| Kuja VS Gilgamesh | |
|---|---|
| |
| Season | 5 |
| Overall Episode | 61 |
| Season Episode | 9 |
| Air date | October 25th, 2020 |
| Written by | Shadow7615 Commander Ghost |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Seras Victoria vs. Black★Rock Shooter |
Next Arvis vs. Cinder Fall |
| “ | Final Fantasy VS Fate! They were both created for a purpose, yet rebelled against their creators. With great power at their disposal, only one can triumph! You won't want to miss a moment! | „ |
Kuja vs. Gilgamesh is the 61st episode of DEATH BATTLE! by Shadow7615 in collaboration with Commander Ghost, featuring Kuja from the Final Fantasy series and Gilgamesh from the Fate series in a battle between artificially manufactured creations turned extravagant antagonists.
Interlude[]
Boomstick: When it comes to antagonists in power, they'll do anything to keep it, crush their foes or simply gain even more to make it impossible for them to be taken down.
Wiz: Or they might go the route of these two, where not even their makers are safe from their bountiful power.
Boomstick: Kuja, the Genome Angel of Death.
Wiz: And Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick!
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
Kuja[]
Boomstick: So, Gaia's an interesting planet, nothing too out of the ordinary, except for the fact there's a whole other world within it! Well, sorta, it's complicated. Now originally, Gaia and Terra were separate planets, but Terra ended up going to shit.
Wiz: A powerful Genome warlock named Garland sought to save his home by fusing Terra with a young planet named Gaia, but the attempt failed, and Gaia had to endure thousands of years of restoration just to recover from the failed fusion attempt.
Boomstick: I don't see why they couldn't have been regular aliens and just tried to conquer Gaia right then and there. But they sorta accomplished that, because Terra ended up warping inside of Gaia, and now the two were sorta the same planet but were separated by portals and stuff.
Wiz: Determined to ensure Terra would successfully assimilate Gaia, Garland needed to harness the cycle of souls and the planet's crystal, its a long story. But he needed to bring more Genomes into existence, to carry the souls of Terra's people until they could one day be revived. He created one and named this Genome "Kuja".
Popup: Kuja would go on to be known as the 'Angel of Death', as it was his job to incite war, and often kill Gaia's people with his own hands, thereby causing the souls of Gaia's people to be collected and replaced by the souls of Terra's people.
Boomstick: Although Garland waited thousands of years, he didn't want Kuja to be a normal Genome who would grow up and stuff, he created Kuja as an adult and tasked him with responsibilities right then and there. Unfortunately, Garland deemed Kuja a failure, but he still had some use for him. But Kuja was not a normal Genome, he had no remorse and was sadistic when it came to his job of being a war-bringer.
Wiz: Eventually, Garland created multiple replacements for Kuja, and banished him when he abducted the first replacement, Zidane Tribal. But leaving Kuja to his own devices was one of Garland's biggest mistakes. And now Kuja had become one of the most powerful and dangerous beings on the planet. Thanks in no small part to his expert skill as a sorcerer.
Boomstick: Though Kuja is pretty powerful, he's not all about power. In fact, Kuja is as much about style as he is substance. He just wants himself and his magic to look good when beating his opponents. With his power of flight, Kuja can move around the battlefield like he's a freaking ballerina, you'd think he's dancing for you.
Wiz: But in truth, Kuja's magical repertoire is quite lethal, befitting his position as the Angel of Death. Most of the time, Kuja uses his two trademark magic, first among them is Holy magic, which Kuja can use for both offensive and defensive purposes. For battling opponents, he casts Holy itself, a powerful explosion of Holy magic which decimates opponents, on the flipside, Curaga allows Kuja to heal his wounds.
Popup: Dissidia showcases Kuja using orbs of Holy and Flare magic that surround him before battles begin. Although this only happens in Dissidia, Kuja has performed the same magic during boss battles in Final Fantasy IX. What Kuja performs in Dissidia might be a unique application of his magic rather than a specific technique.
Boomstick: In a pretty cool contrast, he also uses Flare Magic, which he uses for purely offensive attacks, while he can use the standard Flare, basically a fireball, he can use the stronger, bigger and more powerful Flare Star. Which I'm upset to learn isn't him throwing a massive burning star at people, would've been badass.
Wiz: But Kuja has more magic where that came from. He can also call upon lightning with Thundaga, the most powerful version of Thunder magic. He's also got a magic barrier, perfect for reflecting magical attacks back unto their casters. Kuja is also adept at using teleportation, not only for himself but even being capable of teleporting a group of people at once.
Boomstick: Then there's his most powerful attack, one of the most powerful spells in the whole franchise, Ultima! Kuja typically uses this as a win-move, though if he's backed into a corner, or about to lose, Kuja will bust out Ultima just so his opponents don't get off easy in fights against him. And that's usually ended in his favour, no matter how much he got beat up, just throwing out Ultima evened the playing field.
Wiz: But even with all this power, Kuja still believed he was not able to take on his creator, Garland. Believing he needed the power of Gaia's Eidolons, otherwise known as their summons. All because Kuja was created to be unremorseful and lack true human emotion. For a long time, this prevented Kuja from learning one of the world's most powerful abilities, Trance.
Popup: Kuja also knows techniques he has only used in Dissidia, Force Symphony and Final Requiem. Despite them appearing exclusively in Dissidia, they are composed of either Holy or Flare magic, or both in the case of the latter. Given they use Kuja's trademark magic proficiency, it is likely he can perform these whenever he chooses.
Boomstick: In this world, anyone can enter Trance when they experience a massive surge of emotion. Kinda like Sith Lords, it enhances the capabilities of whoever achieves that emotional state. And for a long time, Kuja was unable to reach this, simply because he was created unable to feel human emotion. But that all changed when he absorbed the right soul.
Wiz: By absorbing the soul of his former associate Queen Brahne, Kuja not only attained Trance but was able to sustain the form for an extended period of time compared to everyone else. And this was the power he'd strived for and used to depose and kill his creator. But he didn't stop there. At the peak of his power, Kuja was able to perform his most impressive feat of all, destroying Terra with Ultima.
