Elemental Who Would Win!

[Johnny Unusual]

Here we are. Thanks for your patience.

Once again, we are playing with the fun internet debates of would would win in a fight. This time, I decided to spice things up making it element themed! I've asked everyone to contribute four characters to represent the 4 classical elements and we are going to vote on who we think would win. "Oh, so I just put down my favourite like in a regular thunderdome?" I mean, I won't stop you but to me, the idea is to really sit down and think of which characters would win in a confrontation. The nature of the confrontation can be up to you, too. After all, power isn't everything. Why would these characters fight? If these characters would no be interested in doing conventional battle, would the characters debate? Try to impress each other? Win or loss condition is up to you but I encourage it to be based on what how you think these characters would interact and what you think a loss/win looks like to them.

Unlike the last thread, I won't be doing tiering because in the first round I'm already organizing things by element. So there will be some lopsided fights, to be sure. This won't be a regular ladder-tournament, as after round 1 for every element, round 2 will shake things up with randomized element match ups (except I will try to make sure elements of the same don't match). The plan is every even round will be different elements facing off and every odd will return to the same elements facing off.

Oh, don't worry if your pick loses round one. This is double-elimination so everyone will make it past round one. And hey, maybe most or potentially even all of them could make it to round 2 (but not likely).

Round 1 Stage 1

AIR

(not the literal location, just a fun representation of the idea.)



First Card

Mothra

Mothra is the giant heroic monster of the Toho Godzilla series. Premiering in her own film, Mothra, she’s one of the few kaiju who start largely “lawful good” in that she is causing havoc in order to have her two tiny twin priestesses freed. Since then, Mothra has not only battled Godzilla but is one of the few monster who can claim victory over him. Since then, there have been multiple Mothras who have succeeded the previous but all of them was pretty powerful, capable of creating powerful winds with its massive wings.



Since defeating Godzilla, Mothra has become a bit more of a supporting player in the Mothra films but usually she’s a force to be contended with.

Vs

The Rocketeer

Cliff Secord was a stunt pilot in pre-World War II America whose life was changed when he discovered a mysterious jetpack. After donning it, Cliff used it to fight crime and Nazi plots as the pulp hero The Rocketeer. Inspired by classic adventure stories, The Rocketeer is heavily inspired by the 40s serial Commander Cody and while the original comics were created in the 80s. it was inspired by 1930s-40s art deco looks. The comic eventually inspired a film that was never the biggest hit but is very much beloved by a lot of viewers.


Cliff himself is a skilled pilot and after a few hiccups manages to master the jet pack. He fights using his fists and at times a gun. Though not a martial artist, he is a skilled fighter with an athletic build and a never-say-die attitude.

Second Card

Almost Brilliant

Almost Brilliant is a talking Hoopoe from the fantasy novel The Empress of Salt and Fortune. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of info on this character or their capabilities so @Violentvixen is going to have to fill us in.

Vs

Air Man

Air Man is a robot master from the video game Mega Man 2. Air Man was created by the mad roboticist Dr. Wily along with 7 other “robot masters” to defeat Mega Man. Air Man has a fan built into his chest and is capable to creating a large amount of little tornados that he can shoot in addition to simply generating a win that pushes Megaman around. Worst of all, there are times you just can’t seem to dodge this guy depending on the pattern of his tornados. This has lead to the popular internet song “Can’t Beat Air Man”.

The first round will go for 6 days! As for how I'll deal with ties? I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.​

 

[Violentvixen]

Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of info on this character or their capabilities so @Violentvixen is going to have to fill us in.

Almost Brilliant a helpful know-it-all smartass bird known in the lore of the Singing Hills novella series as a Neixin. Neixin are a special type of hoopoe who not only can speak but remember everything they hear and are used to archive the world. She's a great character with a real bond to the main character we follow through the book, the monk Chih.

She is on the cover of the first book and she and other neixin are on the cover of the 4th book.

I really can't stop shouting about this series of novellas. They're so damn good.

 

[Purple]

While I'm curious about this book now and oh hey I know the person being quoted on that cover, I'm pretty sure traditionally birds don't do great against jet engines, which is essentially what Air Man is.

And while I respect The Rocketeer for his simple love of jetpacks and hate of nazis, Mothra has canonically handled that sort of thing without a problem.

 

[Olli]

Air Man is a chump. His level is notoriously harder than the boss (and even his level is obviously meant as a tutorial, given that it's the first one you'll likely try), and thus I can confidently say that even a smart bird can figure out how to trounce him.

Mothra vs Rocketeer is a tough one, even given the obvious scale difference. Both have heroism and the power of goodness going for them, and both can actually fly (unlike that loser Air Man); Rocketeer would at least be able to stay in the fight for quite a bit. I think ultimately Rocketeer's lack of Kaiju-damaging firepower would mean he couldn't do much against Mothra. Afterwards, they'd recognize they are on the same side and go kick some nazi ass, of course.

