Ryu VS Scorpion

Ryu VS Scorpion is the 38th episode of Death Battle, featuring Ryu from the Street Fighter series and Scorpion from the Mortal Kombat series in a battle between rivaling fighting game mascots.
==Interlude==
Wiz: Two marquee warriors, arcade rivals since the '90s, now facing off for true superiority.
Boomstick: Ryu, the wandering World Warrior.
Wiz: And Scorpion, the ninja from hell.
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.
==Ryu==
Wiz: Endlessly walking the earth and improving his fighting skill is the life of Ryu, the Japanese martial artist without a home.
Boomstick: But there's more to this karate hobo than meets the eye. After being dumped on a doorstep by his douchebag parents, he was adopted by the mysterious Gouken. From that moment on, Ryu dedicated his life to martial arts. Probably on some sort of parental vengeance quest.
Wiz: He trained alongside his best friend and rival, Ken Masters. Gouken taught them the Ansatsuken, or Assassin's Fist fighting style. But the name is actually a bit misleading. While originally designed as a means to murder, Gouken's personal take on the Ansatsuken is based around karate, kenpō, judo, and NOT killing people. Unlike the ways of his violent brother, Akuma, who, ultimately, would prove to be his undoing.
Boomstick: Oh yeah, he can fingerpaint. Well, the Assassin's Fist isn't your average McDojo style. His Ryu Shoryuken is an uppercut so powerful, it launches his victims sky high. The Hadouken uses a fighter's willpower to fire a blast of energy and destroy evil things, like... waterfalls.
Wiz: And.... physics?
Boomstick: And finally the Tatsu, uuuh... Tatsu...maki...senpuu...
Wiz: Tatsumaki Senpukyaku.
Boomstick: I HAD IT! Anyway, the thing I totally know how to pronounce gives the finger to gravity and lets him briefly fly around like some human's helicopter kicking machine.
Wiz: He also has a powerful step kick he calls the Joudan Sokutogeri.
Boomstick: Hey! We don't have the translation for that one! I'm on it.
Boomstick types "Joudan Sokutogeri" into Google Translate, which translates it to...
Boomstick: "AND DIARRHEA JOKE FOOT"?!! HAHAHAHA!
Boomstick: What does it do?! Kick people in the stomach so hard that he takes them to Brown Town?!
Wiz: With the CORRECT kanji it's more like... "High-Level Leg Blade Kick".
Boomstick: You know it's "Diarrhea Kick" forever in my mind now, right?
Wiz: (sighs) At the age of 23, Ryu entered the first World Warrior Tournament to test his skill. He swept through nine powerful combatants before taking on the champion, Sagat. After a hard-fought battle, Sagat was set to take the win...
Boomstick: ...until he made the mistake of being a good sport. After beating the shit out of Ryu, Sagat offered him a helping hand up. Instead of taking it, Ryu gave him a surprise punch SO HARD it ripped his chest open and nearly killed the guy. Dick move, Ryu. Dick move.
Wiz: This was Ryu's first taste of the dark power buried within him: the Satsui no Hado. Literally the Surge of Murderous intent.
Boomstick: Still not as good a name as the "Diarrhea Joke Foot".
Wiz: The Satsui no Hado gives Ryu incredible power, but at the expense of his humanity. He can tap a portion of this power to safely enhance his attacks. However, should his desire to win become so great he would even commit murder, the Satsui no Hado can overwhelm him, and he will lose control, becoming Evil Ryu.
Boomstick: Now we're talking!
Wiz: Evil Ryu has enormous power to the point of being almost unstoppable. He can even blast a skyscraper to smithereens.
Boomstick: He can teleport short distances, even passing through attacks along the way. More impressively, despite Gouken never teaching him this, Evil Ryu can use the Ansatsuken's forbidden technique: the Shun Goku Satsu, more commonly known as the Raging Demon.
Wiz: With this, Evil Ryu turns his foes own sins against them, and eradicates their soul. It was this exact attack which Akuma, a master of the Dark Hadou, used to murder Ryu's master. Since then, Akuma has been haunting Ryu, tempting to succumb and fully commit to the dark Satsui no Hado as well, basically, this is "Karate Star Wars".
Boomstick: Oh, you call everything Star Wars.
Wiz: Well, some even speculate that Akuma is Ryu's father.
Boomstick: Mother of God... it is "Karate Star Wars"!
Wiz: But Gouken's teachings instilled a powerful belief in Ryu. If he can resist and shun this dark temptation, he can attain an even greater power.
Boomstick: By detaching himself from all emotion, he enters an altered state of consciousness.
Wiz: Like a Jedi.
