User blog:AgentHoxton/Custom Death Battle: Guile VS The Soldier

So I've been pretty entertained by Death Battle so far, a lot more than I initially thought I would be. And I've seen all the potential matches there could be and I could probably do some of my own. So, why not? Here's my idea for a Death Battle! I may consider making this a full page on the Death Battle fanon wiki after enough feedback, but for now I'll leave it here for your thoughts.



Description
''Street Fighter VS Team Fortress! Two of America's top military-themed fighters take to the battlefield to prove their superiority! Will Guile send this mercenary home to be a family man? Or will the Soldier's rockets and firepower prevail?''

Interlude
The gaming world has gifted the United States of America with a wide array of characters, and when it comes to the top brass of the military fighting class, these two fighters are recognisable from a mile away, ready to take on any opponent who dares to gets in their way.

Guile, Street Fighter extroadinaire...

And the RED Soldier, the rocket-jumping mercenary!

Based on what I could find and understand of these two fighters, I'll try my best to put across these characters' sets of weapons, armor and skills to determine who would be the victor in a death battle!

''Side Note: Because Guile and Soldier have a lot of non-canon stuff and what-have-you, for a fair assessment these two fighters will be limited to their standard moves and equipment. For Guile this will mean moves will come strictly from the pure canon timeline of Street Fighter (so no Marvel VS Capcom stuff here or from spin-off titles). As for the Soldier, he will be limited to his standard weapons only, no unique weaponry or any items that will enhance stats. This is, in similar way to the Pokemon Battle Royale, in place to avoid all player influence.''

Guile
This will cover Guile strictly on the Street Fighter canon from Street Fighter II onwards, so moves and feats from the Marvel Vs series as well as any spin offs of street fighter or non canon Street Fighter games won't count.

History
Before he became the man he is today, Guile was once a trainee in the United States Air Force. From here he befriended Charlie Nash, his superior officer, and it was him who taught Guile his unique fighting style. On a mission to find Charlie after he went missing, he ventured out to a fortress belonging to the villainous group of Shadaloo. Guile and Charlie set explosives around a source of power belonging to M. Bison known as the Psycho Drive. Elsewhere, Ryu beat Bison and he regenerated into the Drive, at which point Charlie instructed Guile to escape. The base exploded in the end, but Guile was alright. Charlie, however, was not - and Bison lived. Enraged at Bison for supposedly being the cause of the death of his best friend, he entered the second World Warrior Tournament - which in itself was one of Bison's traps - in his quest for vengeance.

Background
Guile's strong offense and defense make him a very effective character, but at the trade-off of only having two standard special moves:
 * Height: 182cm / 5'11.5"
 * Weight: 86kg / 189.5lb
 * Blood Type: O
 * Dislikes: Natto, M. Bison, using guns, bears
 * His theme fits with everything
 * Heavily advises others to return to their living quarters and become a parental figure
 * Fighting style is a mix of martial arts and professional wrestling techniques

Flash Kick

 * Anti-air move
 * Similar to a backflip or bicycle kick
 * Practically impenetrable
 * Performed similarly to Ryu's Shoryuken

Sonic Boom
Both moves require charging to use at their full potential, obviously the longer Guile charges, the more destructive and damaging the ending attack is.
 * Performed with double arm cross slash
 * Also used by Charlie and Seth
 * One of his deadliest attacks
 * Blasts foes off their feet
 * Slower than a Hadouken due to Guile's hot-headedness
 * Puts the Sonic CD theme of the same name into the player's mind

However, to compensate for the lack of Special Moves, Guile seems to have adapted the Sonic Boom and the Flash Kick to invent two new and deadly Combo techniques from the Street Fighter canon.

