History YMMV / EpicRapBattlesOfHistory

* ImprovedSecondAttempt: In terms of a Classical Musician vs Pop Musician battle, "Skrillex vs. Mozart" is considered a vast improvement over "Justin Bieber vs. Beethoven". Bieber is considered far too annoying and whiny despite that being the point and is definitely set up to be curb stomped by Beethoven. Meanwhile, Skrillex's battle with Mozart is a lot fairer as he gets to use more personal attacks against Amadeus.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Captain Kirk was initially not well received due to his odd, disjointed flow, and his battle against Christopher Columbus was one of the more disliked as a result. However, in the years since the battle's release, both returning viewers and newer ones are more likely to think of the comical portrayal of Creator/WilliamShatner's acting as the most unique and memorable aspect of the battle; plus it still fits into the beat and his actual disses are decent, attacking Columbus's racism, ego, and idiocy [[ValuesResonance which modern viewers are likely to agree with]]. It also helps that Columbus disses Kirk's rapping style in the battle itself. Nowadays, it's easier to find viewers who think Kirk is funny rather than grating.

** Columbus more well-liked among some fans in "Columbus vs. Kirk" due to many people finding their imitation of William Shatner's speaking style extremely annoying to listen to.

* AwesomenessWithdrawal: A major sore spot for long-time fans is the lengthy hiatuses that have been common since the show left Maker Studios. Season 5 was assumed to be the last season of the show before "Musk vs Zuckerberg" premiered in December 2018, almost exactly two years after the season 5 finale. Season 6 debuted in April the next year, to the delight of fans who could now enjoy a consistent upload schedule of one battle per month... [[FromBadToWorse then the coronavirus pandemic happened]] and forced Peter and Lloyd to shelve a lot of their ideas and cut the season short. As a result, only ''two'' battles were released in 2020, with a ten month gap between "Thanos vs Oppenheimer" and "Trump vs Biden." After Season 6 ended, there was no word if or when the show would continue until season 7 premiered in June 2021; only three battles were released that year, with a five month hiatus between the first and second battles of the season. 2022 would continue the trend with a ten month wait for the season's fourth battle, which wound up being the only battle released that year. However, [[https://www.reddit.com/r/ERB/comments/10m18qp/i_seriously_dislike_how_the_erb_team_has_been/j62va8w/ it was later confirmed by Peter]] that the main reason for the lengthier gaps in-between battles was due to him and Lloyd wanting to avoid overworking themselves as they did during their time at Maker Studios and even afterwards, with Peter specifically mentioning that he had turned to alcohol and Adderall to deal with the massive workload of the Maker-produced battles, to the point where he stayed up ''three nights in a row'' for "James Bond vs. Austin Powers" and fell asleep at a dog park afterwards.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Captain Kirk was initially not well received due to his odd, disjointed flow, and his battle against Christopher Columbus was one of the more disliked as a result. However, in the years since the battle's release, both returning viewers and newer ones are more likely to think the comical portrayal of William Shatner's acting actually makes the battle more unqiue and memorable; plus it still fits into the beat and his actual disses are decent, attacking Columbus's racism, ego, and idiocy [[ValuesResonance which modern viewers are likely to agree with]]. It also helps that Columbus disses Kirk's rapping style in the battle itself. Nowadays, it's easier to find viewers who think Kirk is funny rather than grating.

* CreepyAwesome: [[spoiler:Walt Disney]] is presented as a terrifying corporate slave-driver, but he manages to assert ownership over Stan Lee, Jim Henson, and even [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou the Epic Rap Battles themselves]]. He drops some impressive rhymes, too.

** Music/FrankSinatra is often felt to be wasted in his battle against Music/FreddieMercury, with fans believing the battle is too focused on hyping up Mercury since Sinatra's accomplishments go unmentioned and even the disses against him are pretty generic. Sinatra's portrayal is also considered barebones, with Lloyd not capturing how the real Sinatra sounds and his costume just being a generic SharpDressedMan, not even a hat like Sinatra would often wear.

** Quite a lot of people felt that Bruce Banner/The Hulk should have went against [[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde]] instead of Jenner. The Hulk's lack of screen time didn't help matters.

** ''The Joker vs. Pennywise'' bases the character design for Pennywise primarily on the Creator/BillSkarsgard version of the character. Many fans hoped to see the Tim Curry Pennywise make an appearance, but that version is only referenced in a diss by the Joker, saying he'll chase away Pennywise so fast "they'll call you Tim Scurry."

