- —Tagline
Ruby Rose VS Maka Albarn, previously titled Ruby VS Maka, is the 200th episode of Death Battle, featuring Ruby Rose from the RWBY series and Maka Albarn and Soul Evans from the Soul Eater series in a battle between soul-powered scythe-wielding schoolgirls. Ruby was voiced by Lindsay Jones, Maka was voiced by Ginger Sue, and Soul was voiced by John Van Doren.
Interlude
Ruby propels herself towards Maka with Crescent Rose. The two fighters cross scythes, sparks flying in all directions. The screen pauses and grays out as Ringmaster shouts...
The screen then statics into playing the Death Battle intro.
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Wiz & Boomstick by Brandon Yates  
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Wiz: Ruby Rose vs. Maka Albarn.
Boomstick: The battle of spunky teens with oversized gardening tools! 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.
Ruby Rose
Boomstick: I remember when Mama Boomstick read me bedtime fairy tales. Stories of heroes, and warnings about eating those little berries, and... quicksand; so much quicksand.
Wiz: Yet in the world of Remnant, fairy tales are real. Here, Huntresses do battle with monstrous Grimm, and there was nothing more exciting than that to Ruby Rose.
Boomstick: Daughter to the world-renowned Huntress, Summer, who disappeared. Little Red really wanted nothing more than to be a Huntress.
Wiz: Her dedication paid off. Admitted into Beacon Academy two years ahead, a premier school for Huntsmen and Huntresses, Ruby clearly showed prodigious talent.
Boomstick: Not just that; she's got the weapon geek gene just like yours truly. Ruby doesn't leave home without her trusty Crescent Rose. It may look like a high-tech scythe -- and it is -- but it's also a gun! Ruby made Crescent Rose herself. It's like a dance between Grim Reaper's Choice and a bolt-action sniper rifle.
Wiz: "A dance" is fitting, as Huntsmen are locked in a never-ending waltz in their battle with the Grimm.
Boomstick: Crescent Rose can switch between sniper and scythe at the press of a button. Ruby's an old hand at flinging and moving it exactly how she wants, despite it being, like... bigger than she is. How does she do it with those noodle arms? The girl can't even throw a punch!
Wiz: Well, she might not need to, given the strength of her Aura. All living beings in Remnant have an Aura, except dark creatures like Grimm, though not all of them can utilize it in combat without extensive training. See, Aura forms a barrier that blocks fatal blows and even heals wounds.
Boomstick: It can make weapons stronger, too. When Ruby slaps a cartridge of Dust into Crescent Rose, her Aura lights up nature's wrath in Man's hand.
Wiz: Dramatic, but accurate. This "Dust" represents the base elements of the world: Fire, Electricity, Ice, Wind, Anti-gravity... Does that last one count?
Boomstick: Rule of cool, Wiz. She's got the eyes of a hawk, and when she shoots you with Dust, a bullet wound's the last thing you'll be worried about. With enough of a boost, Ice Dust can freeze over whole mechs, and she can power up her kicks to crater military-grade steel!
Wiz: A person's Aura may be limited, but Ruby can keep track of hers with this handy health bar on her not-smartphone.
Boomstick: Ruby blasted through Huntress classes with flying colors. Almost right away, she was appointed the leader of her own group, with Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and big sis Yang Xiao Long. Ohh... I get it! Team "RWBY"!
Wiz: But Ruby's hope for many years of learning with her friends would be dashed, as evil machinations spread like wildfire, and with a flash of silver light, Beacon had fallen.
Boomstick: Ruby's friends? Dead. Her school? Totally wrecked. Her sister? Dis-armed. All because of a lover's spat that went way too far.
Wiz: Salem saw the world divided, and it was time to say goodbye to any happily ever after.
Boomstick: But Ruby wouldn't give up like that, so she set off to change the world.
Wiz: Even as Crescent Rose began to feel heavier and heavier. Could she really save the world like her fairy tale heroes? All she did is what she's always done, and never stopped moving forward.
Boomstick: Because Crescent Rose wasn't the only thing she needed. She had to improve her Semblance, too.
Wiz: Right. While Aura is essentially the manifestation of one's soul, the Semblance is an expression of their personality.
Boomstick: Basically, it's a superpower farmed by Aura, and Ruby's got super speed. Or... a teleport? Er... What is she doing, exactly?
Wiz: Close. This is Petal Burst, a mixture of speed, teleportation, and intangibility. Ruby can rocket from one point to another in milliseconds.
Boomstick: By literally bursting into petals!
