Aang VS Edward Elric

Aang VS Edward Elric is the 112th episode of Death Battle, featuring Aang from the Avatar: The Last Airbender series and Edward Elric from the Fullmetal Alchemist series in a battle between young masters of the elements. Aang was voiced by Emily Fajardo and Edward was voiced by Alejandro Saab.

Description
Two warriors of the elements bend and transmute everything they have in this fight to the death!

Interlude
(*Cues: Wiz & Boomstick - Brandon Yates*)

Wiz: The elements make up every aspect of the world we live in, and no average person can tame them.

Boomstick: But somehow, these kids can master them with a vengeance!

Wiz: Like Aang, the Avatar.

'''Boomstick: And Edward Elric, The Fullmetal Alchemist. 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.

Aang
Wiz: Water, earth, fire, air...

Boomstick: Heart!

Planeteers: Go, Planet!

Wiz: Once, the four nations lived in harmony, and some of their citizens could even learn to bend their nation's element, but only the Avatar could master all four, and it's their duty to protect the balance between these nations.

Boomstick: And since there's always gotta be an Avatar around, a new one is born whenever the last one dies.

Wiz: But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Attempting to conquer the other three nations, the Avatar would inevitably be their greatest obstacle.

Boomstick: Man, they’d even go after a kid?

Wiz: Living among the Air Nomads, Aang was an energetic and dutiful twelve years old when he learned of his destiny. He was the newest incarnation of the Avatar.

'''Boomstick: But he totally wussed out, ran away from home, and got frozen in ice for a hundred years. What the hell? That's not what I’d do if I found out I was an awesome elemental badass. I'd definitely find a way to make money off that.'''

Wiz: Boomstick... He's twelve.

Aang: PENGUIN!

(Aang is then shown sledding on some Otter Penguins with Katara.)

Wiz: But running away actually saved his life, as the Fire Nation knew the next Avatar would be an Air Nomad, and slaughtered them all in a horrific surprise attack.

'''Boomstick: But the poor kid wouldn’t be stuck in ice forever. He was eventually rescued by some new friends, and began his quest to learn the other elements and save the world! And as an Air Nomad, he can really "bend" the wind to his will.'''

Wiz: (sighs) He can use Airbending to create whirlwinds and tornados or slice through solid stone.

'''Boomstick: And he can fly! Wheee!'''

Wiz: Well, it's not exactly flying, Boomstick. What he actually does is manipulate the air currents to keep aloft. That's why he carries a glider, complete with snacks.

(The Mechanist opens the snack compartment on a glider and eats what’s inside it.)

Aang: Oh, well, I’m sure that’ll come in handy...

'''Boomstick: Whatever, if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's a duck. Or I guess, a flying Avatar guy.'''

Wiz: But ducks can actually fl...anyway, Aang can use air in every aspect of his life, like for shields, increasing his speed, improving agility, adjusting his body temperature, and even focusing his breath to use as an attack.

'''Boomstick: After he learned Waterbending from Pakku and Katara, Aang can make whips, knives, and literal tsunamis. Hey, I can do that too, just give me a pool and watch this cannonball fly. Does that mean I'm a Waterbender?'''

Wiz: Uh, sure. Waterbenders can also manipulate steam and ice.

(Cut to Wiz and Boomstick, a large ice block drops in front of them)

Boomstick: Just like how I, the great Waterbender, Boomstick the Wet, will use my powers to swim through this frozen block.

Wiz: You -- what?

'Boomstick: Yep, (he stretches)'' Waterbending 101. You can be jealous.'''

Wiz: (sarcastic) Oh wow, I'm just bursting with envy.

'''Boomstick: Bending powers activate! (He leaps and lands on top of the block, it crumbles to pieces under his weight, he gives a thumbs up) HA! Success!'''

Wiz: Like Airbending, Waterbending requires a nearby source of water to use, like a pond or a filled bottle. The same goes for Earthbending, which Aang learned from his mentor, Toph.

'''Boomstick: Earthbending is all about throwing rocks at people, and a bunch of other cool stuff, like making walls and earthquakes and causing the ground to swallow you up, which is... kinda creepy, actually.'''

Popup: Aang has studied some specialized bending techniques, such as the seismic sense, but he did not learn metalbending, bloodbending, or lightning generation.

