Predicting and Ranking Possible Death Battle Season 9 Matchups (WIP)
As the finale approaches and Season 8 of Death Battle comes to a close, I figured I'd take the opportunity to rank some matchups for the upcoming Season 9, and how likely I think they are. If your curious whether this is ranking matchups likelihood in general, or specifically for Season 9, the best answer I can give is somewhere in the middle. Also, to be clear, I'm not ranking the actual quality of the matchups, just how likely they are for Season 9. To my knowledge, it's been soft confirmed that Season 9 will have 20 episodes, so that may play into the rankings as well (although probably not too much).
And bear in mind that this is not a complete, definitive list. Let me know if you disagree with any rankings, felt I overlooked or left out anything about a particular matchup, or if I just forgot to include a matchup on the ranking.
With all that out the way, let's begin.
NOTE: THIS PREDICTION WAS MADE PRIOR TO THE SEASON 9 TEASER AT THE END OF SAITAMA VS POPEYE
The Likeliest of Likely:
Giorno Giovanna vs Joker (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure vs Persona) - People have been wanting a Jojo vs Persona matchup forever, and of that category, this is far and away the most requested. It's been requested for years, Jojo's about to hit a new surge of popularity with the upcoming Stone Ocean anime, Persona 5 has been making gangbusters and broke the series into the mainstream like never before,
Thor vs Vegeta (MARVEL vs Dragon Ball) - I have very little doubt this is happening next year. Very requested, uses very algorithm-friendly characters, it gives us the opportunity for a new Vegeta analysis (as well as an updated one for Thor), enough time has passed to forget about the bad DBX, and the crew themselves have said they want to bring Vegeta back. I'll be shocked if it doesn't happen next year. Placing my bets now, this will be the season premier.
Ant-Man vs Atom (MARVEL vs DC) - Probably the single biggest requested MARVEL vs DC matchup at the moment (if not, it's definitely up there), offers a unique dynamic compared to other Death Battles, very algorithm-friendly given the MCU helped popularise Ant-Man
Catwoman vs Black Cat (DC vs MARVEL) - I'll say it now, our most likely bet for the next Marvel vs DC street tier fight. Decently requested for years, uses recognisable characters, decently debatable, this one's more likely than people think. Hopefully they can make it stand out from the half dozen other Batman fights we've gotten.
Jason Voorhees vs Michael Myers (Friday the 13th vs Hallowe'en) - Been requested forever, huge legacy behind it, brings more original live-action characters to Death Battle, is the single best candidate for a Hallowe'en episode. Note: This episode is here on the basis that a live-action fight is possible next year. If not, it would drop all the way down to "don't count on it".
Liu Kang vs Jago (Mortal Kombat vs Killer Instinct) - Probably the most likely fighting game matchup to happen next year. Decently requested, Mortal Kombat is quite a bankable name for the algorithm, the crew are Killer Instinct fans, both characters have good 3D models to work with.
As an aside, if we do get Liu Kang vs Jago, and Kang wins, I kind of ... don't want the Mortal Kombat character to go super-gory-over-the-top with the kill? For Liu Kang specifically, having him adhere to his Shaolin roots and try to end the fight non-lethally, or by having the fight end because of the environment (a stage fatality like the pit would be ideal) would be a nice callback to his characterisation from the original Mortal Kombat.
Probable:
Shulk vs Lightning (Xenoblade Chronicles vs Final Fantasy) - It's been requested for years, it's the most requested Xenoblade matchup, probably the most requested Final Fantasy matchup now that Link vs Cloud 2 has been done, it was a Community Death Battle way back when Torrian was still working on the show.
Dante vs Kratos (Devil May Cry vs God of War) - It's highly requested, it was a Community Death Battle, it's been long enough since the DBX for it to stand out (especially since it would presumably be 3D animated), both have had new games since their last appearance on Death Battle. You could argue that this could rise to basically a lock-in.
Bowser vs Dr. Eggman (Super Mario vs Sonic the Hedgehog) - Decently requested, actually debatable depending on what you give them, multiple different ways of running the fight (just Bowser/Eggman, add their armies, bring in Junior/Metal Sonic, etc.), the most requested and arguably most worthwhile left of the "Mario vs Sonic" category.
Eggman vs Wily 2 (Sonic the Hedgehog vs Mega Man) - The crew have apparently talked about remaking this episode, it's thematic, significant to Death Battles history as the last animation Ben made for the show. That being said, they likely aren't remaking it so long as Chief vs Doomguy gets the requests to prioritise it. The popularity of Bowser vs Eggman likely damps its chances as well, albeit not enough to sink below probable.
Dexter vs Jimmy Neutron (Cartoon Network vs Nickelodeon) - One of the big candidates for the next "cartoon vs cartoon" themed episodes, both characters have a legacy with each other, both characters have retained a decent cult following (especially on Jimmy's end with how memetic the shows gotten),
Scarecrow vs Mysterio (DC vs MARVEL) - One of the most requested Marvel vs DC matchups, Mysterio is a more well-known character thanks to the MCU, could lend itself with different animation styles (possibly even multiple animation styles in the same fight, if they really want to get trippy with the Possibly even a decent contender for the Hallowe'en episode if Jason vs Micheal can't be done.
