This is Fighting Robots (Season 1.5)/Episode 2

This is Fighting Robots title card

"*The second phase of picking continues as more robots line-up for their opportunity to earn a spot on one of the leader's teams. The team-captains have to learn as much as they can about their chosen robots and their enemies.*"
— Official Mech+ programme description for *This is Fighting Robots*, Episode 2

**Episode 2 of *This is Fighting Robots*** aired on April 20 2018. It began by concluding the preliminary group battle stage, before primarily focusing on the celebrity team managers finalizing their robot rosters and acquainting themselves with their chosen teams. The conclusion introduced the **Freestyle Combat** stage forming the first rounds of the main competition, whereupon both the first 'start-up' manager and robot draw were decided.

An English-subtitled version premiered on 25 November 2022 on the streaming service Mech+, shown as a two-part livestream with Episode 1.

## Competing robots

* 008
* Blue
* Blue Demon
* Bonfire
* Chronos
* Firefox
* Griffin Mk II
* Lieutenant Bam
* Mad Moustache
* Ninja
* Polar Opposite
* Saber II
* Sandstorm
* Saturn
* Stealth
* Wall Breaker
* Xiake
* Yesaji
* Zen Oh

* NOTE 1: Spike Head and Whirlwind Cut appeared in a Group Battle at the beginning of the episode, but were already eliminated as a result of the battle starting in the previous episode.
* NOTE 2: Eater, Fango, Green Agate and Shrederator Tiger Claw entered the arena at the end of the episode; the start of their battle forming a cliffhanger ending resolved in Episode 3.

## Group Battles

This episode concluded the preliminary group battle stage, where 28 unselected robots would fight in four-way melees for a chance to impress any of the four celebrity team managers. The full 10-place team structures were revealed for the first time, in segments where the managers discussed their already-selected options.

Following the conclusion to the second melee aired in the first episode, the third, fourth and fifth battles were shown in full, along with stylistically-edited highlights of the remaining two. A segment where Sa Beining, Wu Chun and Zhang Yishan inspected Greedy Snake highlighted the managers' early impressions of robot combat. Beining drew attention to minor damage sustained by Greedy Snake's grabbing claw, while Chun commented on the arena atmosphere along with the smells of burnt rubber and electrical components.

### Cat King vs Greedy Snake vs Spike Head vs Whirlwind

*Main article: This is Fighting Robots (Season 1.5)/Episode 1*
This episode opened with the conclusion of a preliminary group battle which mostly took place in the previous episode. Greedy Snake turned Cat King over in its signature suplex action, becoming the last robot still mobile as a result.

**Robots selected: Greedy Snake**

However, long after the battle had concluded, Zheng Shuang decided later on to add Cat King to her roster, as she had one extra place left over at the end of the selection process.

### Blue vs Polar Opposite vs Saber II vs Wall Breaker

Polar Opposite entered the battle with discs equipped on both halves. At the beginning, Wall Breaker drove up the wedge of Saber II, but reversed away, causing Saber II to fire at the air. Blue attempted several early axe attacks on the Negative Charge (orange) segment of Polar Opposite, the latter spinning in circles as a result of radio interference issues. Wall Breaker fired its flamethrower while Saber II mistimed another flip, and Blue struck the top of Negative Charge multiple times. After this, Polar Opposite attempted to trap Blue, which fired its axe aimlessly. A direct blow from Positive Charge's disc caused a layer of protective front armor to fall off Blue's wedge, while the repeated swings of Blue's axe generated sparks on the arena floor.

Negative Charge drove its disc underneath Blue, and Wall Breaker attempted to grab the orange multibot. However, this allowed Blue to land an overhead blow on Negative Charge, while Saber II drove under Wall Breaker and tossed it across the arena. This attack impressed Sa Beining, who selected Saber II to join the Yellow team. Although Wall Breaker landed on its wheels, Saber II followed this up with a flip which turned Blue and Wall Breaker over with a single attack. Wall Breaker attempted to self-right using its forks, but was pressured by Negative Charge, which was still spinning uncontrollably.

