History Recap / DeathBattleS07E15VenomVsCrona

'''Wiz:''' And [[Characters/SoulEaterOtherMeisters Crona]], the deadly demon sword from ''Manga/SoulEater''.

'''Boomstick:''' Venom, the lethal symbiote and Spider Man's best frenemy.\\
'''Wiz:''' And Crona, the deadly demon sword from Soul Eater.

It's always nice to have a best friend attached to your hip, but these two take their "friends" even further than that.

ComicBook/{{Venom}}, the lethal symbiote and Spider-Man's best frenemy. And Crona, the deadly demon sword from ''Manga/SoulEater''.

The symbiote is starting to separate from Eddie, baring his face; after the landing. He tries to assert himself, re-masking his visage as he gets to his feet and proclaims himself darkness and nightmares incarnate - but no sooner has righted himself than thorned vines of black blood surround him. The enraged Crona declares their hatred of their opponent before the vines impale Venom; the meister follows suit, driving all three blades into Eddie's heart, and the Demon Weapon's three mouths open and unleash a soul-shattering screech. The symbiote is torn away, and the body of Eddie Brock shatters, leaving Crona and Ragnarok standing alone in the church.

Ragnarok seizes the souls of human and Klyntar, devouring them eagerly; as Boomstick compares the symbiote's fate to [[Recap/DeathBattleS05E10CarnageVsLucy that of his progeny]], Wiz proceeds to dive into the post-fight analysis. Although Venom's versatility served him well in keeping his opponent off-guard, he lacked in most other fields; Crona scaling to Black Star puts them at over Mach 9000 speeds, whereas Venom scaling to the Spider-Man of 2099 only affords him Mach 2000 at best. Not only was Crona's exertion of nine trillion tons of Mad Blood well outside Venom's range of durability, but their precision control thereover would serve as an effective defense against any mental manipulation that the symbiote could attempt. And more than any strength feats, Ragnarok's intense sound-based offensive capitalized on one of the Klyntar's weaknesses. Although the Venom symbiote has built up a resistance to sound-based attacks, it barely survived a 244-decibel attack; Ragnarok was able to engulf the moon (of Soul Eater) in its scream, requiring a 275-decibel volume, which due to the logarithmic scale of the unit equates to a superior potency of one thousand times. Ultimately, although Venom did possess skill, they couldn't match up to Crona's power, and Ragnarok had exactly what it took to eliminate Venom.

Venom leaps towards Crona and Ragnarok; the latter is the one to retaliate, seizing Venom by the neck in mid-flight. As the symbiotic antihero swipes ineffectively at the air, Crona expresses concern about the situation; her Demon Weapon shows no such misgivings, crushing Venom between his hand. One free limb launches a spray of webbing to blind Crona, and Venom uses Ragnarok's subsequent distraction to leap free, the symbiote repairing any harm that Eddie might have suffered from the blow. Shots of Klyntar gunk are launched at Crona as they pry the webbing from their face, and Ragnarok quickly forms a sword with which she may deflect the blows.

In response, Venom sends a pool of fanged tendrils forth from below his shadow; the attack envelops the meister, despite her attempts to leap away. However, despite the brief encasement, their blade quickly punctures the mass, whereupon the mouth of Ragnarok opens in a ferocious scream. The sound shatters the gunk around Crona, but Venom is more durable; tendrils extend from his back to approach Crona, but they simply leap into the air, spinning to deflect the Klyntar's attack before sending a shockwave of concentrated sound racing across the floor in Venom's direction.

* AmbiguousGender: Wiz acknowledges that Crona is never referred to by a specific gender and they have both male and females characteristics. Like the anime in Japanese and English, Crona is given an actress to voice their lines in a way that can perceived as either a young boy or girl.

* ShoutOut: After pulling a SmokeOut, Venom quotes [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas "This is Halloween"]].
-->''We are the ones hiding under your bed... teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing '''red!'''''

** [[Recap/DeathBattleS04E03VenomVsBane As with previous battles]] that [[Recap/DeathBattleS05E10CarnageVsLucy featured symbiote combatants]], Venom taunts his opponent with a singsong melody. Boomstick also points out a resonance between Carnage's fate and Venom's, namely dying to a pink-haired anime character. Finally, the final words in the fight are "I hate you.", but this time it's Crona's PreMortemOneLiner instead of Carnage's FacingTheBulletsOneLiner. To quote Boomstick on the matter:
--->'''Boomstick''': Man, these symbiotes really need to stop picking fights with pink-haired anime characters!
** Furthermore, this is not the [[Recap/DeathBattleS07E02BlackCanaryVsSindel first time]] that Decibels and their logarithmic scale where used to determine that the victor could overpower their opponent.

[[Recap/DeathBattleS07E16RedVsBlue Next time on Death Battle...]]

