「Rivalries」: ZeRo Vs. Ally (A Smash 4 Documentary)

Well, it's finally here.
You know this was only supposed to be 10 minutes, right? Just some small thing I was going to do to pass the time? What happened? How did I get here? I'm still not sure. But now that it's happened, we might as well enjoy it, right?
There's no rivalry that defines Smash 4 more than ZeRo vs. Ally. The sets these two had defined Smash 4 story-lines for most of 2016 and 2017. The king had finally come across a challenge - someone who could not only beat him, but do it consistently. Ally could slay the one who had plagued every other player for over a year, and the encounters these two would have were riveting. The rank #1 and #2 players at the time. ZeRo and Ally.
This is their story.
--
2018-09-04
Everything is in the credits, but again, shoutout to everyone who helped contribute to the making of this project. This video would not exist in this form were it not for you guys. Let's send off Smash 4 with a proper farewell, and have something to remember it by.
All sources listed in the credits. Credit headers tagged with the [KZbin] mean that the name on the right side is their KZbin account name. @ tags in the credits are Twitter tags.
Thumbnail by Meda:
/ meda9871

[@kode-man23]

The saying "You don't appreciate what you have until it's gone" has never been truer than us fans watching these two at the top of their game. I just assumed that this rivalry would last forever and we would always get hype sets between them... Great job at capturing what this was like to live through as it was happening.

[@finallyjames]

That was definitely the aim. Glad to know I succeeded.

[@HenryBits124]

"I want you to try. I don't want you to give up."The feels

[@AceConch]

Those last words from ZeRo really choked me up. I used to dislike him because of how frequent he was winning back in the day, but I grew to appreciate him so much. He's an inspiration, someone I look up to and think "If he could make it, so could I." When I have my bad days or just lose in bracket ending off at 17th or 13th, I always think about how hard ZeRo worked to really be the best in the world and just that alone is enough to spark the fire within me again. An amazing video, man. Great job!

[@bashiboizu7492]

You used to dislike a professional competitive gamer for how frequently he was winning back in the day. Yikes dude.

[@AceConch]

@@bashiboizu7492 Lmao, I think I wasn't the only one who thought like this at one point. There was a good amount of the community who disliked the fact that he was unbeatable and I'm not ashamed to admit that I used to be in that crowd. But coming to understand his history as a player and all that he sacrificed in order to be where he is now made me realize how petty I was back in 2014 and It gave me reason to appreciate ZeRo and look up to him.

[@roe_bro]

Best rivalry in any community I've ever been in. Glad to see someone doing it justice. Great job dude.

[@Pan_Z]

Mango vs Leffen. A close-second just under Daigo vs Wong.

[@smashmouthegg570]

Imo, Ken vs Azen, or Armada vs Mango, Mango vs M2k, or Mango vs ppmd.

[@Pan_Z]

Mango vs PPMD is barely a rivalry.

[@auroraanshi639]

@CamelMan302 it's okay man, history is history :)

[@ponchers1720]

the guy sleeping at 27:30 is me watching smash 4 tournaments in 2018.

[@finallyjames]

LMAO

[@taskmagician4289]

Loool

[@AbhinavKumar-lg5fn]

LOL

[@jadenvillalobos9616]

Hold that b button

[@er5624]

LMAO

[@Kenryck]

Regardless of what happened, this documentary still captures a massive part of Smash 4's history. Fantastic work

[@ojgimpson]

What a throwback to watch this now. Crazy how much things change. Great video as always.

[@trydent1031]

Even after telling myself I wasn't gonna watch this whole video, I had to. The editing, the topic, everything was perfect about this. I can safely say that I've never seen a better video depicting this rivalry. Fabulous job!

[@firetoy465]

Beautiful work, man. I forget how great of a scene smash 4 had. I guess after ZeRo retired a lot of us focused on other things. Not to say that we all abandoned smash 4 competitive play, but as a ZeRo fan, I continued to support him and noticed a shift from only watching smash 4 content to spreading my attention to all these other games he was playing whether it was 100% a game or beating a game in the hardest difficulty possible. This video really hit me hard. It captured a point in time where I was most engaged in the competitive scene and I couldn't help but feel like i was reliving every impactful moment during those few years. I can appreciate the effort put into this and I hope to see more.

[@kalinramos1595]

Albeit zero leaving didnt kill yhe the scene it did hurt it very much, especially at the fact majority of the top placings started being more and more bayos with all the non bayos having more burnout and no true reason to keep playing at the highest level

[@tyshadowflame6973]

This hits EXTREAMLY DIFFERENT NOW

[@Iceyork]

As expected, fantastic quality. Really love this rivalry, I think the storyline of ZeRo v Ally perfectly encapsulates the spirit of smash 4. I hope to see you continue this content into ultimate!

