Wiz: I love computers. They help me with research, play games, communicate, take care of the house …
Boomstick: But sometimes things go wrong. Like viruses. Hackers. Or the machines turn against humanity. That’s when we need warriors like these bunch of coding.
Wiz: Bob , protector of Mainframe from the show, ReBoot.
Boomstick: And Tron , the grid gladiator of the Sci-Fi series, …well … Tron. He’s Wiz, and I’m Boomstick.
Wiz: And it’s our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to see who will win ... a death battle.
Wiz: Inside our computers is a world composed of systems connected by the net. The inhabitants are sprites and binomes that work to fulfill the computer’s functions. Unfortunately, there are also computer viruses that threaten the well-being of the systems and their inhabitants.
Boomstick: That is why the Guardians exist.
Wiz: Coming from the Super Computer, these sprites mend and defend the systems and the net from whatever threatens it.
Boomstick: An exceptional guardian was Bob.
Wiz: Bob (which stands for Binary Object) was a cadet when the Guardians encountered and captured a virus called Killabyte. Just as it was about to be deleted, some mysterious user upgraded it into the super virus Gigabyte. It killed Bob’s mentor, Dixon Green, left through a Gateway, and split into two viruses: Megabyte and Hexadecimal. Bob pursued it into the system, Mainframe, where he decided to stay in order to protect the city and his new friends.
Boomstick: Though he is impulsive and rarely plans, Bob is quite talented and would do whatever it takes to save the day. He has thwarted the virus, Megabyte, countless times. He wooed … I mean, persuaded … the queen of chaos, Hexadecimal, to spare Mainframe. In fact, he indirectly saved the entire net from the cron virus, Daemon, when Hexadecimal sacrificed herself to negate Daemon’s code because Hex could not stand to let him die. See, Wiz! Being a player is a good thing.
Wiz: Speaking of player, Bob also saved Mainframe from a game player that is referred to as The User. You see, some person in the real world has been installing games into Mainframe. However, if The User wins, a section of Mainframe gets nullified and the unfortunate inhabitants that were caught in the gamecube get turned into slug-like creatures called Nulls.
Boomstick: What?! So, I really am murdering when I play Call of Duty? Awesome!
Wiz: To prevent the destruction, Bob and his friends would go into the gamecube and stop the User from winning.
Boomstick: I thought something was fishy when I kept losing.
Wiz: Actually, it’s because you don’t know how to play.
Boomstick: I do so! You load the gun, aim, and fire.
Wiz: Not your real gun!
Boomstick: Fortunately, Bob is good in games. He’s skilled enough to pilot a spaceship through an asteroid field. His reflexes are fast enough to drive a Formula One racecar around bunch of bombs that the User dropped onto the tracks. He played in military combat games, magical quest games, stealth and survival games, and more. And he usually wins with his wits, instincts, and resourcefulness.
Wiz: In a game, Bob reboots himself to obtain the game’s equipment and stats. But, his base form is also pretty strong.
Boomstick: He survived a hit that smashed him into a wall. He could take a swipe from the Super Virus Gigabyte. Megabyte even rammed him through three stone pillars, and Bob acted like it was nothing. Good thing, too. After all, his movements are slow and clunky like a toy doll. I mean, half the time he’s just standing there. (to Bob) Why are you just standing there?
Wiz: Good thing he can zip around on a zip board, which helps him travel and dodge attacks. And most of all, he’s got his number one tool, Glitch, a Key Tool and a primary device of the Guardians.
Boomstick: Remember Bob’s mentor who died? Bob got Glitch from her at that tragic moment.
Wiz: It can perform scans and relay information. It can morph into any tool or weapon. It can also create portals by stabilizing tears. At some point, Glitch got an upgrade and could produce energy-based constructs and levitate objects.
Boomstick: Received from a dead predecessor. Create energy-based constructs. It’s starting to sound like a Lantern ring.
Wiz: Very intelligent, it knows what its Guardian needs. And it even chooses its Guardian.
Boomstick: It is EXACTLY like a Lantern ring.
Wiz: Well, has a Lantern ring merged with the wearer? One time, Bob downloaded Glitch into his own code, combining Key Tool with Guardian, and became Glitch Bob. In this powerful, silver form, Glitch Bob can emit an aura large enough to surround a large pirate ship, tear off the ship’s armor, and tug the large ship through a portal.
Boomstick: Here comes the fancy numbers.
