Kratos VS Asura is an upcoming episode of Death Battle, featuring Kratos from the God of War series and Asura from the Asura's Wrath series in a battle between wrathful god-slaying fathers.
Interlude
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Wiz & Boomstick by Brandon Yates  
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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.
Kratos
Asura
Prelude
Death Battle
In a wooden cabin in Midgard, a mysterious old voice looms in the background.
Zeus: Kratos, my son... Kratos...
The Ghost of Sparta is seen kneeling near a bonfire in the middle of his cabin, with his discarded weapons laying right next to him, reflecting on the blood he shed in the past with familiar voices in his head.
Zeus: Kratos... You bring nothing but suffering! Look around at what you have done!
The Blades of Chaos begin to glow as a kindred spirit contemplates his past outside.
Asura: Save your strength...
Zeus: Taking pity on you has been my greatest mistake.
Asura: My daughter...
Kratos observes his surroundings as he notices his blades glow and a large fire surrounding the cabin as he continues contemplating.
Zeus: Just as taking pity on this thing will be your greatest mistake!
Pandora: Kratos! Hurry, Kratos!
Asura: It was you!...
Zeus: Your affection for Pandora is just one more failure in a miserable lifetime of failures!
Asura: Augus!
Zeus: Your pathetic attempt at atonement for the family you slaughtered has caused nothing but havoc on Olympus!
Asura: DURGA!
Zeus: For once in your pathetic life, don't fail! Don't fail her like you failed your family!
Kratos' hand shakes before he calmly clenches it into a fist and opens his eyes. As his eyebrows furrow, the door to his cabin slowly opens to reveal the cloaked Asura, still dealing with the internal screams from his battles as the fire looms behind him.
Zeus: Kratos...
Kratos opens his eyes and looks back slightly to notice his new, powerful opponent.
Results
We cut to the "Winner" card.
Wiz: The winner is...
Original Track
Composition
The track for this fight is "???" by ???.
Title
The title references...
Cover Art
The cover art depicts...
Trivia
Production
- The core connections between Kratos and Asura are that they are both demigods who served to protect the people with a group of warriors (Spartans and the Eight Guardian Generals, respectively), but were betrayed on a fateful day by the gods, leaving their family torn apart and their wife (Lysandra and Durga, respectively) dead, making them vow to take revenge and take the path of a wrathful war against the gods. Both are also fathers who try to be a good parent to their single child that they protect with everything they have (Atreus and Mithra, respectively) and iconic for their intense anger and rage, which they can harness as power increases (Spartan Rage and Wrath Mantra, respectively) and a way to routinely come back from the dead alongside their sheer will but are weary of the damage they have/could cause with it if they are not careful. In addition:
- Both they and their worlds are based on mythologies (Greek and Norse for Kratos, and Hindu and Buddhist for Asura), with both sharing their namesakes with other mythological entities known for their immense strength and power (Kratos shares his Greek name with the Greek god of strength and his Norse name, Fárbauti, meaning "cruel striker", with the Jötunn of the same name, while Asura is named after a race of power-seeking demons in Hindu and Buddhist mythology).
- Both have fought against corrupted groups of gods (the Greek Gods and the Seven Deities, respectively), their former reigning gods (Zeus and Deus, respectively) and vengeful embodiments of the world (Gaia and Gohma Vlitra, respectively).
- Both have been manipulated by scheming gods for their own ends (Athena and Chakravartin, respectively).
- Both were considered heirs to certain gods, whom they eventually killed before turning their backs on these roles (Kratos became the Greek God of War after Ares before becoming a god in the Nine Realms, while Asura was to be Chakravartin's heir to rule the universe but turned the position down).
- Both had a rivalry with an electricity-wielding deity (Thor and Yasha, respectively).
- Both would eventually get the chance to live new lives with their families, taking on the role of protectors (Kratos by immigrating to the Nine Realms and becoming the God of Hope and Asura by eventually being reincarnated with the implication he'll awaken his past life's power).
- This episode was confirmed during the Save Death Battle Kickstarter, having been the $150,000 stretch goal reward alongside another unrevealed episode.
- When the Kickstarter was initially announced, DevilArtemis released a promotional video for it, in which he teased him animating this matchup by having Kermit hold up the Blades of Exile.[1]
- It was previously one of the options for both Season 10's Champion's Poll and Season 11's Tournament of Champions, but it lost in both.
- In the 3D Champion's Poll, it lost to Cole MacGrath VS Alex Mercer.
- In the Tournament of Champions, it won Week 5 (beating Homer Simpson VS Peter Griffin, Jimmy Neutron VS Dexter, and Naruto VS Monkey D. Luffy) and the semi-finals in Week 10 (beating X VS Optimus Primal, Palpatine VS Xehanort, and Sans VS The Judge) before ultimately losing in the Final Week against Wile E. Coyote VS Tom Cat.
