Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Zuko VS Dinobot | DEATH BATTLE! Prediction Blog


    Some people are born villainous. Some people are forced into it. Others fit both descriptions. Some stay evil for their entire lives, but others are able to see that they’re fighting for the wrong side. Whether they were treated like total garbage or they felt their commander was a total buffoon, they’re able to see the error of their ways and fight for what’s ultimately right. Many characters in fiction are able to do this, but very few are quite like these two. 

    Zuko, prince of the Fire Nation from Avatar. Dinobot, the Predacon-turned-Maximal in the Beast Wars. Both once served overlords hell bent on conquest, but for one reason or another, betrayed their leaders and ended up working with heroic groups, and with the power of honor on their side, now they must determine who’s the best between them. In a battle of Man VS Machine, will the firebender make Dinobot go out in a torrent of flames, or will the Maximal give Zuko a warrior’s death? 

Background 


    Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived in peace and harmony, with some being able to bend the elements to their will. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. They declared war on the other nations in the hopes of ruling the world. Driven by the current Fire Lord, Ozai, the Fire Nation sought to destroy all who opposed their goals of world domination, even if it happens to be their own men. One such man who defied was the heir to the throne and Ozai’s eldest son, Prince Zuko. During a Fire Nation meeting, Zuko spoke out of turn, and was promptly scolded by his father for doing so. As a result, Zuko was forced into Agni Kai, an honorable duel between firebenders. To Zuko’s surprise and horror, his opponent was his own father. Despite his son’s refusal to fight, Ozai went on the attack, burning the left side of Zuko’s face, permanently scarring him. 

    Zuko’s relationship with his father defined his childhood. Ozai’s mentality was that while Zuko’s sister, Azula, was born lucky, Zuko was lucky to be born. This favor towards Azula meant that Zuko couldn’t live a normal family life. The only love or compassion Zuko ever got was from his mother, but she disappeared when he was very young. Thankfully, he wouldn’t be alone for long, as Zuko would end up being accompanied by his uncle, Iroh. Unfortunately, Zuko ended up getting banished from the Fire Nation. To remedy this, Zuko set out on a quest to find and capture the Avatar, the only threat to the Fire Nation. Zuko hoped that capturing the Avatar would restore his honor and his rightful place at the throne.

    While Zuko’s obsession with capturing the Avatar would lead him down the path of villainy, Iroh’s teachings and guidance slowly but surely healed Zuko’s inner wounds. Throughout his journey, Zuko traveled around the world, and in doing so, he saw the wrongdoings of not only his father, but the Fire Nation as a whole. It was learning all of this that let Zuko finally see that his destiny was not to capture the Avatar, Aang, but join him and help him defeat his father. Despite a difficult and lengthy trial of trust, Aang and his friends eventually did come around to trusting and forgiving him, fully allowing Zuko to join the team and teach Aang the ways of firebending.

    Zuko’s teachings ended up being crucial to Aang’s success in the war against Ozai, as it led to Aang finally mastering all four elements needed to defeat him, leaving the succession of Fire Lord to fall to the former prince. Peace had been restored thanks to Zuko’s rule and friendship with Aang, and he used what he’s learned from the Avatar, Iroh, and many others to undo the carnage his father left behind. Eventually, he succeeded and became a trustworthy and valued leader, bringing the Fire Nation to its once peaceful glory, until he eventually passed down the Fire Lord title to his daughter, Izumi.

Dinobot


    Centuries after the Great War between the Autobots and Decepticons, the Autobots’ descendants, the Maximals, ruled the planet of Cybertron. However, the Decepticons’ descendants, the Predacons, weren’t too happy about that, so their leader, Megatron(not the G1 Megs) stole a legendary artifact called the Golden Disc, and along with 5 other Predacons rocketed off of Cybertron in search for Energon, hoping to find enough to conquer the galaxy. These five included Megatron’s first lieutenant Scorponok, the scientist Tarantulas, the ambitious and treacherous Terrorsaur, the laughing stock Waspinator, and our Bot-of-the-Day, the honorable warrior, Dinobot. After a space dogfight with the Maximals, both sides were sent through a trans-warp drive, capable of sending them through space and time. They ended up crashing on a then-unknown planet, when they were supposed to crash on Earth.

    Fortunately for the Preds, this planet was rich with Energon, but it was filled with too much of the element. Too much exposure and they’d short out. To avoid this, both sides took the form of the beasts, alive or fossilized, that inhabited the planet. Dinobot, however, wasn’t too thrilled about failing to destroy the Maximals and being led to the wrong planet, and chastised Megatron about it. It was here that Dinobot had enough of Megatron’s command and challenged him to a battle to see who should lead the Predacons. The winner leads, the loser dies. Unfortunately for him, Megatron proved there’s more to being a leader than just courage, such as cleverness and cunning, and had Scorponok send him rocketing away.

