This is Fighting Robots (Season 1.5)/Episode 3

This is Fighting Robots title card

**Episode 3 of *This is Fighting Robots*** originally aired on April 27 2018. It featured the first six fights of the **Freestyle Combat** stage - forming the opening rounds of the main competition - allowing robots to score points for their celebrity-lead teams in battle.

An English-subtitled version premiered on the Mech+ streaming service on December 2 2022.

## Competing robots

* 008
* Cat King
* Blue
* Bonfire
* Eater
* Fango
* Golden Hoops
* Greedy Snake
* Green Agate
* Griffin Mk II
* Lieutenant Bam
* Megabyte
* Mr Hippo
* Ninja
* ORBY Blade
* Red River Hong
* Saber II
* Saturn
* Shrederator Tiger Claw
* Tánshè
* Tungsten
* Weber

## Freestyle Combat

### Rules

As established at the end of the previous episode, the main competition began with the **Freestyle Combat** stage, involving two points-scoring rounds between robots from all four managers.

The first round involved a robot being sent into the arena by a 'start-up' manager, with Zhang Yishan (Blue team) being the first to be nominated as such in Episode 2. The remaining managers had the choice to opt in or out of any given match, allowing for the possibility of head-to-heads as well as three or four-way melees. Battles could be won through immobilizing opponents by knockout - either by inflicting direct damage or throwing them out of the arena - or on a Judges' decision if more than one robot lasted the full three minutes.

Under most circumstances, the winning robot/team would receive one point for their victory. If no-one else other than the 'start-up' manager chose to fight, the team corresponding with the 'start-up' manager would automatically be awarded one point as well.

After each Freestyle battle, the preceding 'start-up' manager would be required to nominate another out of the remaining three celebrities.

By the end of the first round, the team manager with the fewest points scored would be forced to eliminate three robots from their line-up. Third-place finishers would have two eliminated; runners-up one; while the top-scoring manager would have their roster unaffected.

The second round had each of the teams' scores reset and followed a near-identical structure. The only difference from the first round concerned the 'start-up' manager selection, which would be chosen by the manager previously assigned as the 'start-up'.

## Round 1

### Eater vs Fango vs Green Agate vs Shrederator Tiger Claw

This battle was the first in which the floor flipper (Mech+: **ejection board**, **ejecting board** or **ejector**) and flame jet (Mech+: **fire pit**) hazards were made active. Control of these was given to 'start-up' manager Zhang Yishan (Blue), who was instructed to test the mechanisms for each before the match began.
A short pre-battle montage showed Ian Watts and his team lifting Eater off its carrying cradle, and members of Team LOGICOM advising one of the referees not to power up Shrederator Tiger Claw. Zheng Shuang (Green) offered to assist Chen Hang in moving Green Agate to the corner of the arena, helping him to push the 110kg machine across the perimeter.

"*Maybe she thought I was too lonely by myself so she came to help. After all this, I'm very grateful to her.*"
— Chen Hang, over clips of Zheng Shuang helping to push Green Agate to the arena corner

Hang explained to Shuang the positioning of Green Agate - allowing its power switches to be accessed from behind the side wall - with Shuang attempting to build his confidence prior to the melee.

"*"I think you have special fortune." I never asked her what this special fortune is referring to. This seems like a myth. But she kept on insisting on this idea.*"
— Cheng Hang, over clips of Zheng Shuang helping to push Green Agate to the arena corner

Immediately, Green Agate darted towards the main part of Eater, but missed and drove straight into one of the spinning maces. Capitalizing on the green machine’s mistake, Eater proceeded to hit the side of Green Agate, the impact knocking the latter into a spin.

**Xiao Cang**: "*This spider's movement is adorable!*"
**Wang Tao**: "*Fango is totally enjoying its stroll.*"
— Commentary as emphasis is placed on Fango's sluggish start (Mech+ subtitles)

Great emphasis was made beforehand on the slow-moving Fango, whose walking movements charmed Xiao Cang and the audience. This briefly lead into a sequence of humorously-edited clips, depicting the robot taking a 'stroll' through a virtual cityscape.

Meanwhile, Shrederator Tiger Claw inched back and forth while trying to spin up, momentarily allowing Eater’s multibot to harry it. The American shell spinner eventually attacked Green Agate, and initially pursued the latter as Eater and Fango hit each other with their spinning weapons. Shederator Tiger Claw proceeded to hit Eater twice, seconds before the British machine began attacking Fango’s legs. While this happened, Green Agate lingered near the far wall, which Cheng Hang revealed was a deliberate attempt to conserve his machine against his more potent opposition.

