceremony and damaged school property, etc... With accomplice... Alice Asmodeus.
Sabro Sabnock: assaulted a teacher and damaged school property.
Jazz M. Andro: stole several belongings from students and faculty.
Crocell... Well... We can skip her.
Lied Shax: gambled with six other students who were then sent to the hospital.
Camui Caim: sexually harassed multiple female students and faculty.
Valac is... well, Valac.
The demons in your class... were also responsible for countless other acts of mischief such as vandalism, trespassing in dangerous, off-limits areas, and possessing prohibited pharmaceuticals.... all within the brief period between the start of the school year and the day we split new students into classes... according to these reports.

Sabnock attacking a teacher was mentioned previously in the manga. But also in volume 7, in chapter 57, Sabnock confronts the teacher he assaulted, so there's some details on the incident, but not really much new info.
Still missing info on a lot of students. I'll update when I encounter any more information.


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Is the anime loyal to the manga aside from switching parts of the story?
I was watching Jigokuraku (Hell's paradise).  After an episode, I wanted to know how it continued in the manga. I noticed they switched some events in the timeline, an event that happened before in the anime, happened after the episodes I watched in the anime. Are these the only types of changes than the anime does in relation to the manga (changing the order of some events), or do they actually alter the story?


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Why did Aqua/Ruby's name not change when Ai died?
In the story Oshi no Ko, Hoshino Ai, who was a famous idol, died. After she died her son and daughter Hoshino Ruby and Hoshino Aquamarine were left to their mother's boss. Normally in these situation doesn't their name change? Why are they still called Hoshino and how did no one care when their name was Hoshino like Ai?

I can't answer anything about how "moving family register" didn't change the twins' names, or if this would even be expected under Japanese law, but to answer your question about how it pertains to hiding their parentage:
It's Ai whose family name is secret.

Ai's last name was never made public.

-- Kurokawa Akane, chapter 51
There was never a celebrity "Hoshino Ai", only "B-Komachi's Ai". Although this is only directly stated once, textual support throughout the manga is consistent:
In chapter 1/episode 1, Gorou, a diehard fan for four years, doesn't bat an eye at the name Hoshino until he sees her face.
Doing a full-text search of (a fan translation of) the first 94 chapters, the only characters to mention "Hoshino Ai" are Aqua, Ruby, Ryousuke (the stalker), and the omniscient narrator that can be considered responsible for those little notes at the ends of chapters. Ichigo and Miyako also clearly know, and the information definitely exists somewhere in government records that have likely been accessed by law enforcement.
In chapter 20,

 Kana notes that something about Ruby reminds her of Ai, but has no idea what--when she's inviting her to join the new B-Komachi, under the same agency! If Ai's family name were known, it would be hard not to draw conclusions.

and what's more, in chapter 28,

 when Akane researches Ai in depth in order to flawlessly imitate her, she goes so far as to deduce that she likely had sex during puberty and "maybe met someone nice" at the age of 15, but never noted her family name as something she discovered, and despite doing this as a favor for Aqua doesn't even begin to suspect they could be connected until observing his reaction the next chapter.

In chapter 106,

 after Ai's identity as the twins' mother is revealed:

 Several fans and other background characters are shown reacting to the news. Not one remarks on a shared family name making it obvious in retrospect.

 Furthermore, there are several instances (news broadcasts, Twitter trending) of one or the other twin being referred to by full name, and Ai by given name alone, in the exact same circumstances--implying that even with her identity as the mother of the Hoshino twins revealed, nobody's accustomed to referring to her by full name. Hell, that's not even adequate to infer that her own name was Hoshino, since the father's identity as Kamiki Hikaru (as opposed to a hypothetical other Hoshino) has not yet been revealed, and for all the public knows the twins could have changed their names anyways.

In short, changing the twins' names would have been wholly unnecessary for hiding their parentage.


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Is there a name for text that's attributed to a character but without a speech bubble/thought bubble/pointer line/other indicator?
Example:

I get that they're asides, thoughts, implications, feelings, etc., but what is the actual visual device/convention called?

There is no particular name for it. This blog post calls them hand-written phrases and kinda shows how they are used. (Hand-written/drawn because it is usually not typed in the original, which is lost in translation or its production).


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Which transformation did Future Gohan use in Dragon Ball Heroes episode 50?
In Dragon Ball Heroes episode 50,

 Future Gohan, Goku and Bardock are fighting Demigra I believe and counter an attack of him with kamehamehas. Then, Goku which was fighting as super saiyan blue kaioken turns into Ultra Instict, Bardock which was transformed in Super Saiyan 3 turns into Super Saiyan 4, and Future Gohan who was fighting as super saiyan power ups, and apparently there is some light blue flashes in the aura. Did he turn Super Saiyan Rage or any other transformation?

Which transformation did Future Gohan use in Dragon Ball Heroes episode 50?

Future Gohan powered up to Super Saiyan 2.


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Does Tomura Shigaraki with All for One have more quirks than All for One had?
So Tomura Shigaraki got the All for One quirk from All for One. But I dont remember All for One having such a powerful regeneration quirk or any regeneration quirk at all.
Does Tomura Shigaraki with All for One have more quirks than All for One had?


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Which characters received power from God?
If I recall correctly, Garoud, the Orochi-Psychos fusion, and Homeless Emperor received power from God. Now in the manga they apparently mentioned other characters. Are there other characters who received power from God?
Which characters received power from God?


text:
Why did Zabuza kill that year's graduating class?
In Naruto, Kakashi mentions the graduation exam in the Hidden Mist Village used to be to pit two students to fight to the death, then he says Zabuza, a boy who was not even a ninja at the time, slaughtered a year's graduating class in the Hidden Mist Village.
I've always thought Zabuza looks kind of sad in the image shown:

Zabuza gives a psychotic reason ("It felt so good"), but to me, it seems like there's some missing part of the story, something we're not being told, due to the posture Zabuza's taking here, Zabuza's own words about what it means to be a ninja, and also similar lies told by other characters in the story.