Blue had been left in a precarious position from Saber II's flip, but after adjusting itself, it used its axe to successfully self-right. This impressed both Sa Beining and Zheng Shuang, with Shuang selecting the Bots FC machine to join the Green team roster. Blue's axe had seemingly lost much of its power, but it still landed a blow on the top of Saber II, which had just wedged under it.

Wall Breaker was revealed to have been re-righted, while the interference issues affecting Polar Opposite worsened, with both segments now spinning uncontrollably and disrupting the Positive and Negative team's strategy. Wall Breaker pressured Negative Charge into the corner, while Blue axed and shunted the spinning Positive Charge across the arena until time expired. This meant that Saber II and Blue had been selected for the main competition, while Polar Opposite - and the already-immobile Wall Breaker - had not.

**Robots selected: Blue, Saber II**

Although Polar Opposite was not selected through the course of battle, it was later chosen by Wu Chun to complete the Red team line-up.

### Blue Demon vs Bonfire vs Chronos vs Sandstorm

Immediately, Sandstorm charged into Chronos, launching the American ring spinner into the air and enabling it to get selected by Zheng Shuang of the green team. The four robots gathered round in the corner, with Blue Demon also hitting Chronos with its dual bar spinners – however, Chronos was selected by Sa Beining and escaped, momentarily pushing Bonfire aside in the process. Sandstorm drove up Bonfire’s wedge, allowing Blue Demon to tear its rear armor panel off. Despite this, Sandstorm repeated this maneuver seconds later, with Bonfire proceeding to lower its bar spinner on it while simultaneously pushing it into the grinders. This attack earned Bonfire a place on Wu Chun’s team, as it weathered another nudge from Sandstorm.

Sandstorm continued to lure Bonfire across the arena, nudging Blue Demon at one point. It spun round and got underneath Bonfire, pushing it towards then throwing it against the wall with its lifting weapon. Sparks flew as Bonfire’s spinner made contact with the wall; despite having been eliminated from the battle as a result of Sandstorm's attack, the red and black machine landed on its wheels, and escaped as Sandstorm charged underneath Blue Demon. Sandstorm proceeded to flip Chronos over by driving the latter into a grinder - however, it threw itself over as a result of the attack, and slowly re-righted itself using its lifting bars while Blue Demon pushed Bonfire across the arena. Recovering, Sandstorm proceeded to push and flip Blue Demon against the corner, and the battle concluded, with Blue Demon the only robot not to have been selected. Sandstorm celebrated its qualification by spinning and raising its lifting bars.

**Robots selected: Bonfire, Chronos, Sandstorm**

### Firefox vs Mad Moustache vs Stealth vs Zen Oh

At the beginning of the battle, all four robots attempted to spin their weapons up to speed. Sa Beining, however, had already taken a liking to Mad Moustache before the battle had even begun, and immediately selected it for his team, meaning that a robot had been selected before contact was even made. However, Sa Beining's worst fears came true, as the Portuguese spinner of Zen Oh slammed directly into Mad Moustache, and removed much of its armor with a single blow, also completely immobilizing the Turkish machine. Although many of its internals were hanging loose, Mad Moustache's spinner continued to operate, and the robot had already successfully qualified, but it would not be approached again in the battle. Zhang Yishan was impressed by this attack, and selected Zen Oh for his team.

The three active machines gathered in the center of the arena, and Firefox used the gyroscopic forces of its spinner to bring its wheels from the floor. This motion appealed to Wu Chun, who added Firefox to his team, leaving only Stealth to be selected, which continued to hold its ground using its spinner. Zen Oh coasted around the arena, but suddenly lost the use of its bar spinner. It bumped into the side of Firefox, causing the Indian machine to prop back into the air. Stealth capitalized on this, and faced Firefox weapon-to-weapon in a shower of sparks, also following this up with a second hit which knocked Firefox away. After these attacks, Zheng Shuang selected Stealth for her team, meaning that all four robots had qualified.

The three active robots fought on, and Stealth targeted the wheels of Firefox, ripping a wheel away from the rear of the machine while casting more sparks. Firefox was still able to drive away, but Stealth inflicted more damage, and Zen Oh rammed into the side of it. As a result of these attacks, Firefox lost the remainder of another damaged wheel, and stopped moving. With only Stealth and Zen Oh active, Stealth struck Zen Oh with its spinner, which sent the Portuguese robot recoiling into a mace. The mace almost overturned Zen Oh completely, to the satisfaction of Zheng Shuang.

