Every Shadow the Hedgehog DEATH BATTLE! Episode Reviewed (VS Vegeta/Mewtwo/Ryuko)

Today I talk about every single episode of Death Battle to feature Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow VS Vegeta from Season 1, Shadow VS Mewtwo from Season 3, and Shadow VS Ryuko Matoi from Season 8.
Check out Biff Weed's video too: • DEATH BATTLE Review- T...

[@switchstar190]

"I'm the coolest" is literally a quote from his introduction game.

[@ivrydice0954]

Why? :/

[@Mr.06_]

@@ivrydice0954 why not

[@ivrydice0954]

@@Mr.06_ Who likes that line unironically?

[@geraldgreg5370]

That doesn't change the fact that it's cringy, and even though the line was in his introduction game (Sonic Adventure 2) it still didn't connect with his character. If you actually played through Sonic Adventure 2 you would know what I mean, like could you actually see him saying that line in a cut scene?

[@ivrydice0954]

@Groisu Not with those lines he's not.

[@xKOSATx]

The "I'm the Coolest" line at the end is actually something Shadow has said. It's actually a heavily memed line from his first fight in Sonic Adventure 2

[@xKOSATx]

@Anish Sharma hey, it was a really good game, my personal favorite Sonic game

[@jansowinski6314]

@@xKOSATx sad adventure 1 noises

[@crisisboy5822]

@Anish Sharma well shadow originated from sa2 so I'm not surprised they referenced it there

[@adia7856]

It was a good line

[@LaymoSupraymo]

What makes it even funnier is it happens after you hit Shadow for the first time in the fight.

[@esteban8471]

"His 'I'm the coolest' line at the end was super cringe worthy. It doesn't sound like something Shadow would say." He literally says it in Sonic Adventure 2.

[@7-BIT]

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a reference. It’s lame in Adventure 2 and it’s lame here.

[@pesciisthebestcharacter5100]

I think it's the dumbest shit I've ever heard, and I love it.

[@SulfuricDoor]

@@7-BIT I personally found that line funny. I can see why you'd think it's lame but hey it's technically in character.

[@alexbaribeault]

It's hilariously cheesy and it's delivered pitch-perfectly. It's also a nice callback to SA2. I loved it

[@shzam9366]

@@7-BIT It doesn't matter if it's lame, his point was that the line was actually in character.

[@Superluigi881]

Vegeta's delivery of "Wow... What a ripoff." is still one of the funniest moments in DB for me. Also when they both mock each other's height. That was funny too.

[@cooler1679]

It's not a ripoff if it's a coincidence.

[@Superluigi881]

@@cooler1679 That line is meant as a joke. Don't take it seriously.

[@21Handguns]

@@cooler1679 it is only a coincidence that the transformation involves 7 mystical items that grants powers,has them turn gold with a yellow aura,does a shit ton of rip-offed dbz stuff,etc. Riiiiiight...

[@Tylan_the_gamer]

the line was so good that even his son quoted it against another hedgehog

[@Hyperneosonic97]

The reason Shadow threw away the gun is because it was empty. You can hear a clicking sound just before he throws it away.

[@Sungura_Kaiser]

[Throw It All Away intensifies]

[@madhattermaker622]

To be fair, if you have the power to shoot energy projectiles that are way better then bullets from your hands then I imagine that makes guns pretty obsolete.

[@RSeph]

13:56 Just wanna note that Shadow actually does say "I'm the coolest" in the series. In the first boss fight against Sonic in SA2, after hitting Shadow once Shadow then says "I'm the coolest". It was kind of weird in the game though (hence why it became a meme) and out of context in this episode it feels even weirder

[@MatthewDiLeva]

Instead of saying a simple, “ow”, he says he’s a badass. Yeah, I’ll say that I’m the coolest when I’m beaten to near death.

[@Rippen_Crippen]

@@MatthewDiLeva it doesn’t matter if you would, Shadow obviously would due to his fights in SA2

[@MatthewDiLeva]

@@Rippen_Crippen I never said that I would say that. If I did say that, I would make an ass out of myself. Shadow is edgy as he should be, and he has every right to say things that fit his canon character.

[@SkyeTehGM]

My god, I thought I was the only one who thought Ryuko was extremely OOC for when she's supposed to be in her story in the battle. That's honestly the biggest reason I can't enjoy the episode (as if I couldn't get more petty, lol). And THANK YOU for saying she isn't an edgy angry anime girl. That's such a surface level thing that people who saw a picture of Ryuko on google images would say.

[@user-dg9mp9pq1v]

The edgiest thing she did that I can remember is eating a lemon.

[@sannicfann3338]

I agree while I still like the episode I think it also potrayed Shadow poorly as he isn't an edgelord really just takes things more seriously not an A hole who after cutting someone off just goes who cares, in the archie comics he would actually smile sometimes

[@SkyeTehGM]

@@user-dg9mp9pq1v with the rind what a madlad

[@user-dg9mp9pq1v]

@@SkyeTehGM And I thought I was a badass for drinking lemon juice. But eating a lemon with the rind is hardcore.

[@stupido-um4xo]

I mostly couldn't watch the episode because the top comment on my end spoiled the ending with shadow winning.

[@7-BIT]

Anyone else notice that Shadow was brought back every Sonic/Shadow anniversary (2011, 2016, 2021)?

[@a.kplayz7107]

Omg 😮😮

[@luisumana1238]

Should we expect Ryuko to make a comeback on the anniversary of Kill la Kill?

[@JLFans2019Singapore]

Shadow will return in 2026, 2031, 2036, 2041, 2046, 2051, 2056, 2061, 2066, 2071, 2076, 2081, 2086, 2091, 2096, 2101, 2106, 2111, 2116 and 2121

[@JLFans2019Singapore]

@7trmx are you sure

[@theunknownpunch3444]

@Microscopik Death Battle said they aren't doing it so STOP.

[@diamondsanchez224]

The "I'm the coolest" line came from Sonic Adventure 2 when you fight Shadow for the first time. I'm pretty sure it was a reference to that.

[@Universal_Fro]

You share a lot of the problems I had with this fight as well. Yes even my own animation segment (I got a little over ambitious trying to replicate the transformation but due to lack of time and them literally messaging me like "Hey, animate this" and I was like WHAT?) Just to add my own self insult to injury, I was supposed to animate the Kisaragi transformation too, but again no time, so they did it with sprites and which added to the problems but I think Zack did his best with what he could do.) Also everything you've said about how they basically made Ryuko episode 1 and not end of series when it comes to her personality really bothered me too when working on the boards. (ALSO fun fact, there was another take on the "Chaos Blast" that actually sounds like he's TRYING to kill her with it. That, mixed with me making him look like he's yelling it in the boards, I have NO CLUE why they went with such a soft take. Anyway, love your reviews, one was the reason I'm trying to improve on my animations in fights because I know they can look off. And what sucks is I know I did a better job in Lex v Doom but you've made it pretty clear it's not your cup of tea lol. Keep up the great work.

[@alexbaribeault]

I love how you watch reviews of your own work. I hope you're not the only one on the team who does it, because not everything is under your control. I think you did a fantastic job, and I have a few theories as to why they went with the soft take. I hated it at first, but within the context of Shadow's previous episodes, I get the intent

[@nemesisbloodryche22]

I'm glad you love my reviews! Also even if Lex vs Doom isn't a match I like I still have faith the animation will be awesome :)

[@TheExiled112]

i think that he is a bit harsh with episode and this episode is really good and is been the few better episodes that are really good compared to most and is definitely a 8.5/10 the animation is really good a couple parts bothered me like when she swings her scissor blades in her kisaragi form which he showed but i think that her transformation was just ok not bothersome but not great just ok. plus he is kinda salty about how ryuko was written anyways so thats why he is criticizing it the way he is which puts him in a bad mood so don't get too bummed he is the harshest critic in the DB community and some regular critics have the same opinions as me and they say its a 8.5/10. when nemesis doesn't like a match up he likes to criticize it to oblivion like broly vs hulk which i do agree with some things but some are just petty. most critics didn't care for the match up but wasn't as butthurt about the matchup and the she was written. you did good and i recommend not watch his prediction on the next episode cause at the end of the video when he talks about lex vs doctor doom he will criticize every small thing that most critic's don't care about because he is very salty and yes i hate this match up too but i won't entirely hate it but i don't expect anything good. he like cinemasins is to movies.

