Sailors and Dragons

The Legacy Anime Rivalry of the 90s

So I’ve been a Death Battle fan since the ScrewAttack days from the very beginning, watched every episode and make my own thumbnails from time to time. So many fictional characters I like have been on the show, so I have a very small list of characters I’d like to come back or debut on the show like Captain Underpants, Banjo-Kazooie and Metal Sonic. The biggest and most obvious choices from that list are easily Goku and Sailor Moon, who are the focus of this blog.

I’ve stated plenty of times that this is my remaining most wanted matchup, I would say I’m the biggest supporter of this matchup. But then I asked myself why do I do so much for this matchup? Well I’m gonna explain my personal history on this matchup and how it’s changed over the years.

And why the obvious choice is sometimes the best.

Let’s start with the fact that I first saw both Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon on Toonami. Like many kids at the time, Toonami is the reason why I got into these two shows and anime in general. Obviously both shows had very different audiences, not many watched and enjoyed both like I did. Even back then there were debates on whether or not Goku or Sailor Moon would win in a fight. Now as a kid I thought it was an obvious answer, of course the big, strong guy beats the lanky teenage girl, what kind of stupid question is that? And that was pretty much the end of that.

But wait! Don't change that channel!

As the years went on Dragon Ball continued to be a significant part of my life, meanwhile Sailor Moon eventually faded into the background for me until my college years. I started to find Youtube videos of clips of the anime that I’d never seen, turns out it was the final season of the anime that didn’t originally release back then. And when I bought the Kodansha version of the Sailor Moon manga it reignited my passion for the series again. But it wasn’t until I started to see people on the internet doing research on the manga that I personally started to take a look at the series in a different way. To say I was shocked at how powerful she was is an understatement, it completely changed how I looked at both Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon. These days I’ve stayed invested in both series, with the Sailor Moon movies and Dragon Ball’s 40th Anniversary projects giving me plenty of content to keep me satisfied.

So the question is why do I think this matchup is still worth it? The most obvious answer is the legacy Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon, alongside Pokemon, created coming to the west and making a generation of kids become anime fans. Not to mention both are still among the most popular and beloved anime in the entire world, so getting people to see a Death Battle episode pitting the two iconic protagonists would be an easy sell. The other thing is that it’s still very intensely debating today. There were so many reddit threads last year just based on this matchup alone, I honestly can’t find another matchup that had countless threads of fans trying to figure out who wins. Speaking of the fans, holy shit do the fans of these two HATE each other. For as legendary as these two are, the fanbases absolutely despise one another and I’m sure it’s been like this since the 90s, well the fans that care about the debate aspect anyway. Given that I watched both I was shocked to find how fans just always go at each other, it’s actually crazy. Also it's probably the biggest Boy Vs Girl debate out there, and considering how much I despise the Battle of the Sexes trope, that shows how much I like this matchup.

Straight Outta Manga

So in conclusion, this is a matchup that’s been a long time coming with literal decades of debates under its belt. If you thought Ash Vs Yugi did so well, just imagine how this would do. As for who wins? Well time changes a man, and while I thought Goku kicked her ass years ago as a child, nowadays I’m pretty confident in saying Sailor Moon wins this. And also like Ash Vs Yugi, it’s one hell of a love letter to us 90s kids. And also I just want Goku to stop fighting Superman, you’ve been through this three times Goku! It’s okay to fight somebody else!

Top 10 Royal Rumble Matches

For a wrestling fan, January is basically a second Christmas due to one thing getting us excited, the Royal Rumble. For those that don’t know, every January an event called the Royal Rumble happens, specifically the match where thirty men fight to throw each other over the top rope to eliminate each other. The last man standing wins a championship match at WrestleMania. It’s the most wonderful time of the year for wrestling fans, you never know who’ll show up to the Rumble. The last few days I watched every single Royal Rumble match while preparing for this year’s match to see what I believe to be the very best of the battle royale. Before I do my Top 10, I want to start with some honorable and dishonorable mentions that I’d like to point out. So with that in mind, let’s get this started.

