Balrogs (Lord of the Rings)

==Summary==
Balrogs, or Balrogath ("Balrog-kind"), were Maiar corrupted by Morgoth either before or after the creation of Arda. The Balrogs are great fire spirits, who cloak themselves in shadow and flame and carry whips and swords. Famed Balrogs include Gothmog, slain by Ecthelion, and Durin's Bane, slain by Olórin (Gandalf).
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: , possibly , likely far higher | 
Key: Within the confines of Eä | Prior to entering Eä
Origin: Lord of the Rings
Classification: Ainu, Fallen Maia, "Demon(s) of the Ancient World," Valaraukar
Age: Existed before the creation of time
Powers and Abilities: 
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|-|Within the confines of Eä= 
Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Flight, Powers and Resistances of the Ainur (Common Abilities and Resistances from "Within the confines of Eä"), Regeneration (Low-Godly), Immortality (Types 1, 3 and 4), Shapeshifting, Size Alteration, Elemental Manipulation, Fire Manipulation, Weather and Lightning Manipulation (Durin's Bane created a massive thunderstorm during his fight with Gandalf the Grey), Magma Manipulation, Empathic Manipulation (The Ainur can create joy and, by extension, sorrow), Transmutation, Precognition, Invulnerability (The Ainur are immune from harm via conventional weaponry, as seen when, upon unlocking more of his divine power, Gandalf became invulnerable), Resistance to Death Manipulation (In Lord of the Rings the land of the dead is a real tangible place, Mandos, and can be affected and exited. Ainur don't go there upon death, rather becoming spirits until the regenerate. The only way to keep them there is if they are physically brought there and held by physical might), Intangibility and Incorporeality (At the very least in spirit form), Analytical Prediction, Acausality (Type 2; Changes to the past or future are unable to affect the "Music in being", otherwise referred to as the present)Morgoth's Ring: PART FIVE. III. as a verse-wide ability. Resistance to Mind Manipulation (The barrier of Unwill within every individual mind prevents mental penetration by even the likes of Sauron without consent.)The Nature of Middle-Earth, Part Two: Body, Mind, and Spirit, IX ÓSANWE-KENTA. and Soul Manipulation (Soul with free-will are considered indestructible)Letters of Tolkien: Letter 211 due to verse-wide resistances
|-|Prior to entering Eä=
Powers and Resistances of the Ainur (Common Abilities and Resistances from "Prior to entering Eä"), Resistance to Mind Manipulation and Soul Manipulation due to verse-wide resistances.
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Attack Potency: Small City level (By successfully causing enough pain to Ungoliant that she was forced to flee, the Balrogs should scale above Morgoth's scream, which Ungoliant withstood point blank)Silmarillion: Chapter 9 OF THE FLIGHT OF THE NOLDOR, possibly Mountain level, likely far higher (Balrogs are considered to be most dreadful and powerful of the Fallen Maiar across the Tolkien's Legendarium.Silmarillion: VALAQUENTAMorgoth's Ring: PART FIVE. Text X Thus, they should be stronger to the dark spirits that were capable of destroying the Moon over an unquantifiable amount of time)Silmarillion: Chapter 11 OF THE SUN AND MOON AND THE HIDING OF VALINOR, can ignore conventional durability with Soul Manipulation (Ainur can directly influence the fëar/soul to attack it directly)The Nature of Middle-Earth, Part Two: Body, Mind and Spirit, XIII SpiritSilmarillion: AINULINDALËMorgoth's Ring: Notes on motives in the Silmarillion (iii) | Low Complex Multiverse level (The Ainur, as described by Eru, are considered to be powerful and genuine entities, being capable of shaking the Timeless Voids as a result of their strife during the Music of the Ainur. As beings that exist in a realm beyond the world depicted in The Lord of the Rings, the Ainur perceive the space-time of Eä as a lower and secondary plane of existence, with them dwelling alongside Eru within the Timeless Halls, a higher and more primary level of existence), can ignore conventional durability with Soul Manipulation
Speed: Supersonic+ to High Hypersonic, Immeasurable when discarding his physical form (The Ainur are still capable of travelling at any speeds they desired, being able to instantly appear anywhere they desired within Eä and exploring the past at will. However, the future is something they can only explore so far as the design was made clear to them during the Music)Morgoth's Ring: PART FIVE. Text XIThe Nature of Middle-Earth: Part Two, XIV The Visible Forms of the Valar and Maiar | Immeasurable (In their origin, the Ainur were unbound by space-time, and were capable of exploring both the past and future with their movements)Morgoth's Ring: PART FIVE. Text XI
