Some very traditional choices for the strongest fictional warriors may be Goku, Superman, or Saitama. Shaggy Rogers from the “Scooby-Doo” series is a person who shouldn’t be disregarded, though. Simply put, Shaggy is a character that enhances gaming experiences. His boundless strength, though, might be overlooked.
Ultra Instinct Shaggy has become a playable reality after beginning as an obscure fan fad. The character established a crucial precedent for the game industry’s influence. What was once only a joke among fans of “Scooby-Doo” and “Dragon Ball” has now been accepted as canon for Warner Bros. and its franchises.
Shaggy Rogers is a playable (and strong) character in the crossover fighter “MultiVersus,” which Warner Bros. confirmed will be released in November 2021. It seems appropriate to trace the development of the infamous meme in light of this amazing revelation. How did the real owners of the rights eventually come to accept a strange meme so wholeheartedly? Though irrational and senseless, Ultra Instinct Shaggy’s rise is more important than ever. This is how it all transpired.
Ed Boon reacts to the Shaggy petition/H3>
Sadly, “Mortal Kombat” creator Ed Boon dashed any dreams of “Scooby-Doo” characters appearing in the illustrious fighting series.
After a lot of people signed the Change.org petition, Boon made a famous response to a supporter who tweeted “We want Shaggy” to him. Boon’s direct response, “Let me know how that works out for you,” shocked everyone.
Boon hasn’t changed his opinion on the subject, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t occasionally engaged in the jokes. The game director attracted notice shortly after he dashed fans’ dreams by posting photorealistic fan art of Shaggy battling Scorpion.
One of his most recent digs came when he responded to a comic strip depicting Fred revealing Scorpion. In the comic, the “Mortal Kombat” character uses his demonic fire breath to execute Fred. This pretty much destroys any prospects of Shaggy as a guest, Ed Boon cynically remarked in response to the image.
Fans would love to see Shaggy’s role in a “Mortal Kombat” game, but the series’ inventor has largely stuck to his guns.
And perhaps it’s for the best because Shaggy is thought to be far too strong for anyone on the “Mortal Kombat” roster to defeat.
MultiVersus stars Shaggy Rogers
After weeks of whispers, Warner Bros. Interactive has made the decision to reveal “MultiVersus,” a new game it is working on alongside Player First Games. The corporation was developing a new Smash Bros. clone with a confirmed Shaggy appearance, just as the leaks had said. Audiences received their first real glimpse at the project—and Ultra Instinct Shaggy—in a video with game director Tony Huynh.
The game creator introduced Shaggy while discussing returning voice actors. Fans are already pleased that Matthew Lillard will be the character’s voice actor. But Shaggy’s appearance and play style in the game stunned many. Shaggy seems to have his Ultra Instinct talents in “MultiVersus,” as opposed to choosing his more traditional cowardly behaviours from the animation.
In the trailer, Shaggy can be heard saying things like, “Like, dude, I’ve got all kinds of tough guy power,” while he is encircled by blue and yellow auras. He even has supernatural moves, like an energy-filled uppercut and a punch with a charge that can hurt Superman.
With this decision, Warner Bros. Interactive and Player First Games fully acknowledged the character’s unexpected popularity and incorporated many of the humorous ideas and bizarre choices made by the fans. What began as a fun mashup of “Scooby-Doo” and anime evolved into a recognised moment in gaming history.
Petition for Shaggy in Mortal Kombat
Even though Shaggy will become a god in “MultiVersus,” there have been calls for him to appear in a Warner Bros. video game for a while. Fans pleaded with NetherRealm Studios in the early months of 2019 to have Shaggy in “Mortal Kombat 11.” Fans eventually came together behind an actual petition “to get [Shaggy] as the major baddie in ‘Mortal Kombat,'” as Lillard highlighted in his interview with Wyrmwood.
People that wanted Shaggy to be a “Mortal Kombat” DLC fighter signed the Change.org petition, which finally attracted over 380,000 signatures. After viewing the infamous memes, many thought he would make a delightful addition to the ensemble, and the fact that Warner Bros. also owns NetherRealm and the “Scooby-Doo” franchise was the cherry on top.
Even though the petition gained popularity and its author remained optimistic through the end of 2019, not everyone supported the chosen warrior. The petition’s response from the “Mortal Kombat” developer brought things to a head.
