History DeathBattle / TropesDToM

* ExcusePlot: [[ExcusePlot/DeathBattle Now with its own page.]]

* MythologyGag: [[MythologyGag/DeathBattle So many it has its own page.]]

** "[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Eggman]] vs. [[Franchise/MegaMan Dr. Wily]]". They are both {{Mad Scientist}}s and are the {{Big Bad}}s of the their respective franchises.

** "[[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]] vs. ComicBook/DoctorDoom". They are both {{Tin Tyrant}}s. Darth Vader was [[FaceHeelTurn once friends with his heroic mentor]] before falling to the Dark Side helping Darth Sidious rule the galaxy while Doctor Doom seeks to rule Earth under the knowledge that only his rule would help Earth to a prosperous age.
** "[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]] vs. [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganon]]". They are both {{Evil Overlord}}s who kidnap princesses and are the {{Big Bad}}s of their respective franchises.
** "ComicBook/TheJoker vs. [[VideoGame/TwistedMetal Sweet Tooth]]". They are both {{Evil Clown}}s who use seemingly harmless objects which house deadly weaponry to cause destruction purely for the pleasure it brings them.
** "ComicBook/{{Venom}} vs. ComicBook/{{Bane}}": While both characters have had lengthy stints as anti-heroes, with Venom currently being one in the comics, they are both more well-known as villains.

** "[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]] vs [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]]". They are both {{Evil Sorcerer}}s with demonic origins and have monstrous OneWingedAngel forms.
** "[[Franchise/DragonBall Beerus]] vs. [[Manga/SailorMoon Sailor Galaxia]]". They are both cosmically powerful aliens who have destroyed countless worlds and star systems with their immense abilities.

** "[[Anime/DragonBallSuper Goku Black]] vs. [[ComicBook/EobardThawne Reverse Flash]]". They are both {{Time Travel}}ing {{Evil Counterpart}}s to their respective heroes and have murdered the relatives of said heroes.

** "[[ComicBook/{{Invincible}} Omni-Man]] vs. [[ComicBook/TheBoys Homelander]]". They are both {{Rogue Super}}s and are the {{Big Bad}}s of their respective series, though Omni-Man would undergo a HeelRealization and give up his Viltrumite mission.

** "[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Bill Cipher]] vs. [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Discord]]". They are both RealityWarping {{Tricksters}} who wield god-like power and enjoy the chaos they bring, though Discord would undergo a HeelFaceTurn and stop taking over Equestria.

** "[[Franchise/MortalKombat Shao Kahn]] vs. [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison]]". Both are EvilOverlords seeking to rule the entirety of Earthrealm and the Earth respectively under an iron fist.

** "[[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium Sauron]] vs. [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft The Lich King]]". Both are EvilOverlords and {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s who [[FaceHeelTurn fell from grace]] where upon their descent into villainy changed their formerly heroic identities into their villainous ones.

%%** "[[Franchise/MortalKombat Shao Kahn]] vs. [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison]]"

** "[[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]] vs. ComicBook/DoctorDoom". They are both {{Tin Tyrant}}s who were [[FaceHeelTurn once friends with their heroic mentors]].

%%** "[[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]] vs. [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Michael Myers]]"
%%** "[[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium Sauron]] vs. [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft The Lich King]]"

%%** "[[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]] vs. ComicBook/DoctorDoom"

%%** "ComicBook/{{Carnage}} vs. [[Manga/ElfenLied Lucy]]". Lucy zigzags between being a SociopathicHero and VillainProtagonist, but she has always been on the darker side of the moral spectrum.

** "[[Franchise/DragonBall Beerus]] vs. [[Manga/SailorMoon Sailor Galaxia]]". Beerus is more of an AntiHero and a PunchClockVillain at worst, as he is simply doing his job. Sailor Galaxia on the other hand is a murderous conqueror.

%%** "ComicBook/{{Magneto}} vs. [[Manga/{{AKIRA}} Tetsuo]]". Magneto in the analysis was mentioned to have undergone a HeelFaceTurn, and the one the animation was more akin to his time as a heroic figure. That said, Magento is still more well-known as a villain.