 

[Violentvixen]

Mothra because the I don't remember the Rocketeer being particularly powerful and Almost Brilliant has all knowledge at her disposal and is fast, she'd win.

 

[Torzelbaum]

I'm still not sure about Air versus Almost. Would they even want to fight? I don't remember Wily's robot masters doing anything to wildlife (unlike Robotnik's creations).

Mothra because the I don't remember the Rocketeer being particularly powerful

The Rocketeer has a friend who's a pretty handy mechanic but not someone who is capable of building something at a Kaiju-busting level. Mothra has the upper wing in this faceoff.

 

[Issun]

Yeah, gonna have to go with Mothra and Air Man.

 

[Falselogic]

 

[Kirin]

Most Robot Masters can ultimately be defeated largely through pattern recognition, so I'm giving that match to the birb that can specifically remember everything. How does it actually win? I dunno, probably dodges all Air Man's attacks and darts in to unscrew some vital joint.

On the other match, I pretty much concur with Olli's take:

Mothra vs Rocketeer is a tough one, even given the obvious scale difference. Both have heroism and the power of goodness going for them, and both can actually fly (unlike that loser Air Man); Rocketeer would at least be able to stay in the fight for quite a bit. I think ultimately Rocketeer's lack of Kaiju-damaging firepower would mean he couldn't do much against Mothra. Afterwards, they'd recognize they are on the same side and go kick some nazi ass, of course.

 

[Torzelbaum]

How does it actually win? I dunno, probably dodges all Air Man's attacks and darts in to unscrew some vital joint.

Or maybe dropping a feather into some thermal exhaust air intake port.

 

[Mogri]

This round feels very one-sided. Moth Man for the sweep.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

The Rocketeer is a formidable hero but Mothra's scale is just too massive and way outside of Cliff Secord's abilities. My guess is he'd try to fly close to it with a bomb or something to try to place it in a vulnerable spot but considering what Mothra can shrug off, it wouldn't do much even if Cliff could get close enough. But Mothra is fast and produces powerful winds. Likelihood of his win is slim. It goes to Mothra.

Airman is predictable to an extent but unless Almost Brilliant has a physical capability to utilize the knowledge that would help it beat Air Man (has it even encountered a automaton before?), I think I got to give it to the robot. That said, I don't know everything about Brilliant's capabilities.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Mothra is just too big in scale and the Rocket Man can't catch up. Almost Brilliant contains lots of knowledge but it seems like it can't compete with the unceasing inevitability of robot power.

Third Card

​

Hawkgirl is a superhero from the DC Universe. Long ago an Egyptian princess and her lover were killed and betrayed but both of them were constantly reincarnated across history (and even on other worlds), often meeting but usually meeting a tragic end. One famous reincarnation was a space cop from Thanagar along with her partner Hawkman but the current one is Kendra Saunders, so we'll go with her. Kendra Saunders uses Nth Metal, a metal with incredibly capabilities that allows her to fly. She also welds a powerful mace also made of Nth Metal. Nth Metal's other properties, beyond being very sturdy, is that it can disrupt magic, including spells and mystical objects.

VS

​

Pazuzu is a Mesopotamian demon capable of powerful destructive winds but also will repel other dangerous demons. Yes, the name is most associated with the demon from the Exorcist but in mythology, Pazuzu is primarily a protector. Though hideous, that ugliness is designed to protect against unwanted guests and his image was also used as a ward against the plague. He had his own evil opposite number, the villainous demon Lamashtu. It's not super clear what he is capable of on his own or the level of good he is but generally protects mothers and children and pregnant women so that seems good.

Fourth Card

​

Captain Dola is the leader of a gang of air pirates, which include 9 other members (including three of her sons and her husband Motro). Large and physically imposing, she is after a crystal that will lead her to Laputa, which she believes will have great treasure. Though initially an antagonist, Dola reveals herself to have a kinder side and is in her way quite honourable and dependable. She's strong and skilled and hard to hold back. Her ship is the Tiger Moth, while Motro is the engineer of.

VS

Aang is the Avatar of his age. In his world, a large number of the population is capable of "bending", controlling one of the four elements of nature. An Avatar is the only one that is capable of bending all four element. Aang is from a nomadic tribe of airbenders (meaning it's his strongest bending skill). But as a young man, he ran away from his responsibility only to end up frozen in ice for 100 years. Upon awakening, he learns the fire nation is warring with the rest of the world, forcing him to act and learn the other elements. Eventually he does and he even is capable of entering The Avatar State, which heightens his powers for a brief time. However, this state is usually only achieved during times of real crisis. Aang prefers the path of peace when he can but is a highly capable fighter and with his airbending helping, is incredibly agile.