Boomstick: This boosts his speed, power, and can do all sorts of crazy shit to his abilities.
Wiz: This is the Power of Nothingness.
Boomstick: Stupid name!
Wiz: The Power of Nothingness is more focused than the Dark Hado, allowing Ryu complete control over his mind and body. Gouken even once used this power to separate himself from his soul in order to survive Akuma's Raging Demon. Surprise! Obi-Wan is still alive!
Boomstick: Ryu is skilled enough to take on numerous thugs at once, tough enough to survive being impaled, and strong enough to overpower the genetically-created super warrior Seth. Oh, and he's fast enough to dodge point-blank gunfire!
Wiz: Yet as Evil Ryu, his aura's so strong he can just walk through bullets.
Boomstick: That being said, being the Street Fighter poster boy doesn't mean he's the top World Warrior. He's lost a number of matches fair and square against the likes of M. Bison, Oro, and even his best friend Ken.
Wiz: However, many of these losses may stem from his struggle to contain the power of the Dark Satsui no Hado, which is obviously quite difficult to do in the middle of a battle.
Boomstick: But when Ryu unleashes his full potential, stay the fuck out of his way!
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Evil Ryu: My name is Ryu, and the ultimate power has awakened within me!
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==Scorpion==
Wiz: From Earthrealm to Outworld, there were few who didn't fear the ruthless clan known as the Lin Kuei.
Boomstick: Except the Shirai Ryu, a clan with some serious balls. Not only do they defect from the Lin Kuei, they mock them on a daily basis by wearing obvious palette-swaps of their clothes. They also like to pull classic pranks like annoying phone calls, TP-ing Lin Kuei homes, and constantly slaughtering their loved ones. Haha, got 'em!
Wiz: From the Shirai Ryu came Hanzo Hasashi, the hellish ninja of vengeance. But before he became the stuff of nightmares, he was once an ordinary young child... whose father just happened to be a deadly assassin. In hopes of sparing him from a violent life of regret and murder, Hanzo's father forbade him from ever joining the clan.
Boomstick: Sorry son, you're not allowed to be awesome.
Wiz: However, as time went on, Hanzo became desperate. He needed a way to support not only himself but also his wife and son. Faced with few other options, he reluctantly disobeyed his father and began the life on a ninja assassin.
Boomstick: As a ninja, Hanzo is exceptionally skilled in ninjutsu, Pi Gua, hapkido, and numerous secret Chinese martial arts. But it's his weapon of choice that earned him the nickname "Scorpion".
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Scorpion: GET OVER HERE!
Scorpion fires his kunai spear into Sub-Zero's head and then tears it right off, letting it fly past him.
----
Boomstick: While his kunai-in-a-rope is iconic and deadly, I'm more partial to whatever the hell that snake creature is that lives in his hand. Well, in whatever form, it impales the opponent and pulls them in close, usually for a sweet uppercut to the jaw.
Wiz: This is similar to an ancient assassination weapon used in the Tang dynasty called the rope dart. It's extremely difficult to master, making Scorpion's finesse all the more impressive.
Boomstick: He's also proficient with several weapons like longswords, twin katanas, and axes.
----
Scorpion knocks Sub-Zero down.
Dan Forden: Toasty!
----
Wiz: Scorpion's weaponry and combat prowess were put to the ultimate test by the legendary Lin Kuei warrior Bi-Han, AKA Sub-Zero.
Wiz: And things didn't go so well for our yellow-clad ninja. Next thing he knew, Scorpion was waking up in the Netherrealm.
Boomstick: More commonly known as Hell. Bet you wished you listened to Dad now, then maybe you could have ended up in a happier place, with your murdered wife and kid. Oh yeah, they're dead, too.
Wiz: Enraged at Sub-Zero for apparently killing all he'd sworn to protect, Scorpion scored a second chance striking a deal with the sorcerer Quan Chi. In exchange for his loyalty, Scorpion was resurrected as a phantom of the Netherrealm.
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Scorpion teleports out of the ground, lands, and engulfs himself in flames.
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Boomstick: And being reborn as a demon of vengeance has its perks. Scorpion can now teleport, summon fire at will, and create portals in and out of the Netherrealm he was spawned from, literally dragging others to Hell! Whilst there, his plus ones can enjoy such tourist locations as Lava Pit and witness the corpse-burning celebration called the "Festival of Torture". Fun times!
Wiz: The Netherrealm is the source of Scorpion's demonic power and his strength rises simply by his being there.
Boomstick: Scorpion is so vicious he can perform no fewer than thirteen different Fatalities.
Wiz: He can rip a person's head from their body, spine included...