** "[[ComicBook/{{Invincible}} Omni-Man]] vs. [[ComicBook/TheBoys Homelander]]". They are both {{Rogue Super}}s and are the {{Big Bad}}s of their respective series, [[DownplayedTrope though Omni-Man would undergo a HeelRealization and give up his Viltrumite mission]].

** "[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Bill Cipher]] vs. [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Discord]]". They are both RealityWarping {{Tricksters}} who wield god-like power and enjoy the chaos they bring, [[DownplayedTrope though Discord would undergo a HeelFaceTurn and stop taking over Equestria]].

** "[[ComicBook/{{Invincible}} Omni-Man]] vs. [[ComicBook/TheBoys Homelander]]". They are both {{Rouge Super}}s and are the {{Big Bad}}s of their respective series, [[DownplayedTrope though Omni-Man would undergo a HeelRealization and give up his Viltrumite mission]].

** "[[ComicBook/{{Invincible}} Omni-Man]] vs. [[ComicBook/TheBoys Homelander]]". They are both {{Rouge Super}}s and are the {{Big Bad}}s of their respective series.

** "[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Bill Cipher]] vs. [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Discord]]". They are both RealityWarping {{Tricksters}} who wield god-like power and enjoy the chaos they bring.

** "[[Anime/DragonBallSuper Goku Black]] vs. [[ComicBook/EobardThawne Reverse Flash]]". Both combatants are sociopathic {{Time Travel}}ers and are the {{Evil Counterpart}}s to their respective heroes.

** "[[ComicBook/{{Invincible}} Omni-Man]] vs. [[ComicBook/TheBoys Homelander]]" is a downplayed example, as Omni-Man did undergo a HeelRealization and gave up his Viltrumite mission. Homelander on the other hand had no such thing and continued to be more vile.

** "[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Bill Cipher]] vs. [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Discord]]" is a downplayed example, as Discord did undergo a HeelFaceTurn and stopped trying to take over Equestria. Bill on the other hand had no such thing and continued to reck havoc.

** "[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Eggman]] vs. [[Franchise/MegaMan Dr. Wily]]". They are the {{Big Bad}}s of their respective franchises and are classic examples of {{Mad Scientist}}s.

%%** "[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]] vs. [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganon]]"
%%** "ComicBook/TheJoker vs. [[VideoGame/TwistedMetal Sweet Tooth]]"

%%** "[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]] vs [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]]"

%%** "[[Anime/DragonBallSuper Goku Black]] vs. [[ComicBook/EobardThawne Reverse Flash]]"

** "[[ComicBook/{{Invincible}} Omni-Man]] vs. [[ComicBook/TheBoys Homelander]]" is a downplayed example, as Omni-Man did go through a HeelRealization and gave up his Viltrumite mission. Homelander on the other hand had no such thing and continued to be more vile.

** "[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Bill Cipher]] vs. [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Discord]]" is a downplayed example, as Discord would undergo a HeelFaceTurn and stop trying to take over Equestria. Bill Cipher on the other hand had no such thing and continued to reck havoc.

** "[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Bill Cipher]] vs. [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Discord]]" is a downplayed example, as Discord would undergo a HeelFaceTurn and stop trying to take over Equestria. That said, Discord is still more well-known as one of ''My Little Pony''[='=]s most beloved villains. Bill Cipher on the other hand does had no such thing and continued to reck havoc.

* EverybodyLives: Despite the show being called ''Death Battle'', there are a few instances where both combatants live for better or for worse.