Honorable and Dishonorable Mentions

The Worst of the Worst: 1994, 2015, 2022, etc.

Yeah let’s get these out the way, these matches SUCK, 1994 I consider to be the very worst due to the lack of talent because of the steroid scandal at the time, the shitty ending doesn’t help. 2015 has Roman Reigns winning while spitting in the faces of Daniel Bryan and the fans, 2022 was the Bork Lesnor show, and others like 2011 were just painfully boring.

Rise of the Women’s Division

I think since they started, the Women’s Rumble matches have been consistently good, far from perfect, but I’ve yet to see a bad match. The Women’s division has evolved so far from the days of the Divas and the Royal Rumble has definitely helped with that.

Didn’t Crack the Top 10

I wanna briefly talk about the matches that didn’t reach my Top 10. 2010, 2012, and 2013 were fun, 1997 and 1998 were very action packed, and 2020 was hilariously structured and ended up being great.

Reign of the 00s

One last thing, you'll notice this list is mainly made of the 00 Royal Rumble matches, that's because I consider them to be the best in overall quality and have the best, pacing, action, and comedy.

10. Royal Rumble 2003

We start with a goodie, from the beginning to the end this match was very action packed, HBK getting screwed by Y2J only to come back and screw him, this would eventually lead to their excellent WrestleMania 19 matchup. I do have to point out the botch that led to Christopher Nowinski’s career being stopped due to CTE, even though it possibly helped advance CTE research considerably. Points to John Cena wearing the classic Astros jersey, but it’s weird seeing him in jeans lol. But of course we can’t talk about 2003 without mentioning Brock Lesnar and him clearing the ring and eventually winning. This is obviously his best win since he was so damn dominant around this time and being pushed to be the next big thing.

9. Royal Rumble 2004

Ah yes, the “forgotten” Royal Rumble because of [Redacted] winning it, it’s best if you google why this match is forgotten because it’s likely to never be uploaded on YouTube. Which is a damn shame because I really enjoyed the match overall, hell even before the match begins we have a hilarious segment between Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman ending with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin stunning them both. Mick Foley coming to fight a young Randy Orton was a huge highlight, Cena, RVD, Goldberg, a hell of a stacked Rumble. It’s just a shame this match will most likely stay on Dailymotion because of the winner of the match.

8. Royal Rumble 2006

Rey Mysterio’s ultimate gauntlet had the luchador fight in the match for over an hour before ultimately winning. This Rumble will always be bittersweet due to the passing of Eddie Guerrero, I honestly thought nostalgia would have ruined this match for me, but rewatching it again it’s a very solid Royal Rumble match. One of the funniest parts was some wrestlers coming in to fight Triple H, as if all the bad shit he’s done to them is coming back to haunt him. This also has the great moment of Shelton Benjamin being eliminated by Shawn Michaels, which would happen again two more times in the next two years. This is one of those Rumble matches where the first two entrants pretty much last to the end of the match, just something I thought I point out. Also, bonus points to the stage set, my inner drama kid geeks out at it.

7. Royal Rumble 2005

Another very solid Rumble match, we’ll ignore the hazing that happened early on in the match, even if it is kinda funny. Hell of a star studded match, Guerrero, Booker T, Edge, Cena, Batista, Jericho, etc. Everybody ganging up on Muhammed Hassan was so bad but I laugh at it every time it happens, who thought THAT was a good idea? Simon Dean doing workouts outside the ring for no reason other than being a workout nut is hilarious, and Paul London having arguably the greatest elimination of any entrant. Obviously the big thing is the botched ending with Cena and Batista, leading to Vinnie Mac coming to the ring like an angry gorilla, only to somehow blow both his quads. It’ll never not be funny watching him try to stand only to flop on his ass like a grumpy grandpa. Given 2005 was the rise of Cena and Batista, it makes sense they would be the final two.