Skeletor vs Lord Zedd (Masters of the Universe vs Power Rangers) - It was a Community Death Battle,
Cinder Fall vs Azula (RWBY vs Avatar) - They've talked about using other Avatar characters on the show before, it's Cinders most requested matchup, RWBY characters are a semi-consistent mainstay of the show,
Simon the Digger vs Kyle Rayner (Gurren Lagann vs DC) - It says something when a matchup is this high by sheer community push alone. By any metric, this is very much THE community matchup at the moment, a crown it'll likely keep until it actually happens. Other than that, it's decently debatable, has t
The only thing keeping this episode in probable and not a lock-in is that the episode got popular relatively recently, and so it's possible that the episode wasn't in the cards when the season was being planned. Even if it doesn't happen in Season 9, I have little doubt it's a matchup they'll get around to sooner rather than later.
Also please name the track Beyond Belief if you can't use Will of the Drill.
Black Adam vs Apocalypse (DC vs MARVEL) - Both characters most requested matchup, decently thematic, MARVEL vs DC, and Black Adam is getting a film next year, so they can tie it into that (think what they did with Shazam and Captain Marvel back in Season 6). However, it was a DBX last year, so they may want to wait until making it a full-on Death Battle.
Meta Knight vs Zero (Kirby vs Mega Man) - This one has been requested forever, it's been long enough since Metal Sonic vs Zero to justify bringing him back, Meta Knight is the next logical Kirby character in line to get a fight after Kirby and Dedede, both have fantastic sprites and 3D models to work with (I'd personally make it a sprite fight, though), Meta Knights other likely opponent in Yoda had a matchup last season. The only thing keeping it out of top tier is that nothing really screams "this season" about the matchup. It's one of those evergreen "they can do this whenever" matchups.
Dude, imagine if they get Johnny Yong Bosch back in the booth to voice Zero. The did it for Ichigo, they can do it again.
John Constantine vs Raidou Kuzunoha the XIVth (DC vs Shin Megami Tensei) - I genuinely wasn't expecting the matchup to get as high as it has. It's decently requested, Raidou is more relevant than he's been in years via the Nocturne remaster, Korra vs Storm (or at least its preview) was straight-up sponsored by SMT5, John's another big-name DC character they haven't used yet, and Liam is an SMT fan. Yeah, it's a more recent suggestion, but it's not so recent that it wasn't in the running when Season 9 was being picked out.
Gru vs Megamind (Despicable Me vs Megamind) - It was a Community Death Battle specifically picked out by popular vote on r/DeathBattle, highly requested (especially nowadays, Megamind more popular now that it possibly ever has been, Minion stuff is everywhere, Po has proven that animated movie characters (and specifically DreamWorks) are on the table.
Scarlet Witch vs Zatanna (MARVEL vs DC) - Marvel vs DC, WandaVision, it's been requested since at least season 5. I'd be surprised if it doesn't happen next year.
Omni-Man vs Bardock (Invincible vs Dragon Ball) - Omni-Man is one of the most popular character requests for Death Battle (an easy top 5, if not top 3 character request) Ben's actively praised the matchup over Omni-Man vs Homelander (and that matchup is the only real competition for an Omni-Man matchup),
Arceus in general - We've just gotten Generation 4 remakes, Legends Arceus has put Arceus more in the spotlight that ever before, he's one of the most requested Pokémon for Death Battle (since he is the strongest thing in the franchise), has a decent selection of opponents (Amaterasu, Odin, Chakravartin, etc.), probably the single most likely Pokémon character at the moment barring a potential Mewtwo runback.
Fire Emblem in general - Ben put out a Twitter post asking about Fire Emblem characters, which obviously includes Fire Emblem matches. Ben knows full well it's a popular, untapped series with a rather infamous amount of characters to use (I'd say our most likely candidates are Ike, Marth or Byleth, though it's pretty much guaranteed to be one of the Smash reps).
50/50:
Spawn vs Ghost Rider (Image Comics vs MARVEL) - Highly requested, been requested forever, decently close,
The only thing keeping this matchup from rising higher is the fact Ghost Rider vs Lobo wasn't THAT long ago, but even then characters have returned with much smaller gaps in time before.
James Bond vs Jason Bourne (James Bond vs Bourne) - Decently requested, would be a decent option for a live-action fight, James Bond is constantly getting new movies so there's never real a bad time to use this matchup, . However, both Bond and Bourne are facing competition with a variety of different opponents (John Wick, Agent 47, TF2 Spy, etc.).