 Such as Itachi and Gaara's uncle.

It makes me curious about what his motivation was. Is it ever explained why Zabuza did this in any of the various media?

The author himself lacks to provide more backstory for Zabuza.
From what we can tell is, that exam is intended for selecting the potential successors for Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure, and was in practice even before Fourth Mizukage.
And the class of Zabuza is last for having such practice, as he killed the entire class, not just his opponent.
As for the reason or his motive, we will have to look at his character during Land of Waves arc. His working under Gato as mercenary is to get enough funds for starting another coup at Kirigakure.
And his reason for starting the first one? His believe is shinobi should the ruling class of the land, and during his time at Kirigakure, had disagreement with fourth Mizukage(Not sure if already under Obito's control). And the failure is said to be betrayal from one of his team.
And his interaction through the Part 1 arc defined him as cruel and arrogant one. And see his subordinates as expendable, until things were changed with Haku.
So for his motivation in killing his entire class in graduation rite, it's not like how being shinobi is for Itachi or Yashamaru(Gaara's Uncle).
We would also want to recheck on meaning of Shinobi or Ninja, as there are many portrayal of aspects of being shinobi. Some could be nobel as Hashirama and protagonist Naruto. Or could be cynical, like most adversaries of the series. Also there are pure ideological like in some of Akatsuki, Madara, Obito or Pain, who wanted to end all the suffering.
As for Zabuza, his cruelty surfaced even during the academy class, and also the environment of Kirigakure at that time was a contributing factor, survival of fittest, and unrestrained violence.

This is incorrect as he wasn't even a student when this happened and we are unsure if he killed the entire class. " After Zabuza, not yet a student himself, killed over one hundred Academy students" https://naruto.fandom.com/wiki/Zabuza_Momochi

So I re-read page 5, 6 and 7 of chapter 14.
Page 5 and 6 is about the graduation exam, where 2 pitted against to death.
Page 7 is about Zabuza, "not even a ninja", killed entire class. The image has dead holding kunais, and there is no other info.
So Zabuza was already a student at that time, and the event was very likely during graduation exam, unless Kishimoto stated otherwise or there are other more info.

Not sure what not being a ninja is supposed to mean as either all the test takers are non ninjas and it doesn't have any real meaning or he is the only one who isn't a ninja and it suggests he isn't a member of the class. I think it is a leap of logic to take a statement of not being a ninja to being a member of the class and taking the test.

From what I understand, academy students are not titled as ninja, only after graduated, most becomes Genin. But some like Konoha, has extra test like Kakashi.
And "not a ninja" and "not a student" have different meanings. I don't see any info about Zabuza outside the class, came into class and kill everyone.
I will just leave at that now, as it didn't change cruelty and mindset of Zabuza at that time, as well as environment of Kirigakure.

Just seems strange that they would put it like that as all the students wouldn't be ninjas and we have seen plenty of examples in the show where a student ninja is more powerful then full fledged ninjas. To me it doesn't seem surprising at all that the best student in a class would be strong enough to kill many, if not all, of the other students in a class. It makes more sense to make a note of it if he wasn't a student in the class already.


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What does this traffic sign mean?
At about 1:59 in the 12th episode of SUPER HXEROS, there is a traffic sign of a red circle with a red slash inside.
on the left top of the picture:

What does this traffic sign mean? Does it mean car parking is forbidden? Do the characters break the rule?

stop sign? or still no?

FYI Parking forbidden sign is 314 here. And strictly speaking, the sign in the pic is nonexistent - the line must be from top-left to bottom-right.

The sign means

Closed to motor vehicles

Since they are standing in front of it, they are not breaking the rules.


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Why do shadows and dolls unify?
In the Shadows house wiki they mention,

 Unification : The process the newly invited shadow will go through after being invited to the Adult's Wing. The shadow-face pair are put together inside a Box of Completion, with the shadow forming a cocoon from one to three weeks, where they will either unify or die. Unified shadows gain control of their living dolls' body whose consciousness will no longer exist. After this, the newly emerged shadow is considered an adult.

 Due to the tragic end of the living doll in case of success, and the death of both if it fails, this process is kept an absolute secret from the children. As measures against leaks, adults can only appear in the Children's Building in special occasions and they are not allowed to show their faces. Children are to not mention the name of invited pairs for the same reason.

Shadow - unification
What do shadows and dolls unify for? Do they get some additional power, intelligence, lifespan, emotions or something?

It has been revealed in the last episode of the anime (#11, 2nd season), when they unify,

 they become much more powerful


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Why did Kurama choose to remain Human?
Caution, contains spoilers.

 In episode 108 when Kurama fought Shigure, he decided to remain human even though his powers are far more limited. He said he does not want his friends and mother to treat him differently. But when Yomi asked him at the end of the fight if he decided to abandon the form of Yoko for eternity, he said he never abandons anything.

Does this mean that he decided to never to transform into Yoko?
And if so, why does he have conflicting identities in the first place?
Yoko is Kurama's original form.

Does he deny his past?
I know this is a bit of a complex question, but if possible, I want clarifications on everything I asked.

Very simple, he didn't want his friends/family to be affected by his change, but he wanted to still be able to tap into that power when he needed it.
Much like a super-hero's need to disguise himself so that people won't recognize him, they'd treat Peter Parker differently if everyone knew he was Spiderman.

