VS.
Fear itself, if manifested, would take on the form of these two masked gentlemen. A flaming skull and a crazed nut-job, these two put the F in Fear. The essence of fear itself truly is a remarkable and eerie thing to behold ~ some call it a delight (People like the Joker are highly invested in causing fear, panic, and disorder) and others "Nah, screw that I'm running away." In horror films, I'd probably sh*t my pants and run like hell if I were to come across these two. Only the combined efforts of Marvel & DC's superheroes, Terminators, The Shu/Wu/Wei Armies, and the overall essence of good, righteousness, and justice can take down these 2 fearsome foes. Today's Round is the Fearsome Scorpion from MK and the every-so creepy faced As Nodt from Bleach. The verdict will be decided by MechG and Bleach leads 8-6 against MK. The following will be incorporated: Backstory/Role in Story, Powers/Abilities, & Verdict. Let's jam!
Backstory/Role in Story (As Nodt)
Prior to enlisting with the Wandenreich army under the tutelage of his Majesty, Yhwach, As Nodt was just about ready to enter Death's door. A survivor of some sort, As Nodt was hospitalized and feared that living was painful and firmly was rooted into believing Heaven was the place to be compared to Hell because pain is nonexistent in Heaven. However, before he could reach that door, Yhwach entered in his life and gave him power to once again live.
In receiving orders from Yhwach, As Nodt, alongside his fellow Sternritter, were informed on invading and persecuting the Shinigami. Just as all captains figured it out, Sternritters can steal Bankai and make it their own. During his confrontation with 6th division Captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, As Nodt took his Bankai and eerily smiled at the sight of fear in Byakuya's eyes. Byakuya, distraught at the sight of his Bankai being stolen, was now vulnerable and it gave As Nodt the opportunity to nearly kill Byakuya. Sometime after nearly killing Byakuya, As Nodt reappears alongside other Sternritter to stop Captain Yamamoto, but failed miserably due to Yamamoto's flames. Following Rukia's return from the Royal Palace, she is the first to meet As Nodt. Frozen in place, it seemed as if As Nodt was no longer a threat....Rukia was wrong. Just as the two were fighting, Byakuya intervened, but informed As Nodt that he was not the one to finish As Nodt off. Releasing her Bankai, Rukia fought in a temporary dead-like state and finished off As Nodt, shattering him in his Vollstandig form. It is during this time that As Nodt feared for the worst.....Hell.
Backstory/Role in Story (Scorpion)
Born and raised in
the Japanese ninja clan of the Shirai Ryu, Hanzo Hasashi was among the best of
the best. Due to his incredible prowess in his skills as a ninja warrior and
his will and passion to fight for the glory of the Shirai Ryu, he was given the
codename “Sasori”, the Japanese name meaning “Scorpion” and that’s when the
legend was born. However, Scorpion’s life as a mortal would become short-lived.
As he was tasked by the necromancer, Quan Chi to recover the Map of the
Elements in the Shaolin Temple of the Order of Light, Scorpion was killed by
Bi-Han, the elder Sub-Zero and the ninja of the rival Lin Kuei clan. Shortly
after Scorpion’s death, his whole clan was subsequently killed off by Quan Chi
as debt to the Lin Kuei’s services in his plans. While in death, his soul was
sent to the Netherealm, trapped and imprisoned. Scorpion battled Bi-Han after
the elder Sub-Zero was sent to the Netherealm by Raiden to recover Shinnok’s
amulet, but again was defeated, allowing Bi-Han to escape the Netherealm
prisons to find Quan Chi and recover the amulet.