* EverybodyLives: Despite the show being called ''Death Battle'', there are a few instances where both combatants live for better or for worse.
** ''Starscream vs. Rainbow Dash'' is technically an example. [[spoiler: Rainbow Dash does destroy Starscream's body but she doesn't really have any means of actually killing his immortal spark. Likewise, the technology in Ponyville is much less advanced than his body so his chances of killing her are even less]].
** ''Deadpool vs. Pinkie Pie'' [[spoiler: is one of three Death Battles to end with neither combatant dying (with the others being ''Chuck Norris vs. Segata Sanshiro'' and ''Scooby-Doo vs. Courage the Cowardly Dog''), rather befriending each other instead. This leaves a terribly confused Wiz and Boomstick to ponder that their shared ability to [[BreakingTheFourthWall break the fourth wall]] allowed them to break the very rules of Death Battle itself]].
** ''Sora vs. Pit'' is a downplayed and implied example. [[spoiler: Sora succeeds in killing Pit but Palutena remains unharmed and Pit has stated that he has died several times in his [[VideoGame/KidIcarus home series]] only to have Palutena [[DeathIsCheap revive him every time]]. The fact that Pit is used to being killed, was [[DorkKnight geeking out at Sora's abilities]] during the fight and is generally a NiceGuy means that this trope was likely the overall outcome of the episode.]]
** ''Ultron vs. Sigma'' is a rather dark example. [[spoiler: Instead of killing Sigma, Ultron completely hacks his A.I. and takes over his forces. It's implied that by doing so he has put Sigma in an AndIMustScream situation]].
** Played with for ''Thanos vs. Darkseid''. Neither combatant directly kills the other but [[spoiler: Darkseid traps Thanos in the [[FateWorseThanDeath Omega Sanction]] essentially forcing Thanos to die over and over again for all of eternity. At the same time being trapped in the Omega Sanction technically means Thanos does live... until his next death and the one after that and so on]].
** ''Deadpool vs. Mask'' is another example involving the Merc with a Mouth. [[spoiler: Sure he does die in the episode but before The Mask announces himself as the winner of the match, Wiz and Boomstick accidentally wished that he was alive again in the presence of the Continuity Stone which was with the letter The Mask delivered to them, [[HereWeGoAgain causing him to be revived]].]]
** ''Macho Man vs. Kool Aid Man'': [[spoiler: Macho Man does get killed by Kool Aid Man but is resurrected moments after the battle ends with the two even agreeing to have a friendly rematch]].
** ''Scooby-Doo vs. Courage the Cowardly Dog'' [[spoiler: is one of three Death Battles to end with neither combatant dying (with the others being ''Deadpool vs. Pinkie Pie'' and ''Chuck Norris vs. Segata Sanshiro''), as both of them were about equal in terms of strength, speed, and durability, on top of neither of them having an efficient way of killing each other.]]

%%** "[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Goomba vs. Koopa]]"
%%** "[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Eggman]] vs. [[Franchise/MegaMan Dr. Wily]]"

** "ComicBook/{{Venom}} vs. ComicBook/{{Bane}}": While both characters have had lengthy stints as anti-heroes, with Venom currently being one in the comics, they are more well-known as villains.

%%** "ComicBook/{{Carnage}} vs. [[Manga/ElfenLied Lucy]]" [[note]]Lucy zigzags between being a SociopathicHero and VillainProtagonist, but she has always been on the darker side of the moral spectrum.[[/note]]

** "[[Franchise/DragonBall Beerus]] vs. [[Manga/SailorMoon Sailor Galaxia]]": Beerus is more of an AntiHero and a PunchClockVillain at worst as he is simply doing his job, while Sailor Galaxia is a murderous conqueror.

%%** "[[ComicBook/{{Invincible}} Omni-Man]] vs. [[ComicBook/TheBoys Homelander]]" [[note]]Omni-Man did go through a HeelRealization and gave up his Viltrumite mission, while Homelander has had no such thing and continued to be more vile.[[/note]]
%%** "ComicBook/{{Magneto}} vs. [[Manga/{{AKIRA}} Tetsuo]]" [[note]]Magneto in the analysis was mentioned to have undergone a HeelFaceTurn, and the one the animation was more akin to his time as a heroic figure. However, Magento is more well-known as a villain.[[/note]]

** ''Deadpool vs. Pinkie Pie'' [[spoiler: is one of three Death Battles to end with neither combatant dying (with the others being "Chuck Norris vs. Segata Sanshiro" and ''Scooby-Doo vs. Courage the Cowardly Dog''), rather befriending each other instead. This leaves a terribly confused Wiz and Boomstick to ponder that their shared ability to [[BreakingTheFourthWall break the fourth wall]] allowed them to break the very rules of Death Battle itself]].

** ''Scooby-Doo vs. Courage the Cowardly Dog'' [[spoiler: is one of three Death Battles to end with neither combatant dying (with the others being ''Deadpool vs. Pinkie Pie'' and "Chuck Norris vs. Segata Sanshiro"), as both of them were about equal in terms of strength, speed, and durability, on top of neither of them having an efficient way of killing each other.]]