Sailor Moon vs Madoka Kaname (Sailor Moon vs Puella Magi Madoka Magica) - Madoka's most requested fight, Sailor Moon's second most requested fight (arguably the number one, it's only real competition is Seiya), Death Battle has yet to do a true magical girl fight, safer with Toei copyright-wise than using Seiya for Moon, the fourth Madoka Magica film is likely coming out next year
Shazam vs Pegasus Seiya (DC vs Saint Seiya) - Saint Seiya was relatively unknown to the Death Battle crew as recently as Beerus vs Galaxia year, and Shazam was used relatively recently. However, that was well over a year ago (the unknown part, not using Shazam), this matchup has gotten plenty popular in the time since then, and if they were to introduce Saint Seiya, it makes sense to go with the central protagonist of the series AND pair him against a big-name superhero like Shazam to soften the view count a bit.
Darth Vader vs Obito (Star Wars vs Naruto) - If Darth Vader comes back, this is his most likely opponent. Given how well Kakashi vs Obi-Wan did, the general popularity of both characters, Obito doesn't really have anyone else as viable opponents (no matter how based Gravity Beetle is), Naruto as a series being far less obscure than Fate (sorry, Saber fans). The only thing really holding the matchup back is that Obi-Wan/Kakashi was relatively recent,
Finn & Jake vs Mordecai & Rigby (Adventure Time vs Regular Show) - Been decently requested for a long time, both are each others most popular matchups, Death Battle has been on an upswing in terms of using cartoon characters (Po, Popeye, Steven, Star, etc.), Death Battles a little overdue for another "tag-team" fight.
Galactus vs Unicron (MARVEL vs Transformers) - Unquestionably the number 1 requested Transformers matchup, been confirmed since forever, would fit well as a season finale. In a similar boat as Alex vs Cole in that at this stage it could honestly happen at any time, albeit without having to worry about the relevancy issue too much.
Nero vs Hellboy (Devil May Cry vs Hellboy) - Decently requested, Hellboy's and Nero's most requested matchup, Nero's the next logical DMC character in line to use,
Cyborg vs Android 17 (DC vs Dragon Ball) - Decently requested, Cyborg and Android 17's most requested opponent,
Cole McGrath vs Alex Mercer (inFAMOUS vs Prototype) - Dude, I don't even know with this one anymore. This matchup has gone from likely with all the requests it got, to basically confirmed via the Carnage vs Lucy Q&A, to less likely with the two falling into relative obscurity, to more likely with the announcement of what Season 8 was about, to now. It is anyone's guess when it'll happen at point, so I'm just going to copout and basically say "...maybe?"
Megatron vs Frieza (Transformers vs Dragon Ball) - Decently requested for quite a while, it's by far and away Frieza's most requested opponent, Frieza is one of the bigger Dragon ball characters to use (and Dragon Ball consistently does good numbers for Death Battle), Megatron is one of the more recognisable names to non-Transformers fans. However, the matchup has lost a fair amount of steam, especially with people finding better opponents that also have popularity for Megatron to fight (Vilgax, Sinestro, etc.), meaning the matchup is mostly just running off getting Frieza into Death Battle (I've heard Pyron from Darkstalkers is fun and thematic, albeit stompy).
At least it isn't Frieza vs Mewtwo, who remembers those days?
Splinter vs Shifu (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs Kung Fu Panda) - Surprisingly more likely than I think people realise. Splinter is our most likely candidate for a new TMNT rep, and Shifu is not only our most likely candidate for a new Kung Fu Panda character, but far and away Splinter's most requested opponent. And this distinction is important, as future Kung Fu Panda episodes are more likely than you might think.
Po vs Iron Fist was one of the best performing episodes of Season 8, and I don't think I'm alone in thinking that Kung Fu Panda's presence is a big factor in that. Death Battle has more than likely taken notice of the popularity, both views-wise and in the community, of Kung Fu Panda in Death Battle, so it only makes sense to capitalise on that further. Lo and behold, what's the most popular and requested Kung Fu Panda fight? I guess this will be the episode to prove that Kung Fu Panda wasn't just a one-hit wonder.
Also if the track isn't named Masterful then what's even the point?
Little Mac vs Makunouchi Ippo (Punch-Out!! vs Hajime no Ippo) - Decently requested, decently close, both characters, while niche, aren't so niche that they're impossible for Death Battle for use, enough time has passed since Balrog vs TJ Combo and the OMM for this episode to stand out, fits the bill as a more palette-cleanser fight (when you have cosmic gods, flying bricks and hax lists that stretch for miles, a relatively straightforward boxing matchup can help balance things out). Being more niche hurts
Silver vs Trunks (Sonic vs Dragon Ball) - It's decently requested, has good connections (Silver was straight-up inspired by Trunks), it's been enough time since the DBX and the OMM to help it stand out, both Silver and Trunks are among the bigger characters of their series Death Battle has yet to use, Ben's bias against Silver likely won't impact Silvers chances of getting in, Silvers reputation has improved in recent years (especially with the comics). However, Trunks has a decent selection of other opponents (Cable, Luminary, Shulk, Crono, etc.), so not a lock-in by any means.