6. Royal Rumble 2007

I give this one bonus points for having a fantastic promo package that I keep rewatching every time I rewatch this Royal Rumble. I see people bash this one but I found it very consistent overall, good action like Kane sending Sabu through a table and Sandman going nuts with the kendo stick. But I truly think the match picks up once Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker show up, and of course we end it with the greatest final two in the history of the Royal Rumble. At this point both have become legends but this was the first time in years these two faced off one on one, and a preview to their legendary WrestleMania matches. This was also the very first time #30 won the Royal Rumble, and of course The Undertaker would add a Royal Rumble win to his legendary list of accomplishments.

5. Royal Rumble 2008

The Royal Rumble and Madison Square Garden is like mixing peanut butter and chocolate, it just works and Royal Rumble 2008 is no exception. Starting with Undertaker and Shawn Michaels is always a good choice, and having Snuka and Roddy Piper for nostalgia is a bit awkward, but worth it to see CM Punk seeing legends like he just won the lottery. But come on, we know why this Royal Rumble stands out, and it’s John Cena coming back months before he was supposed to and winning the match. I don’t think people truly understand how impossible it is to come back from a torn pectoral muscle in less than four months, that does not happen! It’s still the gold standard for Royal Rumble returns because NOBODY saw this coming.

4. Royal Rumble 1992

For years I’ve heard about how legendary this Royal Rumble match was, I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to expectations. I’m pleased to say that not only did it live up to expectations, it’s an exceptional Royal Rumble. Let’s look at some of the people in this match shall we? Hulk Hogan, Ted DiBiase, Undertaker, British Bulldog, Shawn Michaels, Texas Tornado, Big Boss Man, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Sgt. Slaughter, Sid Justice, and plenty more. And of course, Ric Flair going the distance, pretty much getting bullied the whole match to win the WWF Championship. Plus Bobby “The Brain” Heenan’s commentary is just gold.

3. Royal Rumble 2002

What a fantastic Royal Rumble, this really had it all and more. A stacked roster utilized extremely well, starts out a little slow but picks up fast, especially when Undertaker enters and cleans house, Of course we gotta talk about Maven eliminating Undertaker, such a legendary moment coming out of nowhere, it is actually perfect since no one expected Maven to do anything, then BOOM, history made. ‘Taker’s face also sells it, of course Maven paid for it dearly being a rookie. But the Rumble keeps going with a great roster, and picks up as the likes of Stone Cold, Kurt Angle, and especially Triple H eventually enter. Triple H in 2002 is nothing short of legendary due to his return from injury, and his win in 2002 is one of his greatest moments. Bonus points to The Hurricane trying to double-chokeslam both Austin and Triple H.

2. Royal Rumble 2000

Talk about a legendary roster in the heart of the Attitude Era, you know it’s legendary when Rikishi, Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay have the crowd on their feet clapping and cheering. Others include British Bulldog, Edge, Chyna, Big Show, Hardcore Holly, Big Boss Man, Jericho, Test, and a surprise Bob Backlund of all people. But this is 2000, and who was the most over wrestler that year? The Rock, and 2000 was The Rock at his peak, including a legendary win at the Royal Rumble.

1. Royal Rumble 2001

It’s very fitting that my number one pick is not only the peak of the Royal Rumble, but 2001 being the year wrestling peaked in general. Everything you want in a Royal Rumble is here, great action, hilarious comedy, great spots, and a legendary win. Starting with the Hardy Boyz is a good start, but then having Drew Carey? I don’t remember him being this over with people at the time, and being the smartest man when Kane enters and eliminates himself. And the comedy continues when Kane tells Honky Tonk Man how he feels about his music. Speaking of Kane, his legendary performance is one for the ages, eliminating eleven people and just being a dominant force of nature. A legendary Royal Rumble like this can only end with the biggest superstar in the history of the company winning, not only did Stone Cold win, he is still the only person to win three Royal Rumble matches, solidifying his place among the greatest in the business, and capping off the greatest Royal Rumble ever.

Sailor Moon General Thoughts

It’s been a while since I made one of these, last time it was talking about my favorite romantic couples and that was fun. So I figured I would go back to Sailor Moon, but this time just put out my opinions on the series in general.

