I have to preface this article by saying that Bryan Lee O’Malley sure knows how to write catchy names. Scott Pilgrim is one that’s been stuck in my head since childhood, perhaps planted there by a trailer that aired on one of Cartoon Network’s commercial breaks or by a promo poster from my local cinema. Later, in my high school and college years, this enigmatic name would often come up in conversation to evoke some extremely specific reference or joke. From what I could gather, this guy was funny, cool (or cringey depending on who you talked to), and was somehow taking on the whole world? I wasn’t quite sure how his fighting approximately eight billion people all at once was supposed to work, but figured that with CGI and a huge budget, anything was possible. It wasn’t until September of 2023, however, that I finally watched the movie and, to my astonishment, loved it.

To understand why it is so astonishing that I would like a film that’s now a definitive cult classic, you must first know two things about me: I don’t care for most modern stories, and I don’t like romances. I prefer plots found in yellowed pages over those streaming on Netflix or Hulu. Oddly enough I find these stories more relatable, and they usually seem to have more food for thought. And romances—at least the kind found on most Hallmark shows—just feel too sappy and unrealistic to me. But to my surprise there were many ways in which I related to the film, the romance plot was actually enjoyable (it is classified as a romcom by the way), and after it was over there was so much left for me to ponder upon. My obsessive phase had begun, and currently still isn’t over. Soon I read the comics, watched the show, and repeated that catchy name in the ears of my friends so many times that I’m sure they must be sick of it by now.

Ed. Note: Past this point there are spoilers for the events in the Scott Pilgrim series.

There were many things that surprised me about the series; however what was most striking was its seemingly simple story that masked an undercurrent of complex characters and emotions. Not everything is as it seems in O’Malley’s Toronto. Scott is a sweet, seemingly innocent protagonist who lives a carefree life, but he is also a freeloader who exploits his friends’ generosity, a coward who spends most of his life hiding from his demons, and an adult who is dating a minor *gasp* at the outset of the series. Ramona Flowers is the stereotypical “manic pixie dream girl”, yet she is more realistic and ‘depressive’ than one might expect. Everyone is always hanging out with someone else, but everyone is always lonely.

Loneliness is what I really believe the focus of the series is about, especially in the comics, which I will primarily be referring to for the rest of this article. Why does everyone always go to parties and want to spend time with someone else? Why does Scott want to go after Ramona in the first place? Answer: to escape their own loneliness. Of course love does have something to do with it, but we don’t have time to talk about that word right now.

The pervading sense of isolation was one thing that made the series so relatable to me. I feel lonely… sometimes… There — I said it. It’s strange that it’s something we know everyone else has experienced at some point, but we’re so reluctant to admit it in ourselves. Of course I am not one of those stereotypical lonely guys who sits in his room all day playing video games, but neither is Scott Pilgrim. We even both have friends and family to which we are deeply attached. Yet throughout the comics there is one panel that every so often reappears. In it Scott is kneeling in a barren land and lamenting, “Oh God…I’m so…so alone.” Though I admit I don’t have the deepest appreciation for comic book art, this scene deeply struck me. The sense of isolation amidst all those people he is surrounded by is profound. Though loneliness is a feeling common to all, we all experience it in our own secluded way. I guess it wouldn’t be called loneliness otherwise.

However, it’s not just because the series includes loneliness that I find it so intriguing, it’s what it has to say about it. Now there are plenty of messages out there about the pressing need for quality relationships. It’s something we’re all aware of. What most of society (which I will hereafter refer to as ‘the world’) has to say about it (at least from my perception) is that it’s a sign of weakness and is embarrassing, or shameful even, to openly act upon it and seek a support system, especially for young men. But in Scott Pilgrim it is an honorable quest. Quests are fun. I love quests. That is why I’ve always loved to play Zelda, explore the outdoors, and learn new things. There is meaning behind a quest. A purpose. Room for growth. Adventure and excitement. Doesn’t my describing it make you want to embark on one right now? Just as Scott’s identity as one who journeys is cemented in his last name, the need for questing, I think, is cemented in us all. Why should we suppress that part of us? Scott may not be the most honorable person, but his mission to grow as a person and become closer to Ramona and his friends is commendable. He’s certainly better off for trying. If he hadn’t, there would have been no closure between himself and Kim, nor would there have been any for Envy or Lisa. And Ramona would still have her mind controlled by Gideon. The message of the series is thus that we should embrace the need for quality relationships as an adventure—a quest, and not feel ashamed for having that need and give up trying altogether. Doesn’t a little change of perspective make a big difference?