Wiz: Well, since this is a world composed of computer code, we’re not sure how the laws of physics work here. In order to make some kind of estimate of Bob’s force, the best we can do is compare the ship to a Cog. A Cog ship that is approximately 80 ft would weight about 360 tons. This means Glitch Bob exerted around 50,000 Newtons of force when he pulled the ship approximately 200 ft into the portal in about 20 seconds.
Boomstick: Glitch Bob could also make force fields that stopped a tank blast and shoot blasts from his hands to blow up tanks. I don’t know why he wanted to give up such a cool power.
Wiz: Well, the merge was not perfect, and Glitch Bob had a limited amount of power. Overexertion nearly killed him. In fact, the Key Tool itself had limits. It ran on battery power and needed recharges. There were some files it could not recognize. And it could be crushed in the palm of a strong enemy, like Megabyte.
Boomstick: But Bob would never give up on saving Mainframe and its inhabitants, protecting systems and the net, and stopping whatever threat is out there. You can always count on Bob to find a way to save the day.
Bob: “My format: Guardian. To mend and defend - to defend my new found friends, their hopes and dreams, and to defend them from their enemies.” - Bob's Introduction in the ReBoot Opening
Wiz: Inside our computers is a cyberspace where programs appear as humans. One day, ENCOM’s Master Control Program (MCP) became power hungry, took control over the cyberspace, and turned against its users. Any programs that resisted the MCP’s rule were forced to play in deadly games held inside the platform, called the Grid.
Boomstick: Dominating and loves deadly play. Just like my ex-wife.
Wiz: When the brilliant software engineer, Kevin Flynn was zapped into the Grid by a laser machine, he would have been the MCP’s prisoner forever if it wasn’t for a program called Tron. Faithfully loyal to the users, Tron persistently resisted the MCP’s rule and survived several of its death matches.
Boomstick: And, boy, does he have skills?! Quick and agile, he is one of the top fighters out of all the programs. If you try to attack him, he’ll swiftly counter you with punches and kicks without breaking a sweat. When a group of programs tried to simultaneously take him down, he easily dodged, blocked, and knocked out all of them like a boss.
Wiz: He is skilled enough to defend himself from attackers in all directions. In a 4 vs. 1 disc battle, Tron was surrounded in all four sides. Not only did he block their attacks, but he also took down all four opponents with just a single disc.
Boomstick: Explain what that flashy Frisbee is, Wiz.
Wiz: That is the Identity Disc. A storage device of all the program’s data and a primary weapon. Similar to a Chakram, programs would either throw it like a Frisbee for a mid-range attack, or hold it like a knuckleduster for hand-to-hand melee. Its energy-infused edge is powerful enough to slice through programs and derez them in a single blow.
Boomstick: De- what?
Wiz: Derez. That’s when a program is dissolved and deleted from a lethal blow.
Boomstick: Whoa! It’s like they are made of Legos.
Wiz: While any program can ricochet their discs or throw it in a curve, some programs like Tron are skilled enough to manipulate the disc’s movement while it is in midair. And, one time, Tron threw his disc so hard that it sliced through a high official’s disc, even though discs are durable enough to block those attacks. And if that’s not impressive enough, in Tron: Uprising, another character, Beck, used his disc to cut what is seemingly concrete in order to collapse a tunnel. Now, Tron has two discs and is a master of dual wielding with them.
Boomstick: But what do people like most about the Tron movies? … The Light Cycle. Vroom! Vroom! She’s slick. She’s fast. And her wheels glow … with light.
Wiz: Again, the Tron universe is in a computer-generated world. So, we don’t have actual data on speed and power. But if scaled to the real-world like we did for ReBoot, the Light Cycle seems to be capable of incredible speed. In the cartoon, Tron: Uprising, there was a scene where Beck had to outrace an explosion. In the middle of the scene, he made his cycle burst in high speed. Assuming the cycle is about 8 ft long, and using that as a reference, the cycle’s bursting speed was at least 250 mph. Although the Dodge Tomahawk, which seems to resemble the Light Cycle the most, has a top speed of 420 mph.
Boomstick: They are used for a sporty version of the Snake game. As the light cycle zooms across the Grid, they leave a trail of solid light. If you hit that light, you’re dead … I mean, derezzed. Best of all, you materialize it using a baton.
Wiz: Tron: Legacy brought us another vehicle, the Light Jet. This small, single-rider jet not only creates light ribbons like the light cycle, but it also has two forward-firing automatic guns that can tear holes into enemy vehicles. However, despite its fancy designs, the speed is not so impressive. In all the scenes of Tron: Legacy, they seem to be travelling at 40 mph to 60 mph.
