''The Ultimate Video Rumble'' (or UVR for short) is a MegaCrossover tournament-style fanfic, taking characters from fighting games such as ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'', ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'', and ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' and pitting them against each other in a huge contest in a competition not unlike a Royal Rumble found in professional wrestling. Basically, each "Section" is made up of the twenty people currently in the ring, and [[AudienceParticipation the reading public votes on which ten people will stay in the arena]] to welcome the next wave of fighters, whereupon the public can vote again. This continues until there is only one left.

The first tournament was strictly a tournament, having no interaction between characters outside of the ring. This tournament also consisted of the smallest roster of the three (around 120 characters), and the eventual win went to [[spoiler:Haohmaru of ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'']].

The second and third tournaments added a side story to the tournament, and how several of the games' villains were pooling their resources together to pull off some evil scheme that somehow involved some of the other characters in the tournament. These subplots included additional fights that happened "backstage", the outcomes of which were also voted upon. The winner of the second tournament was [[spoiler:Guy of ''VideoGame/FinalFight'']] while the winner of the third was [[spoiler:Geese Howard of ''VideoGame/FatalFury'']] (outside the tournament itself, the Bad Guys got beat both times overall).

Responsibilities of the tournament traded hands several times over the course of the three fanfics and it appears that the third tournament has been the last.

The story content of all three Rumbles can presently be found on Fanfiction.net: [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11073838/ here]], [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11042304/ here]], and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11075877/ here]].

Older archives and caches are more scattered and frequently require use of the Website/WaybackMachine, but additionally include voting forms, vote tallies, author and voter comments, and [=FAQs=]: some can be found [[http://web.archive.org/web/20020814104104fw_/http://www.tekken.nu/fightermania/uvr/uvr.htm here]], [[http://www.slack.net/~arctic/rumble.html here]], and [[http://web.archive.org/web/20050907040737/http://www.rit.edu/~gjj2192/hol/uvr/ here]]. And a message board used by the authors during the latter half of the third Rumble can be found [[https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/TheUVRWritersDisco/the-uvr-writers-disco-f110491/ here]]; it includes discussion and early drafts for each chapter, along with supplemental material for the [[DevelopmentHell never-released Ultimate Video Rumble 4]].

The UVR has inspired several [[SpinOff spinoffs]], but only a select few have seen completion.

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!!These stories provide examples of...

* AbortedArc: With all the other artifacts and power sources up for grabs at the start of the third Rumble, the Soul Edge winds up forgotten and unpursued. Around the mid-point, the arc is hastily and officially closed with a comment that Cervantes went home early, blades and all.
** Also around the mid-point (more specifically, when the new batch of authors join), the entire [[TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}} ''Iron & Blood'']] faction calls it quits before half of them have even entered the ring. (The writers wanted to make room for some extra mystery fighters that were more interesting, but whose games didn't exist when the roster was first assembled.)
* AGodAmI: [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Demitri]] in the second tournament, and [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison]] in the third.
* AllAmericanFace: Captain America, of course. It works: Cap lasts an incredible thirteen rounds in the third Rumble, the best showing of the night, and might have gone the distance if he hadn't drawn such an early entry.
* AnArmAndALeg: In the first rumble, possibly as a nod to the Time Killers being represented, the fighters could lose their arms and still continue fighting if they could. That said, the only one that benefited from this was [[Franchise/StreetFighter Chun-Li]], whom managed to score several eliminations despite losing both arms due to her reliance on kick-based moves.
* AnotherDimension: Called "nodes" here; each game series has its own. The planned UVR 4 more explicitly treats ''Videogame/FatalFury'' as an AlternateUniverse of ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'', resolving the contradictions in the two timelines.
* AnyoneCanDie: In the ring, anyone can literally get ripped to pieces...
** ...but then be magically restored to normal after their elimination, so this is technically subverted.
*** An Explanation: The first UVR had the ring surrounded by a moat of acid from ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII''. EVERYBODY who didn't win got a fatal acid bath (Except [[VideoGame/EternalChampions Larcen Tyler]]), but [[DeathIsCheap was later shown just fine in the stands]]. The second and third rumbles featured a Dimensional Barrier, which sent eliminated fighters into a random universe, usually right in front of something nasty. Like in the first, they were brought back to the dome in one piece (to continue with the subplot, of course).