First I want to talk about the 90’s anime which I’m the most familiar with when it comes to this series. It’s without a doubt my favorite thing about the Sailor Moon series, and a big part of who I am today. It’s considered a classic for a reason and still very watchable today, and no you shouldn’t skip any of the filler, that’s the heart and soul of the anime. I don’t do that sub vs dub crap so any way to watch it is fine by me, but I prefer the Dic dub because I grew up with it (Let us have an official Dic/Cloverway physical copy dammit!). All the girls are great, that theme song is iconic, the action is cool, it’s still a gorgeous looking anime, seriously google the backgrounds and scenery they can’t be beat. Not to mention the show is still being referenced to this day due to its iconic transformation sequences. If you’re an anime or magical girl fan, you owe it to yourself to watch this to see why it’s become so iconic.

The next thing I want to talk about is the manga, which I have some history with. You see, as a kid I couldn’t get into the manga, the art threw me for a loop and stayed away from it. I couldn’t tell you why the art was the reason I didn’t read it, it was just me being a weird kid. Flash forward to today and not only do I love the art of the manga but I enjoy the darker tone with the manga being a cosmic horror story with romance. If the anime is more Super Sentai, then the manga is more Kamen Rider by comparison, I think it’s a matter of which do you like more.

Finally we get to Sailor Moon Crystal, easily the most divisive piece of Sailor Moon media in my opinion. I for one never hated the show, I hated how Toei handled it in the beginning (Same with Dragon Ball Super around the same time), the poor animation and bi-weekly schedule was not cutting it, and it left a bitter taste in many fans mouths. I kinda like the art style of the first two seasons, as it’s the most faithful to the manga, though I don’t know if it translates well to anime. Fortunately Crystal would get better with season three and the Eternal and Cosmos movies, not gonna lie I was worried with how Crystal started we wouldn’t see it finished but I’m glad the production team powered through it. Overall I approve of this adaptation of the manga.

Now I know there’s more Sailor Moon stuff out there, but I unfortunately haven’t seen the other stuff so I’ll just briefly talk about them here. The musicals I hear are pretty good, and there’s so many and they’re still going. Many fans proclaim that the live action show is arguably the best thing to come from the series, which also proves Sailor Moon can do live action stuff. And I’ve never played any of the games, whether they be the Game Boy or Super Nintendo games, maybe a new Sailor Moon game could fix that? Or a Sailor V adaptation? One can only hope, and hopefully good things are in store for the series going forward.

Toxic Battle

Over the course of the Christmas holiday I learned in the Death Battle subreddit that Devil Artemis was going to stop making animations for Death Battle due to how the community was harassing him and bashing his work. If you want to know Devil Artemis’s explanation I’ll provide the link here. And also every image in this blog is credited to Devil Artemis.

Omni-Man Vs Bardock

What the fuck is wrong with the fans? This shit is exactly why I put the Vs Community in the same boat as the Fighting Game Community, absolute trash 99% of the time unless you’re debating with friends. For those that don’t know, fans have been bashing Devil Artemis for his work on recent Death Battle episodes, most notably Omni-Man Vs Bardock and Kratos Vs Asura. So much unnecessary bashing for an animator that busted his ass to give you the fucking matchups you wanted.

Kratos Vs Asura

You know what the problem is? People nowadays just don’t know how to give constructive criticism without being an asshole. It's fine to not like something and give honest constructive criticism, but don’t harass the people who made it. After what Death Battle has gone through since Rooster Teeth went under and the success of the Kickstarter, nobody in this community should be biting the hands that fed them, fuck everyone who was responsible for this.

Hulk Vs Godzilla

“But I paid money for the Kickstarter! I can say whatever I want” Whoopdie fucking doo, that was your choice! You choose to give them money so they could keep making episodes, it does not give you the right to be a fucking asshole to the people behind the show, get the fuck over yourselves.

Master Chief Vs Doom Slayer

Vs Debating is a hobby that is biased and subjective by nature, but it is also fun and it should be that way. Never forget that this is supposed to be fun, because when you lose sight of that, this bullshit happens. And for God’s sake, stop treating Death Battle as holy scripture when it comes to this hobby, as if they’re the ultimate law in Vs Debating. I wish Devil Artemis the best going forward because he didn’t deserve this. And remember, harassing the crew is the number one way to NOT get the matchup that you want, think about THAT the next time you decide to be an asshole to the people making the show.

