This is Fighting Robots (Season 1.5)/Episode 10

This is Fighting Robots title card

"*After going through the elimination of 46 robots, 52 rounds of fierce fighting, 264 hours of continuous fighting, at last we witnessed the creation of [the] top 8. However, a beautiful ending is only written in fairy tales, it takes hard work to achieve the honor. Today, the four teams start the new full 24-hour battle of stamina. Only the nonstop fighting and repairing against the clock can witness the birth of the strongest team.*"
— CH0329's introduction to the Top 8 bracket, aired at the end of Episode 9 (Mech+ subtitles)

**Episode 10 of *This is Fighting Robots*** originally aired on June 15 2018. Marking the conclusion to the series, it pitted the eight remaining robots in a series of head-to-head battles to determine the overall champion.

A subtitled English version (also referred to as the **Grand Final**) premiered on Mech+ on January 20 2023.

## Competing robots

* Greedy Snake
* Red River Hong
* Sandstorm
* Shrederator Tiger Claw
* Tánshè
* Tungsten
* Vulcan
* Xiake

## Grand Final Qualification

The final stage of the competition, also referred to as **The Fierce 24 Hours**, involved the eight remaining robots fighting in a series of head-to-head battles over a 24-hour period. Each stage was divided into Quarter-Finals (Top 8), Semi-Finals (Top 4) and the Grand Final, the winner of which would be crowned overall champion of *This is Fighting Robots*.

As an added challenge, a limited time window was available for teams to repair their machines in between stages. The first window was set at twelve hours, the second at six hours. Irrespective of how much repair work was completed during these periods, all robots progressing to later stages would be required to fight immediately following the end of the allotted time.

## Top 8 To Top 4 (Quarter-Finals)

"*We are approaching the end, and it's very thrilling. So I entered the competition with hopes of winning the championship.*"
— Wu Chun (Mech+ subtitles)

Following an elaborate and strobe-heavy introductory sequence hosted by David and Wang Cong - showcasing the *This is Fighting Robots* trophy - the finalist roboteers and team managers were gathered to the pits complex ahead of this crucial stage. Wu Chun, pretending to try and seize the trophy for himself, remained excited and hopeful at the prospect of securing title glory. Conversey Zhang Yishan was adamant that his team would 'just enjoy the game'. Sa Beining and Zheng Shuang both expressed that they were 'reluctant' that the series was drawing to its conclusion, and, in the latter's case, to part ways with their roboteers.

"*No matter what, I love my team, and they are very important to me in my heart. I'm reluctant to say goodbye.*"
— Zheng Shuang (Mech+ subtitles)

### Battle Draws

Immediately after the manager interviews were shown, the process to arrange the first battle draw began. Similarly to the previous episode, four numbered cards from 1-4 were placed face-down on the pits platform, with "1" determining the 'starter manager'. This time, the latter responsibility was placed on Zheng Shuang, who picked card "1". The full card number choices are listed below:

 **Wu Chun** | 4

With the exception of Shuang's own machines (Sandstorm, Tánshè and Tungsten), other teams had free choice to challenge her roster in battle. In the event that no robots were chosen to mount a challenge, the 'starter manager' would automatically receive a bye, and the process moved on to the next nominated manager. Brian Nave (Shrederator Tiger Claw), Wang Xi (Greedy Snake) and Zheng Jianfeng (Xiake) were the first roboteers to make such offers. Nave's decision - in spite of Shrederator Tiger Claw previously being defeated by Tánshè - caught Sa Beining by surprise.

"*I didn't expect that Shrederator Tiger Claw would dash up and offer to challenge. Because Tanshe is Shrederator Tiger Claw's biggest nightmare.*"
— Sa Beining, on Brian Nave challenging Zheng Shaung's robots (Mech+ subtitles)

Shuang, initially unsure about her preferred candidate, turned to her captains (Dave Moulds, Ellis Ware, Gabriel Stroud), which Zhang Yishan perceived to be 'cheating'. As an extension of this, Yishan and Sa Beining stood on the platform and jokingly blocked Shuang's view of the pit benches, in an attempt to stop her from making eye contact with her captains. At the end of the available time, Shuang chose Tánshè as her first challenger; Xi's 'fierce' expression convinced her that he was bidding to let Greedy Snake fight against it. This assumption proved true when Jianfeng and Nave both rescinded their challenges, confirming Greedy Snake as Shuang's first opponent.

"*I want to fight Tanshe the most. I feel that I have finally grasped this opportunity, now that Tiger Claw and Xiake both backed out. Zheng Shuang had no choice but to have her Tanshe fight Greedy Snake.*"
— Wang Xi, as Greedy Snake is confirmed to be drawn against Tánshè (Mech+ subtitles)

An informal stand-off between Stroud and Xi ensued, with the latter confidently alluding to Greedy Snake's victory over the UK machine in a prior *King of Bots* Tag Team match.

Next, Zhang Yishan repeated the second part of the process, with Sandstorm, Tungsten, Red River Hong, Xiake and Shrederator Tiger Claw all looking to accept Vulcan's challenge. Yishan, satisfied by his expanded pool of candidates, was persuaded by Sa Beining to pick the Team LOGICOM shell spinner, having been informed that the latter had confidence against the Team Robots Live! entry.

"*...so I knew that Vulcan was his only [choice]. He's had mechanical problems, his armor looks a little flimsy to me, so, yeah. If I can get Vulcan, that's a good matchup for me.*"
— Brian Nave on a potential draw against Vulcan (Mech+ subtitles)

Unbeknownst to Beining or Team LOGICOM, Yishan was also informed by the *Robot Wars* veterans that they had 'no problem' fighting Shrederator Tiger Claw, likely as a result of Vulcan's earlier success over Megabyte. As such, he duly nominated Shrederator Tiger Claw as Vulcan's challenger.

**Brian Nave**: "*I guess we're on, then.*"
**Alan Young**: "*I don't know. You look like - pretty vulnerable upside-down.*"
**Brian Nave**: "*Well... try!*"
— The 'stand-off between Alan Young and Brian Nave (Mech+ subtitles)

With his last remaining machine already allocated, Sa Beining could not represent the next 'starter', though he mistakenly stood on the podium in preparation for this. Wu Chun was thus next to make a choice between Xiake and Red River Hong; the nature of the draws meant that either would have to face Tungsten or Sandstorm from Zheng Shuang's team. As their machines would be fighting opponents with the same weapon type, Ellis Ware and Dave Moulds were not inclined to make specific preferences as to which robots from Chun's team they would fight.