Zen Oh crashed back down, and took evasive measures, having already qualified. Regardless, Stealth pursued its opponent and struck it with another strong blow, causing Zen Oh's drive belt to fall out. Zen Oh slammed into the wall in its efforts to flee from the South Korean machine, although it managed to avoid Stealth until time expired on a match where all four robots had qualified.

**Robots selected: Firefox, Mad Moustache, Stealth, Zen Oh**

However, in spite of being selected by Sa Beining within the opening seconds of the match, Mad Moustache caught fire after the battle had ended, and the Turkish team conceded that they would be unable to repair their robot in time for the main competition. As such, they forfeited their position, which would later be taken up by 008.

### Xiake vs 008 vs Saturn vs Ninja

This battle was one of two which were not broadcast in their entirety; in the highlights shown, 008 charged head-on into Xiake’s drum, causing both robots to recoil spectacularly. Ninja momentarily pushed Xiake forwards as all four robots converged; at the same time, Saturn ripped one of 008’s wheels off, resulting in the wheel bouncing across the arena and 008 becoming immobilized on one side. Xiake proceeded to launch Saturn into the air with its drum, which convinced Wu Chun to select it as part of the Red team. At one point, Saturn launched up Ninja’s wedge, causing it to miss a potential strike with its swinging blade; nevertheless, despite frequently dodging its opponents and missing attacks, Ninja was also chosen by Sa Beining. Finally, Saturn hit the side of Xiake, tearing the Chinese machine’s side panel into several pieces and resulting in it being selected by Zhang Yishan.

**Robots selected: Xiake, Ninja, Saturn**

Despite using its flamethrowers at some stage in the battle to try and impress the celebrity captains, 008 was the only robot not to have initially been selected for the main competition. However, it would eventually be reinstated after being chosen by Sa Beining to fill the last place in his team, effectively replacing Mad Moustache.

### Griffin Mk II vs Unlimited Numbers vs Lieutenant Bam vs Yesaji

The second preliminary battle not to be shown in full. The highlights began with all four robots scrambling to the center of the arena in the opening seconds, where Yesaji and Lieutenant Bam rammed each other while the former got underneath Unlimited Numbers. Griffin Mk II eventually clamped and pushed Unlimited Numbers into a nearby mace mount, the impact momentarily throwing both robots off the floor. This attack earnt Griffin Mk II a place on Zhang Yishan’s team. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Bam drove itself into another mace, which flipped it over and forced it to use its spiked club to self-right. Sa Beining selected Lieutenant Bam as a result of its self-righting capability, securing the green UK machine's place in the main competition. Unlimited Numbers continued to be pushed, dragged and lifted by Griffin Mk II in the meantime; neither it nor Yesaji would be selected by any of the team managers.

**Robots selected: Griffin Mk II, Lieutenant Bam**

## Final Robot Selections

Shortly after the fifth melee - where Sa Beining picked Mad Moustache immediately before it took catastrophic damage from Zen Oh - Beining proposed to the production crew a suggestion for the managers to select three teams from each other's rosters. Wu Chun backed this idea, but Zhang Yishan declined. Meanwhile, Zheng Shuang briefly considered taking Two BBQ from the Yellow team line-up, also expressing a nuanced response to Beining's offer to do the same with her newly-added UK machine Sandstorm.

"*If he really likes it, I think as long as he is happy, that's all that matters. But I feel that he will be too embarrassed to select it.*"
— Zheng Shaung, responding to Sa Beining's bid to transfer Sandstorm from the Green team

Chun and Yishan objected to Sandstorm's transfer, prompting Beining to propose a few alternative methods in which they could 'trade' robots. After examining the roster board up to this point, Shuang ultimately decided not to give away any of her existing machines, which she asserted was out of fairness to her fellow team managers.

"*I feel that the performance of Mr. Sa was a little too dramatic, otherwise I would have agreed to it.*"
— Zheng Shuang

Once the final preliminary fight had completed, Wu Chun and Zheng Shuang had one remaining space each, to be filled in by a robot which had not already been chosen. Sa Beining also had to make an extra choice, upon receiving the news of Mad Moustache's withdrawal. Following a random draw conducted by co-presenter Wang Cong, Chun was chosen to decide the order in which the eligible managers filled in their teams' remaining places.