    A little while afterwards, humiliated and angry, but humbled, Dinobot encounters the Maximals and challenges their leader, Optimus Primal, to the same duel he challenged to Megatron earlier, with the same circumstances. While the duel ended in a stalemate, no thanks to the Predacons’ intervention, Optimus welcomed Dinobot aboard the Maximal army. While his knowledge of the Predacons was very reliable, and his skills as a fighter admirable, it took Dinobot a long time to get along with the Maximals, constantly wanting to use his Predacon instincts to win, and even challenging Optimus’ command. But eventually, Dinobot’s strict code of honor and willingness to do what’s right did have the Maximals come around and begin to trust him.

    However, Dinobot eventually learned that the planet they crashed on was Earth after all, just millions of years in the past. Learning that Megatron was right all along, and that the Golden Disks(yes, there’s more than one, long story) foretell the future, Dinobot began to question his purpose in life, and eventually joined back with the Predacons, albeit very briefly. This led to the Maximals losing their faith in him and questioning his loyalty once again. But Dinobot persisted, and fought alongside them until the end, where he sacrificed himself to save the prehistoric humans from extinction, heroically battling six Predacons and fending them off, but in the end, succumbing to his injuries and dying surrounded by the Maximals that regained their faith.

And then Megatron made a clone of him because he’s a jerk like that. 

Powers and Abilities 

Zuko 

Firebending 


    As someone born in the Fire Nation, Zuko can bend the element of fire to his will. While that is the case, there are some martial arts roots tied to it, such as the Dancing Dragon, which is what firebending originated from in the first place. Unlike other elements, fire can be manipulated without the use of a nearby source.

    With heavy, thorough movements, it only takes two steps for a firebender to let out a torrent of flame. Firebenders draw upon the Sun for power, and when it’s not available(such as during an eclipse), they’re completely helpless. However, if the sun is in full view, or something passes by it(a comet, for instance), their powers are replenished or even amplified.

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

Firebending Techniques 

Fireball 

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

Firestream 

    Another common ability for firebenders, they can shoot continuous streams of fire from their fingertips, fists, palms, or legs. This ability works like a flamethrower, and is what firebenders used to burn down other villages. 

Fireblocking 

    Used primarily for defense, this technique allows firebenders to block another firebender’s attacks. 

Fireshield 

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

Fire daggers 

    They’re daggers made of fire. If you expected anything differently, I don’t know what to tell you. 

Ring of Flame 

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

Fire whips 

    Once again, pretty self-explanatory, though interestingly enough, Zuko is skilled enough to match Katara using water versions of the same technique. 

Tornado of Flames

    It’s a tornado. And it’s made of fire. 

Firebomb 

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

Intertwined Fire Stream 

    A more advanced version of the basic fire stream, this technique uses two fire streams and intertwines them, increasing the firepower(pun entirely intended). 

Propulsion 

    Using a constant stream of fire, Zuko can pull an Iron Man and launch himself in the air. 

Lightning Redirection 

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

Fire Manipulation 

    While Zuko will often manipulate his own fire, he can manipulate fire that isn’t his own, such as simple campfires, in which he increased its intensity. 

Heat Manipulation 

    Zuko can manipulate the heat from his body to save himself from traps, such as when he manipulated the body heat in his own hands to make it hot enough to melt Ice. He can also warm himself to help him against the cold. 

Non-fire Techniques 

Swordsmanship 

    Zuko was trained by Swordsmaster Piandao. He uses two dao blades in order to overwhelm and overpower foes. This is also his main style of combat under his persona as the Blue Spirit. Using this skill, he was capable of infiltrating a Fire Nation base and taking out several Fire Nation Guards without the use of his firebending. He’s also defeated fellow swordsman Sokka, and dueled Jet to a draw. Sokka was trained by Zuko’s former mentor, and Jet is extremely skilled in using dual swords, making Zuko’s record extremely impressive considering this isn’t his main method of combat. 

Martial Arts Combat 

    As explained by the show’s creators - the fighting style of the Fire Nation is based around a Chinese Martial Art known as Northern Shaolin Kung Fu (though it does take some elements from other fighting styles such as Capeoria - see the above image). In terms of how Northern Shaolin Kung Fu functions, it has 10 different forms: 
  1. Open the Door – Kaimen 
  2. Lead the Way – Linglu 
  3. Mount the Horse – Zuoma 
  4. Pierce the Heart – Chuanxin 
  5. Martial Skill – Wuyi
  6. Close Combat – Duanda 
  7. Plum Blossom – Meihua 
  8. Uprooting Step – Babu
  9.  Chain of Rings – Lianhuan 
  10. Standard Form – Shifa 
    In a general sense, Northern Shaolin focuses on close range techniques and counter attacks - using a person’s own momentum and fighting style against them which embodies Zuko’s fight against General Zhao to a tee. 