[@finallyjames]

lollll the quality expected by me is so high now

[@Iceyork]

@@finallyjames for me you already have delivered the highest quality content for smash 4, so I'm more excited to see what else you can pull off rather than expecting you to do so.

[@samodonnell3568]

52:47 on out hit home for me. Great documentary, and awesome words by ZeRo.

[@jackmacdonald1298]

Alien vs Predator

[@BedrockBlocker]

This is so amazing. This storyline is the best thing that happened to Smash 4.

[@JPLx24]

This is the best document I've ever seen, with the beautiful art style of the video, to the very surreal editing, as an aspiring content creator, this video was incredibly well made, and seeing these 2 players and their rivalry I just couldn't help but put a smile on my face, it even made me tear up to be honest when zero gave the life advice. This documentary is truly something special, I tip my hat off to you sir. May I hope to see success I your future and I hope we get more documents like these as we transition in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Great video dude. :)

[@finallyjames]

Thank you very much. I wanted to create something that people could be engaged with even knowing about the rivalry and having seen all their matches live. I wanted to restore the feeling that came from watch it all unfold for the first time, so your comment means a lot.

[@ariaofthe6strings230]

Ally and ZeRo the Sages of Smash 4. These two cultivated the community. There's no denying that. They sparked the flame that was smash 4. And Fire was the general theme of Smash 4 to begin with. The logo changed to fire, the smash ball, fire. Etc. I'd say ZeRo was the blue part of the flame, and Ally was the red. This was a rivalry was so entertaining, so anticipated and so hype to see that we wanted to see them fight. Always. ZeRo was that legendary hero with a cape blowing in the wind. Ally was the hero, the underdog with a sword brighter than the sun, trying to catch up to the legend's greatness. And Ally kept up. He did. If there was a Super Smash Bros Hall of Fame, Ally and Zero would be in it with Diddy and Mario wielding flames that was Smash 4 and its smash ball. They are so kind, so humble and always positive. They are the pride and joy of Smash 4s community. They are examples of how players should be. Remember these guys, as the go into history. Respect them as they were respectful to others as well. With Smash Ultimate on the way, let's show the world what the Smash Community is as a whole. We're a good community. From 64, melee, brawl, 3ds, Wii u and even Ultimate. It's all love from here. Satoru Iwata would be proud.

[@otakuni6987]

This has to be in a museum or cinema bro.... It's crazy 😭

[@SSB_Seal]

Yo, it’s finally here! I know you’ve put in mad work on this, so I hope it gets the reception it deserves!

[@finallyjames]

Many thanks bro

[@EchoStormSSB]

Finally, James! Great work man :)

[@finallyjames]

thank you thank youuuu

[@legodudes11]

The brawl documentary is never coming out

[@abenyu5070]

surprised there aren't many people talking about the unfortunate turn of events

[@naturalTHEATER]

im a melee player; this is some amazing content

[@finallyjames]

Awesome, glad you appreciate it.

[@miniyodadude6604]

yeah, reminds me of the documentary

[@SyNKevN]

I am a melee player as well. While this isn't my cup of tea, I appreciate all things smash. I am enjoying Ultimate though, it's the only smash game that remotely feels like melee. Keep in mind I'm an avid fan and player. I bought and played S64 the day it was released, and melee as well, I wasn't impressed with brawl and I left off there, but now I do enjoy playing ultimate online.

[@bjornwithit]

God Damn this was a good watch. Even already knowing their rivalry and seeing all these tournaments before I still couldn’t stop watching this documentary. Very well done!

[@ChampiMax]

This Documentary is a tribute of what a good rivality is, both players were the bests of that time. Personaly, Ally was the player that inspired me to play Smash when i was younger. Thanks for this documentary James, I really loved it and it bring back all the memories of my start as a smash player. Thank you so Much :)

[@thatkidkim]

this man

[@majoraxx2427]

Creep vs predator

[@quota4003]

This felt so magical

[@gufishanemometer6450]

This video was terrific, a true statement as to why I love playing and following this game and much more.

[@1hardyparty]

Damn! This is extremely high quality. I dont know why this doesn't have more views.

[@apathycreates]

It's LIT

[@theskepticalwhaler4946]

Amazing. That was really just amazing. As someone who's only started following the Smash scene with Ultimate, this documentary has been very enlightening. To see the amount of history behind the game as it is today and the stories that move it has been too enjoyable. This has been an hour well spent.