Yang vs Bakugo (RWBY vs My Hero Academia) - Enough time has passed since both the DBX and Yang vs Tifa to not come off as redundant, both are likely each others most requested matchups, . I could easily see them going with this matchup if they wanted to do a RWBY fight without pulling the trigger on Ruby vs Maka. However, both have other opponents that are popular requests (Leone for Yang, Shinra for Bakugo).
Captain America vs Kamen Rider Ichigo (MARVEL vs Kamen Rider) - Captain America's previous episode is generally regarded as one of the most underwhelming episodes of the whole show (makes sense, as it was literally a filler episode), so it makes sense for him to come back, especially given how well-known and popular he is. Kamen Rider has also been decently requested for Death Battle, and for a series as vast and storied as Kamen Rider, it makes sense to start with the first one. Even Liam has gone on the record saying he wants Kamen Rider in Death Battle. The only thing really standing in it's way is the boring possibility of Captain America vs Deathstroke.
Palpatine vs Xehanort (Star Wars vs Kingdom Hearts) - On the one hand, this is a very requested fight, and neither character has a matchup that . On the other hand, we just a Star Wars/Kingdom Hearts matchup in season 8 with Yoda/Mickey, and Xehanort/Palpatine as a DBX as well. If it does happen next season, I'll be it'll be in the second half of the season.
Ash Ketchum vs Yugi Motou (Pokémon vs Yu-Gi-Oh!) - The more requested of the two, and the one with a bigger legacy, but potentially one that's more difficult to choreograph. I can imagine it being difficult to choreograph a fight between two universes that operate on completely different rules and mechanics, unless they have Yugi fight like he does in Jump Force, which, while technically feasible, isn't exactly what springs to mind to the average Yu-Gi-Oh! fan when on the topic of Yugi fighting.
Ash Ketchum vs Lucy Heartfilia (Pokémon vs Fairy Tail) - Over Ash vs Yugi, Ash vs Lucy has more popularity with the Death Battle crew, it uses two Plus, Ash has to compete with Yuna, and even Dawn for possible matchups for Lucy.
Cell vs Dark Samus (Dragon Ball vs Metroid) - Cell's one of the more requested Dragon Ball characters for Death Battle, and this is the community pick for Cell's opponent. Decently thematic, somewhat debatable, Metroid is bigger than it's been in years thanks to Dread. Additionally, both characters have had relatively recent showings to help cement them in audiences minds (Dark Samus being in Smash Ultimate, and Cell essentially being the main character of Dragon Ball: The Breakers).
The only things really standing in its way is the sheer amount of other opponents that they might put Cell against instead (Super Skrull, Zygarde, Amazo, Metal Sonic, etc.), and Dark Samus's inability to talk thoroughly squashing the idea of any fun banter (no matter who voices Cell, (Taka, Devil or whoever), they'd need someone to bounce off of, and Dark Samus just isn't supplying that).
Mewtwo vs BlackWarGreymon (Pokémon vs Digimon) - Unquestionably the most requested Pokemon vs Digimon fight at the moment, Mewtwo is decently requested for a runback since Mewtwo vs Shadow ... the less said, the better, Digimon could be analysed under the lens of modern Death Battle. However, Mewtwo faces competition from the likes of Tetsuo, Magneto and Zero as possible opponents.
I will say, and this part is purely my opinion, if this was to happen, it should be the final "Pokémon vs Digimon" fight. Both franchises have more options than this decade-old rivalry (Digimon vs SMT is actually quite fun and debatable, I'm told).
Gogeta vs Omegamon (Dragon Ball vs Digimon) - It isn't SUPER requested, but still popular enough, and it could be a matchup where sheer spectacle triumphs over thematic connections and debatability (a la Saitama vs Popeye). Plus, Gogeta is more popular with the (relatively) recent release of the Broly movie. Both characters being from Toei properties might be a thorn in this matchups side, though...
Aigis vs Noel (Persona vs Blazblue) - If either character gets on the show, this will be their matchup. Been a somewhat decently requested rivalry matchup for a while now, and definitely up there in popularity in terms of Persona and Blazblue matchups.
Master Chief vs Doomguy 2 (Halo vs DOOM) - Far and away the most requested rematch now that Link vs Cloud is out of the way. Not super thematic, but go
If any rematch happens next season, it will be this one.
Lord Drakkon vs Ohma Zi-O (Power Rangers vs Kamen Rider) - Kamen Rider is more requested for Death Battle now than ever, the series . They might even
Doomsday vs SCP-682 (DC Comics vs SCP) - Potentially controversially, I'm putting Doomsday vs 682 here at the midway mark. SCP is actually decently well-known online and requested for Death Battle, and this is far and away the most requested SCP matchup.
Who knows, the researchers might even be able to reach out to the actual SCP writers to help research 682, make it an unofficial collaboration of sorts.