Zheng Shuang, the first manager to do so under this process, opted for Cat King, based on its feline-inspired design. Assessing robots purely on battle performance, Sa Beining briefly considered Unlimited Numbers (referring to it as **Extreme One** according to Mech+ subtitles), based on its perseverance prior to losing the belt for its spinning weapons. Beining's other preferred option was the undercutter 008 - captained by experienced *Robot Wars* and *King of Bots* roboteer Gary Cairns - though he expressed 'hesitance' towards it following its immobilization in its group battle.

Beining offered Unlimited Numbers and 008 to Zheng Shuang, who instead brought up the multibot Polar Opposite as a potentially 'good pick'. While reminding both of his fellow managers to select robots without any outside influence, Wu Chun revealed his interest in adding Polar Opposite, and hopes for Beining to pick the more potentially damaging 008. Zhang Yishan, himself open to the managers exchanging selection ideas, considered the advantages of Polar Opposite's design in head-to-head matches should it be added to Chun's team.

At Chun's persuasion, Sa Beining added 008 to the Yellow team roster, with Chun adding Polar Opposite to the Red team seconds later. Chun explained his reasoning behind this choice, which was made out of guilt for not having previously selected the two-part entry, along with sympathy for the father-and-son Positive and Negative team following their initial elimination.

Immediately after Chun selected Polar Opposite, the captain for Wall Breaker, Wang Chao, entered the arena complex to question the process for the preliminary group battles. Taking David's microphone, Chao criticized the notion of robots advancing to the main competition despite being immobilized in battle, highlighting Wall Breaker's success in lasting for the full three minutes in its melee. Wang Cong and Sa Beining both attempted to explain the team-based format for *This is Fighting Robots*, while also addressing the differences between the show's format and rules, and the elimination-based structure of a typical robot combat event.

"*...right now, our rules are no longer the rules of the competition. Right now, the rules are that of the TV program. And the rules of the TV program [are] laid down for the four of us celebrity managers. Meaning right now we... might not be giving too much consideration to how you perform in the competition at the end. Perhaps it would be one of the considerations. But in the end, we will combine all factors. We can see that a certain machine will fit a certain position in the future battles.*"
— Sa Beining addresses a complaint from Wang Chao, surrounding the initial selection processes

Beining reminded Wang Chao that robot selections were not judged entirely on performance at this point in the series. As an example of this, Beining revealed his preference by this time to gather robots with consistent aerospace and/or military-inspired themes, though only one of his finalized choices explicitly fulfilled this brief. While politely accepting his response, Chao still disagreed, criticizing Beining for his 'unprofessional' approach to selecting robots along with the selection process itself. Nevertheless, Wang Cong reiterated Beining's statement in an announcement concerning the eight unselected robots to be eliminated, where the time and effort to build them was still acknowledged and applauded on.

The finalized team rosters for the start of the main competition were:

## Learning Process

"*Four managers, freestyle combat is about to start. Every machine has its own strength and weakness. Before the start of the competition, you will have one hour to learn from and communicate with your team members. Let's get ready for the arrangement and selection of robots in the upcoming battles.*"
— CH0329's briefing for the 60-minute 'learning process'

Once the celebrity-led teams had been finalized, a 'learning' process commenced, where each manager was given one hour to acquaint and familiarize themselves with their chosen robots and their builders. Key objectives included understanding each machine's inherent strengths and weaknesses, as well as formulating early strategies against potential opponents.

The final five minutes would be dedicated to team briefings, where each of the team managers would gather and deliver a mission speech for every one of their roboteers.

### Wu Chun

"*How come today, right... somebody can smash it?*"
— Wu Chun inquires the CK Robotics Club over damage sustained by Firefox

Wu Chun first spoke with the CK Robotics Club - builders of the Foxic-esque Firefox. While appreciating the Indian team's enthusiasm, Chun inquired them about the damage sustained in its preceding group battle - including the missing wheel removed by Stealth - hopeful that it could be repaired ahead of the 'freestyle combat' stage. Next, he visited Team Immersion and Bonfire; Andy Russell briefly mentioning the team members' collective experiences at UK events with separately-built machines.