[@alexbaribeault]

@@TheExiled112 I agree with you, but Nemesis' reviews are still valid opinions. Don't try to invalidate them just because you consider them nitpicky

[@TheExiled112]

​@@alexbaribeault im not trying to invalidate them im just saying just cause the character you like doesn't win doesn't mean the episode is trash cause they didn't get the characters personality right. DB get some of the characters personality wrong so they can have the characters to have a reason to fight. 70% of his criticisms were on ryuko's personality which this is the only death battle where he criticizes a characters personality so i find him just salty cause ryuko had to go up against a character who stomped her. the rest are valid but a few were nick picky. the only criticism i find invalid is saying that shadow saying im the coolest is cringey which its not since it fits the character. shadow says that in sa2 which is a bit cheesy but was used in the episode to reference sa2. a criticism i do 100% agree with is that ryuko's kisraragi transformation should have been hand drawn. the only problem i had was his 5 minute rant about ryuko's character cause it makes him look like cinemasins which they are salty all the time and criticize everything which i hope doesn't turn into. he is a good critic but a bit nick picky with most things.

[@suarez9108]

1. Same idea as Biff Weed 2. Same segment breaks as Biff Weed 3. Both call Vegeta's moon punch "Raw" These are some nutty coincidences

[@typervader]

I bet they are the same person

[@7-BIT]

Both give the 1st and 3rd episodes 7/10s

[@richiejobro5639]

They even uploaded around the same time.

[@BiffWeed]

We agreed to post the videos at the same time but Nem never read my script and I never saw his video until it went live, all of this is purely coincidental, we just share the same braincell I’m pretty sure.

[@typervader]

@@BiffWeed I'm pretty sure your the same person but 2 persontlites that share the body

[@fend-dres101afs8]

I feel that the issue with Death Battle is choosing their writers. They need to try and pick people that are actually know and love these characters. I still love this episode and think it is one of the best of the show despite the issues I have with Ryuko. Mostly because this episode did Shadow right, after what they did in the worst episode of Death Battle ever. It is very special for me despite of its... flaws.

[@JordanWheeler1999]

To me the mewtwo fight was such a bummer shadow is much more powerful than metwo

[@fend-dres101afs8]

@@JordanWheeler1999 Oh definitely, the results are BS. This episode also disproves it.

[@TheExiled112]

@@JordanWheeler1999 man i can't even remember shadow vs mewtwo and yes the outcome was dead wrong. i remember shadow vs vegeta because it had something worth remembering even though the animation ain't good it still had some good value to it.

[@TheExiled112]

yeah i agree with that because if someone doesn't know the characters like whoever wrote gray vs esdeath aren't good writers and probably only watched 30% of the show and then start writing while someone who does know the characters would actually make them good. yes this is one of the better episodes in long while. The information was right the animation was good and some of the jokes like shadow saying damn and im the coolest and him pulling out a gun was pretty funny. the small stuff wasn't good but the big stuff was pretty good and i'd rather be grateful because i have a feeling that we are getting another 10-15 more marvel vs dc episodes that are half assed. i think the non marvel vs dc episodes should be treated better than the ones that are marvel vs dc although have no issue with marvel and dc but i don't want just them 2 fighting since dc wins 60% of the time anyways because of everyone scales to super man or some god or something that some meth head came up with in the comics.

[@alexbaribeault]

@@fend-dres101afs8 Shadow vs Ryuko in itself doesn't debunk Mewtwo vs Shadow, but the Q&A blog sure as hell does.

[@joeschmoe870]

I’ve never seen any Kill la Kill, so it’s interesting to see the perspective of a dedicated fan and why he’s not happy with the depiction of Ryuko. Good to know, she’s not an arrogant a-hole

[@thetruestar6348]

Ryuko is smart and a lot softer when it comes to people she is close to. She has a best friend and family she cares about she WILL defend them if needed and is more of the delinquent type with a tough front when she has to get serious. Think Bakugo less bully and softer maybe a bit cocky or hotheaded at times

[@hiage66666]

Also uh... thinking the show is about menstruation... god dammit >_

[@niclaswa5408]

This episode make me think “why would anyone like her. She acts like an a$$”

[@7-BIT]

The funny part is, one of the connections between Shadow and Ryuko are that they’re both super edgy. Even though that’s completely untrue and only applies to how they’re perceived as irl.

[@pesciisthebestcharacter5100]

Watch their commentary video, they said that they don't believe Ryuko fits the description.

[@Superluigi881]

The edgy Shadow jokes mostly come from his own game (and maybe Sonic heroes to a lesser extent given it set up that storyline) that tries too hard to be dark, adds excessive swearing just because and due to his amnesia and the route split gave them an excuse to make him act however they wanted. Also making his backstory confusing for no good reason when it was fine before. Sonic 06 of all games had a better portrayal of Shadow.

[@castform7618]

@@Superluigi881 Definitely. To this day 06 Shadow is the best the character has ever been. It's sad that people don't see it that way. Not even SEGA remembers what made Shadow Shadow. He kinda just feels like a shadow of his former self. Pun entirely intended.

[@esteban8471]

@@castform7618 This statement really shows in the IDW comics. While I personally love the comics to the point where they got me back in the franchise, the way SEGA makes the writers portray Shadow is one of my few gripes with them as a whole. It feels like I'm watching SMBZ Shadow and not his real canon counterpart.

[@alexbaribeault]

@@esteban8471 Except SMBZ Shadow actually has a really good reason to be pissed off all the time. Sonic even calls him out on it.

[@esteban8471]

There are Death Battles that suffer from being 3 minutes long, whether in fight choreography, fight progression, etc. As a fight, Shadow vs Ryuko doesn't suffer from these problems. Instead, it suffers from how they have to portrait the characters. Even as someone who hasn't watched Kill la Kill yet, I agree that Senketsu should have had more of a presence in the fight. And Ryuko's aggression, while funny at first, did get somewhat irritating as the fight progressed. Regarding the Ryuko/Senketsu banter, I get what they were going for. I feel like they were going for that modern best friend vibe with sarcasm and snide remarks, but there aren't any genuine moments in between to show how much they actually care for each other. I feel like that could have helped, or at the very least have Senketsu snide back. But that's just me. Overall, I'd say it was a good episode. The analysis was pretty well done, the fight choreography was good, the soundtrack was fire (and I don't even like death metal), the voice acting was pretty good and the death was nice. I wish they went the extra mile with things like Senketsu, the Kisaragi form, Shadow's Dark and Hero forms, and Ryuko being portrayed better, but I'd say what they did right mostly makes up for it. Personally, I'd give it a 7/10. Fun and enjoyable but not without its flaws. Certainly my favorite Shadow episode of the three, but that's not saying much given how mediocre the other two were. Still, good review and I most definitely understand where you're coming from with your criticism.

[@Skillfulstone]

My theory about why Shadow said "Chaos Blast" so calmly is to represent how, in his Super Form WHILE having his inhibitors off, he doesn't even have to make an effort to use Chaos Blast. Usually when he shouts it (and there's a brief pause between the two words) it also communicates that it takes focus and energy to do that. In his most powerful state he didn't even need to think about it.

[@standardvlogger8856]

The chaos blast at the end is my favorite line in the fight. I think he was meant to sound like he knew that he won.

[@TheExiled112]

doesn't make sense because he had his inhibitors removed which make him go all out and lose control. makes sense when is in control but not like that no.

[@TheExiled112]

Fun Fact: they had the dude who voiced shadow to shout it and it sounded like it should but they used the wrong take and used the soft take instead. they did it but they used the wrong take in the episode. it didn't bother me too much but felt a bit off. they should have used the good take instead.

[@TheExiled112]

@Hayabusa the spartan never understood why. i got this from the dude who does the hand drawn animation and he commented that on nemesis's video. even he was confused.

[@thecommonwealthsmistake-tc7475]

I never actually noticed how OOC ryuko is in this fight, it really is kinda annoying how badly she treats senketsu when she cried over his death in the series. I enjoyed the episode still, mainly thanks to shadow actually being given a win which as a die-hard sonic fan feels fantastic but I can see now how people more on the kill la kill side of things could feel pretty upset about the fight, not just from an outcome perspective. Good vid nemesis!

[@davidegaruti2582]

Yeah this fight was a huge mismatch ( easily a planet buster vs continet level ) And it really felt like an excuse to give shadow a win ...