King Bradley vs Solidus Snake (Fullmetal Alchemist vs Metal Gear) - It can honestly go either way for this one. There's nothing really working against it, but there's also nothing really pushing it ahead of other matchups. Decently requested, but not ridiculously so. Uses big franchises, but not the biggest franchises. Uses well-known characters from their series, but not the most well-known. More than a little ironic that this matchup is the definition of solid.
Destoroyah vs Iris (Godzilla vs Gamera) - The crew is well aware of the demand for more kaiju matchups, and of the options, this is far and away the most requested and most likely (thank you Nemesis), if only because no-one can agree on who the rest should fight.
Saber vs Erza (Fate vs Fairy Tail) - Erza's most likely option for a runback, Saber's most likely matchup (especially if Vader ends up fighting Obito instead),
Jenny Wakeman vs Robotboy (My Life as a Teenage Robot vs Robotboy) - Decently requested for a long time, one of the more popular requests for a straight cartoon-vs-cartoon episode, MLaaTR still holds a decently big online cult following.
Taskmaster vs Deathstroke (MARVEL vs DC) - It's a decent requested matchup, Marvel vs DC, "Taskmaster" showing up in Black Widow nets the matchup a few relevancy points, would work in 3D or as sprites. The only thing really going against it is the possibility of Captain America vs Deathstroke over this.
Please don't do Captain America vs Deathstroke over this.
Cervantes vs Spinal (Soul Calibur vs Killer Instinct) - Each others most requested opponent, Killer Instinct is still popular enough with the crew to get episodes as recent as season 7. Also, it could be a surprisingly underrated pick for a Hallowe'en episode. The relative obscurity of both franchises to casual audiences does hurt it slightly, but if Darkstalkers can get a Hallowe'en episode, I don't see why Soul Calibur can't. Two Hallowe'en episodes with a Killer Instinct character, imagine that.
Akame vs Killua (Akame ga Kill! vs Hunter X Hunter) - Decently requested for a long time, finally gets Hunter X Hunter on the show,
Steve vs Terrarian (Minecraft vs Terraria) - Both are each others most requested matchups, Minecraft would make absolute . However, it may prove a pain to animate, given how difficult it may be to translate one into the artstyle of the other.
Skeletor vs Mumm-ra (Masters of the Universe vs Thundercats) -
However, I could see them denoucing the matchup in a similar way to Reverse Flash vs Scourge in that "it's diet, villain-flavoured version of a matchup that we already did", so who knows? It also faces competition nowadays from Skeletor vs Lord Zedd,
and then they gave us Batgirl vs Spider-Gwen so who REALLY knows?
Kars vs Mureum (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure vs Hunter X Hunter) - Decently requested as a Jojo matchup, probably the most requested Hunter X Hunter matchup, both are each others most requested fight, DIOcard proved that Jojo is a popular untapped universe for Death Battle to use, Swan is a massive Jojo fan,
Raz vs Ness (Psychonauts vs MOTHER) - It was a Community Death Battle, Ben himself is a fan of the matchup, Psychonauts is probably the most relevant it'll be for a long time with the release of Psychonauts 2,
Ness vs Frisk (MOTHER vs Undertale) - Definitely has more of a legacy behind it, the two are more associated with each other than either are to Psychonauts, far more requested than Raz vs Ness. However, Raz vs Ness was a Community Death Battle and (to my knowledge) is generally more popular among the cast and crew.
Juggernaut vs Archie Knuckles (MARVEL vs Archie Comics) - Ben himself is a fan of the Archie Sonic comics, it's both Juggernauts most requested matchup and Knuckles most popular matchup for a second chance, Knuckles is more relevant by being a central character in the Sonic 2 movie, it was recently a Death Battle Cast
Jonathan Joestar vs Tanjiro Kamado (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure vs Demon Slayer) - Each others most requested matchup, the success of Dio vs Alucard likely signalled the team to use more Jojo characters, Demon Slayer is a popular anime which translates well to a show like Death Battle. However, it is competiting with other, more popular
Rouge vs Sly Cooper (Sonic the Hedgehog vs Sly Cooper) - It's decently requested as a Sonic matchup, decently thematic. However, the research team believe that it's a stomp for Rouge, so that may impact
Neo vs Kirito (The Matrix vs Sword Art Online) - Decently requested,
On a personal note, the matchup doesn't really do much for me. Kirito vs Kite (.hack) and Neo vs Major (Ghost in the Shell) just vibe more with me.
Piccolo vs Martian Manhunter (Dragon Ball vs DC) - Long requested, both are each others most requested matchup, but it's another one-sided stomp where Dragon Ball
Dormammu vs Trigon (MARVEL vs DC) - It's a decently popular Marvel vs DC request, but that
Samus Aran vs Master Chief (Metroid vs Halo) - Decently requested, both are more relevant in the last year with the release of Metroid Dread and Halo Infinite, it has unparalleled history with the show, it's been long enough since the DBX to not However, it does face competition with other popular matchups for both characters (Chief with a Doomguy remake, Samus with X/Aile/Zero/Cloud/whoever).
