A wish came true... A dream became a reality...
This is set to become an actual episode of Death Battle. Check out the Death Battle Wiki's page for it here.
| Zuko VS Shoto Todoroki | |
|---|---|
| |
| Season | 2 |
| Season Episode | 1 |
| Air date | August 24th, 2020 |
| Written by | AgentRedhead SoMaShadow |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Winter Soldier VS Red Hood (AgentRedhead) (Season 1 Finale) TBD (SoMaShadow) |
Next TBD (AgentRedhead) TBD (SoMaShadow) |
Zuko VS Shoto Todoroki is the Season 2 Premiere and a special collaborative What-If? episode of Death Battle by AgentRedhead and SoMaShadow, featuring Zuko from the Avatar: The Last Airbender series and Shoto Todoroki from the My Hero Academia series in a battle between tragically scarred pyrokinetics.
Description
It's Firebender vs Hero! Time to find out who'll get put on ice.
Interlude
Wiz: Scarred by family members and saving the world among a team of heroes, these two fiery combatants have carved out a name for themselves, against the legacies of their fathers.
Boomstick: And after overcoming their pain, both physical and emotional, they've proven more than capable of surpassing them.
Wiz: Prince Zuko, Firebending master and heir to the throne of the Fire Nation.
Boomstick: And Shoto Todoroki, the Icy-Hot Hero and son of the Number Two Hero, Endeavor. 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.
Zuko
Wiz: Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. The Fire Lord, Sozin, harnessed the power of a passing comet to incite a world-wide war, wiping out the Air Nomads and showcasing his dominating power over the rest of the world.
Boomstick: And his reign would continue on for 100 years, as his descendants, the next Fire Lords, would continue his war, keeping up his tyrannical rule and continuing his vision of conquering the rest of the world.
Wiz: And a century after his passing, the current Fire Lord, Ozai, would demonstrate his ruthlessness and cunning by taking the throne from his father, Azulon. Making his children the new heirs to the throne. And these prodigal children were his daughter, Azula, and his son, Zuko.
Boomstick: Growing up under big, bad fire dad, Zuko’s life wasn’t great. His father tossed him aside in favour of Azula, because she had shown much more skill and mercilessness from an early age, saying that she was born lucky, and that he was lucky to be born. But he always had his loving mother there for him, until she… well… wasn’t.
Wiz: In order to take the throne ahead of his older brother Iroh, Ozai needed to feel the pain of losing his firstborn son, as Iroh had. And Ozai was more than willing to kill Zuko to do it. But his wife, Ursa, offered a different plan: she would kill Azulon with a deadly poison to save Zuko’s life, and in return, she would be banished from the Fire Nation. Although unbeknownst to Zuko, his mother had made a great sacrifice to keep him alive.
Boomstick: And so the plan was set into motion. Ozai took the throne, Ursa was banished, and Zuko lost his only loving parent. And because the brutal Ozai was the only parental figure in his life, Zuko took to his training diligently, trying his hardest to make his father proud of him. To prove to his father that he was worthy of his love and acceptance.
Wiz: And in preparation to become the next Fire Lord, Zuko needed experience in his father’s war meetings, and took it upon himself to sit in on a plan to attack the Earth Kingdom. But when one of the generals suggested to use new recruits as bait, Zuko spoke out against the idea, and was to challenge the man he had offended in an Agni Kai, a fire duel.
Boomstick: But when Zuko was getting ready to fight the general, he was shocked to find out that he wouldn’t be facing the general. He spoke out of line during his father’s meeting, and thusly, he’d be fighting the man he disrespected. His own father. And when Zuko refused to duel his dad out of respect and sorrow, Ozai decided to teach him a permanent lesson about respect on the side of his face. Ouch! That’s rough, buddy...
Wiz: Scarred by his father and banished from the Fire Nation, Zuko would be tasked with finding the Avatar, the one person who could possibly stop his father’s plans. And by bringing back the Avatar, he’d regain his honour. But to do so, he’d need the right tools for the job.
Boomstick: And accompanying him was the best character in the show, Uncle Iroh! And he helped to teach Zuko his trusty firebending! Where he harness the light of the sun to summon flames. With it, he can create fireballs, streams of fire, fire whips, fire daggers, fire shields and so much more! He can also extinguish fire attacks with his bare hands, and redirect and control natural fire and that of other firebenders. While he’s extremely adept at it, he’s always got his martial arts training and two dao swords by his side.