- Ironically, despite losing to Wile E. Coyote VS Tom Cat, this episode had its preview released first.
- This makes it the first matchup that lost a fan poll to be made into an episode, with the next three being Simon the Digger VS White Lantern, Hulk VS Godzilla, and Gru VS Megamind.
- This is the first losing Champion's Poll matchup to do so, with the next one being Simon the Digger VS White Lantern.
- This is the first losing Tournament of Champions matchup to do so, with the next two being Hulk VS Godzilla and Gru VS Megamind.
- It is the first (and so far only) matchup to make it to two different matchup polls.
- A teaser for this episode was shown off in the Save Death Battle Kickstarter livestream and later released by itself on DevilArtemis' YouTube channel and on Death Battle's Twitter.[2]
Easter Eggs
- The opening of the fight is similar to the openings of 2018's God of War and 2022's God of War: Ragnarök, where Kratos is approached at his home by a powerful Norse God (Baldur and Thor, respectively) who proceed to battle him shortly afterward.
- Additionally, Asura's cloaked appearance is reminiscent of Thor.
Other
- This is the 17th Anti-Heroes-themed episode, after Kratos VS Spawn, Vegeta VS Shadow, Ragna VS Sol Badguy, Wolverine VS Raiden, Dante VS Bayonetta, Mewtwo VS Shadow, Wario VS King Dedede, Ghost Rider VS Lobo, Sasuke VS Hiei, Deadpool VS Mask, Winter Soldier VS Red Hood, Venom VS Crona, Hulk VS Broly, Shadow VS Ryuko, Guts VS Dimitri, and Omni-Man VS Bardock.
- This is the 36th episode to feature a returning combatant, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Batman VS Captain America, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Pokémon VS Digimon, Mewtwo VS Shadow, Deadpool VS Pinkie Pie, Metal Sonic VS Zero, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Black Panther VS Batman, Ryu VS Jin, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Mega Man Battle Royale, Captain Marvel VS Shazam, Dragonzord VS Mechagodzilla, Ganondorf VS Dracula, Deadpool VS Mask, Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Venom VS Crona, Hulk VS Broly, Shadow VS Ryuko, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Link VS Cloud (2021), Batman VS Iron Man, Akuma VS Shao Kahn, Thor VS Vegeta, Boba Fett VS Predator, Excalibur VS Raiden, Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha, Phoenix VS Raven, Guts VS Dimitri, Goku VS Superman (2023), Omni-Man VS Bardock, and Bowser VS Eggman, and with the next one being Ash VS Yugi.
- This is the 25th episode to feature a returning loser, after Batman VS Captain America, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Pokémon VS Digimon, Mewtwo VS Shadow, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Black Panther VS Batman, Ryu VS Jin, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Mega Man Battle Royale, Captain Marvel VS Shazam, Dragonzord VS Mechagodzilla, Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Hulk VS Broly, Shadow VS Ryuko, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Link VS Cloud (2021), Batman VS Iron Man, Thor VS Vegeta, Boba Fett VS Predator, Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha, Goku VS Superman (2023), and Bowser VS Eggman, and with the next one being Ash VS Yugi.
- Prior to this episode, Brandon Yates made a track for this matchup called "Wrath Of The Gods" as part of his "What If?" commission tracks.
- This makes it the 10th episode that received its own commission track before its release, after Blake VS Mikasa, Goku Black VS Reverse-Flash, Jason Voorhees VS Michael Myers, Guts VS Dimitri, Bill Cipher VS Discord, Frieza VS Megatron, Gojo VS Makima, Galactus VS Unicron, and Bowser VS Eggman, and with the next three being Ash VS Yugi, Simon the Digger VS White Lantern, and Ruby VS Maka.
- This is the ninth one to be done by Brandon Yates, after Blake VS Mikasa, Goku Black VS Reverse-Flash, Jason Voorhees VS Michael Myers, Guts VS Dimitri, Bill Cipher VS Discord, Frieza VS Megatron, Galactus VS Unicron, and Bowser VS Eggman, and with the next three being Ash VS Yugi, Simon the Digger VS White Lantern, and Ruby VS Maka.
- This is the fourth episode with a commission track that features Therewolf Media as a guest artist, after Ruby VS Maka, Dante VS Bayonetta, and Yang VS Tifa.
- This makes it the 10th episode that received its own commission track before its release, after Blake VS Mikasa, Goku Black VS Reverse-Flash, Jason Voorhees VS Michael Myers, Guts VS Dimitri, Bill Cipher VS Discord, Frieza VS Megatron, Gojo VS Makima, Galactus VS Unicron, and Bowser VS Eggman, and with the next three being Ash VS Yugi, Simon the Digger VS White Lantern, and Ruby VS Maka.