Wiz: Last but certainly not least, Aang learned the art of Firebending from his longtime rival Prince Zuko. Unlike the other arts, Firebenders can actually create fire to use at will.

'''Boomstick: Firebending is so goddamn powerful! It's even got the deadliest bending technique of all: Shooting lightning!'''

Wiz: Well, only the most advanced Firebenders can cast lightning, which is usually an instant kill move. While Aang never learned the move itself, he has learned how to redirect it through his body.

Boomstick: But even after learning the four elements, Aang got to meet one last master bender.

Wiz: Who taught him the art of manipulating a person's life energy, the purest form of bending.

Boomstick: It's super dangerous though, and one mistake could tear up Aang's soul.

Wiz: And with it, Aang defeated the Fire Lord and brought peace to the world at large.

Boomstick: Well, with that, and with his super form: The Avatar State.

Wiz: In the Avatar State, Aang's bending abilities grow immensely powerful. This is because the Avatar State lets Aang draw upon the power and wisdom of all previous Avatar incarnations. Though it is extremely risky, as dying while in the Avatar State ends the cycle of reincarnation permanently.

''Popup: Aang had difficulty learning the Avatar State, and for awhile could only access it during moments of extreme stress. He eventually learned to unblock his chakras and mastered the state.''

'''Boomstick: Why would he care if he's dead, anyway? Whatever, the coolest thing about the Avatar State is it makes you glow, like this. (His body glows bright) Behold! (laughs maniacally)'''

Wiz: How are you doing that?

Boomstick: Oh, I drank a bunch of glowsticks.

Wiz: You need to go to the doctor, like, right now.

Boomstick: (chuckles) My liver's processed way worse than this.

Wiz: Well, with or without the Avatar State, Aang is plenty powerful. He has the ability to move gigantic stone columns, and even carve canyons around an entire city.

Boomstick: Not only has he survived hits from Earthbending kings and massive explosions, he threw this gigantic column of rock at the Fire Lord.

Wiz: To get the column's mass, we compared Aang's height against it and determined it must weight 9,500 tons.

'''Boomstick: Aang's super fast too. With Airbending, he can run on water.'''

Wiz: Which, given his size requires a movement speed of well over sixty seven miles per hour.

Boomstick: He used Airbending to block a giant column destroying explosive attack from the best named character on the show: Combustion Man.

Wiz: And he's proven he could redirect lightning from the Fire Lord himself. Taking into account the distance between them and how far Aang's arm had to move to catch the lightning, he would have to react at least 155 times faster than sound.

''Popup: Firebent lightning likely travels the same speed as natural lighting. Iroh, who invented the technique, has even caught and redirected lightning from a storm.''

'''Boomstick: He is pretty un-used to violence though, I mean, he's a vegetarian pacifist for crying out loud, but while he may seem like just a kid, Aang still saved the world and led it into a peaceful future. To him, bending is element-ary.'''

Aang: If you want to be a bender, you have to let go of fear.

Edward Elric
Wiz: Alchemists of old once tried to turn lead into gold, with... not great results. But in the country of Amestris, the ancient science of alchemy is actually possible, by using the earth's natural energy to reshape the molecular structure of various objects.

Boomstick: And by drawing a circle thingy!

Wiz: A transmutation circle, which most alchemists use, except for the youthful prodigy, Edward Elric.

Boomstick: Aw, what a little badass!

Wiz: Careful, Boomstick, he's a bit touchy about his size.

'''Boomstick: Hey, if I lost my mom like he did, I'd get mad at the little stuff too, but Ed and his brother Alphonse figured they could bring her back with alchemy. So they went for it, but things went south REAL fast. You know how people say they’d give an arm and a leg for something? Well, Ed literally did! And poor Al lost his whole body. Luckily, Ed managed to stick his brother’s soul in a suit of armor, but still... Yikes.'''

Popup: While the manga is our primary source for analysis, (and by proxy the faithful 2009 "Brotherhood" anime adaption) feats in the 2003 anime will be examined as supporting evidence, only disregarded if too far removed from the source material to be considered reasonably fearsible.

Wiz: This horrible experience has forever marked the two brothers. No one is meant to transmute the human soul, and the boys were lucky just to escape with their lives.

'''Boomstick: But he got something good out of it, like super-secret knowledge, including how to do alchemy without a circle thingy. He just has to clap instead! (Ed’s clap sound effect is heard) So... worth it?'''

