Wolverine VS Raiden

Wolverine VS Raiden is the 52nd episode of Death Battle, featuring Wolverine from Marvel Comics and Raiden from the Metal Gear series in a battle between metal-bodied blade-wielding anti-heroes. Wolverine was voiced by Xander Mobus and Raiden was voiced by Tim Paige.
==Interlude==
Boomstick: Long range weaponry are effective tools of destruction, but there's just something special about killing up close and personal with a blade. Like Wolverine, the vicious anti-hero of the X-Men.
Wiz: And Raiden, the deadly cyborg ninja from Metal Gear.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
==Wolverine==
Boomstick: Three scratches, three claws, this is the mark of the Wolverine.
Wiz: But before he was the poster boy for the X-Men, he was born James Howlett in 1886.
Boomstick: And he was the wimpiest kid ever! He was tiny, and pathetic, and sick all the time, but little James wasn't stuck in bed for too long.
Wiz: As he grew up, James started to develop mutant powers, which gave him animal senses and rapid healing.
Wiz: But when the family groundskeeper Thomas Logan murdered his father, James learned he had a more lethal power hidden within.
Boomstick: Retractable bone claws! Old Thomas never knew what hit him. Or more specifically, what stabbed him to death.
Wiz: But Thomas used his dying breath for the oh-so original plot twist: I'm your father.
Boomstick: Going from two dads to zero in a matter of seconds. Anyway, James took on the name Logan to poorly hide his identity, and ran away from home with his childhood friend Rose, but then he accidentally stabbed her to death, too. Damn, those things seem really inconvenient, like a murder erection. Always popping up when you don't need it.
Wiz: You should probably see a doctor.
Wiz: With his healing ability slowing his aging, Logan has lived over 100 years. He fought in both World Wars and Vietnam before joining a special weapons project called Weapon X. This is where he took the name, the Wolverine.
Boomstick: Buuuut, like almost every other secret project ever, it was actually yet another horrifying super soldier project. Whilst there, Wolverine enjoyed such treatments as being cut open repeatedly, having his DNA harvested, and getting his skeleton a pimped out chrome job.
Wiz: Against Logan's will, a scientist named Doctor Cornelius infused his bones with Adamantium, a rare, man-made metal alloy. Adamantium is extremely dense and stable on a molecular level, making it reportedly indestructible. Even Thor has a hard time breaking it.
Boomstick: And Doctor Scientist also hypnotized Wolverine, to erase his memories and turn him into an animalistic killing machine. The result? Well, Wolverine went crazy and slaughtered everyone at Weapon X. So I guess you could say the experiment turned out to be a complete success. Good job, everybody!
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Wolverine's new Adamantium claws come out as he wakes up from the procedure violently screaming.
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Wiz: After wandering the wilderness and tangling with the Hulk, Wolverine was eventually discovered by the X-Men, who molded him into a real hero. Logan had finally found a place to call home, and a family he did not stab to death.
Boomstick: Old Wolvie's got more mutant powers than Kim Kardashian has butt injections. He has keen animal like senses and expert tracking skills, can move faster than the eye can see, and can lift up to two tons. His Adamantium claws can cut through almost anything, and, conveniently, he never has to sharpen them. He's immune to disease, can resist mind control, and can fight for days without tiring. Oh, and for some reason, he can sense animals' feelings and talk to them like some sort of bear whisperer.
Wiz: He's equal in hand to hand combat with Captain America, and was skilled enough to tag Speed Demon, who runs faster than the speed of sound.
Boomstick: Despite all of this, his greatest attribute is his sheer durability. He's like Super Rocky!
Wiz: Wolverine has survived hits from Thor and the Hulkbuster, battled with Satan himself, and was once blown up with nothing left but his Adamantium skeleton.
Boomstick: Think that stopped him? Hell no! He got back up and beat the shit out of the emo Bomberman who blew him up in the first place. Jesus Christ! Can anything stop this guy?
Wiz: Well, technically, he has died a few times. He even used to have a deal with the Angel of Death to be resurrected should his healing factor be overtaxed, but eventually gave it up in exchange for his soul. Yeah, this actually happened. However, according to Professor Xavier, leader of the X-Men, Wolverine's healing factor stems from his brain.... Eh? Get it? Stem? Like brainstem?