[@ManuelPersona24]

I also have only started following the Smash scene with Ultimate and I really like this documentary :)

[@ManuelPersona24]

I really enjoyed this documentary! :)

[@kodra1510]

I’m watching this a few weeks into smash ultimate. I hope that we get something like the ZeRo v Ally rivalry in that game. This was seriously an amazing time for the smash community and you guys captured it perfectly.

[@yoissy]

Holy shit, this was amazing, you earned a new subscriber man!

[@KentaKurodani]

This is so amazing. I'm honestly stunned by how great this video was. I think it might have changed how I view the competition, and I'm just in awe of how great people are.

[@d4rkauras]

Amazing video man. Got chills from the crowd chanting both ZeRo and Ally at the same time.

[@finallyjames]

Me, too. The crowd energy really added to the atmosphere, huh?

[@browk2512]

Both Ally and ZeRo got dropped by MAJOR esports teams. It's frustrating because they've both put their lives into the smash community and games. Neither of them deserved to be dropped...

[@dinodumdum255]

God this is still so good, this is what brought me to the smash community

[@finallyjames]

Really? It's amazing to hear that my work introduced someone into the community.

[@mrm64]

THIS is the kind of documentary I wanted to see for Braw/Smash 4, this was AMAZING. The editing is insane. Of course, given what was revealed to us in the summer of 2020...it is bittersweet, sadly. But like your description said, it's a part of history and imo, shouldn't be forgotten.

[@finallyjames]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@SgtKaito]

We need things like this to show the amazing side of the smash 4 community. We see so much hate, all for nothing, but this documentary shows what smash 4 really is. It's a game where you have rivalries, but also passion, respect, and fun. If only people could see more than just what they dislike, maybe they would realize how amazing something really is. ZeRo and Ally both overcame each other back and forth, with both players trying to best the other. It may have gotten them down for a bit, but they never stopped improving. No hard feelings, just pure friendly competition. I believe that's what smash is all about. This documentary did a great job of capturing this idea. Great work!

[@s1ssel]

40:32 The old rivalry and the new rivalry together

[@johnjohnthecreative]

Thank you for this documentary! Really amazing! I completely forgot about how much I loved this rivalry. Zero v Ally we’re always the highlights of watching the smash 4 competitive scene.

[@scruub]

Damn this is my favorite documentary about Smash

[@finallyjames]

Damn, really? There are quite a few out there already.

[@scruub]

@@finallyjames I'm just really glad to watch this one and I really enjoyed it

[@eddiepretzel1501]

Incredible video, Smash 4 documentaries are so important for the community, especially when they’re this good

[@cesarrivera9174]

This was awesome, thanks for all the work and effort behind man

[@hikkigiya5711]

This rivalry was an amazing piece in smash 4. For whats to happen in Ultimate and the future of smash, we know it will offer us amazing experiences. All we have can do now, is wait.

[@GSEleven]

How have I never seen this? This was just recommended to me yesterday!!! I am watching it now because I remembered it out of the blue.

[@trolledyears21]

This video was utterly amazing, to this day I haven't seen a better recap of the rivalry that defined not only competitive smash 4, but also inspired me and my passion for this game today. Great job to everyone involved!

[@ManuelPersona24]

I love the Dragonball music!

[@switchitup7649]

You know the name of it??

[@DeadpoOltf2]

Amazing video man! It was a treat to watch the whole thing. Thank you for this !

[@ninja_gaming8819]

Really well put together. Amazing work and a great way to pay homage to smash 4. Thank you.

[@realkotu4010]

Went into this thinking there was no way I would watch 55 minutes of a smash documentary, but this really amazing. Really good job on the video, and the story is so awesome, thanks!

[@Supeon]

Really appreciate the video. Well made and I had a hiatus from the smash community during this time period so it's great to be able to experience it though this video. Great job!

[@AlexandrosPT]

One of the greatest videos I’ve seen in my lifetime

[@RipplePuff_]

Dat updated description... :[

[@thatkidkim]

Yea... Im sad to see him go but he got what he deserved

[@stratoge]

This documentary encompasses the rivalry so well. I really love the motivational last statement that ZeRo said at the end. Really inspiring when you know where the man has came from. He is an inspiration.

[@1337Ginger]

This was incredible. Makes you feel amazing to be part of such a supportive and talented community. Very well done.