Wiz: Sort of. According to best robo-girl Penny, Ruby's Semblance is extremely complex and variable. It involves breaking her body down to its molecular components before zooming off in complex paths, negating the laws of mass entirely.
Boomstick: AKA, "super speed plus"! (And Nora is best girl.) Ruby's Petal Burst is so quick, she can make flying missiles look completely still. Good luck tagging her with a bullet... or a breadstick.
Wiz: She is certainly quick enough to give Emerald and Mercury a hard time, and they've dodged actual lightning.
Boomstick: She's faster than Blake, who could keep up with the most cringe Faunus of all, Adam Taurus.
Wiz: Well, he did draw his sword fast enough to parry an actual particle beam. In real life, such a beam is created by accelerating charged particles to just under light-speed.
Boomstick: So, uh... that's impressive.
Wiz: With such a powerful ability, Ruby could safely shine her smile for years, even as she carried the fate of Remnant across the world. To her friends, she was a beacon of hope.
Boomstick: Well, yeah, 'cause she's got one more superpower: her Silver Eyes! Just like her mom, Ruby inherited them from the God of Light, as a weapon against negative anti-life energy, like the evil goop Grimm spawn from. Just a wink, and blam! Sayonara, dragon of darkness!
Wiz: But Ruby's skills didn't falter after her time at Beacon. As she journeyed across Remnant, she leveled up to compete with all sorts of powerful magic and mechanized foes. Her team could even match the Ace Ops, an elite squad of longtime professional Huntsmen.
Boomstick: Including Harriet, whose Super-Speed Semblance was totally outclassed by Petal Burst, and Vine, whose Aura was strong enough to contain a bomb that was about to decimate the whole city of Mantle. Man, these are some pretty powerful Auras!
Wiz: Though, it's important to remember, Ruby is only 17 years old. The weight of being a leader, a savior, and a Huntress like her mother would get heavier, and heavier, and heavier.
Boomstick: Nah, she got over it. Look at her go!
Wiz: Taking Crescent Rose firmly in hand and sending a message of unity to the rest of the world. Ruby had finally left the fairy tale behind, taking one more step toward the day we've waited for.
Maka Albarn
Wiz: "A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body."
Boomstick: But all the unjust evil souls of this world are on the Disney FastPass to becoming a Kishin.
Wiz: Destructive gods mutated from good-natured souls, a Kishin could plunge the world into chaos and madness. If only someone could stop them...
Boomstick: Bing-bong! It's the DWMA! Welcome to Death Weapon Meister Academy, where Death rules! Literally; his... name is "Death".
Wiz: Here, Lord Death tasks humans to become spiritually talented meisters of demon weapons.
Boomstick: AKA, people who are also a weapon! No, really; they transform into weapons. Guns, ninja stars, hammers; you name it! A meister-weapon pair kills and consumes lost souls to keep the Kishin away. "Jack the Ripper"? More like "Jack the Fraud"!
Wiz: And so, the demon weapon Soul was paired with the dutiful rising star, Maka Albarn.
Boomstick: Talk about your classic teacher's pet; the kind of girl who leaves an apple on the desk and goes, "Teacher, you forgot to give us homework!" And then we jump 'em.
Wiz: As if Soul's any better; a weapon who's too concerned with being "cool" to do any real work.
Boomstick: Hey, Soul's not just any demon weapon; he's a scythe! And he's got his sights on upgrading to the highest level of "Death Scythe".
Wiz: Which would be a high honor, and lucky for Soul, Maka always aims high.
Boomstick: With that common goal, Maka and Soul formed the dream team. All they needed was 99 Kishin Eggs and the soul of a witch. Easy, right?
Wiz: Maybe, since Maka is extraordinarily perceptive at spotting and examining souls. She can detect spiritual presences from millions of yards away, and can discern its nature, stability, and emotions.
Boomstick: Time for class, then! The two trained hard, but their style's kind of weird. OK, so, Maka guides Soul in the direction she wants to go, but Soul, the scythe, does all the actual movements himself. Maka's the meister; Soul's the weapon.
Wiz: Like conductor and instrumentalist. A meister-weapon pair cannot work in harmony without total cooperation.
Boomstick: Too bad their teamwork... sucked. They fumbled the easiest chance for Death Scythe status. F-minus.
Wiz: Maka just could not get in tune with Soul's wavelength. She was skilled, sure; more skilled than most.
Boomstick: Keyword, "most". There were plenty of rivals showing her up, like Black☆Star and Tsubaki.
Wiz: Really puts a damper on the straight A's when this showoff is doing better than you.
Boomstick: It was up to Maka and Soul to improve their teamwork through Soul Resonance.