**Ellis Ware**: "*Well, from our point of view, we didn't really want to fight either drum spinner, and actually, Tungsten was in a similar condition. And so we decided pretty much just leave it up to luck.*"
**Dave Moulds**: "*So we weren't that bothered about which one we fought. 50-50, we're gonna get one of them. We'll just leave... leave it to Zheng Shuang to decide, really.*"
— Back-to-back interviews with Ellis Ware and Dave Moulds, concerning the final 'Top 8' draws (Mech+ subtitles)

In any event, neither Sandstorm nor Tungsten mounted a challenge within the available time, forcing Chun to receive a bye. Shuang was next called to step up for the consideration of Xiake's Zheng Jianfeng and Red River Hong's Cao Yu, who both accepted the challenge.

"*In the fourth round, she was hesitant about which one to send. I had a chance to pick which one of my two robots to fight her. So this was she was worried about.*"
— Wu Chun, on Zheng Shuang's hesitancy to select a robot to challenge his drum spinners (Mech+ subtitles)

Chun, analyzing Shuang's 'hesitant' approach to tactics, criticized the idea of sending one robot and having her pick which of her opponents to counter it. Shuang's promotion gave him the opportunity to select which of his two drum spinners to send into battle, a scenario he suspected the Green team manager had feared. Ellis Ware maintained that Shuang had a '50-50' chance against either of Chun's machines, though in the end, Sandstorm emerged as her next nominee.

"*I think Zheng Shuang spent a really long time thinking about exactly what I just described. On the one hand, we could maybe get revenge on Hónghé, but on the other hand, we might be better against Xiake. It's 50-50.*"
— Ellis Ware

Cao Yu explained onscreen that he had been in discussions with Zheng Jianfeng over both of their prospective matchups. Concerning Sandstorm, he relayed Jianfeng's confidence that the Team Relentless machine would bring an easy victory for Red River Hong.

"*We have a particular strategy. Between Tungsten and Sandstorm, we have communicated before. Xiake said before that Sandstorm won't be a problem. He said if we fight Sandstorm, it will be easy for us to win.*"
— Cao Yu, on his pact with Zheng Jianfeng (Mech+ subtitles)

Both roboteers accepted Sandstorm's challenge, with Zheng Shuang ultimately selecting Xiake as Sandstorm's opponent. The fourth and final matchup would thus be between Tungsten and Red River Hong. Yu admitted at first that this outcome made him feel 'betrayed' by Jianfeng, who otherwise felt the Sandstorm draw to be 'easier' for his machine. Wu Chun, who had been left 'anxious' by Shuang's lengthy decision-making, had also wished for a repeat Sandstorm/Red River Hong draw, as it would have maximized both of his robot's chances of reaching the Top 4 together. Yu would later retract his earlier complaints, upon realizing the prospect of Xiake emerging as champion as a result of these draws.

"*I've also been consoling myself that Xiake might have been the right decision. Since it's a competition, everyone wants to reach the end. If Xiake could reach the end and become the champion, and bring honor to us Chinese, it would be the best.*"
— Cao Yu, on the possibility of Xiake winning the series (Mech+ subtitles)

### Greedy Snake vs Tánshè

"*Snake is a very powerful robot. The reasons are, they're very low on the front, he can bite very hard, and he can grab us and turn us over. We knew the way to beat Snake was to get underneath his front wedges, so we put on our long wedges which are very sharp, to try and get underneath him.*"
— Gabriel Stroud

Although Tánshè had been outfitted with sharpened wedges to breach the front ground clearance of Greedy Snake, these modifications were not enough, and Tánshè drove straight into the grasp of Greedy Snake. Tánshè was forced to retreat, and both robots kept slipping underneath each other, but without being able to use their weaponry. Eventually, Greedy Snake was able to clamp down on Tánshè, holding it against the arena wall, but could not lift it. Afterwards, Tánshè drove under the side of Greedy Snake and flipped it into the wall, but Greedy Snake landed on its wheels.

On its escape, Tánshè was struck by the arena hammer, but it managed to push Greedy Snake into the arena mace, where a piece was ripped loose from the rear of the machine.

"*Is it Greedy Snake's ruse to attract Tanshe to the giant hammer?*"
— Wang Tao, shortly after Tánshè takes a blow from one of the arena hammers

Greedy Snake used this as an opportunity to grab Tánshè, but could not maintain its grip while lifting. Despite this, Greedy Snake used its lifter as a clamp to swing Tánshè into the grinder. After Tánshè continued to ride up the wedge of Greedy Snake, the latter finally made its first successful attack, lifting Tánshè up and over, forcing the British flipper to fire in mid-air, and self-right upon landing.

A ram from Greedy Snake dislodged one of Tánshè's front wedges, but nevertheless, Tánshè drove under the side of Greedy Snake to throw it over, onto the top of the arena spikes. Greedy Snake had landed on top of its lifting mechanism, making it difficult for it to self-right, especially as Tánshè continued to push Greedy Snake around the arena while it was inverted.

**Wang Tao**: "*Greedy Snake! Can Greedy Snake flip itself over? Be careful not to be KO-ed!*"
**Xiao Cang**: "*Use your gears and see if you can flip yourself.*"
— As Tánshè pushes, then tries to throw an inverted Greedy Snake over the wall (Mech+ subtitles)

Greedy Snake managed to stand on its front end, but Tánshè had brought it to the arena wall and almost flipped it out of the arena - instead, Greedy Snake landed back on its wheels.

While lining up a follow-up attack, Tánshè flipped Greedy Snake again, which barrel-rolled through the air. After a few head-to-head collisions, Tánshè was finally able to drive under the front of Greedy Snake, tossing it over and into the grinder, despite Tánshè losing the remains of its wedges in the process. Greedy Snake was inverted again, and stood on its back end while trying to self-right. Tánshè sat back and watched, with Team Legion anticipating a knockout win. On its fourth attempt, Greedy Snake propped itself onto its back wheels, and then drove forwards in order to self-right.