Boomstick: That's not something you just do, that's art right there.
Wiz: ...rip off his mask to show his true face...
Boomstick: AAAAAH, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!?!
Wiz: ...and score a kill by transforming into a, well, giant scorpion, of course. Or a penguin.
Boomstick: Wait, WHAT?!
Wiz: And although Scorpion was far from the most powerful combatant in the Mortal Kombat tournament, he has defeated lethal warriors across multiple worlds. He's conquered sorcerers, demons, cyborgs, and eventually avenged his death by incinerating Bi-Han in the Netherrealm.
Boomstick: But it turns out that that Sub-Zero guy was kind of innocent. The man actually responsible for the death of his family was Quan Chi. You know, that guy he swore himself to and has been working for this whole time? Man, Scorpion's kinda like the Charlie Brown of Mortal Kombat.
----
Quan Chi knocks Scorpion down a flight of stairs.
----
Wiz: As penance for his mistake, Scorpion dedicated his life after death to protecting the late Sub-Zero's younger brother... Sub-Zero.
Boomstick: Though he still found time for shooting three's, hitting homers, and hosting his own cooking show!
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VO: This week on "Cooking with Scorpion", learn about chopping! (Caption: Yes...this is real...)
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Boomstick: Yeah, I'm not gonna trust anything that guy makes. Does he even eat anymore?
Wiz: Aside from his weakness for the culinary arts, Scorpion's win-loss record is not as intimidating as you might think. But consider the outrageous scope of his competition.
Boomstick: Any way you look at it, it's tough to be much more of a badass then a fire-breathing skeleton ninja from Hell.
----
Scorpion: I am Scorpion, vengeance will be mine!
----
==Prelude==
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set. Let's end this debate once and for all!
Boomstick: But first, wanna win the original script for this episode signed my Wiz and myself?
Wiz: Use the widget link below to choose the fighter you think will prevail and you'll automatically be entered to win.
Boomstick: And now, IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLEEE!!!
==Death Battle==
Ryu is seen standing in a mountainous location, when suddenly, a voice calls out to him.
Scorpion: Get over here!
Ryu catches the kunai spear flying at him.
Ryu: Can't fool me!
He then pulls Scorpion into the area.
Ryu: Come on!
Scorpion teleports to Ryu which he blocks. He tries landing a flurry of punches but Ryu avoids them. Ryu punches Scorpion in the skull and knocks him over. Ryu tries punching Scorpion while he's on the ground but Scorpion teleports right before he does so.
Scorpion: Come here!
Scorpion tries once again to catch Ryu with his kunai spear, but Ryu deflects the attack with his Hadouken, knocking it back at Scorpion. He then teleports before the Hadouken can hit him. Teleporting behind Ryu, Scorpion then punches Ryu in the face, disorienting him. While Ryu is dizzy, Scorpion summons a katana and attempts to slice him. But, before he can do so, Ryu wakes up and dodges the sword slashes, subsequently kicking Scorpion in the face with his Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, uppercutting him with a Shouryuken, then kicking him off the mountain with the Joudan Sokutougeri. Scorpion is on his knees. Ryu lands on his feet in front of him.
Ryu: Can you stand up after that?
When Scorpion does not answer, Ryu slowly begins approaching him.
Ryu: I'll finish this!
Ryu throws out a punch, which Scorpion suddenly catches to Ryu's surprise.
Scorpion: YOU WILL JOIN ME IN HELL!
Scorpion drags Ryu close and opens a portal to the Netherrealm, dragging them both into it.
In the Netherrealm, Ryu and Scorpion face off again. Ryu smiles at his opponent.
Ryu: Hmmm, this is some fight!
Scorpion lets loose with a ball of Hellfire, but Ryu counters with his Hadouken. Scorpion suddenly teleports behind Ryu and kicks him in the back. He then begins alternating back and forth with teleportation attacks, landing blows and sword slashes. He brings Ryu to his knees panting. However, Ryu bites down on the pain and warns Scorpion.
Ryu: Neither of us has reached our full potential!
Scorpion: As if that matters!
Then Hellfire bursts under Ryu trying to burn him to death as Scorpion laughs. Suddenly, a voice calls out to him.
Ryu: It's not over!
Ryu starts tapping into the power of the Satsui no Hado as his clothes start growing darker.
Ryu's transformation to Evil Ryu is complete.
Evil Ryu: Surprised?
Scorpion fires off another ball of Hellfire, but Evil Ryu simply punches it away.
Evil Ryu: I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I'M MADE OF!
