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 bullshit.

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 and 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 Nomad Dash 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."

Kuro[]

Wiz: The East Blue. To the law, an area of peace. To pirates, an area of weakness due to the low relative strengths of the crews there. But one of the best of the worst is the group known as the Black Cat Pirates, and their captain, Kuro of a Thousand Plans.

Boomstick: That does not sound like a guy I want to play chess with. But since I can’t play chess anyways, that doesn’t really matter.

Wiz: Kuro obtained this epithet because his crew’s raids were very well planned out, including his grand scheme to obtain the fortune of a certain women that took three years to enact. He is, according to word of god, the 2nd smartest person in the entire East Blue. First, if you no longer consider Ben a resident. But high intelligence comes with a cost, as I would know: boredom.

Boomstick: Or maybe not so much boredom as tiredness. Kuro was absolutely fed up with constantly being hunted by the Marines, and decided to make a last master plan to call it quits. If you ask me, if you didn’t like being hunted by law enforcement, piracy was probably not the best career. With that intelligence, he should have become an engineer, or physician, or any high paying non-hazardous job.

Wiz: In order to retire without turning himself in, Kuro had his first mate hypnotize one of his crew members into believing that he was the real Kuro.

Boomstick: Even though he looked nothing like him, I might add.

Wiz: And then handed him over to a Marine officer. “Kuro” was executed, and his reign of terror supposedly brought to an end. But in reality, he “washed up” on shore, was taken in by a wealthy family, and spent three years serving Kaya and her parents under the name of Klahadore the butler. After Kaya’s parents died under “mysterious” circumstances, the Black Cat Pirates were to return. Kaya would be hypnotized into leaving all her possessions in her will to Kuro, and then she would be killed in the resulting pirate raid.

Boomstick: The perfect plan for some peace, quiet, and enough money to do anything a butler could want. Until a certain pirate and his certain hat showed up and ruined all the fun.

Wiz: It wasn’t easy, as Kuro’s talent doesn’t just lie in his brain and acting abilities. He is capable of moving at very fast speeds; fast enough to make it look like he's teleporting. This, combined with his Cat Claws, are devastating to any who have faced him.

Boomstick: God dammit, this guy is a furry. But not one I’d like to make fun of on Tumblr, that’s for sure. His “Cat Claws” are actually furry gloves with a katana on each finger, making for a grand total of ten tools to slice and dice with. He has to put the gloves on manually, but since he’s fast enough to do that in a split second, he may as well be Wolverine. With better hygiene.

Wiz: As awesome as they look, they do have an obvious downside. The reason a human hand can accomplish so much is because of the dexterity of its fingers. Having full-length swords as finger nails would severely hamper their lateral movement and restrict the hand’s abilities. This is evident by the way Kuro adjusts the glasses on his face with his palm to avoid scratching his own face; a habit years in the making, even when he isn’t wearing the claws.

Boomstick: But Kuro has a way to get past this. He’s so fast, all he really has to do is run by someone with his hand out to take them down. And if his base speed isn’t enough, he can always activate his ultimate attack: the Stealth Foot.

Wiz: The stealth foot is a technique feared even by his own men, and for good reason. Kuro becomes capable of running so fast, even he can’t see what he’s attacking, and often injures his own men in the process. Against large groups like 50 people, he can take them all down without any of them noticing. To the untrained eye, it’s almost as if he’s completely invisible. It’s reported that Kuro can reach speeds up to 56 miles per hour. Using legs this powerful, he can kick people upwards of 20 feet away, and even managed to cut Luffy's lip despite his immunity to blunt attacks.

Boomstick: An unfortunately large portion of the attack is spent hacking at rocks or other non-targets because he can’t see where he’s slashing at. Even if he does get a hit on someone, the cut may not be deep enough to cause serious injury. Should he want more control over his slashes, he will become visible right before the strike, allowing those with quicker reflexes to get a hit on him. But the Stealth Foot is deadly enough to put an entire hillside slope into his attacking range, and send an entire group of allied pirates running for cover. And even while outside of it, Kuro is fast enough to anticipate a gunshot and move behind the shooter faster before the bullet could fire. Considering this shooter was Usopp the sniper, that is no small feat.

Wiz: Kuro racked up a bounty of 16 million Berries before his faked death, slaughtered crew members on a whim, and was skilled enough to kill an entire ship of East Blue Marines single handedly in almost total silence, while in a bad mood.

Boomstick: Just like my old cat Mittens!

Wiz: And took multiple punches and throws during his fight with Luffy; even a boulder thrown at him only fazed him for a little while. But, biology holds true, and a knock to the cranium managed to take him out, so his durability isn’t that far above the average man’s. Neither is his sanity; he had planned to kill every member of his crew once Kaya’s riches were his, and can even enter a state of bloodlust during a crescent moon, making him supposedly even more deadly.

