This is the fifth What-If? Death Battle created by OPZoroark.
Description[]
Soul Eater vs. Sword Art Online! Which anime wielder of black blades will come out on top? (Side note: for Kirito, we're using only his original avatar's skill set, since it is the closest to Crona's.)
Intro[]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uihVrASDQhU
Cue Invader
Wiz: If there's one thing in anime that Boomstick can't get enough of, it's monster-killing warriors with swords.
Boomstick: Hell yeah! And these two are some of the best in the category!
W: Crona Gorgon; the black-blooded meister from "Soul Eater"...
B: And Kirito; the lone-wolf beater from "Sword Art Online". He's Wiz & I'm Boomstick...
W: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, & skills to find out who would win a Death Battle.
Crona Gorgon[]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNMl_KR2M0A
W: Founded by Death himself, the Death Weapon Meister Academy, or DWMA, is a school dedicated to training teenage Grim Reapers to fight the soul-devouring beasts known as Kishin. Using their unique styles & talents, each meister & weapon work together in partnerships that can last a life-time.
B: Annnnnnnnnd then there's these two.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pE0LREPyvE
W: The newest student at the DWMA, Crona Gorgon is the son of the snake witch, Medusa.
B: Wait, is Crona a guy or a girl? I can never tell.
W: Neither.
B: Wait, really? That's an option?
W: Yep.
B: Huh. Neat.
W: At a very young age, their mother began training them in hopes they could aid in her evil plans to resurrect the Kishin Asura.
B: Unfortunately, mommy dearest was an absolute bitch & constantly locked them in a dark room whenever they failed to do what they were told. Man, I do NOT miss those days.
W: Wait, what? Anyway, the punishment was made worse thanks to Crona's weapon, the demon sword Ragnarok.
B: Yeah, so Medusa wanted to make Crona as absolutely powerful as possible, so she took their partner, MELTED him, & fused him with Crona's blood, joining them together 24/7! And whenever they were locked in that room of theirs, Ragnarok would bully the shit out of Crona since he hated the room just as much.
W: Ragnarok is one of the most ridiculously powerful weapons in the Soul Eater series. He can dish out powerful strikes, block attacks from opponents as powerful as Maka & Soul, & unleash the bond power with Crona known by many meisters as Soul Resonance.
B: Soul Resonance varies from meister to meister. In Ragnarok's case, it comes in the form of screech resonance; a series of powerful sound-based attacks.
W: Screech Alpha unleashes a concentrated sonic-scream capable of knocking back & disorienting any target it hits. Screech Beta yields similar results, instead targeting the entire area in which it's used.
B: Screech Gamma is a barrage of sword-swipes that uses the sound's vibrations to increase damage. Finally, Screech Delta is used to fire concentrated sound-waves in all directions.
W: Ragnarok isn't the only abnormality in Crona's blood, though. Crona's body is also filled with a dark substance called Black Blood.
B: I'll give you three guesses as to where the name comes from.
W: While Ragnarok's normal forms aren't the most-terrifying, when Crona has an abundance of Black Blood in their system, their partner quintuples in size, ferociousness, & power.
B: They can also harden the Black Blood still in their system to give him some crazy durability to deflect sharp objects, like Soul's scythe form, while taking little to no damage.
W: But that's still not all the Black Blood can do. Crona can bend this substance to their will, whether inside or outside their body. They can use Thorn Vector to turn lost blood into razor-sharp needles, giving them an increasing advantage the stronger the opponent.
B: They've also got a technique called Black Dragon, which forms giant wings out of Black Blood to launch 'em through the sky at speeds rivaling Death the Kid's skateboard, Beelzebub.
W: While that doesn't sound too impressive, it's worth mentioning that Kid has used Beelzebub to catch up to a speeding train going over 500 mph & has traveled from Egypt to Nevada & back in about an hour's time. Estimating the distance he would have traveled places Beelzebub's top speed at about 4.13 miles per second, well exceeding average terminal velocity.
B: Crona's more than just speed, though! They've split a giant ship in half with a single screech-wave attack, held their own against Professor Stein in a duel, endured a barrage from Death the Kid's pistols(which are strong enough to accidentally level a pyramid), managed to kill two deathscythes on their own, & somehow managed to absorb Asura, the ultimate kishin. And then they yanked the moon's mouth open!
W: Despite their massive power level, their mother's harsh parenting over the years left Crona with an extreme inferiority complex, which commonly leaves them susceptible to insults, whether from Ragnarok or otherwise.
B: Plus, the Black Blood's defense mechanism can be bypassed by a decent amount of blunt force, as demonstrated during their fight against Stein.
W: Be weary, though. Crona is still a superweapon. And an extremely good one, too.
