Death Battle Predictions: Zuko VS Shoto Todoroki

 

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“The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children.”

- William Shakespeare

Oftentimes, it feels natural for a child to take the same steps in life their parents once took, down to having the same careers and ambitions. Now, whether or not the choice is theirs to make is another matter entirely, and some really vicious parents make it known that such a decision is out of their children’s hands. It hasn’t stopped the noble-hearted few from defying their elders to carve out their own legacy away from what was forced upon them, and for the next episode of Death Battle, we see two such young-blooded and scarred prodigies - no strangers to daddy issues or playing with fire - enter the arena for another grudge match.

Zuko, the impulsive Crown Prince of the Fire Nation from Avatar. Shoto Todoroki, the stoic Half-Cold Half-Hot Hero of Class 1-A from My Hero Academia. Armed with the ability to bend the elements to their whim and the scars of their pasts as a reminder of where they came from, both seemed initially destined to fall down the same dark paths their fathers walked, but the power of friendship and self-reflection helped them rise above their traumatic upbringings and become the defenders of justice they were always meant to be. Our next combatants are ready to unleash their flames on each other; whose will ultimately burn brighter?

A Heads Up from Ya Bois

We’re on our second MHA rep now, but considering this is the first student to get onto DB, we wager it wouldn’t hurt to throw out this warning. For any of you anime-only fans, we will be spoiling a lot of the manga for many of Todoroki’s feats, so if you’re still gonna push on with reading our analysis, consider yourself warned.

Also regarding the debate on if the MHA Movies: Two Heroes and Heroes Rising are considered canon and thus should be used in this analysis, Kohei Hirokoshi has confirmed that both movies are canon within the series. 

(Source: CBR)

Considering that Heroes Rising has only had a limited theatrical run outside of Japan and hasn’t been released for home video yet, it’d be also nice to throw out that we will be spoiling that too.

As for Zuko, we will be using feats from all three of the main sources - Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra (he didn’t do much in it though) as well as the still ongoing Comic Book Series that covers the adventures of Team Avatar after the series - they are confirmed canon by the show’s creators and thus will be used. We are aware there is also an Avatar Book Series but it will not be focused on due to the fact that it stars Avatar Kyoshi who existed at least 170 years before Zuko. In terms of other Avatars - we will be scaling him somewhat to Avatar Aang who he has fought. Zuko will also be scaled to non-Avatar-State Avatar Korra who has faced foes that an Adult Zuko faced and thus he can be scaled to her (though we are focusing on Zuko’s own feats mainly). 

Also, we won’t be using the Last Airbender Movie for feats. Not only is there nothing in that movie that comes close to Zuko’s best feats but also the movie is generally well….quite shit. 

Need we say more…

(ngl fams idk what y’all talking about that avatar movie was fine)

Background

Zuko

“Go on! Strike me! You’ve never held back before…”

Long ago, the Fire Nation broke the peace enjoyed between the four Kingdoms by declaring war on all of them in the name of conquest. Driven by the destructive impulses of Firelord Ozai, the Nation’s armies sought to destroy all that had opposed them, no matter the cost, even to their own men. Such tactics brought out an individual who felt they were unnecessarily cruel, and from a surprising place at that: Zuko, the Crown Prince and Ozai’s eldest son, stepped up against such cruelty, and was immediately scolded by his father for speaking out of turn. As a result, Zuko was forced into an Agni Kai - a one-on-one duel - with his own father. However, he refused to fight back, resulting in Ozai permanently scarring Zuko’s face as punishment for his defiance. 

Zuko’s relationship with his father defined his early years, as Ozai treated his son with nothing but contempt. His favor toward Zuko’s sister, Azula, deprived the Prince of a normal family life. The only outlet of love and compassion Zuko could find was from his mother, who disappeared one day, leaving Zuko alone. Thankfully, he would not be alone forever, as his uncle Iroh began to accompany him frequently after the loss of his own son. In fact, Iroh guided Zuko as a father figure, even following the Prince as he set off to find the Avatar. Ozai, banishing his son after their duel, gave his son the stipulation that Zuko could only return to the Fire Nation with his honor if he were to retrieve the next Avatar, who had been missing for years. This impossible task was meant to keep Zuko gone for good, but as fate would have it, the Avatar was alive, and Zuko happened to be nearby when Avatar Aang was awoken from his slumber.

While Zuko’s obsession with restoring his honor drove him to hunt Aang down, Iroh’s guidance slowly but surely worked to heal Zuko’s inner wounds. Throughout his journey, Zuko began to see more of the world and realized the wrongdoings of not just his father, but the Fire Nation as a whole. Seeds of doubt planted in Zuko began to bloom as he finally realized his destiny was to join Aang, not fight him, and opposed Ozai. Despite his newfound self-realization, earning the trust of Aang and his friends took time and effort, but Zuko persevered, growing to be close friends with Aang and his allies.

Ultimately, Zuko’s aid was crucial in teaching Aang Firebending. This allowed the Avatar to master all four elements and defeat Fire Lord Ozai, leaving the succession of Fire Lord to fall to the once disgraced prince. As Fire Lord, Zuko put to practice what he had learned from Aang, Iroh, and the rest of the people he’d met, working tirelessly to undo the carnage Ozai and his ancestors had wrought upon the world. In time, Zuko succeeded in this as well, becoming a beloved leader and bringing peace to the Fire Nation, eventually passing the title to his daughter, Izumi.

Shoto Todoroki

“Because I’ve got one thing to say to you. Never forget who you want to become!” 

Born as the youngest child of four, Shoto Todoroki grew up with a particular hatred towards his father Enji, known to the public as the No. 2 Hero Endeavor. In his obsession to surpass his rival All Might as the No. 1 Hero, Endeavor planned to conceive a child that would one day supplant the Symbol of Peace, and forced a Quirk Marriage with a woman named Rei; he hoped that a child who inherited both his control over fire and their mother’s control over ice would become powerful enough to meet his lofty standards, and after his first three children disappointed him by not meeting them, he focused all his time on Shoto by viciously training him and his Quirk as soon as he manifested it upon turning five years old. 

Endeavor’s ambitious nature saw him regularly abuse Shoto for not being strong enough, as well as Rei for daring to step in and defend her son from suffering under his watch. Shoto’s hatred for his father grew as did his unwavering love for his mother, as she continued to not only care for him, but encourage Shoto to find his own destiny outside of what Endeavor demanded of him. However, years of domestic abuse took its toll on her, leading Rei to scar Shoto’s eye with hot water in a fit of mania, and she was forced into a hospital for psychiatric care. The absence of his mother consumed Shoto with hatred even further, dedicating his life to denying his father, even going so far as to stop using the fire he had inherited from him.

In his teenage years, Shoto entered UA High, the most elite Hero school in Japan. Despite his refusal to fully utilize his Quirk, his mastery of ice and the remnants of his training under Endeavor helped establish him as the most powerful member of Class 1-A, albeit while remaining withdrawn from his classmates due to his personal issues. In time, he grew to trust his class as his friends and comrades through the many battles he spent fighting alongside them against the many Villains who attacked them, or even against them; his fight against Izuku Midoriya not only led to Shoto releasing his self-inflicted ban on his father’s powers, but allowed him to further reconnect with his mother after a long time spent apart from each other.

Despite not being a fully licensed Hero yet, Shoto’s many encounters within his freshman year alone proved his valor as both a feared enemy to evildoers and a guardian dedicated to protecting the innocent. He fought off the Hero Killer Stain, went head to head with the League of Villains on multiple occasions, and defended against villain attacks on both I-Island and Nabu Island with his classmates, as Class 1-A soon developed a reputation for being the most promising set of trainees in UA’s history in spite of their young ages. With his friends by his side and the support of his family - even from Endeavor himself after a change of heart, Shoto Todoroki’s potential as one of the greatest Heroes of his generation can only grow stronger.

Equipment

Zuko

Shuangdao

These Dual Broadswords are two swords forged with metal. Due to the Chinese Inspiration of the Fire Nation as well as their overall design, it is all but certain that these swords are based on  Shuangdao. Shuangdao are two twin chinese broadswords that have a wide blade and have curved in the middle of the blade, allowing for greater chopping power. 

Shoto

Hero Costume

Hero costumes are used by heroes to optimize the use of their quirks or just have general useful equipment:

• Jacket: Shoto’s hero costume possesses a fire-resistant jacket that also has a device near his neck that senses his body temperature and supports his combat vest to help regulate it, which heats up or cools down accordingly. 

• Utility Belt: He also has a utility belt that contains water, pain medication, and disinfectants.

• Snow Boots: He has boots so that he doesn’t slip on his own ice.

• Wrist Guards: Shoto has wrist guards that control the temperature of his ice and flames better by preventing the extreme temperatures from up his arms to his upper body.