[@machistellar]

I came into the scene about a year after this rivalry had been going on. Due to that, I ended up playing catchup, watching tons of different vods and eventually noticing so many that had these two players in them. I looked each of them up and read up on them for hours on end. It was so amazing to me how these two players could go at it so hard. Even if I wasn't there for the beginning, I'll always love this rivalry they had. Plus this doc was super cool that was a bonus to watching it.

[@SilverDragonX55]

That was fantastic. That last section had me tearing. Really solid life advice from ZeRo there.

[@er5624]

Holy crap this Smash 4 Documentary is amazing.

[@JCITY42X]

This was a great video. Such a great conclusion of the highlight of Smash 4's peak. I can't wait to see the next rivalry video and who it's gonna be.

[@eliotf204]

I hope to fuck this blows up like it deserves to. This storyline is one of a kind

[@strides777]

thank you

[@finallyjames]

you're welcome

[@TKanoWrites]

Excellent documentary! While the Nairo streak is synonymous, the back and forth nature of this rivalry really shaped the scene over the years. I think you really tried hard in terms of the musical timing, and I love the experimentation with the scenes and how you built the story! A couple of things of note, just from a story/filmmaking POV You really work hard on building the story, but I think sometimes you try to work with the footage you have and hope the ending isn't given away instead of withholding information intentionally to keep that tension (Case in point 12:15, it's spoiled that he beat Zero and this is in hindsight, even though the montage is still running). I know you build the story better and use timing well, because you did it at several other points, notably 37:20 where the music drops to dramatically reveal both players did not perform to their standards. That was excellent and minimalist. Also I know you like the look of the interviewees nodding (E.G 44:32), I have to say, it's just a small thing but I think once or twice during an end sequence or the closing of a story is where it works best, and I do feel like you did it two or three times over the course of it. It doesn't work nearly as well, but works much better as a closing, just from a visual standpoint, it feels weird to see a slower nod, feels almost incomplete although we know it's not since the film is so carefully checked. Overall, excellent storytelling, great topic, wonderful interviews (good job getting Zero's coach on there), couple of shining bald spots but a great one nonetheless!

[@finallyjames]

Thanks for your thoughts! It's not like I really tried hard to time it with music... my editing just happens to flow with music I vibe with. Since this was just for fun, I could pick whatever music I liked. It's funny that you mention 37:20's music because that's the only track I didn't care for and deliberately had to line it up. As for 12:15, it wasn't a spoiler - it was a suggestion of what happens if you beat Zero at the time. it goes like "[if] you beat Zero, like automatically 3000 twitter followers, an ESPN article..." In reference to Nairo and the small handful of players who could take a set off of him around the time. It was talking about how beating Zero was a huge deal, not that he *actually* beats Zero ahead of time. I see how you could infer that it's spoilers, though. Yeah, i definitely ended up with an affinity for the nodding. 44:32 is the first one I did, actually, and i was like :O. From what I remember, I only did it twice? One at 44:32 and 47:22? But I see what you're saying, having them in such close proximity to each other kinda weakens it. Hmm... I prefer 44:32 but 47:22 does work better in the context of the overall piece. Thanks again for your review! It means a lot. It's my first long-form video and it's great to hear where I can sharpen it. Did you come from r/documentary?

[@TKanoWrites]

Actually came off from Twitter haha, but I'm a film major in Australia and we just finished our own documentary on non-smash related stuff. I can see most of what you're going for, and I only really say all this criticism because I know it can irk you if it any one part falls just a little short even if its just an inch. Still, great doco, and I can't wait to see more from you in the future.

[@finallyjames]

@@TKanoWrites damn, people are watching in Australia? ...that's wild. Thanks again. No worries about the criticism, I love seeing other perspectives

[@TKanoWrites]

I think most of us from the smash community out here will stumble across good media like this from twitter from vocal fans or top players sharing this stuff, if not in youtube reccomendeds

[@RandomDude647]

godlike video, loved all the different perspectives from the commentator and player interviews

[@anonymousjake]

RandomDude eddsworld profile pic?

[@LullabyOfChaos]

This was honestly so amazingly edited and put together, i loved this video. thanks for making this great video about our awesome community

[@StrawbsOfficial]

Very well made, very enjoyable. Thank you for this.

[@TJames3]

This was such an amazing video. Incredibly well done, very emotional, and my attention was hooked the whole time. I'm happy that I was able to be at Smash n Splash 3 to witness one of the best sets this game had to offer (you can actually see me at 46:23 in the green shirt in the bottom-right lol), and you definitely captured the excitement and thrill of the event. I can't wait to see what projects you put together in the future. Keep up the great work!