ORBY Blade was the next robot Chun studied, with the Red team manager asking Team ORBY on which opponents they felt confident at fighting against. This exchange proved inconclusive, given the team's own apprehension about their newly-completed and seemingly unproven machine.

"*At that time, I wanted to call my own team the Knocked Out Team.*"
— Wu Chun, admitting uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of his team's robots

Chun then introduced himself to the Earth Mover team, themselves accompanied by Team Xiake captain Zheng Jianfeng. A recap of Jiangfeng's offer in the initial selection process was followed by highlights of Xiake's predecessor, Chiyung Jinlun, during its run to second place in *King of Bots* Season 1. Other builders on Chun's roster - including the captains of Red River Hong and White Tiger Guardian - reinforced Team Xiake as a pioneering Chinese entry capable of 'defeating foreigners'.

On this basis, Chun's meeting with Team Xiake proved more fruitful. Zheng Jianfeng touted Xiake's stability and versatility against different robot designs, while also responding to Chun's question about defences against crushers - Spectre being used as a reference. Jianfeng explained that the machine was redesigned to prevent a similar fate to that which befell Chiyung Jinlun in *King of Bots*. Jianfeng's optimism about succeeding, coupled with his approach to plan battle strategies in advance, helped to improve Chun's perception of Xiake significantly.

"*From now on, our combat strategy is speed, precision and showing no mercy. I will not give the opponent a chance to attack. I will come straight to your face. Using Chinese-made speed to defeat the opponent!*"
— Zheng Jianfeng

The next robot Chun visited was Mr Hippo, which had previously caught fire while celebrating its qualification from the very first group battle. In an attempt to save grace on behalf of the Dream Giant team, Zheng Jianfeng explained to Chun that the fire was caused by Mr Hippo wanting to put on 'fireworks' out of sheer excitement. Jianfeng's optimism was by then beginning to rub on Chun, who instructed Dream Giant to repair Mr Hippo before moving on to meet the Honghe team and Red River Hong.

Red River Hong's low profile was put forward as a crucial advantage against opponents with grabbers and crushers - once again with allusions to Spectre - along with its thick steel top armor. At this point, Zheng Jianfeng questioned whether the Red team needed to keep fixating on countering Spectre's hydraulically-powered weapon, noting the potential for future melee battles and employing 'substitute' machines centered around defence. Jianfeng's individual approach to battles was again noted positively by Chun, as the former disagreed with his initial idea to 'sacrifice' one of his team players.

**Wu Chun**: "*We will sacrifice one machine.*"
**Zheng Jianfeng**: "*Not us. Don't we now have other opponents? Depending on our mysterious movements, we can dispatch all the newbies and then we will clean up whatever happens at the end. Strategizing our offence.*"
— The Red team put forward ideas for their initial gameplan

Following this, Chun was seen to begin discussions with the White Tiger Guardian team, revealing his own unfamiliarity with the machine.

Later on, when Zheng Jianfeng highlighted Chiyung Jinlun's success to Zheng Shuang, the exchange convinced Wu Chun to believe in his own team's potential for success. This lead to a handshake between Jianfeng and Chun offscreen, where the former appeared satisfied with Chun's increased confidence.

Chun's closing briefing established a team identity inspired by the badges assigned to the Red team. As the badge design included a 'W' in the center, Chun proposed the name **Team Warrior** (or simply **Warrior**), which was universally chanted by his roboteers in appraisal. After time ran out on the 'learning' phase, Chun spied on the Green team as Zheng Shuang was in the process of determining the first robots to be picked from her line-up. His presence was immediately detected by roboteers including John Reid, forcing Shuang to tear up the paper sheets for her planned draws.

### Zhang Yishan

Zhang Yishan was first seen greeting every roboteer on the Blue team roster; of those, most of the Sledgehammer team were absent as they were busy elsewhere on the day of filming. The first team he began discussions with were Portuguese representatives Team REC, whose bar spinner Zen Oh had left a destructive first impression in the group battles. Yishan struggled to remember the moment he selected Zen Oh, or even the exact battle. Meanwhile, Team REC revealed to their interpreter their intention to mount an early challenge on the US machine Blue.