Wiz: And eventually, his searches would lead him into conflict with the Avatar he sought; The immature, 12 year-old Airbender named Aang. However, the boy would always just narrowly escape him, and Zuko tracked him down across the world. They’d clash several times, and in their first ever fight, Zuko outputted enough literal firepower to take out a building. He could also match Katara, who could perform similar feats.
Boomstick: But that’s not all our resident honour-seeking fire prince can do. He’s also super skilled at infiltration and stealth, like when he rescued Aang from Commander Zhao by sneaking into his fortress without alerting any of the guards. Granted, he planned to take Aang for himself, but still.
Popup: Zuko has also shown his great stealth ability when he snuck aboard Commander Zhao’s ship after faking his death, and he also later infiltrated the Dai Li’s brainwashing facility underneath Lake Laogai.
Wiz: Zuko’s pursuit of Aang ultimately led him to the Northern Water Tribe, where a Fire Nation commander planned to lay siege, and during the ensuing commotion, Zuko snuck in, and abducted the young Avatar. And though this attempt failed in the end, in no small part due to a particularly pesky waterbender, Zuko did capture the Avatar for a while.
Boomstick: But his defeat at the Northern Water Tribe lead him to continue to travel with his Uncle, where they’d encounter Azula, who manipulated and tried to capture Zuko herself, so that he couldn’t interfere with their father’s plans. Turns out, he wasn’t so fond of that idea, so, he and best uncle went on the run as fugitives.
Wiz: During their attempts to evade the Fire Nation, Iroh taught Zuko everything he knew. He tried to turn Zuko’s life around, and get him to find his own path, one where he’d earn his own honour. And in case they had a run-in with Azula again, he needed to teach Zuko a vital skill to defend against her ruthless firebending and lightning generation. This would be Lightning Redirection.
Boomstick: By studying waterbenders, Iroh learned how to redirect lightning through, and away from his body, negating attacks from those who can discharge lightning. He even once used it to redirect the lightning from a storm! Natural lightning bolts move at 220,000,000 miles per hour, which is pretty damn fast. And through hard work and perseverance, Zuko learned his uncle’s legendary ability.
Popup: Zuko has attempted to learn Lightning Generation, but it quite literally blew up in his face, as not everyone is capable of performing the ability. He learned Lightning Redirection to counter such attacks.
Wiz: And though Zuko went off on his own for a while to discover his self-worth, he’d come back to Iroh, as needed his uncle as much as Iroh needed him. Together, Zuko and Iroh would live as commonfolk, seeking refuge in the impenetrable city of Ba Sing Se, and they even opened up a Tea Shop! Things were really starting to turn around for the firebending duo.
Boomstick: But then Azula came knocking again, offering Zuko the chance to get his father’s favour if he would help her take down the Avatar. Zuko’s life was fraught with indecision at the time, and it was a heart-wrenching choice for him, but he’d eventually go with Azula. It broke Iroh’s heart to see him go down this path, with Zuko helping Azula take down Team Avatar, putting them on the run, and leaving Aang in a near-death state. And our favourite uncle was locked up as a prisoner of the Fire Nation.
Wiz: But he couldn’t have pulled it off without the skill and power to back him up. Zuko is a very intelligent man, who has created winning strategies in battle, lead teams of warriors and his own ship crew, and has deceived even the most experienced of generals. Not to mention that Zuko has broken metal chains with a kick, smashed solid rock with ease, casually thrown people across rooms and can run on walls. Not to mention his skill with as blade. Zuko has bested multiple soldiers alone, with just his swordsmanship and fought the rogue, Jet, to a draw. He’s even surprisingly skilled at Volleyball. All of this done by the time he was just 16 years old.
Boomstick: Very impressive for someone so young! And when he got back to the Fire Nation, he was welcomed as a hero, and gained his father’s love and respect. He even got himself a girlfriend. Nice going, man! But he soon learned that Aang had survived and so, he sent a Fire Nation assassin after them to keep the fact secret. That assassin would be the awesomely named, Combustion Man!