@Kirin @Exposition Owl @Issun

 

[Issun]

Never seen Avatar but, as much as I love granny sky pirate it's highly unlikely she's beating  Aang.

As for the other match. I mean, Pazuzu is a freakin' god so...

 

[Torzelbaum]

As for the other match. I mean, Pazuzu is a freakin' god so...

Well, Hawkgirl has fought some pretty powerful beings. So I don't think it's that cut and dried. (But that was a different Hawkgirl who had some powerful backup so maybe it doesn't translate here.) I would like to hear more about what each of those combatants are capable of before making a final decision.

I know Aang prefers not to fight but I think if Captain Dola pushes him then he will start. Can she take him out before that happens? I don't have a good handle on what she or her ship are capable of.

 

[Purple]

I'd pick Pazuzu over a lot of things in here that Hawkgirl wouldn't be able to handle, but she's kinda specced out to deal with this sort of opponent specifically.

As for the other match, Avatar really really desperately wants to be some kinda Miyazaki anime sort of thing, and as such, Aang is absolutely the sort of character who will ALWAYS, given the chance, try and make nice with a new opponent, and ultimately he's just kinda going to end up on board with whatever Captain Dola has going on , basically getting recruited into the crew before he knows what hit him.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

I'd pick Pazuzu over a lot of things in here that Hawkgirl wouldn't be able to handle, but she's kinda specced out to deal with this sort of opponent specifically.

Yeah, I feel like Hawkgirl's mace can very much disrupt the power of Pazuzu, leaving him open to defeat.

The Dola and Aang fight would be fun. It might not be fair but for the purposes of the battle her mini-pirate army can act as an extension of her and I bet Aang would be flipping around and taunting them while getting away from them. I think the two would eventually become friends but Dola would probably start out trying to get the bounty on Aang's head. And Aang has faced a couple non-benders who are capable. But even counting out Aang's powers, Aang's agility gives him the edge against Dola, who is persistent and tough but not quite ready to handle Aang.

I do agree with Purple that these two would definitely join together by the end.

 

[Olli]

I'm convinced by Purple's arguments, so Dola and Hawkgirl.

 

[Violentvixen]

Pazazu and abstain

 

[Mogri]

Korra (Avatar Girl).

Hawkgirl isn't the most intimidating JL member, but she does seem like the one you'd go to for an ancient god.

As for card four, Dola would have to shoot Aang in the back to win.

 

[Daikaiju]

Aang and Pazzy

 

[Kirin]

Tough ones. On Hawkgirl vs Pazuzu I feel like it comes down to just how much her special anti-magic metal affects the abilities of a god/demon. Is it gonna stop destructive wind just because a god created it so it counts as "mystical"? I'm really not sure how that plays out. Guess I'll abstain on this one.

On the second, yeah, Dola and Aang are definitely gonna end up buddies by the end one way or another. I feel like initially Dola might even get the upper hand for a bit with her combat experience and general savvy, but if Aang gets serious he can obviously overpower her. At that point she would probably go the "discretion over valor" route and cut a deal - tap out and let Aang advance since his powers will give him a better chance in the rest of the tournament in exchange for a cut of the winnings. Are there winnings? I don't know and Aang probably doesn't know or care either, so he'd agree just to be a pal.

 

[Torzelbaum]

Bird Girl and Bald Boy

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Hawkgirl's mace is able to take down Pazuzu while Aang is able to outpace Dola (and likely become her friend)
Fifth Card

The Big Bad Wolf is a figure in several fairy tales. The two most well-known are Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs. The latter one is probably the most relevant because he is known for being able to knock down buildings made of straw and stick. That might not seem impressive but… could you? Not with your breath. And that’s what he does, literally blowing down houses with his breath. Eventually he is thwarted by a pig’s brick house but all the same, his powerful breath is formidable.

VS

Sue Storm took part in the flight of an experimental rocket along with her boyfriend Reed Richards, brother Johnny Storm and Reed’s good friend and pilot Ben. During the flight the four were bombarded with cosmic rays that transformed them into superhumans. Sue Storm gained the ability to turn invisible and gain the name The Invisible Girl. Sadly, in the comic, she was very much an underserved character but eventually writers made up for it by giving her an extra power; to generate force fields and later gave changed her superhero name to the Invisible Woman. Of the members of the Fantastic Four, Sue is the most level-headed and usually help break up fights and bring unity to the team as it’s soul. But her force fields are very powerful and over time has been shown to have potent offensive capabilities when needed.