Wiz: With these new abilities, Ed and Alphonse began their quest to restore their bodies. Specifically, they sought the incredible power of a Philosopher's Stone, believing it to be their only chance. Eventually, Ed joined the military, and thanks to his amazing potential, he was named by the Führer, the “Fullmetal Alchemist”.

'''Boomstick: Wh- Wh- What!? Adolf Hitler?!'''

Wiz: Nah, it's just Bradley. He’s okay. Until he isn’t.

'''Boomstick: Spoilers! Also, since Ed lost a couple limbs, he got them replaced with Automail. Kinda like my leg!'''

Wiz: Automail is made from incredibly durable metal, ranging from his original steel one, to a gas-powered one, to his best version, consisting of a mix of aluminum and carbon. Apart from being durable metal prosthetics, Ed’s Automail limbs function just like normal ones. He can even reshape his arm as a weapon.

'''Boomstick: So, he can turn it into swords and saws and stuff, increase its durability by hardening it’s makeup, or turn it into an umbrella. Ah, truly a limb of many talents.'''

Wiz: But at the end of the day, Ed's true talent lies not in sword fighting or umbrella holding, but the art of alchemy.

'''Boomstick: He can do all sorts of crazy things with all the elements. He can basically make anything he wants, like spears and shields.'''

Wiz: So long as he follows the rule of Equivalent Exchange. Anything created with alchemy must have a source of equal value, and cannot be made fundamentally different. For example, lead can be molded into a statue, but it cannot be turned into water. Other than that, there are three principles needed to use alchemy well: Comprehension...

Boomstick: Which means you gotta understand what the thing you're using as made of.

Wiz: Destruction....

Boomstick: Breaking stuff down.

Wiz: And Reconstruction.

Boomstick: Putting stuff back together.

Wiz: Ed is only limited by the materials at hand and his imagination. At his full potential, he can do almost anything. He can purify water, create ammonium gas from ammonium nitrate, repair entire houses, and transform a gun into a trumpet.

'''Boomstick: Don't you EVER try and do that with any of my guns. Anyway, Ed's also learned Destruction Alchemy, which does exactly what you think it does, make a big old kaboom! Ed's used it to destroy stuff like Automail, but it can also be used to explode people heads.'''

''Popup: While Ed has never used Destruction Alchemy on a human target, he is acutely aware of its capabilities. Scar has used it against people to great effect.''

(Wiz holds a watermelon)

Wiz: So using Destruction Alchemy, Ed should be able to destroy something like this on a molecular level.

'''Boomstick: Haaah! (Chops clean through it) Or you could just do that.'''

Wiz: Anyway, with all of his abilities, Ed has done some incredibly impressive things.

'''Boomstick: Not only has he blocked gunfire from a gatling gun after it started firing, he's dodged a pistol from nearly point-blank range, and his Automail arm even took a bite from a lion headed chimera. It was totally fine.'''

Wiz: Asumming this chimera has a similar bite force to that of a real lion, that means Ed's arm stood up to a force of one thousand pounds per square inch.

Boomstick: He's created a gigantic cannon and then survived that cannon exploding while he was standing on it, and then he survived being on top of a huge boulder exploding, too!

Wiz: We can measure the boulder's explosion against Ed's size to get an approximate energy output, with a radius of thirty six feet; this blast must've been equivalent to over one hundred tons of TNT.

'''Boomstick: How's that for equivalent exchange, b*tches! He also survived an explosion that took out most of a ten story building.'''

Wiz: Even apart from being tough, Ed has shown considerable strength when using alchemy.

Boomstick: Like when he created a gigantic golem to crush his opponent.

Wiz: By measuring the size of the stone golem's thumb, comparing it to the size of the average human's thumb, and using that scale to estimate the size of the golem, that gives us an estimated weight of over three thousand metric tons.

Boomstick: All this without any Philosopher Stone, because it turns out those things are really...really messed up.

Wiz: Right. Philosopher Stones are extremely powerful and can be used in many different ways. Kimblee the Crimson Lotus Alchemist, for example used one to create a massive explosion equal to 157 kilotons of TNT. However, it turns out that these stones are composed of imprisoned human souls, so Ed and Al vowed to avoid them on principle. Although, Ed can boost his alchemic power in a similar manner by drawing on his own life force, increasing his potential at the cost of shortening his lifespan, but that's what Ed ultimately had to learn, what it truly means to let something go, and so he found another way to revive Al's body, sacrificing his own power for the sake of family.