Wiz: And Zuko has shown that his firebending is similar in power to that of Combustion bending. Of course, it isn’t exactly the same, but Zuko can keep up with his strength. Combustion Man once caused multiple stone pillars to explode with his bending, which had a destructive output of around 9.4 tons! And Zuko should only be a bit weaker than that.
Popup: As such, Zuko should be able to survive blasts of similar strength. He also once survived a ship exploding on top of him, but that explosion was weaker than the ones Combustion Man can output.
Boomstick: But his decision to betray his uncle and join Azula never quite sat right with Zuko. So, after learning of truth of his heritage, the relationship between his great-grandfathers, and how he can resolve the mistakes of the past, Zuko had a change of heart, and decided to do what was right; go help the Avatar, and teach Aang firebending.
Wiz: And though Aang and Zuko’s relationship was rocky at first, they eventually grew to be good friends after Zuko saved them from the Fire Nation assassin that he had… previously sent after them… However, Zuko learned that his turn to the good side weakened his firebending, which was previously reliant on anger and rage. So, Zuko needed to go to the original source of all firebending: the Dragons.
Boomstick: Oh hell yeah! Dragon time! At the ruins of the Sun Warrior civilisation, Aang and Zuko learnt the Dancing Dragon style of firebending, and from his short vision-induced tutelage that the dragons gave him after they deemed the two worthy, Zuko learnt the true meaning of firebending, and how to firebend the way it was originally intended to be done.
Wiz: Just like his uncle had, decades prior, which Iroh had subtly been trying to teach Zuko across their time in banishment. And with his new firebending knowledge, Zuko became the firebending master that he was destined to be, and with the Avatar, they started their assault on the Fire Nation, and Zuko’s father.
Boomstick: But before their affront could begin, Zuko sought out his uncle, and they had a heart-warming reunion. Zuko apologised for his actions, and Iroh forgave him immediately. He’s like a son to Iroh, and Iroh’s the father figure that Zuko needed all along. It makes me tear up every time, Wiz, it’s such a good scene!
Wiz: I know Boomstick, I know. While Aang went off to fight Ozai, Zuko went to take the throne, so that when Ozai fell, he could take his rightful place as Fire Lord and bring back honour to the kingdom. But waiting for him on the throne was Azula. More psychotic than usual, but just as formidable.
Boomstick: So then we get treated to the most epic Agni Kai of all time! Fueled by the returning Sozin’s comet, there were flames flying everywhere, it was a duel between siblings for the throne, the stakes have never been higher than this!
Wiz: And in their fight, Azula managed to output over 13 tons worth of flames, which Zuko was able to match her blow for blow. Enough firepower to destroy a whole city block! And Zuko may be able to match his father, who can output nearly 22 tons worth of fire, but it’s a bit iffy as to whether he could do it or not. And Ozai had his firebending increased by Sozin’s comet at the time, so it’s likely that he cannot output the same power under regular conditions.
Boomstick: And Azula tried to get a cheap shot at Katara with her lightning, who was there to help Zuko if he needed it, but luckily for her, Zuko was able to intercept it before it could hit her. And although it caused him great agony, at the end of the day, Zuko was able to best his sister.
Popup: In order to intercept Azula’s lightning, Zuko would need to move at speeds of over Mach 590.
Wiz: And once Aang had defeated his father, peace was restored to the world. Zuko would take up his rightful throne, no longer a prince, but the Fire Lord, and he’d ensure that the scars of the past be healed under his rule.
Boomstick: With Ozai locked up, Azula getting the help she needed, and Zuko finally re-connecting with his mother. Heck, even in his old age, he was kicking ass, and with a cool dragon too! I’d say that he definitely restored his honour. And he earned it himself.
Zuko: I thought I had lost my honour, and somehow, my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honour. It's something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what's right.
Shoto Todoroki
Wiz: Upon first impression, the world of My Hero Academia might not seem so different from our own. Located in the fictional city of Musutafu, Japan, it’s home to one of the most famous schools of all: U.A. High School.
Boomstick: U.A. High School isn’t your average, everyday high school. Instead of only teaching kids boring stuff, like math and science, they kick it up a notch. The kids who go to this school also get to learn how to be superheroes!
Wiz: Students who train at this distinguished academy learn to harness their strength, speed, and quirk. A quirk, or meta ability, is a superhuman ability that a person can be born with, or in some cases, acquire.