** ''Deadpool vs. Pinkie Pie'' [[spoiler: is one of three Death Battles to end with neither combatant dying (with the other being "Chuck Norris vs. Segata Sanshiro" and ''Scooby-Doo vs. Courage the Cowardly Dog''), rather befriending each other instead. This leaves a terribly confused Wiz and Boomstick to ponder that their shared ability to [[BreakingTheFourthWall break the fourth wall]] allowed them to break the very rules of Death Battle itself]].

** ''Scooby-Doo vs. Courage the Cowardly Dog'' [[spoiler: is one of three Death Battles to end with neither combatant dying (with the other being ''Deadpool vs. Pinkie Pie'' and "Chuck Norris vs. Segata Sanshiro"), as both of them were about equal in terms of strength, speed, and durability, on top of neither of them having an efficient way of killing each other.]]

** ''Scooby-Doo vs. Courage the Cowardly Dog'' [[spoiler: is one of two Death Battles to end with neither combatant dying (with the other being ''Deadpool vs. Pinkie Pie''), as both of them were about equal in terms of strength, speed, and durability, on top of neither of them having an efficient way of killing each other.]]

** ''Deadpool vs. Pinkie Pie'' [[spoiler: is one of two Death Battles to end with neither combatant dying (with the other being ''Scooby-Doo vs. Courage the Cowardly Dog''), rather befriending each other instead. This leaves a terribly confused Wiz and Boomstick to ponder that their shared ability to [[BreakingTheFourthWall break the fourth wall]] allowed them to break the very rules of Death Battle itself]].

** ''Deadpool vs. Pinkie Pie'' [[spoiler: is the only Death Battle to end with neither combatant dying, rather befriending each other instead. This leaves a terribly confused Wiz and Boomstick to ponder that their shared ability to [[BreakingTheFourthWall break the fourth wall]] allowed them to break the very rules of Death Battle itself]].

* DarkHorseVictory: [[spoiler:Wily uses his Roboenza on Metal Sonic, which sends Metal Sonic on a rampage, killing Eggman, which would normally be a win for Wily. But since Metal Sonic was Eggman's robot and kills Wily directly afterwards, Wiz and Boomstick can't decide who wins. So they just declare Metal Sonic the victor.]][[note]] A Death Battle Cast would later clarify that Ben and Chad really believe this is how the fight would turn out, so it was a legit win for Metal Sonic.[[/note]]

* ForWantOfANail: Red likely could have avoided [[spoiler:his and Charizard's death if he had simply called off Charizard like Tai demanded.]] But alas, he did not.

* DropTheHammer:
** Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. [[spoiler:[[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe It rips Raiden in half]], but was less effective against Wonder Woman who's more vulnerable to piercing weapons, which a hammer is not.]]
** Mario has his Ultra Hammer and uses it in the fight. He mostly uses it to smash obstacles.
** Shao Kahn uses his trademark hammer that he often uses to [[LudicrousGibs play golf with his opponents]].
** Kirby gets one as Hammer Kirby and flattens Buu like a pancake with it. [[NoSell Didn't do much though]].
** Amy and Ramona use these as their main melee weapons. It was the theme for the fight.
** King Dedede has several different kinds of giant-sized hammers as his main weapons (including the powerful Electric Hammer), all of which he uses in his battle against Wario.
** Shao Kahn brings his Wrath Hammer to his fights against M. Bison and Akuma. [[spoiler: In both fights, he smashes the heads of his opponents during the finishers, although it preceeds [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe the killing blow he delivers to Bison.]]]]

** ''Courage vs Scooby Doo'' is framed as the two dogs attempting to escape a monster, and the 'fight' breaks out when Courage (accidentally or otherwise) trips up Scooby. The two still spend half the battle still trying to escape. [[spoiler:Ultimately, neither Courage or Scooby are ruled to have sufficient offensive power to overcome [[NighInvulnerable each other's ludicrous durability feats, so the fight ends up a draw... But the ''monster'' (Eustace) dies instead in order to fulfill the show's criterion of one death per battle.]]