Top 15 Matchups I Have... Mixed Feelings On (2024)

Dia duit, ladies and gentlemen, PitTheSwordmaster here and... Christ, it has been a while since I did a blog, huh? Last one I did was back in what, April? Well, I've bounced between a fair few ideas on what I've wanted to write and between a major case of writer's block and a lack of confidence in a lot of the list ideas I've had, I ultimately settled on this one as my entryway back into making blogs after a fairly lengthy hiatus.

If you recall a while back, I did a list of my least wanted Death Battle matchups... I didn't like it, so I did it again and was much more satisfied with how it came out. Afterward, I took my fourth and largest stab at my most wanted Death Battle matchups. While my original few lists were fine for what they were, I wanted to do a lot more with them- both in talking about ideas I grew to like a hell of a lot more and in just generally expanding on why it is that some ideas resonated with me so much. So naturally, now that I've redone both my tops and my bottoms, it's only natural to go back to the middle diddlers of the lot... well, sort of. The original list I did was my Top 10 Middle Wanted Death Battles (link here) and given a lot of folks found the idea of having a middle wanted matchup... well, stupid, I felt that rebranding it to this would not only make more sense but just better convey the point of this list given that ultimately, what I placed my focus on the last time was ideas I had mixed feelings on as opposed to matchups that I didn't feel intense love or unbridled rage towards.

Out of the three original lists, I'd say my middle most wanted has held up the best in terms of how well structured and written it was... but ironically, it's also the one that has aged the worst in terms of my overall opinions on each matchups. Some I've grown be more into like Doomsday vs SCP 682, some I've grown... not so into like Sailor Moon vs Pegasus Seiya, some I went from being mixed on to just not giving a sh*t about anymore like Darth Vader vs Obito, etc., so not only did I want to do this list to round the trio out but also to go over some matchups that better fit the bill. A few things I want to go over first:

1. There's the usual "this is my opinion and if you disagree with anything I say, I'd like to hear why yada yada yada" you get the drill.

2. This list was honestly the hardest of the lot to really decide what entries I was gonna have on it... okay my top 200 was harder but that was by virtue of just being long as sh*t, as opposed to just having trouble really knowing what I wanted to include on the list, and I've gone back and forth a lot on the entries you'll be seeing on here.

3. I'll just come out and say that there's a high chance that my reasoning for some of these is gonna sound like pretentious bullsh*t because I didn't just want to go for the obvious sh*t in matchups that have big upsides and equally big downsides. In fact, a lot of these matchups are really f*cking good or really f*cking bad and yet there's something I have a hard time describing about them that keeps me from fully going into one side or the other. Ambivalence is a really hard feeling to explain since it's not as simple as one overwhelming feeling like joy or hatred- it's totally all over the place, so this list was also difficult to really properly put into words how I felt. But hey, never let it be said I'm not willing to take a challenge... let it also never be said that I am a sane and reasonable human being.

Aight, with that out of the way, let us commence.

15. Shinoa Hiragi vs Maka Albarn (Seraph of the End vs Soul Eater)[]

Starting this list off is thankfully for me one of the easier matchups on the list to really explain my mixed feelings on, as well as one of the few matchups from my original blog to make it onto this one, and... really for all the same reasons as on that one.

Judging it purely in a vacuum, this idea has a lot going for it. The connections between them are simple but extremely blatant and overall solid (wielders of living scythes that hunt monsters with a rag-tag team of heroes in a military academy), and the animation potential is really good too. We haven't really gotten any kind of scythe battle so far and while in real life, they hardly make for the most practical of killing weapons, fiction has shown how flashy and badass a tool it can be with some utterly crazy choreography given their large size and massive blades, and when combined with Shinoa's demonic powers and Maka's different Meister abilities, it could make for a spectacle with the interactions to match thanks to Shinoa's snarky attitude making for some entertaining banter with Maka and especially Soul. Also the music potential is just... yes. But I think at this stage, you're already well aware of the big thing that inhibits my enjoyment of this idea. Say it with me now: Ruby freaking Rose.

As much as I like the core idea of this matchup, Ruby really just outclasses Shinoa in nearly every regard as a Maka opponent. While her powers may not clash as interestingly, RWBY's unique artstyle allows for the style of animation in the fight to be a whole lot more visually stunning and unique when paired with Soul Eater's signature wackiness, something that the more by-the-numbers artstyle of Seraph of the End simply can't accomplish faithfully, and Shinoa's advantages in weapon clashing ultimately don't make as big a difference since Ruby still clashes perfectly fine with Maka with a lot of potential interactions regardless, not to mention Ruby's eccentric personality still making for a good amount of interactions and banter between the two. And sure, Shinoa is kinda closer at the moment (assuming you don't give Ruby the town/city level scaling) but hardly by an amount that makes a major difference. But what really hurts it more than anything is the fact that... well, Ruby vs Maka is flat-out confirmed to be happening at some stage. When? Who knows, but the fact of the matter is it's gonna happen eventually.

"But Pit!", I hear you say, "Couldn't they just bring Maka back afterward to fight Shinoa?" Well you aren't wrong... but recall back to when I said that Ruby basically outclasses Shinoa in every regard. We know that Maka is fighting Ruby, and if Maka comes back then Shinoa would essentially just be "Ruby vs Maka, diet edition". Now sure, if Ruby vs Maka came out a complete and utter trainwreck it wouldn't be out of the question to suggest a return for her against Shinoa- I mean hell, I like Ragna vs Velvet despite Sol Badguy being Ragna's best opponent but since his only episode was f*cking horrible, I'm willing to settle for number 2 for him if it means doing him justice. But is Death Battle f*cking up really something you wanna be banking on? Really? That's ultimately what puts this matchup on the list. While the core idea of it is solid and a lot of fun, the fact that Maka is destined to fight a better version of Shinoa makes it hard for me to really fully like this idea, despite Ruby vs Maka being a matchup I also really really f*cking like.

14. Sephiroth vs Sigma (Final Fantasy vs Mega Man)[]

I don't believe in just bringing characters back willy nilly. A lot of people have their own views on what makes a character worthy of a return and I myself have several criteria for what makes a character worthy of a return.

Did they fight their best opponent?

Did they gain anything new since their last venture?

Were they respected and treated as well as they could have been? And most importantly,

Was their last episode good?

Granted, in some cases an idea ticking some or all the boxes doesn't necessarily mean I think a character shouldn't return- hell, I really want Deathstroke back and his episode is my third favourite in the whole series. But let's go through each of those criteria and really look into whether either need a return.

Did they fight their best opponent?

Sigma I would say unquestionably has. Yes, Ultron stomped him into f*cking mulch but the connections were extremely solid even beyond the rivalry they have through Marvel vs Capcom, the animation potential was superb thanks to their technological abilities and variety of bodies and bots, the banter just speaks for itself, etc. As for Sephiroth... eh, I'd say Vergil was pretty good for him. Connections work out nicely, music and dialogue potential were extremely solid, and the animation potential was to die for.

Did they gain anything new since their last venture?

Lol, no. Sigma hasn't gained sh*t since his fight with Ultron and to my knowledge, Final Fantasy 7 Remake didn't give Sephiroth anything new either (granted I haven't played Remake yet but... highly doubt an as of the time of writing this incomplete retelling is gonna give him anything new to work with).

Were they respected and treated as well as they could have been?

While both were lowballed stats-wise (more egregiously in Sephiroth's case since they put him at f*cking building level), their backstories were pretty spot on, their portrayals in their fights were solid, they got a good amount of use of most of their arsenals, they were treated with respect in the episodes... yeah, nothing really worth noting besides stats which I'd hardly call a reason to want a character back by itself.

Was their last episode good?

Sephiroth vs Vergil had its hiccups but it was still a really cool episode all the same with one of the flashiest fights to date. Ultron vs Sigma was just based all throughout, not much more to say than that. So um... guess that answers that.