Yishan, struggling to understand Team REC's communication, eventually joined the latter in confronting Bots FC, whose captain Adam Wrigley appeared weary and equally confused. Yishan assured Bots FC that they were merely 'good friends', denying in interviews that he would use this attitude at the expense of any potential opponents. His nervous disposition, on the other hand, was noted by Team REC's Guilherme Ferreira, who cited Yishan as 'not confident' in the process.

In his concluding briefing, Yishan openly admitted his lack of knowledge on robotics, calling on his roboteers to help him gain experience and work through any potential technical issues. As such, he did not care whether he won or lost outright; a stance challenged by Greedy Snake's Wang Xi, when he noted that a lot of robot combat entrants considered winning as the sole objective.

### Zheng Shuang

"*This feels... like underneath its tough appearance, it's got a soft, fuzzy inside.*"
— Zheng Shuang, upon seeing Megabyte's heart-shaped cutouts

Electing to take written notes throughout this segment, Zheng Shuang immediately admired the heart-shaped cutouts on the top of Megabyte's shell spinner, which were deliberately designed for this purpose. She then asked Robotic Destruction Company whether the American machine would be able to defeat Weber. John Mladenik opined that the Russian flipper would not 'survive', and was equally optimistic about Megabyte defeating the most-recent incarnation of Greedy Snake. Mladenik, nevertheless, admitted that there were 'better' opponents for his team's machine to face. At this point, the show briefly cut to Sam Smith and Dave Moulds; Smith revealing that the pair knew Megabyte's capabilities and experience from having seen a few of its past fights.

When asked by Shuang about which opponents he was less confident about facing, John Mladenik mentioned those armed with wedges, an example being Sandstorm with its lifting variation. In turn, Ellis Ware suggested that damaging vertical spinners such as Tungsten were the Green team's biggest threat. Tungsten - another machine already on the Green roster - was quickly dubbed the best of its type in the competition, adding to Shuang's delight.

"*We're good at almost every machine. We can crush through nearly every machine with the most powerful crushing robot ever.*"
— Grant Cooper, assuring Zheng Shuang of Spectre's strengths as the defending *King of Bots* champion

Shuang next asked Team Robo Challenge about Spectre's weapon, strengths and weaknesses. Grant Cooper was quick to tout Spectre's versatility along with the power of its two-stage hydraulic crusher, crucial in securing its *King of Bots* title victory. Shuang's methods of questioning initially gave Cooper doubts, as he believed at first that she was not inclined to fully understand its actual design and fighting capabilities. Similar questions were directed by Shuang to Tánshè, though Gabriel Stroud was quick to confirm its vulnerability against vertical spinners.

"*Zheng Shuang asked us - half the team captains - to take her on a tour of the other robots; so she could learn the strengths and weaknesses of each one; so she can play our strongest robots, against their strongest robots.*"
— Gabriel Stroud

As a way of learning more about the opponents she was about to face, Shuang took a 'tour' of the pits complex with half of the Green team captains. Prior to this, she was seen taking notes on Green Agate, before speaking to captain Chen Hang about its reliability issues - contributing to sluggish movements seen in the group battles - and potential weaknesses. Hang admitted concerns about facing other hammer-wielding robots, along with the unpredictable and difficult-to-attack Thunder and Lightning. After feeling the spiked tip of, and doubting the potential of Green Agate's hammer, Shuang asked Hang whether he would be comfortable making his machine her first candidate for battles.

"*I'm about to have a mental breakdown. Those are the big dudes, I'm just the little guy. Our capabilities are quite far apart. Those nine big dudes are all stronger than me. Why send me up first?*"
— Chen Hang, light-heartedly objecting to Zheng Shuang's offer to make Green Agate her first fighter (Mech+ subtitles, edited)

In Shuang's next appearance, she was seen standing beside Blue, proposing an idea to base her robot selections based on whoever else the Green team visited in the pits. A convoy of Shuang and Green team roboteers then embarked on their 'tour', assessing various machines starting with Griffin Mk II, Snow Leopard, Saturn and Switch from the Blue team. The latter two were brand-new machines from UK competitors Team Titanium and Kevin Cleasby respectively, each with prior experience competing in *Robot Wars* and live events. The antics of the 'tour' group were enough to amuse the UK roboteers involved, and for Zhang Yishan to ask the Green team - by then picking up a reputation as the 'dream' team - to leave.