Wiz: What I said about "wavelength" wasn't metaphorical; rather, wavelengths are the means with which meister and weapon draw strength through each other. Think of two wavelengths as different emotional amplitudes that must merge at one alignment.
Boomstick: If the meister's the guitar and the weapon's the amp, then they create a feedback loop to increase its frequency. That's Soul Resonance.
Wiz: Soul Resonance creates a telepathic link and surges their strength and speed.
Boomstick: And preps them for cool scythe moves like the Witch-Hunt Slash, a big energy strike that puts the "L" in "evil"!
Wiz: As the name implies, it works especially well against witches... and other evil creatures; it's not exclusive or anything.
Boomstick: It's actually really deadly against evil, 'cause of Maka's rare anti-demon wavelengths. Basically, being a goody little two-shoes gets her the power of purity, or whatever.
Wiz: Maka and Soul were becoming a synchronized unit... though, one would sometimes need to rein in the other's idiotic habits.
Boomstick: And the other guy's gotta stop their annoying overthinking, Wiz.
Wiz: But everything changed after a... uh, "unique" encounter with Crona, which nearly killed Soul.
Boomstick: Now, Soul had an ogre pal in his head, waiting for him to swing on over and play the piano. Yep, Soul got infected with Black Blood.
Wiz: Black Blood was specially brewed as a weaponizable blood. It hardens and strengthens its user's body inside and out, increasing their physical ability. They can even block blades with their bare skin.
Boomstick: Too bad it comes with a little side effect of Madness with a capital "M".
Wiz: A force of fear and sadness all living things possess, which threatens to ruin the world.
Boomstick: So, it was kind of a big deal that Maka was bummed by how she got Soul in a jam. But, thanks to Soul, she got over it, and even welcomed in their new Little Ogre buddy.
Wiz: Now, when Soul plays his grand piano, their Soul Resonance sings even louder through the Black Blood.
Boomstick: Giving Maka all the perks of Black Blood, too; even the crazy parts! Bet you didn't expect that, Crona!
Wiz: But evil saw their plans through. The Kishin Asura had arrived. Madness was spreading everywhere.
Boomstick: So, Maka and Soul had to lock in, and upgrade their Witch-Hunt to the even stronger Demon-Hunt Slash. They went on even more missions to reap souls with classmates like Black☆Star, and that guy outran his own shadow!
Wiz: Perhaps the most obvious evidence ever of faster-than-light speeds, and Maka could finally keep up with him.
Boomstick: Pair that with her fight with the demon tool Gopher, who could obliterate whole mountains, and you've got one hell of an ass-kicker.
Wiz: And yet, Maka's relationship with Soul still faltered. Soul was the real star here; even other meisters were trying to take him as a weapon, away from Maka.
Boomstick: I mean, he literally moves himself, so Maka couldn't help but wonder if she was holding him back all along.
Wiz: But Soul said the truth: in all of their missions, their teamwork was the key to their victory. An orchestral performance is only as good as the one conducting. And so, their wavelengths played in harmony, and Maka donned a dress of Black Blood.
Boomstick: It's an armor literally made of blood, and it lets Maka fly around and shoot out her soul as an epic sound wave! So fricking metal!
Wiz: At the same time, Soul discovered he could hack souls and directly transmit Maka's anti-demon wavelengths, basically shutting their enemy completely down through Soul Adagio.
Boomstick: And they finally achieved Death Scythe! The dream's here, baby!
Wiz: So, when Crona's own Black Blood reached its final stage, Maka and Soul... flew to the Moon! A moon small and unassuming, but so dense, it has the same mass as the planet itself. The very world's sanity was at stake.
Boomstick: Crona might have gone insane, but Maka still reached out to their new friend's soul, until the Kishin showed up to ruin everything! Come on, Asura! They're having a moment here! Timing, bro.
Wiz: In what would be Maka's final exam, Maka, Soul, and all of their friends faced off against the Kishin.
Boomstick: And she passed! A-plus! Maka pulled her weight and perfected her teamwork with Soul. Their wavelengths were pitch-perfect.
Wiz: Asura did everything he could to separate them -- crater them into the Moon, punch holes in Maka's chest, tamper their souls with Madness -- and each time, they successfully realigned their wavelengths.
Boomstick: Until they kicked his ass with one final upgrade: the Kishin-Hunt Slash! MAKAAAAA CHOP! Now, that's what I call "absolute cinema"!
Wiz: Because a sound soul dwells within a sound mind and body. So, should you feel overwhelmed by evil's roars, just write "42-42-564" whenever you want to knock on Death's door.