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The third tournament briefly brings us [[Creator/MarvelComics Apocalypse]], who is so big that he can't fit in the arena and it takes EVERYONE in the ring to get rid of him.
* AuthorAvatar: The organizers and staff of the rumble.
* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler: Geese winning the third UVR (even people who ''voted'' for him were surprised he actually won)]]
* BigBad: [[Franchise/MortalKombat Shao Khan]] in the inaugural UVR, [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Demitri]] in the second tournament; [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison]] in the third.
* BigDamnHeroes: The second and third tournaments each had a ragtag group of characters joining forces to take down the BigBad just before the evil scheme is about to be complete.
* BerserkButton: Whatever you do, don't tell [[Creator/MarvelComics The Silver Samurai]] he sucks or even say the WORD around him. He [[{{Determinator}} WILL destroy you]]. Also, don't call [[VideoGame/WorldHeroes Ryoko]] cute (she ''[[{{Moe}} is]]'', but never ever say that to her face).
* BlessedWithSuck: Anyone enhanced by [[VideoGame/WarGods the Ore]]. In their own universe, they might be the most powerful beings around, but in the Rumble, they're surrounded by fighters with near-equal power and ''far'' more skill (and public respect). Hence the chanting. [[spoiler: When Rancid gets exposed, he finds it a curse, power boost not withstanding.]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Morrigan]] uses her succubus powers to brainwash several hapless fighters into serving her and fighting the heroes in both the second and third tournaments.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Several fighters have amusing behavior quirks, either canonically or added by the writers. If they're sufficiently entertaining, they also prove to be especially skillful in the ring because [[AudienceParticipation the voters keep them in longer]] just to see what they do next. This particularly explains the respectable showings of Athena, Silver Samurai, and Wan-Fu in the second Rumble, Yoshimitsu and Kirby in the third, and Haohmaru in all three.
* ButtMonkey: The majority of the cast of ''VideoGame/WorldHeroes''.
** [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Eddy Gordo]] in UVR 3. Probably a bigger Butt Monkey than the World Heroes, the War Gods, and the Time Killers ''combined''. He might also be classified as an IronButtmonkey.
** Also in UVR 3, the VideoGame/WarGods. As an example, Tak only manages to survive for ''two whole seconds'' before [[Creator/MarvelComics Juggernaut]] punches him so hard that he explodes. Yes, you read that right. '''''TWO SECONDS.'''''
--> [[CrowdChant "WAR GODS SUCK! WAR GODS SUCK!"]]
** In all three UVR's, every [[VideoGame/TimeKillers Time Killer]] except Rancid...
*** [[spoiler: ...at least until UVR 3, when he is eliminated relatively quickly compared to his last two outings.]]
* CallingYourAttacks: Many, ''many'' fighters do this in all three tournaments, carrying this over from their respective games. Handily for the authors, this is a good substitute for writing out a visual description of the move: the reader doesn't need further details to picture what happens when someone shouts, e.g., "HADOUKEN!"
* CerebusSyndrome / GrowingTheBeard: The first Rumble is simply [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny a free-for-all between the fighters of numerous universes]], for no justification beyond the RuleOfCool. The second Rumble keeps that element, but adds backstage plotting which eventually converts the story from no-stakes action-comedy to multiverse-threatening action-drama; the third Rumble follows that pattern.
* ChainsawGood: [[VideoGame/TimeKillers Rancid]], whom appears in all three rumbles, is obviously never seen without his trademark chainsaw.
* CharacterCatchphrase:
** Wan-Fu basically spends the entirety of the second tournament yelling "YOU!" while beating people with his Pillar of Pain.
** Rancid frequently uttered "Mommy!" in the first two tournaments when anyone decided to eliminate him.
** [[Franchise/MortalKombat Scorpion]] just ''loves'' to use "GET OVER HERE!" throughout the tournaments.
** Haohmaru, whenever he talks (and boy, does he [[MotorMouth TALK]]), tends to include the words "HA!" and "Legendary".
** In UVR 3, Kenshi begins almost every sentence with "Now, I may be blind..."
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Due to the sheer number of characters involved, the authors give many of them fairly generic personalities in the first and even second tournaments, developing their nuances and/or quirks in the later outings. For example, the Geese Howard in the first Rumble is sniveling and underwhelming, especially compared to the confident crime boss seen in the third.