Greedy Snake drove back under Tánshè, but was thrown over by the British flipper again, landing on its wheels. Both robots collided, but Greedy Snake missed its chance to lift Tánshè. At the very end of the match, Tánshè drove into Greedy Snake in a position where both robots' wedges were underneath different parts of each other, and Tánshè overturned Greedy Snake again, just as time expired on the battle.

"*It's always very difficult fighting your friends, and Snake are our friends. We have to beat him, but it's a terrible thing to do so.*"
— Gabriel Stroud

A close and well-fought battle ended in a Judges' decision, which unanimously ruled in favor of Tánshè. The decision - along with the moments leading up to it - reduced Wang Xi's son to tears as a result of Greedy Snake being eliminated from Zhang Yishan's team. Xi himself was equally disappointed with his machine's loss, though he still felt 'satisfied' at having had the opportunity to fight against veteran driver John Reid. A philosophical Yishan accepted the outcome and reflected on the 'roller coaster' mood he had throughout the match.

"*Zhang Yishan, I am terribly sorry. I didn't do well this time. Although I lost this match, I had the chance to compete with one of the world's best roboteers. I feel very satisfied.*"
— Wang Xi, in an interview aired shortly before the Judges' decision is announced (Mech+ subtitles)

Winner: **Tánshè**

### Shrederator Tiger Claw vs Vulcan

"*Because Yishan's Greedy Snake was eliminated, now he only has Vulcan. And I only have Shrederator Tiger Claw. So I believe Yishan and I are facing a similar situation. This may be our last match in this season. But I think in the arena, our teammates won't be lenient on their opponents.*"
— Sa Beining (Mech+ subtitles)

Prior to this battle, Sa Beining mused that he and Zhang Yishan were now both in a similar position, being reduced to only one robot each and on the verge of being eliminated entirely. 'Morale and courage' were emphasized as the ma its performance in thein qualities the Yellow team needed to succeed. Though admitting that this period was the 'most nervous' he had felt in the entire competition, Yishan asserted that Vulcan would 'grow' irrespective of whether it won or lost.

"*I am always very confident in Vulcan. Vulcan has fought so many rounds. And it was hurt very bad. Tiger Claw has also fought many rounds and was also seriously injured. It's a fair game to everyone.*"
— Zheng Yishan comments on the battle-damaged state of both competitors (Mech+ subtitles)

Both team captains shared their mix of nervousness and excitement. Alan Young committed to a similar strategy which allowed Vulcan to triumph over Megabyte, while hoping that the pneumatic axe would function this time. Concerning Shrederator Tiger Claw, Sa Beining expressed 'super strong confidence' over its stability, emphasized by clips of it hitting the side walls during the Battle of Protection and Resurrection. Brian Nave confidently assured Beining that Team LOGICOM would emerge as the 'champions'.

"*Fighting a really strong wedge, and you just can't break him, you have to make sure they don't keep control, and that's the key.*"
— Brian Nave

Vulcan charged towards Shrederator Tiger Claw in an effort to halt its spinning speed, and successfully trapped it in a corner, causing Shrederator Tiger Claw to rip away an arena spike. Vulcan rammed back into the front of Shrederator Tiger Claw, in a shower of sparks, and was also sent spinning away on its second ram. Shrederator Tiger Claw held its center ground, but Vulcan's next charge knocked it back into the arena wall, causing Shrederator Tiger Claw internal damage.

"*We were taking the hits, every time he goes bouncing off the wall, that's him damaging himself.*"
— Alan Young

Upon its escape, Shrederator Tiger Claw made spinner-to-wedge contact with Vulcan and cast it aside, parking over the arena flames. Relentless, Vulcan chased after Shrederator Tiger Claw and barged into it once again, to send it flying through the air. Shrederator Tiger Claw's balance was distorted, bounding around the arena without its wheels on the floor, and Vulcan maintained control. Seizing the opportunity, Vulcan finally fired its axe for the first time, but missed its target.

"*I think this is our chance, we've only got one chance to win this sort of fight, we're gonna win.*"
— Alan Young

When Vulcan had fired its axe, it reversed away from Shrederator Tiger Claw, when suddenly, the robot stopped moving entirely, potentially stuck on debris. Spinning at top speed, Shrederator Tiger Claw kept its distance, while Alan Young reset Vulcan's transmitter in a desperate attempt to revive his machine.

"*Is Vulcan pondering, or is it out of control? What's wrong with the courageous Vulcan?*"
— Wang Tao, shortly after a dominant Vulcan loses mobility (Mech+ subtitles)

This, however, proved unsuccessful, and Young confirmed Vulcan's immobility to the referee, who started a count-out. Sa Beining - standing on his seat in anticipation - joined in with the count, while Zheng Shuang looked on in anguish. Shrederator Tiger Claw emerged as the come-from-behind winner, prompting further celebrations from Team LOGICOM. Young and Zhang Yishan immediately reconciled, the former still unsure about how Vulcan had suddenly become immobilized. Even with his defeat, Young was still thankful towards Yishan for reinstating Vulcan, in an interview where he promised to return with a 'better' machine.

"*We're in the final four, very exciting! Vulcan's a great robot, but Vulcan is not strong enough to beat Shrederator. We learned a little bit... we've got magnets that lock it to the ground and we can turn the spinner off, so we were actually able to regain control in this fight. Enough to keep driving and not just get run into the wall constantly.*"
— Brian Nave

With both of his remaining machines now eliminated, this battle marked the end of Zhang Yishan's run in *This is Fighting Robots*. While ruing his lost chance to reach the Semi-Finals, he praised Alan Young for his 'calm' and level-headed disposition, a quality he felt the Blue team needed all along. In his parting speech, Yishan shared his happiness at being able to take part in a robot combat show - describing the sport as a 'fun and curious activity' - and wished the best for his team members.