Prelude
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set. We've run the data through all possibilities.
Boomstick: IT'S TIME FOR A SCYTHE BATTLEEE!!!
Death Battle
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The scene opens up with the Meister and Weapon team, Maka and Soul, in a small town at night, in search for their next target. As they cross a bridge, Soul takes the time to complain to Maka about the mission.
Soul: Okay, it's official, this is so not cool.
Maka: Oh, come on Soul. Our target should be here, so try helping out.
Maka holds up a poorly drawn picture of Ruby Rose, who is currently wanted by the D.W.M.A. After looking at it for a few moments, a cheerful voice speaks up, causing Maka to lower the drawing, revealing the leader of Team RWBY, Ruby Rose, in their path.
Ruby: Hi! Who are you looking for?
Maka, feeling skeptical, double checks the drawing, holding it above her face a few times to see if it is their target. A tumbleweed rolls by the awkward scene as Soul makes the connection and clears his throat, signaling Maka to get ready for battle as he materializes into his scythe form and into Maka's hand. Maka makes a rather professional statement, letting her opponent know why she's challenging her.
Maka: Little Red Riding Hood, your humanity has strayed from it's just path, and the shinigami has called-
Before Maka can finish her sentence, Ruby, being oblivious, cuts her off with growing interest and excitement for her opponent's ability.
Ruby: Oh my gosh!! Your boyfriend turns into a scythe!? That's so cool!
Maka is taken aback and blushes briefly at Ruby's remark and assumption, then finishes her original sentence more quickly and flustered.
Maka: Your soul is ours!
Maka raises Soul and leaps forward at Ruby Rose, but the RWBY leader uses Petal Burst to move above Maka before her slash connects. She lands and takes out Crescent Rose, the weapon forming itself in an instant. She uses the gun part of it to launch herself at Maka, who instinctively blocks the attack with Soul.
Ruby: I like my soul, thanks!
The two scythe wielders clash their weapons a few times, but Ruby's usage of Crescent Rose's gun ability easily gains her an upper hand in close quarters and speed. Soul takes note of this and boasts.
Soul: Won't lie, Red. Your moves are sick, but too slow for my meister.
Maka intercepts Ruby and swings her towards a building wall with Soul, but Ruby lands sideways on the wall and prepares for her next attack.
Ruby: You haven't seen anything yet!
Ruby uses Petal Burst once more, flying towards Maka and trapping her inside it. She strikes Maka at multiple angles, but the Meister blocks all the strikes with quick movements with Soul.
Maka: Focus, she's quick but we can handle it!
As Maka intercepts and blocks more strikes, she and Soul amplify their soul wavelengths to preform a Witch Hunter attack.
Maka and Soul: Let's go! Soul Resonance!!
Soul transforms into his Witch Hunter scythe form, and Maka swings the now larger scythe towards Ruby, who is unaware of the attack until too late, as Witch Hunter connects to Ruby with an upward slash, sending her flying. She quickly uses Petal Burst to land on the ground on her back. She looks up in shock as Maka leaps towards her to hit her with Witch Hunter again, but Ruby blasts herself upwards with Crescent Rose and petal bursts through Maka. She reappears above Maka, spinning herself downwards and slamming Maka into the ground with her weapon.
Maka reacts in time to see Ruby still spinning herself downwards, so she moves out of the way and moves Soul around Ruby's body. Ruby chuckles nervously as she is harshly pulled towards Maka, who punches her in the face multiple times.
Ruby: Wow! Cool! Move- Ow! Stop... Hitting... Me!
Having enough, Ruby aims the sniper rifle part of Crescent Rose at Maka's face point blank, charging up a blast. Maka immediately ducks and avoids the blast as Ruby petal bursts onto a nearby roof with Maka following in pursuit.
Maka: Get back here!
Ruby leaps off the roof and fires multiple elemental shots at Maka using her Dust cartridge, who deflects and blocks all of them with quick movements from Soul. Maka leaps forward to attack Ruby, but Ruby quickly fires a ice Dust which freezes Maka in place.
Maka: Soul! Hurry!
The scene transitions inside of Soul's black room, preformed e see the demon weapon well dressed for the performance. He sits down at his piano, a sinister grin present on his face as he slams his fingers on a few key notes. In the real world, we see Ruby fire a shot directly at Maka, who is still frozen in place. The shot hits her, creating a cloud of smoke, but a single piano note is heard as Maka re-emerges in her black blood dress form. The scythe meister duo leap towards a Ruby, who leaps back and brings out the scythe end of Crescent rose. Unbeknownst to Ruby, Maka is able to figure out her aura's function as she speaks to Soul.