** There are also meta-examples where later games reveal the characterization doesn't match the canon. One example: [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Morrigan and Demitri]] work together in the second tournament, written long before anybody found out that they are actually enemies. (Others, like Yoshimitsu, ''deliberately'' deviate from the official personality just to make them more interesting.)
* ChekhovsGun: Subverted with the [[spoiler: wooden stake Ryo carries in the second Rumble, which is brought out in the climactic battle against Demitri... only to [[NoSell accomplish absolutely nothing]].]]
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}} / PopCulturedBadass: [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Yoshimitsu]]. He has a tendency to constantly make random quotes from pop culture.
** Many of the voter responses throughout all three UVR's also qualify.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: [[VideoGame/TimeKillers RANCID.]] He basically runs around, screaming like a little girl, and then manages to decapitate and/or mutilate anyone who gets in his way. He has been the only Time Killer to ever get an elimination in any of the three tournaments. [[spoiler: Subverted in UVR 3, when he was eliminated quickly. Winning a bonus battle was apparently of no help.]]
--> "More eliminations than the VideoGame/{{World Heroes}}, VideoGame/{{Fatal Fur|y}}ites, VideoGame/EternalChampions, and VideoGame/{{Virtua Fighter}}s *combined*." - Rancid's "WHAFU**?" AWARD from the first tournament.
** Chang Koehan in the third tournament. See TookALevelInBadass below.
* CrowdChant: In the first UVR, the crowd insults the Virtua Fighters by chanting "CUBES SUCK! CUBES SUCK!" Briefly changed to "POLLYGUNS SUCK!" (actual spelling) when [[VideoGame/VirtuaFighter Wolf]] chastises the heckler who started the chant.
** The "WAR GODS SUCK!" chant mentioned above. Even the cameraman gets in on it!
* CutLexLuthorACheck: Doctor Doom wants to kidnap Kyo Kusanagi so he can analyze the Orochi Source... as a clean power source for Latveria. There might be also some superweapon possibilities (which is why Kyo refused when Doom tried asking nicely), but that's secondary. (According to Doom, anyway.)
* CurbStompBattle: The first tournament had the eventual winner [[spoiler: (Haohmaru)]] enter very early, dominate the rest of the tournament and win with a staggering ''22'' eliminations, a record that was never matched in either of the following tournaments by anyone (partially because [[{{Nerf}} a "fatigue" feature]] was added in the second tournament).
** Eddy's VideoGame/QuakeII battle in UVR 3 may also qualify. He managed to kill some players, until they all decided to work together and kill him.
** [[VideoGame/PowerStone Falcon]] enters as a Mystery Fighter in the third tournament, promptly turns into his super mode and blasts everybody in the ring with his arsenal. The instant the power wears off, however, everyone else promptly beats him down.
** Because of what he tried to do in the previous tournament, the UVR organizers "randomly" drew Demitri Maximov as the first entry. Guess who almost everyone decides to go after for the first few rounds.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: In the third tournament, [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters Chang Koehan]] scores his only elimination in all three tournaments against [[AGodAmI TRUE]] [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} OGRE]].
* DuelToTheDeath: [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Mitsurugi]] vs [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Hol Horse]]. Occurs because Mitsurugi is jealous that Hol Horse, an inexperienced cowboy, is doing much better than people who are skilled with swords.
* EldritchAbomination: Rancid becomes one after stupidly picking up some cursed ore from a [[VideoGame/WarGods War God after beating him in a Side Battle]]. Rancid spends the majority of the third tournament in a huge, powerful form that he [[BlessedWithSuck doesn't want in the first place]].