B: Just try to avoid their poetry, if you can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCa5_CUZgUY
Kirito[]
https://soundcloud.com/anonymouszar/sword-art-online-soundtrack
W: In the year 2022, virtual reality changed the world of gaming forever. Gamers everywhere eagerly snatched up the first copies of the Nerve-Gear system's pilot program, Sword Art Online.
B: One of these gamers was Kazuto Kirigaya, a teenager who had already tested the game's beta & had proved pretty damn good at it. Looking back, it probably helped that he's got a kendo dojo in his house.
W: Then, chaos ensued. Kazuto & every other player in the game were spontaneously teleported to the town of the first floor, where they were addressed by the creator of the game, Kayaba Akihiko. They learned that they were all unable to log out of the game, & that if their HP reached zero, they would die in real-life. The only foreseeable way out was for the players to successfully beat SAO.
B: With everyone trying to figure out how the fuck they were supposed to beat an MMO, Kazuto chose to embrace the world he had been confined to, where his skill & stats made him the powerhouse he wished he could be in real-life. Kaz voyaged onward through the game, known to all he met by his now-legendary gamertag, Kirito.
W: During the two entire years he spent in the world of Aincrad, Kirito accumulated various gear & weapons for use in combat. His primary blade is the pitch-black sword Elucidator, which results from a 50th floor monster drop. Aside from its iconic design & near-indestructibility, this weapon also grants Kirito a notable boost to strength, agility, & armor.
B: But that's not all! Kirito has a unique dual-wielding ability possessed by no other players in the game. And when he needs to, he whips out his secondary blade, the Dark Repulser. This seafoam-colored beauty is the first of its kind, granting Kirito an additional boost to his strength & agility. Not as much as Elucidator, but still pretty good. Oh! Fun fact: It's made of crystal dragon-shit! Not making this up, people.
W: He also possesses a small collection of health potions & a standard teleportation crystal to fast-travel between various locations in Aincrad.
B: Kirito is definitely someone you want on your side. He's defeated Gleam-Eyes, a boss so powerful that it wiped the floor with a legendary raid team. He's also accidentally broke Lisbeth's strongest sword on Elucidator while testing it, & managed to will himself from dying about three times. But the icing on the virtual cake was when he defeated the game's creator, Kayaba, despite his admin privileges.
W: Kirito isn't perfect, though. He tends to attempt everything on his own, which sometimes leads to him almost dying at the hands of a surprise attack or similarly-powerful opponent. Plus, his superior stats give him a tendency to underestimate his opponents. Finally, he regularly bases his strategies on his knowledge of in-game components from the beta or other experience, so he has only limited knowledge of how to fight out-of-game opponents.
B: Still, it's best not to underestimate his skill in battle. Even without his stats, he can easily defeat armed opponents in hand-to-hand & sword combat. Like when this creepy-ass billionaire got pissed that his plan to Stockholm Kirito's girlfriend, Asuna, into marrying him got foiled & tried to get back at Kaz by killing him in the real world. Didn't work out so well for him.
W: In other words, whether in-game or out, it's best not to mess with the legendary Hero of Aincrad.
B: He's still an edgy, little bitch, though.
Pre-Fight[]
W: Alright, the combatants are set. It's time to end this debate once & for all!
B: It's time for a DEATH BATTLE!!!
Fight[]
A skeleton walks on its daily rounds through the dungeon of Floor 74. Before it can even turn its head, a black blade slices it in half diagonally. Kirito starts to place Elucidator back into his sheath, when he sees a child in a black robe walking towards him.
"Hey," Kirito calls out. "What are you doing down here? It isn't safe to go alone through this dungeon!"
The child steps out of the shadows, revealed to be Crona. Suddenly, they begin to flinch as their back explodes in a wet burst. Kirito steps back & gasps. But something strange happens. The blood spilling out is a pitch-black color. Instead of pixilating & dying, the kid starts speaking with the giant, muscular figure formed with their blood.
"What do I do?" Crona asks timidly. "I don't know how to deal with strangers."
"Isn't it obvious?" replies Ragnarok, pinching Crona's face. "You're supposed to kill him!"
"Wait, what?" asks Kirito with a surprised look on his face. Suddenly, Crona's face twists into a disturbing sneer.
"Oh. Right," they say in a voice similar to those of haunted dolls in a horror movie. "How silly of me." Ragnarok dissipates back into Crona as a purple glow forms in the child's right hand, transforming into a jet-black sword as Kirito draws Elucidator.
"This is a new one," he says.
Crona simply follows up with a peculiar statement; "My blood is black, you know."
FIGHT!
Crona makes the first move, darting towards Kirito at an abnormal speed. They swing Ragnarok, but Kirito blocks the attack with Elucidator, knocking it off to the side. He then lowers himself & knocks Crona's feet out from under them with a spinning ground kick. Instead of landing on their face, Crona sticks their hands out & pushes themselves through the air back into a fighting-stance.