Boomstick: Some are awesome, like causing explosions or reducing gravity! And then there’s some that just blow, like... sticky balls. I don’t know whether to laugh or just be disgusted.
Wiz: Once the students graduate, they eventually go on to become world-renowned superheroes. You may know one of these famous heroes already, Toshinori Yagi.
Boomstick: AKA, the one, the only, All Might!
Wiz: However, just because someone is popular, doesn’t mean that everybody likes them.
Boomstick: Yeah, just like in any kinda race, everybody’s always aiming to be number one.
Wiz: And in the case of the Superhero Leaderboard, the number two spot currently sits with Enji Todoroki, better known as the hero Endeavor. Endeavor harbored great jealousy towards All Might’s fame and popularity, and so he swore to get revenge.
Boomstick: Who would’ve thought the adults were the ones being jealous, and not the kids?
Wiz: Despite his best efforts and quite literal firepower, Endeavor was never able to overtake his mighty competitor.
Boomstick: So, what’s a guy to do when he can’t take out a guy himself? Have his kid do it! That’s one way to get your kid ready for the world.
Wiz: Not very herolike, if you ask me. But, in order for this to happen, Enji knew he needed the perfect child for the job, complete with the perfect quirk. Eventually, he found the right woman to help him, so they got to work, producing children to try and become the next big hero.
Popup: He accomplished this through a forced marriage into her family.
Boomstick: So, he found a lady who had a cool quirk, wifed her up, and started popping out kids, just to try and keep the one who had the best mutation?
Wiz: Well, they’re more superpowers than mutations, since they’re superheroes, but yeah.
Boomstick: Oh, man... That’s just nasty! It’s like having sex with a vending machine. Who knew what kinda kid they were gonna have? I guess that’s why he’s called Endeavor.
Wiz: Thankfully for her, their fourth try was finally the child that Enji was looking for. Shoto Todoroki.
Boomstick: You’d think that after having his perfect child, he’d treat him right, make sure he was doing good in school… You know, be a good fucking parent? Nope! Guess he learned that from my dad...
Wiz: Shoto was separated by Endeavor from his older siblings at a very young age, before beginning to ruthlessly train him to try and become the number one hero.
Boomstick: This is sounding suspiciously more and more like a villain’s origin story instead of a hero’s.
Wiz: Then just wait until you hear this. It wasn’t just his children that he was cruel with, but also his wife. Things got so violent with the two of them, that Rei had to be sent to the hospital.
Boomstick: And how was she when she got out? Turns out, being abused kinda screws with your mind, and she began to hate him too.
Wiz: Right, but only his left side, because it reminded her of Enji. After seeing it once too often, she finally snapped, pouring scalding hot water over Todoroki’s left side, and scarring his eye for good.
Boomstick: Damn, I knew having one good parent was too good to be true.
Popup: While Todoroki had rocky relationships with both of his parents, he eventually made up with his mother after the Sports Festival.
Boomstick: Thank God he eventually managed to leave them to study at U.A. High School, just like his dad before him.
Wiz: Despite having a not so pleasant upbringing, Shoto did learn from one of the best in the business, and it shows in his power. Having trained under the number two hero, Shoto has naturally become quite the prodigy, possessing superhuman strength and speed. He has a natural talent for combat, so much so to the point that he was recommended to join the school, rather than enlisting himself.
Boomstick: Plus, with all that quirky breeding his parents did, he’s got one of the most useful combat quirks of all. It’s Half-Cold Half-Hot! Guess he’s not one for coming up with creative names, even if it’s pretty much exactly what it says.
Wiz: Half-Cold Half-Hot is Shoto’s signature quirk, combining both his mother and father’s quirks into one. This gives him control over both fire and ice, being able to utilize them both to their fullest potential. It was this quirk that helped him come in second place in the U.A. entrance exam.
Boomstick: Wow, I guess he did inherit something else from his mother. He knows how to leave a mark! Haha!
Wiz: *Sighs*
Boomstick: What? Too soon?
Wiz: In combat, Shoto tends to use his quirk over hand to hand and close quarters combat, preferring to fight at a distance rather than face to face. Though he has used both his fire and ice in battle before, he prefers to use his Half-Ice, in honor of his mother.
Boomstick: Yeah, it’s some kinda honor thing, about how he values his mom, and how he wants to become a hero for her sake, stuff like that. Damn, what a good kid.