Two years after his
defeat, Scorpion would rise to the surface of Earthrealm as a spectre to
participate in the Mortal Kombat tournament on Shang Tsung’s island with an
incentive from Quan Chi that if he were to defeat Bi-Han, he would avenge
himself and his clan, but if he failed to do so, his soul would drag down into
oblivion. Scorpion would finally have his revenge after finding the Lin Kuei
ninja off guard during Liu Kang’s battle with Goro, effectively killing him. By
achieving this, his quest for revenge was over and his soul returned back to
the Netherealm. When another tournament was held in Outworld, he found out that
Sub-Zero somehow returned and was chosen to compete in the tournament. Enraged,
Scorpion ascended from the depths of the Netherealm again to kill his nemesis
once more. However, Scorpion had a change of view on his nemesis after
witnessing that Sub-Zero spared a person’s life. Scorpion would find out that
the warrior posing as Sub-Zero was not the Bi-Han he killed in the last tournament,
but his younger brother, Kuai Liang. For atonement, Scorpion vowed to protect
him, sparing the Lin Kuei ninja. During Shao Kahn’s invasion of Earthrealm, he
was originally on Shao Kahn’s side, but hearing that the younger Sub-Zero was
one of Earth’s chosen warriors, Scorpion honored his vow and defected from the
Emperor’s forces. Once Shao Kahn was defeated, Scorpion returned back to the
Netherealm, but he would soon find out time after the invasion that his wife
and child were murdered. Encountering Quan Chi for an explanation, the
necromancer duped the spectre into believing that the murderer was the younger
Sub-Zero, renewing bad blood. As soon as Scorpion was about to finish off the
former Lin Kuei ninja, Quan Chi admitted that he killed his wife and kid and
attempted to banish him back to the Netherealm. Before being sent back,
Scorpion jumped Quan Chi and took the necromancer to the deepest and darkest
planes of the Netherealm with him. Scorpion started enjoying eternal tormenting
Quan Chi as his powerful sorcery could not work in the deeper planes. Quan Chi
successfully attempted escape, paying off fellow Netherealm Oni, Drahmin and
Moloch to hold off the spectre. After dispatching the two Oni, Scorpion
proceeded to chase after Quan Chi and found him on Shang Tsung’s palace, but
before the spectre could get his hands on his family’s murderer, he was
ambushed by Drahmin and Moloch and was thrown into the Soulnado. Before
Scorpion’s soul would be purified and torn apart by the Soulnado, he managed to
escape to the Void, coming into contact with the Elder Gods and receiving
visions of Raiden’s sacrifice and the return of the Dragon King. The Elder Gods
were aware of Scorpion’s skills that they enhanced his abilities in order to
fit Scorpion into the mold as the Elder Gods’ champion and he would be the one
to defeat Onaga. However, Shujinko would ultimately be the one to defeat the
Dragon King after receiving every fighting spirit of warriors from all realms. After,
Scorpion had no interest in serving the Elder Gods any further and as reward
for his services, they restored Scorpion’s clan to life, but brought back as
hellspawn warriors. Scorpion saw this as betrayal and swore revenge against the
Elder Gods by sabotaging their Armageddon prevention plan: to kill the
half-gods brothers, Daegon and Taven. He would participate in the ultimate war
siding with the Forces of Darkness, battling Sub-Zero before succumbing to the
Lin Kuei’s Kori Blade from behind during the race to the top of Argus’ pyramid.
Scorpion would retain much of his role in the alternate timeline, being the Netherealm
specter that he is and seeking revenge against Sub-Zero for the genocide of his
clan.
Powers/Abilities (As Nodt)
Nicknamed "The Fear," As Nodt's abilities revolve around utilizing fear upon his opponents ~ attacking them mentally rather than physically. Attacking a person's optic nerves, instilling disturbing imagery/visions upon his opponent, forcefully shattering a person's rational thought, and overall inducing fear just by touching them are As Nodt's abilities. In his Vollstandig form, he grows larger, more creepy looking, and his Fear power is enhanced ~ creating a dome around him and his opponent to induce fear in their field of vision. He also has a even more disturbing transformation form that is meant to instill a fearsome image upon his opponent. Lastly, much like any other Quincy, As Nodt is capable of reishi manipulation, Blut, enhanced strength/durability, and possessing a spirit weapon ~ thorns (that are used to tangle his opponents in the web of fear that he has created for them).