Please read again the first sentence of the spoiler.

@HashiramaSenju: He decided to stay human, but he can still access his Yoko form.

But why Kurama decided to remain human???

@HashiramaSenju: Please read again the first sentence of my answer...

You're contradicting yourself. So he wanted to have that extreme powers, But do not use them ever (unless he has to), Although he had to use them many times and it is still choose not to use them (Of course he stay alive because of the Plot
shield).

@HashiramaSenju: Plot shield is a powerful shield. It saved your ass... Anyway, there could be various reasons for him not using it, but we can't get into his mind. He never abandoned it entirely, he just chose not to use it on many occasions.

But the main question is why did he chose that on those occasions.

I have given this a lot a thought because well - he is my favorite character and the insinuation of his complexity and intellect attracts me and - at least in the anime- I believe  they do a good job of telling you only enough about his “true self” and past to leave you wanting more.
Starting from the top:
1.) yes - at least that is his intention. Never to take that form or borrow Yokos power again- he wants his current self (Kurama - half human) to be strong enough - maybe even stronger- to protect the ones he loves.
“I don’t need an operation; I just need greater discipline” - paraphrasing what he said.
2. I believe this was REALLY triggered after the demon tournament and the potion usage. Never before does Yōko speak to “Suichi” in his umm... head. The box reversed time on him so that these two identities could speak to one another. Since this doesn’t happen after it leads me to believe that whatever his “current” mind is it’s a merging of souls and so only one voice in his head and that is just Kurama with the knowledge (complete) of his past but a greater attachment to his current life and body AND limitations. As he increases power after the use of the potion - he is shown to have the ability to take on his past phisical form and use those greater “Yōko” powers but his mind is still “Kurama”.
3.) he does not deny or abandon his past- he just wants to let his current state be his true identity without the guilt or shame of his past and his past strength. Before he wanted power for power and for himself. Now he wants power to protect- and he wants to become just as powerful in his own way (Current state Kurama way)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


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How does the dummy-pulled cart work?
Yaichirou has been seen running a cart more than once during the series.
It is pulled by a sort of dummy that runs like crazy, with its legs going back and forth.

How exactly does this cart work? Is there any source that explains this?
Also, does it belong to Yaichirou, or the Shimogamo family or is it some sort of 'service' (like a regular taxi)?

The show has sake-fueled flying teahouses, characters can create physical mazes that interact with the real world, and not just illusions, so I'd say it's magic.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


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Why does Naegi always appear in the closing credits along with the dead characters?
In most closing credits sequences of Danganronpa, a picture of some characters in a classroom appears.
These pictures always feature Naegi, along with the characters that die along the show.

Closing credits for episodes 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 (left to right, top to bottom)
Except for the last one, which shows all 15 students, these feature the characters that died either on that episode or on the previous one (which had no ending sequence). However, Naegi seems to always be featured in these photos.
Is there any particular reason for this? Or is it simply because he is the main character?

I don't think there's any reason based on the game, but I'll wait before answering.

I was wondering this myself. I think there's a theory that Naegi is actually dead and this is his purgatory. We never find out what the most despair inducing event in history is because Naegi died before he could find out. He's the one who has a pretty generic high school ability. Hopes peak academy could actually be the test whether he makes it to heaven or hell in the afterlife. When they all leave we just see a shining light but no sense of the outside world.
If you think about it, the school is perfectly looked after and the fridges are all restocked daily. But who could do that? If instead we picture it as a purgatory scenario it just sets the stage for Naegi to show he can overcome despair.
I think he shows up in the ending credits along the dead characters to show that he's actually dead and when they all appear at the end it means they were all dead. But they made it to the afterlife.

Danganronpa has a sequel where Naegi is shown to be alive and is part of the Future Foundation, which aims to bring hope back the world.

It is shown in Danganronpa 3 Future that Makoto blames himself for all their deaths and feels he should die when he watches the despair video. That’s probably why

I think it is because of them being his classmates because if you look in the game, near chapter 6 it showed them being students before the killing game.


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Is Dwun (Wdwune) based on Yoshihiro Togashi?
In Hunter × Hunter (2011, not sure about 1999), there is a character named Dwun (pictured below, red shirt) who appears in the Greed Island arc.

Today, I was exposed to this image of Yoshihiro Togashi, the Hunter × Hunter mangaka (from this much larger image):

I couldn't help but notice some remarkable similarities: The TV and games, the lack of a chair, his hairstyle, and clearly, the gargantuan mess of garbage.
Is this character, Dwun, based on Yoshihiro Togashi himself?

There is a high likely hood that this is indeed a reference to Yoshihiro Togashi playing dragon quest. But it has never really been confirmed.
It seems the original picture comes from CapsuleComputers with the following quote.

After a long an arduous battle with addiction, Yoshihiro Togashi, the man behind the popular manga series Hunter x Hunter has finally checked out of a Dragon Quest rehabilitation facility and has made clear that he plans to resume his Hunter x Hunter manga after more than a year on hiatus.

That CapsuleComputers article is a parody, as indicated by the text "Capsule Computers acknowledges that this information is entirely false and is intended as an April Fools joke.". It is certainly not the source of that photo.

@recognizer It sure is a parody, however it does not discredit it as a source of the image. But feel free to post a new answer if you do find a non-parody source, as new better answers are always appreciated :)

It's fairly trivial to "discredit" this with any amount of research. For instance, here is a copy of that photo which was posted more than four years before the CapsuleComputers article: https://ameblo.jp/orenews/entry-10197558083.html ...it's best to remove obviously incorrect information, right? As well as a quote that is stated to be "entirely false"?