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

Dinobot 

Cybertronian Physiology 

    Like his allies and enemies, Dinobot is a native of the planet Cybertron: a Transformer. Alternatively referred to as Cybertronians, they are a race of shapeshifting alien robots said to be created by Primus, a deity whose body makes up the core of Cybertron itself. Despite being purely mechanical beings, they are as sentient and alive as any other living being can be. Their colloquial name is a reference to their signature ability - one which allows them to scan nearly anything and transform into it. While they normally appear as humanoid robots about the size of a small building, their alternate forms allow them to take on the appearances of weapons, vehicles, animals and more, complete with whatever benefits such transformations can provide. 

    A Cybertronian’s ability to transform is tied to several features within their biology. The first is a transforming cog embedded in their minds, which gives them the mental capacity to activate their transformations consciously alongside their brain module. The second is the “living metal” that comprises their bodies, said to be made of the same substance that makes up Cybertron and by extension, Primus himself. Beneath their highly durable exteriors lies a Spark, their lifeforce and equivalent of a soul. While Cybertronians are capable of withstanding large amounts of damage directed at their body, they can only be considered truly dead if anything were to directly impact their Sparks or otherwise compromise their brain modules. This means that they can be blown apart, lose their heads, etc. As long as their Spark is online, they’ll survive. 

    For the most part, Cybertronians do not rely on breathing air or eating food to replenish themselves. They mainly subsist off Energon, a versatile energy source said to be the building blocks of their very bodies and Sparks and is more or less their own equivalent of food, electricity, blood, fuel, power, and in most cases, a currency for trading and ammunition for specific types of weapons. Almost any material can be processed and converted into Energon with the proper equipment, although its raw form is volatile and unstable; trying to handle it in such a state is dangerous as a stray impact is enough for it to violently explode. 

Transformation 
"Dinobot..Maximize!"

    After discovering the danger of the amount of Energon on the planet, the Maximals & Predacons were forced to create alternate forms based on the more powerful creatures on the planet. Dinobot took the form of a velociraptor. Velociraptors are carnivorous dinosaurs that attack with their claws, teeth, and tail, and can run at over 40 mph. 

    Initially, Dinobot would only be in this form when out of combat and out of the Maximal base, and would rely on his robot mode for combat. While he still mostly relies on his robot mode, he has learned to fight with beast instincts in mind. 

Equipment 

Zuko 

Shuangdao 

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

Dinobot 

Energo-drill Sword 

    Dinobot’s primary method of melee combat. This sword doesn’t quite work like an ordinary blade. This sword is connected in a way to be able to spin like a drill, making it more of a stabbing and grinding weapon than a slicing weapon. 

Cyber-slash Tail Weapon 

    When in Robot Mode, Dinobot’s velociraptor tail becomes a spinning shield. This can be used for a kind of grinding weapon, and can reflect projectiles. 

Eye lasers 

    Dinobot’s only method of ranged combat, these lasers can be rapid-fired, or fired like beams that can travel at insane speeds, knock foes out in a single blast, or send them flying a good distance away. 

Feats 

Zuko 

Overall 


Durability 

Overall 

Speed 

Weaknesses

Zuko 

    Most of the weaknesses Zuko possesses can be attributed to Firebenders as a whole. Firstly, a common misconception is that they’re immune to fire, but if that were the case, then Zuko wouldn’t have the scar in the first place. Also, areas that are extremely cold or have a heavy presence of elements that counter fire(such as a heavy rain storm) will reduce his ability to bend fire, and losing confidence in himself will also take a toll on his firepower. 

    Not to mention, firebending is mostly an offensive fighting style, due to its aggressive nature. This makes it pretty lacking when it comes to shielding or defensive options, making the user run out of energy and leaving them vulnerable, which doesn’t bode well in a prolonged battle. Lastly, while he’s grown out of this in his adult days in Korra, Zuko was pretty impulsive and reckless during his youthful days. This led to him becoming vulnerable to his opponents, often leading to him needing help from either Aang, Iroh, or the rest of Team Avatar. 

