Wolverine VS Raiden

Wolverine VS Raiden is the 52nd episode of Death Battle, featuring Wolverine from Marvel Comics X-Men and Raiden from the Metal Gear series. Wolverine is voiced by Xander Mobus and Raiden is voiced by Tim Paige.

Description
''It's a battle of blades! Wolverine of the X-Men takes on Raiden from Metal Gear Solid!''

Interlude
(*Cues: Invader - Jim Johnston*)

Boomstick: Long range weaponry are effective tools of destruction, but there's just something special about killing up close and personal with a blade, like Wolverine, the vicious anti-hero of the X-Men.

Wiz: And Raiden, the deadly cyborg ninja from Metal Gear.

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.

Wolverine
(*Cues: X-Men Legends - Weapon X Facility (Quiet)*)

Boomstick: Three scratches, three claws, this is the mark of the Wolverine.

Wiz: But before he was the poster boy for the X-Men, he was born James Howlett in 1886.

'''Boomstick: And he was the wimpiest kid ever! He was tiny, and pathetic, and sick all the time, but little James wasn't stuck in bed for too long.'''

Wiz: As he grew up, James started to develop mutant powers, which gave him animal senses and rapid healing. But when the family groundskeeper Thomas Logan murdered his father, James learned he had a more lethal power hidden within.

'''Boomstick: Retractable bone claws! Old Thomas never knew what hit him, or more specifically, what stabbed him to death.'''

Wiz: But Thomas used his dying breath for the oh so original plot twist: I'm your father.

'''Boomstick: Going from two dads to zero in a matter of seconds. Anyway, James took on the name Logan to poorly hide his identity, and ran away from home with his childhood friend Rose. But then he accidentally stabbed her to death too. Damn, those things seem really inconvenient, like a murder erection, always popping up when you don't need it.'''

Wiz: You should probably see a doctor.

(*Cues: X2: Wolverine's Revenge - Main Menu Theme*)

Wiz: With his healing ability slowing his aging, Logan has lived over 100 years, he fought in both World Wars and Vietnam before joining a special weapons project called Weapon X. This is where he took the name, The Wolverine.

'''Boomstick: Buuut, like almost every other secret project ever, it was actually yet another horrifying super solider project. Whilst there, Wolverine enjoyed such treatments as being cut open repeatably, having his DNA harvested and getting his skeleton a pimped out chrome-job.'''

Wiz: Against Logan's will, a scientist, named Dr. Cornelius, infused his bones with Adamantium, a rare, man-made metal alloy. Adamantium is extremely dense and stable on a molecular level, making it reportedly indestructible, ever Thor has a hard time breaking it.

'''Boomstick: And Dr. Scientist also Hypnotized Wolverine, to erase his memories and turn him into an animalistic killing machine. The Result? Well Wolverine went crazy and slaughtered everyone at Weapon X. So I guess you could say the experiment turned out to be a complete success. Good job everybody.'''

(Wolverine's new Adamantium claws come out and wakes up from the procedure screaming)

(*Cues: Powerglove - X-Men*)

Wiz: After wandering the wilderness and tangling with the Hulk, Wolverine was eventually discovered by the X-Men, who molded him into a real hero. Logan had finally found a place to call home and a family he did not stab to death.

'''Boomstick: Old Wolvie's got more mutant powers than Kim Kardashian has butt injections. He has keen animal like senses and expert tracking skills, can move faster than the eye can see and can lift up to 2 tons. His Adamantium Claws can cut through almost anything and conveniently he never has to sharpen them. He's immune to disease, can resist mind control and can fight for days without tiring. Oh and, for some reason he can sense animals feelings and talk to them, like some kind of Bear whisperer.'''

(*Cues: Marvel vs Capcom 3 - Wolverine Theme*)

Wiz: He's equal in hand to hand combat with Captain America, and was skilled enough to tag Speed Demon who runs faster than the speed of sound.

'''Boomstick: Despite all of this, his greatest attribute is his sheer durability. He's like Super Rocky!'''

Wiz: Wolverine has survived hits from Thor and the Hulkbuster, battled with Satan himself, and was once blown up with nothing left but his adamantium skeleton.

'''Boomstick: Think that stopped him? Hell no! He got back up, and beat the shit out of the emo bomberman who blew him up in the first place. Jesus Christ! Can anything stop this guy?'''

Wiz: Well technically he has died a few times, he even used to have a deal with the Angel of Death to be resurrected should his healing factor be overtaxed. But eventually gave it up in exchange for his soul. Yeah this actually happened. However according to Professor Xavier, leader of the X-Men, Wolverine's healing factor stems from his brain. Eh? Get it? Stem? Like Brain Stem?