Wiz: Mind you, he isn’t incapable of using his fire attacks. Rather, he simply chooses not to use them, as a form of retaliation against his father.
Boomstick: Well, that makes sense. If my dad were the kinda guy who had facial hair that was literally made of fire, I’d wanna keep my distance, too. Then again, having a mustache and beard fire combo would be pretty sweet...
Wiz: ...Boomstick, whatever it is you’re thinking about doing, don’t even try to-
Boomstick: Too late!
Boomstick laughs and lights a match, soon setting his mustache on fire. Wiz looks down at his watch. Silently counting down from three to one.
Boomstick: AAAAHHH! Why did I think this was a good idea?! Ow, ow, ow! It wasn’t! Get some water or something and put it out, Wiz!
Wiz: You got rid of the water last week, remember? You used it to try and put out my overheating computer!
Boomstick: I said sorry! Just grab something to put it-
Wiz grabs the beer can out of Boomstick’s hand and splashes it on him, putting out the fire and dousing Boomstick in beer. Boomstick stands there shocked as Wiz smiles.
Wiz: There. I put it out.
Boomstick: ...You planned this all out, didn’t you?
Wiz: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Boomstick: You better start sleeping with one eye open in the future.
Wiz: Thankfully, Shoto’s flames aren’t anywhere near as easy to put out as yours. Despite being more familiar with his mother’s Half-Ice quirk, his Half-Fire quirk is nothing to sneeze at. His literal firepower is some of the most impressive out of all the students in class 1-A.
Boomstick: He’s got so much damn power with his fire, that he can fill up an entire alleyway with it! Hot damn! And if that’s not enough, one time, when he was training in the forest with Bakugo, he ended up accidentally setting most of that forest on fire! God, if Smokey Bear ever met this kid, he’d probably have a heart attack.
Wiz: Well, I don’t think he’d have too much to worry about with Todoroki using his fire for good. Besides, with his Half-Ice, he could always just put out the fires himself. During his battle with Hanta Sero, he was able to create this enormous Giant Ice Wall. Once the match was over, Shoto then was able to melt it all with just his fire. Given the approximate time frame of about five minutes it took to do this, this feat clocks in at around 2,300 tons of TNT.
Boomstick: How are you supposed to train a kid who’s already got the power of over two nuclear bombs? But get this: That’s not even the half of it! Get it? Half? Because his body’s half ice, half fi-
Wiz: Shoto may be impressive with fire, even having his flames compared directly to his fathers at one point, but his real skill shines with his cryomancy. He’s so skilled with it, he can freeze anything he comes into contact with.
Boomstick: Yeah, like the time he froze most of an entire building with just one touch! Complete with a badass Terminator costume! Again, seems better for a villain than a hero, but whatever.
Popup: His costume would later be upgraded with a combat vest and snow boots, to help further his control over ice.
Wiz: Shoto’s power with ice is more than just physical contact, however. While fighting the villain known as Chimera, he was able to freeze an entire lake. Taking the height of Chimera and the depth of the lake, being able to freeze it completely would come out to 194 tons of TNT.
Popup: While Chimera was able to break free from this ice, this doesn’t necessarily suggest it was weak. Todoroki is still in training, after all!
Boomstick: Oh, is that not impressive enough for you? Then how about the time that he created tons of ice in the time it took his teacher to blink? Using blinking speed as a reference, to create such a massive crown of ice in a literal second would mean that his ice can move around 385 meters per second! That’s insane! With all that power and training, why’s he even need to go to the school again?
Wiz: Well, for one thing, his quirk doesn’t exactly make him invincible. He must maintain a balance between using his Half-Ice and Half-Fire, almost like a scale. If one side becomes overused, Shoto’s body could end up suffering either extreme frostbite or overheating. This was troubling for him at first, as he primarily used his ice, wanting to forgo his Half-Fire out of hatred for his father.
Boomstick: Ah, that figures. He wouldn’t be a teenager if he didn’t have an emo phase.
Wiz: However, after his battle with Izuku Midoriya, he began to finally realize his true potential. Just because he carried the power of the one before him, didn’t mean it would be just like his father’s. This was his quirk, and he had to make it for himself. And this carries over into how he fights. His fire has only ever been used against his toughest opponents, such as the villain Stain and Midoriya himself.