So going by all of this criteria, neither character needs a return by any stretch of the definition... so why is it I still unironically find myself actually wanting this? Don't misconstrue that as me saying the matchup is bad for the record because like with the previous entry, it's fantastic when judged purely in a vacuum. Connections wise, it's freaking brilliant (cloned soldiers that were legendary for their skill who were driven to madness and would haunt their series' main character repeatedly by just refusing to f*cking die already). Animation potential wise, seeing Sephiroth's variety of magic powers clash with Sigma's tech, as well as them fighting blade to blade would be sick as f*ck and Final Fantasy and Mega Man X musi-nope, noooooo, don't finish that sentence, I'm already on the verge of org*sming at the thought of this! But like with Shinoa vs Maka, judging it in a vacuum only shows one part of the picture. There's really not much to be gained from bringing them back and trying to top their previous fights, especially in Sigma's case, is a massive "lol, nope" moment.

I guess the main reason I don't just write it off as unnecessary crap is because it... really isn't getting in the way of anything better, I guess? I mean, technically other ideas exist for them but Vergil and Ultron really did just kinda have the monopoly by comparison so nobody else is really scrambling to fight either of them. That and a bit of personal bias is also sprinkled in there since I f*cking love Mega Man X and think Sigma is a cool villain, and while my experience with Final Fantasy is limited, I still find Sephiroth a badass villain all the same. There's not a whole lot that you would get from bringing either back and the few things you would are ultimately not worth pouring so many resources into just to fix them... but if this fight actually were to miraculously happen... y'know, I... wouldn't really object to it or anything... pretty please? What? I didn't say anything!

13. Tiki vs Tohru (Fire Emblem vs Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid)[]

Moving right along, we've got ourselves an odd duck with one of the more... strange matchup types to really describe my liking for: guilty pleasure matchups. Lemme just preface this by saying this right now... this matchup kinda f**king blows.

Connections wise, it... technically works, but the emphasis there is on "technically" because the connections are overall ridiculously shallow (more or less just boiling down to "love interests that turn into dragons"), and while the way both characters fight actually do play off of each other well... in theory, the major size difference holds it back. Tiki's size is rather inconsistent throughout the series but no depiction of her really has her at the sheer size of Tohru's dragon form and with their arsenals being fairly barebones overall, the potential interactions you could get out of it are extremely limited. Not to say it can't work but you'd need some major creativity to get a good animation out of it. So now you're probably wondering why this fight is even on here if it has such glaring flaws. Well... personal bias. That's why.

I have made it absolutely no secret that I f*cking, f*cking, f*cking, f*cking, f*cking, f*cking, f*cking, f*cking, f*cking, f*cking, love Fire Emblem. It's my favourite franchise, Awakening is my favourite game in the series and my favourite game of all time, I have sunk an unhealthy amount of hours into each game, etc. And while I haven't made my love for it nearly as well known, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid is also a really nice and fun show that I greatly enjoyed watching, and Tohru was always my favourite character in the show (yes, even more than Kanna, f*ck off). Between my love of both series and... well, just an odd charm I feel this idea has, I can't bring myself to dislike it... which is where my next problem comes in and really, my problem with guilty pleasure matchups in general enters the picture: wanting a character to fight an opponent you know for a fact isn't good for them, just because "IDK, it's fun".

Obviously I know this isn't the intent but it feels somewhat... disrespectful? I don't really know what the right word is to describe it is but it just feels like a slap in the face to the characters in question to give them what is clearly not a good idea for them in the slightest just because of reasons that have nothing to do with objective quality. It doesn't feel fair on either of them, or their alternatives, and I hate seeing ideas with strong arguments to be made for them being the better choice just turned down through no fault of its own. Granted, their alternatives also aren't that good (Corrin vs Tohru being an infinitely worse Tohru vs FE character matchup, and both Tohru vs Kaido and Tiki vs Sophie being... actually pretty good TBF, but never really striking me all too much sadly) but... if a character just has sh*tty matchups, then just wait until someone finds something good for them. A bit of patience goes a long way. I would know, it's the reason I haven't killed either of my parents yet for stopping every five seconds when we're out to talk to a friend on the road until the heat death of the universe. So there really is no good reason I should be in support of this idea or consider it worth doing... but something about it still just vibes with me a lot and that's what really leads me to feel so mixed about it... oh hey, there's that title coming into play.

12. Salem vs Zeref/Ashera (RWBY vs Fairy Tail/Fire Emblem)[]

Zeref vs Salem is what I would charitably describe as a very... controversial matchup. It's one that garners either a lot of praise or a lot of criticism and if you couldn't tell from its placement on this list, I'm very split on which camp I would say I belong to, but to this matchup's credit, it has a lot of good to it. The connections between the two are extremely solid, tying really well into some of their most noteworthy characteristics and making for a strong point for interaction potential (both turning to the taboo to revive a loved one that died tragically, leading to them being cursed with immortality and turning evil, forcing the one they revived to utilise their newly gifted powers to put them down). The music potential is fantastic as well, with RWBY and Fairy Tail's soundtracks pairing nicely together, it is a damn unique franchise combo that you'd be hard-pressed to find as solid a pairing from, and most importantly, the animation potential is phenomenal, with Zeref's insane magical prowess clashing wonderfully with Salem's... um... with Salem's... um... uuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh... f**k, Salem's barely got anything to work with so far.

And thus, this matchup's major Achilles' heel is revealed: the animation potential does not f*cking exist. Salem has shown off virtually f*ck all in terms of her skillset, with only the most recent volumes giving her anything of substance to work with... and even then, not much more than generic magic attacks so far, none of which make for a remotely interesting fight with Zeref. Now this is the part where things get interesting however. RWBY is still an ongoing series and as such, it's far from out of the question that Salem might have a fleshed out arsenal that can pair well with what's at Zeref's disposal... at the same time however, it's just as likely her arsenal will become even more ill-equipped to make for a fun animation against Zeref. Since I presume nobody reading this works for Rooster Teeth, nobody knows for sure what Salem's kit will look like later down the road.

This is the same issue that you might recall I took with Ayano vs Toko back on my remade least wanted list- a matchup that similarly had the problem of being made and promoted way too far in advance before one of the characters in question had a properly fleshed out arsenal. The thing is though, with Ayano vs Toko, that fight had problems beyond the fact that Ayano's arsenal were far away from being set in stone, with sh*t like the piss poor connections not doing it any favours. This matchup actually has everything else going for it and as such, if Salem gets some juicy sh*t to work with, then I'll be all for it... but that's not a risk I wanna bank on at the moment, when not only does Salem's lack of interesting abilities at the moment hinder the animation potential, but also affects the debate since at the time of writing this, Zeref f*cking destroys her. Oh sure, she has the immortality sh*t but against Zeref's ridiculous death hax, that has as much impact as a raindrop and Zeref's major stat advantage further solidify this.

Now by this point, you may also be wondering why Salem vs Ashera is also here if this segment so far has been nothing but talking about Zeref vs Salem. Well, that was for a good reason. Not only does Zeref vs Salem have the far larger fanbase, it's also drawn a lot more criticisms and a lot of what I had to say on it could be applied to Ashera too. So why is it I'm only now bringing Ashera up? Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell, it's because I... actually kinda... prefer her to vs Zeref. I'll admit it largely is due to personal bias and the fact that I find myself more into Zeref vs Hao as an idea since the connections, while still good, aren't as good or unique and as I mentioned, the animation problems transfer over to here as well (though I'd argue maybe slightly less egregiously). That said, if Salem does get on the show, Zeref by this point is basically locked in as her opponent and given its numerous upsides, I'm still more than willing to give it the thumbs up regardless... on the condition that Salem gets anything worthwhile to fight Zeref with. If she never does... well, count me as one of the folks starkly against the idea. Good connections are great and all but when the animation potential is non-existent, good connections mean absolutely nothing... trust me, we'll be seeing some even more egregious examples of that down the road.