"*Of course there was disappointment and pity. I lost the only chance to get in [the] Top 4 and my team had just stopped here. But I feel that [Alan Young] was pretty calm. He was not very upset. So I think it's very good. He has the temperament that I want exactly for my team. For me, I need courage and spirit like his.*"
— Zhang Yishan, speaking about Alan Young following the end of the Blue team's run (Mech+ subtitles)

Winner: **Shrederator Tiger Claw**

### Sandstorm vs Xiake

"*We were feeling probably the most nervous before this round, of any other. Our confidence had been knocked because of the previous fight, plus we had all the pressure from Zheng Shuang because she brought us back. So yeah, really starting to feel the heat.*"
— Ellis Ware

For this battle, Xiake entered the arena without wheelguards, a detail piquing Sa Beining's interest during pre-battle tests. Wu Chun explained that, since Sandstorm was not armed with a spinner, the wheels were not vulnerable to attack. However, he expressed concerns about Xiake's front-left wheel being a different paint color - believing it to be sourced from a different manufacturer - and being different in size. Zheng Jianfeng clarified that the 'new' wheel was indeed a spare obtained from an unspecified place, to replace a battle-damaged equivalent that was undergoing repair.

The fight started with both robots charging at each other, and Sandstorm smashed into Xiake's drum head-on with an impact that not only threw it into the air, but also caused a wheel to become dislodged. Xiake took an early lead, and initially succeeding in dodging all of Sandstorm's charges, but eventually Sandstorm succeeded in getting under its opponent.

"*...he turned Sandstorm into a "one foot man". But Sandstorm won't give up.*"
— Wang Tao, moments after Xiake causes Sandstorm to lose its right-rear wheel (Mech+ subtitles)

As Sandstorm found itself unable to capitalize on this attack, Xiake escaped. Due to Xiake's wedgelets being so close to the floor, this made it challenging for Sandstorm to get underneath Xiake. After a few more attempts to get underneath the Chinese machine, Sandstorm finally succeeded in getting underneath it properly, and slammed Xiake into the wall spikes. As Xiake managed to escape again though, a mistimed attack by Sandstorm meant it drove into Xiake's drum. This impact caused a belt to fall from Sandstorm, which precariously landed on its own wedge in such a way that its wheels did not make contact with the floor. Unable to show any further mobility from that point, Sandstorm was counted out, while Xiake gyro-danced in celebration of a knockout victory.

"*It's really a beautiful ending. From the start to the end, every win has been very difficult, so I haven't had this feeling for a very long time.*"
— Wu Chun, on celebrating Xiake's victory (Mech+ subtitles)

Immediately after the match, a jubilant Wu Chun leapt from his seat, punching the air and exchanging high-fives with Team Xiake and his fellow managers. Zheng Jianfeng was similarly excited by Xiake reaching the final four, considering its win and progression important in helping to inspire future Chinese roboteers. Later on, Chun admitted that he felt 'guilty' at having won at the expense of Zheng Shuang, promising to uphold the advice she had previously given him. Ellis Ware visited the managers' viewing stage to apologize to and exchange hugs with Shuang, prompting a back-and-forth exchange between the latter and Jianfeng as Team Xiake also paid a visit.

Moments after the results were officially announced, another light-hearted exchange between Chun and Shuang followed, wherein Chun again expressed that Sandstorm was his 'idol'. Shuang, still disappointed by Sandstorm's demise, chided Chun for eliminating a machine which he claimed to 'love'.

"*She probably liked Sandstorm a little too much, so she was a little upset.*"
— Wu Chun (Mech+ subtitles)

Winner: **Xiake**

### Red River Hong vs Tungsten

In place of the bladed head seen in other battles, Tungsten's axe sported a dagger-shaped spike, though the reasoning behind this was not addressed onscreen.

**Cao Yu**: "*[in Chinese] Come and visit Red River Bay sometime.*"
**Dave Moulds**: "*[smiling] Thanks, allie, but you're going down. Sorry mate.*"
— The initial 'stand-off' between Red River Hong and Tungsten's captains (Mech+)

As soon as the battle began, Red River Hong sped towards Tungsten, and rode straight up its disc, careening into the air.

"*Red River Hong did a 3 1/2 somersault. The movement is so beautiful! Too bad we don't rate these skills.*"
— Wang Tao, as Cobalt immediately punts Red River Hong into the air (Mech+ subtitles)

Red River Hong landed on its side, and was buffeted into the arena wall by Tungsten. Already, Red River Hong was having trouble spinning its drum up, and Tungsten smashed it across the arena, onto a nearby mace. Just as Red River Hong found slight movement in its drum, a huge hit from Tungsten tossed it into the plexi-glass wall, high above the ground.

"*YEAH! Spin - spin on the spot! Yeah!*"
— Dave Moulds, shortly after Red River Hong is left stranded on a mace mount

Red River Hong was temporarily suspended atop the mount between the two maces, but eventually freed itself, and Tungsten's disc also stopped turning.

While Tungsten offered no offense, Red River Hong drifted around the arena and crashed into the front of Tungsten, but still lacked momentum to its own drum. On a direct charge after finally powering up its weapon, Red River Hong ripped away Tungsten's feeder wedge and threw the robot over, forcing it to self-right using the disc it had only just revived.

"*An effective attack! It broke off a piece of Tungsten's armor.*"
— Wang Tao as Red River Hong inflicts damage to the front of the British spinner (Mech+ subtitles

Finally, Tungsten retaliated by slamming into the back of Red River Hong to throw it into the arena wall, where Red River Hong was briefly balanced on its front end. Just as Red River Hong landed and attempted to drive away, it suddenly lost mobility without explanation. Tungsten used its axe self-righting mechanism to press Red River Hong's drum, though in doing so it lost the weapon's spiked head to the latter. Otherwise, the Team Carbide machine left its opponent alone so that the referee could count it out. Tungsten was awarded victory, denying Wu Chun the chance to bring two Chinese robots into the Top 4.

"*I tell you the countdown was too slow! The countdown was too slow! I just want to say it now. How did you countdown just now? How did you countdown? Do you treat other people like fools if they don't throw a tantrum? Is it like this? I have always respected the rules of the game.*"
— Zheng Shuang complains about the 'slow' count-out of Red River Hong (Mech+ subtitles)

Despite her machine having secured its place in the Semi-Finals, Zheng Shuang vehemently complained about the 'slow' count-out issued by the referee to Red River Hong. During her subsequent outburst, Sa Beining and Zhang Yishan tried to reassure Shuang that this had no influence against Tungsten's win. Wu Chun - believing that she was still upset about Sandstorm's elimination - ordered the robot arms to be lowered, prompting further attempts to reassure Shuang about the count-out process. Beining concluded that, not having suffered mass defeats early on, she had felt disappointed, frustrated and 'very anxious' about having her robots eliminated by this stage.