* EvilTwin: Early in the third tournament, the villains create an evil clone of Andy Bogard (officially labelled as "EX Andy Bogard" from the Real Bout Fatal Fury games). Said evil clone, calling hmself "Drew Bogard", spends most of the tournament with the villains and tarnishing Andy's image before being [[DroppedABridgeOnHim unceremoniously killed by Rancid]] in the penultimate section before the latter enters the arena. Ironically, Drew and Andy never end up meeting over the course of the tournament.
* {{Expy}} / {{Shotoclone}}: The similarities between Ken Masters and Ryo Sakazaki, and between Robert Garcia and Dan Hibiki, are inevitably lampshaded once each pair meets. [[ItsAllAboutMe Ken]] takes the resemblance personally, accusing Ryo of deliberately ripping him off. Robert and Dan, however, feel kinship from the resemblance and remain in contact ([[MST3KMantra somehow]]) between Rumbles.
* ExtremeOmnivore: [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters Chang Koehan]]. The third tournament also includes Franchise/{{Kirby}}.
* FaceHeelTurn: Most of the VideoGame/WorldHeroes in the third Rumble; once their collective SmallNameBigEgo is deflated, they spitefully turn to infamy to replace their lost fame. ([[spoiler:They aren't any more effective as villains than they are as heroes.]])
* FailureGambit: It's not uncommon in the second and third Rumbles for someone inside the ring to decide they need to deal with something ''outside'' the ring, and therefore deliberately try to get eliminated. [[spoiler:When Geese ''doesn't'' do this in the third Rumble, despite supposedly managing a criminal conspiracy that could use direction, it's the first sign that his priorities have changed.]]
* FourthWallObserver: According to the author notes, this would have been [[VideoGame/TheLastBlade Hyo Amano's]] gimmick in the never-started fourth Rumble.
* TheGiant: Expressed in the "Big Guy" rules. The default number of eliminations per section is half the competitors in the ring (usually, ten out of twenty), but for each "Big Guy" present, that number goes up by one, to demonstrate that the Big Guy is wearing everyone down a lot more than usual. (There are also "Really Big Guys" who bump up the number by two.) A "Big Guy" isn't ''always'' literally big -- overpowered competitors of regular size, such as most [[FinalBoss Final Bosses]] of their respective games, will have the same effect -- but usually it's someone like Zangief, Motaro, or Hulk.
* GilliganCut: Towards the end of the third tournament, ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk decides to take on [[VideoGame/FatalFury Geese Howard]]. He charges at Geese... and we cut to ''VideoGame/OutRun'', with Hulk bellowing in rage. (He then decides to hitchhike to the nearest town. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d4C1ZQKmw4 Cue this.]])
* GlorySeeker: [[spoiler:Geese Howard]] abandons his MacGuffin hunt in favor of trying to win the third Rumble and show an audience of millions that he's the greatest fighter in the multiverse (and, as a bonus, have fun beating the tar out of everyone in his way, without consequence). [[spoiler:And he succeeds, and even has a chance to mock Bison for sticking to the EvilPlan and failing badly.]] Given that his earlier plan would have made him a PhysicalGod, this change in priorities is an improvement for all concerned, although he's still a gloating {{Jerkass}} every step of the way.
* HandicappedBadass: As mentioned, in the first rumble, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Chun-Li]] scored multiple eliminations after losing BOTH of her arms. The third rumble also brings [[Franchise/MortalKombat Kenshi]], whom is blind.
* {{Heel}}: Of multiple varieties:
** There are plenty of ''literal'' [[WrestlingMonster Monsters]], particularly from Darkstalkers. Some are actually good guys, but many are not and get the heel treatment.
** The War Gods, with their unwarranted pride in the power of their node, fill the role of [[ForeignWrestlingHeel the Foreigners]].
** Hol Horse adopts the classic heel role, as a prideful coward who repeatedly cheats through help from his partner in the audience. He also gets his eliminations off of fan favorites and then taunts the booing audience.
* HeroicBystander: While it's hard to call anyone competing at UVR a true bystander, [[spoiler: Demitri]] would have succeeded (or at least escaped) in the second Rumble were it not for the interference of a couple of relative nobodies:
** Namely, [[spoiler: the wrestler, King,]] interrupting the ritual at a key moment.
** And then the one who seals his fate is [[spoiler: Sasquatch, with a clutch ice laser.]]
* HeroicWillpower: Guy, the only person ever to [[spoiler:successfully resist Morrigan's seduction attack]]. And [[NoSell he does so ''casually'']]. How?