Boomstick: And Midoriya’s pretty tough, too. During their battle at the Sports Festival, they managed to make a gigantic explosion!
Wiz: Don’t get the wrong idea. It may look impressive, but in reality, it’s just the giant stone pillars being destroyed. By taking the height of the tallest pillar and comparing it with the height of Todoroki, the blast is only around 14 tons of TNT.
Boomstick: Still pretty damn impressive that their collision caused that much damage, though! Bullies better stay the hell away from him. If he doesn’t kick their ass, the literal number 2 hero would do it for him!
Wiz: Despite his less than stellar beginnings, it seems as though Shoto is slowly beginning to understand himself. Rather than be like his father, he instead chooses to be a true hero. One that countless others can look to for inspiration.
Todoroki: My very existence drove her away. That's why... I never went to her. I know that my mother's been... My... And my father's prisoner this whole time. So I, with all I've got... With my whole spirit... I'll say "I want to be a hero" again. I'll tell her that. There's so much I have to say. Even if she's not asking for it. I'll save her. That's... My starting line.
Death Battle
Deep in the Fire Nation Royal Palace, Fire Lord Zuko is seen sitting in the throne room. All of a sudden, a servant arrives, with an important message.
Messenger: Lord Zuko, sir! We have urgent news! Supposedly, there exists another firebender, one that may be even more powerful than you and Azula!!
Zuko: If what you say is true, then this bender could be a potential threat to the Fire Nation. I cannot allow that!
Messenger: Shall we organize an army to try and hunt him down, sir?
Zuko: No, there’s no need.
Zuko responds, standing up and beginning to prepare himself.
Zuko: I’ll go and deal with the potential enemy myself.
After a while of searching, Zuko eventually arrives at U.A. High School. He begins to look around for any sign of a supposedly superior firebender. After a while of searching, it would appear he has nothing to worry about. However, just as he’s about to leave, a large green robot appears from behind Zuko. Zuko hear this and turns around, surprised. But after the training bot attempts to attack Zuko, the Fire Lord immediately uses his firebending to create a fire blade, soon slicing through the head and torso of the Training bot.
As he’s defeating the Training Bot, a red and white-haired teen boy can be seen watching him from a distance.
Shoto: Fascinating...
As the robot falls over defeated, the stranger soon calls out to Zuko.
Shoto: You there!
Zuko, hearing himself summoned, turns to find the boy speaking to him.
Shoto: That’s quite impressive, to take out one of those bots so quickly like that. Are you an exchange student, or something?
Zuko grins, the fire blade disappearing from his hand as he crosses his arms.
Zuko: I guess you could say that.
The Icy-Hot hero, with a grin of his own, begins to brace himself for battle.
Shoto: Well then, since you seem to be pretty powerful already, I suppose you wouldn’t mind a little sparring match?
(*Cues: Bakugan Battle Brawler OST - Tournament Boss Battle*)
The Fire Lord, eager to try and prepare himself for the battle against the superior firebender, nods and gets into a fighting stance of his own.
Zuko: Sure, why not? It’ll be good practice for when I locate the one I'm searching for.
Shoto, being the one to ask for the fight, begins by immediately launching some ice over at the Fire Lord. Zuko is quick to dodge most of the ice blasts, before counterattacking with several fireballs, one after the other. In response, Shoto begins summoning large walls of ice to block the fireballs, with each one breaking after each fireball.
Once the ice walls are broken, the Firebender then summons a stream of fire from his hand, launching it straight at the hero. Shoto creates a large wall of ice to try and block the attack, but the flames burst a hole right through the middle of the wall.
Shoto: My God... your flames more impressive than I thought!
The Icy-Hot hero, now being on the defensive, is forced to evade the attacks thrown by Zuko, which amount to rapid bursts of fire. Zuko stays on the offensive, continuously firing bursts against Shoto, until he culminates with finally landing a hit on Todoroki’s leg, causing him to stumble to his knees.
Zuko: Thanks! It helps that I’ve got some pretty good training.
Shoto: Oh, really? Well...
Soon standing upright, Shoto summons a glacier from the ground, immobilizing the Firebender.
Shoto: Let’s see if that training prepared you for this!
Zuko attempts to escape his icy prison through some melee attacks, chipping away unsuccessfully at the ice. With his opponent now stuck, Shoto dashes over with a fiery outward hand, breaking the ice and sending the prince flying backward.