Escanor vs Whitebeard (Seven Deadly Sins vs One Piece) - The most requested Seven Deadly Sins matchup,
Samus Aran vs X (Metroid vs Mega Man) - It's been a long-requested legacy matchup, they've talked about bringing X back for a standalone episode, . However, both X and Samus have a large variety of possible opponents to compete with (Master Chief, Optimus Primal,
Shantae vs Shovel Knight (Shantae vs Shovel Knight) - Probably the most requested indie game fight
Medusa vs Orochimaru (Soul Eater vs Naruto) - Orochimaru is up there for recognisable Naruto villains, both are very popular, it's each others most requested matchups
I can also fully see them going with this if they want to do a Soul Eater matchup without pulling the trigger on Ruby vs Maka.
Sandman vs Clayface (Marvel vs DC) - It sure is a decently requested Marvel vs DC matchup.
Guilty Gear in general - Guilty Gear hit a new surge of relevancy last year with the release of Strive, and we know that the crew want to do a Guilty Gear matchup.
Hunter x Hunter in General - Hunter x Hunter is in an ... odd spot as far as Death Battle goes. While never a massive shonen series, it does have a respectable audience and has plenty of potential for appearing in the show (said potential would likely boil down to Gon and Mureum, but
Vilgax in general - Almost certainly the next Ben 10 rep we're getting, has a decent selection of opponents across Megatron, Ridley, Boros, etc. However, I feel like the extent of backlash they got over Ben vs Hal may make them hesitant to use Ben 10 characters, at least for a while. He feels more like a season 10 pick than season 9, y'know?
Asura in general - Asura has been requested for Death Battle forever, has a wide variety of requested opponents (Hulk, Broly, Atrocitus, Kratos, etc.) and the crew are well aware of the demand for him (the outcry for him to fight Broly or Hulk over ... Broly vs Hulk is proof enough of that). Couple that up with
Personally, I'd pit him against Atrocitus. The perfect balance of thematically relevant and cross-complementary to each other animation-wise without having to resort to a returning character. Plus, it saves us from the sleeping pill that is Atrocitus vs Red Hulk.
Magneto in general - Magneto, with the possible exception of Gambit, is the mostly likely X-Men character to appear next. Between Mewtwo, Tetsuo, Accelerator (my personal favourite) and more, the guy isn't left wanting for opponents, he's a very popular character, the crew have wanted to use him for a while
Ridley in general - Metroid is more relevant and popular than it's been in years with the release of Dread. And outside of bringing Samus back to fight X or Master Chief, Ridley is far and away our most likely candidate for a Metroid rep. It helps that the guy has a veritable buffet of opponents. Rayquaza, Vile, Vilgax, Boros, etc. (I'm personally partial to Ridley vs Vile, but that's a discussion for another day). That alone doesn't guarantee a matchup happening, of course, but a character being passed around a lot in the community helps out his chances.
Yusuke Urameshi in general - Between Yoh, Ichigo and Reimu, Yusuke has plenty of possible opponents, Yu Yu Hakusho is a popular anime ripe for further exploration, (personally, I'd go with Yoh),
Spiderman in general - If it happens, it WILL be a Movie Spider-Man Battle Royale, calling it now.
Spongebob Squarepants in general - Liam was after matchup ideas on Twitter, so the character at least has been on the radar.
Rayquaza in general - Among the candidates for new Pokemon reps, Rayquaza is up there as one of the more likely ones. Has a decent selection of opponents (albeit, all have their own unique issues. Ridley, Bahamut, Mothra, etc.).
Don't count on it:
X vs Optimus Primal (Mega Man vs Transformers) - A decently requested matchup by the core Death Battle community, but Optimus Primal may be
Pegasus Seiya vs Sailor Moon (Saint Seiya vs Sailor Moon) - Sailor Moons most requested opponent, and one of Seiya's two big requests alongside Shazam. However given the Beerus/Galaxia situation, I can full imagine Death Battle being more hesitant to use more Sailor Moon characters, especially if their opponent is also from a Toei property.
Dante vs Deadpool - (Devil May Cry vs MARVEL) - Not really super requested, Deadpool has already had 3 episodes to his name (not counting his cameo's in other episodes), Dante has the more requested legacy pick Kratos as an option,
Yu Narukami vs Josuke Higashikata (Persona vs Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) - If a Persona vs Jojo matchup happens, it'll be Giorno vs Joker. Far more requested, far more debatable,
Ego vs Mogo (MARVEL vs DC) - A crying shame, too, since this is an absolutely fantastic matchup.
