Quote 4

Seraph:   “You do not truly know someone until you fight them.”
The Matrix Reloaded

In the second film of the trilogy, the Oracle calls Neo away from Zion to give him crucial guidance about the path of the future. When Neo arrives at the address the Oracle gives, he encounters the Oracle’s guardian, Seraph, who proceeds to fight him as a way of certifying that Neo is who he says he is. Seraph then delivers this cryptic comment to explain his unprovoked physical attack. His words suggest a philosophical theme of sorts that runs throughout the trilogy: fighting is not only a combat but also an almost spiritual process of discovery. Therefore, the fighting in the film is elevated to a more spiritual plane. Seraph’s tone makes his proclamation seem profound, even divine. In a way, by giving the line such weight, Seraph justifies the exorbitant glut of action sequences that occur in the Matrix films. Instead of fight scenes simply being par for the action-movie course, Seraph suggests that they have a more noble purpose, an idea that sheds a different light on Neo's many battles with Smith.