Lifting Strength: Likely Class T (The Ainur shaped the world, including the mountains. In the Anulindalë, Morgoth pulled down mountain ranges made by other Ainur, some of whom were possibly comparable the Balrogs) | Immeasurable
Striking Strength: Small City level, possibly Mountain level, likely far higher | Low Complex Multiverse level 
Durability: Small City level, possibly Mountain level, likely far higher | Low Complex Multiverse level 
Stamina: Superhuman (The bodies of the Ainur are described as being akin to clothing which they can discard at will. Balrogs such as Durin's Bane have fought for days) | Infinite
Range: Extended Melee Range with swords and whips, Unknown with other abilities | Low Complex Multiversal
Standard Equipment: Blazing swords and whips
Intelligence: Extraordinary Genius (While the intelligence of the Balrogs is never explored in detail, as Maiar they should be somewhat comparable to the likes of a limited Istar like Radagast who is considered to be much less wise than Gandalf or Saruman as Istari.Unfinished Tales, Part Four: II, The Istari As Radagast was considered one of "The Wise" despite being an intellectual lesser to his peers, this should make them comparable to a being who can accurately deduce the future with knowledge and experience alone. Durin's Bane in particular was capable of matching Gandalf in a magical duel with counter-spells that "nearly broke" him.The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter 5 The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm) | Possibly Nigh-Omniscient (The Ainur acted as the origin to all that which existed within Eä, having sung all the concepts which constitute the world during the Anulindalë. However, Eru himself withheld some knowledge about his creation from the Ainur)
Weaknesses: Water of sufficient volumes will douse their flames, though it's unknown if this has much effect on them beyond this | None notable
Notable Attacks/Techniques: Like all Ainur, the Balrogs have access to a wide range of dangerous powers, mostly related to the elements. 
*Throng of flame: The Balrogs can create throngs of flame to entrap and burn their enemies. One of them used this strategy to ensure the victory of Gothmog over Fingon.
*Powers of the Ainur: As Maia, Balrogs has access to wide variety of potent and devastating supernatural abilities, for the Ainur were created as elemental spirits, and each have divine authority and absolute control over a certain aspect of nature. Each and every one of the Ainur is also able to manipulate magical energies and reality to serve their needs, and take any form they wish, even intangible and non-corporeal spiritual forms. 
**Elemental manipulation: The Balrogs were demons of flame and darkness first and foremost, wielding fire and shadow the defeat their opponents. Once this flame was banished, however, they appeared to become monsters of slime.
**Foresight/Hindsight: The Ainur can see the past and the future (Though the latter is fallible). However, whether the Balrogs ever used it was unconfirmed.
**Empathy: The Ainur are surrounded by an a powerful aura, which can affect those around them, bringing joy and presumably sorrow to those near him: "In Beleriand King Thingol upon his throne was as the lords of the Maiar, whose power is at rest, whose joy is as an air that they breathe in all their days, whose thought flows in a tide untroubled from the heights to the deeps."
**Shapeshifting: As Ainur, it was highly likely that the Balrogs possessed the famous Ainur ability to transform and reshape the form of one's body, appearing in whatever form he desired (Though there is a chance they lost it after enough time as Morgoth's lieutenants). They can also appear as inanimate objects, such as when Yavanna appeared as a tree.
**Spirit form: As one of the Ainur, it is highly likely that the Balrogs had the ability to cast off their physical form like a snake shedding its skin, and take on intangible and non-corporeal spiritual forms. In this spiritual state, the Ainur can travel forward and backward in time (Though they are unable to affect the future or the past, only see it). Of the Ainur's spirit forms and precognitive powers this was said:
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Losses:
Inconclusive:
==References==
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