[@DoctorFalchion]

Hard agree on Ryuko's characterization, to put it in my own words (spoilers obviously): The behavior of Ryuko, particularly towards Senketsu, in the episode is only seen very early on in Kill la Kill, and then again during her lowest point in Episode 12, before the monstrous transformation during the fight with Nui. This Death Battle imply that this takes place not only after the 'redemption' of episodes 13-15 but also after coming to grips with her own nature as a life fiber hybrid following her rejecting the Junketsu memory rewrite. This alone breaks the accuracy for a Kill la Kill fan, but even as a representation of the series as a whole, there is *no reason that early-mid series Ryuko would act this way either*. Without the presence of Nui (whose killing of her father literally gives Ryuko her entire motivation), or even a solid reason to fight Shadow, we have never seen Ryuko act this way towards her friends - or hell, even her enemies, with her facing basically every antagonist in the series except Nui/Ragyo with snark, not indignation or rage.

[@nnbandicoot1135]

13:56 That line is from Sonic Adventure 2 during the first Shadow boss fight

[@7-BIT]

It doesn’t matter that it’s a reference. It was lame in that game, and it’s lame here.

[@VermillionHeart]

Doesn’t help that in the original context Shadow says it after getting hit during the boss fight

[@nnbandicoot1135]

@@7-BIT Chill dude i'm just stating a fact

[@nnbandicoot1135]

@@VermillionHeart True.... but it was kind of funny

[@7-BIT]

@@MIrfanPerdana even though he has said it, it still felt out of place in that game.

[@danielpaterson2694]

So, when I watched Shadow vs Ryuko, I wasn't expecting Shadow to win. When the scissors closed down on Super Shadow, I was content. It was a sorta fun battle. Then I saw the rings come off and mentally went "oh fuck". Then I saw the blades EXPLODE and my jaw dropped. After that, it was just a shocker to the end. This is at least my second favourite finale, the first one being Captain Falcon vs Johnny Cage.

[@MasuxAnderson]

Wow...your analysis is so good. I feel really bad about my bare-bones analyses now. I get where you're coming from with the weird animation quirks but I was too distracted by the choreography, colors, effects, and otherwise great pacing to have such a thing distract me. The ending Chaos Blast did bother me though because of how it felt pretty pathetic for what's supposed to be one of Shadow's strongest moves. I guess voice acting really does make a difference. But big confession time, I am ashamed that as a fan of Ryuko's character I didn't even give much thought to how she was portrayed. You're absolutely right, she is completely off. I suppose the reason why I didn't notice or care about it on my first viewing was, honestly, I wanted a Shadow win really badly after how bad Mewtwo VS Shadow was. I was much more focused on how he was portrayed and voiced than Ryuko. It might also be because I have had way more conversations about how I think everyone these days, including SEGA, misunderstand Shadow and what made him cool. So Shadow being portrayed as an edgelord has been a much bigger problem than Ryuko being portrayed as one based on my own personal experiences. It hurts even more when you take into account that in the commentary Ben straight up said he doesn't think Ryuko is an edgelord like Shadow. I still hate that he labeled Shadow as one, but it at least shows that someone on the team knew that Ryuko is a lot smarter and kinder than her design may lead you to think.

[@anightshadeguyman5089]

I love how many comments are saying Shadow’s “I’m the coolest” line is something he actually said

[@antoinemayrand7348]

Yeah, me too. But I bet it's just so ironic because he said that line is out of character, when Shadow already said that. Pretty funny overall.

[@hype5456]

​@@antoinemayrand7348he does say that because he's arrogant

[@hype5456]

He did

[@koolguy5483]

This came out about 20 seconds after I clicked on the biff weed video lmao

[@fork3810]

Personally, Shadow vs Ryuko was one of my favorite Death Battles in a long time I’m a big fan of Kill la Kill and I have no problem with the way Ryuko was written at all, but I understand why you would be absolutely I thought the Sayonara bit was one of the best moments in the series and it was some of the hypest I’ve been at a Death Battle Not saying you’re wrong, simply putting in my opinion

[@alexbaribeault]

I definitely get where you're coming from, and while your opinion is valid, I think you might have missed the intent of the episode and the choices made in it. It really felt like it was made as a genuine apology to Shadow and his fans for treating him so poorly on the show. After all, Shadow vs Ryuko *completely* flips the scripts of Shadow's previous two episodes on their heads. -Against Vegeta, Shadow was called out for being a rip-off of him, while against Ryuko, it's the other way around. -Against Mewtwo, Shadow is misportrayed horribly and stomped by his oppoenent in the animation, while against Ryuko, it's once again the other way around (to a much smaller extent since they at least had the decency to voice Ryuko properly). This explains why Shadow sounded so bored when he used chaos blast. After his previous 2 episodes and hearing "sayonara" a third time, he was just done with this shit. This is supported by the lyrics of Chaos Unraveled saying "I've paid my weigh in blood" right after Shadow says "Shut up!". His casual chaos blast also goes to show how overkill it was for Shadow to go Super AND take off his inhibitors to begin with. Overall, it's cathardic in a way. Even though I also hated it at first, it's fitting within the context of the show. I get that it sucks for Ryuko to be brought down just to lift Shadow back up, but I'm 99% sure she's also gonna get a redemption episode in the future. She has so many potential oppoenents after all.

[@LuigiLonLon]

Yeah, this was definitely an "apology" fight, same like what happened with Batman after losing twice in a row. Honestly their power creep and feats are really too far apart to compare them and it was obvious this was going to be a stomping on Shadow's favor. While I get this was a very popular scenario for the fans (the ow the edge, color schemes and "antihero persona" that honestly Ryuuko never had), again, these two doesn't match up specially in terms of power and feats which is honestly very unfair and everyone saw the outcome coming. Adding what it's been noted here, the lack of Senketsu synergy and the portrayal of how Ryuuko acts feeling really ooc, this was definitely a more Shadow focused video. Also considering how a friend of mine wasn't shutting about how his hedged pounded my Waifu but getting really defensive when I brought up Vegeta or worse, Mewtwo (which was indeed a very bad match on itself) was getting really annoying, yeah. Again, this feels more like an apology video

[@porobotboyxxx]

1. *Vegeta vs Shadow:* Before Powerscaling. 2 *Mewtwo vs. Shadow:* What the Spoon? 3. *Shadow vs. Ryuko:* *Shadow:* MY WAIFU!!!

[@TheExiled112]

you don't even need powerscaling for vegeta vs shadow even at he saiyan saga he would destroy shadow. mewtwo vs shadow had a terrible fight that is forgettable and a wrong outcome because shadow is multi planet level and would destroy mewtwo and they were biased as all hell and nemesis even shows that in the video that they did that to shit on shadow at least he got his first and only win because he won't show up anymore most likely.

[@Fluffy_W]

@@TheExiled112 the thing with Mewtwo Vs Shadow is that Shadow doesn't really have anything to protect himself from memory erasing, so the outcome makes sense, unless they both started at their best forms Mewtwo has enough time to erase Shadow's mind, if they start with full power Shadow definitely wins tho.

[@anythinginazuma7641]

@@Fluffy_W but shadow wouldn't stand around confused. In sonic heroes, when shadow lost his memory, he could still use moves like homing attack and chaos control. Not to mention he immediately confronted omega when he was firing at him.

[@Fluffy_W]

@@anythinginazuma7641 maybe there a different degrees of memory erasing but idk, the outcome is just dependent on if Mewtwo can erase Shadows mind fast enough anyways so I would still consider Shadow to be stronger overall.

[@seldomstudios6351]

Wait a minute isn’t shadow technically a dark type??

[@vaquishers]

Shadow shouldnt have lost to mewtwo tbh. Shadow has resisted mind control before and even if it was possible to make him forget sht completely, shadow is literally a fighting machine. In sonic adventure 2, shadow is experienced in fighting despite never having fought and in sonic heroes despite losing his memory, shadow woke up instantly fighting

[@TheExiled112]

yeah memory doesn't matter if you still know how to fight. maria doesn't affect how shadow fights he even puts past behind him so it won't matter. he might forget mewtwo's move set but after that he would go all out and use chaos blast and kill him.

[@pokemonchampfloyd1926]

In the team Dark intro in Sonic Heroes, the first thing Shadow did was look around, protect Rouge and was about to fight Omega. You're telling me Shadow wouldn't stop fighting even with his memories were wiped.