Boomstick: Jesus Christ, that's one way to live up to being the Angel of Death. But even before he attained his Trance-formation, Kuja was already a powerful sorcerer, he was able to start up entire wars and made himself look as innocent as a nobleman. All thanks to his cunning and deceitful manipulations. Yeah, not only is this guy a sorcerer, but he's also a manipulative one too.
Wiz: Kuja is also pretty comparable to the Eidolons themselves, even without Trance. In particular, the Ark, an Eidolon which happens to resemble an airship, its lasers moved at almost 80% the speed of light. And just like Kuja, the Ark possessed the firepower necessary to destroy planets, so I'd say they're pretty even. Plus Kuja has taken hits from and enslaved superior Eidolons such as Bahamut.
Popup: Kuja was selected by Chaos, the God of Discord to participate in the Conflict of the Gods, the premise of Dissidia. Although the exact number is unknown, Kuja may have fought in 12 repeated cycles of war, winning every single one of them before his faction's defeat in the thirteenth cycle. He was also selected to fight for the God of Magic, Spiritus before he was finally sent back home for good.
Boomstick: This is a guy who keeps a Silver Dragon as a pet, I don't know about you, but Kuja is pretty nuts. Though that's also one of his weaknesses. He's arrogant and will take opponents lightly. If that's not enough, he's also pretty childish, simply not having things his way is enough to upset him and make him pretty pissed off.
Wiz: If anything, Kuja is a narcissist, focused purely toward his own self-importance and doing whatever he can to appease it, reinforced by Garland's painful truths about his shortened lifespan and his existence being nothing more than what Garland willed as a means to accomplish his goals.
Boomstick: It would absolutely suck if you were made to be someone's guinea pig who ended up being deemed a failure and replaced as though your life meant nothing, no wonder Kuja was compelled to think that way. Man, screw Garland, he sucks big time. Don't play god with life, because you'll regret it.
Wiz: Despite him suffering from a disregarded existence, Kuja's journey to achieve his own identity ended up lighting the path for the future of other Genomes, who were now free to live their own lives as they saw fit. Although he walked a self-centered path, Kuja had brought hope to those who were uncertain of their identities. Befittingly, Kuja gained an identity and would be remembered for proving you can be more than what you were made for.
Kuja: I finally understand. I've no reason to feel inferior to you or anybody else. The weak are robbed of their freedom from the strong. And it's only natural—that the victor always prevails. Then so I shall be! One defeat matters not! I've no need to cling to vague memories. I shall emerge the victor in the finale!
Gilgamesh[]
(Ghost's Note: Due to the Length of the Original Analysis, the One you see is an Abridged Version; For the Full In-Depth Analysis, Click here.)
Ruby: The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. Known throughout the world of the Nasuverse, Due to his history, legend, deeds and mythology; Gilgamesh ascended into the Throne of Heroes, becoming a Heroic Spirit. Heroic Spirits are, obviously, Spirits of Heroes who have achieved great deeds in life resulting in them becoming objects of worship.
Ghost: As a result, can be summoned in the ever-evolving Holy Grail War and are capable of being summoned into the Saber, Archer, Lancer, Caster, Assassin, Rider, and Berserker classes.
Ruby: Gilgamesh qualifies for the Archer, Caster, Rider and Berserker classes. However, considering this is his most iconic class, we’ll be focusing on Gilgamesh as he is in the Archer Class. Servants summoned in the Archer Class excel with the possession of powerful Noble Phantasms.
Ghost: Though they're also capable of acting as effective scouts and are typically Heroic Spirits that were around during the Age of Gods where magic and magecraft was still present in the world and unfortunately for Gilgamesh’s opponents… He is an absolute powerhouse in this class. And first up is his speed.
Ruby: Gilgamesh is incredibly fast, able to keep pace with the likes of Enkidu who is capable of moving at speeds of Mach 587 through his Noble Phantasm, react to arrows fired from True Archers which have been said to outspeed lightning, keep up with Cu Chulainn 12 hours, dodge strikes from Berserker (Heracles) and be on par with BB and Kiara, who can fight Servants in Mythological Mystic Code who are capable of flying 1,500 lightyears in a short amount of time.
Ghost: He's also incredibly durable, having survived some surprising things; having his arm sliced off, being struck by explosive flares from a fighter jet enhanced by Lancelot’s Knight of the Owner, tanked a strike from a reflected Merodach, which is capable of taking away multiple lives from Berserker (Heracles). Managed to survive being slashed clean through his torso by Saber (Artoria Pendragon), and even tank hits from Enkidu himself.
Ruby: Despite his appearance and personality, due to being created as the Pinnacle of all humans, Gilgamesh is a very intelligent and wise person; Being able to discern any form of magecraft with only a glance. He precisely predicted how many swords Shirou Emiya projected, and countered with an equal amount. He was able to see through Medea’s fake death, and has ruled Uruk for over 150 years being renowned as the "Wise King".
Ghost: And while he isn’t very skilled with any weapon particularly, being something akin to a Jack of all trades; He has shown to be a competent combatant with the use of Swords and Axes. Which brings us to Gilgamesh’s weapons or more accurately… His Noble Phantasms.
Ruby: Noble Phantasms are crystallized mysteries and powerful armaments made using the imagination of humans as their core, Noble Phantasm can be weapons, abilities, Reality Marble, Rings and quite a few other things; They are the embodiment of the ultimate mystery of a hero that symbolize their existent through historical fact and anecdotes being something as well as the trump card of Servants however Gilgamesh’s primary Noble Phantasm is unique.
Ghost: Gilgamesh’s Noble Phantasm is the origin of all Noble Phantasms, called the Gate of Babylon: The King’s Treasure. Since Gilgamesh is the original hero, All the Heroes of various myths are derived from his as a result; All the Noble Phantasms originate from the Gate of Babylon as prototype Noble Phantasms before they became the foundations for their legends.