My Favorite Fictional Romantic Couples

I'm a sucker for a good romance story and I wanted to take some time to talk about some of my favorite couples in fiction.

Scott Pilgrim/Ramona Flowers

A very recent couple I’ve really come to like when it comes to my favorite couples in fiction, Scott and Ramona are one of the most grounded couples here as they are pretty flawed people. What makes them a great couple is how they overcome their flaws and learn to be better people by dealing with Ramona’s 7 Evil Ex’s in animated ways. In my opinion the game handles it well with the true ending having Ramona basically accept Nega Scott and Scott’s flaws therefore the two making each other better for it.

Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell

Probably the most realistic couple here, a great case of childhood friends becoming a great couple. You have Ed, joining the military to fix his and his brother Alphonse’s bodies, and you have Winry, a girl who has every right to avoid the military given what happens to her parents. Despite this being something that could easily create a rift between them, both Ed and Winry have great character arcs that not only make them great characters, but ends up paying off for their relationship in one of the best endings to any anime in my opinion.

Inuyasha/Kagome Higurashi

Who knew that a girl from the future would fall for a half demon/human boy from Feudal Japan? It’s definitely one of the more unique pairings for sure, it really helps that they’re involved in what I think is the best love triangle ever. And it’s a great love triangle because you feel sympathy for everyone involved, especially Kikyo who is easily the most tragic character in the series. You see the love blossom between Inuyasha and Kagome as the series goes on, both learning to deal with the other and growing side by side while making each other better in the long run.

Belle/Beast

When I think of classic romance this is the couple I think of. Pretty much the embodiment of Disney romance in all the best ways in what I argue is still Disney’s very best movie, it is the quintessential fairy tale romance to me. The girl who wants more in life and the beast who believes he can’t be loved, Disney truly was firing on all cylinders when they made this classic. I guess the only thing I could say would be Belle could have been more involved in the action, but given that it’s about the beast learning to love it makes sense that it’s him who takes charge.

Aladdin/Jasmine

If Belle and Beast are the ultimate classic couple then these two are a big subversion to Disney couples. Aladdin being the loveable street rat with a heart of gold that wants to be more than just a street rat, who tricks and lies to get what he wants at first but we’re not talking about that, and Jasmine being the princess that wants to take control of her life was something that was very refreshing back then. I love that Jasmine does not take Aladdin’s shit, figuring him out pretty quickly to hilarious effect. I can’t talk about these two without mentioning Genie, who not only steals the show but helps Aladdin come to terms with who he is and not be ashamed of it to show his love to Jasmine.

Rapunzel/Eugene Fitzherbert

The modern day version of Aladdin and Jasmine, I really enjoy these two as much as I do Aladdin and Jasmine. Rapunzel and Eugene are more active comedic and action wise, plus having a movie and a show helps out. Like Jasmine, Rapunzel sees Eugene for who he is instead of his Flynn Rider persona, and Eugene having some of the most character for a Disney love interest. Plus Eugene having Maximus as a frienemy is just all sorts of hilarious.

Usagi Tsukino/Mamoru Chiba

I couldn’t finish this without talking about what has become my favorite couple and love story in fiction. And I’m strictly speaking about the manga version as the anime hilariously made Mamoru look foolish. A love that transcends time and space, essentially spanning three lifetimes, the story of Usagi and Mamoru has everything you’d want in a great love story. From the tragedy of the star crossed lovers Serenity and Endymion to their modern day reincarnations in Usagi and Mamoru to their future counterparts in Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion, these two go through hell from beginning to end. And while some people will say that their relationship seems cheap because of destiny or fate and it’s predetermined, they both go through absolute hell, especially Usagi with her watching him be brainwashed and killed multiple times, to be together. It’s also one of the few times we see a fictional couple actually go through a marriage ceremony. And it’s why seeing them get married is the best ending to the greatest love story ever told, overcoming time, space, and all manners of evil thrown their way.