**Xiao Cang**: "*Green Agate is relaxing on the side.*"
**Wang Tao**: "*Is this the Green Agate's strategy?*"
— Green Agate's passiveness is noted

Shederator Tiger Claw and Eater continued to attack Fango and each other while Green Agate rejoined the fight. One powerful blow from Shrederator Tiger Claw sent Eater spinning across the arena into the wall spikes on the far side. Agate proceeded to drive into one of Eater’s spinners, deflecting its opponent into Shrederator Tiger Claw. This pincer movement sent Eater spinning towards the left-most maces, also causing it to lose one of its weapon belts.

"*Nice one!*"
— Sa Beining as Shrederator Tiger Claw throws Eater aside

Moments later, Shrederator Tiger Claw hit Green Agate again, this time ripping a chunk of its front armor out and leaving it immobile on one side. This succession of attacks stoked Sa Beining (Yellow) as he yelled out in support of Team LOGICOM's shell spinner.

Moments later, the main part of Eater surrounded Fango, proceeding to rip off one of the Australian robot’s claws (erroneously mentioned by Xiao Cang as a 'leg') with its remaining bar spinner. As the main part of Eater survived another attack from Shrederator Tiger Claw, the smaller part got underneath and pushed Fango around in circles. However, it inadvertently drove forwards onto one of the ejection boards, which Zhang Yishan activated to toss the multibot into the nearby wall spikes.

"*[Eater] and Tiger Claw are in a chaotic tangle. [Shrederator Tiger Claw] keeps attacking with its spinning skill.*"
— Xiao Cang as Eater tries to absorb more repeated attacks from Shrederator Tiger Claw

Meanwhile, Shrederator Tiger Claw attacked the main part of Eater several more times, breaking the latter’s remaining weapon belt in the process. It proceeded to push, damage and deflect the main part of Eater away, leaving it immobilized, before twice slamming into the smaller part, ripping one of its wheels off with the second hit. These attacks eliminated Eater as a whole, although the main robot would occasionally regain mobility later on.

Shrederator Tiger Claw proceeded to make a charge at the partially immobile Green Agate – however, Zhang Yishan activated the other ejection board as the American competitor drove over it. This threw Shrederator Tiger Claw into one of the mace mounts, the impact causing it to ricochet into Green Agate. In turn, Shrederator Tiger Claw tore Green Agate's front and top armor open, also succeeding in ripping the latter's onboard camera off its mount. The attack left Green Agate completely immobilized, resulting in its elimination via knockout.

"*I'll hang in there. Other robots moved towards me to hit me, but only Tiger Claw came flying from the sky to hit me on the head. My goodness! I wasn't expecting this tragedy.*"
— Cheng Hang, on Shrederator Tiger Claw immobilizing Green Agate from mid-air

Shrederator Tiger Claw spent the remainder of the battle hitting Fango several more times, causing extensive damage to the shufflebot’s legs, although both machines still survived to a Judges’ decision. Zhang Yishan revealed his satisfaction with the opening melee, particularly his operation of the ejection boards and Fango's durability. Sa Beining remarked that Fango should apply for *This is Street Dance*, prompting a humorous cutaway referencing another Youku competition show.

"*I'm entirely satisfied with the first round of fight. My Fango is incredibly robust. To me, it's... just such a great thing. On top of that, I helped it during the competition.*"
— Zhang Yishan

As the Judges consulted each other on the impending verdict, Chen Hang and Zheng Shuang assessed the damage inflicted to Green Agate. It was revealed by Sa Beining that the robot's battery had fallen out as a result of the impacts it took, with Shuang attempting to bend one of Green Agate's panels back into shape as the machine was being loaded onto its carrying cradle. Hang dispelled Shuang's concern that he was upset with the outcome, instead expressing his 'relief' at a potentially early exit. However, he similarly expressed hopes that Green Agate's fellow teammates would put on stronger performances and thus increase the Green team's chances of scoring points.

"*Being eliminated means a big relief. I will just say to this pile of trash, "Bye, I'm going home." If I don't get eliminated, then I still have the chance to fight in the battle field, which is really my passion. But, it's really a big ugly mess in front of my eyes. I... have a lot to do. I need to repair it, which is giving me a headache.*"
— Chen Hang weighs up his options concerning the damaged Green Agate (Mech+ subtitles)

Ultimately, the Judges' decision ruled in favor of Shrederator Tiger Claw, earning it and Sa Beining's team the first point. This, in turn, justified Beining's decision to select the Team LOGICOM machine at the end of Episode 2, in which he believed that it would give him this precise advantage early on in the Freestyle Combat rounds. Zhang Yishan, nevertheless, remained satisfied with his team's performance thus far while Xiao Cang praised his 'handling' as start-up manager.