Zuko: What...? You... use fire, too?
Shoto: Not by choice...
The music stops abruptly as Zuko looks over and nods, understanding the student’s pain.
Zuko: ...That’s rough, buddy...
Zuko pauses for a moment, but then prepares himself for battle again, summoning several Fire Circles and launching them at Shoto.
Zuko: ...But not as rough as what I’m gonna do to you!
With the fight resuming, Shoto notices the incoming attacks, and freezes a large circle of the ground around him, beginning to skate and maneuver around the various rings of fire. With the rings not working, the Fire Lord creates a much larger Blazing ring, trapping the Half-Cold Half-Hot teen in a large ring of fire.
Zuko: Gotcha!
Once the hero is trapped, Zuko sends a large stream of fire behind himself, propelling him forward to his opponent. Before Shoto can react, Zuko has already begun a physical assault on him.
Zuko: What do you know? I think you’re just the guy I was looking for!
Shoto, soon seeing an opportunity, summons a massive wall of flames to keep Zuko at a distance.
Zuko: I knew it! Such intense fire could only mean… you’re the supposed most powerful firebender!
Shoto: No! My strength is not with my fire...
Shoto looks down at his hands, before beginning to rapidly summon ice, aiming right at Zuko.
Shoto: My strength is with my skill!
(*Cues: My Hero Academia - You Say Run*)
Zuko, now playing keep away, begins to evade the ice, rapidly jumping over frozen stalagmites and dodging various ice blasts.
Seeing that Zuko can dodge the attacks so easily, Shoto begins to freeze more of the ground around him, causing him to slide around.
Zuko: Wh-Whoa! What the...?
Shoto then begins to slide around Zuko, having seemingly taken control of the battlefield.
Shoto: What’s wrong? Getting cold feet?
Zuko, not being one to be left helpless, proceeds to let out large bursts of fire from his hands, melting the ice around him. The ice is seen melting, but the sheer scale of the fire is enough to catch some of the nearby trees aflame.
Zuko: No, I’m just getting warmed up!
Despite the ground under Zuko being melted, Shoto still seemed to have a mobility advantage. To counter this, to launch several Fire Bombs around the field, in an attempt to break up more of the ice. This proves unsuccessful, as Shoto is still able to move quite easily throughout the field.
Zuko, having had enough of the ice-skating, proceeds to create a massive eruption of flame, nearly melting all of it in the process.
Todoroki is left stunned watching this, but once the flames disappear, Zuko has disappeared.
Shoto: Huh? Where’d you go?!
After a moment, Zuko can be seen from behind Shoto, rapidly propelling himself towards him.
Zuko: Hey, Zuko here!
The student hero, turning around and seeing the Fire Lord approaching from behind, creates a large ice wall to try and prevent him from reaching him. This is unsuccessful, as the ice wall is destroyed with Zuko’s flames. The Icy-Hot hero then attempts to launch flames at the Fire lord, but this does not work either, as he simply misdirects the fire onto the ice underneath him.
Zuko: Looks like it’s game over, sore eyes!
The two are then locked into a flame war, as Zuko blasts a large amount of fire at Todoroki, who responds by blasting his own amount of fire. The two are locked in a beam struggle for several seconds, seemingly matched in power. Eventually, Zuko’s power overpowers Todoroki’s, and he closes the gap, grabbing him by the chest.
(*Cues: Last Angi Kai - Avatar: The Last Airbender*)
Zuko: I guess you're not so superior after all.
The Banished Prince smiles, forming a fire dagger in his hand as Todoroki struggles to break free. However, just as when it appears Zuko will win, Todoroki grabs Zuko's arm, beginning to make it freeze.
Zuko: Wh-What?!
Todoroki, now having regained control again, is able to break free of his grasp. He leaps backward, before beginning his next move.
Shoto: HEAVEN-PIERCING ICE WALL!!
At once, the aforementioned attack creates a gigantic wall of ice, immobilizing Zuko's lower half and leaving him unable to escape.
Shoto: Looks like I have the superior training.
Zuko attempts to break free once again, but the resulting struggles end up breaking off a frozen stalactite, stabbing Zuko in the un-scarred eye.