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Why is Tsukune allowed into the monster school in Rosario+Vampire?
So, Tsukune's father finds a school admission letter someone drops, and gives it to Tsukune. And then Tsukune goes into a monster school, and the magic to stop humans doesn't work, and he becomes a normal student. Am I the only one who finds this weird?
Is there any reason he was allowed in the school? Surely the teachers/headmaster would realize he is not a monster, and that he is using someone else's admission letter?

The trick to this is, that noone in the school knows he is human except

 the headmaster, who dropped his letter of admission in the first episode

and maybe the bus driver, who is revealed to be:

 Nurarihyon the supreme commander of all monsters in the last episode of the 2nd season manga.

additionaly to the end of Capu 1 (it's their Season)

 he almost dies and Moka Akashiya turns him into a part-vampire to save his life

The plot device used for this is, that in School no one is allowed to show their true form, but have to disguise as humans. This allows him to wander freely in this school for monsters.
At the same time of the revelation on who the Bus Driver is, the true reason is also revealed:

 Nurarihyon (aka the Bus Driver, aka the supreme commander of all monsters) wants Tsukune to be the next headmaster of the school of monsters.

Vogel, this still doesn't answer the why part, which was my question

this is never explained anywhere in the anime. haven't checked the manga though. i would think, that the headmaster wishes for some personal entertainment by purposely admitting a human to his school of monsters.

Not explained in the manga either. It's implied that Tsukune is not normal, and if anyone knows about it, they're not talking.

It was revealed that the headmaster purposely drop the school admission letter and had planned to turn tsukune into a shinso vampire in the hope that tsukune could defeat Dracula one day, which technically happened even though Dracula voluntary admitted defeat and killed himself

Welcome to Anime.SE! Can you provide a reference (episode/chapter number) for when this is revealed?

If you haven't finished the manga, the text below may be a spoiler.

 Okay, there is a reason - in the last 2-3 chapters of the manga, it was revealed that Tsukune was allowed to become a vampire to fight against Alucard, and I think that it was implied that he was supposed to be a middle man for negotiations between the two in the future in the beginning.

Alucard was a vampire in another Manga/Anime- Helsing I think. Are you sure you haven't gotten your Mangas confused?

@ShantnuTiwari that is not correct. Alucard also shows up in Rosario+Vampire.

Since the revelations in the epilogue of Capu 2 as of the manga, this answer is plain incorrect... Please update your answer to incorporate the "latest" developments.


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Do people die if they are killed?
In Fate/Stay Night there's the famous scene in which Shirou speaks to Saber. The scene gained immense popularity across the web, and is usually accompanied by responses like O RLY? and You Don't Say!
The question is, does he actually say that? Is that line also written in the Visual Novel? Is this a translation error? Or is he just that stupid?

I've seen many people complain of bad or super literal translations giving people the wrong ideas about Fate/Stay Night, making Shirou seem more stupid than he actually is.  Incidentally, I don't think there is a light novel of Fate/Stay Night; it started as a visual novel (sort of video game.)  There are light novels in the franchise, but I think that's for Fate/Zero only.

@Kai Yeah, I always confuse the two. Corrected.

@Kai there's also Fate/Apocrypha and Fate/Strange Fake

Context is needed for this. From the visual novel, the line is from Shiro, about surviving wounds that would otherwise be fatal if Avalon had not been inside of him. So when Avalon is removed Shiro remarks that things are the way the should be now (people dying, when you kill them.).
In this context, the phrase makes sense. When made out of context, it does seem silly.
Furthermore, following said phrase, Shiro says "それが当たり前なんだ", which more or less means, "that's only natural."
Official dub goes with something like: "when people are hurt badly enough, they die."
Furthermore in Japanese, there are two ways to describe death, one for body and one for soul. So you may kill one's body, but their spirit wouldn't may still persist. This is where the phrases like "he won't die, even if he is killed" probably originated from.

It may be worth noting that the first part of the phrase is "人は殺されれば死ぬ". Transliterated, this would read "people die if they are killed." But as you said, in context, it doesn't read quite like that.

My understanding of the phrase is that he means:

People who are killed should remain dead.

This is in reference to servants - he doesn't like that servants are resurrected souls. They should remain dead.

@Oded is correct answer. To expand he's not stupid, without spoilers its to point out another difference between his state of mind and archer's.

As a side note, the official dub goes with something along the lines of: "When people are hurt badly enough, they die."

I don't really agree with the middle part of the final line. Saber is shown putting Shirou's life above her own even saying at one point that it doesn't matter if she dies, all that it matters is that Shirou survives (quite sure she says this after the first encounter with Beserker where Shirou protects Saber). i think the meaning behind the line is Shirou saying that despite how well she heals she could still die and she should not waste her life like that. i think also the scene in question Saber is annoyed that Shirou (and Rin) didn't escape while she held off Beserker

authors: Романов Михайло


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Why is Madara supposedly dead?
According to Kurama, the Juubi's Jinchuuriki Wouldn't die when the Bijuu are extracted from him thanks to the Gedou Mazou.

So how could Madara have passed away?

Is this based on something recent or from for example: a latest episode or something? Could you maybe expand your question a bit more.

Yes, this is based on naruto chapter 656 when the tailed beast where extracted from Obito

It might be best if you edit that into your question.

That's because the Gedo Mazou itself was extracted as well (and sealed on the new moon on the other dimension).
Spoiler

Click the image for a larger version

 We can see the Gedo Mazo getting caught up in the Rikudo Chibaku Tensei, while Madara getting spit out.

Madara didn't have the Gedo Mazou in him to provide life force when all of the Bijuu were extracted.