* CallBack: [[Recap/DeathBattleS04E03VenomVsBane As with previous battles]] that [[Recap/DeathBattleS05E10CarnageVsLucy featured symbiote combatants]], Venom taunts his opponent with a singsong melody. Boomstick also points out a resonance between Carnage's fate and Venom's, namely dying to a pink-haired anime character. Finally, the final words in the fight are "I hate you.", but this time it's Crona's PreMortemOneLiner instead of Carnage's FacingTheBulletsOneLiner. To quote Boomstick on the matter:
-->'''Boomstick''': Man, these symbiotes really need to stop picking fights with pink-haired anime characters!

** Furthermore, this is not the [[Recap/DeathBattleS07E02BlackCanaryVsSindel first time]] that Decibels and their where used to determine that the victor could overpower their opponent.

* ManOfKryptonite: Most of Crona's attacks are sound based, which, after determining how loud they are, was found the be the perfect weapon to take down Venom.

* RunningGag: Boomstick finding the moon in ''Soul Eater'' rather terrifying.

* PowerPerversionPotential: Boomstick [[NaughtyTentacles comes to the obvious conclusion]] learns that Venom's powerset includes CombatTentacles and MindRape.

'''Boomstick''': Man, these symbiotes really need to stop picking fights with pink-haired anime characters!

* CallBack: [[Recap/DeathBattleS04E03VenomVsBane As with previous battles]] that [[Recap/DeathBattleS05E10CarnageVsLucy featured symbiote combatants]], Venom taunts his opponent with a singsong melody. Boomstick also points out a resonance between Carnage's fate and Venom's, namely dying to a pink-haired anime character. Finally, the final words in the fight are "I hate you.", but this time it's Crona's PreMortemOneLiner instead of Carnage's FacingTheBulletsOneLiner.

* VocalEvolution: Compared to last time, Adam Wennick gives Venom a much deeper voice here instead of how it was done last time, which many felt was more fitting for Carnage.

-->''We are the ones hiding under your bed... teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing '''red!'''''

* CallBack: [[Recap/DeathBattleS04E03VenomVsBane As with previous battles]] that [[Recap/DeathBattleS05E10CarnageVsLucy featured symbiote combatants]], Venom taunts his opponent with a singsong melody. Boomstick also points out a resonance between Carnage's fate and Venom's, namely dying to a pink-haired anime character. Finally, the final words in the fight are "I hate you.", but this time it's the winner's PreMortemOneLiner instead of the loser's FacingTheBulletsOneLiner.

* CallBack: [[Recap/DeathBattleS04E03VenomVsBane As with previous battles]] that [[Recap/DeathBattleS05E10CarnageVsLucy featured symbiote combatants]], Venom taunts his opponent with a singsong melody. Boomstick also points out a resonance between Carnage's fate and Venom's, namely dying to a pink-haired anime character.

As season seven reaches the three-quarter mark, marking this occasion is a battle of living weapons, troubled souls making the most of the malevolent black masses to whom they are bonded.

%%The first on the chopping block is Venom, the product of man and monster. The Klyntar, a race of amorphous creatures, have existed since the beginning of time as products of the primordial symbiote god Knull. Among their numbers was one known only as Venom. After being cast out the Klyntar homeworld, the Venom symbiote wandered the cosmos aimlessly, bonding with various lifeforms. By the time it arrived to Earth, the symbiote had found itself in the hands of the young superhero Spider-Man. The symbiote proved to be of great help to Peter Parker upon merging with him, but he found its past hosts had left it with conflicting mental issues; understanding the threat posed by the symbiote, Peter broke free of its addictive hold and left the Klyntar creature behind. The lost alien creature would soon cross paths with its most iconic host, Eddie Brock. Eddie's life is one similarly steeped in misery; raised by a resentful, manipulative father, Eddie was diagnosed with adrenal cancer months before his conflicts with Spider-Man. The journalist hoped to make a name for himself and bring some semblance of justice to with the little time he had to live. Investigating the case of a rampant serial killer, he wrongly accused an innocent man of the murders. Spider-Man, by tracking down the real killer, sent Brock's life further into ruin; Eddie lost his job, family, and his wife shortly after. Eddie prayed for an end to his suffering, and found an answer in the form of the symbiote. With the Klyntar abandoned and Eddie's life destroyed by the same man, the pair united in their mutual hatred for Spider-Man. The symbiote took advantage of their shared desire for revenge, bonding with Brock and giving birth to the humanoid monstrosity known as Venom.

%%An alien entity such as the symbiote can rightfully be expected to have a plethora of unearthly abilities to gift their wielder. Unique to the symbiote's own biological makeup, Venom can shapeshift his body to create various weapons and other utilitarian features; even flight is within the symbiote's potential with a set of shapeshifted wings. This ability's versatility goes even further, as Venom can camouflage and disguise himself with shapeshifting. Beyond this, the symbiote's other unique powers enable its user to regenerate from grievous injuries and have full 360-degree vision of their surroundings. Invading the orifices of living beings is another specialty of the Klyntar; Venom can enter an entity and control them through their nervous system or cause them to rupture into further symbiote mass. So effective is this control over other lifeforms that the best way to counter it is through another symbiote. The Klyntar's adaptive abilities mean Venom has access to a great many powers of the symbiote's past owners; its tenure with Spider-Man stands out in particular. From its time with Peter Parker, the Venom symbiote has developed its own take on his abilities, such as heightened strength, deploying web-like projectiles, and the ability to scale walls.