11. Adam Taurus vs Jetstream Sam (RWBY vs Metal Gear)[]

The first few matchups on this list haven't required too much thought for me to really get why it was I was so ambivalent towards them, but this is the first of a fair few ideas on this list that were pretty f*cking hard to really put into words what my problem was with it since it isn't as simple as sh*t like preferred opponents, animation potential, whether they should return or get in or not, etc. Adam vs Sam is a matchup that's become pretty damn popular in recent memory and... not unfoundedly since it does have a lot going for it. For whatever reason though, it's been a matchup I've bounced between different opinions on for a while now and up until this point, I didn't really know why that was, but I think I've finally gotten it down... I think... don't quote me on that. So what was it that made me so on the fence about it? Well... the connections.

Now before you all jump at me for that, let me say right now that yes, Adam and Sam do have a lot in common (both being extremists who wield red durability negating blades that they used to slice a main character's arm off, with the character in question later coming back to stab them to death). These aren't flimsy or incorrect connections by any means, so... what's the problem? Well to put it simply... they aren't the right connections for me. I know that sounds stupid as f*ck but hear me out here.

I think what makes the connections bug me is the fact that they don't really describe what I see as Adam's most defining elements as a character- his abuse at the hands of humans, his desire to fight for the Faunus, that desire for equality turning into a desire for supremacy for the Faunus as he let his position of power get to his head and turn him into the very thing he swore to destroy, etc. Not to say none of these also apply to Sam mind you, some do but they aren't what I think of Sam for. When I think of Adam, I think of the extremist White Fang leader that used the treatment of the Faunus as an excuse to take it out on humans, good and bad. When I think of Sam, I think of the typical early game boss that kicks your ass to motivate you to get stronger so you can give him the wedgie in return. There is more to Sam than that but his position in the story and his general character just don't meet eye to eye with Adam's.

And I know that some may look at this and roll their eyes at me putting this much thought into a notoriously awfully written character and one of the biggest points of contention for critics of RWBY but I don't see the bad writing choices of the original show as a good excuse to do him dirty in Death Battle itself. Just because one writer doesn't know what they're doing with him doesn't mean another won't either, and Death Battle has made me grow more into characters I gave no sh*ts about beforehand so it isn't impossible for a change of writers to flesh Adam out and turn what could be interesting character traits into an actually engaging character. That's why this matchup just doesn't sit right with me, which is a shame because in almost every other regard... this idea is f*cking brilliant.

The animation potential is utterly sublime, with the potential for one of the most gorgeously animated, fast-paced and styalised sword fights to date with music potential that would give me an eight hour long erection at the thought of throwing RWBY and Metal Gear Rising music into a blender and hearing those sweet sweet rock melodies. That and RWBY vs Metal Gear is also just a super unique pairing as well. It is a shame that all of these good traits just can't make up for the fact that this idea in general just... doesn't vibe with me. I want an Adam matchup that plays to the core identity of who he is, and to me, Sam just isn't that.

Also even though I don't like Adam myself, folks using him getting shanked by Sam as a positive to this fight is omega levels of cringe TBH. What? Y'all hear something? I didn't!

10. Kurumi Tokisaki vs Homura Akemi/Sakuya Izayoi (Date a Live vs Puella Magi Madoka Magica/Touhou Project)[]

There's a major tendency for people who like a matchup to cling to it like the world's strongest magnet and instantly denounce any possible alternatives just for not being it. Especially recently, I find myself growing more and more annoyed with this idea that characters are only allowed to have one good matchup and anything that isn't that matchup is automatically "cringe" or "unbased", as if it's somehow impossible for a character to have multiple good ideas for their own reasons. That said, I do feel like if a matchup just fails to do anything better than an alternative or to make it stand out from an alternative, then that can be a major breaking point for it since by that point... well, I'd just rather do the matchup that does anything it does better. That's what makes Kurumi such a bizarre character for me, since her only two good opponents in my eyes are Homura Akemi and Sakuya Izayoi, both of whom have a better matchup in the forms of... well, each other.

All things considered, Kurumi does do one thing better than Homura vs Sakuya (moreso in Kurumi vs Homura's case), with that being far stronger connections, which is... something, but alas that's not enough to really make up for it just not hitting the notes that make Homura vs Sakuya so f*cking good. Is the animation potential good? Yes, but Homura's literal godlike powers and Sakuya's Touhou bullsh*t still let them both crank the ludicrousy up to levels that Kurumi simply can't get it. Is the music or banter potential good? Yes, but the latter ultimately isn't really such a massive improvement that it lets it stand on the same level as those two and the former is still something Homura vs Sakuya blows it out of the water on. Is it closer? Eh, no. Oh sure, Kurumi has some bullsh*t hax... but in terms of stats, both Homura and Sakuya just kinda look at her funny and she drops dead on the floor, not helped by the fact that Homura vs Sakuya is ridiculously f*cking close given their practically identical stats, with the victor being through just having more bullsh*t hax. So ultimately we have the same issue as Shinoa vs Maka of this just feeling like a lesser version of its biggest competition... but this is where the awkward part comes in... Kurumi's alternatives are f*cking horrible.

Let's start with the least crap of the bunch, Nu-13. Nu actually has pretty solid animation potential and both the banter and especially music would be f*cking incredible. That said, the connections are still extremely barebones and Nu-13 stomps even harder than Homura or Sakuya on account of having even more nonsensical hax, on top of utterly unfair immortality, something that bogs down my personal favourite Nu-13 fight (Nu-13 vs Scharlachrot) too but is made up for by Scharlachrot's better animation and music potential and in my eyes, equal banter potential, as well as overall tighter connections... this is the best of the alternatives, I should remind you.

There's also Diavolo, who's connections are basically just "insert unfunny Ben vs Hal joke here" and who Kurumi just looks at and Diavolo explodes into confetti. And the there's the big one, Accelerator... this one ain't too great either. The connections are even more barebones than Nu-13 and even Diavolo, and as my more experienced correspondents when it comes to light novels will tell you... the animation potential doesn't work. I don't think it's impossible to make a good animation out of it but it would be really f*cking difficult too when the fight dynamic is essentially "Kurumi does anything and Accelerator throws it back like a f*cking pitcher, rinse and repeat until Kurumi gets stomped into mulch" because yeah, she doesn't stand a chance here either. Oh and I guess there's also Clockwork... moving on.

In my humble opinion, liking a matchup solely because it's an alternative to one you don't like or think has better is the textbook definition of just... dumb, because if an alternative does so little of worth that I'd rather just bring the opponent back again to fight them than waste them on the alternative, then that's the sign it isn't a good matchup in the grand scheme of things, and that's what makes these two so awkward for me. Neither can top Homura vs Sakuya for me but they're pretty much the only opponents for Kurumi that are any good, and in order for a Kurumi matchup that isn't this to really sell me, it has to be one that either does enough good on its own accord to be worth doing for its own qualities, or just straight up outclass her fighting Homura or Sakuya, because otherwise I just feel dirty throwing Kurumi at an objectively worse opponent just to preserve a different matchup.

9. Yoshikage Kira vs Tohru Adachi (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure vs Persona)[]

I've said it before and I'll say it again... I don't like Jojosona. I get why it exists given the practically identical concept of a Stand and a Persona but with a very small handful of exceptions, I find every matchup from this rivalry painfully bland at best and downright atrocious at worst, between a mix of mediocre connections, lackluster animation potential due to the very different natures of how characters in both series fight and them all being absolute godstomps, with it pretty much depending entirely on whether the Jojo character has hax that essentially amount to an "I win, f*ck you" button because if not, they get stat-stomped out of existence (because surprise, multi-city block vs universal isn't exactly a fair fight). Out of all of them, I've consistently held Kira vs Adachi as the least awful of the lot (well, that and Tooru vs Maruki, but that one's only recently gotten on my good side) so... why is that?