Sonic Hurricane

 * More powerful than a Sonic Boom
 * Thrown in a short whirlwind pattern as opposed to being focused into an energy ball
 * Deals significant damage
 * Short ranged
 * Placed directly in front of Guile

Flash Explosion
But even when it comes down to winning through close combat, Guile still has one last set of moves up his sleeve. Each Street Fighter has their own unique attacks known as... well, Unique Attacks, or Command Normals. While basic, Guile's Command Normals are quite effective due to his strength and size.
 * Composed of three successive Flash Kicks
 * First two Flash Kicks deal multiple hits
 * Deals heavy damage and can even KO opponents if their health is low enough
 * Arguably one of Guile's deadliest combos

Spin Back Knuckle

 * 180 degree spin followed by a backhand fist to the face
 * Dentist disapproved

Reverse Spin Kick

 * A jumping forward kick accompanied by a spin
 * Can catch airborne foes
 * Weak to blocking and can leave Guile vulnerable to counter attacks

Step Kick

 * Seriously, it's literally a step and a side kick
 * Opponents can counter the move at the beginning if they're quick enough
 * Blocking causes knockback to the opponent

Knee Bazooka

 * Forward jump with a knee strike
 * Executes quickly and closes space
 * Captain Falcon's Knee of Justice origin?

Guile High Kick

 * Powerful spinning high kick
 * Capable of launching opponents if contact is made
 * Similar to one of Akuma's high kicks

Feats

 * Fought against Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Abel, Eagle and M. Bison, among others
 * Currently at the rank of Major in the United States Air Force
 * Was the Air Force Fighting Champion at one point
 * Third leading/best male in the series behind Ryu and Ken
 * Grew that iconic haircut we all recognise him by
 * Kept his family together and safe for years despite his aggressive tendencies

Faults
While Guile is far from the perfect Street Fighter, it would take a lot of power to trump his own skills on offense and defense, as well as counter his fighting style.
 * Hot-headedness caused his moves to lack proficiency
 * Currently unknown if he has fully exacted his revenge for Charlie
 * Often puts finding out who betrayed him and getting at M. Bison over his duties
 * Turned down the opportunity to kill Bison and get revenge for Charlie in his ending in SFII due to morality
 * Has a strong distaste for firearms

The Soldier
''This will cover the Soldier strictly as he appears with his stock equipment. Only his starting weaponry will be accounted for in this battle as well as any other things he has immediate access to or has taught himself.''

History
During the peak of World War II, a young man known only as Mister Jane Doe saw the war as the perfect opportunity to join the American Army. However, he was rejected by all military branches he applied to. Every single branch. Regardless, he bought his ticket to Poland anyway. Once there, he taught himself to load and fire a variety of weapons before embarking on a Nazi killing spree, and being awarded many medals for his work (ones that he designed and made himself). But just as quickly as Jane's slaughterfest began, as soon as the war ended in 1949, so did his killing spree.

Although there was no more world war to fight for, this would not be the end of his fighting career. Despite not being an actual soldier - or at least, not a properly trained one - the aging Redmond Mann decided that he would be the perfect candidate to be one of nine mercenaries to be put to the fighting test in the feud against his brother, Blutarch, over the land of the Gravel Pits. With Jane back on the warpath, his current fighting style and weaponry, as well as his get-up, earned him the mercenary name of The Soldier.

Death Battle info
Background As a Soldier in the line of war, he is skilled with different types of weaponry, and his iconic weapon is his Rocket Launcher:
 * Name: Jane Doe (presumably)
 * Height: N/A
 * Weight: N/A
 * Blood type: Red
 * Hardened to a life of war
 * Generally refers to enemies as fly larvae
 * Owns a copy of M. Bison's hat

Rocket Launcher
Despite the great effectiveness of the weapon in the game, in real terms this weapon is surprisingly impractical. The rockets from this weapon launch at a constant speed - including at initial launch speed - of 1100 Hammer Units a second, roughly 47 miles per hour, or 21 meters a second, in real life terms. To compare, the RPG-7 grenade launcher, the closest weapon that the Soldier's launcher shows resemblance to, has an inital launch speed of 294 meters a second. Comparing the two speeds means that the Soldier's rocket launcher is 14 times slower than its real-life counterpart! Despite this, the rockets fired are still lethal, capable of tossing a standard foe into the air regardless of size or weight, and can gib most opponents in two to three shots. Being about twice as fast as a Scout at full speed, it's hard to run away from a rocket.
 * Clip: 4 rockets (somehow)
 * Maximum ammo: 20 rockets
 * Appears to be a heavily customised and stylised RPG-7 Grenade Launcher
 * Rockets not affected by gravity...
 * ...but are affected by significant damage falloff over distance

And of course, the launcher is far from Soldier's only weapon...