--> '''Guy:''' ''(shrugs)'' Clean living.
* HilaritySues: How does Thanos the Mad Titan deal with the loss of the Infinity Gems? He sues the Rumble organizers.
* HumiliationConga: '''EDDY GORDO.''' Let's recap:
** To start, Eddy gets eliminated in the first round and is sent to ''VideoGame/QuakeII''. He dies at least 43 times in the span of 10 minutes.
** Immediately after Eddy's elimination (but before the aforementioned CurbStompBattle), a terrorist organization raises an insanely large amount of money to create the "Keep Eddy Gordo Dead" fund. Birdman uses the money to keep Eddy circulating between video game worlds for the rest of the evening.
** His next destination is ''Franchise/SilentHill''. He is promptly slaughtered by demons.
** Then it's on to ''VideoGame/ChuChuRocket''. He defeated all of the cats, and was on his way to the rocket... and then [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} True Ogre]] drops in (see TookALevelInBadass below) and starts bleeding. And then the mice start ''drinking the blood''. What happens next ain't pretty.
** After [[VideoGame/{{MaceTheDarkAge}} Grendal]] is eliminated, he lands in ''Series/{{Who Wants To Be A Millionaire}}''. Take one guess as to who's playing with Regis before Grendal kills everything in the studio.
** [[{{WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987}} Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] is the next stop on Eddy's journey of pain. He manages to break into the Technodrome, eliminate every last Foot Ninja, and even manages to kill Krang, Rocksteady, ''and'' Bebop ''at the same time''. Eddy celebrates his long-awaited good fortune...[[spoiler: [[{{Anticlimax}} only to get stabbed in the back by Shredder.]]]]
** Finally, he gets into a massive brawl with [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters Chang Koehan]] that spills into multiple worlds throughout the final rounds. It ends when, in the world of ''VideoGame/TwistedMetalBlack'', [[spoiler: Eddy is crushed by a belly flop from Chang.]]
** According to the epilogue, Eddy died ''364 times'' throughout the night. He suffered so much psychological damage that he hired a lawyer to sue the UVR organizers for breach of contract (a fighter can only die once after being eliminated, according to the contracts).
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Happens a few times over the course of the second and third Rumbles, as [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashing people]] is the MO of both Demitri and Morrigan.
** Spider-Man, who sees mind-controlling villains pit friends against each other all the time, mocks Morrigan for even trying it, since "[[GenreSavvy it never works]]."
** [[spoiler: Except [[WrongGenreSavvy this time it does]].]]
---> [[spoiler: '''Spider-Man:''' All right, all right! So I owe the bat lady a Coke. Nobody's perfect.]]
* InnBetweenTheWorlds: The Rumbles are housed in a pocket dimension created specifically for the event, with various technologies employed to access the numerous other universes (and, in some cases, different time periods within). Different aspects of its unusual nature come up as a plot point in each Rumble.
* {{Jobber}}: The fighters of the less popular games frequently serve as "die" vote magnets, allowing more popular fighters to last longer. In the first Rumble, this was ''VideoGame/WorldHeroes'', ''VideoGame/TimeKillers'', and ''VideoGame/EternalChampions''; in the second, ''World Heroes'' (mostly), ''Time Killers'', and ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct''; in the third, ''Iron & Blood: Warriors of Ravenloft'', VideoGame/MaceTheDarkAge, and ''VideoGame/WarGods''.
* KilledMidSentence: This happens to [[VideoGame/WorldHeroes Muscle Power]] in the first tournament. Within ''seconds'' of entering the ring.
** "I'M NUMBAAAGGGGGGH!" (falls into acid)
** Essentially, anyone who utters the phrase "I'M NUMBAHHHH ONE!" in ''any'' UVR will be slaughtered before the event is over.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Mystery Fighter [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Hol Horse]] in the third Rumble. [[spoiler: He used his Stand to distract other opponents, eliminated two fan-favorite characters (Franchise/{{Kirby}} and [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Yoshimitsu]]), and shot ComicBook/CaptainAmerica in the gut.]] It was inevitable that he would be eliminated in a quick and painful manner. It got even more painful when [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Mitsurugi]] jumped into the elimination portal after him and killed him in a duel. (See DuelToTheDeath above.)