Well in terms of connections, Kira and Adachi still aren't anything super special but given their near identical roles in their stories, I think it ultimately still gets a pass from me (both being serial killers who are the culprits of the murder mystery that their story revolves around, who's methods of killing act as a major sticking point in said mystery). The animation potential is also one of the more... for lack of a better word, workable out of the lot. The main problem that perpetuates through a lot of Jojosona matchups is that a lot of the Jojo characters in question fight purely through the use of their stands, while the Persona characters fight in tandem with their Personas, which just ends up resulting in a really lopsided fight dynamic that also leaves the Persona character unable to really do much themselves. You can't exactly have much fight choreography when your opponent doesn't fight back and the Stand is pretty much immune to whatever they throw at them without the use of their Persona, greatly limiting what the Persona character can really do. While this is still the case here, Adachi isn't quite as flashy or in your face a fighter compared to most other Persona characters. His main weapon is a pretty standard pistol, which isn't really used for much of anything special for the most part, so him relying more on Magatsu Izanagi wouldn't be nearly as jarring.

But the main thing that makes me like this idea more than any others from either series is the banter potential. The sheer amount of humorous exchanges you could get out of these two due to their utterly hammy levels of pure evil would be nothing short of delightful to watch, and if nothing else I would absolutely love to hear what kind of dialogue the DB crew would get out of this fight. With all of that said though, this matchup still has some major flaws to it that still drag it down and put it on this list.

The big one is that it's still at the end of the day a gigantic stomp. A stomp that doesn't have as clear a victor mind you but a stomp nonetheless, given it pretty much is just a case of whether Killer Queen haxstomps the f*ck out of Adachi or Magatsu Izanagi statstomps the sh*t out of Kira. I know there's a lot of matchups I really like that are major stomps- some arguably just as egregiously as this one but that's where my next fault with this matchup comes in that a lot of similarly one-sided fights do well enough to get away with their stompiness- the animation potential. I know I said that it's one of the more practical Jojosona fights in terms of the animation potential but I still find it kind of... uninteresting. It's hard to explain why but something about how disconnected both characters are from the fray while Killer Queen and Magatsu Izanagi duke it out just kinda makes it less interesting of a fight. I know that's a weird complaint and one you could apply to a lot of Jojo matchups but I also just don't think their abilities really make for that interesting of a clash either. IDK, this is another one of those weird ones to describe properly what my issue with it is but that's the best I got.

At the same time though, I still feel like this is really the best fight both have and ever will have. Adachi vs Hazama is... good but maybe it's because Bullet vs Akihiko and Noel vs Aigis kinda already satisfy me for Blazblue vs Persona ideas but I never really found it that interesting of an idea. And Kira vs Bakugou is... certainly something alright. Given just how lukewarm I am on Jojosona matchups as a concept, if we have to get any from this rivalry at all, I'm more than content with Kiradachi being what we get because it and the aforementioned Tooru vs Maruki are the only ones I give any semblance of a sh*t for (even if the latter is mainly just because it has some really cool thematics to it). Hell, the big reason why I dislike Yu vs Josuke so much is that it's basically just a sh*ttier version of Kira vs Adachi in almost every way you can name. So yeah, Kira vs Adachi is definitely the most tolerable Jojosona matchup for me but I still have a hard time truly considering it a truly fantastic idea.

8. Kratos vs Asura (God of War vs Asura's Wrath)[]

In today's edition of "how a single flaw can completely destroy a matchup's worth". Ever since Broly vs Asura was cucked harder than Satoru at the end of Erased, Asura has seen two matchup ideas pretty much shoot to the moon in popularity, one of them being Asura vs Atrocitus and the other being this fight: Kratos vs Asura. Kratos is a character that has been requested constantly for a return given his fight against Spawn all the way back in Season 1 was neither his best matchup nor an episode that aged particularly well, so it's totally understandable why this idea has garnered so much attention and praise, and it absolutely deserves that praise... for the most part.

Kratos vs Asura has a lot going for it. The connections are extremely blatant and very strong overall (both being fathers who's families were taken away from them by the gods they thought they could trust, leading to them going on a campaign to murder every one of them as brutally as possible... also rage... lots... and lots... of rage), the music potential is just f*cking godlike (teehee) and would be bound to produce one of the most epic tracks to date, it's decently close if you buy universal Kratos and it's hardly impossible to make an argument for either winning, this matchup really does have it all... except for animation potential.

Yeah you all knew this was coming. For as amazing as this idea is on paper, it falls really... really flat in the most important department for any matchup to have. The first immediate problem is the versatility gap between the two. Kratos has a lot of sh*t to work with throughout his games: dual swords, an axe, the Blade of Olympus, a bow, claws, wings, gauntlets and more. As for Asura, he punches... and can throw some energy blasts... and can punch some more... yeah that's kinda it. Asura's multitude of super forms are cool and all but they really don't change his fighting style up much and pretty much just add to his ridiculous mount of power more than anything, so he doesn't really have much to force Kratos to switch between different weapons and adapt to the situation. And while some of Kratos' weapons could be decently well worked into the fight, like Kratos using the Icarus Wings to keep with Asura's flight or using the gauntlets to trade fisticuffs, his main tools really just don't go all too well with Asura. But then we come to the main thing that completely kills this fight's animation potential.

So show of hands here. Who here has played a God of War game?

*Audience raises hands*

Okay... how many times in said game do you recall Kratos destroying a planet? Or annihilating a solar system? Or chucking a galaxy?

*Awkward silence*

Yeah, that's what I thought. Kratos has virtually no showcases of the absolute absurdities that Asura's Wrath pretty much lives or dies on, and the far more grounded nature of the God of War games means that there's really no way to do this fight without one character being unfaithfully represented here. If you don't have planets and galaxies going kaboom, then... why the f*ck did you even bring Asura in to begin with? Blowing sh*t up on a galactic scale in a rage fueled stupor is literally his big shtick. If you do have them blasting the stars to high heavens, then that's Kratos being done dirty since that isn't sh*t you ever see him do, nor is it even remotely in character. Trying to hibridise the two would just result in a poorly paced and lopsided mess that struggles to bring either's A-game to the forefront. And none of this is even getting into the fact that Asura can also just grow to the size of planets, something that Kratos barely has a way of fighting back against. Yes he has fought foes like Poseidon that towered over him but Poseidon's watery avatar was about the size of a mountain and newsflash, planets are a lot bigger than mountains.

All of this is the main reason why I vastly prefer Atrocitus for Asura. It isn't anywhere near as close and while the connections are still good, they aren't as good but Atrocitus has the one thing this matchup can only dream of having- practicality. Atrocitus blows sh*t up on a galactic scale as part of his average weekend, and sh*t like space battles and whatnot are also totally in character for him, so the end result is that he actually pairs really f*cking well with Asura in terms of scale, with his constructs also still giving him ways of fighting back against Asura when he decides to go planet sized. The same applies to War and Nier for Kratos. Again, they aren't as thematic or close but they actually f*cking work given their arsenals actually pair nicely with Kratos' and don't force him to act completely contrary to how he does in his home game just to make something workable.

A point some people might be waiting to make is how my views on this matchup are a lot like my views on Eren vs Kaneki- both being matchups that are close and have great connections but fail so miserably in the animation potential department that they ultimately just cease to be good matchups. So why do I hate that matchup so much but have mixed feelings for this one? Well... it's personal bias again. While I f*cking love Asura vs Atrocitus, I don't love it anywhere close to how much I love Shinichi vs Kaneki (aka. my literal most wanted) so it's flaws don't get to me as much, not helped by the fact I don't care for Asura or Atrocitus anywhere near as much as I do Shinichi and Kaneki. It's an honest shame that this matchup has so much going for it only to drop the ball hard at the final hurdle but alas, life's unfair at times. Although since I mentioned Shinichi vs Kaneki...