Shotgun

 * Sawed-off pump action model
 * Clip: 6 shots with 10 pellets
 * Maximum ammo: 32 shots
 * Closest real-life equivalent is the Ithaca M37 Shotgun
 * Useful for when the rocket launcher needs reloading or out of ammo, or for when rocket use is ill-advised
 * Also used by the Engineer, Heavy and Pyro

Shovel
Grenades Despite learning to fire a wide variety of guns in the midst of the Second World War, the Soldier hardly has much to defend himself with - three weapons is travelling light for a soldier. But despite this, the Soldier used his limited arsenal and invented a strategy so crazy it just might work. By firing a rocket at his feet for air mobility, he invented the art of rocket jumping.
 * Hand-held shovel made or provided by Mann Co
 * Apparently used by Soldier for twelve years
 * Originally used as a trench-digging tool
 * Real life equivalent is the U.S. Army M-1943 entrenching tool
 * Stored on the Soldier's belt
 * Doesn't use them in normal combat

Rocket Jumping
The Soldier still technically has one weapon left on his side... Luck. The Soldier's standard equipment, and by extension all standard equipment for both teams, have a random chance for a heavy-hitting attack. These are known as critical hits.
 * Done through use of the rocket launchers
 * Allows for better jumps and air mobility at cost of health
 * Jumps can be chained for extra speed and distance
 * Gives the Soldier an aerial advantage
 * Death from above!

Critical Chance

 * Completely random and can occur at any time
 * Usually identified through electric sounds and team coloured glow
 * Deals triple damage with no damage falloff
 * Certain items or effects force the crit effect
 * So much destruction and pain

Feats

 * Has fought and bested the BLU Team for over ten years
 * Slaughtered many Nazis in his unofficial World War 2 stint
 * Able to fight robot mercenaries
 * Mastered the rocket jump technique
 * Able to recite quotes from the United States Marine Corps and Sun Tzu's The Art Of War off by heart or memory
 * Survived the onslaught of Merasmus the Magician
 * Capable of both offense and defense

Faults
The Soldier is tough, vicious, well-armed and well-rounded. He is an expert at playing himself beyond his own enemies' reach and keeping himself attached to an objective even under severe pain. At the same time, though, he can often be so one-track minded that he often overlooks important details while concentrating on a single objective. So although war is a perilous task, as a fighting man and a class, the Soldier is prepared for anything.
 * Not very inteliigent
 * Often relies on brute force and military instinct in battle
 * Too many rocket jumps will kill
 * Slow on the ground
 * Relies on health kits and ammo packs to remain topped up (without Medics)

Advantages

 * Physically stronger and tougher
 * Younger than the Soldier
 * A fully charged Sonic Boom could deal serious damage or even kill the Soldier
 * The Flash Explosion could incapacitate or even kill the Soldier
 * Offense and defense are both strong
 * Sonic Boom could cancel out rockets, as could the Sonic Hurricane

Disadvantages

 * Slow on the ground and is a lot slower than rocket jump speed
 * Hot-headedness could unbalance Guile's offensive and defensive ability
 * Lacks any firearms and relies on energy based attacks such as the Sonic Boom
 * Charging attacks takes time
 * Comparing Guile's birth date to Soldier being in World War 2 suggests less combat experience
 * May be unable to cope with Soldier's aggressive fighting style as well as his brutal tenacity and skill
 * Critical hits could severely damage Guile

Advantages

 * Has more experience
 * Slightly faster on the ground and significantly faster in air thanks to rocket jumping
 * Able to keep a level head for the most part in a tense fight or standoff
 * Brutal tenacity and skill combined with aggressive fighting style could overwhelm Guile
 * Weapons could keep Guile at bay in times of need
 * Able to tap into critical chance which could hurt Guile and leave him open for the finishing blow

Disadvantages
There is, of course, a few questions I'd have on this battle that I can't think of an answer for and can only lend thoughts to:
 * Relies on the Rocket Launcher and the Shotgun primarily for success
 * Sonic Boom could cancel out rockets, as could the Sonic Hurricane
 * Over-relying on rocket jumps could kill himself
 * Unlikely to survive a fully charged Sonic Boom or all three hits of the Flash Explosion
 * Is stuffed if he runs out of ammo for both his rocket launcher and his shotgun unless he has access to methods of obtaining ammo
 * Might not be able to have access to health kits depending on fight location

Could Guile's energy attacks such as the Sonic Boom negate or pierce through rockets?