Dinobot 

    Given the amount of Energon that was on the planet the Maximals & Predacons crashed on, their robot modes couldn’t handle it. If in robot mode for too long, they will start to overload and will have to revert back to beast mode or they will either go into Stasis Lock, basically a coma, or die, but a Quantum Surge that passed by the planet stabilized the Energon, allowing Dinobot and the others to be in Robot Mode for as long as they want. He’s also not the greatest when it comes to strategy, often preferring to rush in guns blazing, stopped only by Optimus talking some sense into him. 

    Dinobot himself has a very strict code of honor. An admirable trait, but it does mean that he’ll try to save opponents from dying from incidents such as slipping. This honor is also what led to Dinobot’s ultimate demise, sacrificing himself to save what would be mankind. 

Summary
 
Zuko 


Advantages: 
  • Speedblitzes…. 
  • More versatile in his techniques 
  • Likely the better fighter overall 
  • Could probably take on Dinobot’s Beast Mode 
  • Two swords is better than one 
  • Dante Basco 
Disadvantages: 
  • ….but gets wrecked physically every other way 
  • Less experience 
  • Less range, despite the more ranged options 
Dinobot



Advantages: 
  • Statstomps in almost every way… 
  • Far more experienced 
  • More than twice as big 
  • Better range thanks to eye beams 
  • Pulled a Zuko before Zuko pulled a Zuko 
  • Scott McNiel 
Disadvantages: 
  • ...except for speed, where he gets speedblitzed 
  • Not nearly as versatile 
  • Likely the less skilled fighter 

Verdict 

    Before we get started, I want to say that researching for this blog was a blast. Both Avatar and Beast Wars are fantastic shows, and both Zuko and Dinobot are my favorite characters of said shows. Both started as villains, or in Dinobot’s case, a villain that after two episodes tries to be a hero, with both of them truly proving their honorable and heroic sides by the end, Zuko teaming up with Team Avatar to defeat his father Ozai by the end of Avatar, and Dinobot sacrificing himself to save the prehistoric humans and making sure the future is fixed halfway through Beast Wars. I loved seeing their turn, and the events outside of that were also really fun. Sure, Beast Wars has aged like milk in its animation, but its writing, plot, and voice acting picks up the slack in my opinion. With that said, let’s dive into this. 

    When it comes to power and durability, Toph’s feat of keeping Wan Shi Tong’s Library from sinking is in the Multi-City Block Level range, and since Zuko has kept up with stronger members of Team Avatar like Aang, who has the 1.2 kiloton feat listed, has tanked hits from Toph, and has even burned her before, he should easily be comparable. That’s impressive, but Rampage’s feat of destroying a mountain is more than 500 times more powerful, and Dinobot has not only tanked hits from him, but much earlier, survived an explosion that very likely is around Multi-Continent Level. Clearly, Dinobot is strong enough to one-shot Zuko and is durable enough to survive anything thrown at him.

    Despite that, the speed edge is in the opposite favor. No one in Beast Wars has shown lightning timing speeds. The closest there was is Airazor flying fast enough to create a sonic boom, but not only does Dinobot not scale to that, but it’s snail’s pace compared to Zuko reacting to not only Ozai’s lightning, but also Azula’s, the former got calced to Mach 756.94, and the latter got calced to Mach 299. So while Zuko may not have the power to damage Dinobot, he has the speed to avoid anything the former Predacon could dish out. 

    Getting into more secondary advantages, Dinobot is lacking in the versatility department compared to the several firebending techniques Zuko can do, but his centuries of experience can compensate. Zuko may be an experienced and skilled fighter, but he’s not competing with Dinobot’s experience. Zuko may have more ranged options, but Dinobot’s one ranged option has much better range than what Zuko’s got. 

    Now, if this were Season 1 Dinobot, Zuko’s much greater speed would definitely be more helpful, as Dinobot can’t be in Robot Mode for a long period of time, but as I noted before, the Energon that causes Stasis Lock was stabilized by a quantum surge, so Dinobot could be in Robot Mode for as long as necessary. I do think Zuko could handle Dinobot’s Beast Mode, but he prioritizes his Robot Mode during combat. With that said, I just think Dinobot will be able to last longer in a fight, especially since firebending partly depends on steady breathing, which I don’t think Zuko will be able to keep up if he’s constantly avoiding attacks from a robot more than twice his size, so I think that eventually, Zuko’s going to tucker out and leave himself open for an attack, and as I’ve said, one hit from Dinobot is enough to take Zuko out for good. 

    Zuko may be an excellent fighter and the Fire Lord for a very good reason, but the Maximal has the power, durability, and experience to give Zuko a warrior’s death. Zuko’s victory went up in flames, but at least his death was worthy of the Code of Hero. 

The Winner is Dinobot



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