Boomstick: Wiz, I'm the funny one, just stick to being boring.

Wiz: Aw. Anyway this means Wolverine can be killed by drowning or destroying his brain. But seeing as how his brain is protected by a thick, adamantium skull, it's probably staying where it is.

(*Cues: Wolverine and the X-Men - Main Theme*)

Wiz: Still there's a reason why Logan keeps getting into bad situations like these. He's a lone wolf and doesn't like relying on others.

Boomstick: And he's kinda got a bit of a temper.

(Wolverine growls and cuts off the top of Cyclops' car in rage)

Wolverine: Tell Cyclops I made him a convertible.

Boomstick: Piss him off too much, something snaps and Wolverine will enter the Berserker Rage.

Wiz: In this state, Wolverine loses all self-control and ignores all pain as he is consumed by the animalistic killer instinct that's still deep within him by Dr. Cornelius all those years ago.

(Wolverine is seen defeating Neuron in his berserker state.)

Beast: My stars...

Wolverine then tosses Neuron to the side and starts repeatedly stabbing him.

Raiden
(*Cues: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - Main Title*)

Wiz: Born In Liberia, a young boy named Jack lost his parents and was adopted by George Sears, the future president of the United States.

'''Boomstick: Which sounds like a pretty good upside considering, except Sears was actually Solidus Snake, a traitor who manipulated the world leaders to profit from the war economy. Oh, and the fact that he killed Jack's parents! I'm your dad now!'''

Wiz: Being the perfect parent he is, Solidus enlisted Jack in the Liberian Civil War, where he became captain of his own commando unit in the Army of the Devil.

Boomstick: *gasps* It's an army of...

Wiz: It's not an actual army of devils

Boomstick: Aaah, dammit!

Wiz: A natural harbinger of death, Jack's high kill count earned him the nickname of Jack the Ripper. He accomplished all of this and he was only ten years old.

'''Boomstick: Oh my God! Could you imagine this kid during puberty? If it ever even hits. I mean, even ten years later, he still looks like he's waiting for the old stones to drop.'''

Wiz: Well they had to some time. After being abandoned by Solidus, Jack fell for a girl named Rose and eventually got her pregnant.

'''Boomstick: Jack was tormented by his past life and sought to right his wrongs by joining a special task force. With them, he teamed up with the legendary Solid Snake '''

(*Cues:  Metal Gear Solid 4 - Metal Gear Saga *)

'''Boomstick: to take down some bad guys, destroy giant robots, go streaking and even kill dear old foster dad. All under his awesome new codename, Raiden.'''

Wiz: Except, all along, he was actually being controlled by  the Patriots, a secret organization manipulating the U.S. from behind the scenes and bent on dominating the world.

'''Boomstick: Yeah, okay hang on to your butts because this is where things start getting out of hand. See his girlfriend, Rose, was actually a Patriot spy and was manipulating his life the entire time they were together. Huh, women right? But she was all like, "my bad, I love you" and he was like, "it's okay, let me put my dick in you" and then they had a kid.'''

Wiz: Well first, she actually said she had a miscarriage and married another man to trick Raiden, but it was really to trick the Patriots...

'''Boomstick: Wiz please, the story's confusing enough without bringing that into this. Eventually they got back together and had a kid. Can we please go back to talking about killing people now?'''

(*Cues: Metal Gear Solid 4 - White Blood*)

Wiz: Sure, one day, he was captured by the Patriots and used as a test subject for exoskeletal enhancement surgery, transforming him into a superhuman cyborg ninja.

Boomstick: That's what's I'm talking about

Wiz: As a cyborg, Raiden went from a force to be reckoned with to a nigh unstoppable killing machine. He is fast enough to out run bullet trains and even run on walls.

Boomstick: And he can do shit like this.

Vamp: You too, immortal?

Raiden: No, I just don't fear death.

(*Cues: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - Rules of Nature*)

After a sniper shot from Snake frees one of his arms, Raiden cuts his other arm free and begins swinging around the Gekkos by the cables connecting them to his legs.

Boomstick: Heh heh, drugs must be fun...

Wiz: That's not even the half of it. Raiden is strong enough to lift and throw a Metal Gear RAY. While a RAY's exact weight is unknown, when compared to a Metal Gear REX which weighs 557 tons, we can estimate it's weight to be over 1000 tons.

Boomstick: And that wasn't even his final form!

Wiz: Right. Raiden eventually got a newer, better cyborg body which was even more powerful.

'Boomstick: Strong enough to flip this'' giant thing, rip off its building-sized sword and then fight a duel with it. And finish it off at blinding speed! I mean what in the actual Hell?!'''