Maka: Interesting. Her soul forms a barrier, try helping out?
Back in the Black Room, Soul nonchalantly cracks his fingers, hovering them over the keys of the piano.
Soul: Relax.
Soul plays notes on the piano, increasing the power of their soul wavelengths as the Meister gains an upper hand against Ruby, blocking her attacks and punching her in the face. Before Maka can hit her again, she petal bursts away from Maka to gain some distance. We get another shot of Soul playing the piano, amplifying their soul wavelengths further as the scythe meister and leader of team RWBY clash weapons repeatedly. Ruby gains some distance, using petal burst to fly towards her opponent.
Ruby: Sorry, but I'll never stop fighting. I'm Ruby Rose! And I...Am...A HUNTRESS!!
Ruby swings her weapon downwards, attempting to hit Maka with it.
Soul: Soul Adagio!
But Soul quickly uses Soul Adagio, disabling Ruby's aura, her body shut down completely, the screen fading to black...
Yang: RUBY!
...but the sound of Yang's voice gives Ruby the willpower to keep fighting as her silver eyes activate, enveloping the entire area in a blinding white light. Maka screams as the black blood from her dress is disintegrating, the power of the silver eyes even disrupting the duo's wavelengths. Maka still holds Soul, not willing to give up.
Soul: The wavelengths! Damn it she's... Stay strong Maka, you got this!
With Soul's words of encouragement, Maka powers through the silver eyes with what little strength she has left, and she swings Soul upwards with Kishin Hunter. Ruby screams in pain as she's split in half vertically, the power of the silver eyes dissipated as she explodes into petals. Crescent Rose falls into the roof and in front of the moon, signifying Ruby's defeat. All that remains of her is her soul, which Soul, now in human form, reaches out to eat it. However, Maka stops him as she examines the Soul further, realizing it was never evil to begin with.
Maka: A simple, honest soul... Ruby Rose huh?
As she says this, it cuts to a POV of Maka holding Ruby's soul, analyzing its purity as Crescent Rose's form is surrounded by floating petals with her looking up at Remnant's moon with the yellow face moon on the right side as its laughs, blood pouring out of its mouth in the background.
Results
Boomstick: Rest in peace, Ruby. But hey, it's not often you get to see scythe-on-scythe action like that!
Wiz: Let's break this down with the four categories that best represent this matchup. First, strength.
Boomstick: Aura supercharged Ruby's strength way higher than you'd think, like kicking this Grimm through steel. But Maka's Soul Resonance could match Gopher, who destroyed mountains.
Wiz: Now, Team RWBY did defeat Vine, whose Aura contained a bomb that could've wiped out a city.
Boomstick: Adding up their flight speed and how far Harriet said they'd have to fly to avoid the blast, that's a 366-kiloton bomb.
Wiz: It's possible Ruby's own Aura possesses a similar level of, say, energy strength, though her Semblance obviously can't replicate what Vine did.
Boomstick: Eh, Black Blood Maka got blasted by Asura into the Moon. Yeah, it's small, but its mass is the same as Earth's, right?
Wiz: Putting Asura's strikes at 2 quadrillion tons of TNT, over 5 billion times higher than Vine.
Boomstick: So, Maka takes strength, but speed wasn't as clear-cut.
Boomstick: Ruby's a fast little gal. Maka kept up with Black☆Star; you know, faster than shadows and whatnot. But as they improved their skills, Ruby and her friends could out-speed Adam.
Wiz: Who blocked a particle beam. Though, given the distance and time to react, Adam moved about 42% the speed of light; not quite "faster than your own shadow" territory.
Wiz: Still, Ruby's Petal Burst has become far faster than this over time, and clearly gives more than a 2x speed increase on top of that 42%, making her well past light-speed.
Boomstick: Definitely enough to take on Harriet, who was all about speed. Angry speed.
Wiz: This isn't to say Maka couldn't keep up thanks to Soul Resonance, but Petal Burst makes this comparison close enough to call it a tie. And their speed would be key to winning in skill.
Boomstick: Come on, Wiz. Call it what it really is. It's "scythery"!
Wiz: That--That's not a word...
Boomstick: Maka's scythery was pretty good, but Soul does all the movement for her. As a meister, she was mostly a guide.
Wiz: It's easy to assume that Ruby's, uh... "scythery" was superior. She's entirely self-sufficient at dancing with her weapon.
Boomstick: Soul's own control is still a factor here, but it doesn't change that Ruby's been swinging that thing for way longer than Maka. Ruby's got scythery in the bag.