"*Red River Hong fought every match so fiercely. The armours were smashed. But he would always repair them and keep on fighting. Even though he didn't talk too much and he was a low-key person, he showed his ability with actions. 2 out of 8 robots today relied upon him. So he was truly a hero in our team.*"
— Wu Chun praises Red River Hong and Cao Yu following their elimination (Mech+ subtitles)

Once Tungsten's victory was confirmed, Wu Chun and Cao Yu exchanged praise as the Honghe team prepared to leave the championship.

"*Although we didn't make it to the end and win the championship, I am really grateful to [Wu Chun] for caring for us during the competition. We will definitely improve our Red River Hong so that by this time next year we will try to reach the end.*"
— Cao Yu (Mech+ subtitles)

Winner: **Tungsten**

## Top 4 (Semi-Finals)

### The Pits

"*So, you know, the time is tight, right? The time is tight, and we've got to get back in the ring and fight again real soon. You know, it's no sleep, no rest, no food, no nothing. Work, work, work, work, get the robot back in the arena. It's very stressful!*"
— Brian Nave

As the first 12-hour pit window commenced, initial focus was placed on Team LOGICOM and Team Xiake preparing their machines. Wu Chun again brought up the subject of Xiake's differing wheel types, asking Zheng Jianfeng to obtain new spares. Team Xiake members had already travelled to Songjiang to collect 'leftover' parts, according to Jianfeng; Chun offered to provide transport or additional support in case the team had further problems.

Sa Beining visited Team LOGICOM's pit bench, where Brian Nave told him that any opponents Shrederator Tiger Claw received would be 'very tough'. Nave showed the Yellow team manager internal damage which his team were in the process of repairing, before allowing him to reattach one of the robot's weapon teeth. Beining examined one of Shrederator Tiger Claw's motors, prompting Nave to demonstrate and explain the ultra-strong neodymium magnet encasing it. Impressed with the strong magnetism and usefulness of these devices, he considered Shrederator Tiger Claw to be a 'very creative design'.

**Brian Nave**: "*What happens is that whenever the robot starts to rock around, or if it gets pushed to the wall, I'll lock it down to the floor, then I'll let it go. Because if you leave it locked to the floor, the other guys are gonna come and get you. So it's just to settle it, and then go again.*"
**Sa Beining [in English]**: "*So we have used it?*"
**Brian Nave**: "*Yeah. In fact, we actually broke one and had to replace it.*"
— Brian Nave explains the purpose of Shrederator Tiger Claw's neodymium magnets

In contrast to its opponents, Tánshè only needed cosmetic work according to Gabriel Stroud, with Team Legion taking the opportunity to have a 'rest time'. Zheng Shuang visited Tánshè's work bench, at which point Stroud assured her it was 'ready to go' for its next fight. Struggling to find additional chances to help their teams out in a meaningful way, Shuang and Beining both lamented this situation upon meeting outside the workshop area.

**Zheng Shuang**: "*Mr. Sa, we will only bring them trouble. You might as well just leave.*"
**Sa Beining**: "*Yeah, since I can't help them with anything here. This is too technical.*"
**Zheng Shuang**: "*We are totally bringing trouble. I didn't help them with anything.*"
**Sa Beining**: "*I totally disturbed them.*"
— Zheng Shuang and Sa Beining leave their teams to carry on with their work (Mech+ subtitles

Despite its recent run of destructive performances, Tungsten was found to be 'very poorly' by Sam Smith and Dave Moulds, who were busy repairing one of its motors. Moulds even suggested the possibility of withdrawing from the competition entirely if it could be fully fixed, though Tungsten would ultimately be ready to compete by the end of the allotted window.

### Battle Pairings

To determine both Semi-Final draws, two lot pools were set up with four balls each, labelled "A1", "A2", "B1" and "B2". Robot placements were 'generated' by picking one ball from the first pool, then one from the second, with each ball containing a label with the name of a given Semi-Finalist robot.

Three viable means of drawing lots were brought up by Wang Cong:

1. By all four team managers.
2. By all three managers with robots still competing.
3. By Zhang Yishan, the only manager not to reach the Semi-Finals.

Yishan initially declined the third option, though Sa Beining deduced that his prior elimination made this the 'best' approach to the process.

**Zhang Yishan**: "*Here's this. If all competitors draw the lots, it's reasonable that all three draw for themselves.*"
**Wu Chun**: "*Yes.*"
**Zhang Yishan**: "*If only one person draws, then, suppose, if someone loses and says, "Why did he get to draw?" "Why should I surrender my fate to him?" That would be very natural.*"
**Sa Beining**: "*But we only have three people while there are eight balls out there. We can't divide them evenly.*"
— The managers begin discussing the lot drawing process (Mech+ subtitles)

This began a lengthy discussion between the managers as to which method was most suitable. Yishan's suggestion to adopt the second option was questioned by Beining, who pointed out that it was impossible to split the Semi-Final lots evenly with only three managers. Beining, demonstrating an impartial perspective, recommended that Yishan drew the lots himself, a suggestion which both Wu Chun and Team Xiake were also content with.

When asked for her approval of this idea, Zheng Shuang was hesitant, replying: 'It's not much'. Shuang openly shared her apprehension about Tánshè and Tungsten being potentially drawn against each other at this stage, should Yishan be nominated. Nevertheless, she also agreed with the suggestion, promising that she would not 'hate' Yishan if he 'generated' unfavorable draws for her robots.

In broadcast order, the robots were drawn by Yishan as follows:

Through this process, Shrederator Tiger Claw and Xiake would be drawn into the same fight (B1). Shuang and her teams were thus greatly relieved that Tánshè and Tungsten would be not be grouped together as initially feared. While Sa Beining felt that these draws had diminished his title hopes with Shrederator Tiger Claw, he was equally relieved that the latter would not face Tánshè a second time at this stage.