[@TheExiled112]

@@pokemonchampfloyd1926 also to add no one else knows how to use chaos control but himself and sonic and he knew how to do by instinct cause i know for sure that no one told him how to use it and sonic only used chaos control out of desperation in sa2 otherwise he usually never uses it. plus you also have him use his instincts to learn abilities like chaos blast. shadow was made to know how to fight and how to use chaos control. his instincts tell him who is dangerous like him fighting omega in sonic heroes. plus mewtwos memory wipe takes around 20 -30 seconds and isn't instant so shadow can use chaos control and chaos blast to prevent any mental attack from mewtwo. they did what they did to piss off sonic fans but at least now they showed shadow a little bit of respect and did his character alright at the expense to make ryuko's character wrong but the fight was really meant for a final send off for shadow thats why they didn't disrespect him in this fight.

[@SuperAllelujah]

Ryuko was put in this death battle just to end Shadows losing streak basically a pity win in my opinion and it sucks. But thats the nature of some death battles sadly.

[@jjohnson6382]

Poor Shadow who you think would be a good match for you.

[@patrickadetola4153]

@@jjohnson6382 No one his time on death battle is over since he's been used three times in a row so he's retiring

[@jjohnson6382]

@@patrickadetola4153 Well how you know 3 is the max?

[@LuigiLonLon]

Same happened with Batman He was poorly matches against Spiderman and Black Panther so they had to match him against Captain America

[@aaronjones6299]

@@LuigiLonLon no batman vs captain America came out 3 years before batman vs black Panther.

[@ninjakidkat12]

I'm glad you brought up Ryuko's character in this episode. When I watched it myself, it sounded really off from what I've experienced while watching the entire show. Although I think the swearing is fine, she had no deal being that hotheaded; I believe she's similar to Bakugo in that they are both hot-heads with actual good wits, with Ryuko being noticeably softer as a character, especially with Mako around. I think this episode did basically the same thing that OMM Yang VS Bakugo did, pprtraying Ryuko as someone who's angry CONSTANTLY and who likes to rush in head-first even when she knows there's a better option. They dumbed down Ryuko's character while also making Senketsu, who is Ryuko's friend in the show, not someone she yells at if he suggests something, just some piece of clothing who also happens to talk. As it is I thought the matchup was bad due to the only thing they have in common is a red-black color palette and Shadow being way out of Ryuko's league, but Ryuko's mischaracterisation and the misrepresentation of Senketsu and the relationship between him and Ryuko was just rubbing salt in the wound. I unironically like this episode less than Shadow VS Vegeta. At least that fight was obviously meant to be seen as a comedy. This episode just rubbed me the wrong way in a lot of ways, Ryuko... Not being Ryuko being at the tip of it.

[@tinywomanhours]

On the point about Shadow and Ryuko not being similar- that's actually really untrue. There is a video properly explaining a lot of things the two have in common, 24 reasons why Kill La Kill=Shadow the Hedgehog I think it was called- I don't remember exactly but look it up and you'll see.

[@TheExiled112]

the difference between ryuko and bakugo is that ryuko is a good character from a good anime and knows when to not be edgy and hot headed and bakugo is not a good character from a mediocre anime and has the personality as edgy the hedgy which is shadow from shadow the hedgehog the game and is always hotheaded. shadow vs vegeta isn't better than shadow vs ryuko. the animation is way worse in shadow vs vegeta, the effects are god awful and the matchup is also stupid because vegeta in the saiyan saga could kill shadow easily. both episodes have good humor though. shadow saying damn is funny and so is im the coolest unless you haven't played sa2 then you won't get it. also him pulling a gun out is funny. the have to understand that characterization is a secondary in DB and isn't like criticizing a video game for the way its written. DB is about cool fights with good animation. every character i liked in DB weren't written well and i liked it them anyways. i think it isn't that bad and isn't nearly as bad as shadow's character in the newer sonic games.

[@tinywomanhours]

@@TheExiled112 Okay nerd Bakugou is a great character from a pretty good anime/manga but go off chief.

[@alexbaribeault]

@@TheExiled112 Shadow would've actually beat Vegeta back in 2011, especially with the sources they pulled from (including the Archie comics and Dragon Ball GT).

[@TheExiled112]

@@alexbaribeault archie shadow yes not game shadow which they didn't know about the feats of archie sonic.

[@thecrusader2784]

Its weird how Nemisis can make some of my favorite episodes seem like the worst thing since moist bread.

[@spawnthedemon1739]

He tells his opinion, if you like it then that's normal, everyone has their own opinion

[@TheExiled112]

ikr its like cinemasins is to every movie in existence.

[@luckycyber2456]

You and Biff Weed are just two sides of the same coin at this point

[@jayhyperstarx6113]

I feel you dude death battle always mess up sometimes but we gotta move on to the future I feel sorry for you as a Ryuko fan

[@rodrigomorales563]

They don't ALWAYS mess up.

[@jayhyperstarx6113]

@@rodrigomorales563 sometimes they do

[@eslamvszombies1713]

Shadow vs Ryuko is the best down by a country mile. The only problem is the weird voice acting but other than that, the fight is awesome and the song is more awesome.

[@davidegaruti2582]

I didn't like it : It was an absurd mismatch ( continent level tops vs easily planet buster ) And ryuko was absurdly ooc Wich for the first kill la kill db is an absolute shame

[@Rippen_Crippen]

As someone who absolutely loves this episode and even has it in his top 5 death battles of all time I guess I understand your reasoning but at the same time I really just don’t really share your feelings. I absolutely loved his hype comeback scene where he takes off his inhibitor rings! But you just saying it’s “fine” didn’t make sense to me, and you didn’t really elaborate on that either. However, as a fan of Kill la Kill I never really saw Ryuko’s characterization “flanderized”. Her characterization direction seemed to wanna encompass aspects of her most enjoyable and recognizable traits, such as her spunk and vulgar attitude (which she doesn’t just get rid of by the end). She only really got mad at Senketsue during one scene in the animation. And the scene was mainly used to showcase Ryuko’s usual snarky remarks . I don’t feel like the intent was to slander her character. However I do understand how it could greatly bother you, I just don’t personally feel the same distaste as you. However, I feel the overall best parts of the episode had been skimmed over in your review, that being the choreography and clash of abilities. The numerous interactions between Shadow’s countless abilities and Ryuko’s Senkestue forms gave an absolutely awesome battle scene! The Black Tornado, the Sword combat, the fast paced air combat, the Shadow’s numerous moments of teleportation and time control, and his Choas Spear rain against Kisaragi was visually really blood pumping! All these moments were really well choreographed and is easily some of the greatest moments! Made phenomenal use of these combatants abilities! Not to mention Shadow’s voice acting was definitely meant to catch his modern voice during the 2010’s. But his many lines that you claimed were “cringe” I personally really enjoyed due to the numerous amounts of references they made towards the Adventure and Shadow games. Sure while his character isn’t quite what I’d consider ideal (like Sonic 06) but Shadow still does encompass the badass nature of his character that all versions embody. And his “SHUT UP” line never fails to make me so hyped!! The Chaos Blast line albeit a little disappointing at first, I quickly grew to really like due to it’s clear goal of making it clear that Shadow knows he clenched victory. He unleashed his epic shut up and now he lets out a Choas Blast that makes it seem like he knows his place above Ryuko. It’s a minor thing that I actually really found enjoyable. All in all, this episode is one that I can’t help but absolutely love! Th overall quality of the episode’s animation is evidently engaging and stellar, as is the great voice acting, beautifully hand drawn and sprite visuals, banger track, and in general moments that as a fan of both characters, I can’t help but love the effort and love the animators clearly had with the episode. And in general no amount of minor nitpicks will ever really make me like this episode any less. Analyzing every frame is just not something I look for in an episode, I get your trying to be critical, but i personally just love to experience an episode for it’s clear purpose in quality more than trying to pick apart minor animation goofs. I’m not trying to slander you though, I think your opinions are valid, but I wanted to give a prospective of my enjoyment of the episode! As a fan of Death Battle, I very much think this episode in terms of love and quality, is easily up there with some of the best sprite fights! That’s not me being dramatic, that’s me being honest about my feelings!

[@alexbaribeault]

Yes, this right here. Completely agreed

[@roboticminer8843]

Although I agree with your complaints, I still can’t help but love this episode.