Scoob! references the meme
For a moment, Matthew Lillard and Ed Boon had the most well-known reactions to Ultra Instinct Shaggy. It’s impressive to have the well-known voice actor and a seasoned game director on board, but it’s quite another to see a “Scooby-Doo” movie production officially weigh in. About six months before to the film’s release, the Scoob! Twitter account, which controversially omitted Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, recognised the existence of Ultra Instinct Shaggy, starting his path to canonization.
When the “Dragon Ball Legends” Twitter account posted a routine update on the game’s future plans, a bombshell was dropped. This update was shared by the “Scoob!” account accompanied with a picture of the Shaggy from the movie, who was clearly glowing with Ultra Instinct. Don’t make Shaggy utilise 5% of his power, said the caption on the post, which was published about a year after the meme reached its peak popularity.
The fact that Warner Bros. addressed the meme while promoting a big new movie astounded fans. This specific joke opened the door for the business to adopt Ultra Instinct Shaggy in unexpected ways going forward.
Shaggy becomes Dragon Ball’s newest fighter
More memes that attempted to smoothly integrate Shaggy into Goku’s universe emerged after Midya brought attention to the “Legend of the Phantosaur” sequence, making things extra funnier.
One infamous piece of fan art depicts a menacing, smirking Shaggy going through the classic transformation while surrounded by the Ultra Instinct glow. It was made by MielSibel. A huge “KO” screen that appears to have been taken directly from “Dragon Ball FighterZ” was included in some fan art depicting Shaggy fighting alongside other “Dragon Ball Super” characters.
Later, fans went even farther in their devotion by developing mods for video games like “Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2.”
The distinction between the fantasy of a fighting game fan and the reality of a Shaggy character skin competing on the “Tournament of Power” stage became even more hazy.
The majority of fan jokes were adamant about portraying Shaggy in an anime aesthetic, even if other mods would include Shaggy in games like “Grand Theft Auto 5.” The memes would soon seep into live-action, though.
Shaggy makes a cameo in Mortal Kombat
When was there ever a potential for a crossover between Shaggy and “Mortal Kombat”? When Ultra Instinct Shaggy finally got to make his “Mortal Kombat” debut, Warner Bros. apparently changed its mind.
In the pre-credits sequence of several Warner Bros. animated films, Daffy Duck jumps around until Porky Pig pops open the Warner Bros. logo and takes him in. These silly little introductory sequences have evolved into larger productions. The animated film “Mortal Kombat: Scorpion’s Revenge” opens with Daffy running once more around the frame. This time, Scorpion himself takes the role of an irate Porky Pig, says “Get over here,” and pulls Daffy into hell.
However, “Mortal Kombat: Battle of the Realmsopening “‘s was what actually altered the course of the game.
Scorpion jumps out during the WB logo sequence of this movie and flips across the frame. Scorpion is suddenly grabbed by a luminous Shaggy Rogers who emerges from the logo. Shaggy quips sarcastically, “Like get over here, man,” while Scooby watches.
Fans couldn’t believe what they saw, and what initially appeared to be a playful acknowledgment to their clamour may have been the first indication of the ultimate reveal of “MultiVersus.”
Shaggy reacts in real life
Most devoted “Scooby-Doo” fans agree that Matthew Lillard is one of the best Shaggy actors ever. Lillard’s long career—he has voiced the character in several animated films, including “Mystery Incorporated,” and starred in the live-action “Scooby-Doo” movies—made his response to Shaggy’s internet fame even more poignant.
Lillard’s initial tweet about the meme simply said, “This is bad,” which gave the impression that he was unsure about the trend. During a conversation with YouTube channel Wyrmwood, he elaborated on his initial thoughts. Shaggy is “probably the most innocent creature in the history of cinema,” according to Lillard, so seeing him with “demonic eyes” seemed inappropriate.
The actor eventually accepted the idea and even broached the subject of “Scooby-Doo” appearing in video games in an official role. Matthew Lillard simply responded, “I’m available,” when asked if he would be ready to lend his voice for a project like this.
The wild notion of a Lillard-voiced Ultra Instinct Shaggy making his way into a genuine video game took some time, and that’s a whole history lesson on its own. Lillard did, however, embrace these memes on social media.
Shaggy vs. Batman?