** "Stan Lee vs. Jim Henson". Not only did it come on the heels of "East vs. West Philosophers" and "Shaka Zulu vs. Julius Caesar", both of which got very positive reception, but it served as the finale for Season 4--an honor that many people thought would go to "Philosophers". This set the bar high for the battle... only for the titular characters to get roughly one verse each of actual battle rapping [[note]]Stan gets an additional half-verse[[/note]] before [[spoiler:patching things up and being friendly. And then Walt Disney enters and turns the rest of the battle into just a BoastfulRap about himself and how he now owns the creations of both competitors.]] It hurts that the battle's flow is rather slow and the lyrics aren't particularly memorable; people seem to like the concept but not the execution, and consider it a good ''battle'' but far from a good ''season finale''.

** In 2020, Ellen [=DeGeneres=] was accused by former employees of running a toxic work environment, which would have given Oprah a ''lot'' more ammunition had the battle been made a few years later. On the other hand, Ellen could have attacked Oprah for her association with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein following Weinstein's 2017 sexual misconduct revelations and subsequent downfall.

** Deadpool vs Boba Fett came completely out of left field, due to them both being modern fictional characters that weren't even the main characters in most of their franchise.

** "Creator/JRRTolkien vs Creator/GeorgeRRMartin" was very obviously made before ''Series/GameOfThrones'' ended, because otherwise, Tolkien would ''definitely'' have brought up the show's infamously disappointing final season.

** For that matter, the "Vader vs Hitler" trilogy is set very obviously before the sequel trilogy came out, as the notoriously polarized reception of them would've been brought up otherwise (indeed, it ''was'' brought up in the battle between Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter).

** In 2020, Ellen [=DeGeneres=] was accused by former employees of running a toxic work environment, which would have given Oprah a ''lot'' more ammunition had the battle been made a few years later.
** One of the most infamous examples of this is by far "Donald Trump vs Ebenezer Scrooge" as the battle was extremely clearly made back when Donald Trump was just seen as a tycoon and TV personality and not the 45th President of the United States of America. It's especially sent into this territory by the appearance of Kanye West, who would become increasingly more erratic and right-wing to the point of outright praising Hitler.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Captain Kirk was initially not well received due to his odd, disjointed flow, and his battle against Christopher Columbus was one of the more disliked as a result. However, years after the battle's release, both returning viewers and newer ones are more likely to acknowledge the comical portrayal of William Shatner's acting and how it still fits into the beat, helped by Columbus dissing it in the battle itself, as well as him having some decent lines. Nowadays, it's easier to find viewers who think he's funny rather than grating. Viewers also started to realize that he actually had more disses towards Columbus than Columbus did towards him, attacking his racism, ego, and idiocy.

** Columbus is also generally considered to have won in "Columbus vs. Kirk" due to many people finding their imitation of William Shatner's speaking style extremely annoying to listen to.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Captain Kirk was initially not well received due to his odd, disjointed flow, and his battle against Christopher Columbus was one of the more disliked as a result. However, years after the battle's release, both returning viewers and newer ones are more likely to acknowledge the comical portrayal of William Shatner's acting and how it still fits into the beat, helped by Columbus dissing it in the battle itself, as well as him having some decent lines. Nowadays, it's easier to find viewers who think he's funny rather than grating.

** "Luke Skywalker vs. Harry Potter" is also animated with LEGO, and features many masterfully recreated locations from both film franchises.

** Creator/WaltDisney's appearance in "Creator/StanLee vs. Creator/JimHenson" was initially divisive for being one-note and more of a caricature of the Disney company, rather than being based on the actual person. However, as the years went on, controversies such as the mixed reactions of the ''Franchise/StarWars'' sequels and the Film/DisneyLiveActionRemakes, the acquisition of Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios and shutdown of Creator/BlueSkyStudios have made viewers more accepting of the caricature. It also helps that Zach Sherwin's performance as Disney is generally considered to be top-notch, being genuinely frightening during his whole verse.

* ''Adam vs. Eve'' is often regarded as underwhelming due to the battle's theme being more of a "boys vs girls" battle, with little reference to the actual biblical Adam and Eve in the lyrics. Others have noted that Jenna Marbles was underutilized as a guest star.

** "Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney" was this by design, as Obama had only served one term, Romney hadn't lost election yet and was still a relevant figure, and the entire battle relied on an outcome that was set to be decided a month after it released.

** The usage of Music/{{Skrillex}} in the battle against Mozart firmly dates it to the peak of popularity of Skrillex's dubstep-heavy music style and relevance. Similarly, Film/NapoleonDynamite, Creator/BillyMays and Creator/VinceOffer were all well past their peak popularity even when their battles came out, and would totally fade from relevance soon after.