Evil Ryu leaps forward and delivers several aerial Hadoukens. Scorpion dodges them but Evil Ryu lands on top of him, pinning him down. Using a Hellfire kick, Scorpion knocks Evil Ryu away and charges in with his sword. Evil Ryu breaks the sword with his hands and warns Scorpion.
Evil Ryu: Don't expect mercy!
Ryu lets loose with a brutal combination, including the Tatsumaki Zankukyaku, and the Shin-Shoryuken. However, Scorpion still gets up from that pummeling. Ryu's eyes glows as he teleports forward to finish off his opponent.
Evil Ryu: GOTCHA!
Evil Ryu then try to use the Raging Demon technique, but Scorpion easily teleports out of the way, and ends up behind Evil Ryu. Scorpion takes off his mask, revealing his skull as he tries his Toasty Fatality on Evil Ryu. Evil Ryu dodges it, and the two exchange blows again. Scorpion catches Evil Ryu with an uppercut, and using his Rope Spear, knocks Evil Ryu back and forth three times with a Juggling Combo. ending with a Hellfire blast that knocks Evil Ryu back again. Evil Ryu bounces away, then reverts back to normal Ryu as the Satsu no Hado is spent. Panting hard, Ryu focuses all of his remaining power while on his knees.
Ryu: Concentrate... I will NOT succumb to evil!
Ryu attains the Power of Nothingness, as Scorpion slowly approaches to finish Ryu off. Ryu focuses his power as he prepares to let loose one final blast. His eyes glowing, Ryu lets off one final warning to his foe.
Ryu: I walk the path of the true warrior. THIS IS THE POWER OF MANKIND! SHINKU-HADOUKEN!
Ryu fires the Shinku Hadouken at Scorpion, who makes no attempt to evade or block it. He is engulfed in the attack and is reduced to a standing, charred skeleton. Ryu falls to his knees, totally spent.
Ryu: I walk a path... with no end.
Suddenly, Scorpion's skeleton starts moving again, shocking Ryu. Engulfing himself in Hellfire, Scorpion angrily yells at his opponent:
Scorpion: I will crush your bones!
With that said, he fires a stream of Hellfire at the completely exhausted Ryu, who can only look on in shock as he is incinerated by the attack, reducing him to ashes. Scorpion then laughs victoriously.
Scorpion then turns into a penguin and lays an egg, which proceeds to explode and destroy Ryu's remains.
==Results==
Boomstick: I'm no chef, but that looks a bit overcooked.
Wiz: Ryu's Satsui no Hado and the Power of Nothingness were incredibly powerful, but raw power alone is not enough to destroy Scorpion.
Boomstick: Yet, Scorpion's advantage of already being dead didn't make this a cakewalk. In fact, Ryu had a perfect way to permanently end Scorpion: the soul-killing Raging Demon. But he could avoid the instant murder move, thanks to his awesome ninja skills and teleportation.
Wiz: Not to mention Ryu has very little experience actually using the Raging Demon anyway. But, most importantly, Scorpion's strength increases the longer he remains in the Netherrealm, with no defining limit. Once trapped in hell with Scorpion, Ryu stood little chance in the long run.
Boomstick: Zero chance if Scorpion just upped and teleported him into a pool of lava, which he could totally do! Scorpion was just too hot to handle.
We cut to the "Winner" card.
Wiz: The winner is Scorpion.
==Trivia==
===Production===
*The core connections between Ryu and Scorpion are that they are both two of the most iconic characters in fighting game history and mascots of their series. Both are skilled martial artists who utilize pyrokinetic abilities and are renowned for a famous phrase in gameplay ("Hadouken!" and "Get over here!", respectively). In addition:
**Both were initially and primarily motivated by revenge against a fellow martial artist (Akuma and Sub-Zero, respectively) who they believed to be responsible for the death of someone important to them (Ryu's master Gouken and Scorpion's family and clan).
**Both have a history of being unwitting pawns for their adversaries (Ryu was briefly brainwashed by M. Bison and Scorpion was deceived by Quan Chi) but later came to change their ways to fight for more noble causes and defend their worlds from evil forces. 
**Both would become the mentor of a young martial artist who would adopt a similar fighting style to them (Sakura Kasugano and Takeda Takahashi, respectively).
*A few of Ryu's voice clips came from Dragon Ball's Gohan, as he was also voiced by Kyle Hebert.
*Several of Scorpion's lines come from his clash quotes in Injustice, but were taken straight from game footage instead of the audio files, evidenced by how the clash music is faintly audible when Scorpion says the lines.