### Shrederator Tiger Claw vs Tungsten

"*The three minutes today could very much likely be the last three minutes we have in this ring. Whether or not [Shrederator Tiger Claw] could advance to the Grand Final, you would feel there's one less fight after each match. You feel reluctant to part ways.*"
— Sa Beining (Mech+ subtitles)

Tungsten entered the arena without its axe mechanism, while Sa Beining energetically wished Team LOGICOM good fortune during pre-match tests and safety inspections.

"*I think we had a 70% chance of winning against Tiger Claw, so we were really looking forward to that. We wanted to smash him up.*"
— Dave Moulds

Minus its axe mechanism, Tungsten immediately charged into Shrederator Tiger Claw, forcing the American shell spinner into the spikes. Recoiling off the spikes, Shrederator Tiger Claw spun its weapon up as Tungsten continued to chase it towards one of the maces.

"*Wow! It's flying!*"
— Xiao Cang as Tungsten throws Shrederator Tiger Claw upwards opposite the maces (Mech+ subtitles)

Again, Tungsten drove into Shrederator Tiger Claw’s shell, launching it into the air, and proceeded to deflect a few more blows from Shrederator Tiger Claw before the latter threw it off-balance.

"*Will Tungsten be flipped over without the repositioning axe?*"
— Wang Tao doubts Tungsten's self-righting capability as it is thrown off-balance by Shrederator Tiger Claw (Mech+ subtitles)

Shrederator Tiger Claw retreated towards the spikes, and was launched into the air again as it continued to trade blows with Tungsten. With another hit, Tungsten slammed Shrederator Tiger Claw into the mace, causing it to recoil across the arena.

"*Kill him! Tear [Tungsten] apart!*"
— Sa Beining to Team LOGICOM

However, the same blow threw Tungsten off-balance once again. The mace carried and flipped Tungsten over, forcing the Team Carbide machine to self-right using its flywheel.

Shrederator Tiger Claw struggled to drive away from the corner following this attack, allowing Tungsten to push it into another set of spikes and violently flip it over into the upper wall.

"*Yes! Yes, and again! Get him! \*\*\*\* him up!*"
— Dave Moulds to Sam Smith, as Tungsten rams and flips Shrederator Tiger Claw against the wall

The Team LOGICOM machine landed upright and got its shell spinning again, momentarily deflecting Tungsten away as it approached. Tungsten recovered to pursue and exchange more blows with Shrederator Tiger Claw, which sent Shrederator Tiger Claw recoiling. Suddenly, Shrederator Tiger Claw encountered mobility issues, with Team LOGICOM being left unable to switch off the magnets used to stabilize the robot. After several seconds, the count-out for Shrederator Tiger Claw began. In an attempt to stop the count, the American machine began twitching along the arena floor to try and overrun the magnets.

"*It is trying hard to move! Is there any chance?*"
— Xiao Cang, as Shrederator Tiger Claw begins twitching across the arena to avoid a count-out (Mech+ subtitles)

Despite Sa Beining's insistence that it was still mobile, Shrederator Tiger Claw struggled to make up the minimal three meters required to show continued movement. At last, it stopped completely by the battle rings, allowing the countdown to resume and the Team LOGICOM machine to be eliminated by knockout. Tungsten emerged victorious; frustrated at first, Beining was shocked and amused to learn of Shrederator Tiger Claw's magnet issues from Brian Nave.

"*I was disappointed in myself for not being able to, you know, to win the championship. We did our best - you know, we can’t expect any more from us than that.*"
— Brian Nave on Shrederator Tiger Claw’s elimination

"*...the magnets functioned so strongly and firmly attracted Tiger Claw to the ground. So it KO-ed itself, to some extent. So it's such a shame. The result at least proved that magnets are effective.*"
— Sa Beining contemplates the demise of Shrederator Tiger Claw (Mech+ subtitles)

This defeat, however, did not dissuade Beining from potentially choosing Shrederator Tiger Claw for a potential future season, nor any of the other robots which had competed with him under the Yellow team banner.

"*When I said goodbye to them, I said that I hope we could met again next year. I said if we were to meet next year, I would definitely choose you again. Seriously. Not just Tiger Claw, all other teams that I met this year. I miss my Ninja very much. I miss Lieutenant Bam... I miss Two BBQ, Jingu Bang. As well as EarthShaker in the earliest, Slash Boy, Chronos, also including my 008, and Saber, all of these brothers and sisters, with whom we used to fight together. I feel so sad to say goodbye. I hope we will have the chance to meet with one another in the future in other battles of our lives.*"
— Sa Beining's parting words for the season (Mech+ subtitles)

Winner: **Tungsten**

### Tánshè vs Xiake

"*Because I won the second place in King of Bots, this time my goal is simple-- to win the championship. To win the honor for our Chinese robots.*"
— Zheng Jianfeng, confident about going one step further in the *This is Fighting Robots* final (Mech+ subtitles)

"*To the Dream Team - we've fought very hard, we've come a long way, and we're in the Semi-Finals. Let's do one last push, and meet in the final!*"
— Gabriel Stroud

Immediately, Xiake demonstrated that it had a lower frontal ground clearance, and breached the wedge of Tánshè to lift the robot up. On a second contact, Xiake drove under Tánshè completely, holding the British flipper on its top momentarily. Xiake edged Tánshè backwards, although it briefly drove onto the flipper of Tánshè, which did not activate despite the cries of Zheng Shuang. Xiake then drove under the fleeing Tánshè, and threw sparks off its underside, before a more solid blow threw Tánshè over completely. Tánshè self-righted quickly, but Xiake followed up with an attack to its side. Tánshè still wasn't making offensive moves, and skirted over Xiake's wedge to hit the drum again. This damaged Tánshè's front lip, which prevented it from getting under the side of Xiake for a flip. Xiake again continued circling its opponent, landing several glancing blows on Tánshè's wedge through repeated attacks.

"*It's very difficult to get underneath Xiake, he's got some very, very sharp wedges, and he hits very hard.*"
— Gabriel Stroud

When Tánshè made an offensive drive forwards, Xiake's drum threw it over, and Tánshè took two attempts in order to self-right, before driving straight back into Xiake's drum while rearing up.