* LethalJokeCharacter: Franchise/{{Kirby}} nets five eliminations in the third Rumble, placing him in the top ten performances of the night. Other mystery entries of the "what are they even doing in the ring?" type are also surprisingly likely to manage at least one kill, due to getting votes [[ForTheLulz out of sheer amusement]].
* LetsGetDangerous: JokeCharacter [[IShallTauntYou Dan Hibiki]]. In the ring, he's not a real threat, getting most of his eliminations by accident or by the blundering of his opponent. But ''outside'' the ring and aware of the stakes, he becomes serious and surprisingly competent.
* MotorMouth: Haohmaru and Genjuro of ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' LOVE to talk. Every time either of them talk, they get at least three full lines of text. This was based off a RunningGag in previous works by the authors and their fandom circle.
** PlayedForLaughs in the third tournament, where ComicBook/{{Rogue}} kisses Haohmaru, borrowing his samurai skills, but also his ability to talk loud and long.
* MundaneWish: After already getting supercharged from the Ore, Rancid gets the power of the Mace of Tanis. He promptly uses the second to remove the first (along with some minuscule health complaints), then ditches the Mace in a GenreSavvy moment before EvilWeapon corruption can kick in.
* MushroomSamba: Chang Koehan in the world of ''VideoGame/ParappaTheRapper''.
* MustMakeAmends: King of ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' signs on with one of the villain teams for money in the second Rumble, belatedly realizes that his employers are planning TargetedHumanSacrifice, and then spends the rest of the night [[TheDeterminator fighting with absolutely everything he has]] to disrupt the scheme.
* NobleDemon: Doctor Doom. While he generally has his own self-serving plots going on, he also [[EvenEvilHasStandards has several lines he will not cross (especially related to the demonic/souls)]], and honors his promises and debts. He's actually on the side of the heroes for the duration of his time at the second Rumble, albeit one who needs to be pulled back from some [[CombatPragmatist pragmatic]] [[KillHimAlready solutions]]. (And in turn leverages that assistance into some VillainWithGoodPublicity persuasion in the third Rumble.)
* NoIndoorVoice: Haohmaru again. All of his text is done in '''ALLCAPS'''.
** [[Franchise/MortalKombat Shao Khan]] excels at this, much to [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters Rugal Bernstein's]] annoyance.
* NormalFishInATinyPond: The reason why [[VideoGame/EternalChampions great]] [[VideoGame/WorldHeroes warriors]] [[VideoGame/TimeKillers of history]] and even [[VideoGame/WarGods superpowered immortals]] are getting thrashed by [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters "regular"]] [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} martial]] [[VideoGame/FinalFight artists]] and even [[Franchise/StreetFighter schoolgirls]]: the [[WeakButSkilled level of fighting prowess common in some worlds]] is just that much better. Even the weakest fighters there HadToBeSharp just to compete at all; as a consequence, they can stand toe-to-toe with the best from the other worlds, [[SmallNameBigEgo who have only each other for practice or comparison]]. (That's the [[WatsonianVersusDoylist Watsonian reason]], anyway. The Doylist reason is that the [[AudienceParticipation winners are decided by reader vote]], and absolutely no one cares about Tak.)
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Again, Haohmaru and Genjuro. They see each other in the ring and they drop whatever it is they're doing to fight.
* PowerParasite: Amakusa's plan in the third Rumble involves draining the many (''many'') [[PlayingWithFire fire-throwing fighters]] of their elemental power and feeding it all into Iori.
* RunningGag:
** The second and third tournaments involve one character ingesting a large amount of medication, leading to [[MushroomSamba comedic hallucinations]]. In the second tournament, it happens to [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters Athena]], but in the third, it happens to [[Franchise/StreetFighter RYU]].
** The second rumble had a habit of sending many fighters to the [[Franchise/TheSmurfs Smurf Village]]. Naturally, they came to complain about it before the third. So the organizers put them in miniaturized [[VideoGame/VirtualOn Virtuaroids]] and hired them to be security.
