Boomstick: Or else you might turn into a big ol' hulking werewolf!
Wiz: Such as Sabrewulf, the savage wolf-man of Killer Instinct.
Boomstick: And Jon Talbain, the kung-fu canine Darkstalker.
Starting the countdown to the season's five final episodes are a pair of fighting game werewolves; tragic fusions of man and monster, each strives to free himself of the horrors brought about by his bestial half. With curses binding them to claws and fangs, these creatures of the night, Sabrewulf and Jon Talbain, have been called to meet in a death battle.
The first of the episode's combatants is the cursed Sabrewulf. Born to German aristocracy, Baron Konrad von Sabrewulf wanted for nothing. Inheriting his familial castle was another monument to his lavish lifestyle, and it would also lead to the pivotal moment of his life. Unknown at the time to Konrad, the Sabrewulf family had a storied history of hunting mythical creatures, and beneath Sabrewulf Castle laid a secret laboratory housing the trophies of their conquests. While exploring this lab, Konrad inadvertently cut himself with one of these relics, a clawed hand. This hand was taken from a werewolf felled by his ancestors, its claws still carrying a curse that afflicts its victims with lycanthropy. By the next full moon, Konrad turned into a wolf, destroying most of the castle and rampaging across the German countryside. He came to his senses and, realizing the devastation he wrought, sought to find a treatment to his ailment. Despondent from his fruitless endeavors, Konrad was reduced to allying with the nefarious megacorporation Ultratech. ARIA, the company's robotic overlord, fed Sabrewulf false promises of a cure, and in exchange, he was forced to serve her as a representative of Ultratech in the Killer Instinct tournament.
This lupine form that plagues Sabrewulf is every bit a strength as it is a curse. ARIA's machinations amplified the brawn of Konrad's wolf form; permanently keeping him in werewolf state while also grafting implants into his muscles. Between the implants and his own natural prowess, Sabrewulf is a ferocious and still acrobatic combatant, able to perform lunging tackles and flips with ease. The claws with which he slashes are tough enough to puncture solid steel and they too can spread the werewolf curse into any struck by them. These claws are put to use through Sabrewulf's physique in a violent, aggressive fighting style that harnesses his feral nature. More esoteric would be Sabrewulf's ability to summon fiery bats. Similarly, Sabrewulf can harness the power of shadows to increase the intensity of his attacks. Should all else fail, however, Konrad can draw from his own killer instinct to enter a berserker state; fueled by his feral rage, he loses all human inhibition and fights as an uncontrolled beast. This state gives Sabrewulf's attacks the strength to break through an enemy's defenses and the speed to combine them in a sequential chain.
Be it through Ultratech's modifications or his own power, Sabrewulf is a formidable foe. Emphasizing the skill by which he function, the Killer Instinct tournament saw Konrad score consecutive wins against a seventeen-strong batch of foes. Amongst the numbers of enemies he felled were Tusk, a barbarian warrior who can summon meteors striking with a kiloton of force, and the ice-based alien Glacius, who once plotted a successful ambush against ARIA. Given ARIA can process information within the span of a nanosecond, Glacius, and by extension Sabrewulf, should be capable of movement within this timeframe. It is, in fact, due to his time spent as a werewolf that Konrad is capable of such power; longer-lived werewolves become stronger and more ferocious than their younger kin. Though he searches for a cure only to never find it, this same tenacity makes Sabrewulf a dangerous foe for any who dare cross him.