Wiz: Perhaps this edge would be enough for Ruby to avoid Maka's far greater strength, if she had the better powers.
Boomstick: So, Aura's really cool -- barriers, healing, superpowers, and so on -- but it's got one big weakness.
Wiz: It is a finite resource that is required for all of Ruby's powers.
Boomstick: Petal Burst, activating Dust, even powering up Crescent Rose takes juicing some Aura. Once it's gone, Ruby's totally vulnerable.
Wiz: And there's a second key factor regarding Aura: it is specifically a manifestation of Ruby's soul.
Boomstick: And Maka's powers are all about taking on souls. Maka had lots of ways to break through Ruby's Aura, like Soul Adagio.
Wiz: And since Maka is exceptionally gifted at examining souls, she could definitely figure out how Aura works.
Boomstick: But, plot twist: what about Ruby's Silver Eyes, her anti-Grimm eye beams? Turns out they were actually her best secret weapon.
Wiz: The negative power of Grimm is quite similar to Madness wavelengths, which power Black Blood. Since anti-demon wavelengths can cancel out Black Blood, the Silver Eyes should achieve a similar effect.
Boomstick: But Maka and Soul's whole story is about reaching that perfect Soul Resonance. Asura tried every way in the book and more to separate their wavelengths and failed, and we already talked about how much stronger he is than Ruby. Maka takes powers, 'cause when she Rose to the occasion, Ruby didn't stand a Semblance of a chance, and bit the Dust.
We cut to the "Winner" card.
Wiz: The winners are Maka Albarn and Soul Evans.
Boomstick: Wait, his name is "Soul Evans"?!
Original Track
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Composition
The track for this fight is "Death in Bloom" by Brandon Yates ft. Casey Lee Williams, and Mirea Sheltzs. Many of the lyrics act as tributes to Monty Oum.
Casey portrays Ruby and Mirea portrays Maka.
Title
The title references Ruby's flower motif (specifically, a rose) and the Death Meister Weapon Academy in Soul Eater, as well as both combatants wielding scythes as their signature weapon (which is an attribute of the Grim Reaper, a traditional personification of death). It also might be a reference to Death Battle since this is the 200th episode and a special tribute to Monty Oum.
Cover Art
The cover art depicts Crescent Rose and Soul (in his scythe form) piercing a red moon (representing Ruby's signature color) from opposite sides, with the moon displaying the same shape and face as the moon from Soul Eater, covered in Black Blood with fragments of its teeth breaking off like Remnant's moon and its eyes giving off a flash of light similar to Ruby's silver eyes. The cover art of the moon can also be seen in the background of the promotional art made by John Mitchell.
Lyrics
Remember that shining beacon on the hill? How it fell?
Remember that shining beacon on the hill? How it fell?
Remember that shining beacon on the hill? How it fell? |
Trivia
Production
- The core connections between Ruby Rose and Maka Albarn are that they are both scythe-wielding teenage girls who aspire to be professional hunters of the evil creatures that threaten their worlds (Grimm and Kishin, respectively). Both attended special schools designed for this purpose that were overseen by immortals (Beacon Academy run by Professor Ozpin and the Death Weapon Meister Academy run by Lord Death, respectively) and eventually rose to become leaders of their respective teams (Team RWBY and C Group, respectively). Both are also shown to be compassionate and loyal towards their companions and loved ones, to the point of wanting to protect them at all costs. In addition:
- Both have mothers who were also students at said schools and have been mostly absent from their lives (Summer Rose and Maka's unnamed mother, respectively), instead being raised by their single fathers (Taiyang Xiao Long and Spirit Albarn, respectively).
- Both of their scythes follow the unique gimmick of their universes' weapons (Ruby has a melee-weapon/gun hybrid scythe, while Maka's scythe is actually a human who can transform).
- Both have powers that are connected to their souls (Aura and Semblances are powered by the soul, while Maka can use Soul Resonance), as well as secondary abilities considered rare in their worlds (the Silver Eyes and the Grigori Soul, respectively).
- Both have been mentored by a bespectacled and eccentric teacher at their school (Bartholomew Oobleck and Franken Stein, respectively).
- Both are friends with a human/cat hybrid (Blake Belladonna and Blair, respectively).
- Both of their greatest enemies are witches (Salem for Ruby and Medusa and Arachne for Maka).
- Both are originally weak in a fighting skill which they improved greatly with hardwork (Ruby is bad at unarmed combat and Maka's horrible with a polearm without Soul Evans' help).
- Both collaborated and formed alliances with black-haired, twin-gun-wielding students (Lie Ren and Death the Kid, respectively).