Abilities

Zuko

Firebending

Through manipulation of his own body’s chi, Zuko has the natural ability to bend the fire within him. He can manipulate this fire essentially however he wants, though there are some martial arts roots that are in place (namely the “Dancing Dragon” style that originated firebending). Unlike other bending styles, firebending doesn’t need a nearby source of its element to function, as the user is just manipulating their body’s natural energy and letting it out as fire.

With heavy, thorough movements, it only takes two steps for a firebender to let out a ferocious flame. Firebenders get their energy from the sun, and without the sun they are completely helpless. However, if the sun is in full view, or another object comes through that emanates flames (i.e. a comet), their power either gets replenished or gets amplified.

It’s worth noting that, while Zuko’s firebending was originally fueled by rage, he has since learned the true nature of the style and incorporated it into his fighting style, as evidenced with his fight against Azula.

Firebending Techniques

Fireball

The most basic ability for a Firebender involves launching a fireball at his opponent from long range. Zuko can fire one large fireball or shoot out rapid fireballs as shown with his fight against Aang in the Crystal Catacombs.

Firestream

Another common ability for Firebenders, they can shoot continuous streams of fire from their fingertips, fists, palms, or legs. This ability works like a flame-thrower, to the extent that Fire Nation soldiers use this ability to burn entire villages.

Fireblocking

Typically used for defense, this ability allows a firebender to defuse and extinguish an oncoming blast of fire from another firebender using a quick kick, jab, or any other defensive maneuver, allowing him to stop attacks.

Fireshield

Zuko can create a shield of fire around himself in order to protect himself from attacks. He first used this ability when his ship was about to explode, saving himself but sustaining injuries. His fire shield can also be used to block lightning as well as Combustion Man’s Combustion Blast though it pushed Zuko back significantly.

Fire Daggers

By condensing flames into the shape of a dagger, Zuko can create pseudo weaponry if he is ever without his swords. Zuko’s Fire Daggers are strong enough to match Azula (whose flame is hotter).

Ring of Flame

By doing spin kicks or sweep arms, Firebenders can create circles of fire in front of them in order to block attacks or throw the fire circle at the enemy. Zuko can use his feet to create an expanding ring and successfully knocks Azula down during their Comet-Enhanced Agni Kai.

Fire Whips

A straightforward application of Firebending, the Fire Whips make for mid-long range attacks and can repeatedly clash with similar water constructs. 

Tornado of Flames

Hey look it’s California

Zuko utilized this technique to nullify an oncoming attack from three other Firebenders. By bending flames, he can combine them to create a twister (that is similar to Dragon’s fire) that can either protect him or be used to consume his opponent.

Fire Bomb

Used as a short-range attack, a firebender can create a flame at the end of a limb and thrust the flame down creating an explosive fire expansion.

Intertwined Fire Stream

An advanced move based on the basic fire stream. The firebender directs two powerful streams of fire at his opponent, causing the two streams to intertwine, causing a huge, kite-shaped stream of fire that has more power than the single stream. Zuko used this advanced technique in the Crystal Catacombs, and then again in his Agni Kai with Azula.

Body Propulsion

Utilizing a constant stream of fire, Zuko can create flames under his feet in order to propel himself to new heights. Azula demonstrated this technique first, and Zuko later learned it for himself, using it both in his final Agni Kai and when he lifted the Earth King up to safety.

Lightning Redirection

Through Iroh’s studying under waterbenders, he developed a technique to counter the deadliest firebending technique ever created - lightning bending. Through manipulating the lightning through your body’s chi, and guiding it along the path of one arm to the other, Zuko may redirect lightning back at whoever cast it on him. While it’s shown he cannot lightning bend like his father, sister and uncle, he can redirect lightning no problem. Except if he gets caught off guard, since messing up this technique could lead to instant death, since the lightning can pass by your heart on it’s way to the other arm.

Other Firebending Abilities

Fire Manipulation

While Zuko will most often bend his own fire, he does have the ability to manipulate other flames. He can manipulate other fire sources to increase their radius as well as their intensity as shown through the Beach Episode where he made the Campfire increase its flame intensity as well as decrease it’s flame intensity. He also has the ability to snuff out other fire (though there is likely a limit to how much fire he can snuff out).

Heat Manipulation

Zuko is capable of manipulating the heat from within his body. In order to save himself he manipulated the body heat in his own hands to make it hot enough to melt Ice. He can also warm himself to help him against the cold. 

Non-Firebending Abilities

Swordsmanship

Zuko was trained by the extremely skilled Swordsmaster Piandao (who would go on to train Sokka - who is another member of Team Avatar). Zuko uses two dao blades in order to overwhelm and overpower his opponents. Zuko would primarily use his swords during his infiltration of a Fire Nation base. He was shown to be capable of taking out several Fire Nation Guards without having to resort to firebending, and could even slice apart rocks hurled from Earthbenders. He also fought fellow swordsmen Sokka and Jet to a win and a draw respectively. Considering one was trained by his former master and the other was shown to be extremely skilled in his dual hook blade use, this is rather impressive considering swords are not Zuko’s main method of attack. 

Martial Arts Combat

As explained by the show’s creators - the fighting style of the Fire Nation is based around a Chinese Martial Art known as Northern Shaolin Kung Fu (though it does take some elements from other fighting styles such as Capeoria - see the above image). In terms of how Northern Shaolin Kung Fu functions, it has 10 different forms:

1. Open the Door – Kaimen

2. Lead the Way – Linglu

3. Mount the Horse – Zuoma

4. Pierce the Heart – Chuanxin

5. Martial Skill – Wuyi

6. Close Combat – Duanda

7. Plum Blossom – Meihua

8. Uprooting Step – Babu

9. Chain of Rings – Lianhuan

10. Standard Form – Shifa

In a general sense, Northern Shaolin focuses on close range techniques and counter attacks - using a person’s own momentum and fighting style against them which embodies Zuko’s fight against General Zhao to a tee. 

Zuko generally uses Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, focusing on using slow but strong attacks, combined with his athletic ability. Zuko can fight closely using taints that almost seem invented and can adapt to any situation, moving with a lot of agility and flexibility. He is extremely skilled with this fighting style - being able to defeat several Earth Kingdom Soldiers as well defeat General Zhao - one of the strongest generals in the Fire Nation. 

Other

Infiltration Techniques: As the Blue Spirit, Zuko displayed heavy use of Ninja Style techniques in order to infiltrate a heavily armed fortress full of Fire Nation Guards. He was easily able to get into the base and retrieve the Avatar, only getting caught while escaping the fortress. 

Tracking Techniques: Zuko is a skilled tracker, being able to track the Avatar who had an airborne ride in Appa - all across the world. 

Leadership: Zuko eventually became a great leader as he managed to maintain peace in the Fire Nation for 67 years. Zuko was able to fix the broken connection between the Fire Nation and Water/Earth Nations as well as helped create Republic City. 

Shoto

Half-Cold Half-Hot

Todoroki’s Quirk is the ability to control two different and opposite elements: fire and ice. The left side of his body generates his pyrokinesis while his right side does the same for cryokinesis. Both sides are equally potent, drastically changing the surrounding temperature - in order to prevent his body from feeling the negative effects of both sides - he will constantly try to alternate between these two sides. (though thanks to training he has learned to mitigate this problem though not remove it completely) 

However, Shoto generally prefers to use his right side over his left. This is mostly because of his problematic relationship with his father, clearly where his pyrokinetics came from. When the situation calls for it, however, he will bust out the power of both elements, a sight to behold. This restraint of his doesn’t apply as much currently, as Shoto has since learned to harness this power and grow past his initial resentment for his father. That said, years of focusing more on his ice whilst neglecting to practice his fire still point to his right side as the one he’d likely prioritize in a fight.

Fire Techniques

Wall of Flames

Wall of Flames is one of Todoroki’s super moves that utilizes his control over the element of fire. He uses his left side to generate a burst of flames that’s big enough to cover a large area, acting as both a defensive and offensive attack. It can also be used to attack multiple opponents and create space between Shoto and his target.

Smaller Wall of Flames

Shoto can create a smaller wall of fire in order to prevent enemies from escaping as shown when he stopped an escaping motorcycle.

Heat Regulation

Shoto can use the fire side of his quirk in order to heat himself up. He usually does this in order to reduce the frostbite and fatigue from overusing his ice side.

Applying Fire to Objects

Shoto is capable of throwing fire at objects and turning them fiery as shown when he used his fire to turn the rings that were created from a quirk into fire rings. 

Flashfreeze Heatwave

Another one of Shoto’s super moves. To use it, Shoto first has to cool the air around him with his ice powers. Then, by switching to his fire, Shoto rapidly heats and expands the air around him. This allows him to create a superheated blast.

Ice Techniques

Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall

An ice technique where Shoto creates an enormous ice glacier that can either encapsulate his opponent or block the immediate field of battle in ice.