Todoroki, hating to see his enemy in pain, jumps up to his immobilized point and sighs. Having flashbacks of his fight with Hanta Sero and Midoriya, he closes his eyes and turns away.
Shoto: I... I'm sorry. I... didn't mean for things to... go this far...
Despite being in excruciating pain, Zuko attempts to reassure him.
Zuko: ...It's alright. In a way, I guess I kinda deserve it. I've done some... not so nice things.
The son of Endeavor, looking down, soon nods. He looks over at the now frozen Banished Prince, regret showing in his eyes.
Shoto: ...Don't worry, I'll put you out of your misery.
Zuko nods, watching as he begins to freeze the upper half of his body.
Shoto: For what it's worth... You would've made a great hero.
Zuko smiles, as it soon fades, with Todoroki freezing his entire body completely solid, uprooting it from the Heaven Piercing Ice-Wall and throwing it down, shattering it into pieces. He then jumps down and begins to melt the leftover ice, lamenting the loss of his worthy opponent.
Results
Boomstick: Now that was a cool fight! So sad what happened to Zuko, though...
Wiz: This matchup certainly played to the combatants' strengths, as both of them had their own advantages which allowed them to excel in different fields. Zuko was faster, more experienced and likely had better training, but Todoroki had better showings of power, durability and versatility, which ultimately led to his victory. Although it might seem black and white, it wasn't one-sided in Shoto's favour.
Boomstick: Yeah, Zuko's ability to redirect lightning put him above Todoroki keeping up with Kaminari's electricity, and his swordsmanship and stealth skills were handy at keeping Shoto up close or hiding from him, if need be. Not to mention that Zuko's experience fighting other firebenders like Azula and Combustion Man meant that he wouldn't have much trouble when Todoroki was using his own fire, as he'd be able to evade it, or dispel it pretty easily.
Popup: Zuko had more control over fire than Todoroki did, and his different firebending techniques could keep the Icy-Hot Hero on his toes, but Shoto's ice abilities, along with his fire ones edged out Zuko's pure reliance on fire alone.
Wiz: But even then, Todoroki's pure power output blew Zuko out of the water. Taking into account their greatest feats of elemental manipulation, Zuko's flames against Azula could measure up to 13 tons, while Todoroki's Heaven Piercing Ice Wall could output over 2,300 tons, or about 2.3 Kilotons. And measuring some feats of their fathers to which they should scale, Ozai could create nearly 22 tons of fire under the influence of Sozin's Comet, while Endeavor could burn through part of a skyscraper with his flames, which equals over 70 tons. And Enji still has many more powerful showings than this!
Boomstick: So giving Zuko the complete benefit of the doubt, Todoroki still eclipsed him in the power department. But couldn't Zuko try to get Shoto up close and personal? I mean, he does have his better martial arts training and his swords. Plus, getting stabbed is bound to hurt like a bitch, right?
Wiz: While it seems like a good plan on paper, Todoroki would be more than capable of keeping Zuko away with his quick ice blasts and his greater maneuverability. He could freeze the ground to throw Zuko off-balance, or create ice under his own feet for a speedy escape, so Zuko would be hard-pressed to pin him in one place for too long. And even if he could, nothing is stopping Todoroki from freezing or melting Zuko's swords. He's frozen over entire buildings in mere seconds before, and nearly melted the hero, Tetsutetsu, whose body is made of steel. Zuko's swords weren't standing up to that.
Popup: Even if Zuko had access to Sozin's Comet, it's highly unlikely that the result would change. The increase in power that firebenders receive is not drastic enough to make a difference, considering Todoroki's feats are several times more powerful, even with the Comet boost.
Boomstick: And despite Zuko's experience fighting waterbenders who could control ice, they never could create anything close to the power that Todoroki had available to him at all times. And Zuko still needed to be able to move to create his fire, and though he can melt through ice, it still takes him some time to do so. But when he's up against someone who could just freeze him solid in an instant and has the sheer volume of ice that Todoroki could output, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Fire Lord.
Wiz: Zuko certainly proved himself a worthy opponent, and he definitely brought his all to this honourable battle, but he was just outclassed by Todoroki's superior strength, durability and more versatile powers.
Boomstick: The Fire Lord put up a great fight, but in the end, Zuko was outmatched, and for it, he payed the price.
Wiz: The winner is Shoto Todoroki.