Boomstick: But it is still cool that you can materialize it with a baton. Man! What can’t you make with that baton?
Wiz: Funny you should mention that. Since Tron: Legacy, the baton has been used to make various items. A cable for grappling and swinging. An umbrella to keep yourself dry. A light sword. A bo staff. It can also generate a couple other vehicles.
Boomstick: Well, I got an impressive staff down here. If you know what I mean.
Wiz: Uh hmm! When another program, Clu, turned against Flynn and seized control of the Tron System, Tron displayed tenacity that was matched by his steely resolve. He somehow survived a blow from Clu’s disc and did not get derezzed. He endured torture and remained adamantly against the tyrant. And when Clu reprogrammed him into the enforcer, Rinzler, Tron eventually fought off the reprogramming and reaffirmed his loyalty to the users.
Boomstick: However, he only has the strength comparable to a regular man. The injury from Clu’s disc left Tron weak and on life support for a long time. And Clu has managed to subdue him a few times.
Wiz: Still, Tron remained a determined warrior with strong loyalty to the user, a source of inspiration for the revolution, and a thorn-in-the-side of power-hungry programs.
With his memories and identity as Tron returned, Tron flies his light jet on a collision-course towards Clu as he says, “I fight … for the user.” - A scene from Disney's movie, Tron: Legacy
Intermission[]
Wiz: Alright! The combatants are set. Let’s end this debate once and for all.
Boomstick: It’s time for a Death Battlllllllllllle!
Death Battle[]
It is a normal day in Mainframe. The sprites and binomes are up and about going through their regular routine.
System Voice: Warning! Incoming Game! Warning! Incoming Game!
Dot: (on VidWindow) Bob! Do you see this?
Bob: Yup! I see it. I’m about to enter the game already. Have a drink ready for me when I get back.
Dot: Stay frosty!
Bob flies on his zip board into the Game Cube’s purple energy wall. Inside, Bob finds himself on a large platform with a grid of lights.
Bob: Where am I?
*Step* *Step* *Step*
A person with the white T symbol steps forward.
???: Welcome to the Grid!
Bob: Who are you?
Tron: I am Tron. I fight for the users.
Bob: For the User, huh? Then, that make you my opponent. I can’t let the User win. REBOOT!
With a press on his icon, Bob’s outfit changes that of the Tron System.
Tron: You can’t handle this program. Prepare to terminate.
[]
Bob: Glitch, Game info!
After a quick scan, glitch responded with a few beeps.
Bob: A game where you ride on Light Cycles, produce light ribbons, and try to get your opponent to crash into them. These cycles are created with this baton.
Bob pulls out a baton that he got with the reboot. Running forward, Bob activates the baton, and a Light Cycle materializes underneath him.
Bob: Woah! Alphanumeric! Check out the graphics of this bike. How much memory space does this take?
But he does not have much time to admire the bike. Looking up, Bob sees Tron already on his cycle racing fast at him. To avoid a collision, Bob sharply turns. However, at the same time, Tron turns as well. Now, Tron was right next to Bob zooming in the same direction. Both combatants left behind light ribbons forming a long wall on the Grid. They are neck and neck trying to pull ahead of each other. Then, Tron slams his cycle against Bob making the Guardian lose balance a bit. But Bob regains control of his bike and retaliates with a slam against the security program. Then, Bob get an idea to pull ahead.
Bob: Glitch, Electropulse!
Bob points Glitch behind him as the tool transforms. Glitch shoots a rocket-like blast that propulses the Guardian and his bike ahead of Tron.
Tron: What?! I never seen that device before!
With enough distance between him and Tron, Bob sharply turns to put a light ribbon in front of his opponent. Instantly, Tron turns to avoid the wall. Bob had Tron trapped in a U with the light ribbons. However, Tron’s fast reaction and aggressive driving brought him right next to Bob again preventing Bob from completely trapping him.
Bob: Glitch, VidWindow: Large Icon.
A large advertisement pops in front of Tron.
Tron: What the?!
The ad knocks Tron off his cycle. The security program lies on the floor as his cycle veers to the side before crashing into a light ribbon and derezzing.
Bob: Ready to run home to your motherboard?
Tron: Dirty trick!
System Voice: Now transporting to the Disk Battle Arena.