"*I think Shrederator should fight every fight. The first is just the beginning...*"
— Brian Nave on Shrederator Tiger Claw’s debut victory

Unseen in much of the broadcast edit, Shrederator Tiger Claw pushed Fango around the arena for the final thirty seconds, as a result of its weapon motors burning out. However, this moment was still referenced by Sa Beining before the second battle; Beining revealing that it potentially resulted from the moment Shrederator Tiger Claw was catapulted by the floor ejector.

"*Ps: thank goodness they edited out the ~ 30 seconds of us pushing things around because we lost spin. Burnt out 4 long mags in two days :) expensive...*"
— Team LOGICOM on Reddit

**Winner: Shrederator Tiger Claw (Sa Beining, 1 point)**

### ORBY Blade vs Saber II vs Tánshè

#### Start-up Manager Draw

As per the Freestyle Combat rules, Zhang Yishan was required to nominate a new 'start-up' manager for this battle. Sa Beining was suggested as Yishan's nominee, though Wu Chun was adamant at preventing a repeat of Shrederator Tiger Claw's victory. Beining, mentioning the latter's late weapon issues, emphasized the importance of the next 'start-up' being able to co-operate with teammates and utilize the available arena hazards well. Ultimately, Yishan chose Beining, a decision Chun agreed with.

Beining issued the challenge by selecting Saber II, which was considered a 'well-rounded' choice by Brian Nave and the captain of Golden Hoops. Yishan, however, ruled himself out of the match on the principle of not wanting to waste any of his existing machines against the capable flipper of Saber II. Numerous roboteers from the Blue team were dismayed by the decision, with Alan Gubiev reiterating their need to participate and score.

Meanwhile, Zheng Shuang and Wu Chun took the challenge, submitting Tánshè and ORBY Blade into what would become a three-way melee. Shuang's decision made Sa Beining fearful, the latter aware of its successful run in *King of Bots* Season 1. Roboteers including Gabriel Stroud and Zheng Jianfeng were especially pleased with this draw; Jianfeng boasting about the weapon power of the debuting South Korean bar spinner. Footage of ORBY Blade destroying a toilet in the test arena was shown, as Chun revealed that he placed his hopes on it scoring, and thus building the Red team's confidence.

"*What a great choice! Our robot can defeat them both right from the start! Two of you guys combined can't even handle our violent attacks!*"
— Zheng Jianfeng touts ORBY Blade's weapon ahead of the second Freestyle battle

During the arena introduction sequence, Sa Beining posed with the Excalibur team upon entry to their control area, wielding the sword used to represent Saber II.

#### Combat

As the battle got underway, ORBY Blade attempted to accelerate its spinning bar, although it was chased down by Saber II and Tánshè. In the process, Tánshè drove under Saber II, and ORBY Blade made weapon contact with Saber II, making Saber II fire its flipper at thin air. ORBY Blade charged up its weapon, and struck the side of Tánshè, but caused little damage and deflected into the ground, where ORBY Blade's weapon threw sparks. However, the weapon survived, and reached top speed while Tánshè and Saber II evaded it, the latter still slowly retracting its flipper after another mistimed flip. ORBY Blade closed in on the wedge of Tánshè, but this contact threw ORBY Blade into the air, causing it to lose one of its side skirts upon landing.

This hit left ORBY Blade vulnerable, and Tánshè swept under it to take ORBY Blade to the corner of the arena, and threw it over the wall, instantly defeating it. Tánshè then caught a reversing Saber II, and pushed it along the wall while underneath its wedge. Saber II broke free, but could not flee from the quicker Tánshè machine, which pressured Saber II towards the opposite corner of the arena. Tánshè lunged Saber II into the air, with the Excalibur team machine landing squarely between the upper wall and the flip-out zone.

**Xuan Yuan Wen Chen**: "*This is my idol.*"
**Sa Beining**: "*Who cares about your idol! At this time, even if the opponent is Michael Jordan, you still have to fight!*"
— The Excalibur team and Sa Beining respond to Saber II's wall-stranding

This was considered to be a second instant knockout, awarding Tánshè victory in a battle lasting under a minute. Team Legion and Zheng Shuang shared their jubilation in the immediate post-battle sequences, the latter both awed and 'scared' by Tánshè's power along with the fast-paced nature of the fight. Sa Beining was glad to know that Saber II emerged relatively undamaged, maintaining that he was using it as 'bait', while Wu Chun praised Tánshè for its superior driving.