Boomstick: Aw, what a nice guy, but all in all, so long as Ed knows what he's trying to transmute, he's an amazing force to be reckoned with.

Edward: (holding Alphonse in his human body)'' Now, let's go home. Together! (Alphonse nods in agreement before the brothers prepare to exit the Gate)

Death Battle
(*Cues: Elements of Alchemy - Therewolf Media*)

In an outdoor market, Aang uses his airbending to play with Momo and accidentally launches him into a nearby bust sculpture stand.

''Aang: Hehehe. Sorry, Momo. You're just too little!''

As Momo gets up, he leaps back after feeling something move under him. Edward, who was also behind the stand, angrily stands up.

''Edward: Little?! Who you calling a pipsqueak, you stupid hairless kid?!''

Momo then gets back on Aang's shoulder.

Aang: Uh, nobody?

Edward: I'll show you!

The Fullmetal Alchemist then jumps out of the stand and transforms a head statue into a club and strikes at Aang. The two clash as Momo gets off Aang's shoulder until the Last Airbender knocks Edward to a nearby stand. Edward then uses alchemy to transmute his automail arm into a sword, he then slashes at Aang only for the young Air Nomad to dodge each strike with Airbending.

Aang then used Earthbending with the statues and fires them at Edward. The youthful alchemist runs and dodges until he transmutes the wall and ground to destroy the statues before altering the earth to form spikes at his opponent. Aang dodges it and leaps back towards a fountain, where he Waterbends the liquids towards Edward.

Edward transmutes a wooden shop into a funnel to redirect the water at Aang, who turns the water into mist to surround the market. Aang struggles to find his opponent and starts calling out for him.

''Aang: You know there's actually a lot of advantages to being short! Like you'll never hit your head on door frames, and uh...''

Edward: I'M STILL GROWING!

Aang sees Edward's silhouette and tosses a fireball in his direction.

Aang: Now I got ya...

The fireball appears to decapitate Edward and sends his head rolling towards Aang, who starts panicking.

''Aang: Aaah! Oh no, I'm sorry!''

But it turns out to be a decoy, as the "head" is a round stone with a demeaning face on it.

''Edward: A classic misdirection. ''

Edward takes advantage of his distracted opponent and transmutes the ground to trap Aang in a stone cage.

Edward: ''That's advantage Elric! Ha!''

Edward dashes forward and attempts to transmute the cage, but Aang is able to leap out of it before he could touch it.

Edward: Damn it!

Aang begins hovering on his air scooter and is shocked when Edward is able to create a massive stone cannon.

Edward: How's this for small?

Elric fires a massive cannonball at the Avatar, who pierces through it with his Firebending and hovers through it.

Edward: What kind of alchemy is that!?

Aang lands on the cannon and tries attacking with Air and Firebending, but Edward counters by conjuring spikes on the cannon. He turns his arm into a sword again and tries swinging, but Aang pushes him back with his staff and Airbending. Edward claps his hands once more and prepares to transmute material, but before he can, Aang uses Earthbending to trap his hand in the same spikes he created.

Aang: OK, no more clappy magic!

Aang separates Edward from his Automail arm, causing the alchemist to keel forward and put his unstable functioning arm on the cannon.

Aang: Uh oh...

The cannon explodes, sending both combatants into a large, smoky cloud. The debris knocks down the stand of the always unlucky cabbage merchant nearby.

Cabbage Merchant: No my cabbages!

As Aang lands, he closes his eyes and begins concentrating.

Aang: I won't lose you again...

Using seismic sense, he is able to detect Edward creating a Transmutation Circle nearby.

Aang: There you are!

Aang begins dashing through the smoke towards his opponent as Edward finishes the ritual.

Edward: Nice try shorty!

Edward transmutes the earth to summon dozens of pillars to surround the Airbender. Despite his efforts, Aang appears to be crushed by the ambush, with his glider now broken in half.

''Edward: Phew. Can't believe that worked.''

A light starts emitting from the pile of pillars. Aang, now in the Avatar State, eradicates all the pillars and summons all four elements to his side.

Aang: This ends now!

The Avatar summons a cyclone to surround him and his opponent, leaving Elric out of options. He then tosses a projectile containing all four elements to finish off the Fullmetal Alchemist.