[@tristanthewalrus7496]

Vegeta's fight: with some nostalgia glasses on, I'd say this is probably my favorite Shadow fight because it feels like both are in character for the whole battle. Without the glasses though? Pretty much your thoughts on that front, 7/10 Mewtwo's fight: definitely one my most disliked Death Battles and probably, it's not my most hated (looking at you Bowser vs. Ganon) but this is definitely number 2 or 3. When you tell your voice actor to *purposely act bad* on a performance that's meant to represent a character, maybe you shouldn't touch that character and/or series anymore. 1/10 Ryuko's fight: Objectively the best Shadow fight (which isn't saying a whole lot), but my main issue with this one is pretty much matches yours, their characterization. They're both treated and acted like edgelords when in reality, they're not. Shadow's edgelord-ness has been memed so hard that even Sega think he's an edgelord, while Ryuko is often compared to Shadow so people who don't know her thinks she's just human Shadow with tits. And if Ben knew she wasn't an edgelord, why did they made her the way she acted in the fight? 7/10 As a Sonic fan after this episode, I'm 100% okay of them never doing anything Sonic related ever again... Which is why I'm not looking forward to the inevitable Silver being clowned by Death Battle and Killed by Trunks whenever that happens someday, because that's what that episode is gonna be, you know it, don't lie.

[@brandonholder2483]

-Trunks vs Silver Ew

[@midekubrandio8592]

I loved this fight, I watched Kill La kill in preparation for this battle because it was on my watchlist and I loved Kill La Kill. It’s tied with My Hero Academia for my favorite anime and favorite TV show. I loved this fight, I know you look into the nitty gritty of the animations and voice lines and characters. While yeah I do agree with most of your points, I can give it a pass because I’m perfectly content with the fight. I was hype the whole time watching it. The only death battles I straight up dislike are ones that misrepresented the characters. Other than that single factor, I usually love every death battle that comes out

[@TheExiled112]

don't ever put kill la kill on par with MHA. MHA is very mediocre and is no where on level close to kill la kill. they both have good animation but kill la kill has a better story and better fights and is actually interesting. i do agree with your opinion on the episode nemesis is kinda salty about the misrepresentation but that isn't entirely a problem unless it has something to do with their fighting style then yes a little bit. the only fights i don't like are the ones that are boring and god awful like batgirl vs spider gwen.

[@midekubrandio8592]

@@TheExiled112 I appreciate your opinion. I can see why you would think that, but I personally think that MHA is good. Granted the more I think about it, I do think I like Kill La kill more. (I just decided that while typing this XD) anyway. Because while MHA hasn’t ended, I’ll still feel the same after it ends, empty, sad and happy at the same time. That’s how I felt at the end of Kill La kill. I want a season 2 because I want to see these characters again, but at the same time the series ended on a perfect note that I don’t want to see it comeback. Sorry if this comment has been all over the place with no flow, that’s just how my brain is

[@TheExiled112]

@@midekubrandio8592 its alright its just that i find MHA to not be as good as kill la kill in my opinion and i have never liked MHA at all.

[@loukmjl6083]

Game theory: Biff weed is actually nemesis in disguise.

[@danielyarsky6128]

You mean they aren't???????????

[@wearegogeta9974]

The reasoning behind shadow’s loss against mewtwo didn’t make a whole lot of sense either. Yes he is vulnerable to mind manipulation but mewtwo is no where near powerful enough even in mega to take out even base form shadow.

[@jandellsantiago8472]

This is fuckin idiotic you can’t be serious rn lmao💀 mewtwo is a mythic legendary pokemon with 2 mega forms ofc hes beating shadow

[@318rod.c]

@@jandellsantiago8472 LMFAO NO THE FUCK HE DOESN'T 🤡 shadow doesn't even need to try to stomp mewtwo be glad it even wasn't archie shadow or-

[@Aigle662frileux]

@@jandellsantiago8472 Shadow can just catch mewtwo and this the end of the fight

[@jandellsantiago8472]

@@Aigle662frileux mewtwo battle iq and overall shits on shadows speed and overall especially since mewtwo can fly and shadow needs the chaos emeralds in order to fly plus mewtwo can teleport with ease shadow “alone” can’t do it💀

[@DontChuckles]

@@jandellsantiago8472 Shadow can fly from his rocket shoes as shown in adventure 2 and while boosting in generations and forces and can teleport and stop time without an emerald as shown in his own game and forces plus shadow destroyed a past version of a super dimensional being by himself in his super form in 06 he doesn’t even need to take off his inhibitor rings to beat mewtwo.

[@Kingbeat1]

I also hate it when people hate say shadow is a edgelord it's anyoing

[@lynxfresh5214]

Shadow is just another Sonic character that fell victim to the "meta era" alongside defenceless sidekick Tails, useless meat-head Knuckles and just another hedgehog Silver.

[@Superluigi881]

Edgelord is one of those terms people love to slap onto things that's been used so much it's mostly lost it's meaning. Being angsty or broody alone doesn't make an edgelord only if it goes over the top to the point of becoming silly. Shadow was an edgelord in his own game (and in Boom but it was intentional there) but that's it. Apparently he's like that in one of the comics too but I haven't read those.

[@Yami_Soryu]

@@Superluigi881 i mean good point but why did you comment this twice?

[@Superluigi881]

@@Yami_Soryu A glitch caused by KZbin's godawful app. I'll delete the other one.

[@TheRacingOtaku]

I hate it, too, but the thing I hate more is how everyone now sees "edgy" as the character who rarely/never smiles, has a darker color scheme, has no qualms about killing, and crosses his arms. The term has been beaten to a pulp, buried into the ground, grown into a poison oak tree, then cut down, and burnt into toxic fumes. It's such a shallow, meaningless, one-dimensional way to describe something. TL;DR - Shadow is NOT edgy, and the term itself is a meaningless, overused way to describe something/one.

[@MysteriousTomJenkins]

One fight I really like the thought of, and it still works with their change in character is Scorpion vs Kratos since both were originally revenge driven, blood thirsty killers who relentlessly sought those that wronged them and their desire for vengeance was so great they'd willingly end the world just to get it...but then get a second chance at life, creating a new life where they try to move past the monsters they were and even mentoring a young warrior in a father/son like relationship (for Scorpion and Tekada at least since Kratos is Atreus' father). However, if this matchup did happen and it was written like Shadow vs Ryuko, they'd just act like their former selves, angry at the drop of a hat and willing to murder a person for the slightest thing. Considering I find this matchup more exciting because both of them eventually get redeemed and move past their vengeance, it'd suck seeing them just regress for the Death Battle because (that's the more iconic version of them). Its why I really dislike how they portray Ben 10 in his Death Battle, they constantly use 10 Year Old Ben because that is more iconic despite him having grown up, becoming more intelligent and mature and having stronger aliens. I know they did look into all his aliens and didn't just focus on 10 year old Ben for the research, it was just in the presentation but even that is still stupid and probably a big reason why people think it was biased. For anyone not paying attention to the episode, it looks like they put the younger, weaker version of Ben against Hal and Death Battle has no one but themselves to blame for that misconception, they should have gone for accuracy, not nostalgia bait. For me, a Death Battle I can relate to you the most with getting annoyed at their presentation has to be Frank West vs Leon for how they wrote Frank. Besides giving him non canon DLC items, they wrote him like his shitty DR4 self and made him seem like a looter when he only really grabs stuff from stores because he needs weapons to fight off zombies. Yeah, he's kind of an asshole but not to that extent and he is capable of being serious up until Dead Rising 4 turned him into Deadpool. Just watching that was a major annoyance for me, that was not Frank West, that was Hank East. The real Frank West would have started the fight trying to interview Leon who would just be trying to get him out of the area and the fight would happen because he pissed Leon off enough to be more aggressive, not him being a looter and attacking the first guy he saw. Hell, I don't even think 'Hank East' is portrayed as a looter so I am not sure why the fight starts off with Frank happily breaking into a store to steal things.

[@vaggos2003]

Here is my take: Vegeta vs Shadow: 7/10. Mewtwo vs Shadow: 1/10. Shadow vs Ryuko: 7/10.

[@gamemesa]

I actually remember saying during the episode "If she trust him so much why did she treat them like shit during the entire battle?" I actually thought this was her entire character Which made me question why they even have trust in each other. If i.. (an outsider to Kill la Kill) think negatively towards a series that Death battle is portraying, then this shows they have to be more mindful towards representation.

[@castform7618]

When I watched the fight between Ryuko and Shadow, I didn't really think much of Ryuko's character since I never watched Kill la Kill. It wasn't till this video did I realize that their potrale of Ryuko is the same way people (even fucking SEGA now) see Shadow. Some overly aingsty edgelord which isn't what they are. They are more than that. Everything else about the fight hit less with each watch. Especially that finisher like what the hell was that "Chaos Blast". Shadow, buddy, put some effort in man we've been waiting for this win for a decade. And that "I'm the coolest" made me visibly cringe. Just cause he said it in SA2 doesn't mean he can say it whenever. Well at least it was better than the crap that was Shadow vs Mewtwo fight (not saying much there but still) and we got the Chaos Control kick which is always nice to see. The sayanara while being coupled with dipshit which doesn't really work here, is still good to see come back.