*This episode was originally planned to air early in Season 1 as part of the original planned 26 episodes.User blog:CrossoverKing96/Road to 100 (Archive) Haggar vs Zangief
*Back when One Minute Melee was still hosted on the ScrewAttack channel and considered a spin-off of Death Battle, its Scorpion VS Ghost Rider episode would continue on from the continuity of this episode, showing that Scorpion defeated Ken Masters after the latter tried getting vengeance for Ryu, but Scorpion would be attacked and defeated by Ghost Rider before he could finish off Ken.
*Starting from this episode, combatants have previews of their analyses posted before the full episode releases.
===Other===
*This is the seventh Fighting Game-themed episode, after Akuma VS Shang Tsung, Felicia VS Taokaka, Chun-Li VS Mai Shiranui, Shao Kahn VS M. Bison, Ivy VS Orchid, and Fulgore VS Sektor, and with the next nine being Ragna VS Sol Badguy, Cammy VS Sonya, Ken VS Terry, Sub-Zero VS Glacius, Balrog VS TJ Combo, Ryu VS Jin, Sabrewulf VS Jon Talbain, Heihachi Mishima VS Geese Howard, and Akuma VS Shao Kahn.
*This is the third Mortal Kombat VS Street Fighter-themed episode, after Akuma VS Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn VS M. Bison, and with the next two being Cammy VS Sonya and Akuma VS Shao Kahn.
**This is the second time Mortal Kombat wins, after Shao Kahn VS M. Bison, and with the next two being Cammy VS Sonya and Akuma VS Shao Kahn.
*This is the fifth Hero VS Anti-Hero-themed episode, after Ivy VS Orchid, Terminator VS RoboCop, Godzilla VS Gamera, and Tigerzord VS Gundam Epyon, and with the next 18 being Kirby VS Majin Buu, Gaara VS Toph, Flash VS Quicksilver, Tracer VS Scout, Deadpool VS Pinkie Pie, Ryu VS Jin, Samurai Jack VS Afro Samurai, Aquaman VS Namor, The Seven Battle Royale, Sabrewulf VS Jon Talbain, Hulk VS Broly, Shadow VS Ryuko, Thor VS Vegeta, Excalibur VS Raiden, James Bond VS John Wick, Killua VS Misaka, Cole MacGrath VS Alex Mercer, and Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor.
**This is the third time that the Anti-Hero wins, after Godzilla VS Gamera and Tigerzord VS Gundam Epyon, and with the next three being The Seven Battle Royale, Hulk VS Broly, and Shadow VS Ryuko.
*This is the first episode where a combatant sends their opponent to their turf (via Scorpion teleporting himself and Ryu into the Netherrealm), with the next six being Flash VS Quicksilver, Thanos VS Darkseid, Iron Fist VS Po, Korra VS Storm, Trunks VS Silver, and Phoenix VS Raven.
*This is the first episode to have either its Rooster Teeth or YouTube release date land on Halloween night, with the next two being Sabrewulf VS Jon Talbain and Jason Voorhees VS Michael Myers.
*This is the second episode to have a Next Time trailer for an episode that wouldn't end up being next (as Kirby VS Majin Buu's delays led to Deadpool VS Deathstroke taking its place), after Godzilla VS Gamera, and with the next one being Venom VS Crona.
*This is the second episode to have an Antagonist defeat a Protagonist, after Godzilla VS Gamera, and with the next nine being Joker VS Sweet Tooth, Hulk VS Doomsday, Sephiroth VS Vergil, Gray VS Esdeath, Hulk VS Broly, DIO VS Alucard, Harley Quinn VS Jinx, Black Adam VS Apocalypse, and Bill Cipher VS Discord.
*WatchMojo.com ranked this episode at #7 on their "Top 10 Screw Attack: Death Battle Episodes" list.
*As of 2024, putting "Joudan Sokutogeri" into Google Translate translates it to "Joke speed and diarrhea" instead of "And diarrhea joke foot".
==References==
Category:Death Battles
Category:Season 2 episodes
Category:Street Fighter episodes
Category:Mortal Kombat episodes
Category:Animated Sprite battles
Category:Fights animated by Zack
Category:'Rivalry' themed Death Battles
Category:'East VS West' themed Death Battles
Category:'Mortal Kombat VS Street Fighter' themed Death Battles
Category:'Fighting Game' themed Death Battles
Category:'Hero VS Anti-Hero' themed Death Battles
Category:'Video Games' themed Death Battles
Category:'Mascots' themed Death Battles
Category:'Protagonists' themed Death Battles
Category:'80s VS 90s' themed Death Battles
Category:'Capcom VS Warner Bros.' themed Death Battles
Category:Halloween episodes
Category:'Protagonist VS Antagonist' themed Death Battles