Edward: At least I'm taller than you...

Edward smirks as his body is annihilated by the final attack, leaving nothing but a black spot on the ground.

Aang: You left me no choice...

KO!

Results
Boomstick: Looks like Ed didn't have a leg to stand on or arm I guess.

Wiz: Ed may have been more quick witted and inventive and he certainly had more combat experience. But Aang's bending abilities we're far more versatile and readily available than combat alchemy.

Popup: Technically, Aang would have gained far more combat experience than Ed once he entered the Avatar State, hence accessing the memories of all previous Avatars across 10,000 years.

Boomstick: Yeah Ed had cool stuff like cannons and gun trumpets but Aang was fast enough to react to lightning which is way faster than dodging a measly bullet.

''Popup: Depending on interpretation, Ed had some debatable lightning timing feats. They are less clear and consistent than Aang's, and therefore less reliable for an argument. Aang's, better mobility and seismic sense would still give him the edge in speed regardless.''

Wiz: Recall how Ed survived an explosion that destroyed most of a ten story building. By examining the size of the building and thus the volume of the conical explosion. This blast must've equal about 30 kilotons of TNT.

''Popup: It's worth noting Ed was shielded from the brunt of this blasting attack by his father, Hohenheim. Straight on, the attack tore apart Al's steel armor body, which generally show to be tougher than Ed.''

'''Boomstick: That's cool. But Aang did WAY more when he carved a circle around that city in Avatar State.'''

Wiz: The force of the blast such as huge revin around the city of Yu Dao was a massive undertaking. By measuring the width, length and depth of the effected area compared to the size of the city. We've found it would take almost a 160 kilotons of TNT to pull that off.

'''Boomstick: More than five times greater than Ed's best durability feat. So Aang's definitely had the stuff to crush Ed's Automail arm and the rest of him.'''

''Popup: The closest Ed ever got to experiencing this level of destructive force was from Kimblee, who nearly killed him. Even if Ed could miracululously survive this level of power, past incarnations of the Avatar have feast of volcanic eruptions calculated to be in the gigaton range.''

Wiz: Granted Ed could reach the source of power by sacrificing his life force. Remember Kimblee's explosion the one would power a Philosopher Stone a blast worth a 157 kilotons of TNT? That's almost identical than Aang's feat. And theoretically Ed could've been in capable this level of power. Theoretically. However a Philosopher Stone uses many souls while Ed could only draw from his wand. Not to mention drawing from his own life force meant his power-up had a very short and dangerous duration limit compared to the Avatar State. Which has no such limit. But even so Ed's tactics and creativity kept him in the fight. Yet the Avatar's speed, power and versatility it's too much for him. Aang may be a pacifist in canon and would hardly kill anyone, but unleashing his full power is a sight to behold.

Boomstick: Just when Ed thought he had the Aang of it, he alche-missed the mark.

Wiz: The winner is Avatar Aang.

Original Track
The track for the fight is "Elements of Alchemy" by Therewolf Media. It is an eastern style piece (emulating the styles used in Avatar) with a heavy emphasis on violins (similar to Fullmetal Alchemist's soundtrack) and occasional electric guitar. Aang's theme is remixed near the ending of the track.

The track's title combines the two key powers of their universe (The four elements and alchemy, respectively).

The cover image shows a transmutation circle surrounded by the four elements as the air surrounding the circle takes the form of arrows, representing the Air Nomads. The way the elements surround the circle is reminiscent of Aang's Avatar State.

Trivia

 * The connections between Aang and Edward are that they both are young heroes with the ability to manipulate the environment around them (Air and Earth, respectively) and also battle the corrupt governments of their worlds. Both have had encounters with the supernatural, with Aang being the host of a spirit and his trips to the Spirit Realm and Edward's encounters with the Homunculi, Father, and the Gate of Truth.
 * According to Death Battle Cast #135, This matchup almost got a spot in Season 5, but it was replaced with Sora VS Pit because Ben Singer wanted to make sure the studio had an animation team capable of animating the bending and alchemy.
 * This is the fourth Cartoon VS Anime/Manga themed episode, after Gaara VS Toph, Samurai Jack VS Afro Samurai and Optimus Prime VS Gundam.
 * An animation error is seen during the battle as Ed’s Automail Arm is incorrectly placed on his left arm. This gets fixed during later parts of the battle.