[@phantomfalcon8104]

I can totally get why you're not a fan of how Ryuko was written and honestly I think some scenes bother me a bit But I don't think she was done horribly. I think overall, she was done decently well, as a massive Ryuko fan I respect ur onion doe This is still honestly my 2nd favorite episode, I just have so much fun watching it

[@mike16apha16]

they keep ignoring solaris kind of annoys me

[@chickensgood4u100]

They don't ignore him, they think it's not much of an impressif feat to beat him for some reason

[@mike16apha16]

@@chickensgood4u100 yeah just beating the guy destroying all of space and time of all time lines by just existing not an impressive feat. we need to calc moving planet pieces instead. kind of bugs me how its always over looked

[@chickensgood4u100]

@@mike16apha16 fax

[@chickensgood4u100]

@@mike16apha16 wich is why super shadow should've body slam vegeta (especially when he didn't have god ki yet) and mewtwo

[@Venom-rr1vg]

Yep, sonic and shadow are always downplayed and them fighting solaris is always ignored.

[@a_creatorsstuff17]

If anyone even dares say a personality doesnt matter, or that being like they were at the start of an arc, just know that personality affects strategy, skill and focus, not to mention early arc personality shows inexperience with the late arc weapons they are wielding in the fight, wich works even worse if said weapons were only usable due to the character growth

[@marche800]

I think that personality plays into the fight itself too. If you purposefully give a character a personality that is let developed or mature then they will likely make mistakes that they wouldn't at their peak, so not taking them into consideration result in a contentious result. It's also just terrible for characterization in the animation since you can have them acting and fighting in contradictory ways

[@itiswhatitis6437]

Didn’t talk about one of the best part of the fight. The background music, chaos unravel.

[@TheExiled112]

i loved it but people don't talk about it because it doesn't pop out in the fight as much. plus people don't like rock anymore and it isn't full on edgy rock because the lyrics aren't as edgy as songs like i am all of me and one good reason by celldweller ( its a song about suicide) and a lot of celldweller songs which a lot of them are edgy but i like them though. this song is no where on the edge level as those songs and plus its really good its on par with songs like blood moon and maybe wings of iron and infection perfection.

[@alexbaribeault]

@@TheExiled112 It was edgy enough as it is. It didn't need anymore edge. It's one of the best tracks in the series imo, even topping Lost Ice Storms.

[@TheExiled112]

@@alexbaribeault lost ice storms is overrated i find it bland and normal for death battle try blood moon or infection perfection.

[@darksonicyt5430]

When I ignore the research from the old fights, I still like Vegeta vs Shadow the most since both characters are accurately portrayed and it’s just enjoyable to watch, especially given how much of a fan I was of DBZ back then and still am, and it works super well as a comedy focused episode. Shadow vs Mewtwo was honestly, something I despised for a long time, and still do. Not only did they absolutely fuck with the characters so badly, but it’s just painful to watch. The spoon kill, yeah it’s a hilarious and nice kill, but I still can’t really enjoy the episode at all, especially given how much I loved Pokémon back then (Seriously I watched and rewatched Pokémon non stop back then. Yes I had a problem). Shadow vs Ryuko, although the animation is good, the sprites literally just...bother me. Mainly the mouths or whenever they make expressions. Shadow’s mouth really bothers me the most, since you can clearly see and even count the pixels that are on his sprite, making the mouth look so weird to me, especially given how small it is (I mean hell, I even messed with the Shadow sprite myself). Shadow’s character is.. fine to me, though I find it weird with blending in edgy shadow with hero shadow (SA2, Heroes, 06.) but, even though I never watched Kill La Kill (in fact I only started watching it a day before the fight was announced) but...even I know how out of character Ryuko is in that fight, and it makes it hard for me to not cringe at some of the lines in the fight. Also surprised nobody brought this up but when Shadow goes Super, he for some reason has Two red Chaos Emeralds, which I am honestly surprised that I didn’t see it earlier. Also seriously that chaos blast at the end still bothers me, it sounds so soft, and that pisses me off. Seriously Death Battle needs to stop it with those weird mouths, it’s weird, and I hate it. By the way, his “I’m the coolest” line at the end, while it sounds weird, it was really a nice callback to SA2, Aka when Shadow was an amazing character and not a complete edge lord. Anyways, my favorite shadow death battle would still be Shadow vs Vegeta, but Shadow vs Mewtwo I still despise the most (it’s not the worst death battle, but it’s the worst Shadow death battle) and Shadow vs Ryuko is just.....in the middle.

[@Solverse_]

I'm just waiting for the day they stop low balling the chaos emeralds... one day. I've really been enjoying your videos though!

[@TheExiled112]

i doubt they are using him or sonic again because they both got 3 battles so i don't think they will return. having a feeling eggman will though so maybe and they might bring up that sonic in generations required help to beat eggman in super form but idk maybe.

[@Nateig14]

I love that you said shadow wouldn't say " I'm the coolest" but he said it in his debu game but i somewhat understand it i feel like he wouldn't say it anymore

[@7-BIT]

Shadow has actually resisted mind control in his own game

[@kami9143]

Kaioken isn't a Saiyan transformation....it's not even Technically a transformation.

[@dorohime7001]

"Shadow is intentionally written like shit-" I'm really glad you told me that Takahata was told to purposely voice it bad, because this basically confirms a theory I had about death battle. In order to minimize fan rage (or attempt to) In battles where characters have lines Death Battle specifically tries to make the person who's gonna be the victor more likeable That's why mewtwo talks more And that's why Despite the fact that Scarlet Witch is a known Avenger, and member of the MCU, Death Battle went with her more villainous Comic Portrayal. And had her start the fight through insulting and then tossing around Zatanna

[@queenypie4543]

So this annoys me when people say it, but: "The line shadow says at the end is cringe, it doesn't sound like something he'd say" except it's literally a quote, verbatim, from sonic adventure 2. It's a stupid line yes, but that's also why it was included. I think the reason Shadow's VA doesn't sound like he direction is because the direction is all over the place: they want to make jokes about his edge, but also include his stupid lines from before the "edge", so he ends up having no consistent character. For Ryuko: Death battle cannot write women. They cannot do it. They are literally incapable of doing it. From Wonder Woman's non stop innuedos versus Thor, to her annoying arrogance against She-Ra, Ms Marvel in general, and Ryuko's overtly bratty dialogue; how is it so impossible to make one likeable female combatant?! As for the episode itself: volume is really off, a lot of lines feel way too quite. For Kisuragi, Why didn't they animate that transformation? It really feels like it needed that, but it doesn't get it. I think Biff Weed put it best: the pacing feels really off, by the time they get to their super transformations, which feel like they come too quickly, the fight is basically over. Ryuko gets her final move off, it fails, and Shadow takes the win. The death does feel kinda lackluster for reasons you pointed out, but it is the first female death that isn't instant.

[@damonrudge8394]

I mean to be fair Ms marvel is completely unlikeable as a character anyway so it's accurate

[@troyjohnson9266]

I was really expecting that chaos blast to be on par with Jason Griffith’s line. That didn’t sound like someone who was bout to give the killing blow, more so someone who was just tired of fighting

[@TheExiled112]

one of animators said that for whatever reason they had a take where he said chaos blast and sounded like he should when using it but they instead used the wrong take in the episode. im pretty sure it was an accident or they used it because it didn't fit with the animation.

[@troykv96]

I knew it I was feeling something very off about Ryuko's character in the episode... But I didn't knew what exactly unitl know... The battle really missed the parts where Ryuko gets to have a better relationship with Senketsu (... as well as using Senketsu's character as a whole), she also missed making her being more shocked than angry at seeing Shadow's ridiculous capabilities. Also, I agree Shadow's last line should have been other stuff, thought I struggle to know a choose a good alternative. I think the episode was fun, an solid watch, but being so off with Ryuko, and the wonkiness of the animation at times stop it from actually being as good as it could be... Oh well...

[@zaxstarkaijein]

This has some good points all around, though I can look past some of what seems like a big issue. Still should've been fixed, yeah.