%%Venom, both the symbiote and its master, have a long legacy of accomplishments to their names. The number of foes Eddie has stood as an equal to beyond Spider-Man include the supernatural Ghost Rider and even Knull himself. With the symbiote's strength, Venom has lifted a number of heavy objects, tanks, trains, and ferris wheels alike, with minimal effort. In the way of speed, Venom is comparable to Miguel O'Hara, the Spider-Man of the year 2099; one of O'Hara most impressive feats in this regard is grabbing ahold of Mjölnir while the hammer was in midair at speeds beyond Mach 2000. Durability is yet another point in Brock's favor, having withstood sound waves capable of shattering glass within a ten-mile radius; a feat of additional note, given Klyntar symbiotes have an inherent susceptibility to high-frequency noises and intense heat. On the topic of similar shortcomings, Venom's complete range of vision, while effective, lacks the reflexive spider-sense that acts as a preemptive warning system. Through these flaws and other tragedies, Eddie has persevered. The trauma he endured at his father's hands instilled within Brock a desire to do good, and perhaps it is this moreso than the symbiote bonded with him that is his greatest strength. Gradually, Eddie became more of a hero and even an occasional ally to Spider-Man, proving on this road of redemption, that both he and the symbiote have as much capacity for heroism as their former foe.

%%-->'''[[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries Venom]]:''' You'll see us everywhere, even in your nightmares.

%%With that said, the episode then moves on to Crona, and the history that ties them to the eldritch horror that is the Kishin. Centuries ago, the Kishin roamed the world, threatening to drive humanity mad with fear. The physical manifestation of death itself was able to subdue this monster, and to prevent the Kishin from reawakening, he founded the Death Weapon Meister Academy. Young souls are groomed by the academy staff and gifted with Demon Weapons, humans that transform into armaments drawing on a wielder's soul for power. It is here with academy nurse Medusa Gorgon that Crona's story begins. Fixated with the legends behind the Kishin, Medusa used her child as a test subject to create one of her own. Crona was subjected to inhumane experiments of their mother's design to mold them into the perfect killer. The crux of these experiments was with the Demon Weapon Ragnarok. Melting him alive, Medusa combined Ragnarok's remains with her custom-made black blood; she then drained Crona of their own blood and transplanted Ragnarok into her child's veins. Permanently fusing Crona with Ragnarok, Medusa set them out on their goal to consume enough souls to become another Kishin, thereby finishing that which death postponed in centuries past.

%%Medusa's experiments have proven both despicable and effective in turning Crona into a weapon. The black blood Crona possesses can be manipulated into different shapes and its density can be altered to form an impromptu armor. Ragnarok has a similar control over the black blood and can control Crona through it if he wishes. His proficiency in black blood is to such extremes that he can aid Crona in recovering from wounds and adjust his shape to enable flight. As a meister bound to a Demon Weapon, Crona is also gifted with the abilities that entails; namely, weaponizing their own soul to conjure Ragnarok in the form of a greatsword. Above the sword's hilt lies Ragnarok's mouth. This feature is for more than aesthetics; Ragnarok in sword form can draw from Crona's soul alongside Crona themselves and perform the Scream Resonance. By emitting a deafening screech, Ragnarok's Scream Resonance creates damaging sound waves and intense vibrations that amplify his cutting power. Because of Medusa's machinations, Crona's powers grew exponentially with the consumption of further souls. With these additional souls powering them, Crona's mastery over the black blood permitted them to transform their whole body into black blood and corrupt those who touch them. Specifically, any who come into contact with the black blood in this state are beset by violent delusions.

%%-->'''[[Manga/SoulEater Crona]]:''' (driving Ragnarok through Maka Albarn's scythe) Just give up. I'm tired of trying to figure out how to deal with you!

[''this episode recap is a work in progress; apologies for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience'']

%%!!''Venom vs. Crona'' features examples of:
%%* CallBack: [[Recap/DeathBattleS04E03VenomVsBane As with previous battles]] that [[Recap/DeathBattleS05E10CarnageVsLucy featured symbiote combatants]], Venom taunts his opponent with a singsong melody. It's pretty much a RunningGag at this point.
%%* ShoutOut: After pulling a SmokeOut, Venom quotes [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas "This is Halloween"]].
%%-->''We are the ones hiding under your bed... teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing '''red!'''''

ComicBook/{{Venom}}, the lethal symbiote and Spider-Man's best frenemy. And [[Manga/SoulEater Crona]], the deadly demon sword from Soul Eater.

[''this episode recap is a work in progress; apologies for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience'']