Ruby: As a result, the contents of Gilgamesh’s Treasury is ever-expanding and constantly being filled with Noble Phantasms, items, foods, drinks, books, games, and the like to the point that not even Gilgamesh’s knows what is inside of it.
Ghost: The Gate of Babylon, is Anti-Unit Type Noble Phantasm with an E~A++ Rank making it incredibly powerful. However, as we mentioned, it’s contents are many. Despite that, Gilgamesh employs its usage in combat in various impressive and dangerous manners, which is where his Archer Classification comes from.
Ruby: He uses them as projectiles!
Ghost: That’s correct. By creating golden portals, Gilgamesh can fire various ranked prototype Noble Phantasms out of the Gate of Babylon almost akin to a gun firing a bullet, He possesses impressive control in this regard, able to manipulate the number of weapons the Gate fires, and the numbers of portals as well. All of which aims according to Gilgamesh's will.
Ruby: He can summon portals in a circular pattern and launch them out in a rotation like a Minigun, form a wall of portals behind him and launch them out in a barrage like a bombardment, form them in a 360-degree angle all around his opponent, and a variety of other methods in order guarantee his targets will be struck.
Ghost: And should he wish to fight up close, he can summon a weapon to his hand through the Gate of Babylon. Gilgamesh can also utilize the Gate of Babylon as a means of teleportation, as demonstrated with Shinji Matou.
Ruby: Which brings us to the contents of the Gate of Babylon... and Good Lord, please bear with us.
Ghost: Resting within the Gate of Babylon resides Gilgamesh's more prominent Noble Phantasms. To put this simply, Gilgamesh has a large variety of weapons, vehicles, items, and so on within the Gate of Babylon. This is essentially the ultimate party hat trick, except Gilgamesh doesn't have to be in the Caster class.
Ruby: He has various Swords, Scythes, Sickles, Axes, Spears, Magic, Mystic Codes, and the like giving him a wide variety of options in combat. Enabling him to overwhelm his opponents and cause severe damage with a variety of weapons and abilities that can cause trouble for his opponents.
Ghost: Although Gilgamesh's walking arsenal is immensely versatile, he does have his signature Noble Phantasms. Up first is Enkidu: Chains of Heaven. It's one of his most treasured possessions within the Gate of Babylon. Its namesake, Enkidu, is Gilgamesh's sole friend. So it understandably holds some sentimental significance to the King of Heroes.
Ruby: Enkidu can ensnare and bind Gods and those with Divinity of some kind with the strength and durability of the chains becoming stronger the higher the Divinity the target has. Gilgamesh is capable of launching multiple sections and segments of the chain at once as well as firing various amounts from the Gate of Babylon.
Ghost: Also, he can elongate and contract with no defined limit. Not only that, but the chains twist and tighten constantly and are even capable of binding the space around it to prevent transportation from things such as Command Spells. But there's more where that came from! Let's talk about, potentially, his most powerful Noble Phantasm.
Ruby: The Sword of Rupture, Ea. A weapon only Gilgamesh can wield, But don’t let its appearance fool you; It can be used as a normal sword, however, Gilgamesh doesn’t use it in that way. Instead, he uses its ultimate attack, Enuma Elish: The Star of Creation That Split Heaven and Earth!
Ghost: Badass name to boot. This lets Gilgamesh unleash a powerful beam of energy that can one-shot beings like Tiamat and BB but also grinds the laws of space and creates a rip that extends to the sky and atmosphere!
Ruby: He has Various skills courtesy of his class such as Independent Action (EX), Golden Rule (A), Collector (EX), Treasury of Babylon (EX), Magic Resistance (C), and Divinity (B-A+).
Ghost: His final Noble Phantasm is Sha Naqba Imuru: The Omniscient Omnipotent Star which lets Gilgamesh… Predict the future with a level of clairvoyance on par with the likes of Grand Caster class Servants King Solomon and Merlin!
Ruby: With all of this, Gilgamesh is… a walking feat treasury; He is capable of destroying Iskandar’s Reality Marble, Able to overwhelm and defeat Berserker (Heracles), and even killed the Earth Mother, Tiamat. Notably taking down Mashu, Ritsuka, Ishtar, Merlin, and Ereshkigal along the way.
Ghost: He easily overwhelmed Shirou Emiya, killed Lancer (Cu Chulainn), Caster (Medea), turned his blatant arrogance into a good thing and overcame the effects of the Mud of the Grail, decisively outperformed and overwhelmed Saber (Altera) and one-shot BB!
Ruby: Gilgamesh is without a doubt a powerful, if not THE most powerful Heroic Spirit that the Fate system has to offer. However, despite his immense power and unrivalled skill, he is not without his flaws.
Ghost: He’s arrogant and egotistical to an unfathomable degree, he doesn’t use Ea unless his opponents prove to be worthy of the weapon, Archer Class Servants are weak against Lancer Class Servants, the portals to launch his Noble Phantasms from the Gate of Babylon can easily be destroyed making it difficult for Gilgamesh to launch weapons.
Ruby: Despite the sheer impressiveness of Sha Naqba Imuru, it is something that Gilgamesh will ignore if it informs him of something that he doesn’t agree with, such as his defeat, which ended up resulting in his death at the hands of Sakura Matou and Angra Mainyu.
Ghost: As a child, he is significantly weaker, He can sometimes get too aggravated and angry if his opponent pushes his patience (In Fate/Stay night, this was due to being physically incarnated). Despite all of these weaknesses… heed these words… DON’T FUCK WITH THE KING OF HEROES!!!
Gilgamesh: Mind yourselves, my elite warriors! Now is the time to deny the primordial god... and begin the age of man! This is the battle for true separation from the gods! Give your lives to me, the king! Pass on the glory that is Uruk to Generations to come, to the last man!
DEATH BATTLE![]
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set, and we've run the data through all possibilities.
Boomstick: It's time for a DEATH BATTLE!