But every quest comes with its fair share of conflict. The series certainly stresses that. Scott’s precious little life goes from sleeping till noon and attending band practices with his friends to almost non-stop combat with deadly adversaries for six volumes, interspersed with some depressive episodes. And in addition to these seven evil exes which Scott must fight (Matthew Patel, Lucas Lee, Todd Ingram, Roxie Richter, The Katayanagi Twins, and Gideon Graves to name them all), there are a host of messy, broken relationships he must confront, and on top of that, an even greater enemy he must face: himself. Likewise, seeking out a meaningful relationship is not easy. Conflict is inevitable. As someone who eschews any form of disagreement this terrifies me. But the message of the series is that it’s worth it. While Scott is able to convert the boss battles with Ramona’s exes into Canadian currency, he is able to transform his conflicts with his friends into a sort of emotional currency (which is much more valuable in my opinion; you can’t buy much with Canadian money). With his emotional quotient bank full, he is finally able to come to the realization that he should have had at the beginning of the series: an adult shouldn’t date a high schooler. Of course there are a few other insights he gains as well.

Quests can’t be completed alone, however. There must be those who come to the hero’s aid, whether it be an old man in a cave handing him a sword or a princess pointing out the final boss’s weak points. You can’t fight loneliness alone. This seems pretty obvious, but often the world seems to delude us into thinking we can. There are so many self-help videos and podcasts that focus on self-improvement, self-care, self-worth, but what about connections with others? I’m not trying to bash all those YouTubers who specialize in giving pep talks, but I think this is something that is ignored. In the series, however, the importance of reliance on others is highlighted. Scott’s friends are invaluable to his quest. Without Kim, he would never have successfully been able to battle himself. Without Wallace (the real MVP, let’s be honest), he wouldn’t even have a place to stay for most of the series, wouldn’t have had any money to pay for meals, and probably would have died in the earlier battles. Even Ramona comes to his aid in some of the fights. Then let’s not forget the valuable advice given by Stephen Stills, Young Neil, and his 17-year-old girlfriend who shares a name with a class of kitchen utensils.

Another thing about quests is that there are also side quests. There doesn’t have to be one set goal. Oftentimes I think societal expectations lead us into thinking that we must fulfill all our needs in one kind of relationship: the romantic. But realistically that isn’t feasible. Just as we need a variety of diets, variety of interests, variety of tasks, etc. to make life complete, we need a variety of relationships. Though, like in any romance, the focus of Scott Pilgrim is a love interest, this does not preclude the protagonist from searching out other intimate and meaningful connections. There are so many platonic relationships—male and female—which are strengthened throughout the series. He shares rooms with many different friends over the course of the comic, and through various awkward and uncomfortable situations he learns more about them than ever before. What I personally love about his friends is that they act like they hate each other, though it is obvious they genuinely care for one another. You could say that, in this story, it’s more about the friends that you already have than the ones you meet along the way.

Finally, in a quest the hero undergoes change, but is still fundamentally himself. Oftentimes we’re told that we must totally change who we are—our physical appearance, personalities, and minds—to become successful. But what’s the satisfaction in being liked for who you are not? At the end of the comics, after all they’ve been through, Scott and Ramona still love each other (surprise!), but Scott never gets ripped (unless you’re watching the show), he never participates in a personality adjustment program, and he never takes up a new philosophy. Scott is still Scott in the end, though arguably a better person. Nothing really made him worthy of Ramona to begin with, not even fighting those seven evil exes. I’d even go so far as to say that at the conclusion of the comic they still don’t deserve each other. But I’m okay with that. In fact I think that’s what makes the ending so satisfying to me. All the trials of the series are like a furnace that keeps getting hotter and hotter with each new level. A furnace does not have the power to turn lead into silver, but it can make whatever substance it tries more pure, more refined. And that’s what a good quest does. It brings out the true value of the one who undertakes it. It does not guarantee that you will automatically be liked on completing it, but it sure helps to determine who’s truly there for you and who’s not.

So by posing the desire to go from loneliness to connection as a quest, I think that the Scott Pilgrim series helps correct the negative stigmatization that ‘the world’ has placed upon it. Scott is by no means the perfect hero, nor does the series pretend to have the perfect answer to life, but that’s not really what we want when we open a comic book, watch a movie/anime, or set down to play a video game. We want adventure, we want to be part of the quest, and it certainly delivers on that.

I want to add that if you haven’t yet watched or read anything in the Scott Pilgrim series and this article nearly put you to sleep, still give it a try. There’s so much more fun stuff that happens in it than just loneliness. I could have written about what makes Ramona so attractive, how Matthew Patel is my favorite ex, the many differences between the show, movie, and comics, all the fun easter eggs and video game references masterfully incorporated into the series, the other catchy names that are still stuck in my head, or the unusually large cult following that Wallace Wells has garnered. But alas, I do not have space for it here. You, dear reader, must experience that for yourself. In the meantime I will be working on beating the video game…