If anything, since the Sonic Boom makes a small explosion upon impact of a surface anyway (from most mediums of Street Fighter, from what I gather) I feel that a Sonic Boom and a rocket colliding would just cancel each other out and cause an explosion.

Would the Soldier have access to health and ammo packs?

This is a tricky one to call since:

1) In Master Chief VS Doomguy, Master Chief was able to pick up items on the fly.

2) In Team Fortress 2, health and ammo is naturally distributed with easy access by both teams.

It depends on where the fight would take place, but I'd assume for the sake of fairness that they would allow such a thing, since Street Fighter's health mechanics and Team Fortress' health mechanics work differently. Not to mention Death Battle tends to give most characters more survivability than they usually would (a famous example being Yoshi).

Aside from those points, this seems like a really close and even match, even if it doesn't look it from first glance. Guile has the power and durability advantage, but the Soldier has more options at long range and rocket jumping allows for superior mobility, meaning Guile has to either land Sonic Booms perfectly or get in close to deal proper damage. However, the Soldier can still fight up close, but not at Guile's level (a shovel probably wouldn't top most of Guile's attacks unless it was a crit right in his face). In fact, some of Guile's attacks could work well against the Soldier and in particular the Flash Explosion would probably be enough to incapacitate or even kill, if not stun him greatly. But this depends on whether or not the Soldier would see this coming and react accordingly (ie rocket jump out of there).

Of course Guile states in his ending he won't be a murderer like Bison, but Death Battle would overrule that, so moving on.

Who do I think would win?
The Soldier. But only by a hair's width - this match could be ridiculously close.

Guile's physical strength is matched by the strength of the Soldier's weaponry, meaning for the most part, until a powerful attack comes into place, the two will be at a stalemate. Guile with his powerful attacks and combos and Soldier with his critical chance could turn it into a battle of wits and timing rather than blind dashing at one another.

However, due to Guile's lack of control over his rage at times, he could derail himself and lose focus and control, thus giving Soldier an opening. Like I said before, the Soldier is the more likely of the two to keep a clear head in a 1 on 1 fight to the bitter end since it's part of who he is. On top of that, the Soldier is much faster than Guile - moreso in the air than on the ground. Usually in Strength VS Speed death battles, Strength usually wins (Terminator VS RoboCop, Godzilla VS Gamera, etc) but in this case speed could give the Soldier the upper hand, as he can both launch himself at speed AND fire from his trajectory, giving him the best of both worlds and giving Guile a hard time to catch him.

But the deciding factor, at least from my perspective, is experience combined with the character as a person. Guile is a much more refined person than one would think, and is only a trainee and member of the United States Air Force, which is a touch different than being on the front line physically on foot. The Soldier is a full-on mercenary who gained preliminary experience in World War 2 by his own word and then started beating the BLU Team for over ten years, which obviously gave him brutal skill and tenacity, meaning he wouldn't let his target escape easily. Even with his lack of general intelligence, he knows the ins and outs of combat and knows how to fight and survive.

Of course, it won't be a cakewalk for the Soldier either, as plenty of Guile's close range attacks could leave him open for Guile to build a combo up, but if the Soldier connects a direct critical hit on Guile - be it from any of the Soldier's weapons - Guile might not be able to recover in time for the Soldier to land that crucial hit. So for now, I'll say that the winner will be the Soldier - but only just. (Hell, even if he doesn't win, chances are the fight will be awesome. I can already hear a metal version of Guile's theme be part of the fight music.)

If you read this far, thanks for reading. Did you like this idea? Think it would make a good Death Battle? Have anything I missed? Drop me a comment! Maybe I'll make more if I think of anything else.

Would you like to see Guile VS The Solder become an actual Death Battle episode? Yes No