Boomstick: Wiz, I'm the funny one. Just stick to being boring.
Wiz: Aw... Anyway, this means Wolverine can be killed by drowning or destroying his brain. But seeing as how his brain is protected by a thick Adamantium skull, it's probably staying where it is. 
Wiz: Still, there's a reason why Logan keeps getting into bad situations like these. He's a lone wolf and doesn't like relying on others.
Boomstick: And he's kinda got a bit of a temper.
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Wolverine growls and cuts off the top of Cyclops' car in rage.
Wolverine: Tell Cyclops I made him a convertible.
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Boomstick: Piss him off too much, something snaps, and Wolverine will enter the Berserker Rage.
Wiz: In this state, Wolverine loses all self-control and ignores all pain, as he is consumed by the animalistic killer instinct that's still deep within him by Doctor Cornelius all those years ago.
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Wolverine is seen defeating Neuron in his berserker state.
Beast: My stars...
Wolverine then tosses Neuron to the side and starts repeatedly stabbing him.
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==Raiden==
Wiz: Born in Liberia, a young boy named Jack lost his parents and was adopted by George Sears, the future president of the United States.
Boomstick: Which sounds like a pretty good upside considering, except Sears was actually Solidus Snake, a traitor who manipulated the world leaders to profit from the war economy. Oh, and the fact that he killed Jack's parents! "I'm your dad now!"
Wiz: Being the perfect parent he is, Solidus enlisted Jack in the Liberian Civil War, where he became captain of his own commando unit in the Army of the Devil.
Boomstick: (gasps) It's an army of—
Wiz: It's not an actual army of devils.
Boomstick: Aaah, dammit!
Wiz: A natural harbinger of death, Jack's high kill count earned him the nickname "Jack the Ripper". He accomplished all of this, and he was only 10 years old.
Boomstick: Oh my God! Could you imagine this kid during puberty? If it ever even hits. I mean, even 10 years later, he still looks like he's waiting for the old stones to drop.
Wiz: Well, they had to some time. After being abandoned by Solidus, Jack fell for a girl named Rose and eventually got her pregnant.
Boomstick: Jack was tormented by his past life and sought to right his wrongs by joining a special task force. With them, he teamed up with the legendary Solid Snake...
Boomstick: ...to take down some bad guys, destroy giant robots, go streaking, and even kill dear old foster dad, all under his awesome new codename: Raiden.
Wiz: Except, all along, he was actually being controlled by the Patriots, a secret organization manipulating the U.S. from behind the scenes, and bent on dominating the world.
Boomstick: Yeah, okay, hang on to your butts because this is where things start getting out of hand. See, his girlfriend Rose was actually a Patriot spy, and was manipulating his life the entire time they were together. Huh, women right? But she was all like, "My bad, I love you!" and he was like, "It's okay, let me put my dick in you!" and then they had a kid.
Wiz: Well first, she actually said she had a miscarriage and married another man to trick Raiden, but it was really to trick the Patriots...
Boomstick: Wiz, please, the story's confusing enough without bringing that into this. Eventually, they got back together and had a kid. Can we please go back to talking about killing people now?
Wiz: Sure! One day, he was captured by the Patriots and used as a test subject for exoskeletal enhancement surgery, transforming him into a superhuman cyborg ninja.
Boomstick: That's what's I'm talking about!
Wiz: As a cyborg, Raiden went from a force to be reckoned with to a nigh-unstoppable killing machine. He is fast enough to outrun bullet trains and even run on walls.
Boomstick: And he can do shit like this.
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Vamp: You too, immortal?
Raiden: No, I just don't fear death.
After a sniper shot from Snake frees one of his arms, Raiden cuts his other arm free and begins swinging around the Gekkos in a breakdance by the cables connecting them to his legs.
----
Boomstick: Heh heh, drugs must be fun...
Wiz: That's not even the half of it. Raiden is strong enough to lift and throw a Metal Gear RAY. While a RAY's exact weight is unknown, when compared to a Metal Gear REX which weighs 557 tons, we can estimate it's weight to be over 1,000 tons.