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Why is Kaneki's fighting ability improved when he put on his mask?
In volume 8 chapter 72, Nishio mentions to Kaneki that his abilities will improve if Kaneki puts on his mask.
As far as I know it's just a mask (with no special power or anything). So why does it increase his fighting ability?

The mask covered Kaneki's nose and mouth. This helps him suppress his urge to eat the opponent by reducing his ability to smell. Remember that Kaneki's ghoul ability is originally Hanazawa Kana's...no wait...Rize's, nicknamed the Glutton for her great hunger.
By suppressing this urge to eat, he can concentrate more on the fight as he's not worried about getting carried away and going berserk.

Do you have any source to refer that?

The anime. During his fight with a ghoul investigator, he kept his mask covering his nose and mouth despite being overwhelmed. But when he opened the zipper covering his mouth area, he bite the investigator and beat him. But afterwards Kaneki went berserk and stabbed his fellow ghoul friend which he regretted.

most likely weather after touter by Jason or not the mask is basic his gate way into his monstrous Side because of the fact several times through the manga he showed extreme compassion towards all his friends and even some people of the shady sort but as an example when he had it on tearing apart the ghoul restaurant he has absolutely no moral even though the fact there could have bean several there how did not deserve death and even encountering Amon in the anime after he TOOK OFF the mask his abilities were greatly decrease so basically the entire time he still tried to hold on to being at least civil to others and be some one but once the mask was put on he went all out on more than one occasion.
also it is a possibility that he was trying to restrain hi urge to eat but it was on several times uses such as his first encounter with Amon that drove him crazy. also he used the mask as a symbol of his true nature for it was designed directly for him with the eye-patch,liples mouth, and bolts in the neck all to show that he is a monster and as the look says a half bread

To protect himself, as a human. By putting on the mask, he's putting on becoming a ghoul and can fight as he must, knowing that by taking it off he can be "human" again and as such he can fight harder with it on. Fighting without the mask means accepting that he is a ghoul if he fights with his full strength, and as such without the mask he'll hold back to try and stay "human".
During his torture however, he came to accept his ghoul half as part of himself, and his mask loses it's meaning, just becoming a means to protect his identity from others then as an emotional crutch. Nishio of course only knowing the old Kaneki, who wanted to hang on to his humanity as long as he could.
(Touka is actually the same, acting far more ruthless with her mask on then she is when it's off, because of her strong desire to be human even though she knows she isn't at all).


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Did Seki-kun ever pay attention to the class?

Seki-kun always plays in class or even outside the class (PE or even during disaster drills). Does he ever pay attention at all? What about tests or his homework? Has he ever been caught playing in class? Usually Rumi is the one who gets scolded by the teacher because she was paying attention to Seki.
Maybe it is not shown in anime or manga directly, but maybe there is something along the line of "He only pays attention to some teacher" or "He used to always pay attention before".

Seems likely that he wouldn't always be playing around since the only reason he gets away with his antics because he sits in the back of the class. He probably hasn't always sat there, nor will he always sit there in the future. But given the nature of the show and manga, I doubt it is addressed.

Seki most likely does not pay attention in class. Though I wouldn't call any of it definitive, the manga actually throws a deluge of evidence that Seki is always playing. In contrast, I haven't seen him paying attention to class, so there's no evidence that he does.

In the chapter 53rd Period in volume 4, Yokoi visits Seki's home and sees some of his prep work for his games. On page 134, Seki is shown holding two bags, one saying "1st Period" and the other "2nd Period". This implies that he brings a game every day for every class.
In 55th Period in volume 4, we see how Seki does on two English tests. On the first, he gave up halfway and painted his desk plaid, which got him a 23 (Yokoi got 82). Yokoi's comments:

"Obviously! Your attitude towards class is reflected in that score!
Plus, during the test, Seki gave up right away and painted his desk
plaid. He should've scored even worse!"

During the retest, Seki used a myriad of toys to guess random answers for him. This time, Seki got a 95 and Yokoi got an 88. So from this chapter, it seems Seki plays even during tests.

In 60th Period in volume 5, there's a parent visiting day, and we get to see Seki's mother. Seki's mother is immediately on guard, and launches rubber bands to knock away Seki's toys to stop him from playing around. His mother's preparedness and lack of surprise implies that Seki fooling around in class is a longstanding problem. The story heavily implies this with Yokoi's assessment of the situation:

"A rubber band!! Seki's mother shot him with a rubber band! [...]The
fact that she brought rubber bands with her... means his mom knows
that Seki's always goofing off in class!! So this isn't the first
observation day where he's played around. I can't help imagining...
The history of hardship suffered by Seki's mother!"

In spite of this, one could try to argue that it's simply impossible that Seki could get away with this every day all day, so Seki must pay attention to class at some point...
My comment:

"Seems likely that he wouldn't always be playing around since the only
reason he gets away with his antics because he sits in the back of the
class. He probably hasn't always sat there, nor will he always sit
there in the future. But given the nature of the show and manga, I
doubt it is addressed." –  Shaymin Gratitude, Nov 1, 2016 at 18:06

Due to the evidence I wrote out in the first part of the answer, I will eat my words. nom nom. While Seki's actions are more grounded than, for instance, Phineas and Ferb or Nichijou, much of his antics are highly improbable and beggar belief, so we're still dealing with a level of surrealism. Thus, we can't make this argument.
Though the comment is still valid in so far as things could change if the manga addresses this again. If I notice anything, I'll try to update the answer.


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Is Three some sort of priest?
On episode 9, we learn a bit about Three's past and the fact that he was a mercenary.
I noticed that in the flashbacks, he dressed differently than the way he dresses in the present time.
In the present time, he seems to be dressed as a priest of some sort. He even carries a Bible to activate his Minimum.