From Sabrewulf, the episode moves on to Gallon, otherwise known as Jon Talbain; scion to the Kreutz bloodline. The demon realm of Makai houses a number of Darkstalkers, inspired by monsters from classic folklore. This dimension is ruled over by seven noble families, one of them being the beast-men of the Kreutz family. The Kreutz warrior Baraba found himself in the human realm and had an affair with a woman there. One of the higher overlords of Makai, the demon Jedah Dohma, arranged for the death of Jon's mother shortly after his birth; Jon's father, meanwhile, disappeared from his life. Lashing out at the world for adding to this torment by hunting him as a werewolf, Jon was eventually found by an ancient martial arts master whom, like him, had the blood of both humans and Darkstalkers in his veins. Jon attempted to fight this master, but was soundly defeated. This experience humbled Jon enough to accept the man's offer of learning martial arts to better discipline his wild half. This training proved effective even after master was killed by humans, and Jon, still struggling to temper his hatred for mankind, sought to find a place in a world constantly seeking to destroy him.
Jon is not comfortable with battle, but is well prepared for it all the same. It is not explained what martial arts Talbain was trained in, but a safe assumption would be shotokan karate; a school of martial arts specializing in defensive stances and calmness of self. Through this, Jon's style of combat focuses on swift decisive motion with his limbs and an pair of nunchuaku; more fanciful fare, such as rising kicks or backflipping grapples, also form part of his repertoire. As part of his training, Jon is capable of channeling his inner energy for more supernatural means. These can consist of heightening his speed so as to seemingly clone himself, propel himself forward like a missile, and even create dragons made of this ki. It should not be forgotten through this martial prowess that Jon is still a werewolf, and so he possesses all the strengths which it entails. Jon is more susceptible to the beast within him under the light of a full moon; when that moon glows blood red, he can lose all control of his human side. On top his claws and fangs, he has improved senses of hearing and smell to aid him in wolf form.
The son of Baraba Kreutz has lived a life of tragedy, but he has become a stronger man for it. In speed, Jon can keep pace with Huitzl robots capable of space travel; by his own word, Jon can even reach light-speed. He has survived combat with them and even the high-grade firepower of the Darkstalker hunter B.B. Hood. To better highlight the scope of Jon's potential Makai is divided by a system that grades Darkstalkers based on their display of power; Jon is considered a B+-class Darkstalker. Thus, he should be considered an equal to others in the B+-class which include the mummified pharaoh Anakaris that once sunk ancient Egypt; and Q-Bee, a humanoid insect that can carry a castle-sized hive housing her fellow Darkstalker bees. Despite this strength, Jon remained troubled by the world and his own lineage until he met the felid Darkstalker Felicia, who showed him the positive side of humanity. Through Felicia's kindness, Jon fought his darker impulses made flesh and finally freed himself from his worst traits by claiming victory over his malevolent doppelgänger. He has since taken on a human form, but Kreutz blood still courses through him, and as man or beast, that werewolf powers is still his to fully command.
With both werewolves' analyses complete, the stage is set for bloodshed. One advertisement for Bluechew ED treatment later, and now, it's time for a death battle!
The full moon casts its shine over a mist-covered village; butchered corpses cake the cobblestone pathway with blood. This trail of cadavers stops at an alley, where Sabrewulf gorges himself on another victim. Holding the man's remains in both hands, the German werewolf hears approaching footsteps and begs this stranger to leave him be. With a howl that echoes through the night sky, Jon Talbain passes sentence on Sabrewulf for his atrocities. Konrad's eyes narrow as he roars in response, the curse taking hold. The gray lupine grips ahold of his meal before he rears back...
FIGHT!
... and hurls the corpse at Talbain. An upward kick slices the carcass in half as Jon watches Sabrewulf close in on him. Avoiding Sabrewulf's claws, the Darkstalker staggers his foe with a roundhouse kick; a pair of open-handed strikes following after. Konrad is quick to recover, grabbing a stray brick and smashing it against Talbain. The B+-class demon is left open to attack as Sabrewulf drives his head against the brick walls of the alley. So violent are the tremors formed on impact that a lantern is jarred loose, filling the area with flames. Jon is tossed into the inferno, but he reorients himself to all fours, watching as Sabrewulf charges towards him. With a diving tackle, the Ultratech pawn closes the distance. The battle devolves into a brutal melee, both men meeting every slash and bite that comes his way with another of his own. Eventually, Jon catches the baron with an upward kick, sending the cursed werewolf back. Sabrewulf quickly scales the wall and takes action watching Jon follow, leaping with enough force to root himself in place. The Darkstalker continues to beat on Konrad, but gets in too close, giving Sabrewulf the opportunity to plunge his maw into Jon's exposed shoulder. The cursed lycanthrope flips off the alley wall, slamming Jon into the road.