**Wang Tao**: "*Xiake's doing "See Dragon in Field" and then "Dragon Wagging Tail". Tanshe can't do anything with Xiake now.*"
**Xiao Cang**: "*Yeah, it never got the chance to catapult Xiake. Once again! Tanshe was bumped away by Xiake. Although Tanshe can use its armour system to flip over, it's difficult for it to effectively attack Xiake.*"
— As Tánshè continues to be hit and flipped over by Xiake (Mech+ subtitles)

Xiake's dominance continued over its next few slams, as Sa Beining and Zhang Yishan both rallied their support for Wu Chun's entry. Moments later, it managed to land a critical blow, ripping an entire wheel out of Tánshè through impact alone. At that point, Beining and the audience began further chants of Xiake's name. Although Tánshè could still drive freely without this wheel, Xiake continued to grind at the rear of it, and sent it spiralling over with a frontal drum-on-wedge impact. Tánshè self-righted, only to have armour torn off by Xiake.

"*You can't go into the front of him.*"
— Gabriel Stroud to driver John Reid

Finally, Tánshè launched its first attack of the match after reaching the side of Xiake to overturn it, propelling it into the wall behind the mace after Xiake's drum collided with the firing flipper. Xiake's drum started to grind against the surface of the floor, and Zheng Jianfeng's machine was now forced to take evasive action. Tánshè drove Xiake backwards, lifting it lightly, and Xiake also collided with the mace twice on its own accord.

"*Hold on to it! Hold on to it!*"
— Wu Chun, encouraging Team Xiake to survive to the finish (Mech+ subtitles)

With only around twenty seconds remaining, Tánshè pinned Xiake against the arena wall, and edged it to the corner of the arena. Driver John Reid told his weapon operator Gabriel Stroud to wait for a good flip, attempting to line up the perfect throw to toss Xiake out of the arena. Once Reid gave Stroud the signal, however, Xiake had slipped off the flipper plate; resulting in Tánshè missing its flip. Tánshè drove Xiake into another wall, where Xiake lost drive on one side, late into the battle.

"*He's broken! Ten seconds! Go drive round!*"
— Gabriel Stroud

Gabriel Stroud quickly alerted John Reid that Xiake was unable to move freely; Tánshè held off as the referee rushed over to check Xiake's movements. During the final two seconds, a count-out was initiated, running its course even after the battle itself ended at the maximum three minutes. Both robots, nevertheless, went to a Judges' decision; before the outcome was announced, Wang Cong asked Sa Beining for his views on the match:

"*If we see from the intents to attack, both are equally good. If we see from the effects of their attacks, I think Xiake in the first two minutes dislodged a wheel from Tanshe, and knocked off one of Tanshe's teeth, and flipped over Tanshe three times. These attacks were super effective.*"
— Sa Beining shares his thoughts on the Semi-Final (Mech+ subtitles)

While Beining - and Wu Chun - anticipated Xiake to take the victory, the decision was ultimately given to Tánshè, on the grounds of the former losing mobility during the closing moments. Perplexed, Chun asked for clarification from the lead Judge. It was explained that, despite Xiake lasting for the whole three minutes, it was considered to have been knocked out under the *This is Fighting Robots* "international" rules, which stated that the count-out could override the match duration. Chun and Team Xiake proceeded to check the rules themselves, with Zheng Jianfeng admitting that he had not read them thoroughly beforehand.

"*I haven't come across these things, so I didn't give them much thought. In fact, afterwards, I reflected on myself. I've been competing for such a long time, but as to the rules, I haven't read them carefully. I haven't studied them thoroughly. This is indeed our fault. I think I should apologize to [Wu Chun]. I'm truly sorry.*"
— Zheng Jiafeng, on the count-out rules which eliminated Xiake (Mech+ subtitles)

No further action was taken, and Tánshè progressed to form an all-British Grand Final.

"*I think Xiake did so well, and whether it won or not this time, honestly, don't worry about it. I think deep in our heart, it was the winner of the game.*"
— Wu Chun (Mech+ subtitles)

Winner: **Tánshè**

## Third Place Play-off

### Shrederator Tiger Claw vs Xiake

*NOTE: The third place play-off was not aired as part of the televised episode.*

Xiake spun its weapon up to speed more quickly than Shrederator Tiger Claw, and the latter retreated to gain more speed, throwing sparks when both weapons briefly collided. Xiake landed a bigger hit to the shell spinner of Shrederator Tiger Claw, and then pushed it back into a Grinder. Shrederator Tiger Claw then tried to launch its own attack, but ran into the drum of Xiake and was thrown up, remaining off-balance for a while after failing to land flat. Xiake waited for the gyroscopic motions to cease, and Shrederator Tiger Claw returned to solid ground to make its escape.

Xiake charged into the spinner of Shrederator Tiger Claw, but was punted away, but responded by closing in to throw Shrederator Tiger Claw high into the air with a powerful attack. Shrederator Tiger Claw scraped the side of Xiake, and then both collided for an even clash which ripped away a piece of armour from Xiake, but Xiake landed a follow-up attack on Shrederator Tiger Claw. Xiake was now hesitant to attack, and Shrederator Tiger Claw clipped the front corner of Xiake to toss it aside. Both robots held off until Xiake backed Shrederator Tiger Claw into the wall, which narrowly avoided the arena hammer to hit the side of Xiake again.

With less than a minute remaining, both robots were very tentative, with Xiake's wedge now seemingly unable to breach the ground clearance of Shrederator Tiger Claw. Eventually, Shrederator Tiger Claw managed to rip the front wedge away from Xiake entirely, but this also meant that Xiake could now bring its weapon back into play, and it charged Shrederator Tiger Claw twice in succession. Xiake's drum was no longer spinning, and was loosely attached in general, with Shrederator Tiger Claw once again striking the front of the machine, also briefly wedging under it to attack the underside of Xiake.

Time expired on a very close battle, and the Judges declared that Xiake had won, based on its earlier dominance in the match.

Winner: **Xiake**

## Wu Chun Segment

A short, untitled behind-the-scenes segment, following Wu Chun and his children on a tour through the pits and arena complex during an earlier filming session. Vulcan and Team Xiake made further appearances, with driving, robot arm and arena hazard demonstrations also featuring.