- Sometime prior to his passing, Ruby's creator, Monty Oum, requested this matchup,[1] even having wanted to collaborate with Death Battle for the episode.[2]
- Ben Singer has previously stated that he wanted Ruby's powers to be further explored in RWBY before doing this matchup.[1]
- This episode was announced by Chad James at ConBravo in 2016[3] and confirmed to release in Death Battle '25 during the Save Death Battle Kickstarter, having been part of the $600,000 stretch goal reward alongside another unrevealed episode.
- Initially, the title of the Ruby's analysis preview was "Ruby Rose is FINALLY Here!", but it was later changed to "Ruby Rose is WAY Stronger Than You Think!" hours later, before reverting to its original title the next day.
- This is the 12th episode in which one of the combatants is voiced by their official voice actor, after Iron Man VS Lex Luthor, Yang VS Tifa, Meta VS Carolina, Naruto VS Ichigo (unconfirmed), Ultron VS Sigma (unconfirmed), Weiss VS Mitsuru, Zuko VS Shoto Todoroki, Red VS Blue, Trunks VS Silver (unconfirmed), and Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor.
Easter Eggs
- During Ruby's analysis, after noticing the Crescent Rose's scythe mode, Boomstick states that "it's also a gun!", referencing Ruby's line in the episode "The Shining Beacon" where she describes the Crescent Rose's gun mode to Jaune Arc, which has become a meme in the RWBY community due to the fact that every weapon in the series has a gun mode.
- Also, the clip of the aforementioned scene plays while Boomstick says the line.
- When Boomstick explains how Ruby can't throw a punch despite wielding the Crescent Rose during the latter's analysis, a clip of Ruby failing to hit a White Fang soldier is shown, accompanied by the Perfect Shield sound effect from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate when the attack is blocked and the meme-like "OOF" death sound effect from Roblox after the soldier hits her back.
- In Ruby's analysis, Wiz quotes the opening theme from RWBY Volume 2, "Time to Say Goodbye", after mentioning Salem for the first time.
- The title of Maka's analysis preview, "Is Maka Gonna CHOP Ruby Rose?", refers to the Maka Chop punishment technique.
- Wiz's first line at the beginning of Maka's analysis, "A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body", is the same opening line of every episode of the Soul Eater anime series, appearing as the first question on the ultimate written exam.
- Befitting as a tribute to Monty Oum, the fight contains a few references to the "Red" trailer for RWBY.
- Ruby dodging Maka's initial slash and the pose she takes in front of the moon is taken directly from the intro of the trailer, where she dodges a series of slashes from a pack of Beowolves before unsheathing Crescent Rose.
- Ruby smiling and laughing as she has her neck surrounded by both hers and Maka's scythes before getting pulled in is framed to a similar shot where she snares a Beowulf with Crescent Rose and fires a shot, forcing the scythe downwards and cleaving through it.
- The spinning slash Ruby does after Maka and Soul cast Soul Resonance is done in a similar manner to her performing an identical slash on a Beowulf that leaps at her.
- Maka looking back and forth between Ruby and the sketch of her is a reference to the beginning of the fight in Zoro VS Erza, where Ezra does the same thing with Zoro's wanted poster.
- Maka and Soul addressing Ruby as "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Red", respectively, alludes to the notable nicknames given to Ruby by Roman Torchwick.
- When Ruby gets hit and send flying by Maka and Soul Witch Hunter scythe form, Godzilla's dorsal plates can be seen on the river underneath the bridge.
- When Soul starts playing on his piano, he's playing an instrumental of Papermoon, the 2nd opening of the Soul Eater anime.
- Ruby and Maka frequently fading into silhouettes during their high-speed clash serve as a reference to the single-colored silhouettes that are featured in RWBY.
- This is the second battle to feature this, following Blake VS Mikasa.
- Ruby's "I'm Ruby Rose, and I am a Huntress!" quote is loosely based on a similar quote said by her in the 8th episode of Volume 5 from RWBY, Amity, where she says "My name is Ruby Rose. I'm a Huntress." when addressing the world of Remnant in a public broadcast.
- The shot of Ruby activating her silver eyes is framed very closely to her activating it for the first time in the Volume 3 finale of RWBY after witnessing Pyrrha's death.
- This scene is also featured in the post-battle analysis when Boomstick mentions her silver eyes.