** Someone trying a jump attack on Kim Kaphwan and getting mocked by Joe and Terry when a Hienzan inevitably sends them flying out of the ring. [[spoiler: Until the Hulk tries and proves too hefty for Kim's counter.]]
* SchrodingersGun: The author notes from the third Rumble reveal that some (though not all) bonus fights had predetermined ultimate outcomes regardless of how the votes fell, in order to keep the plot moving in roughly the desired direction. If the wrong person lost, they would be KO'd as per the vote, but a nearby ally would save them and/or accomplish their goal for them. (The outcomes in the ring, however, were always decided purely by the votes, and sometimes influenced events outside the ring by determining who was available to participate at all.)
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: [[spoiler: [[{{VideoGame/Darkstalkers}} Bishamon]], who was the final elimination in both the first and second rumbles.]]
* [[PoliceAreUseless Security Is Useless]]: Rumble security, for the most part, is grossly understaffed for the threats outside the ring, and does more harm than good by preventing the heroes who could actually stop the villains from organizing and pursuing effectively. They occasionally ''do'' help, but only when their biggest guns aren't tied up elsewhere.
* SpiritedCompetitor: The motivation of most of the heroes for participating, at least before they get dragged into stopping whatever the villains are up to. [[spoiler: Geese Howard develops ''into'' one in the third Rumble, by choosing to fight in the ring to the end at the expense of his schemes.]]
* TargetedHumanSacrifice: All the villains want to sacrifice Haohmaru in the second Rumble, due to the Oversoul effect; some want to sacrifice Jeffry in the third because he's just so pure and innocent.
* ThinkingUpPortals: The third Rumble introduces [[VideoGame/MaceTheDarkAge Asmodeus]], who appears in the ring via a demonic portal. It also keeps him mounted to the mat, which proves to be a challenge to everyone trying to eliminate him. [[spoiler: Then he brushes up against the force field around the ring...]]
* TookALevelInBadass: [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters Chang Koehan]] in the third tournament. After spending the first two tournaments getting the lowest number of votes, his popularity skyrocketed in the third, which starts after a side battle concludes in him eating [[ComicBook/DoctorStrange Shuma-Gorath]] (let me say that again: CHANG KOEHAN ''defeats'', '''cooks''' and '''EATS''' SHUMA-GORATH). Afterward, he enters the ring, scores an elimination (against [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} TRUE OGRE]]) and spends the rest of the tournament demolishing unusual opponents in different worlds. [[BunnyEarsLawyer And he did it all in a comedic fashion]].
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Due to the [[AudienceParticipation votefic nature]] of the Rumbles, the writers didn't have full control over how things turned out, and planned for multiple possibilities. Author notes from the third Rumble (linked above) reveal, for example, that:
** Had [[spoiler:Doctor Doom's team failed to take out the demonic alliance, the demons would have fallen to in-fighting in a later bonus fight, with the winner taking the lead for the "sacrifice people" scheme.]]
*** [[spoiler: Morrigan, meanwhile, would have probably sat that arc out. The writers had designated her as the "villain-on-standby" to take over any evil scheme that the original participants had sufficiently botched, so she could have conceivably involved herself in any of them, depending on which needed the most help.]]
** Had [[spoiler:Drew beaten Ran-Cid, he would have attempted to draw the Ore out for himself, only for [[SuperPowerMeltdown the power of it and the Mace to collectively destroy him]].]]
** Had [[spoiler:Geese Howard]] been eliminated (at any point) instead of winning the tournament, [[spoiler:he would have landed in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfSuperHeroes'' right in front of US Agent, who would have taken the opportunity to do what Steve Rogers could not.]]
** Had [[spoiler:Geese been eliminated from the ring early enough, he would have continued collecting the Infinity Gems with Bison. At some point, [[InevitableMutualBetrayal the two would have fought it out]] for sole possession of the Gems in a bonus fight, which would have decided who would go on to become the BigBad of the finale.]]
*** And had [[spoiler:the winner of that fight been Geese, King likely would have been the one to face him in the final showdown, or at least the one to save the day had Alex lost the fight itself.]]
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