** "Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg" was made at a time when Elon Musk was much less controversial than he is today, and it's obviously dated by the lack of references to things like Musk's disastrous buyout of Twitter, or the many controversies surrounding Tesla Autopilot. You can also tell the battle came out prior to the rollout of the Metaverse, as otherwise Musk would definitely have dissed Zuckerberg over the failure of that project.

** "Deadpool vs. Boba Fett" was clearly made before the second season of ''Series/TheMandalorian'', where [[spoiler: Boba returns after his presumed death by Sarlacc.]]

** George Washington is called out as a hypocrite for owning slaves while William Wallace is shown as Creator/MelGibson's Film/{{Braveheart}} which gave him a HistoricalHeroUpgrade. The real Wallace was a feudal lord and a warrior who owned serfs and would certainly not suffer republicanism of any kind and degree. This prevents the battle from being a fair fight since Washington can't fully attack Wallace and call him out for ''his'' [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocrisy]] or remind him that Robert the Bruce was the real Braveheart. Additionally, Washington's overall character is given a rather undignified portrayal compared to the heavily idealized Wallace, with his hideous artificial teeth made ''very'' prominently visible throughout the battle to the point of becoming distracting.
** "Thor vs. Zeus" pits the Thor of Norse mythology against the Zeus of classical myths, and despite the former's depiction being ostensibly generic, with precisely one line making any explicit Marvel-specific reference, his general characterization here is heavily influenced by his popular modern portrayal as a superhero. As a result, while Thor disses Zeus for being "a shapeshifting rapist", Zeus never points out that Odin of Norse Myth was just as much a man-whore, that Thor in one story killed a random bystander when he tossed a dwarf into a funeral pyre, or the time that Loki slept with his wife Sif, not to mention any of the other many embarrassing hijinks that happened in the myths.

** Is Joe Biden a heroic badass bringing an end to the Trump presidency, or is he an amoral ManipulativeBastard, even if he might be [[ALighterShadeOfBlack better than Trump]]? At certain points in the battle, he smiles [[SlasherSmile a little too wide for comfort]], especially when he poses in front of police headlights. A cynical viewer can theorize that Biden is simply putting on a performance to beat Trump by making himself look better.

** Frederick Douglass either exposed Jefferson's hypocrisy of owning slaves while trying to end slavery or failed to show that he accomplished anything other than learning to read and write.

** For that matter, the "Vader vs Hitler" trilogy is set very obviously before the sequel trilogy came out, as the notoriously polarized reception of them would've been brought up otherwise.

** Justin Bieber's rap battle is clearly set back when he was a teen idol, as he changed his image and music quite significantly in the coming years.

** One of the most infamous examples of this is by far "Donald Trump vs Ebenezer Scrooge" as the battle was extremely clearly made back when Donald Trump was just seen as a tycoon and TV personality and not the 45th President of the United States of America. It's especially sent into this territory by the appearance of Kanye West, who would become increasingly more erratic and right wing to the point of outright praising Hitler.

* FanPreferredCutContent: Some fans would have preferred to see the original version of ''Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton'' over the final product due to it being significantly less one-sided in Hillary’s favor and the additions of Ronald Reagan and Bernie Sanders bringing a lot more into the battle.

** The folks who complained about Caitlyn Jenner's transition being portrayed as a MagicalGirl transformation in the style of ''Anime/SailorMoon'' probably never heard of the Sailor Starlights.