The stage had been set for a grand performance to unfold, a visual marvel to behold for any partaking in the glory, whether as a member of the audience or as the actors themselves, fully dressed in costume recreating famous scenes. The performance tonight seemed to garner some attention, including a man situated on an elevated level and seated on a throne, certainly fit for a King.
Though the stage wasn’t a conventional one, it was entirely conducted outdoors, with several rows of stairs separated by long flat surfaces to allow comfortable seating. Covering all of them was a long stretched red carpet tipped with gold and adjourned with multiple ancient symbols of the past.
(Cue Symphony No. 9 in E minor "From the New World" - Antonín Dvořák)
Several actors moved onto the stage, as their show began. The orchestra took up their instruments and commenced playing a similarly legendary piece of music, perfectly accommodating the drama unfolding on stage. The portrayal of the characters was carefully observed by those watching, seeing who among the performers would grab people’s attention first.
Among the group of performers, one of them stood out. A man who is no older than his mid-twenties caught the attention of his audience. His mannerisms and behaviour felt very much in line with his role, as the titular protagonist of the story. The performance was derived from an Akkadian poem that had endured for thousands of years. So for most, it's a story remembered for its characters.
And in this case, people were spellbound by the performance of the titular protagonist. For the majority of the time he was on stage, the audience would applaud him at the end of each scene. The satisfaction alone was enough to appease the actor, but not all those in the audience were enjoying it. The one seated at the top by his lonesome took the performance with a sharp and critical eye. He did not much care for spectacle, he sought authenticity.
As the show proceeded through its first half, the scenes unfolded in line with what the classic literature had portrayed, managing to keep the throne-seated individual engaged, but still focusing his attention on the titular protagonist. Seeing if he had what it took to live up to the responsibility of portraying a very influential figure of history.
At the halfway point of the performance, intermission was called, and the audience dispersed to spend the necessary time to recuperate and prepare for the second half of the performance. All but one had departed. The man seated on the throne seemed to wait until all had left before he stood up. And without warning, lifted himself into the air. Using the art of personal levitation, he soared across the many seating areas before he landed on the stage itself.
He looked around the stage, seeing the remnants of the scene that had unfolded just minutes prior, and put those moments into his mind, recalling what it was like back then and what was being shown here could never hope to recreate those moments.
Just then, someone noticed the man standing on the stage, and moved to inform him about intermission, and that it would be most appropriate for him to leave the stage. However, the man did not abide by this request and remained on the stage. It quickly garnered some intervention, and he was about to be approached until one of the actors stepped out of his dressing room in completely different attire.
“Come now. Do not provoke a spectator, it is clear he wishes to emulate us on stage. Leave him be.” With the eloquent and soft-spoken command by the actor, they all backed off and went about their business. The actor then greeted his guest. “Welcome to the stage, have you come to glamour in the charm and allure?” the actor asked.
“No. I am here to say that this acting does not truly do justice to what happened all of those years ago. You mongrels are so desperately trying to recreate something you can never truly hope to grasp.” Rather surprised by the words of the man, the actor chose to persist, rather than recede. “Acting is not as simple as reading words on paper. And legends exist because they have endured for far longer than you and I have ever lived, it is unlikely every last harmonic note will be preserved.”
“I have no baton with which to cast the accuracy of these stories. And this tenebrous land we call home can be unforgiving.” he continued. “But as it appears, you are rather enamoured with the story, do you have something to add that might enhance the quality of our performance?” the actor asked. But the man answered that wasn’t quite expected. “No mongrel should play such a role.”
“The distinction of such belongs only to me, Gilgamesh!” so declared the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. “My, you have a colourful imagination. I understand why you would wish to replace me as Gilgamesh, but I am afraid I won’t allow such to happen. I have a role, and I shall play the tune to the last hymn.” the actor revealed his intentions, Kuja stood firm, refusing to back down.
Rising off the ground and levitating in midair, Gilgamesh looked down on his inferior opponent and lesser Gilgamesh. To him, he was nothing but a pale imitation, and although usually, one like this was beneath notice, this situation was different. Taking his stance on his opponent very literally, Gilgamesh stood there in the air and decided to indulge what his opponent was going to say, despite it being frivolous in his eyes.
“If you seek a challenge, what tortured screams shall grace my ears? Regardless, it is a simple fact that I cannot be stopped. But I should thank you, as this will undoubtedly be my greatest performance!” Kuja sees the upcoming performance in front of him as something of an opportunity. One that would most certainly pay off in his favour. Gazing up at Gilgamesh, Kuja enters a stoic pose, one that invited battle but didn’t abandon his theatrical nature.
FIGHT!
(Cue Scala Ad Caelum - Kingdom Hearts III)
Immediately, Kuja charged toward Gilgamesh, the latter surprised by his opponent's speed. Wasting no time, the close quarter approach saw Kuja conjure some magic. But before the King of Heroes could counterattack, Kuja unleashed Thundaga, striking the champion hero with a bolt of thunder, knocking him to the ground. Kuja gracefully touched down as he looked to where his foe had been sent. Just then, he heard a noise behind him. Kuja turned his head to see Gilgamesh was standing back on the stage as though nothing had happened.
Turning his head to get a glance at his opponent once again, Kuja surmised that Gilgamesh was not going to be taken down so easily, he was going to fight to his utmost, much like the real Gilgamesh. Despite that, Kuja knew exactly how to deal with this one, and teleported into the air, imitating Gilgamesh just moments prior, but instead of standing there idly, Kuja decided to take his attacks on the offensive. From his elevated position, Kuja continued. "I am the only actor needed. Your closing act is now unfolding" Kuja declared as he unleashed a barrage of holy and flare magic orbs directly toward Gilgamesh.
But, a smile rose on the King of Heroes' face, and suddenly several golden portals opened around him. Appearing from within them, a legion of swords equal in amount to Kuja's orbs launched toward him. The orbs were swiftly redirected to intercept the swords, resulting in the two cancelling out the other, knocking the swords to the ground whilst the orbs dissipated outright.