"*That was just for you!*"
— Gabriel Stroud to Zheng Shuang

**Winner: Tánshè (Zheng Shuang, 1 point)**

### Greedy Snake vs Mr Hippo vs Lieutenant Bam vs Tungsten

#### Start-up Manager Draw

As incumbent 'start-up' manager, Sa Beining revealed to David and Wang Cong that he gauged audience responses towards selecting Zhang Yishan and Zheng Shuang, both of which were received negatively. After Beining jokingly put himself up for re-selection - ironically, to the audience's appraisal - Wu Chun revealed his intention to become the next 'start-up', hinting towards his use of the controllable arena hazards. This was duly agreed upon, and Chun was appointed as the third 'start-up' manager of this stage.

"*I'm actually pretty excited because I... haven't utilized my secret weapon yet.*"
— Wu Chun

The robot Chun selected was drum spinner Mr Hippo, which had been repaired following its earlier group battle performance and internal fire. Sa Beining smugly put himself forward, while Zhang Yishan rejoined the fray following his absence from the previous match. Zheng Shuang committed to her third consecutive match in this round, making a four-way melee once again.

"*It's the most sensible choice to let Tungsten join the battle. It's a very professional choice. She must have done her homework on this one.*"
— Chen Hang praises Zheng Shuang's decision to enter Tungsten

Greedy Snake (Yishan), Tungsten (Shuang) and Lieutenant Bam (Beining) completed the line-up. Tungsten's draw - giving Shuang a direct counter to Mr Hippo - was particularly praised by Dave Moulds and Chen Hang. Lieutenant Bam was also considered by Beining to be his most 'effective' selection, though others believed that it would succumb to Tungsten given the latter's *Robot Wars* pedigree.

Following robot introductions, Sa Beining proposed a pact with Wu Chun and Zheng Shuang to team up against Greedy Snake. This was out of Greedy Snake's 'snatch' weapon and prior success in *King of Bots*, which were considered major assets in its potential to succeed again in later rounds. In their exchange, Chun erroneously mentioned using Tánshè to throw Greedy Snake out of the arena, presumably in reference to Mr Hippo.

#### Combat

Tungsten and Mr Hippo immediately drove into each other, before the former bumped into one of the maces. Eventually, Greedy Snake got underneath and pushed Tungsten into the wall spikes, clamping and attempting to lift the British spinner with its weapon. In doing so, it lifted its rear wheels off and turned, momentarily letting go of Tungsten. Tungsten swung its axe as this happened, but was pushed into Mr Hippo and the wall spikes by Greedy Snake, which finally succeeded in grasping and lifting Tungsten off the floor.

Lieutenant Bam, meanwhile, slammed into the spikes while attempting to attack its opponents; Mr Hippo reversed and turned round, jostling Greedy Snake onto the spikes. This caused Greedy Snake to lose its grip on Tungsten and be left stranded on the spikes themselves, where it was quickly eliminated via knockout. Zhang Yishan was both shocked and disappointed by this outcome for his machine.

Mr Hippo bumped into Lieutenant Bam in the background; the former sustained an attack from Lieutenant Bam before Tungsten catapulted it across the arena perimeter. Despite hitting one of the nearby control area screens, Mr Hippo survived this blow, proceeding to throw Tungsten into the wall spikes with a powerful blow. Tungsten self-righted using its axe; moments later, it responded to Mr Hippo’s attack by inflicting several more hits to the Chinese machine’s drum. By this stage, Mr Hippo had been completely immobilized, allowing Lieutenant Bam to drive in and repeatedly hammer its top armor with its spiked club. In the main episode, Lieutenant Bam’s attacks were cited as the cause of Mr Hippo’s elimination.

The two UK machines continued to exchange attacks for the remainder of the battle; Lieutenant Bam approached and slammed its arm on top of Tungsten, only to drive up Tungsten’s front and be carried over by the latter’s flywheel. Lieutenant Bam landed upright as Tungsten hopped and turned into the flame jets. Tungsten’s flywheel stopped rotating by this point, while Lieutenant Bam momentarily drove head-on into the circular saws. Lieutenant Bam then proceeded to drive into Tungsten again, which began smoking and was momentarily left stationary, and hit it several more times with its arm until time ran out.

"*Nice job, Lieutenant Bam.*"
— Wang Cong, as the Judges' decision is announced

The resulting Judges’ decision ruled in favor of Lieutenant Bam, giving it and a delighted Sa Beining one point to the Yellow team. The performance of Harry Lloyd's machine's was praised by roboteers including Song Peng - who previously 'underestimated' its potential - while Dave Moulds and John Mladenik reiterated the damage inflicted by Tungsten throughout.