Both the fighters upright themselves, but Sabrewulf proves to be quicker, launching the demon werewolf back into the opposite side of the allway with a wide swipe of his claws. Channeling his ki, the Darkstalker rockets back towards the German lupine running at him. The impact of both werewolves colliding only sends them to opposite ends of the alley once more. As Jon recovers, Sabrewulf is back in the fray, straining to gnaw his foe's arm off. With a second Beast Cannon, Sabrewulf is forced back while the Kreutz heir nurses his wound. The grip of the werewolf's curse tightens on Sabrewulf; growling vague threats at Talbain, he summons a flock of bats to storm through the flames. These creatures buffet Jon from every direction, leaving him open for Konrad to hack away at the Darkstalker. Jon retreats and, after recomposing himself, makes short work of the fiery swarm. Using his nunchaku, the B+-class werewolf causes Sabrewulf's minions to implode and as their master reaches the other beast-man, he finds himself caught in a barrage of furious blows. With ki and nunchaku combined, the remaining bats are all obliterated before Jon unleashes a fiery dragon upon his enemy.
Witnessing the monster heading towards him, the baron picks up an errant corpse to shield himself from the Dragon Cannon. The lifeless body serves its purpose, becoming fully incinerated while Konrad himself is none the worse off. The B+-class keeps up the attack with a third Beast Cannon; this one proves powerful enough to launch the pair out through the walls of the village and into a neighboring graveyard. Sabrewulf is planted into the cold earth while Talbain touches down with ease. Looking at the skies above, the Darkstalker witness the moon glowing an ominous red. Jon struggles to control himself, but the son of Baraba finds enough willpower to quelling his inner beast. Diving back into action, the lycanthropes engage in mutual savagery; both werewolves tear into other with streams of blood spraying outward from their every touch. The sheer ferocity of the fighters distances the two yet again, and with a piercing howl, the Darkstalker lunges towards Konrad and unleashes a blinding array of punches and kicks against his fellow werewolf. The German man-beast breaks the combo with a dual claw attack, and Jon, desperate not to give in to his Kreutz lineage, is unaware of Sabrewulf plunging a clawed hand into his waist.
His grip taut, Sabrewulf retracts his arm, tearing out a stretch of Talbain's intestine. With another series of slashes to put him in position, Konrad wraps Jon's innards around his neck and begins choking the Darkstalker. The blood moon is briefly smothered by a blanket of nimbuses, giving Jon the chance to regain control. Another ki-laden dragon erupts from the ground, but vanishes partway during its ascent. The werewolves stand motionlessly. It is Jon who takes the next action, finally relenting to allow his inner monster to take over. With eyes red as the returning blood moon, the Kreutz son tackles Sabrewulf and tears into him, his aggression enough to rip off one of Konrad's arms. Sabrewulf attempts to crawl to safety, only to be dragged back within the unforgiving grip of the Darkstalker. Feeling Talbain's jaws driving into his neck, Sabrewulf has only enough time to scream in horror before being relieved of his head. Jon, his back turned to the headless corpse of Sabrewulf, fills the night air with the haunting howl of his victory.
K.O.!