[@lukasfuhrmaneck9101]

Shadow vs Vegeta: I used to hate this battle cause I was rooting for Shadow, but after I learned more about Dragon Ball I accepted the result. My problem with the battle is the way Shadow fights, I don't recall a scenario where Shadow ever teleported his opponent away like he did to Vegeta (although maybe this was something in the comics that I haven't seen), but seeing Shadow do that felt disrespectful to me, they failed to capture Shadow's fighting style well. So that's my problem with that episode. Shadow vs Mewtwo: I'll just be honest I think you were being generous by saying this is "one of the worst episodes". In my opinion it is the worst episode (granted I haven't watched every single one, but I've watched most of them) and it just gets worse every time I watch it. Shadow is completely out of character and they just made him look like a joke. I hated that bit where he says "Why am I glowing" I know what they were going for but I found it more frustrating than funny. Not to mention they overlooked a crucial factor in Shadow's resistance to mind control. They showed the clip of Black Doom paralyzing Shadow and what not, but they ignore the fact that Shadow was able to break free of Black Doom's control IN HIS BASE FORM! So logically he'd probably be even stronger in his super form, but Mewtwo just effortlessly wipes his memory? At best it's lame, at worst it's just wrong. Shadow vs Ryuko: Okay I'll admit I know almost nothing about Kill La Kill, so Ryuko being out of character didn't bother me cause I didn't notice it, and I actually kind of liked her attitude in this, but it did seem a bit weird that they didn't show any clips of her acting that way in the show. I think that the scissors eclipsing the Earth was supposed to be an exagerrated joke from Boomstick, but I could be wrong. I enjoyed this battle well enough, it did kind of feel like they made Ryuko seem a bit stronger than she is to make the matchup seem more fair, but I don't know enough about the series to comment. I can agree with a lot of your complaints about the battle itself, but I also feel like a lot of them are probably nitpicks so they don't ruin it for me, for example the reason for the characters fighting, yeah it's not very good, but about half the excuses for characters to fight aren't good, so kinda par for the course (also I could be wrong on this, but I think they have a new animation team that might not be as experienced with sprite battles. Could be wrong though). The one criticism for the fight that I want to bring up is that, while yes Shadow has shown a willingness to use guns and swords, he doesn't regularly carry them around with him, so him pulling that alien sword from out of nowhere doesn't make much sense. It would have made more sense if he just grabbed a nearby stop sign or a piece of his motorcycle or something to use like a sword or a bat. Or even make him create an energy spear like I believe he's done in the comics. Oh and that "I'm the coolest line" I get what you're saying about it feeling out of place, but to me it's clearly a callback to when he said that in Sonic Adventure 2, so I let it slide.

[@broom2839]

Tbh, Mewtwo not being curbstomped and speedblitzed by Super Shadow in an instant is probably worse than Mewtwo effortlessly wiping his mind..even though Mewtwo in canon has not once been shown to be able to wipe minds or mind control others. Much less stand up to planetary beings. Mainly because they don't really exist in Pokemon. Compare that to Sonic where the true antagonist is always some big bad guy who can destroy the planet like Dark Gaia. It looks even worse now when you have Infinite thrown into the mix who is essentially Mewtwo on steroids and they didn't even need emeralds to beat him

[@kingave64]

Shadow did actually say “I’m the coolest” in Sonic Adventure 2, but he probably wouldn’t say that after winning the battle. One thing that seems very off in some death battles is the reason the characters fight, like in Archie Sonic vs Wally West they started fighting because of a race.

[@SufferingSuccotash]

Its cuz he messed with the hogs dogs

[@kadinhausman2584]

About what you said about Ryuko being out of character, here's a comment on that: I don't really watch Kill LA Kill, but after you explaining it and watching the rundown, I agree with what you said. If they were a team, she wouldn't scream at him the way she did. But then again, a lot of Death Battles are constantly doing that with characters. Buy yeah, I see what you're saying. And I hate it when they are taken out of character.

[@nesoukkefka1741]

Glad I am not the only one that notice, that the writter of this episode propably didn't watch Kill la Kill and don't know anything about Ryuko and Senketsu.

[@JosephRiveraSantiago0617]

This is the TeamFourStar version of the Final Flash theme during Vegeta VS Shadow? Very rare to have as background music honestly.

[@Norrabal_anims]

Funny thing is, shadow saying "i'm the coolest" is something shadow *has* said, like I get it's out of character for shadow, and even back then, it's sorta of a meme(ish) Still doesn't excuse it, just had to say

[@missyummy1040]

HEYYYYYYY! What's your thought on All For One VS that main villain from Mob Psycho 100?

[@legendarysonic9908]

Actually, No matter what Shadow wins ALL 3 battles In sonic 06, He fought solaris who exist in All points in time and each dimensions for lunch. Super shadow was Multiversel in terms of power.

[@marcusmayo]

Facts!

[@Jaboy-of5fw]

WHAT THE FU

[@crimsonscyth3461]

And the fact that his Super form doesn't have a time limit in cannon

[@legendarysonic9908]

@@crimsonscyth3461 People also downplay sonic in terms of power and speed. Also, I found this video and I don't 100% trust it but, I think it's cool kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZzFhHdpi8R6ftE

[@broom2839]

Solaris is an outlier and how strong he actually is is quite vague. It's like calling Broly(in the old DBZ movies) a "galaxy buster", even though he isn't doing it all at once. Dark Gaia put up a better fight and almost WON against two Super Sonic tier beings and he's just a planet buster, compared to Solaris who technically lost three 1v1's to characters in the same tier, and that fight takes place "before" Unleashed. Most incarnations of Super Sonic bosses are pretty blatantly stated to be planetary like Final Hazard, Dark Gaia, Egg Wizard. Don't forget that Metal Overlord took on three Super characters at once which is already more impressive than any of the others. Truth is, the writing for 06 is just fucking terrible and the powerscaling doesn't match the rest of the series if you actually think Solaris is universal or anything beyond that. Taking anything seriously from 06 is just grasping for straws to wank the shit out of an already overly wanked character, especially when it canonically doesn't happen and is universally agreed to have some of the worst inconsistencies and plotholes in the entire franchise. Outside of a single level in Gens which was an anniversary game, Sega refuses to acknowledge 06 even happened.

[@thecloudedartist616]

Now that I've finally watched Kill la Kill, I could honestly notice how OOC Ryuko was throughout the whole fight.

[@duskrem_]

hello, just discovered your channel, and you saying how bad shadow mewtwo sucks vindicated me so much i legitimately lost interest in death battle due to that damn match. shadow and mewtwo are two of my favorite fictional characters, they were my dream matchup as well due to the amazing connections... and we got... that. i just hate that battle so damn much oh my god, they did both characters such an injustice

[@fwoglord2519]

Biff weed: *releases a video ranking shadow’s episode* Nemesis: *does the same thing* Biff weed: Wow, what a ripoff.

[@BigGnome]

13:56 That's a fair criticism but it is a reference to something he actually said in the first SA2 fight

[@TheExiled112]

nah it fits his character and isn't cringe because it shows his character from sa2. its like saying him saying damn or him pulling out a gun is cringe because memes although those are tiny memes that fit well with character and are funny but memes like pogchamp don't work in this episode thats why it wasn't used cause its not funny and would be really cringey.

[@jakecruz2515]

I personally enjoyed this episode but I totally see where you are coming from. I have never watched Kill la kill so it didn’t bother me that much. All I really wanted was for Shadow to be done justice and I got that. Great video btw

[@allbuckyallday3477]

Um, Nemesis. Not to be rude or anything, but I think you forgot to mention in your Shadow vs Ryuko review, that Brendan Blaber was the voice of Shadow and not Curtis Arnott, and how he did a great job with his performance for most of his lines, so maybe you could edit in yourself saying that please. Thank you.

[@antoinepolnareff8970]

We aren't counting with correct result, only on how funny they are.

[@lmhproductions8256]

0:00 Intro 0:29 Vegeta vs Shadow 5:41 Shadow vs Mewtwo 9:08 Shadow vs Ryuko

[@Mat_Blackout]

I agree with what he says at 20:52 as they did it with Blake belladonna in her battle with mikasa as she doesn't act like she is ment to, it annoys me as I love Blake as a character and she doesn't act like she normally does.

[@georgesummitt1980]

Speaking of characters acting out of character one of my favorite examples of DB doing this is Thanos vs Darksied. Thanos knows the limits of the infinity stones and he wouldn't be dumb enough to fall for Darksied leading him into apokolips since it is another plain of reality that the stones have no power over. Plus they show that he has the Cosmic Cube in the arsenal page but he never uses it, the Cube works no matter what reality it is in so there is another point where Thanos is dumb.