7. Ikuro Hashizawa vs Shinichi Izumi (Baoh: The Visitor vs Parasyte the Maxim)[]

Like I said in the last entry, I love Shinichi vs Kaneki... a lot... like, a lot a lot. It's been my most wanted matchup for years now and an idea I cling to like a koala to a tree. Because of that, I tend to be a lot more critical of the alternatives for the two, because it's the matchup I am the most strongly passionate for and as such, it'll take a lot more for me to be impressed by an alternative for them. Some alternatives for Kaneki get a passing grade from me like Devilman and Ganta, some I don't really find myself liking too much like Carnage and Crona, and some that make me want to throw a flashbang into a room full of epileptic baby kittens and burn the building down like Eren... I told you I was more biased for Shineki than Atrocious Ass.

Shinichi doesn't have nearly as many alternatives to name but that also means the matchups that do exist for him get a lot more attention and as such, get a lot more arguments in their favour. There's sh*t like Shinichi vs Filia or Shinichi vs Masane but Ikuro has undoubtedly been the one matchup for Shinichi that has rivalled Kaneki in popularity and... I really can't say it's been for all the wrong reasons, because by and large, this matchup is also really good.

The connections between the two are again, pretty blatant and tightly focused (both being bonded with extraterrestrial parasites against their will that would slowly alter them physically and mentally, causing them to struggle with their humanity). The animation potential is also really good given Ikuro's different Phenomenon abilities pair pretty nicely with Migi's different shapes and sizes and would force both to constantly adapt and keep things interesting all throughout the fight. It has a lot of potential for interactions given their similar struggles as well as the contrast in how Baoh and Migi operate, with Baoh being almost like a second personality to Ikuro as opposed to Migi being one of the two minds that make up Shinichi. It's also decently close. Oh sure, Shinichi still f**king dies but it ain't a stomp in the slightest. So objectively speaking, this matchup is really f*cking good... I'm just way too biased for Kaneki fighting Shinichi however.

Now yes, Ikuro does have closeness by a mile and has just as much interaction potential but I still find Kaneki to just be the better fit overall for Shinichi, between his wider array of abilities allowing for more creative uses of Migi's different forms and shapes, and the practically same character level connections only add to this further. I love Shinichi vs Kaneki too much to say I really like this idea, but at the same time... it's Ikuro's best and there's no disputing that for me, and Ikuro absolutely is deserving of an episode of his own given the impact his series' author has had on the manga world (given Baoh was made by the same mangaka behind Jojo's Bizarre Adventure), as well as the cool things you could do with him in an animation. I know Ikuro vs Riot from Marvel is also an idea and not a bad one by any means but I don't think it's better than Shinichi at all, and as I mentioned with Kurumi vs Homura and Kurumi vs Sakuya, I don't want to just go for an alternative solely because it isn't the matchup I really want. I don't see that as fair in the slightest towards the matchup in question, so... what then? I guess if someone can find an idea for Ikuro that's even better than vs Shinichi I'll be on board but until then, I'll just say that this matchup is objectively really f*cking good... but as long as Shinichi vs Kaneki exists, I can't give it my full support.

6. Levi Ackerman vs Roy Mustang/Kishou Arima (Attack on Titan vs Fullmetal Alchemist/Tokyo Ghoul)[]

Another day, another segment where I have to talk about this series a-f*cking-gain. I don't, nor have I ever had an issue with Attack on Titan as a series but it always seems to f*cking haunt me whenever I have to discuss matchup ideas I have problems with because I can just never see the f*cking animation potential in almost any of them, and not for lack of trying because there are a few I genuinely f*cking adore, such as Mikasa vs Touka and Armin vs Suzaku. It's just that the vast majority of them don't work because of the inherent flaws in how AOT combatants function.

The Vertical Maneuvering Equipment (or VME because what I just said rolls off the tongue as well as a sea urchin) is pretty much the tool all AOT characters live or die on and the thing that ends up having such an enormous stranglehold on their animation potential. Not a lot of verses have such a heavy emphasis on aerial combat, let alone aerial combat that actually meshes well with how Attack on Titan characters typically fight, and things only get more complicated when you throw Titan Shifters into the mix, because the list of aerial focused combatants who also have something to make for an interesting fight against motherf*cking Kaiju is smaller than a Plankton's willy. Thankfully the latter doesn't apply to Levi since he doesn't Titan Shift but that heavy emphasis on constant movement through the air still completely dumpsters the animation potential for a lot of his fights, with both Roy and Arima being no exceptions.

The sad thing is that both of these matchups (like a fair few on this list) are genuinely really good in every other area: strong as hell connections for both, amazing music potential, great banter potential, be it Levi's snark bouncing off of Roy's bravado or Arima's... well, also snark, there is a lot to like with these two but like with Salem's fights and Kratos vs Asura, the animation potential f*cking murders all of these qualities in cold blood. Like... slasher movie type coldblooded murder.

The funny thing is though, unlike with the aforementioned matchups that have been on the list, both matchups seem like they'd fix the issues mentioned above... but they don't in practice... like, at all. Roy's Flame Alchemy pairs surprisingly well with Levi's VME since giant bursts of flame chasing him down everywhere he goes would actually make for some exciting visuals. Meanwhile, Arima actually works solidly against Levi on the ground, with his use of his Quinque making for a fun and fast-paced battle of blades. It's the other aspect of Levi's arsenal for both that's the main problem. Roy has absolutely f*ck-all to go with Levi's swordsmanship. He can only use Flame Alchemy, which offers absolutely nothing choreography potential wise against a pair of swords, so unless the idea of Roy constantly dodging or getting hit by swords sounds like fun, you can't get much out of that. As for Arima, he really doesn't have anything that goes with the VME. Sure, his Quinque can shoot lightning but while the sheer magnitude of Roy's flame alchemy at least meant you could get some exciting visuals out of it, Arima's lightning isn't anything too special visuals wise so it would just look kinda dull by comparison, not to mention that ranged combat is far from an in character thing for Arima to emphasize. He's a closequarters combatant above all else and the most exhilarating fight scenes in Tokyo Ghoul have him using his skill with his Quinque to tear through Ghouls like wet toilet paper up close and personal.

I really don't like constantly sh*tting on Attack on Titan matchups because when they work, they honest to god work f*cking wonderfully but they sadly so rarely do, and in Levi's case he has two fantastic options in terms of thematics but since neither can make the most of what he's got, it's hard for me to really like them all too much, which sucks because I f*cking love Roy and Arima and seeing them get in would be dope as f*ck... but problems this major simply can't be ignored and as a result, both have earned a spot on this list.

5. Indiana Jones vs Simon Belmont (Lucasfilms vs Castlevania)[]

Well well well, nice seeing you again old pal. If you were around for any length of time around when I first joined then it wouldn't have been a secret at all that I used to adore this matchup and was absolutely adamant that it was the best idea for both. It... obviously didn't quite catch on but I was unwavering on my stance on it... for a time. The more and more I thought about it, the harder and harder it was for me to really say it's as good from an objective point of view as I made it out to be and while I had a lot of fun writing it as a fanmade fight, when looking at it from a critical standpoint and judging it accordingly, the cracks became more and more apparent overtime.

