12/02/2013

Roy Mustang vs. Uryu Ishida (Calm, Collected, & in Control)

VS.

It's been awhile since I've posted up a Fight Night Post and a match-up came to me. Two calm, collected, and badass characters that are not to be F'd with. They've had their fair share of wins and losses and have posed a threat to the main protagonist, but in the end, they are our hero's heroes. Call them sidekicks, allies, or whatever - but I think these match-up makes perfect sense. However, you have to consider this - one has control over fire and the other has limitless control of spirit arrows. FMA and Bleach have a place in my heart as being of the 2 greatest action-packed cartoons that have created memorable characters, a well-told story, a mesmerizing setting, and creative powers when it comes to all our heroes. Today, our Fight Night will be between FMA's Roy Mustang and Bleach's Uryu Ishida. Let us begin:

Backstory: Awhile back, Roy was involved in a war and ever since, he's been scarred with having been a part of it as well as taking innocent lives. While he keeps a calm demeanor, it doesn't stop him from looking back and seeing the terrible thing he's done to others while serving his army, but did it further support his position while at the same time creating enemies? He may be a friend of Edward Elric, but he also, to me, wants to prevent Edward from getting into any further trouble or doing something that he could regret. That is why Roy is so supportive of helping out Edward - I think that they see each other as a reflection, but the fact that Edward is still young and can make decisions that Roy couldn't have done when serving under a higher command, Roy wants to ensure that his comrades are all safe, don't regret making mistakes, and are willing to do whatever it takes to have each other's back - to fight for a cause worth dying for and worth protecting your friends. 

In the past, Uryu's grandfather was the one who taught Uryu of the Quincy ways, but unfortunately he was subject to experimentation and Uryu, saddened by this loss, has vowed to bear a hatred towards the people responsible for killing his grandfather and mentor - the Shinigami. Uryu eventually finds the killer, but he can't bring himself to allow his personal vendetta in interfering with the main objective - helping our Ichigo in doing what is right not only for his world, but to find a balance between humans and the very species he despises, the Shinigami. It'll be later on that Uryu finds that not all Shinigami are bad and that his misconceptions got the better of him, but that doesn't exclude the fact that he still has a distrust of them and he will never forgive Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the 12th division captain responsible for having killed Uryu's grandfather. As a Quincy, a species that is hated by Shinigami and are rare to come by nowadays, Uryu finds displeasure in knowing if his own existence contradicts his values and beliefs of the Quincy - is aiding Ichigo his sole purpose or does he have a better calling?

Powers: With alchemy being the central theme in FMA, Roy's speciality is fire. With the snap of a finger or with a ignition like a lighter, Roy can fire em' up. Flames capable of doing great damage and with his Transmutation glove, anything is possible. Conjuring fire has become 2nd nature, but the only weakness is, of course, water. Roy's power was strong enough to take down of the 7 deadly sins and evil homunculus - Lust. Fire burns and with Roy being able to conjure fire with his glove, it's best to say that he's pretty good offensively and defensively, but is super weak when faced with water.

Uryu, having the power of the bow and firing limitless arrows, is good at pretty much pinpointing enemy movement, but the problem with this is one thing and it's a big one - even with the prediction of movements and finding a way to outsmart his opponent - HIS ARROWS DON'T DO MUCH! Now hear me out on this, bows and arrows allows the archer to fire from a long range, but when it's short range, you have limited to react and if your opponent (EX: Mayuri) is capable of doing harm up close, then your arrows can do one of two things - hit or miss. So it's a debate of whether his arrows will do damage in his regular or final form or if his arrows be negated by the enemy as they conjure up a way to subdue Uryu's power.

Verdict: As much I love Uryu's badassery, I found him to be expendable and not as interesting as the other Bleach characters. Sure he's strong, is Ichigo's friend, and has a limitless supply of arrows - but if his opponents are twice as strong and can do considerable damage up close - it's a 50/50 bet that Uryu will get beat up or find a way to subdue his opponent, but at a cost. I think with Roy, his conjuration of power with the snap of a finger can do much more - it can create a shield around him as well fire on whim of Roy's command. So I think Roy is capable of more feats and, no offensive to Uryu, is pretty fast and creative when using his flames to his advantage. So this victory will go to:

I hope you enjoyed this week's Fight Night. Until then, you all stay classy now and Happy Holidays! 

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