Since he quit being a mercenary because he ended up causing the death of a bunch of orphans, I was wondering if Three became some sort of clergyman.

I would have to say he was not a priest, although this may still be proven wrong since Season 2 has not come out. From Hamatora's wiki, I was only able to find out this much information...

He once planted a bomb to destroy his enemies in HQ which resulted in him accidentally blowing up some of the orphans he looked over. With extreme guilt, he felt that he should raise the kids to kill him.

I believe the bible is meant to reflect on his guilt over the killings of the orphans, based on the fact that...

Three has the power to unleash his inner beast by holding a Bible and asking the Lord for forgiveness. By doing this, he becomes extremely strong.

I believe the true intent of this is to show Three's guilt for his actions by using the bible as a vector.


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Why is Cross Game named so? What is the significance of the title?
I'm curious as to why Cross Game is named so. The "cross" appears in the anime in various forms:

Before the beginning of each episode, when the Tsukishima family advises the viewer to watch the anime in a well-lit room and from a distance, in the form of a cross between clover leaves:

In the opening song's video, again in the form of a cross between clover leaves:

In the advertisement interval of the episodes, much more prominently:

However, does it have special significance in relation to the plot/story of the anime?

I know jack-all about Cross Game, but I can tell you that the Japanese title (クロスゲーム kurosu geemu) is baseball lingo for "a close game" in the sense of "a game in which both teams are closely matched". Obviously, this sense of kurosu geemu is borrowed from English "close game".
When altered to fit Japanese phonotactic constraints, both "close" /kloʊs/ and "cross" /kɹɔs/ end up as クロス kurosu. So, I guess, for whatever reason, Adachi seems to have chosen to make the English/romanized title "Cross Game".

It could also be symbolic, because the clover leaves look like four hearts split by a cross, so they could be symbolizing the love between the characters and the cross the division and also the connection between them. Most likely that wasn't the intention when made, but it's an interesting and fitting idea.


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Is Sohma House a literal house where all the families live?
In Fruits Basket, is Sohma house an actual house where all of the families with a member cursed by the zodiac live, or is it more of a gated community situation where the families all live together, but they're in separate houses near each other? The exception being Shigure, who lives in an isolated house that still happens to be on Sohma property.

From the manga, I seem to remember the Sohma main house actually being a gigantic mansion where a bunch of people live together in one house.

Thanks for the info. I greatly appreciate it. I've never read the manga, but I love the show. It's a favorite of mine. :)

Conversely, I've only seen one episode of the show but I read the first eleven volumes or so of the manga. You'd probably enjoy it if you like the anime. I believe the anime story was pretty faithful to the manga.

No. There is a main house, but it is not where they all live. Rather, the Sohma Estate is a walled community (referred to as the "inside") where there are many houses. Most of the Zodiac families live inside the walls, but not at the main house. Kagura and Hiro, for instance, are shown to live in their own homes.
From https://fruitsbasket.fandom.com/wiki/Sohma_Estate :

There is a total of about 150 people living within the Sohma estate. Within the main estate itself live only 50 people of those who know about the curse; as in the head of the family, the Cursed Sohmas, their relatives, and the maids surrounding them. Those who are unbeknownst to the curse, which makes up the remaining 100 people, live “outside” of said main estate.

Also see https://fruitsbasket.fandom.com/wiki/Sohma_Family


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Is Pyrrha Nikos really dead?
The last episode in the RWBY-verse so far seemed to paint the picture that Cinder Fall shot Pyrrha Nikos, taking Pyrrha's aura. But the question I'm asking is: Is Pyrrha really gone for good? Me and my friends have been coming up with good but still questionable theories, but one theory makes sense to me: Jaune still hasn't unlocked his true Semblance, so maybe Jaune's Semblance has something to do with Pyrrha's resurrection. I hope so. Please put my thoughts to rest!

Spooiiiilllleerrrrrr

https://www.change.org/p/rooster-teeth-bring-back-pyrrha-nikos-rwby

pffft, she will be back as magical girl OR robot :v

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it is extremely likely that she is dead.
This thread is a fairly good place to look for all the discussion, and I would agree that she SHOULDN'T be brought back for various stated reasons.
But the biggest piece of evidence is the message from Jen Brown, her voice actoress (found under trivia and shown below).

To start let me just say it has been a true honor to play such a vibrant character. Playing Pyrrha meant the absolute world to me and getting to see how much she meant to many of you as well means a lot.
The entire Rooster Teeth team and RWBY crew deserves so much praise for how beautifully the show was handled. I have known from the minute I was cast 3 years ago that this would be Pyrrha's fate. It was Monty's intention from the start. And although it is kind of a relief to no longer have to keep it to myself, I am very sad that her journey has come to an end. Watching that final scene was beyond emotional for me. When you've invested so much into a character it is hard to let them go.
Most importantly I thank Monty. I miss him every day and thank him for trusting me with Pyrrha. Monty also intended for me to play other roles after Pyrrha's exit and although I have no further details right now... I fully trust that Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross will stay true to his wishes and have me back as someone new. I love those guys.
I end by giving my heartfelt gratitude to you the viewer. You guys are seriously the best. And for the last time, I'm sorry!
Oh yeah, and also... Long live Lisa Lavender!!!

So it's unlikely that she is coming back, at least not in the way we all know her. She may make an appearance (with Juane's semblance etc. or something else), but she is likely gone from the physical standpoint.

Well, it could be possible that: after absorbing some of the Fall Maiden's power, she gained a Shadow Form, Cinder absorbed her and will be released once Cinder is dead, or that Cinder faked it (with Emerald/Neo's help) so she could kidnap her or do SOMETHING without being targetted.