Smaller Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall

Todoroki can also perform a smaller variation of this technique. While the Heaven Piercing Ice Wall is just more for creating an extremely large barrier to prevent enemy attacks - the smaller variation can be used to stop someone’s momentum as shown when he slowed down Kishirama. It can also be used to block attacks as shown when he blocked pillars from hitting Deku/All-Might as well as be used as a movement method when during his fight against Bakugou - Shoto created a Ice Wall variant called a Ice Track in order to prevent himself from getting knocked out of the ring.

Ice Propelling

Shoto is able to propel himself forward through stacking ice below him and riding on it. By doing this he was able to keep up with Inasa who was using an extremely powerful wind quirk to propel him forward. 

Ice Ramp

Shoto can create a ramp for his allies that was long enough that it allowed Izuku,Iida and Kirishima to jump up several stories above.

Ice Slide

While he hasn’t used this ability whilst in combat - Shoto is able to create a giant ice slide in order to help elementary school children. This Slide could likely also be used for movement if Shoto so wished to. 

Body Freezing

By activating his quirk to reach sub zero temperatures, Todoroki can freeze an opponent’s body solid with great precision. As a result, the target becomes immobilized due to the ice. If they’re frozen for an extended amount of time though, they can possibly die via necrosis.In fact, this technique can cause molecular structures to collapse on their own due to the temperatures being close to absolute zero. However, this technique can cause a toll on Todoroki’s body because of the overuse of his cryokinesis. He’s not immune and if he doesn’t heal himself in time, his movements could be severely hindered by frostbite.

Feats

Zuko

Overall

• Defeated Commander Zhao who is an experienced warrior in the Fire Nation Army

• Eventually matched his sister Azula in combat, who is typically much stronger than him. 

• Fought on par with Toph, Katara, and base form Aang for much of their time against each other and together

• Successfully infiltrated the North Pole and managed to capture the Avatar

• Defeated Katara during the Invasion of the North

• Rescued Aang from capture and eventually became his Firebending teacher

• Ultimately broke away from Ozai’s influence, realizing his true destiny as part of the Avatar’s team

• Matched the skilled swordsman Jet in a duel 

• After Ozai’s defeat, became the next Fire Lord

• Ushered in an era of peace for the Fire Nation, undoing much of the global damage his father and ancestors had done

Power

• Broke steel handcuffs (20:26)

• Should be comparable to base Aang, who stopped a wave of lava from destroying a village (1.3 kilotons of TNT)

• Created an explosion in an early duel with Aang (see above gif)

• In a similar fashion, created an explosion in a collision with Azula

• Should be comparable to Toph, who lifted up a collapsing mine and slowed the sinking of Wan Shi Tong's library (367 tons of TNT)

• Can contend with Azula, who kicked a volleyball hard enough to create a small crater in the sand

• Blasts through Aang’s air shield, which can block attacks from four firebenders

• Launched a fireball that shattered a large crystal structure

• With the non-standard Sozin’s Comet buff, Zuko likely scales to Iroh, who blew a hole in the surrounding wall of Ba Sing Se (2.4 kilotons of TNT).

Speed

• Intercepted Azula’s lightning (Mach 299)

• Reacted to and redirected Ozai’s lightning (Mach 756.94)

• Fast enough to slice rocks mid-air before they struck him

• Outran a collapsing temple and a tide of shattering ice

• Has dodged swords and swatted arrows out of the air from behind him

• Reacted to the explosion that blew up his Fire Nation ship, erecting a shield at the last second

• Dodged Sokka’s godly, immeasurable speed Boomerang 

Durability

• Shields protected him from an explosion inside his Fire Nation ship

• Managed to survive swimming in ATLA's equivalent of the Arctic Ocean for an extended period of time.

• Survived a blast from Sparky-Sparky-Boom Man.

• Survived getting hit by lightning

• Blocked Azula’s lightning with his Fire shield 

• Can easily block attacks from other Firebenders

• Survives a blast from the colliding impact of his and Azula’s strikes

• Is more or less fine after taking a flail to the face

• Survives getting launched into the air for a duration of 5 seconds

Shoto

Overall

• Came runner-up in the U.A. Sports Festival tournament, first by leading the winning team in the Cavalry Battle, and then defeating his classmates Hanta Sero, Izuku Midoriya and Tenya Iida before losing to Katsuki Bakugo in the finals

• Fought off the Hero Killer, Stain

• Defeated Aizawa (aka Eraserhead) with the help of Momo Yaoyorozu

• Defeated the villain Chimera, whom the other members of 1-A had extreme trouble with

• Damaged the 12th ranked hero, Gang Orca, albeit with the help of Inasa 

• Defeated the villain Ending 

• Drew against 1-B in the Third Round of the Joint Training Exercise

• Fought Tetsutetsu, one of the strongest 1-B Students 

• Roughly considered to be one of the most powerful students in UA, and comprises the unofficial “Big Three” of Class 1-A alongside Izuku and Bakugou

• The most handsome lad in Class 1-A (so says Mina “if you don’t call her best girl, I will eat you alive” Ashido) 

Power

• Created a massive ice wall over the Sports Festival Stadium (11.72 megatons of TNT)

• He also melted the whole glacier with his fire

• Created another ice wall in a forest (7.06 megatons of TNT)

• Harmed Nomu with his ice

• Comparable to Bakugou, who destroyed multiple steel cubes (1:25:01) (500 kilotons of TNT)

• Froze an entire lake and its surroundings during his fight with Chimera (194.64-230.6 tons of TNT)

• Froze an entire building

• Created ice to block a hole made by Dark Shadow (10.26 kilotons of TNT)

• Froze water in order to stop a mall from collapsing 

• Froze this water geyser

• Superior to Cementoss, who could make cement walls (44.93 tons of TNT)

• Comparable to Deku, who can destroy large steel structures

• Can freeze Wolfram’s metal tentacle...things

• His flames should be comparable to Dabi’s flames, which can melt massive ice structures

• His flames are stated to be comparable to Endeavor’s own flames. Endeavor is powerful enough to split clouds.

Speed

• Dodges Iida’s Recipro-Burst kick from up-close. Iida’s Recipro-Burst has been calculated to be Mach 8.99-39.82. (While the site lists it as an outlier, there are other feats in the series that make it consistent)

• Completed a villain-defeating challenge within 14 seconds

• Should be comparable to giants moving fast enough to catch fire

• Dodges a fire attack from Dabi

• Has kept up with Deku, who can dodge Bakugou’s nitroglycerin-like explosions (Mach 15.1)

• Can produce his ice wall in a blink of an eye

• Can dodge Wolfram’s attacks (1:22:38)

• Superior to Tokoyami, who can react quick enough to block Kaminari’s electricity (Mach 478 assuming comparability to natural lightning, though this is debatable)

• Produced his ice fast enough to protect Kirishima from an attack

• Comparable to Deku, who can dodge automatic fire

• Launched his ice quick enough to intercept Wolfram’s attack, which were moving at Mach 6.7

Durability

• Can withstand the heat of his own flames

• Survived the explosion from from him and Deku’s clash (14.47 tons of TNT)

• Survived Bakugou’s Howitzer Impact (seen above image)

• Tanked a kick from Iida

• His ice was able to tank Chimera’s fire

• Tanked Gang Orca’s UltraSonic Wave Attacks. Gang Orca using the same attack was able to completely disperse Shoto and Inasa’s combined Wind Fire Attacks

• Was able to remain standing after being hit by the wind pressure from Chimera’s punch

• His ice was able to hold back a beam from Chimera for a couple of seconds

• Comparable to Deku and Bakugou, who both tanked a shockwave from a restrained All Might (6.38 kilotons of TNT)

• Was near a minefield explosion and was completely fine

• Fell from a cliffside to the ground and was fine

• Got slammed by Tetsutesu

• Tanked multiple hits from Tetsutetsu. Tetsutetsu is comparable to Kishirama, who could shatter blades

• Along with the rest of Class 1-A, fought earth beasts for 8 hours

Weaknesses

Zuko

Most of Zuko’s weaknesses mainly pertain to the weaknesses of Firebenders as a whole. Extreme cold temperatures or the heavy presence of elements that counter fire (like a rainstorm or other massive amounts of water and wind) reduces his ability to bend fire, and losing confidence in himself (aka losing his “inner fire”) can weaken it further. 

In addition, the sheer aggression of Firebending makes it ill-suited to defensive tactics, often leaving the user vulnerable or otherwise drained of energy, which harms their ability to keep up a prolonged fight. Lastly, while Zuko has grown past this by the time of Korra, he was incredibly impulsive and reckless as a youth, even in his early years as Fire Lord. This has frequently left him in vulnerable or disadvantageous positions, often requiring aid either from Iroh, Aang, or his other associates.

Shoto

Todoroki excels as one of the strongest heroes in training, but he isn’t without his shortcomings. His Quirk is quite destructive, and that includes to himself. Using his right side too long will cause frostbite, and the left side will do the same thing with overheating. Should he be pushed to his limit, he will faint from using too much of his elements. On a similar topic, he is more experienced and more skilled with his cryokinesis than with his pyrokinesis due to his frequent favoring of the former.