The platform underneath Tron and Bob rises up until they were in a Disk Battle room.
Bob: Glitch, Game info!
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
Bob: Throw the Identity disk at the opponent to derez him. Identity disk can curve or ricochet. Dodge the opponent’s disk or block with your own.
Facing his opponent, Bob pulls out his Identity disk that came with the reboot and waits for Tron to make the first move. Tron jumps and spins before throwing his disk at the room’s wall. Bob barely has enough time to hold up his disk and block the attack.
Bob: Woah! This is faster than the Pong game back home. What is the processing speed of this system?
Bob throws his disk in a curve. It was a good throw. However, Tron flips out of its way. Then, Tron unexpectedly separates his own disk into two and throws both of them at Bob.
Bob: Glitch, shield!
Thanks to both the Glitch Shield and his Identity Disk, Bob blocks both of Tron’s deadly disks. Seeing that Tron is vulnerable, Bob throws his disk directly at him. However, Tron skillfully flips around Bob’s disk. Without missing a beat, Tron catches both of his own disks, and immediately follows up with another double attack.
Tron: Process this!
With all the disks flying around the room, Bob was having trouble keeping track. He held his shield up and blocked one of Tron’s disks.
*Slice*
Tron’s other disk came from behind Bob and cut the guardian’s back. Bob stumbles about from the pain. However, the sprite from Mainframe proved to be very durable and did not derez.
Tron: Interesting! Your code seems harder to break.
Bob: Urgh! That’s Guardian code for you. (to himself)Still, that megahertz.
Holding both of his disks, Tron prepares to attack again. Bob has to think of something and fast.
Bob: Glitch, energy shield!
Glitch shoots out several energy rings that surround Bob forming a barrier. To test out his opponent’s defenses, Tron threw both of his disks and controls them to batter the energy shield on all sides. The shield holds up perfectly fine and bounces the disks away without a scratch. Trying a new tactic, Tron grabs his disks, runs to Bob, and proceeds to punch the shield with the disks in hand. However, even with his entire weight behind his punches, Tron cannot get past the barrier. Then, Tron notices the pattern of the ground beneath them and remembers another rule in the game. The floor can be shattered.
Tron: Take a <break> tag.
Tron strikes the tile Bob was standing on and sends him falling.
However, before he strikes the ground, Bob takes out his zip board and flies off. In response, Tron jumps down and forms a lightjet with his baton.
Bob: Glitch, wide-field energy beam!
Bob shoots an energy blast in an attempt to take down the enemy plane. However, the agile lightjet easily maneuvers around the blast and returns fire with its auto-machine guns. Bob does his best to dodge the flurry of bullets. However, they are too fast and too many. One of them tears his zip board, and Bob tumbles down to the ground.
Bob: This is bad. This is very bad.
Tron dematerializes the lightjet and lands near Bob just as the guardian got back up. Holding out his Identity disks, Tron charges in for a close-quarters combat. Bob throws a punch. But Tron quickly dodges and lands a kick. Bob holds up despite the blow, but he knows that he needs a strategy to beat this skilled fighter.
Bob: Glitch, solid state mode.
The key tool gave Bob more protection and endurance. Ready to take on the security program and his disks, Bob tackles Tron and holds him down. Tron repeatedly strikes the guardian with his disks. But the disks only chip away at the protection. After a few exchanges, Bob’s wrestling moves brought Tron onto his belly, and the guardian held one of Tron’s arms tightly. With Tron pinned, Bob takes this opportunity to finish him off.
Bob: Time for deletion. Glitch, narrow beam.
Removing the solid state mode, glitch transforms and prepares to penetrate Tron’s head with a laser. However, Tron shoves against Bob and elbows him off just as the laser was fired. Tron avoided a fatal shot in the head, but the laser left a deep cut in his shoulder that leaked corrupted code.
Tron: Argh!
Bob: You’re very persistent, Tron.
Tron:Grr. I’m also better than you.
Looking at his key tool, Bob notices that Glitch does not have much power left. If he is going to win, he needs to use one final attack. Time for the ultimate form.
Bob: Glitch, download!
Executing the command, Bob and Glitch glows a golden light, and the silvery Glitch Bob emerges.
Bob: We are now one.
After a moment of processing what happened, Tron throws his disks at his transformed opponent. But Bob puts up a force field that easily blocks the disks. Then, Bob’s hand gathers energy for an energy blast. Seeing this, Tron ran. The energy blast flies at Tron, and the security program barely jumps out of the way.