Chie Satonaka vs Mako Mankanshoku (Persona vs Kill la Kill) - Decently requested by the community
King K. Rool vs Blackbeard (Donkey Kong vs One Piece) - Decent thematically, and the more whacky, out-of-the-box matchup Death Battle likes to pay lip service from time to time, but K. Rool's 15 mins of fame (getting in Smash) are long since over, and (to my knowledge, I've not read One Piece) Blackbeard hasn't done much post-timeskip, so Death Battle may want to wait on Blackbeard before using him. The fact the matchup has lost a lot of the initial steam it held doesn't really do it any favours, either.
Spawn vs Demi-Fiend (Image Comics vs Shin Megami Tensei) - While one of SMT's better shots at getting into Death Battle alongside John vs Raidou, this isn't happening before Spawn vs Ghost Rider, let's be real. As long as that matchup exists, this will always exist in its shadow (which is a shame, as I personally prefer this matchup for Spawn).
Street Sharks vs Extreme Dinosaurs (Street Sharks vs Extreme Dinosaurs) - The fact this is technically more likely to me than anything in bottom tier is absolutely hilarious to me. This matchup really only has popularity with some crew members going for it, and not a lot else. Both
Calling my shot, it'll make a cool DBX.
Hit vs Sakuya Izayoi (Dragon Ball vs Touhou) - I'll be honest, if it weren't for that one Discord post of a thumbnail from a Death Battle crew member (pretty sure it was Liam), this would comfortably be lounging in bottom tier. While Sakuya is one of, if not the most requested Touhou character, Hit is far from the most requested Dragon Ball character (consider that Death Battle still hasn't used the likes of Gohan, Krillin, Piccolo, Frieza, Cell,
X vs KOS-MOS (Mega Man vs Xenosaga) - A semi-frequent request I see for X from time to time. While , X's other requested opponents (Samus ) are both more popular matchups and
Omni-Man vs Homelander (Invincible vs The Boys) - Omni-Man isThe only thing keeping this out of bottom tier is if Amazon comes knocking with a wad of cash. Ben himself has said that he doesn't like the matchup, actively praising Omni-Man vs Bardock over it.
Darth Vader vs Saber (Star Wars vs Fate) - While certainly thematic (it's my personal preferred opponent for Vader's runback, in part because it gives Vader an opponent with a sword and in part because it isn't just Kakashi vs Obi-Wan again), there's little doubt in my mind that Obito will get the nod over Saber.
The Knight vs Ori (Hollow Knight vs Ori) - Indie games are heavily underutilised in Death Battle, and this would go some wayPlus, they probably want to hold out until Silksong comes out in the year 2546.
Erron Black vs Cole Cassidy (Mortal Kombat vs Overwatch) -
However, given the whole Activision/Blizzard situation, I can easily see them wanting to step away from using Overwatch characters (and Cassidy in particular) for the foreseeable future.
Bugs Bunny vs Mickey Mouse (Looney Tunes vs Disney) - The Additionally, if this matchup was to happen, it'd likely be a hand-drawn episode,
Duke Nukem vs Sam Stone (Duke Nukem vs Serious Sam) - The Duke Nukem/Gianni memes are decently popular, and Death Battle has had Gianni on to voice characters, so they'd unquestoinably go with Gianni if it ever happened.
Pikachu vs Jibanyan (Pokémon vs Yo-Kai Watch!) - Pikachu isn't a character really begging for a second chance (hell, he's not even the most requested returner from his own series), Yo-Kai Watch's popularity (at least in the west) is a shadow of what it used to be,
Ragyō Kiryūin vs Lusamine (Kill la Kill vs Pokémon) - While I'd love to see Kill la Kill get another crack at Death Battle, and Ragyō is one of the best chances at another shot alongside Satsuki and Mako, I can see the Death Battle crews being hesitant at pairing a Pokémon Trainer against a character who doesn't battle using similar summoning strategies.
Internet Stick Figure Battle Royale - A community fan favourite, Also, given the nature of the fight, this would unquestionably be a hand-drawn fight, and I can imagine the prospect of a hand-drawn battle royale scaring off Death Battle
Monkey D. Luffy in general -
Weather Report in general - There are far more requested and popular Jojo characters/matchups to go with
Gwen Tennyson in general -
Cuphead in general - Cuphead is certainly popular enough for Death Battle to use (the DBX already proved that),
Guts in general - While Guts is decently requested, they've talked about bringing him back, and has 2 decently requested opponents (Clare and Dmitri), I feel like the passing of Berserk's mangaka Kentaro Miura will have solidly squashed the possibility of any Berserk matchups happening, at least for this season.
Earthworm Jim in general - Jim would be a fun pleasant surprise pick, has a new show on the way, and the crew have talked about using him before, but Jim's facing a real uphill battle in terms of recognisability to a casual audience.
Sinestro in general - Sinestro isn't a character very well known to casuals, isn't exactly the most relevant of characters currently, and all his matchups are either just ... kinda there, or use characters with far more popular and likely requests (Megatron has Frieza/Vilgax, Vader has Obito/Saber,
Touhou in general - Relatively niche series, none of it's characters have a "set-in-stone" matchup, could potentially be a headache to research and present comprehensively given how Touhou's copyright is structured. That said, Touhou is decently requested for Death Battle, and Touhou does have a few characters that are decently recognisable outside of it's immediate fanbase (namely Reimu and Sakuya).