Shoto is also not much of a close ranged fighter as his attacks are generally better suited at fighting foes from a distance. As such, he can find himself overwhelmed by faster opponents or opponents who take advantage of his weaknesses at close range. 

 Summary

Zuko

“I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor, it’s something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what’s right.”

Advantages:

• Likely faster 

• Far more experienced and skilled, especially in hand-to-hand combat and in combating other pyrokinetics

• More finesse and better trained with his pyrokinesis 

• Could potentially manipulate and redirect Todoroki’s flames

• Fire breath could be a counter to being frozen

• HONOR

Disadvantages:

• Outmatched in power and durability

• Limited to just fire; never learned to generate lightning

• Worse at long ranged combat

• Likely less intelligent and much more reckless in general

• Inferior stamina

• ThAt’S rOuGh BuDdY

• Daddy issues

Shoto Todoroki

“You’re helping your opponent. You fool, even though you want to win this battle… Now which one of us is screwing around? I want it too. I’ll be a hero!”

Advantages:

• Far more powerful 

• Has shown much greater durability and resistance to his own elements

• More versatile in the sense that he can utilize ice as well as fire

• Better long-ranged fighter than Zuko (greater area of effect with his ice)

• Likely smarter due to his analytical nature and academia lessons

• Greater stamina, assuming he does not overuse one side of his quirk

Disadvantages:

• Likely slower

• Less experienced overall

• Not as skilled in close-quarters combat; has struggled with foes who can close in past his defenses

• Fire is likely a liability against Firebending

• No good joke advantages

• ThE hAnD cRuShEr

• Daddy issues

Verdicts

Ramen=Noodles

(gb wanted me to put the katy perry song and i ain't about that life fam)

I’m still kinda surprised that Beerus took that after telling myself for 2 months that he was gonna die, and now I’m apparently hearing that he’s now part of the most positively received episode in Death Battle history. Cat god and evil ballerina pulled through. Amazing battle. (yo arc sys real talk throw a bunch more buffs towards beer’s way he needs some more sauce)

So the passage of time is kinda funny, because I distinctly remember how most of the past 2 years were spent with the knowledge that Zuko was going to eat Todoroki alive since MHA had yet to reach it’s stronk status. With more time on the clock, we’re now at the point where most of the fights the MHA kids used to drop are now definitive wins - let’s just say that Miles would’ve been really fucking boned if he fought Izuku, and this is one prime example of that power creep giving Icy-Hot the tools he needs to make this really rough for the future Fire Lord.

yeah buddy

See, I’ll say this much about His Highness: he’s got more experience by virtue of being the only one here who’s lived a full life via still being alive as of Korra, the better pyrokinesis, being much more likely to handle himself well in a close-quarters fight and got the speed edge down thanks to the multiple lightning feats Avatar is packing, although the gap is pretty close enough to become almost negligible, and there’s arguments to be made that similar feats seen in Heroes Rising could allow Todoroki to even take this category. That’s it.

What’s Half and Half got? A lot more, with the biggie being he’s far more powerful. The combination of newer feats that’ve come out from the manga in addition to the MHA movies already puts Todoroki’s attack potency and durability at levels Zuko can’t reasonably make a dent in - I mean, the giant glacier he made during the Sports Festival alone kinda takes a big dump on Zuko already (consider that this was performed very early on in MHA canon, and he’s only gotten stronger since then), and that only gets worse considering how his more versatile Quirk plays against Zuko’s Firebending. While we did point out that Zuko has better control over fire and can reasonably redirect most of Todoroki’s flames, that doesn’t hurt Shoto’s chances considering that not only is his fire still more powerful than Zuko’s and thus would be harder for the latter to defend against it, but Todoroki vastly prefers his ice half to attack and defend, so he’d likely start out utilizing it and wouldn’t be bothered switching back to that if things get too hot to handle. Also, that’s Todoroki still having control of two elements versus the one Zuko has.

This is bad for our prince, as Todoroki possesses the superior range and AOE, with his ice wall in particular being a tad bit too durable than the ice Zuko’s encountered before in Avatar. Speaking of ice, Zuko has experience dealing with characters who’ve used it, but it hasn’t been enough for him to find ways to work around it consistently enough for me to say that he can deal with Todoroki’s own. That ever-so-abusable range and AOE also gives Todoroki better battlefield control between the two, and is his counterplay to Zuko’s speed and CQC advantages; he’s not likely to grant his opponent room to breathe or even get up close to use his sword or try anything else, really. Last bit’s important too, as extreme cold temperatures could cripple Zuko’s Firebending, reducing him to a sitting duck for a quick and easy kill shot.

Overall, Zuko is no doubt a very game opponent, but I don’t see him nabbing Avatar their third win on the show. Todoroki simply packs more options to control and end the fight than the other way around, so I’d be looking for him to pick up this dub.

(explanation over now you may return to consuming your weekly Zutara or Todomomo fanfic)

Clockboxxer

(STFU we out here listening to Gods of Destruction created by musical artist Brandon Yates for the hit web show DEATH BATTLE! founded by Ben B. Singer and Chad James of Rooster Teeth, formerly Screwattack but in recent years rebranded to DEATH BATTLE! itself) 

Wow, Beerus vs Galaxia was a really fun episode, glad cat god won, and I can’t wait for what else the second half has in sto-

haha tilted title

Oh, shit, really? I knew they were gonna do this at some point, but not this soon. I know it wasn’t planned, but good thing Avatar got popular on Netflix. Avatar hasn’t had the greatest time on DB. Can’t say that I particularly liked the last two Avatar battles, so I’m hoping this can knock it out of the park.

The second MHA fight is a welcome surprise, after how awesome the last one was. It’s just a generally cool series to use in VS. Pun not intended. 

With technically the third elemental fight of the year, we’ve got two physically and mentally scarred pyromaniac stoic rich boys with daddy issues. A match made in heaven...or hell. 

As someone who hasn’t watched much Avatar and stopped after 2 seasons of MHA, I’m pretty hype. This fight is also quite straightforward and easy to debate, not like last time....yeah. 

The stat comparison is pretty cut and dry. Giving them equal leniency, Zuko should have a speed advantage but Todorki’s relatively comparable, while Icy-Hot has far more power up his sleeves and can take a lot more of a beating. The stronk boi gap is a lot bigger than the speed boi gap. 

Another obvious advantage is while one guy can only use fire here (redirecting lightning is useless when your opponent doesn’t have lightning), the other guy not only has much stronger fire, but ice as well. Plus, can’t forget the techniques. Todo’s AoE is pretty insane, so any speed advantage “that’s rough buddy” has isn’t gonna mean all that much. This long range advantage means Zuko’s best chance is getting up close. Which might not be all that bad for him.

He’s got the speed, the skill, the experience, and the swords all right. But against someone much stronger and tougher who can easily wall him out with an analytical mind, he’s fighting a very uphill battle. 

Granted, Zuko’s firebending is a lot more refined than Todoroki’s usage of his left side.

To put it simply, highballing Zuko and lowballing Todoroki, Zuko can be up to 50 times faster, but Todoroki is at least hundreds of times more powerful.

It’s a shame I don’t have much more to talk about. This ain’t really my area of expertise, but even from what I could gather this is a clear cut fight. Despite the speed and finesse of his opponent, it’s Todoroki’s immense firepower, ice cold versatility, and sizzling range that put him ahead. Avatar’s gonna be kissing goodbye to that cool kids club. 

Zuko’s a cool guy and all, but life’ll be giving him the cold shoulder after this crisp burnout of a battle. Hopefully, his endeavor won’t be a waste when he gets beat in the heat. 

(MORE VIDEO GAME FIGHTS PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE)

Phantom Falcon

(Divide Music is a fucking god)

Holy shit, Beerus won! I’m so happy my boi pulled a W in the end, and the episode as a whole was fantastic, definitely my favorite this season. So, what’s ne-

MY DICK IS SO ERECT RIGHT NOW HOLY FUCK THIS WAS IN MY TOP 15 MOST WANTED AND ITS FINALLY HAPPENING

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

So yeah Zuko vs Todoroki. It was one of my most wanted ever since I started watching My Hero Academia. Avatar and MHA are some of my favorite works in their respective genre, and Zuko and Todoroki are both my favorite characters in their respective franchises, being the most interesting and well written of the bunch imo. I love the idea behind this fight as well: It’s thematic, has great animation potential, and seeing these two fight is a goddamn spectacle (and getting them in alone is HOH).

