Komic Kombat Arena (#1)
In almost every comic book cross-over there has to be the obligatory meet and beat. For almost no reason the heroes have to fight each other first. Doesn’t really make sense when you think about it. The police and the FBI don’t have a quick shootout with each other before working on a case together. So why does it happen in comics.
Because we love it. Plain and simple. UFC, Boxing, any martial arts movie, People love watching high caliber warriors going at it. And you don’t get a higher caliber than having super powers.
And so, in the tradition of Screw Attack’s “Death Battles” and Batinthesun’s “Super Power Beat Down”, I present my new series the “Komic Kombat Arena”. (Yes it’s spelled in Mortal Kombatese. Shut up. It works with the logo.)
The way it works is how you would expect it. If you’ve ever seen Syfy’s old show Deadliest Warrior then you know the formula. Both sides are analyzed before the battle commences. I look at the combatants skills, powers/weapons, and even their personalities (which many of these other shows don’t sometimes take into account).
Several months ago my brother put out several such battle scenario’s on Facebook and I took up the challenge of doing one of those. The following is the results.
SubZero, Sakura, Snake Eyes, Batman vs Scorpion, Psylock, Storm Shadow, Ryu Hyabusa
Team #1
SubZero – A Lin Kuei Ninja, he has not only mastered all basic ninja techniques for fighting, weaponry and stealth but also the secret Lin Kuei elemental techniques for harnessing the powers of ice. Able to freeze opponents at long range and create ice weapons from the moisture in the air, he is never unarmed and always deadly
Sakura (Shippuden era) – Even in her earlier useless years she was always shown to have amazing chakra control. Under the tutelage of the 5th Hokage, and legendary Senin, Tsunade, She’s learned to harness that control to gain superhuman strength. Also, learning many of the most advance medical techniques directly from the creator of medical ninjitsu, she can regenerate if needed. Her amazing Chakra control leaves her resistant to genjitsu (illusion based ninjitsu). Her fighting prowess has also improved to the point where she can hold her own against even some of the top ninjas.
Snake Eyes – Of everyone on the team, he is the most classic ninja. A military man whose face was scarred enough to make Freddy Kruegger wince, he joined his then Japanese fiend’s ninja clan, the Arashikage. Quickly surpassing everyone, becoming the best ninja in the clan his friend became jealous of him. After the apparent murder of the Clan’s master by his jealous friend he joined GI Joe.
Batman – What can I say about Batman that hasn’t been said. One of the smartest men in the DC Universe. World’s greatest Detective. Master Strategist and Tactician. One of the Top 7 fighters in the world (apparently there’s a list somewhere). Not to forget, his assortment of gadgets he constantly keeps with him.
Team #2
Scorpion – Arch-rival to SubZero, He was apparently killed by Subby’s Brother (Original SubZero). Scorpion Has mastered all basic Ninja skills. In addition, being dead, he has access to Hellfire breath and teleportation abilities. He also uses a small spear attached to a rope to ensnare enemies and pull them close.
Psylock – A mutant by birth, she has telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Psylock has quite the complicated history. Long story short, Betsy Bradock was originally born in Britain and is Captain Britain’s sister. Now she is a Japanese Ninja. (Yes it’s the same woman but now from a different race. Comics can be weird sometimes.) In addition to having mastered basic Ninja skills, she uses her mutant powers to create Psyblades on her fist which causes tremendous psychic pain.
Storm Shadow – Again the most classic ninja of this team. Jealousy over his friend’s success within his clan drove him mad. After the death of his master (apparently by his hand) he joined Cobra.
Ryu Hyabusa – Arguably the most powerful ninja on the team, he has mastered all basic ninja skills. His speed, strength, and endurance all surpass human limitations. He also possesses the legendary Dragon Sword, a powerful weapon handed down to only those strong enough to wield it. Add to that his wide array of powerful ninpo (ninja magic), makes him incredibly powerful and dangerous.
The Battle
The combatants are dropped into the arena. Immediately, the rivals pair off with SubZero vs Scorpion and Snake Eyes vs Storm Shadow. Seeing that it would be useless to try to reign them in, Batman decides to have Sakura focus on Psylock seeing that as the best possible matchup.
Subzero vs Scorpion: This battle rages for quite a while, both fighters knowing each other as well as they know themselves. Past fights between these two have gone both ways. Winner not yet determined
Snake Eyes vs Storm Shadow: In all their previous battles,Snake Eyes has had the edge in single combat and it was with the help of Cobra that Stormshadow escapes. This time, forced to be in a one on one battle, Stormshadow eventually goes down. Afterwards, Snake Eyes goes to help Batman whom he sees most needs his help.
Sakura vs Psylock: Quickly seeing the need to avoid Sakura’s strength, Psylock resorts to a midrange battle using her psychic abilities to their full advantage. Unfortunately, Sakura has been battle tested against such attacks and is able to press the attack. Finally, after a substitution jutsu Sakura gets her hands on Psylock. In a last ditch effort Psylock strikes Sakura with her Psyblade. Sakura is down and Psylock turns her attention to the battle between Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes, seeing her comrade losing. But, after taking a moment to regenerate Sakura unexpectedly explodes with power and hits Psylock with a powerful blow. Sakura presses the attack and Psylock goes down for good. Seeing how Batman’s fight is going she turns to help him.
Batman vs Hyabusa: From the beginning, Batman’s fight with Ryu doesn’t go quite well for the Caped Crusader. Ryu is faster, stronger and has a wide array of magic to throw at Batman. Batman recognizes Ryu’s power and switches to fighting defensively until one of his companions can help. It is a slowly losing battle as he sustains injury after injury. Snake Eyes, eventually, joins the fray but is quickly taken down by Ryu’s inhuman speed. During this short distraction Sakura heals the injuries sustained by Batman and they rejoin the battle together. Sakura’s abilities allow her to stand her ground against Ryu and with Batman’s judicious use of explosives and shock knuckles they finally take Ryu down.
Subzero vs Scorpion: Suddenly outnumbered (including a newly healed Snake Eyes), Scorpion succumbs to the numbers game and is defeated.
Conclusion: Tema #1 Wins. Sakura, once considered to be the most useless member of team 7 (not a joke, she says this herself before the time skip), her medical ninjitsu skill are what eventually turned the tide against their opponents. The lesson; Don’t mess with the White Mage! Especially if she can heal herself, too.