Getting back up, Tron puts a hand on his wounded shoulder as he catches his breath.
Bob: You look tired. Need some JavaScript?
It looks like Tron is out of options. His disks and weapons cannot penetrate Bob’s force field. He cannot possible strike hard enough to get through.
… However, one thing possibly can.
Taking out his baton, Tron materializes the light cycle. Bob sends out a ray to grab, but the fast bike zooms away.
After quickly putting some distance between him and Bob, Tron turns the bike around and races back towards the silver guardian. Afraid of what Tron is planning, Bob slowly levitates off the ground, and his golden aura expands slowly. Pushing to the limit, Tron’s cycle bursts forth at top speed on a collision course towards Bob. Before Bob could get high enough off the ground, Tron’s lightcycle came crashing through the golden force field right at him.
Tron: Take this RAM.
Jumping off the cycle, Tron gave it one final kick, and the light cycle crashes into Bob with explosive force.
*KABOOM!*
As the smoke and debris clear, Bob lays on the ground barely conscious. Too tired and low on energy, he is unable to emit his powers. He can only watch as Tron walks up to him with a disk glowing in his hand ready to end the fight.
Tron: Has your system crashed?
(Outside of the game cube)
System Voice: Game Over!
As the purple cube rises, Dot mobilizes everyone into action.
Dot: I want med teams in there immediately. Full alert! Get in and get our people out of there ASAP.
The game cube rises.
Dot: Here it goes. Get ready.
System Voice: User wins.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Dot:(tearfully) Bob… NOOOOOOOOOO!
In the background, Megabyte laughs maniacally.
KO!
Back in the Grid, Tron holds his disk up in victory as he stands beside a pile of cubes.
Results[]
Boomstick: Bob.exe stopped working. GG no RE!
Wiz: While Bob displayed greater durability and Glitch provided more versatility, Bob had a few major disadvantages.
Boomstick: As seen in Tron: Uprising, Tron was practically a master martial artist who could quickly dodge, strike, and counter multiple opponents. On the other hand, Bob did not display such fighting skills. Most of the time, he solves problems by tricking his dumber opponents or by using the computer system. The greatest fighting techniques he used was basic blocks and wrestling moves. Heck! A skeleton npc knocked Bob’s sword out of his hand.
Wiz: Additionally, Tron displayed better reaction speed. While Bob could react in about a half second to dodge bombs on a racetrack, Tron has to react in a blink of an eye when racing in the deadly maze of the light cycle battles. Granted, in the first Tron movie, it was Flynn who made the series of quick turns. But it is reasonable to expect the same from Tron who was a champion of the game.
Boomstick: Then, there is the difference of computer speed. You see, Bob comes from a 90’s computer, which is slow as #@*#.
Wiz: Well, that’s not a big problem. Certainly, modern computers are about 1000 times faster than the computers of the late 90’s. And the Tron system operates at an accelerated rate far faster than the real world. However, Bob can reboot and be integrated to the system. So, holding the death battle in the Grid evened out the speed difference.
Boomstick: Still, fighting in a faster environment is new to Bob. So, he would not be use to it. It is like when a noob plays against a veteran player in the latest videogame for the first time.
Wiz: Just like when the intern mopped the floor with -
Boomstick: Hey! Hey! You promised not to bring it up.
Wiz: Then, it came down to whether Tron could defeat Glitch Bob. At first, it looked impossible. Glitch Bob was capable of 50,000 Newtons of force, and Tron was only as strong as a normal person. Then, we found one equipment that could beat it.
Boomstick: That sweet, sweet ride: the Light Cycle.
Wiz: Assuming that the top speed of the Light Cycle is 250 mph and it has the weight of an average cruising motorcycle (245 kg), the cycle with the rider can oppose the 50,000 Newtons of force and travel around 126 ft before the force brings it to a stop.
Boomstick: And Glitch Bob’s maximum range is only 80 ft. Possibly 100 ft tops.
Wiz: So, the Light Cycle has enough momentum to overcome Glitch Bob’s force, and bring Tron close up to either slice Bob or crash into him.
Boomstick: Did we mention Glitch Bob is slow?
Wiz: While there were some scenarios where Bob would win, more often, Tron would thanks to his superior attack skills, better reaction speed, the equipment, and even perseverance.
Boomstick: Eventually, Tron will break through Bob’s defenses and corrupt his code leaving him as a Bunch Of Blocks.