Wiz: When he's not wielding building-sized blades, Raiden wields a high-frequency blade called the Murasama. Originally forged in the 16th century the Murasama was reoutfitted with high-frequency technology. By creating a powerful current through the blade that vibrates at intense speeds, it weakens its target's molecular bonds, forcibly slicing through almost anything.

'''Boomstick: And if that's not deadly enough for you, Raiden can activate a super-mode called Zandatsu. This causes Raiden's perception of time to slow anywhere from 50 to 90%, giving plenty of time to chop through his foes as precisely or as rapidly as he'd like.'''

Wiz: He can take this a step further by deactivating his pain inhibitors. Allowing intense agony from wounds to envelop his senses causes him to lose himself in his old Jack the Ripper personality. This "Ripper Mode" radically boosts his already insane speed and strength.

''*Raiden bifurcates two unfortunate cyborgs with a single swing. He then proceeds to knock down the remaining cyborg, stab his hand to the ground, slice off his arm and promptly bifurcating him as well*''

Raiden: *chuckles darkly**points his bloodstained blade at Sam and Monsoon* Who's next?

Boomstick: But it comes at a price...you know, aside from the whole pain and insanity thing.

Raiden:*cackles maliciously at Monsoon*

Boomstick: These enhanced modes rely on a fuel supply, and using them burns through it at a rapid pace.

Wiz: Raiden can only carry enough fuel to sustain these modes for a very limited time, and relies on absorbing more fuel cell electrolytes from enemy cyborgs. Plus his blood is not natural, and must be changed regularly, like the oil in a car.

Boomstick But still...

''Raiden: *speaking through a speaker; holding his sword between his teeth* I am lightning... The rain transformed. *proceeds to electrocute the soldiers in his way*''

Boomstick: Worth it!

Death Battle
Taking place in a tropical city containing ancient architecture and filled with Gekkos, Raiden is seen leaping on rooftops before landing on the streets, his impact crumbling it.

(*Cues: Exo - Brandon Yates*)

He sees a destroyed Gekko and then encounters one of the giant monsters. Raiden takes out his Murasama, ready to cut it, but Wolverine leaps off a building and slices the giant Gekko in two, and it explodes.

''Raiden: Who the hell are you? Get out of my way!''

Raiden's mask comes on as he readies a battle stance.

Wolverine: Fat chance bub!

Wolverine gets his claws out.

Wolverine: You're next!

FIGHT!

Both charge at each other and start slicing, with Raiden getting a good slash on Logan and drawing blood. He's able to block Wolverine's multi slash and counters it. He tries cutting through Wolverine diagonally, but his sword stops at Wolverine's skeleton.

Raiden: What?

Wolverine counters it and pushes back Raiden's blade, then stabs Raiden in the stomach. Raiden looks at his wound.

''Raiden: Who... what are you?''

Wolverine: Gotta admit, that hurt.

Wolverine's cuts heal as Raiden rips the fuel cell electrolyte from one of the fallen Metal Gears and absorbs it.

''Wolverine: Nice trick Voltron! I'm actually more human than you! (takes out claws) And that's saying something...''

Raiden: Let's dance!

Raiden dashes forward and gets a couple of stabs and slashes on Wolverine. Wolverine tries attacking back but it is blocked as Raiden delivers a massive combo that kicks him into a bus. Raiden leaps to higher grounds as Wolverine's wounds heal. He starts sniffing around when he doesn't see his opponent.

Wolverine: No use hiding, bub.

He's able to dodge Raiden's stealth attack and delivers a large stab to the cyborg.

Wolverine: The nose knows.

He slams Raiden onto the ground and delivers a Berserker Barrage-like combo of attacks.

Wolverine: You're done.

The conclusion of the combo sends Raiden flying back. Wolverine leaps forward to stab him again, but Raiden avoids it and jumps onto higher ground. He looks at his injuries, then looks downward, only to see Wolverine climbing the building by repeatedly stabbing it.

Raiden: What?

Wolverine delivers an uppercut that knocks Raiden's mask off. The two clash again until Raiden knocks Wolverine into the air and produces an attack that slashes Wolverine multiple times in place.

Raiden: I will end you!

Wolverine is seemingly knocked out prompting Raiden to start walking away, but he gets up and starts healing from his injuries.

Raiden: Are you some kind of cyborg?

''Wolverine: Well,(he unsheathes claws) my bones are coated in the strongest metal around. Does that count?''

They start going at it again as Wolverine blocks one of Raiden's attacks.

Raiden: I'll just have to swing harder then!

He stabs Wolverine with the Murasama, but it stays in place and Wolverine takes the opportunity to deliver some devastating hits.

Wolverine: Taste adamantium!