"*Tungsten did all the damage – this big army tank was still movin' and didn’t have any damage, so he wins the fight.*"
— Megabyte's John Mladenik on Lieutenant Bam’s victory

It was inferred at this stage that while Lieutenant Bam was considered to have survived intact, confusion arose amongst audience members surrounding the criteria for its victory. Wang Cong addressed the audience while getting the three Judges to share their reasoning.

The Judges' consensus was that while Tungsten 'performed well', Lieutenant Bam was deemed 'more effective' in terms of battle strategy and weapon usage. The latter's overhead club attacks were considered highly significant, especially once Lieutenant Bam began to batter Tungsten in the closing stages.

**Winner: Lieutenant Bam (Sa Beining, 1 point)**

### Golden Hoops vs Megabyte vs Saturn

#### Start-up Manager Draw

Following on from his victory with Lieutenant Bam, Beining again issued the challenge to his rival captains as 'start-up' manager. He thus entered translational drift spinner Golden Hoops - running in its original wide chassis configuration - into this round, to the jubilation of its team. Zheng Shuang and Zhang Yishan once again joined to form a three-way battle, dispatching full-body spinners Megabyte and Saturn respectively. Wu Chun, meanwhile, was content with abstaining from this match.

#### Pre-match Build-up

"*No one really knows how powerful Jingu Bang really is. Jingu Bang team is pretty sneaky. They came here to test the robot at 4 AM and invited everyone to come watch. Who the heck is gonna come here at 4AM to test a robot?*"
— Cheng Hang, referring to Golden Hoops' mysterious design and early morning tests (Mech+ subtitles)

The performance of Golden Hoops, which had been previously criticized by various American and Chinese roboteers, remained largely unknown at this point in the series. This was addressed by co-commentator Wang Tao - who looked forward to seeing it in action - and Cheng Hang, who revealed that its team arrived at filming in the very early morning for testing.

Prior to the battle starting, Beining – carrying a large pole painted to resemble Golden Hoops' main hammer configuration – discussed with his representing team about their chances of victory against Megabyte. Golden Hoops' captain assured Beining that they did not need to 'think' about facing the Robotic Destruction Company machine. Beining responded by telling the Golden Hoops team to 'keep our strength', a strategy refuted by the team as they were more committed to facing Megabyte at their machine's fullest potential. On his way to the control areas, Beining allowed a few audience members to briefly wield the hammer pole in unison.

#### Combat

**Wang Tao**: "*Why aren't Jingu Bang and Saturn moving?*"
**Xiao Cang**: "*Are they shocked by Megabyte's impressive combat power?*"
— The tentative opening moments (Mech+ subtitles)

In the opening moments, all three robots hesitated to attack each other as they got their spinning weapons up to speed. This was until Saturn charged straight into Megabyte, ripping one of the latter’s blades off. The collision also launched both robots into the air, sending them flying into the maces on opposite sides of the arena. Saturn bounced and spun around uncontrollably before coming to rest beside one of the floor ejectors. Although both of its weapons remained functional, a wire came loose inside Saturn, rendering its drive incapacitated and resulting in it being eliminated via knockout. Zhang Yishan felt especially sorrowful for his fallen machine, believing that Megabyte was 'too strong' for it to defeat.

"*If Megabyte is the grandmaster then Saturn is probably the grand-disaster.*"
— Wang Tao comments on Saturn's self-inflicted immobilization (Mech+ subtitles)

Moments later, a now-shaking Megabyte maneuvered across the arena and into a spinning Golden Hoops, sending the Chinese machine flying into a nearby mace. Flexing, Golden Hoops continued spinning, only for one of its hammers and motor modules to break free. This was considered to be a knockout-inducing moment onscreen, though the robot itself remained mobile.

"*Now it's getting mad, it's even hitting itself. Will Jingu Bang be dismantled?*"
— Wang Tao as a hammer/wheel module detaches from Golden Hoops (Mech+ subtitles, edited)

With part of its electronics severed, Golden Hoops bounced and spun uncontrollably towards the wall spikes, allowing Megabyte to drive into and throw it upwards once again. This attack - shown within a sequence ridiculing the Golden Hoops team's early confidence - was sufficient to immobilize Golden Hoops completely, and for Megabyte to emerge victorious.

"*Tragic. This round is way too tragic.*"
— Sa Beining

Sa Beining - ruing his unsuccessful attempt to secure Megabyte during the 'blind selection' process - considered the outcome 'tragic', personally thanking the Golden Hoops team as he returned to the viewing stage. Golden Hoops' captain was seen examining his damaged machine, while considering Megabyte's ' super fast speed' as the make takeaway to consider for future matches.

