Kabal Vs Kuro

Kabal of the Black Dragon takes on Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates in this battle of speed and steel. Which blitzing swordsman will come out on top?

Intro
Wiz: Looks can be deceiving. These two individuals may not look like it, but they are both incredibly fierce combatants not to be underestimated.

Boomstick: And ironically, they could each kill you dozens of times over before you even got the chance to look at them.

Wiz: We're talking about Kabal, Black Dragon enforcer and one of Earthrealm's chosen saviours.

'''And Kuro of a Thousand Plans, captain of the Black Cat Pirates. He's Wiz, and I'm Boomstick'''

Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armour and skill, in order to find out who would win... a Death Battle

Kabal
Wiz: Within the realms bound by mortal kombat, there are few criminal organizations as feared as the one known as the Black Dragon.

'''Boomstick: Except the Red Dragon, but nobody gives a shit about them. The Blacks came first, and have the better characters. I’d take Kano over Hsu Hao any day.'''

Wiz: But one of its most notorious members is also one of its worst enemies. The man known as Kabal was one of Kano’s most trusted allies among the criminal underworld, but after he became tired of his illegal activities, he left the group to set himself straight; joining up with the police of all people, and becoming partners with Officer Kurtis Stryker.

'''Boomstick: The mall-cop? I call bullsitt.'''

Wiz: The two made a great team, and were among the front line of defense when Shao Khan broke the rules of Mortal Kombat and decided to take Earthrealm by force. While Stryker soloed all attacking members of Khan’s extermination squad, however, Kabal fell rather quickly when his windpipe was slit by an unknown assailant.

'''Boomstick: But when Mr. Tinkertrain the Thunder God changed the timeline, he also changed Kabal’s fate. Into HAVING HIS FACE BURNED OFF BY A FIRE-BREATHING FOUR-ARMED TIGER! Good ol’ Paul Blart 2.0 then beat the crap out of that guy, but was too busy fighting Ermac to recover his partner before his old man Kano showed up and outfitted him with some sweet gear to save his life and increase his abilities, kind of like a Darth Vader/Robocop hybrid.'''

Wiz: And that’s where the mask comes from. Due to the damage to his windpipe and/or lungs, Kabal needs a respirator to facilitate his breathing. Combined with the massive burns on his flesh, Kabal rejected his new appearance, but had to face the fact that the mask was the only thing keeping him alive. But Kano made the mistake of believing someone feeling that depressed would jump at the opportunity to rejoin the criminal gang they had left so many years ago, and gifted to him his trademark weapons: the hookswords. Didn’t go over so well for him.

'''Boomstick: Kabal’s two hookswords are like single-bladed Swiss army knives. Not only can they be wielded like a standard sword, but the hooks on the end are perfect for ripping flesh and disarming foes. Spiked knuckle-guards and pommels also allow the user to trap, reel in, and stab foes in very close range combat.'''

Wiz: But hookswords are also designed for mid-range combat as well. Exceptionally skilled fighters can hook one sword on to the other to effectively have a swinging blade with twice the range of a regular sword with extra momentum. This is extremely risky, given how easy the blades can be unhooked, but the ability to alternate between two fighting styles with a single weapon is nothing to joke about. Too bad Kabal doesn’t actually do that.

Boomstick: No need to risk losing a weapon for extra range when you can just rush in and kill a motherfucker in a split second.

Wiz: The mask was not enough to aid in Kabal’s speedy recovery. Likely as part of his payment for selling weapons to the outworld army, Kano had the sorcerer Shang Tsung use his magic to heal Kabal. Some of this residual magic granted Kabal to use super speed in short bursts, becoming the fastest character in Mortal Kombat history. His Raging Flash technique is enough to cause opponents to spin around helplessly multiple times with only a glancing blow, stopping them right in their tracks. Kano compared this speed to that of the DC Comics superhero The Flash, but anyone who knows anything about canon material and the Flash’s true potential knows that the comparison isn’t remotely close.

'''Boomstick: Kabal also has some razor sharp saw blades in his arsenal, which he rolls across the ground like a buzzsaw commonly seen in most adventure game temples. It’s not too hard to dodge, but it can catch the opponent off guard if used right. Same goes for his purple gas mask blast, because it wasn’t enough to have just one ranged attack that he himself could outspeed. And don’t even get me started on the tractor bea- I mean Nomad’s Touch, which draws opponents in close to him, for some reason.'''

Wiz: This is all likely to balance his abilities and not rely too much on his super speed, which again, can only be used in short bursts. He’s also proficient enough with the hookswords as they are even without going super swing mode. Not only did he defeat Kano right after waking up, he also defeated Noob Saibot and Mileena simultaneously BEFORE he even knew he had super speed. Kano can be clumsy, Noob, Mileena and Cyber Sub-Zero were all basically just born, but his victory over Sheeva the Shokan is a direct testament to his skill. But he doesn’t have the best win/loss record, it pretty much goes downhill from there.

'''Boomstick: After outworld had been repelled, Kabal was ambushed and left for dead by a goth asshole named Mavado of the rival Red Dragon, who stole his hookswords. In a severe case of déjà vu, he was about to kick the bucket until he was saved by another Black Dragon leader, Havik. And this time, after returning to kick Mavado’s ass, he joined the clan for good.'''

Wiz: And let’s not forget about the new timeline, where he was killed along with nearly everyone else in one fell swoop by Sindel. He currently lives after death as a wraith; no longer able to return to the living after his zombie master Quan-Chi was killed. But Kabal’s loyalty problems beside, he also has a weakness to characters with fast projectiles... believe it or not. Kabal can’t maintain his super speed if he’s hit with an attack, having to recover and then start over.

'''Boomstick: But in the end, speed is power. I wouldn’t want to go up against a guy who can run at you so fast a kick could break your shins. If his constant positioning at the top of tier lists says one thing, it’s that Kabal is not one you want to mess around with.'''

Shao Khan rips out Shang Tsung’s soul Kano: See there? I’m thinking he’s a bit much for- Kabal knocks Kano out Kabal: I can take him.