Seeing his attack successfully negate his opponent, Gilgamesh couldn't help but resume his conversation. "Mongrels like you are hardly even capable of putting up a fight. You should just acknowledge your folly before me and surrender." The confidence shined off Gilgamesh as much as his armour reflected off the light. Kuja, however, deflected the statement made by the King of Heroes. "Does your head bear weight for a crown you lack?" Both of them were unrelenting, throwing more verbal attacks against the other rather than displays of their might.
But that soon changed, as Gilgamesh once again channelled the Gates of Babylon, but instead of summoning them behind his person, he chose to cast them elsewhere. Surrounding the Angel of Death were another set of golden portals. But this time, they were more varied in what they were unleashing upon this stage. A sword from the front, a spear from the left, a polearm from below and above, a three-edged sword arching and attacking from behind. A swing from a hammer bigger than Kuja himself.
Seeing that he is being made to play through this act, Kuja swiftly anticipated the weapons headed his way. Using his holy and flare magic to block them, twisting his body to dodge the attacks and repel what he cannot avoid. But the maneuvers of the Angel of Death, while graceful, did not hit every note as perfectly as he had hoped, and one of the weapons cut him on the arm, drawing first blood.
The now opened wound immediately sent that sensation through his body, and Kuja, almost losing his composure, completed his evasion acts and landed on the ground where he quickly used some of his other holy magic to cast Curaga, mending the wound and healing his body back to perfect condition.
Gilgamesh stood there as he watched his foe worry about injuries as any mongrel would. He did not have time to worry about pain and damage, what kind of hero would he be if he was to succumb to injury at the slightest cut of a sword's blade. The thought amused Gilgamesh as he looked on. But a minor wound such as that did not hinder the elegance Kuja had offered this spectacle, and he was primed to return to the stage just as he was before.
"That was not a bad effort" Kuja commented. Once again at the ready. "Your audition has certainly lived up to the promise, but there will be no rehearsals here. The cast has been revealed, you and I shall perform this until the curtain call!" With Kuja's word, he waved his hands outward, summoning a large group of orbs and launching them toward Gilgamesh. The King of Heroes evaded them to his left and opened a portal to the Gates of Babylon whilst dodging Kuja's attack. He reached into the portal and pulled out a sword, but not just any sword.
He now held the peerless sword, Durandal. With the blade by his side, he flew into the air and toward Kuja, who appeared to still be mid-casting of his technique. Gilgamesh readied his blade for a killing swing, but he was suddenly halted by some of the orbs that Kuja had summoned, striking him on the leg. It would normally, not be an inconvenience, but the orbs were not simply flung at the King of Heroes. "A sword, though mighty, is useless if it cannot find its mark" Kuja commented.
The orbs were harnessed and controlled as if held by Kuja on a string. With swift and precise motion, the orbs suddenly expanded in size and grew to be as large as Gilgamesh himself. The orbs ascended vertically whilst spinning in a circle, successfully striking Gilgamesh and completely negating his attack. "Lovely, no?" Although the attack did not damage Gilgamesh much at all, the fluidity of the attack did somewhat impress the King of Heroes. He was not being challenged by some barbaric simpleton.
To ensure Kuja would not get a follow-up attack on him, Gilgamesh created portals behind him as he fell, and the many projectile attacks flew upward as he descended toward the ground, keeping Kuja from making his own descent. Instead, Kuja adjusts his orbs to repel the multitude of projectiles. Landing on the ground, Gilgamesh simply brushed his shoulder, not worrying about the situation much at all. It hardly showed any sign of being a threat anything.
"Such arrogant eyes, how unpleasing." a voice could be heard right beside Gilgamesh, which promptly alarmed him. Turning to his side and backing away to see Kuja standing before him, seeing the weapons from the Gate of Babylon had failed to stop him. Kuja looked completely immaculate, and Gilgamesh concluded that his attacks failed to do any damage.
As Gilgamesh came to a stop, suddenly Gilgamesh collided with a flaming sphere which immediately exploded. Following up on this, Kuja conjures an additional five orbs of Flare magic, all of them briefly hold their circular form before they ascend into their and converge there. At the current moment, in the aftermath of the initial explosion, Gilgamesh didn't know what would happen next. Again controlling his magic with eloquence, Kuja commanded the five Flare magic orbs to attack, they all raced down toward Gilgamesh, creating a single massive explosion comparable to the first.
The blast radius was enough to launch Gilgamesh into the skies, and Kuja immediately gave chase. Keeping himself on the defensive, Gilgamesh realized his opponent may have some level of validity to being a worthy opponent, but such consideration was exceedingly rare, and Gilgamesh was not about to be charitable, this needed to be earned. Kuja performed more Holy magic, using the orbs to strike Gilgamesh from the front.
The King of Heroes intercepted the attack by summoning the portals of the Gates of Babylon and redirecting them to strike Kuja from behind him instead. Striking himself with his own magic, Kuja is only briefly inconvenienced, but that small window of time allowed Gilgamesh the opportunity to get elsewhere and attack more safely. Opening a portal to the Gates of Babylon, Gilgamesh decides to call upon a weapon of a different kind.
Instead of summoning a weapon or a tool to arm himself with, Gilgamesh instead called upon lightning itself. And without needing a gesture of any kind, Gilgamesh cast the lightning the vulnerable Kuja. However, the Angel of Death was quick, and countered Gilgamesh's lightning with Thundaga, casting the thunderbolts and colliding with the lightning. Kuja and Gilgamesh hovered on opposite sides of the lightning display, seeing that both were able to rise to the other's challenges.
Power for power and quantity for quantity. After a short while, the lightning and thunder stopped, as their collision came to an impasse, and neither could overpower the other. The two caught brief glimpses of the other as the flashes of thunder and lightning let them notice the other was eyeing them down. Both appeared itching to continue but were careful to which of them would make the next move.