**Winner: Megabyte (Zheng Shuang, 1 point)**

### 008 vs Cat King vs Red River Hong vs Weber

#### Wu Chun's Strategizing Pause

During an interval between the fourth and fifth battles, the yet-winless Wu Chun requested a five-minute 'strategizing pause' in order to work out new tactics with his team. Zheng Jianfeng from Team Xiake believed at this stage that Chun was starting to feel anxious as a result of his predicament.

In a corridor between the viewing stage and pits complex, Chun was seen discussing strategies to counter the as-yet unchosen Spectre. Jiangfeng - accompanied by roboteers from the Red River Hong and Firefox teams - advised on Spectre's 'block' tactics, and recommended Chun to use a 'weaker' competitor in case he was chosen as the 'start-up' manager once more.

This segment also highlighted an apparent lack of cooperation between Zhang Yishan and his roboteers up to this point. The captain of Anchor and Shield - among the roboteers dismayed with his earlier decision to abstain - grew increasingly unhappy with the 'hopeless' state the Blue team were in, both in terms of communication and overall performance against rivals. Yishan, nevertheless, aimed to score his first win using his 'strength and judgement'.

#### Start-up Manager Draw

As the next 'start-up' decision process started, Sa Beining commented on Wu Chun's meeting, requesting to know what potential 'changes' could be expected from Chun going forward. Chun, in response, stated "I already know what I'm gonna do", forcing Beining to reject his initial plan to nominate him. Beining noted that Zheng Shuang had not yet been assigned as a 'start-up', and so nominated her on this basis.

Shuang immediately picked American vertical spinner Cat King, to the delight of Martin Mason and his teammates at Team Bad Kitty.

"*We're so excited that we finally get a chance to fight the other robots! We've been waiting... and now it's our turn!*"
— Martin Mason communicates his team's excitement at Cat King being selected

Sa Beining - level on points with Shuang at this point - duly followed, as did Wu Chun. Initially contemplating his decision, Zhang Yishan completed a full line-up, realizing the importance of this match to his competition chances. 008 (Beining), Weber (Yishan) and Red River Hong (Chun) were the remaining machines to join it in combat - the latter being considered by Chun as one of his strongest robots.

**Zhang Yishan**: "*I'm very confident with my Space Station. So, I feel that at this time, if we can have a victory, that's going to boost our team morale.*"
**Alan Gubiev (Weber/Space Station)**: "*He picked us, yeah, it was a good choice!*"
— Upon Weber being selected for the fifth Freestyle bout

#### Combat

008 did not initially leave its starting zone, spinning up its blade. Weber was more active, driving straight under and launching Cat King straight into the air. Upon landing, Cat King bounced off its own spinner, rebounding into a mace. Cat King was inverted, and attempted to drive into the mace voluntarily to put the robot back on its wheels. In doing so, however, the Team Bad Kitty machine had lost the use of its spinner, and could not self-right for some time. After performing a full somersault at one stage, Cat King eventually used the mace to kick itself back onto its wheels, reversing quickly from the hazard.

Meanwhile, Weber chased Red River Hong across the arena, but failed to catch it, and drove over an ejection board activated by Zheng Shuang which threw it over. The Russian machine self-righted with force, but threw itself onto its back again while 008 gave chase. In its attempts to self-right, Weber threw itself against the spiked wall, tumbling sideways back onto its wheels once again. Red River Hong then charged into 008 for a weapon-to-weapon collision, generating many sparks. Cat King threw Weber over, while 008 and Red River Hong crashed into each other's weapons once again, ripping armor segments off both machines.

Red River Hong had started smoking, but still smashed into 008 again regardless, ripping another armor panel from the Scottish undercutter. In another attack edited out of the televised broadcast, 008 struck the back end of Cat King, ripping a drive belt out from it. This rendered Cat King immobile on one side, though it was not officially considered to be knocked out at that point.

Zheng Shuang activated the fire pit jets as Red River Hong drove over them, while Weber started struggling for movement. The former left Red River Hong driving across the arena with a small internal fire, while 008 and Cat King were both propped up by the ramrods. This fire prompted Red River Hong to drive into the arena wall twice, with Wang Tao and Xiao Cang both questioning whether the fire had compromised its mobility and control.

From this precarious position, Red River Hong then drifted across the arena to slam into Weber. At this stage, 008 was not moving freely, and Weber burnt over the fire pit. With twenty seconds remaining, Red River Hong started to build an advantage in spite of emitting smoke, as it slammed into a partially-incapacitated Cat King. However, Red River Hong made a critical error, as it drove up the wedge of Weber, and was flipped directly onto its side, while Weber also punched itself into the air.