* CrossesTheLineTwice: General rule of rap battles is that there's no such thing as "going too far", so it's only to be expected that some of the rappers will get downright ''nasty'' with their jabs.
** Hitler is a prime example. Unlike most of the other vilified participants, he's arguably the stronger rapper in his fight. This episode of ''Teens WebVideo/{{React}}'' focusing on ''ERB'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20GBTebvhOQ shows a girl visibly disgusted by his "shower" line.]] In fact, he's had a line like this in every battle he's had, offering Vader use of [[GasChamber his shower]], a ride on his train, and asking him to [[KillItWithFire pop into his oven]], respectively.
** In "Albert Einstein vs Stephen Hawking", Einstein makes a couple shots at Hawking's disability.
--->So take a seat, Steve -- Oop, I see you brought your own
--->I'm the giant whose shoulders you'd have stood on, ''if you could stand!''
** This line in "Master Chief vs Leonidas":
--->'''Master Chief:''' Cortana says you're Greek, so why don't you [[AssShove stick these lyrics up your ass]]?
** Elvis's line in "Michael Jackson vs Elvis Presley":
--->I can tell you're angry, but I can't comprehend it\\
I stole from black culture, why are you offended?
** Cleopatra's line in "Cleopatra vs Marilyn Monroe":
--->You still got no children after your third marriage\\
You lost so many babies, we should call you Miss Carriage
** Most of Clint Eastwood's lines are racist insults, and the rest make fun of both Bruce Lee's and his son's respective deaths. Given the nature of the series, though, many viewers love Clint's verses for their sheer brutality.
** A lot of lines from "Adam vs Eve" are sexist or stereotypical jabs.
** In "Goku vs Superman", Superman says he's got the [[UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki rap bombs to drop on Japan]].
** In the same battle:
--->'''Goku:''' There's only one way that this battle's gonna end\\
One more [[Creator/ChristopherReeve Superman who's never gonna walk again]]!
** Voltaire rhyming Frank with Frank in the philosophers battle is painful but doing it four times straight is hilarious.
** The same battle also has this line:
--->'''Sun Tzu:''' These white boys getting burned, 'cuz guess what? Now the Sun's out!
** Trump in "Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton" goes full-on PoliticallyIncorrectVillain, boasting of how he plans to keep Latino immigrants out of America and make Mexico pay for everything; most of these lines are in fact based on actual statements from the man himself, but even then it can come across as so over-the-top dickish as to cross into hilarity. Then ERB has him finish his verse by [[CurseCutShort attempting to]] call Barack Obama the N-word.
** Wolverine's line in "Wolverine vs Freddy Krueger":
--->I ain't got time for this, I'm saving the world, what qualities do you bring?\\
Just a pedophile from the midwest. At least Music/RKelly could sing!
** True to her style of comedy, Joan Rivers pulls ''zero'' punches in whatever she can make fun of, whether it's Bill Cosby's imprisonment and [[RapeisaSpecialKindOfEvil rape charges]], George Carlin's [[SpeakIllOfTheDead death]], Richard Pryor's multiple wives, the latter two's heart attacks, or even [[SelfDeprecation her own sex life and plastic surgeries]]. Most of these would be offensive on their own, but given the rapid-fire nature of these barbs and her bombastic delivery, they go back to being funny.
** Joker vs Pennywise is full of those, with neither clown having any restraints, from mocking Stephen King's drug addiction, Heath Ledger's death, Joker's abuse of Harley Quinn or the original Literature/{{IT}} novel's infamous orgy scene.
** Harry Potter vs Luke Skywalker, much like the previous LEGO Battle, holds absolutely nothing back despite the animation being, well LEGO. Both characters make scathing references to beloved character deaths ("I'm Bellatrix, dead Sirius!" or "Your mum died of heartache when she saw your face!") or shocking moments ("At least when I Slytherin a sister, she isn't mine!" and "All you did was use your mom like a bulletproof vest!"). Or how about when talking about Owen and Beru's deaths, the background shows them running out of their home, ''represented as skeletons on fire''. Not even the movie went that far in showing how they died, but being shown as LEGO makes it go back to being funny.
** Using Auschwitz for wordplay would normally be tasteless as heck, by Karl Marx doing it when calling out Henry Ford for supporting Nazis is funny.

** "Thanos vs. Oppenheimer", which - in addition to its one-sided nature and poorly-received visual effects - had the ''absurd'' poor fortune of trying to follow on from "Joker vs. Pennywise", considered by a not-insignificant portion of fans to be the series' best episode ''ever'' from the perspectives of both rap quality and special effects.

** Peter's [[CrosscastRole portrayal of Lady Gaga]] hasn't been received all that well, if only due to perpetuating the [[ValuesDissonance now-transphobic rumor]] that Gaga was a crossdressing man.
** Another example related to ValuesDissonance: the white Lloyd playing the Mongolian Genghis Khan would simply not fly nowadays -- the portrayal only avoids counting as {{yellowface}} due to Lloyd making no attempt to look Asian, which is a step above the worst-case scenario but still an unfortunate example of whitewashing.

** Fan reaction to Lloyd's portrayal of Thanos has been mixed, to say the least. While his voice and delivery are just fine, fans complained that he's too short and not muscular enough to convincingly play the role, and had to rely too much on a not-terribly-convincing costume to sell the effect. Fans wondered why they couldn't just dub Lloyd's voice over an actor who looks more like the character, or just put Lloyd in makeup since he already sports the bald head and jawline for the part.

* WTHCastingAgency:
** Peter's [[CrosscastRole portrayal of Lady Gaga]] hasn't been received all that well, if only due to perpetuating the [[ValuesDissonance now-transphobic rumor]] that Gaga was a crossdressing man.
** Fan reaction to Lloyd's portrayal of Thanos has been mixed, to say the least. While his voice and delivery are just fine, fans complained that he's too short and not muscular enough to convincingly play the role, and had to rely too much on a not-terribly-convincing costume to sell the effect. Fans wondered why they couldn't just dub Lloyd's voice over an actor who looks more like the character, or just put Lloyd in makeup since he already sports the bald head and jawline for the part.