So this fight is pretty interesting, mainly because stats aside, both have their own advantages. To start with Zuko, he’s definitely the more experienced and skilled fighter between the two, given his martial arts training, and he’s much more experienced with his pyrokinesis as it’s something he’s been using virtually his whole life, as opposed to Shoto who neglected to use his Half-Hot side via disdain for his father. Zuko can also potentially manipulate Shoto’s own fire, given how he’s been able to do so against other firebenders, and that’ll do some damage to Icy-Hot. On the other side, Shoto is far better at long ranged combat than Zuko given the range of his ice attacks. He’s more versatile given how he can manipulate 2 elements as opposed to one and has more options for offense and defense. In terms of intelligence/strategy, I think both are even in that regard, but a slight edge to Todoroki. Both are certainly tactical in their own right, but Shoto has been taught by some of the greatest heroes around, such as All Might, Aizawa, etc., and is less reckless in combat than Zuko

Stats for both franchises are split. They’re either building, MCB, city, supersonic, MHS, etc. So where’s my stance on where they lie? Well, I’ll start with Honor Boy.

At bare minimum, Zuko gets around building-ish thanks to surviving the explosion of his ship and various other feats in Avatar. Pretty neat stuff. Middle end interpretation is around city block-small town stuff thanks to the Dai Li bringing down a wall, Toph holding back the library (both get MCB), Aang stopping a lava flow (1 kiloton) and Toph and her students stopping an attack that would destroy a big factory. Zuko should scale to these thanks to fighting on par with Toph and others comparable to her. The highest end is scaling to General Iron and the Avatar State, with the former having a big storm feat, and the latter capable of causing volcanic eruptions, which gets 40 gigatons. Le epico. I think small town is the safest to go with for Zuko.

For speed, arrow dodging gets around subsonic-supersonic give or take. Nothing too bad. On the other hand, there’s lightning bending, which is...an issue with Avatar debates, since no one can agree on whether or not lightning bending = natural lightning. Personally though, I think it’s fine. Iroh can redirect cloud to ground lightning (friend got Mach 15-30 for that btw, so good feat), and it shows other properties of real lightning, such as being conductive. Using that, Zuko’s best speed feat would be Mach 750+ thanks to reacting to his father’s lightning. Even if you’re not okay with this though, Zuko would scale to Korra dodging cloud to ground lightning (you’ll find it in the boss fight in general). So small town and MHS for Zuko. Very cool. So what does IcyHot have to compete?

Starting with the low-end, I think it goes without saying that MHA is downplayed a lot. I never once thought the verse was only building, as there are various CB and MCB calc’s, such as Deku and Todoroki’s clash (14 tons of TNT), Bakugou creating a crater (29 tons of TNT), big giants moving fast (83 tons of TNT), and Bakugou doing a big explosion (397 tons of TNT). On the middle end, we have some small town-city level feats like Deku destroying big metal structures, Mina and Aoyama vaporizing a cliffside (Both get around a kiloton), Deku and Bakugou tanking a shockwave from a restrained All Might (6 kilotons), Shoto himself creating and melting a big ice glacier (Both results get megatons), Endeavor splitting clouds (263 kilotons), Bakugou destroying big cubes (500 kilotons), the works. On the highest end interpretation, you can actually feasibly scale him to All Might’s storm feat. He was capable of freezing and damaging Nomu, who fought on par with All Might during the USJ arc, and he’s stated to be comparable to Endeavor at his best. Why does the latter matter? Simple. Endeavor was strong enough to defeat Hood/High-End, a Nomu stronger than the one All Might fought. All Might’s storm has been calc’d a bunch, but most estimates would put it in the high megatons-low gigaton range. And that’s not even the highest he can scale to, since Nine exists. Nine has 2 notable storm feats that extend to the horizon (and possibly beyond), with the 2nd storm (1:15:26) getting 335 gigatons of TNT. Deku and Bakugou survived a lightning strike from him (which comes from the weather manipulation quirk), Nine’s barrier survived the ensuing blast from the lightning strike, and Deku and Bakugou were powerful enough to break his shields, and even survive a tornado made from the same storm. Shoto is hyped up as being one of the absolute strongest in the class alongside Deku and Bakugou, but obviously this is a high end, and nothing concrete.

As for speed, IcyHot is at minimum hypersonic via blocking Wolfram’s attacks, dodging Iida’s Recipro-Burst up-close, Deku dodging Bakugou’s explosions, all that jazz. Big thing though is Kaminari’s lightning, which, if real, can get the characters up to MHS via Ibara and Tokoyami reacting to them (Mach 263 and 478 respectively (ignore the high end for Ibara, 440,000 m/s lightning kind of dumb)). Obvious contention is obvious but I do think Kaminari’s lightning being MHS is fine. It has shown to be conductive, dulled by insulators, has a specific voltage, can charge devices and machinery, can power a generator, and can be used to send electrical signals. Additionally, based on feats, it is superior to natural lightning in power. Kaminari also has used it to channel Nine’s lightning, which is cloud-to-ground. Shows a lot of properties. Kaminari also has his own feat of reacting to Nine’s lightning strike to save Deku and Bakugou, which is only visible for a few frames. This feat gets around Mach 416, so it is indeed consistent with the other feats. Even if you want to assume he started moving after the lightning struck, the average duration of a lightning strike, which is 30 microseconds, and Kaminari moved that distance during that time frame, you would still get Mach 200+.

With everything covered, I think it’s safe to say that Zuko...is completely boned no matter what.

If you go with what’s definitely legit, Shoto’s clash with Deku, Bakugou’s low end explosion feats, explosion timing, and Iida’s Recipro-Burst > basic bitch-ass Avatar feats everyone can agree on, including Iroh’s blatant lightning timing feat

If you want to go with the most consistent and arguable one, Shoto’s 2 ice glaciers, Bakugou’s cube feat, and Endeavor’s cloud splitting >  Aang stopping the lava flow, Toph holding back the library, the Dai Li bringing down the wall, etc.

If you go with the absolute highest interpretation, Nine and All Might scaling > General Iron and Avatar State feats.

As long as you are fair to both characters, IcyHot should remain out on top in AP/Dura at the very least. And he’s also got my vote. Even if Zuko is more skilled, Shoto’s far too strong and durable, more strategic, more versatile with his abilities, and isn’t even that much slower imo. It’s a shame that my boy Zuko has to die, but I honestly prefer Todoroki, so shrugs.

Zuko is undeniably a strong and challenging opponent, and will put up an ice fight, but he’ll burn out in the end

...wait, wasn’t that my pun for the Community Death Battle for this?

damnit.

Js250476 

So Beerus vs Galaxia was godly shit (pun entirely intended) loved seeing the best animation of the season as promised and seeing that Beerus W after the long wait was very satisfying to say the least. But then I saw that next time and the fire blew the roof of my house. 

So Zuko vs Todoroki is another match that was bound to happen eventually, it’s highly requested for good reason. Both are some of the most beloved and best written characters of 2 very beloved franchises and both are practically the same character in terms of story including their happy childhoods (the Spider-Man pointing meme and “he’s just like me” exist for a reason), and both have mastery of fire and Shouto is also packing fire and ice for a 2 in 1 deal making the fight potential pretty clear as ice along with obvious character interaction and the fact these 2 are hype as hell to have in Death Battle. I love both these characters a lot and they mean a lot to me so of course I had to step in and give my not so hot take on how this will play out. 

So starting out Zuko’s main advantages are he’s definitely more experienced and skilled in hand to hand combat then Shoto due to fighting for longer periods of time while Shoto primary skill is long range combat using his quirks so Zuko having more training in close quarters and fist fighting in general along with his swords would definitely means he’s better at fighting up close. And due to several legitimate feats of reacting to and redirecting lighting Zuko does have the speed advantage over Shoto even if you consider Kaminari’s lighting.

Unfortunately those advantages become significantly more insufficient when you consider the power gap between them. Even early on Shoto is able to create giant ice glaciers that are as big as a 4 km sports stadium which was calculated at city level it even had multiple pro heroes shit themselves and impressed All Might, and it’s definitely not a outlier since making giant popsicles is kinda Shoto’s whole thing his forest feat is also city level for example and since he can obviously withstand using his quirks (that clearly affect his body) it should scale to his durability to. Zuko’s best AP that he scales to via Base Aang and Toph has ended up in the kilotons or Town level meaning Shoto is at least 1000x more powerful and tougher then Zuzu.

And considering how enormous his attacks are and the range of them it’ll be difficult for Zuko to avoid every single hit even with his speed advantage which no matter what you use isn’t large enough to completely blitz Shoto. 

Now contrary to some might think Zuko does not have a weakness to cold temperatures due to the fact that he’s been in the cold waters of the North Pole, broke out of Katara’s ice, survived going through a blizzard Ect. But while Zuko isn’t weak to cold necessarily Shoto’s ice is still far more powerful than anything he’s survived before so it would definitely defeat him right then and there If he takes a hit from them.