Completely balanced on the arena floor, Red River Hong became the only robot to be officially knocked out, while all three active robots struggled for movement. Moving only on one wheel, Weber drove under 008, which had lost the use of its spinner, to flip it up, while Red River Hong emitted more smoke. The three robots with limited movement were sent to an adjudication; the Red team roboteers bemoaning Red River Hong's late side-stranding along with Chun.

Of the remaining machines, Weber was declared to have won the decision, earning Zhang Yishan and a rejuvenated Blue team their first Freestyle point. Wu Chun - having narrowly lost out on victory - congratulated Yishan on his success, though not without admitting to feeling 'confused and lost' in interviews.

"*So, Mr Zhang selecting us was very wise, and we're really, really happy...*"
— Alan Gubiev

**Winner: Weber (Zhang Yishan, 1 point)**

### Blue vs Bonfire vs Griffin Mk II vs Ninja

#### Start-up Manager Draw

Zheng Shuang, having been unable to 'break the spell' and secure a victory for a 'start-up' manager at this point, initially nominated herself a second time in jest. Zhang Yishan interrupted to ask Wang Cong whether he could perform a 'strategizing pause', as Wu Chun had previously done, which Cong confirmed affirmatively. Thus, Yishan and Sa Beining each decided to enter their five-minute 'pause' windows.

Yishan, Beining and their respective roboteers discussed the five robots Shuang had left to fight - Vulcan, Spectre, Sandstorm, Stealth and Blue. Wang Xi theorized that Shuang would dispatch Sandstorm to the arena, with Yishan affirming that he would likely commit to battle if any of the latter three robots were chosen. Brian Nave, meanwhile, revealed his improved stance on Beining's tactics, praising him for taking the competition more 'seriously' at this point.

"*Made me really happy that he's startin' to take it seriously. I mean, he started off as a cheerleader and maybe now he's a general.*"
— Brian Nave on Sa Beining's approach to the 'strategizing pause'

Upon the end of the five minutes, Shuang nominated an exasperated Beining as the last 'start-up' manager of this episode. Yishan commented on Shuang having 'tricked' him into starting the 'strategizing pause' process, and the 'well-rounded' British thwackbot Ninja was chosen by Beining as his representative machine for the fight.

"*About time. Why not earlier? Definitely wise.*"
— Paul Streeter, upon his machine Ninja being selected

Yishan initially requested to 'waive' the fight - a decision Wu Chun initially supported - but joined anyway out of the potential of Chun also competing. Shuang was next to opt in, confident that she would only need to eliminate one machine if she lost to Beining.

"*This final round... I was thinking if I won, I still would not be able to be ranked third. I will probably still be the fourth one. So I'm thinking whether I should join the fight or not.*"
— Wu Chun

A seemingly 'heartbroken' Chun was more hesitant. Regardless of whether he took part and won, he remained uncertain as to whether this would be enough to secure third place for the Red team at this stage. Chun prayed for a 'sign' to confirm whether he should opt in, at which point an ensemble of his roboteers - lead by Zheng Jianfeng - entered the arena to support him.

"*As a member of Wu Zun's team, I gather all the team leaders here. We'd like to cheer up our team a bit. Even though our team is falling behind, however, the competition is not over yet. We still have confidence! So, I... We are gonna say to our big brother, Wu Zun, Warrior, go, go go!*"
— Zheng Jianfeng delivers a rousing speech in support of Wu Chun (Mech+ subtitles)

As Jianfeng delivered a speech and lead chants in Team Warrior's name, Chun's spirits were raised, encouraging him to enter the battle with Bonfire. Adam Hamilton of Team Immersion was initially confident about their hammer spinner's chances to win. Shuang and Beining followed suit with their selections, picking Blue and Griffin Mk II respectively.

#### Combat

Prior to the battle starting, footage of Griffin Mk II and Blue preparing for combat was aired, the latter showcasing its omnidirectional drive system. Zheng Shuang was seen taking more written notes from her seat, to which Zhang Yishan complimented her ever 'diligent' approach to the competition. While Team Immersion prepared Bonfire from their arena corner, a wire for its weapon arm came loose, causing it to stop functioning properly.

**Wu Chun**: "*What's wrong with the machine?*"
**Adam Hamilton**: "*Well... we went to test the weapon, and just a little wire popped out.*"
**Wu Chun**: "*If you don't fight, we can still do it tomorrow.*"
— Team Immersion update Wu Chun on Bonfire's weapon issues

A calm, but mildly concerned Wu Chun suggested the possibility of deferring the battle to the next filming day, or even - as mentioned in his interview - withdrawing entirely. However, Hamilton insisted on keeping Bonfire in the arena, allowing the Red team to honor their place in the match.