The big issue with this fight should be blatant as all hell if you even vaguely know anything about either of them. It is, without question, one of the absolute biggest stomps of any matchup out there. You pretty much cannot possibly make an argument for Indi here since Simon dunks on him in nearly every conceivable way you can imagine. Versatility? Simon's got that in the bag. Experience? Simon was trained all throughout his life in his family's secrets so that's an easy win for him. Stats? Brother, where do I even begin? Jones is consistently at wall, maybe small building level if you're generous. How strong is Simon then? Universal... uh, yeah, that's a big gap. In fact, let me put it into perspective just how big a gap that is. Being small building level means being able to output at most 1,046,000,000 joules of energy. To an uneducated reader, that might sound like quite a bit and... that's because it kinda is, that would absolutely kill a normal guy. But it could be more. As Death Battle has said in the past, the total mass energy of the entire known universe, according to a NASA astrophysicist, is 4 duovigintillion joules. How many joules is that? Simple... that is 4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, joules of energy... that is sixty more zeroes than what Indi can do if you're generous to him.

And while yes, Castlevania speeds are a heavily contentious topic, Simon shouldn't be lower than massively hypersonic, which compared to Indi's supersonic means he's also getting blitzed into the next life... and Simon also has far better ranged tools, can stop time, has more ammo on his weapons, his armour weakens Indi's already pitiful attacks even further, you get the problem here? Even if you were to totally throw the universe level sh*t out, Simon would still have city level feats and as such, still dunk on Indi. Wanna throw even that out because you just hate Simon for some reason? Then he still has feats that would put him on equal footing power wise and all of the aforementioned advantages he has still apply. I don't generally let a fight being a stomp be the only factor that affects my liking of it but in this case, it's genuinely taking the f*cking piss, which sucks because... I honestly still have a big softspot for this idea.

I genuinely think every other aspect of this fight is still really good. Normally, pitting a relatively grounded character like Indi against someone more fantastical in nature is a big no-no for me but it doesn't really apply here and... I know the reason why may sound really weird but here me out. Simon is honestly fairly grounded himself in terms of how he fights. Oh sure, he has magic and sub-weapons and all that but outside of a few physics defying techniques like his slide kick or aerial drop kick and the likes, he doesn't really perform a lot of absurd moves or techniques in the same vein as characters like Mario or Ryu Hayabusa, if you catch my drift. Even in Smash Bros, he's one of the slower characters with... for lack of a better word, some of the more realistic physics out of the entire roster, and a good chunk of his attacks are fairly basic in nature, so against Indi he really wouldn't be too out of place or overshadowing him that badly. Not to mention, Simon would be a good fit for letting the fight take cues from the multitude of treacherous traps throughout the Indiana Jones films given the many similar scenarios sprinkled throughout the oldschool Castlevania games, like Simon fighting his way across a crumbling drawbridge. The music potential is also sublime, with Simon and Indi's themes in particular just making for an utterly amazing pairing and... IDK, there's just a novelty to the most famous whip wielders in all of fiction duking it out, even if the connections are pretty one-note.

This entry is very similar to what I mentioned with Tiki vs Tohru with this being a guilty pleasure matchup I like but know damn well isn't the best for either by a longshot because of its numerous flaws but I'm even more conflicted here since this matchup actually has a lot of huge upsides to it that make me still want to like it... but sadly, those flaws just hold it back something fierce and while my intent when coming up with and spreading it was never out of spite for Indi, when the fight is this one-sided against him, it's hard to argue against that.

4. Raiden vs A2 (Metal Gear vs Nier)[]

I think now might be the right time to come clean here. I had been wanting to do this list for a good long while now- several months actually, but I kept pushing it back further and further up until I finally decided to go through with it a few days back and the main reason for that is because of two matchups on this list that I wanted to include because... well, they fit the criteria to be on this list, but also dreaded having to talk about. If you haven't guessed it by now, this is one of those two, and it's largely for two reasons. One being that the one who came up with and is the biggest advocate for this matchup is... well, one of my closest friends on the entire wiki and this matchup's presence on the list could very easily come off as me being spiteful towards him, and two being that I have to talk about... that f*cking thing again, because yeah... you already know why this is on the list. It's because of Blake vs A2.

For those who don't know, Blake vs A2 was and still is one of my most wanted matchups and several months back, was also a rather... for lack of a better word, contentious pick due to the controversy surrounding its biggest competition- controversy I'm... not so proud to admit to have been the cause of. A2 was never the most requested character out there but Raiden was the main competitor for A2's fight and nowadays, pretty much sits on top of Blake vs A2 in terms of popularity now that Blake has appeared in Death Battle against someone else. My attachment to vs Blake has also made me on the fence about this one and I even considered it a slot on my least wanted list due to how strongly I felt about it (a decision I am very thankful I never went through with) but even as time has gone by, I continue to feel that Blake was always just the more suitable opponent for A2 between the two.

Now, let me get this out of the way right now. Raiden vs A2 is a good matchup. A REALLY good matchup. It has extremely tight connections, the animation potential is solid, it has banter potential, while clear-cut it is still decently close, there isn't much to complain about and none of what I'm about to say is necessarily negatives against it so much as it's reasons why I just find Blake better for her.

Speaking as someone who has sunk a lot of hours into Metal Gear Rising and loves RWBY, I always felt that Blake's fighting style was a far more natural fit for A2 than Raiden's. When I think of how A2 fights, my mind immediately goes to her blades, firearms via Pod and her evasive dodge maneuver, almost identical to what I think of when I think of Blake. When I think of how Raiden fights, I think of his violent berserker style combat that's all about getting in your face and tearing foes apart (albeit with Blade Mode adding some precision to the mix). To me, Blake's emphasis on nimble ground combat and tricky movements through the use of her Shadows feels like it plays to A2's strengths more than Raiden's, and while yes Raiden has more weapons which would force A2 to adapt more by bringing more of her arsenal out, the versatility of Gambol Shroud and the Shadows and the potentially creative uses for both that Blake could get out of them still give her more than enough ways to force A2 to use her other weapons in a way that feels natural as opposed to just it feeling like she's doing so just to show them off. That and... maybe it's because I've never played Metal Gear Solid 2 or 4 and most of my experience with Raiden comes from Revengeance but this matchup shares a similar problem with Adam vs Sam where the connections are good but not quite what I want out of them.

To me, A2's most defining trait is her deserting of YoRHa and becoming a wanderer that they constantly try to hunt down. Yes, Raiden also deserted a former organisation but that's not really a trait that defines him as much as it does A2, or Blake given her extremely similar experiences with the White Fang. Both the White Fang and YoRHa betrayed their trust and made them run away, which lead to both being constantly hunted down for their supposedly traitorous actions. When I play Rising, none of that is really as big a sticking point for Raiden. Stuff like him being a child soldier or his struggles to contain his more beastly side I immediately think of but not that, and as a result... that's why I think Blake is better for her. And to be honest, as much as I love Metal Gear Rising and as much as I like Raiden... I don't want him to come back. Why is that? Well, let's bring back the criteria I mentioned for whether a character should return or not that I mentioned for Sephiroth vs Sigma:

Did they fight their best opponent?

Honestly... yes. Wolverine was a surprisingly thematic opponent for Raiden and played perfectly into what I see as Raiden's most defining traits, as well as Wolverine's- their violent, almost predator-like brutality in battle, and Logan's Adamantium skeleton made for a perfect fight dynamic with someone like Raiden since it was almost literally a battle between an unstoppable force and an immovable object- that made for a fun dynamic to see whether the durability negating sword would cause Wolverine's impenetrable skeleton to give out or not.

Did they gain anything new since their last venture?

Raiden hasn't even appeared in any other games since his fight with Wolverine outside of a cameo in Metal Gear Solid 5 that gave him absolutely nothing. Now yes, he didn't use any of his other weapons outside of the Murasama in his episode so there technically is more that you could do with him but a). I don't see that as enough reason to bring him back by itself and b). he never uses those other weapons in story, nor are they nearly as defining a tool as his main sword. Now yeah, that's not an excuse to leave them out by any means but it still just emphasizes that it's not enough of a reason in isolation to be worth bringing him back for.

Were they respected and treated as well as they could have been?