"I will grant you this one admission, mongrel. You are entertainment to me. It has been some time since one succeeded at doing so in my presence." Gilgamesh commented. As the two seemed to stop attacking for a brief moment, Kuja chimed in with a response of his own. "You are formidable and unequivocally live up to the Epic of Gilgamesh. But we are not yet at our intermission." Kuja responded as he once again called upon his magical orbs. Preparing two of them to home in on Gilgamesh. Another portal to the Gates of Babylon appeared beside Gilgamesh's head, and he simply raised his arm and grabbed the weapon.
(Cue Undeniable Fate - Devil May Cry V)
Without even tilting his head, Gilgamesh knew what weapon he had grasped. It was the weapon named after his one true friend, and it would test the mongrel to see if they were more than just an actor with sartorial flair. "Enkidu..." Gilgamesh uttered to himself as he firmly gripped the weapon's handle. On his command, Kuja orchestrated his Holy and Flare magic to strike Gilgamesh. But through swift evasion by the King of Heroes, the attack was evaded. And although they were about to come around for a second strike, Gilgamesh had an opportunity.
With a motion of his arm, Gilgamesh activated Enkidu: Chains of Heaven, the chains moved quickly and wrapped around Kuja, trapping him, completely negating the movement of his arms, and thus his magical control. The success of his attack awoke laughter from the King of Heroes, who watched his foe relenting to the power of his chains. "Laugh if you so wish, but do not think that you won yet!" Kuja realized the chains that bound him were powerful, but they did not hinder him, or his abilities.
"The Gods themselves have relented to this power. You cannot hope to be free of my grasp!" Gilgamesh added. The chains proved potent, but they weren't able to become stronger. Seeing that physically conducting his attacks was unlikely to achieve satisfactory results in this encounter, Kuja knew he needed to act if he was to survive this scene. Gilgamesh only heightened the danger of the situation by calling forth the Gates of Babylon yet again.
As he had done prior, Gilgamesh summoned a large number of golden weapons, all of which were poised to strike the immobile Kuja. The Angel of Death quickly and carefully observed his surroundings and closed his eyes. With Gilgamesh's command, the weapons charged toward Kuja. Unexpectedly, there was an explosion, which knocked away all of the weapons headed right for Kuja. The explosion did not seem to faze the King of Heroes in the slightest, as he simply waited to see what became of his foe.
As the visual clarity began to return, something quickly rushed out into visibility, it was a massively larger sphere of flames, Flare Star, and the massive projectile headed right for Gilgamesh. But the King of Heroes simply evaded to the side, completely sidestepping the flaming ball. Suddenly he was grabbed in the face by Kuja, who firmly pushed Gilgamesh into his attack. Surprised that his foe had escaped Enkidu, Gilgamesh had learned that his foe was not divine, despite his magic bearing holy energies.
But there was little time to think on it further as Flare Star promptly exploded in Gilgamesh's face, knocking him forward. Taking the opportunity to teleport, Kuja moved in front of Gilgamesh's trajectory, where he cast some Holy magic orbs and strung Gilgamesh into a bombardment of orb attacks which knocked Gilgamesh to the ground.
Knocking the ground hard enough to be raised back into the air, Kuja once again teleported close to Gilgamesh and unleashed a point-blank blast from Thundaga, the thunderbolts striking Gilgamesh's armour and sending him dozens of meters away. Now that he was on a roll, Kuja decided to keep his projectiles on the offensive, and quickly cast two orbs of Holy magic, and two of Flare magic, launching all of them toward the airborne Gilgamesh. The turbulent ride had certainly taken Gilgamesh by surprise, but that arrogance of his simply took it in stride.
With enough time on his own, Gilgamesh recovered whilst he was in the air, and quickly made a counterattack, focusing on the four projectiles headed his way. He opened a portal overhead and summoning lightning bolts, which struck at Kuja's attacks, and Kuja himself, but the Angel of Death was successful in evading it.
Determined to get payback for those moves, Gilgamesh flew toward Kuja, with a fire in his eyes, the likes of which he had rarely experienced, but the drive spurring him on had instead become rapid growth, he did not simply want to end the fight, Gilgamesh needed to know just how worth Kuja was, and if such worthiness would be rewarded, anything less than worthy would not do, the chains had been overcome, something Gilgamesh deemed one of his most reliable options, ending this now would be improper.
Dashing through the air, Kuja again approached Gilgamesh, creating a massive number of orbs behind him, which he quickly spread out and surrounded Gilgamesh with. The King of Heroes inspected his surroundings, making a very quick calculation of how many orbs there were, there was at least an even amount of Holy and Flare, that much was clear.
"You've been... a pleasant diversion." Kuja delightfully remarked as his hoard of orbs all converged on Gilgamesh. But the King of Heroes acted swiftly and activated numerous portals which surrounded him. Many weapons launched outward like spikes, colliding with the weapons and cancelling each other out. Salvaging what he had left, Kuja orchestrated his orbs into a single massive Holy orb, the Seraphic Star, and dropped it on Gilgamesh.
The built-up energy quickly descended on the King of Heroes before it exploded, overpowering the weapons which had no hope of overpowering it. To prevent being hit by the Seraphic Star, Gilgamesh dispersed some of his portals, allowing him to escape. But as he levitated there, Kuja approached him, looking to strike once again, but Gilgamesh still held one of the weapons from before and stabbed Kuja in the stomach with it.
Successful in his attack, Gilgamesh summoning the lightning bolts from the Gate of Babylon and hurled them toward Kuja, knocking him into the ground and electrocuting his body. Relishing in his success, Gilgamesh laughed harder than he had prior, everything was going exactly as he had planned. The emotional turmoil was beginning to swell within Kuja now. The blade in his body and the jolting pain of lightning coursing through his body, it was becoming insurable to endure.
As Gilgamesh stood there laughing to his heart's content, Kuja started to fight back against the pain. He pushed himself up and off the ground, as the lightning started to feel more numbing. Kuja grabbed hold of the sword's handle, and desperately tried to pull the weapon out of his stomach, it took considerable effort, but as his emotion began to empower him, Kuja finally separated the sword from his body, he simply dropped the sword to his side as the lightning came to an end and Gilgamesh returned to his senses.