[@skippzz]

Farewell ally :(

[@pride_manuel7721]

And Zero

[@jensmitdembenz2036]

Best video I've ever seen

[@DxF_]

Jens mitdemBenz i agree

[@FirePuff12]

Zero, that ending left me speechless... Great documentary!!!

[@bird5887]

That was awesome, what a great tribute!

[@Gamesforus1]

Smash documentarys are the best documentarys.

[@engiessb]

I mean it's true. No other rivalry in Smash 4 can beat this. Just wished that Ally today would play the way he's been doing during that life span. Sad to see him go down so much in the rankings.

[@lordkappa6324]

I feel like more then half of it was lack of motivation once ZeRo retired, & the other bit due to the meta shift changing towards bayo

[@rohanix8953]

This is edited so beautifully holy shit

[@VaguePS25]

So many chills, this video is amazing thank you

[@erikv5654]

Amazing job with the video, it was definitely one of the best ive seen with all the editing, music and interviews. Loved it

[@PBCollects]

The melee documentary's worthy successor.

[@anuraagkumar978]

I just want to say, no one saw the ally drama coming.

[@gaiusgrdn]

Great doc, amazing production values. Very professional

[@junehaps]

This is wonderfully edited and well put together. Usually I zone out during long videos but this was great.

[@kaiserphoenix2038]

Love the use of the DB Kai music. Good stuff!

[@finallyjames]

Song is sick. Took forever to get a high quality rip but i'm soooooooo happy it happened. respect to Vikoto

[@FadedQuartz]

This is so good, thank you for doing such a quality video on it

[@ceptra2971]

Great video :)

[@R-A--sc8vl]

This video was a real eyeopener, didn't know how impactful their rivalry was until watching this, and i feel a little dumb not realizing how big this actually was until Civil War. This brought back a lot of good memories and good sets. I can only hope that Smash Ultimate changes ZeRos mind about retiring

[@yuhaye6978]

i can tell this is gonna be lit from the twitter clip

[@Energyswordsunday]

This is an amazing documentary!

[@NonJohns]

Damn I'm not even halfway but that goml final was hype Good editing yo

[@moreOddThanNess]

Awesome docu, see you all in Smash Ultimate with more storylines to make.

[@bunabobby]

wait why doesn’t his have more views? this is spectacular!

[@israelquintanar]

Such a well documented video! Definitely will watch any more rivalries documentaries. Personal request would be Ken vs the melee community

[@battom9290]

really good content, very entertaining good job dude!

[@lucascisneros8147]

Amazing video dude!

[@NowhereMan789]

very nice documentary. It feels like any smasher who's been on Cloud 9 has a "whatever happens" attitude which is kind of funny

[@peashooter6628]

I'm sorry, but the comback at the big house 6 crew battle against Zero is the greatest in Smash 4 history. Taking 3 stocks of the best player in the world with 1 stock last hit percentage is insane! Especially Zero. I can't wait to see all the new rivalries and epic moments in Ultimate too!

[@IfritFGC]

Awesome documentary.

[@thethelad9304]

fantastic.

[@drkill999]

To be honest I follow the fighting game scene in general but I dont particularly follow smash but this documentary in how its put togather it's just so good. I think you should get more credit as you got me invested for an hour where I felt like I was in a different world.

[@Mattaroni]

"I just want everyone to enjoy themselves, you know? The reason I say that is because life is so short, right? I'm the type of person that's seen a lot of death, right? I've seen people die. I've had close people to me die. I've had family members die, you know? So it's like, I've seen people that I love, and they're gone, you know? So, whatever I wanted to say to them, I cannot say it. So, I think I just want to give a small reminder that, like, sometimes life may be longer or shorter than we expected. Life is very unfair. You're going to be dealt a hand that you may like, you may not like. People don't know what you had. People have no idea how you're even going to play it, but I want you to try. I want you to try to make a conscious effort to try to make the best play that you can make, with whatever tools you have at the moment. Don't try to look at the other player's hand, because you don't know what they are. They may look better. They may look worse. Life is very miserable if you constantly compare yourself to someone else. But at the end of the day, you have your hand and you know what it is. So, try to make of it the best way that you can. And I feel like if everyone had that mindset, I feel like a lot of things would be better in life. I want you to try. I don't want you to give up." - Gonzalo Barrios Well said, 100%. I couldn't agree more. Amazing documentary as well.

[@enosetc]

just wanted to extend my congratulations once more. i'm sure we'll be seeing more of your content very soon :)

[@finallyjames]

D: next project needs the brinks truck

[@iSplashy]

Very good documentary, 10/10 :D