Hey guys, Justin here and welcome to the Otaku Mind where today we’re honoring Death Battle from ScrewAttack. Death Battle is the place to see the greatest characters of video games, comics, movies, and anime come together and battle it out in a fight to the death to see who’s the best. Whether you agree with the results or not, there’s no denying that these fights are well-animated, have good music, and are just fun to watch. For years Death Battle has given us some great battles and in honor of their 100th episode I’m going to name my top 11 Death Battles. Why top 11? Because even when I’m not in character I still like to go one step beyond. There’s a lot of battles to choose from and I’ll do my best to remain spoiler free. Before getting to the actual list I would likw to name a few honorable mentions of battles that almost made the list but just fell short.
Deadpool vs Deathstroke, Boba Fett vs Samus Aran (remastered), Guts vs Nightmare, Terminator vs Robocop, Meta vs Carolina, Jotaro vs Kenshiro, and Lucario vs Renamon. With that said, it’s time for a Death Batttttttttttttttttttttttttlllllllllllllle~ top 11 list.
#11. Mario vs Sonic the Hedgehog
It’s a debate as old as time. If you were a kid growing up in the 90s chances are this fight has crossed your mind at least once and years later, we finally got our answer to this question not once but twice. The fight had good back and forth action as both Mario and Sonic were able to counter each other’s power-ups and moves but once everything was exhausted it was clear to see who the winner would be. A good series of battles, with their first encounter being my first Death Battle, and still remains to be one of my favorite battles.
#10. The Pokémon Battle Royale
Pokémon has appeared on Death Battle a number of times. But for all my money, their best battle had to be the Battle Royale between the generation 1 starters Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard. The hardest choice in any Pokémon game is choosing which starter Pokémon to go with and for years my generation argued over which one was the best. Was it the explosive offensive power of Charizard, the impenetrable defense of Blastoise, or the well-rounded stats of Venusaur (did anybody pick Bulbasaur? Show of hands)? All three have their strengths and weaknesses and the fight they have plays out exceptionally well as once again each Pokémon has an answer for the other and the battle comes down to the two Pokémon you would expect. It’s also one of the most brutal Pokémon fights I’ve seen. What makes this fight so unique is that this is one of the only death royale battles in the series (the other being TMNT) so definitely check this one out if you want to justify your choice from 20 years ago.
#9. Kirby vs Majin Buu
One’s an adorable little puffball with an insatiable appetite while the other is an destructive being bent on destroying the universe. You would think this be a quick open and shut battle but no, these two pink warriors give us one of the most action-packed death battles out there. This fight had everything. Sword fighting, fist fighting, DBZ style fighting, comedy, and a lot of unexpected surprises. What many thought was going to be a quick match wound up being one of the best death battles out there with two characters who are the complete opposite of each other matching up well with each other and delivering on a great death battle.
#8. Naruto vs Ichigo
Two characters of the Big 3 going at it where the question was who could overpower who. Once again, we get a good back and forth battle where both characters tried to gain the upper hand over the other but each character was able to stop the momentum of the other and bring the battle back to square one until the end where the final chapter was written in this epic clash. The ending caused a lot of controversy as there were counter arguments over the results. Personally, I didn’t care who won, I just wanted to see a good death battle and got one. In my opinion, it didn’t matter who won because you were gonna piss off one fanbase and since both fanbases are filled with a majority of immature people who won’t listen to reason, this controversy was unavoidable. But it’s nothing compared to the next death battle. Which brings us to. . .
#7. Superman vs Goku Parts 1&2
Hands down the most controversial death battle to date. In this battle we see the poster child of superhero comics go up against the poster child of shonen anime/manga not once but twice. There’s really not much to say about this entry, it’s two powerful beings from other planets going up against each other and trying to prove who’s the strongest. It’s the unstoppable force trying to pass through the immovable object. Who’s gonna give first? Whether or not you agree with the results of this death battle, there’s no denying that it had solid animation, good action, and did it’s best in trying to show an unbiased fight between the two.
#6. Wolverine vs Raiden
Here’s another battle that seems odd but when they match up with each other they create magic. This match was fast-paced, violent, and filled with rage as we saw these two men with serious anger issues battle each other in one of their best-animated battles. While the ending may surprise a lot of people, once you hear the explanation it all makes sense.
#5. Yang vs Tifa
Our catfight for this list. Out of all the catfights Death Battle has done, this fight has to be my favorite. It’s well-choregraphed, well-animated, has good music, and it features the VA of Yang herself Barbara Dunkelman reprising her role as Yang. It’s a battle where we see these two lovely ladies try to top one another in a competitive fight putting what they learned and mastered to the test and seeing whose fist is stronger. In the end no words need to be spoken between these two, they’ll let their fists do the talking for them.
#4. Solid Snake vs Sam Fisher
The masters of stealth combat. You would think a battle between these two would be long and unentertaining but no. While the fight is a little long the fight was entertaining as hell as both Snake and Fisher try to out maneuver the other using their wits and gadgets to get the edge over the other. It’s a battle where the winner isn’t decided by who’s the strongest or quickest but rather who’s smarter, clever, and can hold their own when out in the open. It’s an exciting fight that has you on the edge of your seat and one of the smarter Death Battles out there.
#3. Chuck Norris vs Segata Sanshiro
What happens when Chuck Norris meats his Japanese counterpart, crazy shit happens. This is one of the most over the top battles out there as the laws of the world don’t apply to these two and because of that they can get away with anything and we’ll not only believe it but also like it. While the battle ends on a bizarre note, it’s an ending I can get behind and probably was the best outcome for a match against two people who defy the laws of our world and who we love to talk about.
#2. Balrog vs TJ Combo
This battle was way better than I expected. Rather than just have the two straight up brawl, it starts out on a civil note with both men fighting it out in the ring and treating the battle like an actual boxing match until things finally start to get out of control as the ref can’t maintain order and the match becomes a no-holds barred battle where anything goes and I enjoyed every minute of it. While there’s a slight problem with the clothes on Balrog, the animation is very solid here and remains to be one of the best 3-D Death Battles to this date. It’s a great battle to watch and one I recommend to those looking to get into Death Battle or trying to get their friends to check it out as it’s just an enjoyable battle to watch. Plus, that music, that music is the embodiment of hype.
And the number 1 Death Battle is. . .
#1. Dante vs Bayonetta
The children of Hideki Kamiya go at it to see who’s the best. It was tough deciding between this battle and the Balrog vs TJ Combo battle but I chose this one in the end because it has everything you would want to see in a Death Battle. It’s has great back and forth action, the fight choreography is excellent, the music is solid, the dialog and interactions are fun, and it’s a battle with plenty of surprises and shocking moments. This battle right here encompasses everything I love about Death Battle and it never gets old. It’s two of my favorite videogame characters battling it out and working off each other perfectly to give us the best Death Battle out there.
And that’s my list. What’s your favorite Death Battle/s? Let me know in the comments below. Once again, congratulations to everyone at ScrewAttack, the Death Battle crew, and anyone else involved. Thank you for all your hard work and time and here’s to another 100 Death Battles as you move forward. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
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