Kuja did not say another word and instead focused his orbs to attack Gilgamesh again. They all homed in on him, but Gilgamesh either deflected them with a weapon of his own or evaded them precisely. This time, however, Kuja teleported directly behind Gilgamesh where he once again strung Gilgamesh into his magic. Lifting him as his orbs expanded and spun in the air. Trapping the King of Heroes within a group of his orbs, Kuja quickly set up a powerful attack, Force Symphony.
Activating a portal of his own, his portal was pitch black, but it was surrounded by a ring of holy magic. It fired large Flare orb projectiles toward Gilgamesh, the first one struck him, launching the King of Heroes downward, Kuja immediately continued his bombardment, firing a second, third, fourth and fifth. All of them struck in succession, knocking Gilgamesh downward even more. And finally, a sixth and the largest projectile thus far, impacted Gilgamesh, sending him crashing into the stage.
The King of Heroes' crash landing left him on the ground, aching underneath his breath. Gilgamesh felt safe, but he did feel those attacks had been the strongest ones thus far, and the fire behind those orbs was potent. Similarly, the explosions were also powerful, but they hadn't begun to wound him. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the top half of his golden armour. As Gilgamesh rose to his feet to resume battling Kuja, his chest, shoulder and forearm armour all fell off, unable to remain attached to his body.
The King of Heroes stood tall and firm. His raised hair had finally dropped, leaving a golden fringe across his forehead. His necklace remained intact, and so too did the armour covering his hands. His bare skin told a more interesting story, across his arms, chest and stomach were Gilgamesh's red tattoos. The partial lack of armament did not concern Gilgamesh, instead, he simply smiled, knowing there was only one logical conclusion. "Now you will behold the form of a true king!" Gilgamesh confidently declared.
Kuja was intrigued by the markings on his foe's body, such information inspired much within Kuja, but knew that the conflict could not go on forever and that the battle must see a conclusion. "O, had you but bowed your head in supplication!" Kuja deflected, believing Gilgamesh to not resemble much of a King. He prepared to attack the King of Heroes once again, but with shocking speed, Gilgamesh approached Kuja and struck him with an attack that was too fast for the Angel of Death to even perceive. And the strength of which launched Kuja across the skies and knocking him into a pillar nearby.
Momentarily dazed by the attack, Kuja shook himself back into focus, only for Gilgamesh to have already closed the distance and using Enkidu to trap Kuja and tossing him around like a ragdoll. After a couple of seconds of this, Gilgamesh tossed Kuja to the ground, knowing he would escape Enkidu. The battle had taken an unexpected turn on Kuja, and it had begun to irritate him much more than anything prior. The emotions within him had reached an apex, the likes of which Kuja did not experience often.
A look of satisfaction arose on Kuja's face as Enkidu retreated to Gilgamesh. In a flash of red light, one that shined brightly enough for Gilgamesh to raise his forearm to shield his eyes, Kuja seemed to be consumed by the crimson light. Just moments later, the light faded, and Kuja had altered his form. Instead of clothing, Kuja now appeared with red and white fur across his body, he even sported a tail. Kuja had entered Trance. "Here's your invitation!" Kuja invited his opponent to the climax of their battle.
(Cue Paradise Lost - Granblue Fantasy: Versus)
Accepting the invitation, Gilgamesh cast the lightning Noble Phantasm from the Gates of Babylon, launching it toward Kuja. But a quick smirk lifted on Kuja's face, as he activated his magical barrier, and the lightning bolts perfectly reflected off the barrier and promptly went back to Gilgamesh. The speed of lightning wasn't quick enough to catch the King of Heroes off guard, and he flew higher into the air, successfully avoiding the lightning bolts. But as he evaded, he fell into Kuja's trap.
He cast an orb that did not consist of either Holy or Flare magic, but instead the most powerful magic in his arsenal, Ultima. He flung the powerful orb toward the vulnerable Gilgamesh, striking him in the back. The moment of vulnerability allowed Kuja to follow up with a second technique. "Curtains rise!" Kuja declared as he strung a series of orbs to strike Gilgamesh, trapping him and cutting off avenues of escape by igniting an explosion with his Flare magic.
Kuja's Final Reqiuem began by instantly casting a large wave of Flare Stars, each of them exploding within a localized area, all of which trapped the King of Heroes within. Kuja's explosions were in unison with his arm movements, like the conductor of an orchestra. With each successful explosion damaging Gilgamesh further, Kuja saw his attack was working and erupted all of his Flare Stars at once. With the fiery explosion all-encompassing Gilgamesh, Kuja acted quickly. Zooming around his explosion as it began to fade, out, Kuja added a Seraphic Star which made sure Gilgamesh would not escape the aftermath.
And the icing on the cake. Just as the coast is about to become clear, Kuja creates three gargantuan orbs of Ultima, "Here comes the finale!" Kuja proclaimed as each of them collided with the King of Heroes, and soon their collision caused them to explode, unleashing the final attack of the requiem and leaving Gilgamesh on the ground, with burns on his skin and bruises on his body.
"You are worthy mongrel. I will show you the truth..." Gilgamesh stated as he rose to his feet once more. A portal opened to the Gates of Babylon and a sword unique from the rest of the blades seen thus far, the Sword of Rupture: Ea. Arming himself to the teeth with two of his most prized possessions, Enkidu and Ea, Gilgamesh took the next step, racing toward Gilgamesh, but the Angel of Death activated his barrier to prevent Enkidu from passing through. The tactic was useful in delaying one of Gilgamesh's options, but it did not prevent his attack altogether.
Approaching Kuja at unfathomable speeds, Gilgamesh brandished Ea and swung his ultimate Noble Phantasm. And with just one stroke of his weapon, it broke apart Kuja's barrier. Stunned by this, Kuja readied orbs to attack Gilgamesh, but he was too slow, and Gilgamesh flung Enkidu toward Kuja, ensnaring him in a bind. The strong chain couldn't get stronger, but Gilgamesh did not need it to do so, all he needed for the angel's wings to be clipped.