**Adam Hamilton**: "*We'll stay in.*"
**Wu Chun**: "*Alright, go for it!*"
— Wu Chun cheers on the handicapped Bonfire

Once the melee began, Griffin Mk II immediately challenged Blue, while Ninja fought Bonfire. Blue missed its attack on Griffin Mk II, but struck Ninja with its axe, then swung at the arm of Bonfire. Griffin Mk II then pushed Bonfire into the arena saws sideways, then gripped its weapon, but this brought Griffin Mk II's wheels from the floor. This allowed Griffin Mk II to be dragged by Bonfire, before sustaining a number of hits from Ninja's overhead blade.

Edited out of the main battle, Bonfire was able to separately slam Blue and Griffin Mk II into the arena wall for a large impact. Blue swung its axe and hit the side of Bonfire's inactive weapon, although Bonfire was briefly able to get itself underneath the Bots FC machine. Bonfire edged Blue into the corner of the arena, but sustained a direct blow to its wedge from Blue's hammer.

Blue then landed two direct blows onto the top of Bonfire, but on the third swing, Blue flipped itself over. Although Blue quickly self-righted, Griffin Mk II abandoned its separate battle with Ninja to slam into the back of Bonfire. At this stage, Bonfire had become immobile as a result of its speed controller failing, shorting out the entire robot's circuitry. Nevertheless, Blue continued to pound the top of Bonfire, denting its weaponry, also forcing Ninja to attack Bonfire in the same fashion, despite Team Immersion reporting their machine's loss of power onscreen. Blue also struck the wedge of Ninja, but was pushed back by the wedge of Ninja.

Griffin Mk II came in to hold Blue in place, and Ninja landed an overhead hit on Blue. Ninja and Griffin Mk II collaborated to push Blue back, but this resulted in Griffin Mk II moving under the arena hammer and taking a blow to its lifter frame from the hazard. Though Griffin Mk II slalomed away, it quickly lost drive to the left side as smoke began pouring from an internal fire within. Griffin Mk II's movements were severely limited from that point on, and the whole robot - still smoking - became fully immobilized by the end. With only Ninja and Blue still considered active, both robots attempted to strike each other from above, but largely missed.

"*Yes, big knives chopping each other. This is the real battle!*"
— Wang Tao commentates on the axe attacks between Blue and Ninja

After narrowly missing an attack on Ninja, Blue turned itself over when retracting its weapon. Ninja pushed Blue back, managing to prevent it from self-righting, but became stuck on the battle rings. The momentum of Ninja's push sent Blue sliding back, where it could freely self-right. Ninja continued to pin Blue against the wall, and Blue missed with its retaliating strikes. In the final ten seconds of the battle, Ninja drove underneath Blue, which climbed even further up the body of Ninja by swinging its weapon, but Ninja pushed Blue towards the mace, before the battle concluded.

A very close battle was sent to a Judges' decision, while Sa Beining confidently deduced that neither Wu Chun nor Zhang Yishan's entries would be a 'threat'. Xuan Yuan Wen Chen of Saber II backed Ninja to secure victory - and the first Freestyle round - for the Yellow team, an assertion ironically backed by Zheng Shuang as she commented on the blows Ninja inflicted to Blue. Chen Hang assumed that Shuang would eliminate his machine - Green Agate - if she was consigned to second place in the points standings.

David and Wang Cong reminded viewers of the elimination process for the Freestyle Combat rounds, confirming that this match concluded the 'first half' of this stage. It was cryptically suggested that third and fourth places for this round had already been decided. Sa Beining and Zheng Shuang - already tied on points - were leading contenders for not only the Judges' decision, but also the round as a whole. Although the winner out of Blue and Ninja was not officially declared until the beginning of Episode 4, the former was subsequently revealed to have won the decision.

**Winner: Blue (Zheng Shuang, 1 point)**

## Trivia

* This was the second episode of the series where the conclusion to the last battle was presented as a cliffhanger ending, in this case being resolved in Episode 4.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/Mech\_Plus/status/1598679692768337922
2. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/8eqy2r/this\_is\_fighting\_robots\_episode\_3\_discussion/dy2i60g/
3. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/8eqy2r/this\_is\_fighting\_robots\_episode\_3\_discussion/dy1r551/
4. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/8eqy2r/this\_is\_fighting\_robots\_episode\_3\_discussion/dy1uo3k/
5. ↑ Private correspondence with Adam Hamilton
6. ↑ Private correspondence with Adam Hamilton