With the battle wrapped up, the post-match retrospective comes into play at last. While Sabrewulf proved to be a ferocious combatant, if anything, this would prove to work against him. Whereas Sabrewulf relied entirely on natural brutality, Jon had proper training in martial arts, giving him better control over his power. With scaling to Glacius and ARIA, Sabrewulf would possess light-speed capability, something Jon has claimed he can also achieve. However, applying similar scaling to the Huitzl robots, which can travel several million light-years in minimal time, puts Jon as even faster than his own boasts suggest. A-class Darkstalkers like Morrigan Aensland and Demitri Maximoff can successfully battle Huitzls while in mid-flight, and lower-class characters like Talbain can in turn react to them in battle. While the class system Darkstalkers adhere to focuses less on speed, Talbain would still be far faster than anything Sabrewulf could compare to. Even when comparing him to other B+-class Darkstalkers, Jon is still superior to Konrad. The castle-sized beehive Q-Bee weighs nearly 30 million tons, and his ki output is similar in scale to that Anakaris, who himself is capable of sinking all of ancient Egypt. By factoring in the weight of an average building from the time pyramid, the weight of the pyramids, and the overall surrounding area, Anakaris's ki output can exert over a trillion tons of force; Jon's ki should be similar. As an extension to this, the Dragon Cannon would be a greater ranged option than Sabrewulf's fire bat. The most important factor in this fight, however, would be how both men dealt with their inner beast. Sabrewulf never found a way to reconcile his human and werewolf side, whereas Jon, through his training and defeating his inner demon, was able to better utilize his werewolf lineage. In the end, it is Jon's greater speed, strength, and self-control that would give him a victory through swift and brutal means.
Wiz: The winner is Jon Talbain!
Next time on Death Battle (for real this time)...
Sabrewulf vs. Jon Talbain features examples of:
- Battle Amongst the Flames: Early on, a lantern falls and sets the floor on fire.
- Bloodier and Gorier: Easily one of the messiest fights yet, the battle opens on a street filled with dismembered corpses before getting to the blood spurts accompanying nearly every landed hit.
- Book Ends: At the beginning of the fight, Jon calls Sabrewulf a monster after finding the massacre he made. At the end of the fight, Jon insists he's not a monster, but decides to give in to his instincts to deliver the final blow.
- The Bus Came Back: For a franchise-wide example, Jon's presence marks the return of Darkstalkers to the series after Felicia's appearance nearly a decade earlier.
- Deliberately Monochrome: The final moments of the fight are in black and white, save for the moon, Jon's eyes, and the pool of blood spilt by both combatants, which are red.
- Foreshadowing: As Wiz recounts the start of Sabrewulf's backstory, Boomstick assumes he's a vampire, despite him obviously being a werewolf, because his backstory and his name using "von" in it sounds too much like a vampire. Wiz says that's for next year.
- Just Friends: Boomstick makes a crack at how getting laid changed Jon's view of humans before Wiz clarifies he and Felicia are just close platonic friends. Boomstick argues there are "34 reasons" against that.
- "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer: Scaling Jon to Anakaris means the hosts have to emphasize that they did, in fact, calculate the combined weight of all the buildings in ancient Egypt to determine the latter's power output.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: Both Sabrewulf and Jon became werewolves through different means, but it ended up playing a major factor for who won. Baron Konrad was descended from monster hunters who unintentionally cut himself with the disembodied claw of a werewolf, turning into a werewolf himself and was tricked by Ultratech into losing more of his humanity until eventually giving up on curing himself and giving into his beast side. Jon Talbain was born with his lycanthropy due to his father being a werewolf lord from the Makai, learned martial arts to train himself, became close friends with Felicia and eventually overcame his beast side, allowing him to turn his form on and off. As a result, Jon had far better control of himself and with greater skill in fighting that Sabrewulf lacked, putting the fight far more in his favor.
- Running Gag: As with prior Killer Instinct fights, the comparison of Ultratech to an evil Wal-Mart and a Combo Breaker sequence are both present in this episode.
- Shout-Out: In a gorn-heavy fight scene, someone's stomach is ripped open, and the person responsible uses the entrails to strangle their martial artist opponent. Are we talking about Sabrewulf and Talbain in the graveyard or the infamous prison courtyard scene from Riki Oh?