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Space-Time ninjutsu of Tobi
Why can't Tobi attack while he is dodging an attack using his Jikūkan Ninjutsu ?

what Tobi actually does is warp away the part of his body that was being attacked to the other dimension.

During the entire anime it is portrayed that Tobi cannot attack while using Jikūkan Ninjutsu because his attacks will pass right through the target.   But while Kakashi was in Tobi's space-time dimension, he managed to punch him, thus indicating that Tobi wasn't intangible.
Is there any explanation or any theory on this matter ?

Related: Where is Tobi's teleportation space location?

He doesn't become intangible, he just transports parts of his body to Kmui's dimension. So the part he transports to that dimension are vulnerable to someone already in that dimension, like Kakashi. Thus he can't become intangible in the alternate dimension because he uses it to become intangible

yeah, but the rest of the body in the "real" world, should be able to hit and attack as it is not being intangible and able to hold real world ninja tool.

I think Tobi's technique allows him to allow other objects to pass through his body by transporting parts of his body that overlaps with the parts of the object of this dimension. This logic would answer your question I think. Or am I missing something?

@MeharoofNajeeb : i wanted to know why his attacks (body + ninja tools) also pass through the targets if he only transports his own body parts (under attack) ?

Is there any explanation or any theory on this matter? Yes.
Kakashi discovers Obito's weakness, to which he explains how Obito's space-time justu works in the manga chapter 597, and utilizes it against him.

Although Kakashi cannot use Kamui against Obito directly, he can use his own access to the other dimension to negate the advantages Obito makes use of: by teleporting attacks or allies to the other dimension at the same moment that Obito's body resides there for defence, he can be attacked successfully

Kakashi states that attacks "passing through" is Obito is incorrect - Obito sends his body into a different dimension; where he is completely tangible.
Kakashi begins to understand how this justu works when he sends a kunai into the other dimension using his own Kumai ability at the same moment Obito teleports his head to dodge an attack from Naruto.

Tobi's Intangibility works by moving any part of his body that is in contact with anything else into the Kamui Dimension. Regardless of weather it is manual or automatic, when he has his intangibility active, his body is split between the 2 dimensions, the main and Kamui dimensions. Between them, his body is 100% tangible, however, almost no one can go into the Kamui dimension and actually see the parts of his body moved there. Kakashi was in a position to do so however at the time of the scene in the question. As shown, his torso has been moved to the kamui dimention in order to become intangible to Naruto's attack. Kakashi was easily able to attack it then, since it can't be intangible in both dimensions at the same time. His body is never actually intangible, it's just moved to a place where no one in the main dimension can reach it.

A simple explanation would be that he does not have control over which parts of his body is able to interact with the real world and which parts would teleport to the dimension. When the jutsu is activated, it simply teleports any part of his body (and the things in contact with his body at the moment of activation) that comes in contact with another object. Otherwise he would have to focus a lot on using this jutsu to be exact or he would just have to teleport chunks of his body that he assumes will get hit.

well what most of us are missing is that kakashi and tobi has the same eyes i.e. Both eyes are Obito's so actually both of his eyes are connected to the same time and space.Hence even when tobi uses his Space-time ninjutsu ,kakashi uses his kamui(Same Space time justs) to travel that alternate time-space and touch tobi or attack tobi


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Did Kakashi attain an Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan?

During the fight with Kaguya, Obito gave his Mangekyou Sharingan to Kakashi after his death, and we know that if a Mangekyou Sharingan is given to any other person that person will achieve the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

So did Kakashi achieve an Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan even if he is not a true heir of Sharingan?

Why exacly would you think Kakashi got the EMS?

Uchiha clan...duhhh?

In short, no. Kakashi didn't achieve an Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.
According to wiki:

After Kakashi loses his Sharingan, his body is temporarily inhabited by Obito's spirit, giving him Mangekyō in both eyes.

So now the question is Why he didn't achieve Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan ?
Now again according to wiki:

Their vision can be restored by receiving the transplanted Mangekyō of
an Uchiha with strong blood ties — ideally a sibling — thus
awakening so-called Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. The Eternal Mangekyō
merge the designs of the transplanter and the transplantee's
original Mangekyō.

Since Kakashi was not having his own original Mangekyo so it might be possible that he was not able to achieve it also it is mentioned that there has to be strong blood ties. So I guess according to me both of them have to be from Uchiha clan but in this case Kakashi was from Hatake clan.

I am not certain if there's any correct answer to this question.
But as for vision deterioration due to excessive usage of Mangekyou Sharingan, it was overcome due to the Hashirama cells Obito had.
Since Kakashi was having Obito's Sharingan and it has been seen in manga and anime as well, the original wielder of the Sharingan affects its nature, irrespective of its current wielder, healing Kakashi's Sharingan as well.

No, kakashi can't. In order to have an eternal magekyou sharingan, the individual must have had an eternal mangekyou sharingan implanted as the chakra shift occurs only after the user experiences the loss of one close to them at their own hands, and as obito only had a basic, not even complete sharingan, kakashi cannot

Wrong. Please read the other correct answer.


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Does the Chobits title "ちょびっツ" intentionally look like the word "STUDY"?
This text from the Chobits title screen looks to me like a Japanese-English ambigram.

An ambigram is an art form that may be read as one or more words not only in its form as presented, but also from another viewpoint, direction, or orientation. The words readable in the other viewpoint, direction or orientation may be the same or different from the original words. [Source]

In Japanese, it's the title ちょびっツ, but if you look for an English word it looks very much like STUDY.