Raiden deadass might have been one of the best treated characters in the entire series. Not only did he get a really solid analysis that covered almost all of what you needed to know about him and was just... generally entertaining, but he was f*cking spot-on in the fight itself. His personality and mannerisms were on the dot, he sounded pretty damn close to how he does in game, almost everything he does in the fight is something you have the ability to do in game, etc.

Was their last episode good?

Wolverine vs Raiden was and still is in my opinion one of the absolute best episodes Death Battle has ever made and it has aged remarkably well, even with a few of the visual oddities that the 3D animation of the time were stuck with that fail to bring the whole thing down.

And without going into too much detail since a). I'll talk more at length about that fight at a later point in time and b). if you couldn't tell, I f*cking hate talking about it, outside of the "did they gain anything new" criteria, Blake fits every f*cking one of my criteria for what makes a character return worthy, so even now that she's gotten in, I still consider it the more worthwhile fight of the two to do.

But... and this was the part of the blog I was really dreading- the main reason this is even here is down to how much sh*t Blake vs A2 gets even with all of this in mind. Seeing so many comments about how it's complete and utter sh*t because... well, I don't even f*cking know aside from "hurdurr, Blake can't have good alternatives", while this actually gets a following has been soul-draining for me. I won't act like I was never a toxic sh*t in regards to this matchup but I still get so f*cking frustrated when Blake vs A2 isn't given any sort of a chance despite such blatant qualities. Maybe if I wasn't teased with something resembling an actual following for it before it all came crashing down in a fiery mess I wouldn't have been so aggravated by it but something I was that passionate for getting dismissed so quickly is just... yeah you f*cking get it by now.

I guess in the most simplistic terms, the reason this matchup is here is... just down to jealousy. That is absolutely not this matchup's fault and I will absolutely admit that it's absolutely irrational for me to feel that way when at the end of the day, this is still a niche matchup and 2B is still the far more popular Nier opponent for Raiden but it's really what tainted my view of this matchup as a whole. I can be spiteful in regards to sh*t I'm passionate for- I'd consider it one of my biggest character flaws and something I absolutely need to work on but at the end of the day... I just can't get past that so easily whenever this or any other matchup involving Blake or A2 are the topic of conversation.

Also I'm reading back through this segment and Jesus Christ, I did not expect it to be this long despite only being number 4.

Edit from me in the future: Aight, this'll be a bit of a lengthy addendum so I'll just spoiler tag this for anyone who wants to read it.

3. Jason Vorhees vs Michael Myers (Friday the 13th vs Halloween)[]

...Well this is gonna take some explaining. So... Jason vs Michael. A matchup that went from being one of my top 5 least wanted matchups, to being in my dishonourable mentions for my least wanted, and now it's here on this list... quite the rollercoaster you've been on old pal. So what was it that made me change my mind... sort of, on a matchup I have been staunchly against for the longest time? Well let me just preface this by saying one thing. Everything I have said regarding Jason vs Michael, I still stand by even as I type this.

This matchup never did and still doesn't have any animation potential in my eyes. Both of these two not only have ungodly barebones arsenals that essentially amount to just a steak knife and a machete respectively, but there is virtually no choreography potential so both are so often portrayed as hulking masses that stalk their prey... very... very... very slowly. In the context of their movies, this is a good thing. It builds up tension and plays upon primal instinct given how predators (the natural kind, not the kind Chris Hansen is called in for) in real life would move and act in such a way before pouncing on their prey. In the context of a fight to the death however, this has the unfortunate side effect of being extremely boring to watch since two large men slowly swinging sharp objects around for three minutes gets old faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast.

The obvious counterpoint I see made all the time is that outside material does show them doing sh*t like moving fast enough to catch up to helicopters and the likes. Let me ask you this though... do you really look at these two and think of them as speedsters? No, that's not what their main source material does and putting emphasis on that would be missing the point of both of them harder than a f*cking Stormtrooper. Even then however, having them move fast still doesn't amend the non-existent potential for stunts, tricks, and other important parts of choreographed fight scenes. There's a reason why they went with Nightwing vs Daredevil and Winter Soldier vs Red Hood for the live action fights, because all four of them offer more than enough stuntwork to make for a fight that takes full advantage of the medium. Jason and Michael just don't. Simple as that. So by now you're probably wondering if I still have such a negative view of this matchup, then why is it even on the list? Well, that's because in the grand scheme of things... it really is the best for both.

Before y'all go calling me a hypocrite given I've gone on record to say "if a sh*tty matchup is the best they have, don't have them on until they get something not sh*tty", yes I still stand by that but in this instance, the problem isn't with the matchup but rather with the combatants themselves. Something that Jason and Michael's alternatives fail to account for is the fact that at the end of the day, Jason and Michael are just inherently flawed in a vs context, and staying true to how they are in the movies while still making a fun fight would be a major uphill struggle. With that in mind though, unlike other matchups that have really bad animation potential, Jason vs Michael isn't getting in any better ideas way. Like I said, no matchup with these two is ever gonna have good animation potential so at this stage, what's the harm in trying? Worst case scenario, the episode is lame but wasn't really a waste for either. Best case scenario, the DB crew prove me wrong and make a good episode. It isn't really a win-win per se, but the loss is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

When I think back to the times I was so adamantly against this idea, I realise that I was thinking to simplemindedly. I just thought "bad animation potential = shouldn't happen" without giving any thought to the context of this particular matchup. I have gone over a lot of ideas on this list that just flat-out don't work in an animation context but Jason vs Michael is the one I feel the most mixed on since it isn't really avoidable. You can't just stick them against better opponents because they can't really have opponents that fix the issue. You can't really just leave them out because... well, it's Jason and Michael, why would you leave them out? That and at the end of the day, nobody is getting hurt by them attempting this so... I say go for it. Maybe I can be shown that this idea can work, and if it doesn't... ah well, at least they weren't wasted on worse options.

2. Shulk vs Lightning (Xenoblade Chronicles vs Final Fantasy)[]

This matchup honestly pisses me off. No, not because it's bad... matter of fact, it's because it's actually good... like... really REALLY good- one of the best matchups I can even think of, and yet no matter what, no matter how many times it's brought up or its qualities are explored, every single freaking time, without fail, it does absolutely nothing for me. With most of the other matchups on this list, I could at least explain what it was that made normally great ideas not fully sit right with me but with this, I am at a genuine loss.

Are the connections between the two bad? f*ck no, they're on the bloody dot! Both were military workers who's homes would be attacked, leading to them losing a loved one and swearing revenge on the race of invaders who did so but also awakening to a laden power that would change their life from then-on. Sound good already? Well, there's more bitch. They would recruit several party members under the same cause of ending the invading threat and would even be reunited with the loved one that was killed with some... notable changes relating to another powerful figure in their world. They would later defeat the one behind the invasions on their home and even forgave them given the circ*mstances leading up to it, only for the god they saw as a benevolent ally to turn out to be a manipulator behind the scenes that even sought to use Shulk and Lightning as tools for their end goals, with both of their stories ending in Shulk and Lightning murdering the sh*t out of the manipulative f*ckers and loosening their grip on humanity to create a peaceful world where gods aren't needed... *inhales* so yeah, the connections ain't exactly flimsy and it ties into their most defining elements f*cking perfectly so it can't be that.

It is a sh*tstomp? HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELL NO! While it largely depends on what stats you buy for either, it is close as sh*t with the victor only winning by the skin of their freaking teeth due to their stats generally being agreed to be neck in neck and their hax and tools being able to easily screw the other over if they aren't careful.

Is the animation potential bad or impractical? Again, no. They both have a lot of abilities to work with that could turn a rather simple sword fight into a visual spectacle thanks to the Monado's list of arts and Lightning's numerous magic and physical attacks. Also as I've gone over in a previous list, this is all accompanied by some of the most amazing music potential of any matchup out there, so this definitely ain't it either.