## Grand Final

### The Pits

**Gabriel Stroud**: "*John, how confident are you about the battle against Tungsten?*"
**John Reid**: "*Walkover.*"
**Gabriel Stroud**: "*It's a walkover!*"
**Dave Moulds**: "*Is it, John? Is it really?*"
— Confidence from Team Legion

Zheng Shuang, proud of her roboteers' achievements thus far, checked in on both teams as they were busy working on their machines. Team Legion repaired and performed a successful drive test on Tánshè, the robot being suspended off the pit bench from its cradle during the latter. Dave Moulds and Sam Smith, meanwhile, were occupied with resolving fresh 'technical problems' that had surfaced following Tungsten's Semi-Final. Banter between the two UK teams was followed by a montage of Moulds working on Tungsten's wiring and optional wedge, along with a brief discussion between him and Smith about count-outs. Alan Young and his translator were also present with Team Carbide during this time.

### Tánshè vs Tungsten

"*We’re very proud, and very excited. Tungsten is a very powerful robot. It’s always very difficult fighting your friend, but now, we’ve got to show you who has the best robot!*"
— Gabriel Stroud prior to the final

"*We rated our chances of beating Tánshè at about 50/50. But, we know that Tungsten had been vulnerable to weapon motors burning out before the end of the match, and that was our big weakness.*"
— Sam Smith on Tungsten’s chances of victory

As in their previous battle, Team Carbide elected to enter Tungsten into the arena without its axe mechanism, while fitting it with a large front blue wedge piece. Tánshè regained the small twin wedgelets which had proved vital in its last two encounters.

"*Tungsten, you’d better find your wings – because you’re gonna learn to fly!*"
— Gabriel Stroud

Both robots started tentatively, with Tánshè repeatedly weaving around the arena and dodging Tungsten’s initial attacks. This was until it turned round and exposed its side to Tungsten; Tungsten promptly flipped the Team Legion machine over and ripped one of its wheels off.

**Xiao Cang**: "*A part was knocked off.*"
**Wang Tao**: "*Tanshe was hit first. But it got up immediately.*"
— Tungsten draws first blood

Tánshè self-righted, seemingly unaffected by the damage inflicted, and survived a few more blows to its rear end from Tungsten’s flywheel. The two competitors weaved and circled round each other, before Tungsten drove up Tánshè’s flipper and was thrown onto its disc. Tungsten recoiled back onto its wheels, and responded by hitting and flipping Tánshè several more times. This caused one of Tánshè’s sides to fold underneath its wheels, leaving it wedged off the floor; smoke poured from Tungsten as its own weapon appeared to stop working.

**Wang Tao**: "*We saw Tanshe's wings for the first time!*"
**Xiao Cang**: "*Can Tanshe flip over and move?*"
— As Tungsten causes Tánshè to briefly get stuck on its own armor

After several seconds, Tánshè fired its flipper, allowing its side armor to fold back and the robot to regain full contact with the floor. However, it was left immobile on one side as a result of Tungsten’s blows, and resorted to spinning in circles as the referee advised Team Legion to move Tánshè at least three meters across the arena. Meanwhile, Tungsten turned away and spent a few moments driving around the other side of the arena; eventually, it got its flywheel up to speed again, and slammed into the side of Tánshè once more.

"*Come on, Gabe - come on, Gabe!*"
— Dave Moulds urges Team Legion to attack Tungsten

After lingering for some time in the corner, Tánshè sustained a few more hits from Tungsten and a nearby mace; more smoke poured from Tungsten’s flywheel, which was rendered inoperable as Gabriel Stroud urged his teammates to flip the Team Carbide machine. Neither Tánshè nor Tungsten attacked each other again for the remainder of the battle; both spun in jubilation as time ran out and their teams celebrated the end of a hard-fought confrontation. The final went to a Judges’ decision, which went in favor of Tungsten, ruling it and Zheng Shuang the first and only *This is Fighting Robots* champions.

"*We feel disappointed, but relieved that the journey has finished!*"
— Gabriel Stroud reflects on the final

"*It was great to win in England, and to come over here and to win in China is just incredible now, so… Yep, just want to thank everyone that’s supported us really… all our friends, especially the guys that we’ve met here and the girls that we’ve met here. It’s just been incredible, really, so… thank you!*"
— Dave Moulds following Tungsten’s championship victory

Winner: **Tungsten**

## Epilogue

"*I feel so honored. I'm even happier than winning any awards myself. Because this is in a totally different area. And an area I like very much. From the beginning to now, I think I have never seen a match like every one I saw here. At the scene you can see the duel between two robots. And you'll think that's super cool. And I'll think of myself as cool, too. I wanna show off to everyone.*"
— Zheng Shuang (Mech+ subtitles)

Following the trophy ceremonies, all team managers gathered their final reflections on their time in *This is Fighting Robots*, as well as their hopes for the future of the show, the Chinese robot combat scene and the competing roboteers. Wu Chun commented on becoming a 'somewhat professional' team player through participating in the show, while Zhang Yishan aspired to obtain and compete with a fighting robot of his own.

"*I also hope that with our efforts, through whichever means, we will provide our Chinese teams with better training conditions, or training locations. In the next season of This is Fighting Robots, or maybe even greater platforms, I hope we can make our Chinese robots better and stronger.*"
— Zhang Yishan (Mech+ subtitles)

Sa Beining was more philosophical, using robot combat as an analogy to learn, recover and persevere with life in spite of 'failure'.

In a final post-event sequence, the celebrations were interrupted by an alarm and a PA announcement, calling Zheng Shuang to the 'repair room' (pits). As the newly-crowned **Champion Manager**, Shuang received a final 'transmission' from CH0329, before being 'teleported' to a 'new world' to support humanity in a conflict against machines.

"*This champion has gone through the battle of robots. Your love, courage, creativity, and learning ability have now been fully activated. Only if you spread these skills to every corner of the world can we maintain the balance between human beings and technology. However, the robots [sic] fighting is just the beginning of your arduous journey. Face your new battlefield with your immense fighting spirit! This is the path you must take in order to save the world. The champion manager. Let's meet in the new world.*"
— The final briefing from CH0329 (Mech+ subtitles)

## Trivia

* This was the second episode of a robotic combat TV show to declare Team Carbide as a domestic champion, after the Grand Final of *Robot Wars* Series 9.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/Mech\_Plus/status/1615311273243049985