Welcome fellow sneakerheads and nerds, to the very first Super Saiyan Shoe Scrutiny (SSSS). It is still a working title by the way; I am open to suggestions. For those of you that did not catch the introductory blog post for this series, this is a segment in which we will be reviewing shoes of all kinds, and drawing parallels into the nerd universe to figure out which characters would wear them, what they remind us of, and what world we could see them in.
It is only fitting for the first review to take a look at one of the most iconic sneakers of all time, in a similarly famous colorway. Recently, I had the fortune to stumble into a pristine pair of 1985 Nike Air Jordan 1s in the Bred (Black-Red) colorway. These beauties appeared to had only been worn a handful of times and then stored in a protected environment for the last 37 odd years or so.
(My exact reaction when I was able to have a look at these)
Like Dragonball Z on our channel, the Jordan 1 needs no introduction. Unless you have never seen any TV, movie, or social media during your life, you have certainly seen these shoes in one of the endless colorways that have been available through the years. If you were not trying to be like Mike in the late 80s through the 90s, what were you even doing? While Michael Jordan created these with basketball in mind, they quickly became a staple for streetwear and fashion. Hell, Jordan himself even noted how terribly uncomfortable they were to play basketball in after the final time he wore them for an anniversary game. For normal wear, however, they are durable, bulletproof, and comfortable (after you have broken them in a little; that first day may sting sometimes).
So, now that we have established the shoes we are looking at for this session, the interesting part begins. As I was handling them and taking in the aged scent of quality, 37 year old sneaker leather, I went down two different thought paths.
The first and easiest path is obviously the colorway. What do the colors black and red bring into your mind when they are paired together? Being the nerd that I am, a specific manga and anime series jumps out at me. Some of the people reading this may not be surprised, but when I think of an OG badass with some black and red flair, I think of the series Trigun. The main character of Trigun is none other than the fabled humanoid typhoon, Vash the Stampede.
Vash, much like Michael Jordan, has unbelievable skill and prowess in his field. His field just happens to be leading the life of a happy-go-lucky gunslinger that occasionally causes destruction on a fantastic scale instead of basketball. He is the only man-made disaster that insurance would consider covering on the planet of No Man's Land, after all. Hey, nobody's perfect. Did I mention he has some serious style, though?
Vash's iconic red leather trench coat and dark pants, gloves, boots, and tank top make the Jordan 1 Bred colorway practically designed for him. Wandering the badlands also requires a certain amount of durability, which these Jordans can provide. I have seen many examples of these shoes being worn out to the point of needing a new sole before some of the stitching and leather binding have given up. As someone tackling the harsh deserts and wilderness of No Man's Land, you know that Vash would opt for some of this sweet leather. He is already sporting a fairly large amount of the stuff, and he has a reputation to uphold.
When Vash is not actively being a badass, he becomes a carefree goofball who enjoys some donuts and beer. If that is not relatable I don't know what is. What better way to catch some eyes at the local pub than for him to sport a pair of these OG beauties?
Vash can turn his skills on with the flip of a switch, which is exactly what the namesake of these Jordans can do as well. With all of this information considered, I am letting the gavel fall on my verdict. Vash the Stampede would cop and rock a pair of these 1985 Nike Air Jordan 1s in the Bred colorway. A close runner up for these shoes in my mind was Dante from Devil May Cry, but I think these shoes just fit Vash a little better.
This wraps up the first of many (hopefully) Super Saiyan Shoe Scrutiny Sessions. Please drop a comment or a message to let me know if you agree, if you do not, if you have any other characters you think these shoes would fit better, or if you would just like to say hi!
Looking forward to the next session. Dismissed.
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