The Green team made a similar advance towards the Red team corner, which Wu Chun immediately blocked them from entering. Gabriel Stroud attempted to persuade Chun that his side was the 'weak' team, though this sentiment was not shared by various roboteers from the Red team.

Believing that the Red team should not consider themselves inferior to the international Green team representatives, Zheng Jianfeng highlighted Xiake to Shuang, along with its predecessor's *King of Bots* victory over Megabyte. Having impressed Shuang in the process, Jianfeng was immediately supported by Gabriel Stroud, who reiterated the 'very strong' design of Team Xiake's machines to Shuang. This exchange brought mutual unity between the Red and Green teams, before Shuang lead her roboteers to the Yellow team's corner with guidance from Dave Moulds.

Two BBQ was identified as a universal threat by roboteers including Grant Cooper, Adam Wrigley, Alan Young and Gabriel Stroud. Shuang and her team's efforts to examine the machine were blocked by various Yellow team members, who covered Two BBQ up at Sa Beining's instruction. Stroud and Moulds both addressed the disguised machine as "Megabyte", provoking a reaction from Two BBQ's Song Peng as Cooper exclaimed back "Spectre's coming for you!"

Initially distracted by singing from the Yellow team, Shuang concentrated on formulating strategies against Two BBQ and Xiake in her closing briefing. Tungsten and Megabyte were put forward as the robots to face these respective opponents. Though Grant Cooper initially considered Shuang's 'quiet', progression-based approach counter-intuitive, the strategy - along with both match-ups - was unanimously agreed upon by her roboteers. Ellis Ware even stated that he would have adopted the same strategy if he was in Shuang's position.

"*I think her approach to analyzing the team that she has and then deciding on how to move forward in the fights was spot-on. It's exactly what I'd do if I were in the same situation. First, you gather all of the information that you can, and then based on that, you make some firm decisions. And that seems like very logical thinking to me.*"
— Ellis Ware on Zheng Shuang's strategy

While Shuang was determining the first robot to select for battle, she was forced to rip up the paper sheets listing her planned choices when Wu Chun attempted to spy on the process.

### Sa Beining

"*I'm happy to be included, but the current situation is... Over there, [the Green corner] is royalty. The Forbidden City. Over here [Blue corner] is an affluent neighbourhood. Team Wu Chun: Affluent Neighbourhood. We are the ghetto here.*"
— Xuan Yuan Wen Chen jokes about the overall quality of the Yellow team line-up (Mech+ subtitles, edited)

Sa Beining began by introducing Saber II and Team Excalibur. Xuan Yuan Wen Chen appreciated Beining's decision to select them for the Yellow team, but joked that their 'Learning Corner' was a "ghetto" in terms of fame and overall robot quality.

"*A bunch of youngsters. Looking at others' robots and thinking they must be the champion. To me, none of this matters. Have you heard of the story of General Tian Ji in a Horse Race? The most important part is wisdom.*"
— Sa Beining (Mech+ subtitles, edited)

Beining, taken aback by this in humor, immediately distanced himself from this mindset, wasting little time in devising an initial strategy of pitting Saber II against the similarly-armed Tánshè. However, Xuan Yuan Wen Chen reserved doubts over this; he believed that Beining was unfamiliar with pneumatic flippers, and that this strategy would be unsuitable for Saber II in the long run.

Next to take Beining's attention were the tank-inspired Lieutenant Bam - with Harry Lloyd explaining the advantage of its overhead club weapon - and 008, whose flamethrowers seemed to interest him more than its undercutting disc. He then asked Brian Nave on the materials used for Shrederator Tiger Claw's shell, after which clips of EarthShaker, Two BBQ and their teams were shown. Both the captains of Two BBQ and Golden Hoops voiced their dissatisfaction with Beining's 'aptitude for learning' and time management, the latter potentially leaving Beining unprepared for the combat stage.