Boomstick: And that wasn't even his final form!
Wiz: Right, Raiden eventually got a newer, better cyborg body which was even more powerful.
Boomstick: Strong enough to flip this giant thing, rip off its building-sized sword, and then fight a duel with it. And finish it off at blinding speed! I mean what in the actual hell?!
Wiz: When he's not wielding building-sized blades, Raiden wields a high-frequency blade called the Murasama. Originally forged in the 16th century, the Murasama was re-outfitted with high-frequency technology. By creating a powerful current through the blade that vibrates at intense speeds, it weakens its target's molecular bonds, forcibly slicing through almost anything.
Boomstick: And if that's not deadly enough for you, Raiden can activate a super-mode called Zandatsu.
Boomstick: This causes Raiden's perception of time to slow anywhere from 50 to 90%, giving plenty of time to chop through his foes as precisely or as rapidly as he'd like.
Wiz: He can take this a step further by deactivating his pain inhibitors. Allowing intense agony from wounds to envelop his senses causes him to lose himself in his old Jack the Ripper personality. This "Ripper Mode" radically boosts his already insane speed and strength.
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Raiden bifurcates two unfortunate cyborgs with a single swing. He then proceeds to knock down the remaining cyborg, stab his hand to the ground, slice off his arm and promptly bifurcating him as well, before chuckling darkly and pointing his bloodstained blade at Sam and Monsoon.
Raiden: Who's next?
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Boomstick: But it comes at a price. You know, aside from the whole pain and insanity thing.
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Raiden cackles maliciously at Monsoon.
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Boomstick: These enhanced modes rely on a fuel supply, and using them burns through it at a rapid pace.
Wiz: Raiden can only carry enough fuel to sustain these modes for a very limited time, and relies on absorbing more fuel cell electrolytes from enemy cyborgs. Plus, his blood is not natural, and must be changed regularly like the oil in a car.
Boomstick: But still...
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Raiden: (speaking through a speaker; holding his sword between his teeth) I am lightning... The rain transformed.
Raiden electrocutes the Haven Troopers in his way.
----
Boomstick: Worth it!
==Prelude==
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set. Let's end this debate once and for all!
Boomstick: IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLEEE!!!
==Death Battle==
Taking place in a tropical city containing ancient architecture and filled with Gekkos, Raiden is seen leaping on rooftops before landing on the streets, his impact crumbling it.
He sees a destroyed Gekko and then encounters one of the giant monsters. Raiden takes out his Murasama, ready to cut it, but Wolverine leaps off a building and slices the giant Gekko in two, and it explodes.
Raiden: Who the hell are you? Get out of my way!
Raiden's mask comes on as he readies a battle stance.
Wolverine: Fat chance, bub!
Wolverine gets his claws out.
Wolverine: You're next!
Both charge at each other and start slicing, with Raiden getting a good slash on Logan and drawing blood. He's able to block Wolverine's multi-slash and counters it. He tries cutting through Wolverine diagonally, but his sword stops at Wolverine's skeleton.
Raiden: What?
Wolverine counters it and pushes back Raiden's blade, then stabs Raiden in the stomach. Raiden looks at his wound.
Raiden: Who... what are you?
Wolverine: Gotta admit, that hurt.
Wolverine's cuts heal as Raiden rips the fuel cell electrolyte from one of the fallen Metal Gears and absorbs it.
Wolverine: Nice trick, Voltron! I'm actually more human than you!
Wolverine takes out his claws.
Wolverine: And that's saying something...
Raiden: Let's dance!
Raiden dashes forward and gets a couple of stabs and slashes on Wolverine. Wolverine tries attacking back but it is blocked as Raiden delivers a massive combo that kicks him into a bus. Raiden leaps to higher grounds as Wolverine's wounds heal. He starts sniffing around when he doesn't see his opponent.
Wolverine: No use hiding, bub.
He's able to dodge Raiden's stealth attack and delivers a large stab to the cyborg.
Wolverine: The nose knows.