I'm wondering if there's any evidence that this is intentional. The font on the characters seems to make it more obvious, by making ち look more like an S, for example. Maybe this is subliminal messaging to encourage viewers to study more?
For those who don't see it:

ち looks pretty close to an S, but the one above looks especially like this one
ょ looks like a small t if you remove the small loop
び obviously looks like a U
っ looks like the D in this TRON-like font
ツ looks like this y but a bit more curved and with a thicker "double strike"

I don't know if it is intentional, but to me it does sort of look like STUDY. It's probably just our minds forcing patterns, though, like staring at clouds.

It looks a lot closer to the word study than some ambigrams look like their words.

I'm going to say no, because:

It does not even remotely look like "STUDY" to me, and I can only barely see how you're coming up with that if I squint.
Some googling strongly suggests that nobody on the Japanese internet or the English internet besides you has ever made this observation.
While I do not know the exact font used here, it looks like a fairly orthodox "POP" font (or perhaps you'd call it a rounded/marumoji font), with little to suggest that it was specifically fiddled with to make it look like the word "STUDY".

Agreed. I don't see the resemblance at all (even trying to it does not look anything like "STUDY" to me) and I can read Japanese. I'd think if they were going to do this deliberately, it would be done in a way that would be recognizable to an audience who can read Japanese (and probably not English very well), since that was their target audience.

That word also has no particular resonance to the story, so there's no reason to do it (I also can't see the slightest resemblance though. I think the OP is seeing faces in rocks.)

Maybe you can't see the resemblance because you're not used to looking at different English fonts. The 'び' looks just like a 'U', 'っ' looks like a 'D' without the back (this already eliminates every other letter as a possibility, and uniquely looks like a D), 'ツ' looks like a 'y'...

This TRON font, for example, has a D that looks like tsu.

@Torisuda How about this one?

Chobits is a mix of the words "a little" (chobito) and "bits" (bitsu). I am fairly certain the relevance to English ends there.


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Why does Mars propose calling Ishimoto Mottie?
In the second episode of the first season, at the beginning of the episode, when Mars calls Ishimoto "Isshie", there is the following conversation :

Ishimoto : Isshie? Really?
Mars : Would you prefer Mottie?
Ishimoto : Isshie please.

I get that Isshie is the diminutive of Ishimoto, but I do not get why he would call her Mottie.
Why does Mars propose to call her Mottie and why is Ishimoto reacting that way?

Nicknames are often derived from the beginning of names, but they can also be derived from the end as well.
So Ishimoto can become Isshie, but Ishimoto can also become mottie.
In English, you see this with names like Nicholas becoming Klaus.
The light novel series Adachi and Shimamura has several conversations/internal dialogues about nicknames, and I seem to recall "Mura" coming up at one point. But there are also points at which two characters use the later part of Adachi's name when trying to form nicknames for her, and one of them ends up calling Adachi exclusively by that last part of her name at one point.

Addtionally, the fact that she called me "Chee-chee" the entire time suggested that she had forgotten what my name was.
Adachi and Shimamura volume 7, page 133

And to answer the second part of your question: people get very particular about nicknames for themselves and others. In Adachi and Shimamura, Adachi can't bring herself to call Shimamura anything other than Shimamura. She can't even call her Hougetsu, which is Shimamura's first name.

"Sorry, Shimamura, but I really think Shimamura fits the best."
"Yeah, maybe so." And likewise--to me, she was just Adachi.
Adachi and Shimamura volume 7, page 75

Additionally, Shimamura finds the nickname Shima-chan weird. And Adachi thinks it's pointless to call her Ada-chee as a nickname, because that's basically her name.
So the reason Ishimoto rejects Mottie is because she doesn't like that nickname. Given the choice between Mottie and Isshie, she chooses Isshie. Without any further introspection from her, we cannot say for certain what her actual reason is. My guess is that it's not really that deep of a reason, and she just has a gut reaction of disliking it.


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What makes an S-ranked shinobi?
I'm not entirely sure what the criteria are that need to be met before a ninja is considered to be of S class. It looks to be some sort of combination of speed, strength, jutsu, etc. Does one additionally need some special techniques or bloodlines? Like Mangekyo Sharingan, Mokuton, Sage Mode, high class summons and/or kinjutsu? Are jonin like Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy S ranked? If so, at what point would you say they show the skills to be acknowledged as such?

The ranking classification is mainly used for techniques and missions. For eg: "X is an A-rank technique" or "Y is a B-rank mission".
The ranks determine the difficulty or level of danger involved in the mission or technique mastering/usage.
Out of the six ranks, only the S-Rank is used to classify a shinobi's class.

S-rank is usually used to classify techniques intended for highly experienced jōnin and Kage-level shinobi. S-rank techniques are almost always unique to a single user, and as such are trademark abilities of that user.

Normally, S-rank isn't titled to Jōnin or Kage level ninjas.

"S-rank" is also a designation given to extremely powerful missing-nin, earning them a place in their village of origin's Bingo Book.

S-rank is used to classify only the most dangerous and powerful missing nins because of their level of skill, exceptional skill set and usage of (ultra) rare techniques.
So, for a shinobi to be classified as "S-Rank", they must have a unique and very powerful skill set and most importantly, they must become a missing-nin.

source: Naruto Wikia


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Why doesn't Yusuke's body need any nutrition during his coma?
When Yusuke's soul left his body, and his body is still alive, why didn't his Mother and Keiko feed the body using a feeding tube or something. It really bugs me. If there are spoilers I am fine with that (maybe...).

I assume this is between episodes 4 and 5 after Yusuke saved Keiko from the fire? Otherwise, could you mention the episodes/chapters to clarify this event?

Wasn't he dead? Probably wouldn't have done anything. I guess I could be remembering things wrong. Like Aki Tanaka said, some clarification on when rhis happened and an accurate description of the events would help