When Green team manager Zheng Shuang and her roboteers attempted to examine Two BBQ, Beining ordered it to be covered up to thwart their plan. In response, Beining recommended that the Yellow team use the time to examine robots on the Green team. He and several of his roboteers congregated around machines including Vulcan and Sandstorm, despite the best efforts of the Green team roboteers to conceal them.

**Sa Beining**: "*So, how about the... the bar?*"
**Ellis Ware**: "*The bar? It's fine!*"
— Sa Beining attempts to gain information on Sandstorm's lifter

Beining's counter-response, however, did not sit well with other team members. Song Peng of Two BBQ was left 'aggravated' by the decision, questioning whether Beining had 'forgotten' about his own rostered machines.

Some teams - with only less than five minutes remaining - did not even have a chance to speak to Beining, a matter addressed when he called all of his roboteers to his team briefing. Notes on Golden Hoops, Slash Boy and Two BBQ were hastily compiled, though this did not seem enough to alleviate Peng's concerns. In response to Wu Chun naming the Red team 'Team Warrior', Beining abruptly began his own team's renditions of "We Are the Champions", in an effort to cancel out his opposing side's chants.

"*The way [Beining] talked to the team, he was more like a cheerleader than a leader... if he wants to lead the cheers, he did a great job!*"
— Brian Nave

### Battle Plan

Upon returning to the central stage, the four team managers reconciled, with Zheng Shuang slowly looking through the torn-up sheets she had initially prepared. This intrigued Sa Beining and Zhang Yishan, with Beining deciding to take a look for himself.

Shuang told the remaining managers that these sheets contained a battle plan she had drawn up herself. Beining was particularly shocked to learn of Two BBQ's mention in these, ultimately dismissing its subsequent 'draw' against Megabyte. Nevertheless, he and Yishan remarked favorably on Shuang's dedication to the competition as a whole.

## Freestyle Combat

### Rules and First 'Start-up Manager' Draw

Once all managers were reunited, CH0329 announced and introduced the rules for the **Freestyle Combat** stage. This officially marked the start of the main competition.

Freestyle Combat involved 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, which would initially be chosen at the discretion of all four managers. 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.

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'.

Following a short hand-flipping game, Zhang Yishan was nominated as the first 'start-up' manager, making him the first to select a robot for this stage.

### First Battle Draw

Yishan's choice was the Australian walking robot Fango, which was selected out of awareness that he could not immediately use a machine that was 'too strong'.

"*My Fango specializes in spinning webs.*"
— Zhang Yishan

Next in the sequence was Zheng Shuang, who accepted the challenge, as did an initially apprehensive Wu Chun. Upon being asked by Wang Cong, Sa Beining hesitated, reading through the paper notes he took to his seat. Accompanying clips featuring Brian Nave and Song Peng showed both roboteers criticizing Beining's 'learning' process, suggesting that he was struggling to make a decision based on the limited notes he had prepared. Nevertheless, Beining duly confirmed his selection, making the first Freestyle battle a four-way melee.

Battleboard graphics revealed that Shrederator Tiger Claw (Beining), Eater (Chun) and Green Agate (Shuang) would join Fango in the arena. Beining then explained his reasoning for selecting Shrederator Tiger Claw; as none of the other managers had opted to send their most effective machines out, he hoped to gain an early points advantage while saving his 'best' robot (presumably Two BBQ) for a later match.

Golden Hoops' captain notably agreed with Beining's rationale, which had the effect of leaving Wu Chun in a cold sweat. Meanwhile, Shuang explained that Green Agate was chosen as it closely matched her team color, to which she believed that this combination would bring her side 'good luck'.

The episode concluded with Eater, Fango, Green Agate and Shrederator Tiger Claw all entering the arena and being introduced for battle. Following the countdown sequence, the episode ended on a sudden cliffhanger as the robots began moving from their starting positions. The remainder of the battle itself would ultimately form the beginning of Episode 3.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/Mech\_Plus/status/1596134109092360192
2. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/8d38ip/this\_is\_fighting\_robots\_episode\_2\_discussion/dxoqudi/?context=3

## Trivia

* Footage from the partially-aired group battle between 008, Ninja, Saturn and Xiake was briefly shown during an interview with Gary Cairns' team.