He slams Raiden onto the ground and delivers a Berserker Barrage-like combo of attacks.
Wolverine: You're done.
The conclusion of the combo sends Raiden flying back. Wolverine leaps forward to stab him again, but Raiden avoids it and jumps onto higher ground. He looks at his injuries, then looks downward, only to see Wolverine climbing the building by repeatedly stabbing it.
Raiden: What?!
Wolverine delivers an uppercut that knocks Raiden's mask off. The two clash again until Raiden knocks Wolverine into the air and produces an attack that slashes Wolverine multiple times in place.
Raiden: I will end you!
Wolverine is seemingly knocked out prompting Raiden to start walking away, but he gets up and starts healing from his injuries.
Raiden: Are you some kind of cyborg?
Wolverine: Well...
Wolverine takes out his claws yet again.
Wolverine: ...my bones are coated in the strongest metal around. Does that count?
They start going at it again as Wolverine blocks one of Raiden's attacks.
Raiden: I'll just have to swing harder then!
He stabs Wolverine with the Murasama, but it stays in place and Wolverine takes the opportunity to deliver some devastating hits.
Wolverine: Taste Adamantium!
Raiden uses kicks and electricity to gain the upper hand and retrieves his blade. He knocks Wolverine high into the air and then combos him onto the street. Wolverine gets up as his wounds start healing.
Wolverine: Ouch! Alright Terminator, now you've got me mad!
Wolverine enters berserker mode and screams out loudly, he leaps high into the air and cuts off one of Raiden's arms.
Raiden: Shit! Not again!
Wolverine then stabs Raiden hard in the chest.
Wolverine: Good night, RoboCop!
As the claws are stabbed deep through Raiden, he feels a rush and slowly tilts up his head as his eye glows red. He has entered his Jack the Ripper state.
Raiden: Pain! This is why I fight!
Raiden headbutts Wolverine away, prompting him to scream.
Raiden: Hahaha! It's time for Jack the Ripper... to let 'er rip!
Both counter each other's attacks and lay a multitude of blows on each other. Wolverine is severely injured from the clash severely slowing him down. Raiden does a low kick that knocks him into the air and performs a cut strong enough to slice off Wolverine's head, which he slashes dozens of times at once, cutting it into pieces as he laughs and kicks the pieces.
Raiden walks over to pick up his severed arm as Wolverine's body lies in the street.
==Results==
Boomstick: Oh my god...
Wiz: Because of Wolverine's Adamantium skeleton and stubborn healing factor, he was able to hang in there despite Raiden's clearly superior speed and strength.
Boomstick: He could've even kept it up until Raiden ran out of fuel, if it weren't for one important question: Could the high-frequency blade cut Adamantium?
Wiz: To answer this, we dug deep into Marvel Comics history and found Misty Knight, a lesser-known Marvel heroine with a bionic arm made of Antarctic Vibranium. This anti-metal emanates vibrations which weaken its target's molecular bonds, exactly like Raiden's high-frequency blade. Like the Murasama, this can destabilize and break any metal, including Adamantium.
Boomstick: And while in Jack the Ripper Mode, Raiden can strike with enough force to cut through buildings and machines built to survive nuclear wars.
Wiz: With that much strength behind a sword like that, plus Raiden's speed and technology advantage, Wolverine's supposedly indestructible skeleton met its match.
Boomstick: Any way you slice it, Raiden just had the right Gear for the job.
We cut to the "Winner" card.
Wiz: The winner is Raiden.
==Comparison==
===Wolverine===
:+ Higher Durability
:+ More Experience
:+ Senses countered stealth
:+ Better Martial Artist Skills
===Raiden===
:+ Better control over battlefield
:+ Blade Mode deduces weak points
:+ HF Blade beats Adamantium
:+ Longer Range
:+ Faster
:+ More versatile
:+ Immensely stronger
==Original Track==
===Composition===
The track for this fight is "Exo" by Brandon Yates. It is a metallic rock song similar to the music heard in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance with lyrics sung by Brandon himself.
===Title===
The title is a prefix that means outside, external, or exterior, likely referencing Wolverine and Raiden having a metallic shell (though it better fits Raiden with his cyborg body, as Wolverine's Adamantium skeleton is not usually exposed).