[@MrBda241]

The reason Shadow vs. Mewtwo looks unfinished is because it probably is. The animator they hired simply decided they didn't want to make VS. Fights anymore and intentionally did a bad job. Seeing that the episode had to be done by then, they simply showed what they had, which didn't help many people's opinion. I believe Ben said the fight would have been a lot more different with more scenes, probably giving Shadow a lot more respect, but alas, bad timing and unfortunate final product made it like that.

[@JLFans2019Singapore]

He returns every 5 years

[@seriousspikesam7770]

Unironically, He-man vs Lion-o is still one of my favourite death battles to this date... it actually screams 80's nostalgia. If it wasn't for the Goku vs Superman spoiler it might actually my favourite fight. Right... no pogchamps here but at least they did Shadow some justice here. Vegeta was fine (even though the math is off), Mewtwo was actually the second (or third) fight I openly disliked (first one being Zelda vs Peach and then Tracer vs Scout.) It just felt short, poorly delivered and, well, bad in general. And they chose to air it at their convension? Right... Not much to say about Victor vs Lex... Doom wins and then we move on. I'm just hoping they would finally do something I'd be hyped about (like Duke Nukem vs Serious Sam or Ryu Hayabusa vs Joe Musashi) but only time will tell... unless there are more leaks occurring.

[@sirduke0128]

shadow got did dirty, even in the one fight he actually won

[@dbzonic1]

Also good attempt at shadows voice you should consider voice acting

[@chefbreccia2642]

Vegeta vs. Shadow was about when Death Battle really got their footing secure and solidified what they were and what they would become.

[@lucasrangel9150]

Love how half the comments are literally pointing out the “I’m the coolest” line lol.

[@SalaComMander]

I would highly recommend when watching Death Battle that you should not assume that just because a character has powers or items from late in their series that they are going to be portrayed as they were at that point in the series. Snake was still young and (comparatively) optimistic when he fought Sam Fisher, despite having technology from MGS4. Ben 10 had aliens from later in his life despite appearing as his pre-teen self. Toph had her skills from when she was an old woman despite being a kid. Accept that they want to portray characters in simultaneously their most recognizable _and_ most powerful form, it'll be easier on you. Yes, Ryuko was still out-of-character, that happens too much in this series. But understand that they're not always going to portray characters the way _you_ would have.

[@saiyanscaris6530]

also shadow actually does say im the coolest when he gets hit in the first sonic vs shadow fight in sa2

[@Wooper10]

I just realized vegeta shadow and mewtwo have all faced each other

[@horaciosi]

Shadow vs Mewtwo felt like the animators didn't want to make this fight and instead wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

[@speed_311]

14:00 bruh- has this dude ever played SA2?

[@novax1029]

You can say that again

[@chickensgood4u100]

Shadow should've won against all of them

[@georgesummitt1980]

Upon looking back and with your coverage of it, Vegeta vs Shadow isn't really that bad except for the analysis. Mewtwo vs Shadow is number 10 in my top 10 worst Death Battles list. There is an excellent debunk of it by a guy called Metalblade5 and I would like to repeat some points that he made here. Mewtwo's mind wipe is not instantaneous as Ben and Chad think it is, it usually takes time for him to wipe a person's mind, the fastest he has used it is 15 seconds which is slower than chaos control which usually takes the amount of time to say chaos control. DB completely glossed over the fact that Shadow fought Black Doom mentally to a stalemate before he got the message from Gerald which gave him the strength to win. Also if they did a true composite of the character like they did for Mewtwo they would have found out that according to Mogul in the Archie Sonic comics the chaos emeralds do grant the user mental shields as well as physical shields. Why is this important, DB has stated that they often use composite characters on condition that the extra information not contradict the main source. If this is the case then there should be no reason not to include this detail from the comics (considering that it is never confirmed nor denied that the super from protects the user's mind in the games because telepathy is an extreme rarity in the Sonic game universe so it wouldn't contradict anything) unless like you said this was a spite match. Mewtwo's greatest durability feat was surviving dual impalement for Deoxis and Shadow's greatest durability feat was surviving a fall to the earth from the space colony ark, which means that Mewtwo even with his shields wouldn't be able to survive Shadow's attacks and if Shadow gets his super form it would be game over for him considering that Shadow is massively faster than light in this form. We know base Shadow is light speed because he scales to Sonic whom Omega calculated to soon exceed light speed in the DS version of Sonic Colors. Sure Sonic strokes himself after Omega says that but Omega was the one who calculated that he would exceed light speed not Sonic and in the same game he calculated that Shadow's statistics match Sonic's when Shadow asks Omega if he had surpassed Sonic in any way. The fastest a Mewtwo (since this feat wasn't for the main Mewtwo we think of when we hear his name but a female Mewtwo though it could mean that he could achieve the same speed feat) has moved is Mach 3 when it carried the Genesect to space, a far cry from light speed. Even if they included Psyke Up for Mewtwo it wouldn't make much of a difference because Mewtwo doesn't get a boost to his chaos powers simply because he doesn't have any and he would get a boost to his physical strength but he rarely uses that in a fight. As for Shadow vs Ryuko, I consider it average and you are right about Ryuko's character but I wasn't really interested in this match up.

[@robertrainford6754]

You do have valid points but obviously they did not include Archie stuff in it. For the most part shadows mind has always been manipulated by other people our things even in his super form and all mewtwo would need is just a second and to get in shadows head.

[@georgesummitt1980]

@@robertrainford6754 Really? He has only used his Super Form 3 times in the main games and in none of them did the opponent have mind manipulation powers or in Black Doom's case use them during the time he has his Super Form equipped.

[@robertrainford6754]

@@georgesummitt1980 well no. Nobody has and shadow has had his mind manipulated before.

[@georgesummitt1980]

@@robertrainford6754 Name one, plus Sonic Boom isn't cannon and I already explained that he fought Black Doom telepathically to a stalemate.

[@bruhtastic4311]

@@georgesummitt1980 sonic boom is canon in his own universe and also even if shadow gets his memory erased he can still fight

[@jerrithegentlemen6070]

Apparently the guy who animated shadow vs mewtwo was pretty heated that day and intentionally made the animation bad (From what I heard)

[@keybladecommentaries]

I agree with this video for the most part. I do like the Shadow vs Ryuko death battle, but I see why you don't. However, I do like the attention to detail when it comes to the endings of the fight itself, not so much towards the characters, but as far as the continuity of Death Battle. Funny enough, I appreciate Mewtwo saying "Sayonara" when he kills Mewtwo because of Ryuko vs Shadow. Let me explain. In Vegeta vs Shadow and Mewtwo vs Shadow, both Mewtwo and Vegeta said "Sayonara" before they killed Shadow. The way Shadow reacts to Ryuko saying "Sayonara" by screaming at her to "shut up" makes me feel like Shadow was tired of hearing that phrase when someone goes to hit him with a finishing blow, as if there was a story to Death Battle itself beyond Wiz and Boomstick, and it feels like they resurrected Shadow just to put him in another fight. As to why I like the fight? Well..... to put it simply, I'm biased, and I can admit that. I really didn't like that Shadow was 0-2 in Death Battle almost as if they were intentionally insulting the character, which Mewtwo vs Shadow made clear that they were, so it was nice to see that Shadow finally got a win. However, I do see why you don't like it as well.

[@FookMi69]

At this point, you might as well do one for Batman too.

[@justasentientmclarenp1879]

Biff weeds video was uploaded 1 minute before nemesis

[@Sniper_Jacob06]

Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!!

[@unknow318]

Like your video but please come on the I'm the coolest line is classic shadow 😎

[@Sinister_Sundown]

Shadows whole I'm the coolest line is not out of character and no it's not cringy. Shadows proper portrayal isn't just a super down tone character that's serious all the time, he can get cocky, he gets sassy, that's how he's supposed to be. He was meant to be sonic reflection just a bit more serious. While the voice acting for "I'm the coolest " wasn't the best in Sa2 it still fit his character like a glove. He said while he was winning, to get under sonic's skin and annoy him.

[@tylerr2016]

Honestly during the Ryuko out of character bit, I felt that during the Ben 10 in Deathbattle, I mean it’s not...bad? But a lot of how Ben was presented was (in the most simple terms) Teen Ben with 10 year old Ben’s personality...like seriously hearing Ben say doofus feels really out of character to me atleast

[@cirnosnumberfan6449]

Trying to kill a guy for cutting you off doesn't seem too out of place in Death Battle, I mean, they gotta start fighting somehow. I'll rather have them fight for a ridiculous reason than just having them fight with no dialogue or context at all.