EARTH

First Card

The Earth Ninja is one of the five major antagonists in the martial arts film The Five Elements Ninjas. The Earth Ninja leads a small band of warriors that use underground tunnels to battle their enemies, striking from below with long spears. The Earth Ninja’s prime skill is defeated with some spiked stilts but that doesn’t mean he’s a pushover above ground. In fact, he’s the deadliest of the five ninjas, a skilled warrior who uses any dirty trick he can including manacles and clawed shoes.



VS

The Jolly Green Giant is a… that. The mascot for the preserved veggie company Green Giant, a giant who watches over a vast valley that acts as a garden of veggies. His catch phrase is “ho ho ho” and is rarely (or maybe never) heard saying anything else. He has a little friend named the Little Green Sprout and has been shown having a little army of workers… or maybe normal sized workers but all the veggies are big? I’m confused. Though he would be animated in later commercials, in early ones he was presented as live action, albeit in shadow wat in the distance.



@RT-55J @Torzelbaum @Olli

 

[Purple]

Unless I'm lacking some obscure comic lore where the Invisible Woman's forcefields are actually straw based or something, I don't see this being a contest. And... look the Jolly Green Giant walks around barefoot all the time. You don't even need to be a special Earth Ninja with a spear for that to get nasty. A regular ninja would probably win. Maybe even a pile of legos.

 

[Mogri]

Does Sue have some sort of offense I'm not aware of? She can't attack without exposing herself to BB, as far as I know, and her opponent's sense of smell is strong enough to compensate for her invisibility. My vote goes to the Wolf.

Jolly should have the advantage in a fight like this, but if Earth Ninja is subterranean, then that advantage is gone.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Does Sue have some sort of offense I'm not aware of?

Sue can also mentally generate a field of invisible psionic force (drawn from hyperspace), which she is able to manipulate for a variety of effects.[52] For example, Sue can shape her fields into simple invisible constructs or generate a nearly indestructible invisible force field around herself or her target. She can vary the texture and tensile strength of her field to some extent, rendering it rigid as steel or as soft and yielding as foam rubber; softer variants on the field enable her to cushion impacts more gently, and are less likely to result in psionic backlash against Susan herself. She is also able to make her shields opaque or translucent like milk glass to effectively block variations of light such as laser-beams, or make them semipermeable to filter oxygen from water though the latter is mentally taxing. She can generate solid force constructs as small as a marble or as large as 100 feet (30 m) in diameter, and her hollow projections such as domes can extend up to several miles in area.

By generating additional force behind her psionic constructs, Sue can turn them into offensive weapons, ranging from massive invisible battering rams to small projectiles such as spheres and darts. By forming one of her force fields within an object and expanding the field, Sue can cause her target to explode. She can also travel atop her animated constructs, enabling her to simulate a limited approximation of levitation or flight.[53][4] She can manipulate the energy of her force fields around other objects to simulate telekinetic abilities as well. She is capable of generating and manipulating multiple psionic force fields simultaneously. This power is only limited by her concentration; once she stops concentrating on a psionic force field, it simply ceases to exist

 

[Mogri]

Power creep, man. "Sue can cause her target to explode"??

By generating additional force behind his huffs and puffs, BBW can turn them into offensive weapons...

 

[Torzelbaum]

The Big Bad Wolf might be able to wear down forcefield Sue with sustained use of his breath but he does seem to lack stamina so he might just throw in the towel if 3 huffing and puffings don't blow Sue Storm down.

Also, we're probably all used to shorter versions of the story but apparently when his Big Bad Breath attack failed against brick house pig the wolf resorted to lies to try to trick the last pig out of his house to remote locations where the wolf could capture and eat the pig. But the pig was able to outsmart the wolf each time. I guess that does sort of match with what the Wolf tried to do in the Little Red Riding Hood story. So could the Wolf trick Sue into letting her guard down so that he could attack her? I don't know.
(You can read this to see a version of the story that includes that: https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/type0124.html#halliwell )

How tall is the Jolly Green Giant in this battle? If he's only 10-12 feet tall like in that image then I think Earth Ninja could defeat the Giant by first taking him down to size by stabbing his Achilles heels and/or the backs of the knees at first. But if the Giant is like kaiju sized then there's no way the Earth Ninja could win.

... Wait. Can The Jolly Green Giant even bleed?

And one ability that you didn't mention is that the Earth Ninja can disappear and leave a copy of his clothes behind to evade attacks but he does seem to have a limit on how often he can do that.

 

[Olli]

Yeah, Susan Richards is often named as the strongest of the Fantastic Four. Big Bad Wolf may huff and puff, but The Invisible Woman can forcefield his brains out if pummeling and isolation aren't strong enough deterrents.

The green giant seems like he has a ton of hp but very little in the way of dps. Ninja wins.