Team Fortress 2 in general - I will say, though, that if TF2 makes it back on the show, I personally think it'll either be Heavy or Spy.
Undertale/Deltarune in general - Undertale/Deltarune is FAR from a niche series (especially in the online space), and would certainly draw in views.
Scott Pilgrim in general -
.hack in general - An incredibly niche series nowadays, . The only way I could see them going with a .hack character is if they don't want Neo and Kirito to fight each other, for whatever reason. However, we've no reason to believe that's the case.
No More Heroes in general - No More Heroes is more relevant than it's been in years with the release of No More Heroes 3, Travis is a decently requested character and has a decent selection of opponents. However, it is a relative "who" in terms of large-scale, casual audience recognisability, one of his most popular suggestions is even more obscure than him (Jack Cayman) and the other, Scott Pilgrim, is starting to wane in popularity given Travis's buffs from NMH3.
Bill Cipher vs Discord (Gravity Falls vs My Little Pony) - The crew have made it very clear that they don't want to do another MLP matchup. The only thing keeping this out of bottom tier is simply how requested it is.
lol no lmao:
Obito vs Gravity Beetle (Naruto vs Mega Man) - Obito's best matchup don't debate me on this
Squidward Q. Tentacles vs Katsuki Bakugou (SpongeBob SquarePants vs My Hero Academia) - Bakugou has far more popular opponents in Yang and Shinra, it's a joke matchup whose punchline isn't immediately apparent in the same way even Macho Man vs Kool-Aid Man is, and in terms of "toon-force user fights anime protagonist" it's very much in the shadow of Saitama vs Popeye. I don't think SpongeBob getting on the show is impossible (in fact, I'll go ahead and say a SpongeBob character is likely for Season 9),
Goku vs Superman 3 (Dragon Ball vs DC) - Yes, I know that they've said that they want to revisit the matchup, and I'm sure they will in due time. This season, though? Not a chance. In my opinion, I think that they're holding off on using Goku until Super ends so that they can make sure they can cover everything in one go, so that they never need to go back to this ever again (hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the penultimate episode of the whole show).
Ruby Rose vs Maka Albarn (RWBY vs Soul Eater) - Even if we get a RWBY matchup next season, I highly doubt it'll be this one. Similar to characters like Goku and Deku, I think the crew at Death Battle want their stories to end before they use Ruby. Call it the "Ongoing Protag" rule.
and then Saitama got in and completely undid my argument but shh
James vs Jaiden (theodd1sout vs JaidenAnimations) - I've seen this requested semi-frequently, and the only way I could ever possibly see this happening is if they get the express permission of both James and Jaiden directly. Yes, they've used real life people before, but look closer and it's a very different story.
With Randy Savage, it was explicitly the wrestlers stage persona, NOT Randy Poffo himself.
With Chuck Norris, they used the memetic feats from his books, TV shows, etc. to represent the general idea of Chuck Norris, not Chuck Norris himself (the episode was also a joke episode with no outcome, further alleviating any backlash they might have gotten).
The only matchup left after that that uses real people is Bieber vs Black, closer to failure in video form than anything that could be branded "entertainment".
Given that their videos are clearly very personal to their lives (recounting their life stories, opinions, etc.), and given that these avatars aren't them putting on a character (i.e. meant to be representative of them), it's far easier to just not do the episode at all than to do it and take a tsunami of backlash for no reason.
Juggernaut vs Hermione Granger (MARVEL vs Harry Potter) - If they want to do a joke episode, there's countless candidates, and this matchup only makes any remote sense to a minor subset of Death Battles hardcore audience. It'll probably become a DBX one day, but a full-on Death Battle? Nah.
SSJ5 Goku vs Mewthree (Dragon Ball vs Pokémon) - Is only here out of personal love for the matchup, but even I have to realise Death Battle won't actually do it. Part of me wonders exactly how they would do it, though...
Junko Enoshima vs William Afton (Danganronpa vs Five Nights at Freddy's) - A popular meme on r/DeathBattleMatchups, a decently thematic one at that (and FNaF legit winning a Death Battle is blursed as all hell), but it's really only got a foothold there. Danganronpa and FnaF are generally more niche requests for Death Battle, so the fight has to contend with that as well, which in term might brand it by the masses as a gimmick fight (e.g. "that time Death Battle used FNaF").
Any MLP matchup outside of Bill vs Discord - The crew (especially the research team) have made it very clear that they don't want to do any more MLP matchups.
Dr. Doom vs Gilgamesh (MARVEL vs Fate) - Doom just got used, wait until season 10 or 11 and then we'll talk.
Akuma vs Roah (Street Fighter vs Fist of the North Star) - See above, replace Doom with Akuma.
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