Powers/Abilities (Scorpion)
To best describe what
Scorpion is, he used to be mortal, but when his soul was sent to the far
reaches of the Netherealm, he became a spectre, an evil spirit bound by revenge
(much like an Onryo in Japanese folklore). His powers/abilities emphasize his
status as a wraith and are represented by hellfire since the Netherealm is
described as a dark and fiery place and Scorpion’s powers reflect half of the
description of the realm. He can breathe out hellfire from his mouth once his
skeletal skull is unmasked to confirm death on his opponents. As a spectre,
Scorpion is possessed with immense abilities such as being immune to death and having
the ability to chase down his targets for an eternity until they’ve been neutralized
and he can also teleport as means to catch his opponent at the element of
surprise, and as mentioned he can take someone to the Netherealm with him and
torture that person for an eternity. As a ninja, Scorpion is skillfully
proficient in any weaponry, ranging from axes to swords such as the Ninjato or
the Mugai Ryu, but his famous weapon is the use of the kunai spear that he is
able to throw from a concentrated distance and impale the opponent. Once
Scorpion strikes an opponent with his kunai spear he follows with his iconic
catchphrases like “GET OVER HERE” or “COME HERE” and pulls his opponent in
closer for a free hit. His notable fatalities include: “Toasty!” where it refers
to him breathing hellfire from his skull mouth; Scorpion unmasks himself and
shoots a hellfire ball at his opponent, burning him/her to cinder,
Annihilation, where Scorpion does his victory pose, triggering a massive
earthquake, transporting him and his opponent back to his lair where his dead
Shirai Ryu members rise from the ashes and join him for ultimate brutality on
his opponent, and the Hand from Hell, where he summons a giant, fiery skeletal
hand and grabs his opponent, pulling him/her down to the fiery, dark depths.
Verdict (MechG)
And the winner is...
There is no doubt
that these two are a nightmare in your dreams: one can impose fear on you and
let that fear sink in till your heart stops and one can drag you down to the
bottomless pits and torture you for an eternity. Personally if I had another
kombatant battle against As Nodt, for sure my verdict would go to the fear-loving
Sternritter, but I find implementing Scorpion in this matchup was the best way
to counter-attack and why I’m choosing him as the winner is not just because
Scorpion is what defines the MK franchise (other than Sub-Zero) and if he
loses, you’d find me brutalized in an empty alley way for not choosing him, but
I did like his status as an antihero, being neither enemy nor friend (Grey Fox MGS reference) and I always love a
tragic downfall of a person who had superstar status then that status plummeted
and a team breaks down (yes that is a sports reference), and Scorpion was like
the best ninja the Shirai Ryu ever had and when he died, so did the whole clan.
Scorpion is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna from him
whether it’s for the benefit of evil or the benefit of good. Let’s not forget
he served Quan Chi, killed Bi-Han, protected Kuai Liang, defected from Shao
Kahn, betrayed Quan Chi, served the Elder Gods, then starts to betray them; Scorpion
is a living enigma in the franchise despite having a fleshed out backstory. Ok
maybe that wasn’t the best explanation, but I won’t deny As Nodt’s creepy
status, for sure if you see a picture of him, he will haunt you in your dreams
and he had an impressive battle against Byakuya. His ability to impose fear
upon people is definitely something to fear, but one little ironic detail about
his personality reveals that he believes in a heaven and hell and he’s afraid
to go to hell and his backstory reflects that. Well, considering the Netherealm
is the equivalent of hell in the MK franchise and Scorpion’s soul is
reincarnated as a vengeful hellspawn spawned from the deepest planes of the
realm, Scorpion would take As Nodt to the steep depths of the realm with him and
welcome him to eternal damnation. ~
SCORPION WINS
So who do you think won? Scorpion from MK or As Nodt from Bleach? Comment below and let us know. As always, look forward to BK Month (July 4th-August 25th) on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. Until then, you all stay classy now. Here's the current Scoreboard for BK Month:
1) Jax Briggs vs. Yasutora "Chad" Sado ~ MK (July 4th)
2) Jade vs. Yoruichi Shihoin ~ Bleach (July 7th)
3) Johnny Cage vs. Mask De Masculine ~ MK (July 9th)
4) Sonya Blade vs. Sui-Feng ~ Bleach (July 11th)
5) Kenshi vs. Byakuya Kuchiki ~ Bleach (July 14th)
6) Mileena vs. Bambietta Basterbine ~ Bleach (July 16)
7) Kung Lao vs. Uryu Ishida ~ Bleach (July 18th)
8) Reptile vs. Sajin Komamura ~ Bleach (July 21st)
9) Sektor vs. Renji Abarai ~ Bleach (July 23rd)
10) Sindel vs. Tier Harribel ~ MK (July 25th)
11) Sub-Zero vs. Rukia Kuchiki ~ MK (July 28th)
12) Baraka vs. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez ~ Bleach (July 30th)
13) Fujin vs. Candice Catnipp ~ MK (August 1st)
14) Quan Chi vs. Toshiro Hitsugaya ~ MK (August 4th)
15) Scorpion vs. Ad Nodt ~ MK (August 6th)
Bleach currently leads 8-7 against MK
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