Unfortunately despite being a super hype match and Zuko’s one of the best written characters out there. It’s ultimately a very cut and dry victory for Shoto. He’s much power powerful and tougher than Zuko, he has more versatility aka more bending options then Zuko and while he is faster then Shoto, has more skill and experience and could possibly bend Shoto’s fire the speed gap isn’t big enough to guarantee this will happen and all Shoto really needs is just one good hit to win so Zuko I love you and I know this is rough buddy but your changes of victory are on thin ice and your honors about to get scarred on the wrong side of the face. 

Joshski

(In a New Vegas mood so enjoy)

Beerus vs Galaxia was really good, happy to see Catman take the W after memeing for months how he was going to job, now for that next time...

So this is a cool thematic fight that I think everyone figured was going to happen eventually just not literally the next episode but hey probably good they do it now instead of later because well um it’s already one sided enough as is.

Stat difference is very clear cut, absolute most you can get Zuko to is town level while Todoroki has a blatant city level that he performed fairly early on in the series, so about a 1000x difference in power no biggie right? It's also worth mentioning that Shoto’s gotten plenty stronger since then so the gap in power is likely even bigger. Speed is closer and a lot more up for debate, both have verses have contested speed feats with opinions on it varying greatly depending on who you ask. Kaminari’s lightning in MHA is highly contested but if accepted could make speed pretty even.

In terms of other factors Zuko has a clear edge in experience and skill largely thanks to him living for 87 years while Shoto’s currently just 16, Zuko’s also a much better-in-hand to hand while Shoto is more of a long ranged fighter. As for Shoto one of his most obvious advantages is his versatility, being able to use both ice and fire which coupled with his range and AoE is going to give Zuko an extremely difficult time. It’s also worth pointing out that Shoto’s surprisingly shown to be just as if not smarter than Zuko, while he’s certainly no idiot tactics was never really his specialty meanwhile Shoto shows off his tactics in practically every fight he’s in. 

Honestly when you lay everything out here...it’s all pretty clear cut. Zuko being more experienced and skilled is neat and all but that means literally fuck all here when Shoto is more than capable of one shotting him as soon as the fight starts with his muuuuch greater power and absurd AoE. Zuko is definitely an honorable opponent but in the end Shoto will...wait goddammit Gray vs Esdeath already used up all the ice puns shit...umm Fuck you Shoto wins.

VampyreNVRMore

(Someone’s going to get burned)

Let’s start off with a fact. Beerus VS Sailor Galaxia was amazing. The research was spot on, the animation was stellar, and the soundtrack “Gods of Destruction” was hype. We also got the first appearance of DUMMI, who’s pretty good. Hope to see more of him. I should’ve plugged this in last time in the Beerus VS Sailor Galaxia blog, but I wrote the first episode of a new VS series called Ultimate Throwdown. The first episode’s match-up is Vergil VS Adam Taurus (Devil May Cry VS RWBY). Please check it out. Also, I created a character analysis blog on Ladybug from the French cartoon Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Please check it out as well. That’s all the content I have to advertise. Now then, let’s start the prediction.

Zuko VS Shoto Todoroki is a fight that I didn’t expect for Death Battle to do this soon. The My Hero Academia manga is still going with new stuff coming out for the students since they’re the next generation of heroes. However, it seems that young Todoroki has enough feats and material to justify this match-up happening sooner rather than later. So, who gets to take home the win?

In terms of attack potency, Todoroki has the advantage. One of his best feats was when he created that giant ice wall during the U.A. Sports Festival. Such a feat was calculated to be 11.72 megatons of TNT. He also created another ice wall in a forest, which was at 7.06 megatons of TNT. As for his fire powers, it’s compared to his father’s flames, which can split clouds. In comparison, Zuko’s greatest feat is being comparable to base form Aang stopping a wave of lava from destroying a village. This feat got 1.3 kilotons of TNT, which is far weaker than megatons. As you can see, this massive gap in power between the two has Todoroki in the lead.

Now in terms of speed, Zuko actually has the advantage this time. He has been shown in Avatar to be able to intercept and redirect lightning. Intercepting lightning from his sister Azula got a calculated result of Mach 250 while redirecting lighting got a calculated result of Mach 756.94. As for Todoroki, his best speed feat was dodging Iida’s Recipro-Burst Kick from up close which at most got Mach 39.82. This is pretty much a blitz, but not a big one. Still a blitz nevertheless. However, it’s possible that it might not be a blitz. Todoroki is comparable to Tokoyami, who’s quick enough to block Kaminari’s lightning. Assuming that it’s natural lighting (which there’s evidence that it might be, that would be a speed feat of Mach 478. Even though it’s lower than Zuko’s best speed feat, it’s enough to really narrow the gap.

Lastly, there’s their elemental techniques. Compared to Todoroki, Zuko is a lot more versatile when it comes to his firebending techniques. However, that itself is a problem. Zuko can only create fire. Todoroki, on the other hand, can create fire and ice. His variety of elements can match Zuko’s variety in firebending techniques. And while Zuko is a skilled swordsman, Todoroki faced Hero Killer Stain, who’s very skilled with blades. However, I will say that Zuko’s skills in martial arts will give Todoroki a lot of trouble.

Overall, who do I give this to? My answer is Shoto Todoroki. While Zuko has the speed advantage, versatility in firebending, and martial arts skills, it won’t be enough to defeat Todoroki. The speed gap isn’t that great if you view Kaminari’s lightning as natural lightning. Todoroki’s mastery over two elements also matches Zuko’s versatility in one. Finally, Zuko won’t be able to get near Todoroki to utilize his martial art skills due to the latter’s AOE attacks. Looks like Zuko couldn’t handle the heat as Todoroki put him on ice.

TexasRoastingOnAnOpenFire (Robin)

This is my first time on the blog, and I’m super excited to be giving a verdict! I’ve been around for a couple of months now, and this is such a great community to be a part of! When I saw Beerus win the episode, I was absolutely SCREAMING with joy at just how hype it all was! Beerus is my BOY and seeing him win after months and months of people saying Galaxia stomped with her SEPTILLION SPEED AND PASSIVE MIND HAX or whatever in the world everyone was claiming she had made it all the more enjoyable to see my boy take a W, and join like...the four other dudes who have actually won a matchup against the opposite gender, lol. When I saw Zuko vs Todoroki was up next, though? I was absolutely STOKED when I saw this matchup though. My favorite Avatar character AND my favorite My Hero character in a one on one duel to the death? No matter who wins, I’d be super happy! The animation potential sounds through the roof, and there’s no way they could make this episode bad….I hope! Let’s move on to the categories and take a look at who wins this matchup though, which, in my opinion, is fairly clear cut. Let’s go over each of the advantages each of the two combatants have.

Starting off with Zuko, some of his advantages are clear right off the bat. He has a boatload more experience than the young IcyHot, and his martial arts skills mean Zuko is the much superior hand to hand combatant out of the two people fighting here. He’s also much faster, reaching speeds of up to Mach 700 due to intercepting his father’s lighting. His firebending also makes it fairly difficult for someone like Todoroki, who can’t control his fire once he’s thrown it, to land a hit with his fire. This is, however, where things begin to shift the other way.

All of Zuko’s advantages mean next to nothing in comparison to Todoroki’s raw stats! His attack potency, reaching into the megatons, completely overshadows Zuko’s. Even if you place Todoroki at Mach 40 (Kaminari’s lightning should place him much higher), nothing can really prevent him from simply using his superior durability to survive all of the faster Zuko’s blows and...well, completely obliterate Zuko with his massive attack potency gap and monstrous AOE that comes from some of his ice moves. Zuko barely reaches into the kilotons, meaning it will take him far too long to even scratch Todoroki, making it all the more likely the young hero will one shot him with literally any of his attacks. Zuko’s speed advantage could theoretically let him outlast Todoroki until he potentially overheats or freezes himself, but the fact that Todoroki’s ice has such a massive AOE in and of itself makes the likelihood of that pretty low. Zuko’s additional skills, such as his martial arts training and swordsmanship doesn’t change anything either. I wish I could give a more detailed verdict, but on paper the sheer AP gap makes it nigh impossible to give any sort of justification for a possible Zuko victory.

Zuko won’t be finding his honor here, cuz Todoroki will be taking this W!

Hyperstarman

               

(I’ve been listening to this recently and mannnnn, it reminded me of how good Avatar music is.)

Hey y'all, so my first time on this blog so that’s cool. Nice of the G1 people to let me join and I’m excited to be here and share my thoughts. Before I go over this MU I’d like to share my thoughts on Beerus vs Galaxia. I thoroughly enjoyed it with the awesome track and amazing fight. Research was cool too and my lad Beerus winning is a great and huge comeback for him. 

As for the next time I was confident in it being Crona’s MU but slowly as time passed I had no clue given the hints about the episode in question and people with first membership all told me it was gonna be a MU I really liked. So I was left wondering what this could be and if this something I’d be hyped--

To put it bluntly, my reaction was basically this. 

Don’t get me wrong I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE this MU, it’s in my top 20 most wanted and my preferred Zuko MU. The themes and connections behind it are great and I adore them. I was so hyped that they appeared on screen. 