===Lyrics===
==Trivia==
===Production===
*The core connections between Wolverine and Raiden are that they are both anti-heroes known for their immense deadliness and preference for blades. Both are soldiers who have been in war for most of their lives and were subjects of government experiments in which their memories were altered and they were empowered by being given a metal body in order to become a powerful weapon (an Adamantium skeleton and a cyborg body, respectively). In addition:
**Both have an additional mindset that makes them more vicious and allows full use of their strength in battle (Berserker Rage and Ripper Mode, respectively).
**Both had a love interest named Rose (Rose O'Hara and Rosemary, respectively) at some point in their life.
**Both have a history of battling giant, advanced machines of war (Sentinels and Metal Gears, respectively).
**Both would obtain possession of a powerful red katana with similar names at some point in their stories, given to them by other highly skilled swordsmen in their universes (the Muramasa Blade given by the swordsmith of the same name and the High-Frequency Murasama Blade given by Jetstream Sam, respectively).
*Wolverine was teased on Twitter by Torrian Crawford in a joke post before being revealed.
*This episode was originally supposed to be released on September 2nd. However, because Ben Singer got sick, it was delayed to September 8th.
*Alongside Raiden, Wolverine's most popular matchups at the time were The Shredder, Baraka, Vega, and Freddy Krueger. However, the last four were not chosen because they were deemed too weak for Wolverine, mainly in regard to being unable to deal with his healing factor.DEATH BATTLE LIVE! Pre Show - Wolverine vs RaidenUser blog:CrossoverKing96/Road to 100 Archive: Wolverine vs Raiden
**Wolverine would eventually fight Baraka (alongside 99 other Tarkatans) on DBX, while Shredder would ironically fight one of Wolverine's villains in Season 4.
*When Torrian first suggested this fight to Ben, they thought it would be a one-sided battle in Wolverine's favor until they did more research on Raiden, with the most controversial question that needed answering being whether or not Raiden's High-Frequency Blade could cut through Wolverine's Adamantium skeleton. Though they initially had some difficulty with finding any evidence for it doing so, researcher Liam Swan found an issue revealing Misty Knight and her ability to destroy an Adamantium sword thanks to her Antarctic Vibranium prosthetic arm (which uses powerful vibrations to weaken the molecular bondings of metals, exactly like how Raiden's High-Frequency Blade works to cut through objects). The team was surprised by this and concluded Raiden would win the fight based on this information, with it being added to the post-analysis as a result.
*This episode was live-streamed for its initial release, with the pre-show and post-show being archived on the Death Battle YouTube channel.
**This makes it the second episode of Season 2 to be live-streamed, after Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), and with the next two being Yang VS Tifa and Pokémon VS Digimon.
*This is the only episode in Season 2 to feature comparison panels and the last one to do so overall until they returned in Season 9.
*Brandon Yates would eventually release a remaster of Exo on September 16th, 2019.
**This makes Exo the first original track to get a remaster, with the next six being Alive, Unlocking Heaven, Chorus of Carnage, Marvelous, A Strange Fate, and Stronger Together.
===Easter Eggs===
*The way Raiden went into Ripper Mode in the fight was a reference to when he goes Ripper Mode for the first time in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
*When Raiden's arm is cut off by Wolverine, he says "Shit! Not again!", a reference to when he lost his arm to Jetstream Sam, where he said the same thing.
===Errors===
*Despite the episode being titled "Wolverine VS Raiden", the series names in the parentheses are written as "Metal Gear VS Marvel" instead of the other way around to match the combatants.
**This makes it the second episode where this has happened, after Fulgore VS Sektor, and with the next three being Flash VS Quicksilver, Aquaman VS Namor, and Galactus VS Unicron.
*On Raiden's "Feats" slide, the bullet point stating that he "Survived the mindf##king story of Metal Gear Solid 2" has the word "Solid" misspelled as "Sold".