When it was discovered that “Nickelodeon All Star Brawl” was a “Smash Bros.” clone packed with beloved animated characters, fans went berserk. Soon after the game’s release, rumours started to circulate that Warner Bros. would boost the ante with its own fighting game, possibly starring a Mystery Incorporated member who enjoys Scooby-style snacks.
Early leaks claimed that NetherRealm Studios was the maker of this enigmatic game, however these claims were shortly debunked. The only thing that could be said with certainty was that Warner Bros. appeared to be creating a 2D platform fighting game that would finally match Shaggy up with Batman.
Hungrybox, a seasoned “Smash Bros.” pro player, wrote on the leaks while remembering the godly Shaggy and the enduring memes.
He stated that there will soon be a disclosure because the “Battle of the Realms” opening titles sequence was obviously teasing the new game. Reddit joined in the fun, with rumours proliferating long before “MultiVersus” was officially revealed.
The only thing that players could be certain of was that their favourite “Scooby-Doo” character would be joining the cast of a brand-new combat game that spans multiple universes. However, no one anticipated how accurate Shaggy’s “MultiVersus” appearance would be.
Shaggy’s true power
The Shaggy sequences and interviews from the “Scooby-Doo” feature films starring Matthew Lillard have also been the subject of memes.
The notion that Shaggy has access to untold power is a recurring topic in memes about him. For instance, images of a Matthew Lillard interview from the early 2000s have frequently been altered to include made-up lines in which the actor appears to boast about merely using a portion of his power. This adds to the legend that Shaggy possesses unfathomable power and that his full potential is yet to be realised.
With an altered video of BTS from the live-action “Scooby-Doo,” YouTuber Kadz elevated the situation.
The altered video depicts the cast members discussing Shaggy and his power level while AI reads the chat. Matthew Lillard famously says in one memorable scene from the video, “There was one case where I used 0.8 percent and the entire set went to ash.”
The sequence in “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” where Scooby and Shaggy drink potions and Shaggy gets outrageously ripped serves as another model for these designs. Numerous modifications of the scene have been made on the specialised YouTube channel “Buff Shaggy,” demonstrating exactly how lethal Shaggy can get when he puts his mind to it.
Shaggy’s true power revealed
The strength and potency of Ultra Instinct Shaggy is one of the main running jokes. It makes sense that people would want to know Shaggy’s exact power because the gaming community has long sought bouts between Shaggy and Goku or Scorpion. This enduring question was addressed clearly by the YouTube channel The Film Theorist. MatPat dissects the memes and the “Legend of the Phantasaur” combat scene in his examination of Ultra Instinct Shaggy. He also bases his deductions on precedents established by “Dragon Ball”
When discussing “Legend of the Phantasaur,” MatPat explains the mythology of Shaggy’s newly discovered innate fighting talent. He reveals that Shaggy is entranced in the movie, which gives him his incredible strength.
The remainder of the film dissects each of his methods. Shaggy “appears to have quick reaction speeds, above average strength, and the capacity to nearly fly,” according to MatPat. MatPat compares Shaggy to many of the characters in the first “Dragon Ball,” where the series is more centred on fundamental martial arts, because he is unable to produce energy strikes in the movie.
Unfortunately, The Film Theorist found that Shaggy’s strength in the first “Dragon Ball” series is not even close to that of Goku. Later variations of the figure could, however, refute this assertion.
The origin of Ultra Instinct Shaggy
Shaggy’s new shape was greatly influenced by “Dragon Ball Super”. A colourful group of characters fight it out and gain new abilities and forms in the “Dragon Ball Z” sequel series. The series’ protagonist, Goku, has a new transformation at one point that enables him to function solely on instinct and reaction. This style is known as Ultra Instinct, and the “Ultimate Battle” music is often used to score slow-motion combat scenes.
When a YouTube user by the name of Midya decided to edit a clip from “Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur” with a lot of “Dragon Ball” elements, history was made. In this viral clip, Goku’s “Ultimate Battle” music and some slow motion editing accompany an out-of-context scene of Shaggy beating up guys in a bar. Although the video was removed (according to KnowYourMeme), secondary channels have subsequently re-uploaded it to protect Ultra Instinct Shaggy’s debut.
Despite the fact that “Scooby-Doo” normally avoids action or even climactic fight scenes, “Dragon Ball” and Shaggy’s fight make a fantastic pair. It’s understandable why the meme caught on the way it did. But this was only the beginning, as countless more writers, illustrators, and producers would later give the Warner-owned character his own unique touch.