It’s just …I don’t wanna see my poor lad die. 

Avatar the Last Airbender is my favorite show of all time. I grew up on it and I love all of the characters to death, especially toph and aang who’ve both won their respective battles. Zuko himself is a great character with his whole rivalry with Aang and has excellent development throughout the series. Some of my friends have watched it recently as it’s out on Netflix and you should too, it’s worth it. I like Shoto a good amount as well with his backstory, motivations and generally cool personality, around like my top 5 MHA characters. While I am a bit conflicted with MHA at the moment, I generally think it’s good, but I massively prefer Avatar by a lot. 

So first, let's look at the fighters outside of stats first. Let's start with experience and training. In that regard, Zuko has that pretty handily. He’s trained for longer and is more adept with hand to hand combat compared to shoto and has more skill in regards to his fire bending giving him a lot more options in that regard. But Zuko tends to be much more reckless in combat while shoto has a bit more strategy behind his actions in battle. Shoto also has better stamina in comparison already making things a bit close. But when it comes to the stats, things begin to be much more clear cut. For speed I’d give it to Zuko personally as his lightning timing is a bit more reliable and consistent than Shoto’s from what I’ve seen. But for power and durability, Shoto has it really easily. Zuko is around 1 kiloton through scaling while shoto is 11 megatons from his massive ice wall he created during the sports festival which would make him 11 thousand times stronger. Even if you gave Zuko Sozin’s Comet, which is non standard, it still would only get him up to around 2 kilotons at most. So while Zuko is faster, he isn’t fast enough to blitz and gets one shot via the giant gap in power. And on top of that, Shoto has more options with both fire and ice while Zuko is just stuck with fire. Shoto is also shown to have greater range with his elements in longer distances giving him the edge in range as well. With all this mind, it makes things very difficult to justify any sort of reason as to how Zuko would win more times than not.

                    So as Zuko would put it. 

                             

Sorry prince, but you will be left in disgrace as your honor is left shattered by Shoto Todoroki. 

Twice

(Oh shit, My Hero Academia, uhh Shoto relates to Bakugo, Bakguo’s seiyuu is the same as best boy. Nailed it.)

I’m glad to see I’m not the only person joining the blog for the first time here. It’s a privilege to have this chance, so I hope I don’t embarrass myself here. I remember being around back when the first fan blog was made, and I’ve recently become acquainted with the current community. It’s great to be here. 

Funny story. I was actually going to make a blog about this very matchup. Was in the middle of researching both, and had it set to be one of my earlier ones, but hey, on the plus side, getting to work on this is a lot more fun than working solo.

As for the matchup itself, I’m a huge fan. This is easily my favorite matchup of the season so far, passing Obi-Wan VS Kakashi though only because I actually know and love these two, whereas ObiKock is an awesome original idea, but I wasn’t terribly knowledgeable on either. Zuko has been requested heavily for years now and it always seemed like it was just a matter of time before he came in. The only question was… against who? There have been quite a few popular picks. Roy Mustang, Cinder Fall, hell, even Dinobot apparently garnered a following. But I’m glad it ultimately ended up being Todoroki. As much as I adore Mustang, Todoroki simply has the better connections, will bring in more views, and makes for a better fight animation. I’d still love to see Mustang someday though. Who knows who he could fight though, gonna have to dig into that. I have a couple ideas, not sure how they’ll be received.

So, which of these kiddos do I ride with? Well, I’ll say upfront that this isn’t as one-sided as I was initially led to believe. I’m not sure I’d say the dreaded “this is a close matchup”, but Zuko does have some valid advantages that make this matchup at least worth talking about.

(Not going to list off the specific numbers here. I’m sure everyone else will go far more into depth with such things, and these two don’t have a laundry list of feats to specify, so to avoid repetition I’ll just refer to them as they are, but not bring up their calcs each time.)

First off, it should be fairly uncontentious that Zuko trashes Todoroki in the close range. Assuming he can get past Todoroki’s defenses, his martial arts and weaponry should definitely pose a serious threat to Shoto.

Additionally, Zuko’s Firebending, in my opinion, is a good counter to Todoroki’s fire. There is some debate on whether Zuko could bend Todoroki’s flames, considering the difference in power. While I would certainly not say that Zuko can bend and override any fire, such as say, on a cosmic scale, I do think he can probably at least mess with Todoroki’s. Zuko can alter the intensity of flames, to the point of putting them out entirely, or weave the flames of others aside.

Todoroki also doesn’t really ‘bend’ fire so much as he generates it and launches it off or surrounds himself in it. He can regulate his body temperature with heat, but essentially, once his fire is created, he has only a couple options compared to Zuko. On the other hand, even if Zuko probably couldn’t compete with something like Endeavor’s best attack (whom Todoroki allegedly scales to), he could certainly take advantage of flames around the area and nullify weaker attacks from Todoroki. Theoretically, Zuko might be able to get past the AP gap by using Todoroki’s own fire against him, though that’s a bit out there.

Lastly, speed is a big factor here. With scaling from the 2nd MHA movie, Todoroki is probably in the same ballpark if not equal with Zuko in speed. However, given the consistency in ATLA’s lightning timing, I imagine Zuko will be given more speed in the DB anyway. Especially since Todoroki hasn’t actually achieved those feats of his own, and has to rely on scaling. That doesn’t make it invalid, but it’s probably cause for doubt, much like Aang VS Edward Elric’s popup concerning Edward’s similar situation. So, assuming best case scenario for Todoroki, he could be even or close in speed, but I suspect Zuko will be given the edge regardless, probably helped by his mobility techniques (such as jet propulsion) and ninjutsu training for stealth. Again, pretty similar to Aang vs Edward.

With that all said it does look like Zuko stands a chance. He has speed, close-range superiority, actual weaponry, plenty of versatile techniques with Firebending, and has fought plenty of other Fire manipulators and even has experience against ice, thanks to Katara. So… does Zuko actually take it?

I’d say no, pretty easily. But he has enough advantages to at least fill out a discussion.

Whereas Zuko’s strengths lie in things like experience, skill, and speed, Todoroki’s advantages are much more clear cut; he stomps Zuko in raw power, range, and defense. I also think Todoroki was being completely undersold in intelligence and experience. Yes, Zuko is undoubtedly more experienced against other fire users, but Todoroki isn’t really a slouch. He’s in a world full of people with crazy and insane powers, who have been sent to hone and learn their own abilities inside and out from a young age. Powers are a subject in his world, so while Todoroki might not be a martial artist or have faced as many other fire users as Zuko, he is constantly training and learning about his abilities and observing those of others. Plus, Iroh literally spells out one of Zuko's flaws, being that he doesn’t tend to think things through. This is rather consistent as well; even as Fire Lord, he was still impulsive and rushed headfirst into decisions. Obviously, by the end of his story in Korra, that’s no longer the case, but for the vast majority of his appearances, impulsiveness defines Zuko’s approach to strategy. 

So, I don’t actually think Todoroki is far less intelligent than Zuko. Hell, I’d say Shoto is pretty clearly the more intelligent of the two, not just in general but in combat as well. 

Now, for range, this is rather straightforward. Todoroki can freeze over an entire lake or building just by standing there. Zuko… has nothing like that. He can generate fire from his fists or even his mouth, so Zuko isn’t actually helpless if caught in a little bit of ice, but he isn’t outranging Todoroki at all. Zuko has the aforementioned speed advantage, probably, combined with ninjitsu and some Firebending techniques like jet propulsion. Those help Zuko maneuver Todoroki, but his actual attacks aren’t outreaching Shoto. All the ninja skills in the world won’t matter if he can’t even close in on Shoto without being flash-frozen just by being in the vicinity.

Todoroki also has better durability and defensive techniques. Even early on, Todoroki could take full-on blows from Deku and Bakugo without being shielded. By comparison, Zuko’s early dura feat with the ship explosion was actually him shielding himself at the last moment. Sure, it’s a good feat for his shield, but that doesn’t really show us what he can take on his own, whereas we know for sure Todoroki can take greater punishment without protection. (Don’t read too much into that) Without scaling, Todoroki pretty clearly takes dura, and if you do take scaling, Todoroki scales higher. Adding in defensive techniques, Todoroki’s ice gives him close range armor to help against those swords, and Zuko has no real comparable defensive techniques past simple fire walls and shields, which can be busted through with Shoto’s superior power.