Raiden uses kicks and electricity to gain the upper hand and retrieves his blade. He knocks Wolverine high into the air and then combos him onto the street. Wolverine gets up as his wounds start healing.

''Wolverine: Ouch! All right Terminator, now you've got me mad!''

(*Cues: X-Men Anime - Intro Theme)

Wolverine enters berserker mode and screams out loudly, he leaps high into the air and cuts off one of Raiden's arms.

''Raiden: Shit! Not again!''

Wolverine then stabs Raiden hard in the chest.

Wolverine: Good night, RoboCop!

As the claws are stabbed deep through Raiden, he feels a rush and slowly tilts up his head as his eye glows red. He has entered his Jack the Ripper state.

''Raiden: Pain! This is why I fight!''

(*Cues: Devil May Cry 4 - Let's Just See*)

Raiden headbutts Wolverine away prompting him to scream.

Raiden: Hahaha it's time for Jack the Ripper, to let 'er rip!

Both counter each other's attacks and lay a multitude of blows on each other. Wolverine is severely injured from the clash severely slowing him down. Raiden does a low kick that knocks him into the air and performs a cut strong enough to slice off Wolverine's head, which he slashes dozens of times at once, cutting it into pieces as he laughs and kicks the pieces.

KO!

Raiden walks over to pick up his arm as Wolverine's body lies in the street.

Results
(*Cues: Metal Gear Solid 2 - Main Theme (Skateboarding Remix)*)

Boomstick: Oh my god...

Wiz: Because of Wolverine's adamantium skeleton and stubborn healing factor, he was able to hang in there despite Raiden's clearly superior speed and strength.

Boomstick: He could've even kept it up until Raiden ran out of fuel, if it weren't for one important question: Could the high frequency blade cut adamantium?

Wiz: To answer that question we dug deep into Marvel Comics history and found Misty Knight, a lesser known Marvel heroine with a bionic arm made of Antarctic Vibranium. This anti-metal emanates vibrations which weaken its target's molecular bonds, exactly like Raiden's high frequency blade. Like the Murasama, this can destabilize and break any metal, including adamantium.

Boomstick: And while in Jack the Ripper mode, Raiden can strike with enough force to cut through buildings and machines built to survive nuclear wars.

Wiz: With that much strength behind a sword like that, plus Raiden's speed and technology advantage, Wolverine's supposedly indestructible skeleton met its match.

Boomstick: Any way you slice it, Raiden just had the right gear for the job.

Wiz: The winner is Raiden.

Wolverine

 * + Higher Durability
 * + More Experience
 * + Senses countered stealth
 * + Better Martial Artist Skills

Raiden

 * + Better control over battlefield
 * + Blade Mode deduces weak points
 * + HF Blade beats Adamantium
 * + Longer Range
 * + Faster
 * + More versatile
 * + Immensely stronger

Trivia

 * Wolverine was teased on Twitter by Torrian in a joke post before being revealed for Death Battle.
 * Like Deadpool, Wolverine's model is from the 2013 Deadpool video game, Raiden's was from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
 * This episode was likely done to commemorate the release of the 2015 video game, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and the announcement of Hugh Jackman's last Wolverine film.
 * This is the fifth time that a Video Game character (like Raiden) & a Comic Book character (like Wolverine) were pitted against each other, the other four were Zitz VS Leonardo, Kratos VS Spawn, Thor VS Raiden and Fox VS Bucky, but it's the second time that a video game character (like Raiden) kills the comic book character (like Wolverine). The first being Fox VS Bucky.
 * This was the eighth battle to have a comparison of the two combatants after the battle with the last seven being Master Chief VS Doomguy, Eggman VS Wily, Zelda VS Peach, Thor VS Raiden, Link VS Cloud Strife, Batman VS Spiderman and Pikachu VS Blanka.
 * This is the second time a Marvel Comics character is facing someone named Raiden.
 * This episode was originally supposed to be released on September 2nd, however because Ben got sick it has been delayed to September 8th.
 * According to someone who replied to Torrian on Twitter, this was a fight that was chosen by Torrian as he wanted Raiden to be in Death Battle and picked Wolverine as his opponent.
 * This is the third episode of Death Battle to be shown on a livestream. The first was Boba Fett VS Samus Aran Remastered and the second one was Goku VS Superman 2.
 * This episode was released on a Tuesday. Coincidentally, the last fight featuring a Metal Gear character, Solid Snake VS Sam Fisher, was also released on a Tuesday.
 * This is the third Death Battle episode in which Xander Mobus voices one of the combatants, the first being He-Man VS Lion-O and the other being Terminator VS RoboCop.
 * Ironically, Wolverine, whom he voices, at one point calls Raiden "RoboCop", whom Xander also voiced.
 * This is arguably Death Battle's goriest episode.