Ea began to charge with red energies, the blade rotated and its speeds picked up, swirling faster and faster until suddenly, space itself began to distort and warp. Kuja could feel his surroundings completely change. Breaking out of Enkidu with his vastly improved power thanks to Trance, Kuja teleported away from Gilgamesh in a last-ditch effort to avoid Ea. He reappeared a few dozen meters away, where space had not yet been warped.
But in a sudden burst of speed, Gilgamesh blitzed his way to Kuja and thrust his Noble Phantasm, impaling Kuja. The energy built up in the blade took over, rending and tearing space around Kuja. And soon the force proved insurmountable. The violent distortions forcibly ripped Kuja apart, his Trance form dissipated as his body finally deteriorated under the might of Enuma Elish.
Despite not using the full power of his weapon, Gilgamesh had used enough to annihilate his opponent and the deserted stage and surrounding terrain. Standing above all of it, Gilgamesh lowered his weapon and rested Enkidu on his palm. Satisfied he retrieved the Great Grail of Uruk for a refreshment, Gilgamesh stood alone in a place that had become completely unrecognizable from what it once looked like. With his competition vanquished, there would be only one Gilgamesh.
K.O.!
Conclusion[]
(Cue Eiyuu Ou - Fate/stay night)
Boomstick: Well, looks like it's curtains for Kuja.
Wiz: This matchup was certainly interesting. Both Kuja and Gilgamesh were quite arrogant, refusing to use their full might against their opponent until they proved themselves worthy of it. Kuja certainly had the flair and equally arrogant nature to engage Gilgamesh in psychological warfare, this was, unfortunately, only going to delay the inevitable.
Ghost: Gilgamesh had a comfortable advantage with tons of powers and options that Kuja just didn't have. The Gates of Babylon on their own easily outclassed Kuja and his less diverse range of abilities. Both had planet level feats, but Gilgamesh has since defeated beings of greater power, whereas Kuja's Trance form was the peak of his power.
Popup: Despite being referred to as the Angel of Death, and using Holy magic, Enkidu: Chains of Heaven would only temporarily restrain Kuja. The chains couldn't become stronger as Kuja logically could not be defined as a divine being.
Ruby: Speed was also pretty decisive. At best, Kuja was comparable to Eidolons with attacks that moved at 80% light speed. But Gilgamesh matched Servants able to move 1,500 light-years in a short amount of time. Gilgamesh didn't even need to go at his fastest speeds to outmaneuver Kuja. That speed also guaranteed Gilgamesh's attacks would land far more often than anything in Kuja's arsenal.
Boomstick: I know some of you may be asking about Kuja's magical barrier. And while yes, it can certainly deflect Gilgamesh's magic attacks right back at him, there was no guarantee it would stick around for long enough to give Kuja an advantage. After all, Gilgamesh broke Caster's barrier, so it stands to reason he'd be able to break through Kuja's barriers too.
Wiz: And while Kuja possessed immense power in his Trance form, that temporary transformation couldn't stack up to the strongest things Gilgamesh was able to bring to the table. Especially the more powerful Noble Phantasms, such as the Sword of Rupture. Sure, it isn't something Gilgamesh uses all of the time, but when he does, it is truly devastating.
Popup: Despite Gilgamesh appearing as an adult when summoned as a Servant, he retains all of his knowledge and experience gained throughout his entire life.
Ghost: Kuja's greatest strength is also one of his weaknesses in this encounter, his manipulative scheming. While he'd have no problem handling Gilgamesh while he refuses to use his strongest options. Once Gilgamesh takes his foot off the breaks, that sheer increase in power utterly ensures Kuja's destruction. I'm just gonna say it. Fate is frickin' crazy!
Ruby: Kuja set the stage for one spectacle of a showdown, but his finesse and devious manipulations just weren't able to outdo Gilgamesh's crazy strength, speed, versatility, and more devastating victory moves.
Boomstick: Looks like Kuja met his final fate this night!
Wiz: The winner is Gilgamesh.
Original Track[]
An Original Track for this fight would be titled “King's Dark Message”. The track would be an instrumental at first, primarily rock with hints of orchestra and piano. After a portion of the track, it switches to a soft choir with an emphasis on string and drum instruments evoking Eiyuu Ou from Fate/stay night. Toward the track’s climax, a synthesized electric guitar takes over as the choir rises, evoking Dark Messenger from Final Fantasy IX.
The title refers to names and titles associated with the combatants. Gilgamesh's legendary title "King of Heroes" and Kuja's boss theme from Final Fantasy IX, Dark Messenger.
The track cover shows two of Kuja's magic spheres, composed of Holy magic and Flare magic respectively. Between then is Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm, Ea. Additionally, Enkidu: Chains of Heaven passes through the Holy magic sphere and reappears through the Flare magic sphere.
Trivia[]
- The connections between Kuja and Gilgamesh are they are antagonists with extravagant lifestyles and were created for a specific purpose, though their respective purposes are opposites (Kuja was created to incite war and ensure the deaths of many. Gilgamesh was created as a guardian of humanity, thusly laying the foundation for future civilizations). Through their cunning manipulations, they have deposed their creators. Both are (or considered in Kuja's case) royal/noble, living among the wealthy.
- Curiously, Kuja's name in Japanese can be alternatively spelled as 九蛇. This can be translated as "nine snakes", likely intended as a reference to Final Fantasy IX, and Kuja's deceitful and scheming nature. Conversely, Gilgamesh is known to dislike snakes.
- Furthermore, their respective series' main protagonists (Zidane Tribal and Shirou Emiya) have both been portrayed by American voice actor Bryce Papenbrook.
- Curiously, Kuja's name in Japanese can be alternatively spelled as 九蛇. This can be translated as "nine snakes", likely intended as a reference to Final Fantasy IX, and Kuja's deceitful and scheming nature. Conversely, Gilgamesh is known to dislike snakes.