Speaking of power, yeah, this is basically where it all falls apart for Zuko. Todoroki’s best feat is easily that stadium glacier, which comes out to 11 megatons of TNT. Even if you give Zuko the MAXIMUM benefit of doubt and consider his potential with Sozin’s Comet, and then scale him to Iroh, who was amped by the same thing, Zuko’s best would only come out to 2.4 kilotons. This, combined with the range of the attack and the ease with which he performed it, paints a very clear picture in Todoroki’s favor. Granted, it did tire him out, and he does acknowledge he accidentally gimped himself a bit, but he still faced off against Iida, Midoriya, and Bakugo afterward, all of whom landed multiple physical blows on him with varying degrees of intensity. Sure, Recovery Girl healed him after each round, but as we see with Midoriya, she can’t magically restore you back to 100% if you’ve taken enough abuse. Because of this, I don’t think the move possibly missing (which is at least worth mentioning given Zuko’s speed) would leave Shoto helpless. In fact it’d probably be in his favor to just spam the ice, seeing how it forces Zuko on the defensive and far overpowers him.

Oh, and Todoroki's best feat with that giant glacier? Yeah, Zuko was actually defeated by Katara doing something extremely similar. Multiple times even. Except, of course, all of these ice attacks in Avatar are far weaker than Shoto’s. To be frank, this is what seals Zuko’s fate. All the experience in the world won’t matter if Zuko can’t stack up to the power of Todoroki’s ice. Sure, he has melted out of ice before*, but never ice on the scale of Todoroki and certainly not against ice users who can just re-freeze him as quickly as Shoto.

*When he melted out of Katara’s Todoroki-esque attack, he was practically defeated and only broke out because of the rising of the sun. For all intents and purposes Katara had him defeated using much weaker ice than Shoto, to the degree where even Zuko’s standard sun amp shouldn’t save him.

To sum up my thoughts, Zuko will probably be given the edge in speed and mobility, combat skill, weaponry, and will have a unique advantage given his bending of Todoroki’s fire. Not a shabby list of advantages, but ultimately, they don’t stack up against Todoroki’s sheer power, durability, intelligence and range. Honestly, if stats were equal, I actually think Zuko would win. His advantages are not for nothing and he has many of them. It’s just a simple matter of him being far outgunned here.

Despite all of Zuko’s quirks, Shoto Todoroki’s endeavor will leave the prince stained with blood. Maybe the day will come when Zuko’s power gets an overhaul, but as it stands, all of his might just isn’t enough to go beyond what Todoroki is capable of.

Now, to feed Yang to Bakugo and start up a MHA win streak from the ashes of Avatar’s.

Also A Certain Magical Index for Death Battle

TehGM

(Was REALLY holding out for Zuko vs Roy)

    Ayyy, very happy Beerus won the last time. As for this time, while it’s not my preferred Zuko matchup (I mean, anybody knows this if you know my channel), I’m still happy with this outcome. Unless this turns out to be another Aang vs Ed in terms of quality, in which case… yikes. I HOPE it won’t but I don’t exactly have high hopes. Oh well… also betting on Dom Dinh returning to voice another Dante Basco character. Zuko’s chances of winning, on the other hand, are next to none. I wish he would win, but fuck it; let’s go in detail for this fight.

    So I wanna start off by making a DA for Zuko because why the fuck not; he can cut off Shoto’s arms before Shoto attacks him. Bang boom, Shoto is dead baby. Well, I wish he was but he most likely will win. And I know that this DA is pretty shitty because, well, when Shoto just has so many more advantages it’s hard to even MAKE a DA in the first place. Welp, Zuko has speed, but that’s pretty much it. He’s safely town level, at the very least, but I’ve seen stuff for Shoto go FAR above what Zuko can dish out. 

    That’s really my verdict in nutshell: Zuko go brrr but Shoto go swoosh. Shoto Todoroki will be the only one claiming their honor tonight. 

The GrandBull

(Youtube Channel)

Now I know I've expressed. “Disinterest” in MHA or just this mu alone. But I'm not letting my bias against it cloud my judgement. Shoto probably wins this. Via better ap and having aoe. The only way I see zuko winning is if they say shoto is a glass cannon and they say that the KE of his ice attacks does not apply to surface area. I know zuko can control shoto’s fire and repeal it back at him. But that really won't help him in the long run. Shoto is still thousands of times stronger regardless. God, I wish Zuko fought roy. I know zuko loses that matchup too. But at least he dies to another chad. And not… the kid with less personality and flavor than tofu. Anyways. Winner: Shoto Todoroki

Jedi Bender

Well it’s here a matchup I’ve been waiting to see for a long time Zuko vs Shoto or as I call it my Childhood vs My Favorite Anime of 2010.  But Me being a fan of both series aside  deciding a victor was difficult even with the comics  fleshing out Zuko’s Combative Capabilities as Firelord  it’s still nowhere near as close as I was hoping for

In terms of advantages the fire prince has in his arsenal. The main one being experience and skill with Firebending as he has studied with Soldiers, His true Dad Iroh, and the Last Dragons (the ladder making him on par with Azula) gives Zuko way more combative control and options. Plus being a Master of 7 types of Martial Arts and Dual Swords also gives him something to fall back on when firebending isn’t an option, and finally Reaction Speed. Thanks to intercepting his Sisters Lightning and catching Ozai’s lightning  rounds things up pretty nicely. However, these can only keep Zuko in the fight for a short amount of time.

Simply because Shoto is something he’s never faced before in his lifetime. Someone  besides the Avatar who can use both Fire and Ice together or one at a time. Yes as I stated before, experience is something he lacks because of his oath to never be like his father 

But none of it really matters when Shoto uses the fire half. It essentially eclipses the Young Firelord’s in both heat and raw power. Also remember Ember’s  Fire is said to be the most powerful in the world.  As for the young heroes ice, well there’s no beating around the bush  HIS ICE CAN COVER A DAMN STADIUM. 

And when looking at his fight with Deku, “One for All” managed to break it apart like icicles. This is the kind of raw power it would take to get past Shoto’s Defense, something Zuko is incapable of doing on his own. I should also note  what we’re looking at here is a battle between a long distance fighter vs a CQC fighter. 

And in that regard Zuko has no feasible way of tagging his opponent from a distance As Skilled and elegant as he is.  while Shoto has plenty of ways to control the battlefield with his ice  thus choosing how he’ll end the battle, meaning it’s only a matter of time till Zuko closes the gap only to get Flash frozen or Burned Alive, henceforth  as much I love Zuko as a character  I’m going for Shoto, The Half-Cold Half-Hot Hero FTW.

PineappleGuy Carmine

(Because hot and cold, plus light...ning)

Really been a fan of this match, knew it was inevitable at some point. So instead of gushing about how much I love the both of these series, let's get down to business.

First off, the physical stats. Raw power is easily on Todoroki's side, or should I say sides. Both his fire and ice have shown tremendous strength, with the megaton ice wall he made, along with surpassing Endeavor's flames. They easily trump Zuko's low kiloton rating. Moving on to durability, while many people will fault me for this, I 100% believe that Shoto should scale in durability to his Quirk. It's been driven home that Quirks are physical and take tolls on the body. I see no reason that fluctuating his body's temperature wouldn't affect him. Though even if it didn't, he's taken hits higher than Zuko can dish out too from the likes of Bakugo.

Lastly in the stats department, speed. As I've demonstrated on previous blogs, I am a big dissenter on Avatar Lightning Bending. I believe it isn't legitimate to scale any dodges to natural cloud to ground lightning, as it doesn't follow those scientific guidelines. However here it isn't much of an issue, as Todoroki is slower even without the lightning. I believe Zuko tops at Mach 30 from Iroh's natural lightning feat, but even then it's still enough to beat Shoto.

Next we'll move on to skill, experience, and intelligence. Zuko by virtue of getting his elder self in the fight has experience, it's a seasoned warrior vs a rookie at that point. Skill is a bit difficult, since both have had their verse's top of the like training. You could argue Zuko learning martial arts trumps Shoto's training, but that's really comparing apples and oranges with what training best suits their powers. On intelligence, neither are their verse's resident tactician, however Zuko seems to be more reckless more often. Zuko has run head first into fights he's had no chance of winning before (cue being surrounded by water vs a Water Bender). Todoroki on the other hand, while not especially tactical, has demonstrated proper battle instinct. Even Midoriya had to acknowledge how calculating he was with his powers. So I'm going with Shoto.

Finally, the arsenal edge. Zuko has a much better control over his fire than Shoto, plus a greater number of abilities he incorporates it into. Todoroki has fire, plus a whole nother element in the form of ice. While Todoroki isn't quite as skilled in fire than Zuko, he's by no means basic. Being able to utilize two elements, one of which could paralyze Zuko with a single touch, plus creating far reaching explosions when combining them makes this pretty clear. Todoroki just has more options for ending the fight at long and close range.

Overall, I think Todoroki has an answer for anything Zuko can throw at him. His Quirk offers more options, he perfectly counters any speed edge Zuko could have with his Heaven Piercing Ice Wall coverage, and just decimates him in stats. It'll be a cold day in hell when Zuko can beat this. The winner is Shoto Todoroki.

Animator300

(Funny ice kid goes haha swosh)

“Photo of Zuko after fighting Todoroki”, 2020, colorized

Jukem

(How do I bold a picture)