Damn, thought Kirito. This kid's weird. I've never seen anyone fight like this. They're moving like they're drunk or something. Then something even stranger happens. Crona's sword grows a MOUTH on the blade.
"Ragnarok," Crona signals. "Screech Alpha." Before Kirito can react, the sword's mouth opens, unleashing an ear-piercing shriek. The black swordsman covers his ears & watches his health bar start to gradually decrease. If it weren't for his Battle Healing, he would likely be at half health already.
Suddenly, the screech stops & Crona charges again. They slice at Kirito, who is still recovering from the previous attack, & hits dead on. Kirito's health drops to 64%, but slowly starts to come back. Elucidator's blade begins to glow blue as Kirito counters with a powerful swing. Crona quickly blocks with Ragnarok. The two hold their ground for a second or two, before the mouth appears on Crona's blade once again.
"Screech Gamma," they instruct Ragnarok. The sword screams again, but this time, the sword itself begins to rapidly vibrate. Kirito starts to get slowly pushed back. Assessing the situation, he pushes Ragnarok to the side, the displaced blade slicing through the ground with ease. He steps back & swaps his attention between Crona & the slice-mark in the ground. Any sword other than Elucidator would likely have been cut in half.
Kirito draws Dark Repulser, knowing that it's his best bet at getting out of this situation alive. Crona charges again, swinging Ragnarok downward toward Kirito's scalp, but he blocks with Elucidator & swings Dark Repulser toward Crona's side, the weapon glowing with a light blue energy. His attack hits dead on & stops dead in its tracks against Crona's torso.
Kirito stares, confused that his attack failed to even scratch Crona, & barely notices that his other sword is being pushed back by Crona's. he swings Elucidator, knocking Crona's arm to the side, then slices upward with Dark Repulser at his elbow in an attempt to remove his sword arm. To his surprise, it hits Crona's tricep & fails to even break skin. The black blood had hardened into a defensive shield inside their body.
In another attempt, Kirito slices toward Crona's other arm with Elucidator, grazing their shoulder & finally drawing a bit of shadowy blood. Crona winces, but does not show much reaction otherwise. Capitalizing on his successful attack, Kirito unleashed his Starburst Stream, swinging his swords rapidly at Crona. The young meister manages to block a few strikes, but most still land, a few managing to damage them. They yelp as their blood starts to fly around the dungeon with each successful attack. Crona has nowhere to run. Or so Kirito thought.
Without warning, a black needle stabs Kirito in the arm. He ignores it for a bit, but has no choice but to notice when seven others stab him through other parts of his body, holding his limbs in place. Crona, now free from the onslaught of slashes, flicks their fingers. Several other drops of their blood change shape & stab impale Kirito in numerous places. He drops his swords in pain, his health now having reached the red zone. He looks at the needles of blood in his body, panicked by the spontaneous injuries & Crona's depressed, yet menacing expression as they ready to strike with Ragnarok.
"Screech Gamma," they mutter. Ragnarok's mouth appears once again, charging the blade with rapid vibrations. Crona darts toward Kirito &, in a clean swipe, slices his head in two diagonally. The already injured gamer starts to collapse to the ground, bursting into blue pixels halfway to the ground.
K.O.!
Ragnarok reforms into his muscular form on Crona's back & starts hitting them on the head.
"We almost lost, you idiot," he yells angrily. "I mean, who cares if you died, but I'm irreplaceable!"
"Ow! Please stop it," Crona yelps.
Analysis[]
B: Aw. Poor Crona. Even in victory they lose.
W: Kirito may have been a better swordsman, but Crona's unusual abilities & superior physical attributes ultimately gave them the edge.
B: Kirito's primary means of attacking were his Elucidator & Dark Repulser, but Crona could easily defend themselves using the Black Blood's hardening ability. Sure, there's a chance Kirito could hit hard enough to crack it, but considering Crona could withstand a barrage of Soul Bullets from Kid's pistols, it's pretty unlikely Kirito would break their shield any time soon.
W: Ragnarok's Screech Resonance also gave Crona a range advantage, seeing as Kirito really doesn't have a way to attack from long-range aside from his climbing pick, which would likely do little to harm Crona in any way, shape, or form.
B: Logically speaking, in order for Kirito to actually beat Crona, he'd need to add in feats that he couldn't perform until a couple games later. But, since his avatars all have different ability sets, it's highly unlikely he could perform these in his SAO avatar. His chance of winning inevitably shattered.
W: The winner is Crona Gorgon.
[]
B: Next time on Death Battle!
Steven Universe vs. Jim Lake Jr.