===Other===
*This is the fifth Video Game VS Comic Book-themed episode, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Kratos VS Spawn, Thor VS Raiden, and Fox McCloud VS Bucky O'Hare, and with the next eight being Joker VS Sweet Tooth, Amy Rose VS Ramona Flowers, Scrooge McDuck VS Shovel Knight, Ultron VS Sigma, Black Widow VS Widowmaker, Black Canary VS Sindel, Harley Quinn VS Jinx, and Trunks VS Silver.
**This is the second time the Video Game character wins, after Fox McCloud VS Bucky O'Hare, and with the next two being Amy Rose VS Ramona Flowers and Harley Quinn VS Jinx.
*This is the fourth Anti-Heroes-themed episode, after Kratos VS Spawn, Vegeta VS Shadow, and Ragna VS Sol Badguy, and with the next 14 being Dante VS Bayonetta, Mewtwo VS Shadow, Wario VS King Dedede, Ghost Rider VS Lobo, Sasuke VS Hiei, Deadpool VS Mask, Winter Soldier VS Red Hood, Venom VS Crona, Hulk VS Broly, Shadow VS Ryuko, Guts VS Dimitri, Omni-Man VS Bardock, Kratos VS Asura, and Hulk VS Godzilla.
*This is the fourth Marvel VS non-DC-themed episode, after Thor VS Raiden, Beast VS Goliath, and Darth Vader VS Doctor Doom, and with the next 17 being Deadpool VS Pinkie Pie, Android 18 VS Captain Marvel, Shredder VS Silver Samurai, Carnage VS Lucy, Ultron VS Sigma, Black Widow VS Widowmaker, Deadpool VS Mask, Genos VS War Machine, Venom VS Crona, Hulk VS Broly, Iron Fist VS Po, Korra VS Storm, Thor VS Vegeta, Magneto VS Tetsuo, Stitch VS Rocket Raccoon, Galactus VS Unicron, and Hulk VS Godzilla.
**This is the second time the non-DC character wins, after Beast VS Goliath, and with the next eight being Android 18 VS Captain Marvel, Shredder VS Silver Samurai, Carnage VS Lucy, Deadpool VS Mask, Venom VS Crona, Hulk VS Broly, Iron Fist VS Po, and Stitch VS Rocket Raccoon.
*This is the second Cyborg VS Human-themed episode, after Darth Vader VS Doctor Doom, and with the next four being Android 18 VS Captain Marvel, Genos VS War Machine, Cable VS Booster Gold, and Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha.
**This is the first time the Cyborg character wins, with the next one being Android 18 VS Captain Marvel.
*This is the second episode to have an original track with a single-word title, after Goku VS Superman 2, and with the next 12 being Meta VS Carolina, Crash VS Spyro, Captain Marvel VS Shazam, All Might VS Might Guy, Hulk VS Broly, Saitama VS Popeye, Skyrim VS Dark Souls, Phoenix VS Raven, Cole MacGrath VS Alex Mercer, Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor, Goku VS Superman (2023), and Galactus VS Unicron.
*WatchMojo.com listed this episode as an honorable mention on their "Top 10 Screw Attack: Death Battle Episodes" list alongside Vegeta VS Shadow, Starscream VS Rainbow Dash, Terminator VS RoboCop, and Chuck Norris VS Segata Sanshiro.
*On March 23rd, 2024, the DEATH BATTLE! YouTube channel uploaded the full fight animation of this episode on its own, likely to commemorate the release of X-Men '97, which had its first episode released three days earlier.
==References==
Category:Death Battles
Category:Season 2 episodes
Category:Marvel episodes
Category:X-Men episodes
Category:Metal Gear episodes
Category:3D animated Death Battles
Category:Fights animated by Torrian
Category:Fights with voice actors
Category:Death Battles with comparisons
Category:'East VS West' themed Death Battles
Category:'Video Games VS Comic Books' themed Death Battles
Category:'Anti-Heroes' themed Death Battles
Category:'Human VS Cyborg' themed Death Battles
Category:'Swords' themed Death Battles
Category:'Protagonists' themed Death Battles
Category:'Vigilantes' themed Death Battles
Category:Death Battles with cameo appearances
Category:'Marvel VS non-DC' themed Death Battles
Category:'Fortnite' themed Death Battles