Do either of better alternatives? Well the only alternative I've seen for Lightning is the Demi-Fiend, which... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, and as for Shulk, Luke Skywalker ain't all that great and the less said about Trunks the better. So no, this really is the best for both by a longshot.

Do I just not have any personal investment in either? Lightning I'll admit I don't but Shulk is the main f*cking protagonist of my third favourite game of all time, so... yeah I think I have personal attachment in his case. And frankly, me not giving a sh*t about an opponent for a character I love hasn't stopped me from loving the matchup before. I don't care about Rean Schwarzer and yet he's my favourite opponent for Byleth. I don't care about Takuya and yet he's my favourite opponent for Serph. KOS-MOS I wanna see fight X, Baiken I wanna see fight Dunban, Hajime I wanna see fight Naofumi, and I don't care for any of them and yet I still wanna see them fight the characters I do love, so why is this the exception? The best I can really think of is that Lightning is just a character that has always come off as extremely wooden and forgettable to me but again, that hasn't stopped me before so why does it here?

I just straight up can't identify what it is that this matchup does so wrong that it keeps me from enjoying it and f*ck, if the DB crew were to decide to do this one I have no doubts that it would be a f*cking banger of an episode. But no matter how many times it is brought up, or how many times people gush about its numerous amazing qualities, it's just all white noise to me. What the f*ck is it you're doing wrong Shulk vs Lightning? I wanna love you but holy sh*t, I just can't and it is killing me not knowing why!

1. Morgana vs Daroach (Persona vs Kirby)[]

Yeah, this one probably isn't the biggest surprise for a good chunk of y'all. I've made it no secret that Morgana vs Daroach has been a matchup I have had a f*cking bizarre history with and when coming up with the placements on this list, there wasn't any entry that I had any allusion would be at the top more than this one. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand if you recall back to the Raiden vs A2 segment of this list, you might also remember me saying there were two matchups on this list I didn't look forward to having to talk about... you can already see where this is going.I'm in a bit of an awkward position to talk about this given the reason why it's my number 1 because it's admittedly a tough f*cking one to properly word without coming off like a whiney child so let me just start by saying this... I have no qualms with this matchup being as popular as it is and it being spread around. Some of the guys responsible for getting it to where it is now I would consider among my closest friends on the entire wiki and like with Raiden vs A2, it is very easy for this segment to come off as an attack on them when that is not my intention. By now, you might be wondering based off of this disclaimer what the hell my reasoning for its inclusion might be, so let's cut straight to the chase... Morgana vs Dex-Starr, that's why.

Let me give a little backstory here. For the longest time, I had struggled royally with getting... really just any ideas I was coming up with off the ground. Oh sure, some got very niche appeal but that's just it- "niche appeal". Nothing that was even remotely popular beyond a small circle that had seen my efforts. Keep in mind this was before ideas like Kevin vs Satsuki saw a surprise surgance in popularity or before I even came up with Roxas vs Axl, and it was kinda demoralising having so few ideas really leave a mark. That would eventually change however after I proposed Morgana vs Dex-Starr. This was around the time when Morgana's only even vaguely popular matchup was Morgana vs Iggy, which was um... not very good, and while it got some flack at first, it managed to actually take off in due time and eventually became arguably Morgana's most popular matchup- maybe even moreso than Iggy. Things were looking gre-you already know where this is going, right?

Fast forward a few months later and I would soon discover a new challenger in town for the Phantom Thief- Daroach from the Kirby series, and within just a couple of weeks, it had completely curbstomped vs Dex-Starr as Morgana's most popular matchup and left it completely and utterly in the dust... remember how I said I felt kinda demoralised by most of my ideas going absolutely nowhere? Yeah, that didn't do much to help. And honestly, I probably could've handled it better... if vs Dex-Starr didn't get push-back for absolutely ridiculous reasons. Now granted, Dex-Starr was never an idea that everybody was totally on board with so I won't pretend that it just all of a sudden started getting sh*t but after Daroach shot it in both kneecaps and the balls for good measure, it started getting more and more sh*t for what were frankly stupid reasons.

One was "it's a DC win" which... with all due respect, if you unironically think that's a good reason to call a matchup sh*t or say it shouldn't happen then what the hell is wrong with you? How does a matchup's other qualities become null and void just because of who wins? Oh wait, never mind, I know why- spite, that's why. The other reason was the connections supposedly just being "cats" which... did we even read up on the same character here? Like, I'm genuinely confused how anyone could look at Dex-Starr's backstory and not see some parallels there beyond being cats. Their desire to bring justice for their masters? Them both living in a broken society that was the reason behind their goals and even them attaining their powers? Their polar opposite motifs, with Morgana being a collection of humanity's hope and Dex-Starr being a furball of unadulterated rage? Nope, just f*cking cats I guess. I don't know if there's something I'm missing or if I'm just not thinking about this the right way but I straight up cannot see how some of these aren't egregiously blatant.

Mindsets like that have been a major reason why I've grown even more scornful towards matchups that similarly get a lot of dismissive responses regarding their alternatives or any criticisms surrounding them. Again, I know that isn't fair and I know that's just me being a spiteful sh*t but seeing matchups like Yu vs Josuke, Tanjiro vs Jonathan, Shadow vs Ryuko, or that which shall not be named be surrounded by equally grating mindsets and mental gymnastics has soured my view of them even further... but that's just the thing. It soured my view on them further. They weren't ideas I liked to begin with and only grew to dislike more when they just became associated with an irritating common consensus on it. Morgana vs Daroach doesn't fully suffer the same fate because... I can still say with full confidence that it is good. REALLY f*cking good.

The connections are genuinely really good and tie very strongly into both of their characters and even have a fun cat and mouse them to them. The animation potential is fantastic with Morgana's Persona and Daroach's wide-reaching movepool having a lot of synergy with some really and flashy visuals. The music potential, as I've discussed in a previous list, is really f*cking good and has the potential to be one of the grooviest tracks to date. They're decently close stats-wise and they both have their fair share of advantages. It's a unique franchise combo you'd be hard-pressed to find in any other matchup. There are a lot of good things to say about this matchup and really not a lot of bad. That said, I don't think it outclasses Dex-Starr as an option for Morgana. Dex-Starr plays on an equally cool and unique theme of hope vs despair (well, rage but close enough) and his Red Lantern constructs still gives him his own unique flair in terms of animation potential. If you remember what I said earlier about a matchup's existence only being a valid reason to dismiss a matchup if it legitimately does nothing to stand out from it, this is absolutely a case where I think they both stand out enough from each other to be good on their own accord and for their own reasons... but only one seems to regularly get acknowledged for what it does right, and seeing the one idea I had that made any kind of splash just get completely dumpstered like that was... well, it wasn't a fun thing to watch, that's for sure.

Granted nowadays that feeling that my ideas can never go far has pretty much all but disappeared now that Roxas vs Axl has become so popular it could deadass be considered a lock for both at this stage, but my view on Morgana vs Daroach has always been a mixed bag because of all of that. If the matchup had far more visible cracks, I doubt I would've been remotely forgiving towards it but the fact that I genuinely struggle to come up with anything negative to say about it leaves me feeling really mixed about it, more than any other matchup that has ever been proposed for Death Battle.

And I want to reiterate that none of this is meant to call anyone out or point any fingers, nor am I looking for pity for any of this. If anything, this segment is kinda just exposing some of my worst habits in regards to the vs scene and I knew going into this that there wasn't a very high chance I'd come out of it looking good. At the end of the day, Morgana vs Daroach was simply a case of the right matchup discovered at the wrong time. I completely understand its appeal and can attest that it is a fantastic matchup. Just... don't expect us to get along too well when left in the same room.

This has been PitTheSwordmaster and until next time, slán leat agus go raibh míle maith agat.