Other
- This is the 20th Females-themed episode, after Rogue VS Wonder Woman, Felicia VS Taokaka, Chun-Li VS Mai Shiranui, Zelda VS Peach, Ivy VS Orchid, Yang VS Tifa, Cammy VS Sonya, Amy Rose VS Ramona Flowers, Android 18 VS Captain Marvel, Raven VS Twilight Sparkle, Black Widow VS Widowmaker, Weiss VS Mitsuru, Black Canary VS Sindel, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Batgirl VS Spider-Gwen, Blake VS Mikasa, Korra VS Storm, Harley Quinn VS Jinx, Scarlet Witch VS Zatanna, and Phoenix VS Raven.
- This is the third Web-Series VS Anime/Manga-themed episode, after Mob VS Tatsumaki and Blake VS Mikasa.
- This is the first time that the Anime/Manga character wins.
- This is the second Square Enix VS Hitotsubashi-themed episode, after Yang VS Tifa.
- This is the first time the Square Enix character wins.
- Prior to this episode, Brandon Yates made a track for this matchup called "Remnants of the Soul" as part of his "What If?" commission tracks.
- This makes it the 15th 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, Joker VS Giorno, Bowser VS Eggman, Kratos VS Asura, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, Simon the Digger VS Kyle Rayner, and Spider-Man VS Deku, and with the next one being Ash VS Yugi.
- This is the 14th 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, Joker VS Giorno, Bowser VS Eggman, Kratos VS Asura, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, Simon the Digger VS Kyle Rayner, and Spider-Man VS Deku, and with the next one being Ash VS Yugi.
- This is the first episode with a commission track that features Therewolf Media as a guest artist, with the next three being Dante VS Bayonetta, Yang VS Tifa, and Kratos VS Asura.
- A vocal version was released a few months later, making this the second episode with a commission track that received vocals before the matchup became an actual episode, after Simon the Digger VS Kyle Rayner.
- This makes it the 15th 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, Joker VS Giorno, Bowser VS Eggman, Kratos VS Asura, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, Simon the Digger VS Kyle Rayner, and Spider-Man VS Deku, and with the next one being Ash VS Yugi.
- This is the 10th episode whose track includes female singers, after Meta VS Carolina, Gray VS Esdeath, Blake VS Mikasa, Harley Quinn VS Jinx, Skyrim VS Dark Souls, Gojo VS Makima, Scooby-Doo VS Courage the Cowardly Dog, Galactus VS Unicron, Joker VS Giorno, and Kratos VS Asura.
- This is the 30th episode where Boomstick yells a variation of his pre-fight catchphrase (via saying "IT'S TIME FOR A SCYTHE BATTLEEEEEEEEE!!!"), after Akuma VS Shang Tsung, Rogue VS Wonder Woman, Felicia VS Taokaka, Eggman VS Wily, Terminator VS RoboCop, Pokémon Battle Royale, Fulgore VS Sektor, Tigerzord VS Gundam Epyon, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Guts VS Nightmare, Solid Snake VS Sam Fisher, Hercule Satan VS Dan Hibiki, Bowser VS Ganon, Joker VS Sweet Tooth, Mega Man Battle Royale, Dragonzord VS Mechagodzilla, Scarlet Witch VS Zatanna, James Bond VS John Wick, Trunks VS Silver, SpongeBob VS Aquaman, Jason Voorhees VS Michael Myers, Sauron VS Lich King, Gogeta VS Vegito, Phoenix VS Raven, and Scooby-Doo VS Courage the Cowardly Dog, Galactus VS Unicron, Kratos VS Asura, and Ghost Rider VS Spawn and with the next one being Blade VS Buffy.
- This is the 15th episode in which the winner shows respect for their fallen opponent (via Maka stopping Soul from eating Ruby's soul, thus sparing it with Maka stating it to be "a simple, honest soul"), after Goku VS Superman 2, All Might VS Might Guy, Korra VS Storm, Tanjiro VS Jonathan Joestar, Magneto VS Tetsuo, SpongeBob VS Aquaman, Gogeta VS Vegito, Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha, Guts VS Dimitri, Martian Manhunter VS Silver Surfer, Goku VS Superman (2023), Kratos VS Asura, Simon the Digger VS Kyle Rayner, and Spider-Man VS Deku.
- This is the 2nd episode in which Wiz says "The winners are..." instead of the usual "The winner is...", after Ratchet & Clank VS Jak & Daxter.
- This is the 1st episode to have a 2-on-1 fight.
- Because DEATH BATTLE! itself made the ruling that Soul as a living weapon does not count as an "extra person" for the purpose of the fight.
- In past DEATH BATTLE! episodes, living weapons, such as Soul in this case, were considered a single entity with the Meister rather than an extra combatant.
- Maka and Soul are treated as a single combat unit or entity in the fight.