Boomstick: Really? A cat in a crescent moon? Werewolves everywhere are so disappointed.

Wiz: Kuro is one who strives to get the job done quickly, but will not hesitate to toy with opponents he believes he is above. After using his reflexes to land on Luffy’s outstretched arm, he did take a bit to monologue before running in for the kill, which did allow Luffy some recovery time. And compared to many of the other villains the One Piece series has seen in the 15 years since Kuro’s appearance, Kuro is pretty much nothing.

Boomstick: But to the average human, Kuro is a walking murder machine with unmatched intellect. Oh, did I say walking? I meant running at you so fast you were bisected before you could blink. Three years of butler work didn’t slow him down in the slightest.

Kuro: "You're right. I really don't feel too active. You're also right in that I'm no longer your captain. I'm only the client in this plan. A client who will kill if the plan fails!"

Interlude[]

Wiz: All right, the combatants are set, let's end this debate once and for all.

Boomstick: IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLE!!!

DEATH BATTLE[]

The sun rises over Syrup Village, and Kuro is shown standing in front of Kaya’s mansion. He looks up and stares into the horizon.

(cuts to a closeup of two hookswords colliding with some other blades and knocking them back)

Kuro takes out a pocket watch and looks at the time.

(cuts to some of the Black Cat Pirates trying to run up the village slope, but suddenly getting slashed)

Kuro puts his watch back and stares to the sea again.

(cuts to Sham and Bucchi launching a combined attack on the assailant, who is still unseen, but getting pushed away. A slash is heard, and both fall, cut in half)

Kuro sighs, and begins to walk forward

(Cuts to Jango running and screaming while all the other pirates fall)

Jango: “CAAAAPTAAAAIIIN!!!!”

Jango gets decapitated from behind, and his body falls revealing the assailant to be Kabal. The bottom of the slope is riddled with the corpses of the black cat pirates, Kabal standing in the middle. He then looks up, and sees Kuro standing on the top of the slope holding a black bag. The two stare each other down for ten seconds, and Kuro pushes his glasses up with his palm.

FIGHT!!!

Kuro vanishes, leaving the black bag to fall to the ground. Kabal barely has time to get his swords up before Kuro charges into him with his Cat Claws equipped. Kabal pushes him away and begins an assault with his hookswords. Kuro blocks the attacks by spreading his fingers wide to make a fan-like shield, but is still slowly being forced up the hill.

Switching to offense, Kuro disappears, but Kabal is ready and blocks Kuro’s attempted strike from behind. Kuro quickly vanishes and attempts more of these strikes, but Kabal parries all of them until Kuro kicks him into a rock. Kabal barely ducks before Kuro slashes with both arms, shredding the rock. He then tries to raise his swords, but Kuro traps them in between his katanas. Kabal lets go, grabs Kuro by the midsection and uses a nomad dash to ram Kuro into the other side of the slope. Another nomad dash is then used to run Kuro up the hill, scraping his face against the wall as he goes, and when he gets to the top he throws Kuro down, cracking his glasses. Kabal then charges down the slope and grabs his hookswords, then turns to see Kuro running down the slope and rolls four saw blades at him. Kuro merely runs over them and collides his claws Kabal’s swords in the middle of the slope. The two are locked for a second until Kabal blows his gas blast into Kuro’s face. Kuro begins to cough and Kabal head buts him away.

The Black Dragon then charges Kuro, who is able to recover just in time and dodge. Kabal attaches one sword to the other and swings at Kuro, but Kuro jumps up, lands on Kabal’s outstretched blade, and runs across his swords to land a devastating kick to his face, cracking his mask and sending him tumbling down the slope with only one sword. Kuro catches up and launches a series of random slashes aimed at Kabal’s respirator; Kabal is barely able to fend them off, but takes minor cuts to his arms. He breaks from the combat and uses his nomad dash to grab his other sword, charges Kuro again, and the two continue to duel. Kuro attempts to retreat backwards, but Kabal uses his Nomad's Touch to reel him back in to continue.

Eventually, Kabal locks his hooks in between his Katanas, and disarms Kuro by throwing his Cat Claws all the way up the slope. Kabal then turns around to slice Kuro, but Kuro has already appeared at the top of the slope, heavily panting. The two stare each other down just like at the beginning of the battle, only now the slope is covered with cuts in the terrain. Kuro then hunches his back and starts swaying back and forth. Kabal tenses, not knowing what is about to happen. Kuro’s swaying continues, until a close up of his feet dancing is shown.

Kuro: “NUKI ASHI!”

Kuro disappears and reappears right in front of Kabal, slashing his respirator. Kabal is heard screaming, and attempts to slash Kuro, but he is nowhere to be found. Kabal is suddenly slashed again by a seemingly invisible Kuro, this time in the leg; he still cannot see the captain. The scene cuts to five parallel cuts being made in the ground, the nearby trees, the dead pirates and even Kuro’s own ship. Another hit to Kabal cuts off one of his fingers and also causes him to cough up lots of blood. The sound of his respirator changes, indicating he is having trouble breathing, but then lets out a war cry and uses a nomad dash so fast he disappears as well.

The camera slowly zooms out on the empty-looking battlefield, but Kuro’s cuts as well as clashes with Kabal’s hookswords continue to appear. One of Kuro's slashes even scratches the camera lens. After battling like this for fifteen seconds, blood sprays from nowhere. Kuro then stumbles into sight; Kabal has sliced him in the shoulder. Kabal then reappears and uses a nomad dash to spin Kuro around; he then runs to the bottom of the slope to build up speed and charges Kuro again with a slide kick. A closeup X-ray is shown of Kuro’s shin bones shattering. As Kuro cries in pain, Kabal stands up, sinks both of his hookswords into Kuro’s shoulders and uses a tornado spin to send him flying into the air. He then sheathes one of his swords, grips the other one with both hands, and slices Kuro in near-half vertically when he descends; Kuro’s head remains impaled on Kabal’s sword, while the halves of his body fall to the ground. Kabal tosses Kuro’s head to the side and fixes his respirator.

K.O!!!

Kabal is seen with the heads of all the pirates at a marine office trying to collect a bounty; this is made difficult by Kuro’s “dead” status.

Ussop comes across Kuro’s corpse on the slope and instantly faints.

Results[]

Boomstick: We really need access to better high-speed cameras.

Wiz: Kabal and Kuro are both deadly primarily because they use their high speed to slash unsuspecting opponents, but of the two, only Kabal is a trained fighter proficient in hand-to-hand combat, as opposed to Kuro's strategy of simply hacking, slashing and kicking. Even before he could access his super speed, he was able to duel two of Outworld’s most dangerous assets at the same time; both of whom could literally teleport instead of just moving really fast.

Boomstick: Even if Kuro had more skill to his name, his Cat Claws aren’t the best design to go up against hookswords. Their glove-like nature, plus the fact that most of the blades are rather close together, would make them very easy to disarm with a hook ‘n’ pull motion. Kuro may also be an expert strategist, but this is due to his carefully thought out raids; not intuition in battle.

Wiz: Kabal’s speed isn’t specifically stated, but in his intro before a match in Mortal Kombat 9, he is seen running across the screen in 0.16 seconds. If we assume his height to be that of the average adult male, 5’10”, then we can compare it to the ground he crossed and get an estimate of about 25 feet; this gives him a speed of nearly 48 meters per second, much faster than Kuro’s stealth foot which clocks in at 25 meters per second. And yes, Kabal is only capable of using his speed in short bursts, but Kuro isn’t always in Stealth Foot either.

Boomstick: Could you imagine having to spend every second of your life moving at that speed and not even knowing what you were doing? Trying to make the bed, get the last piece of pizza from the back of the fridge; he wouldn’t last three minutes as a real butler.

Wiz: If 25 meters per second seems a bit slow, we can examine the anime in a similar fashion. By recording the time between a kill on one of his crew members and a slash in the rock next to Luffy and using the 5’10” average again to determine the length of the slope, we actually only get a speed of 14 meters per second if we assume he made a beeline straight there. Most likely he didn’t, but 25 mps still stands. Even if Kuro was a bit faster, the laws of relative motion would mean Kabal could still keep up with his movements even if he couldn’t catch him.

Boomstick: Combine that with Kabal actually knowing what he’s doing while going superspeed; it becomes obvious Kabal would come out on top. Sure, Kuro looks like he’s teleporting while you can still see Kabal as he runs, but that’s just the stylistic difference between anime and video games. But what about the respirator weakness?

Wiz: Right, the tubes leading to Kabal’s mask are responsible for putting clean air into his lungs, and slicing them apart could cause him to suffocate. But would have to be a cut deep enough to completely disrupt the flow of air, otherwise no immediate effects would be seen. Kuro isn’t capable of judging how deep his cuts go while using the Stealth Foot, and its implausible that he would even land a hit there due to Kabal’s superior speed.

Boomstick: After all those years cooped up in a mansion, it looks like Kuro still wasn’t up to speed.

Wiz: The winner is Kabal.

Next Time[]

Boomstick: Next time, on Death Battle!

"I wouldn't call it a war, exactly. That suggests both sides stand an equal chance of winning."

Trivia[]

This is MP999's first complete Death Battle
Kuro's death was based upon a combination of Kabal's X-Ray move and "Hook Up" fatality from Mortal Kombat 9.