Boomstick: Tetsuo Shima, AKIRA's telekinetic terror of Neo-Tokyo.
Wiz: These two maestros of kinesis have ignited revolution not just in their worlds, but also the very mediums they exist within.
The bloodshed continues in the sixth episode of DEATH BATTLE!'s ninth season with a battle of two evolutionary revolutionaries - men who had evolved beyond what normal humans are capable of to spread their messages of power and dominance over their less powerful brethren. Few could have foreseen the impact these telekinetic titans being such influential figures in their respective mediums, least of all Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Katsuhiro Otomo when they first created them, but with both Magneto and Tetsuo entrenched in pop culture immortality, it's now time to pit decades of honed killer instinct against raw and unchecked fury and potential to see who has what it takes to survive in a death battle.
The hosts first go over the history of the Master of Magnetism, Magneto. Born as Max Eisenhardt to a Jewish family in the late 1920s, he moved with his family in 1939 from Weimar Republic Germany to Poland... and you can probably guess what happened next. Even after escaping certain death by the Nazis with his future wife Magda, misfortune seemed to follow him wherever he went, due to powers granted to him by a sudden mutation from the then-unknown-to-him X-gene. Once he and Magda settled down in the then-Soviet, now-Ukrainian city of Vinnitsa and started a family there, it wasn't long before the KGB found out about Max's new powers, and, in fear of what they couldn't understand, burned down the inn where they were living with their daughter Anya still inside while a restrained Max was forced to helplessly watch. In an uncontrollable rage, he killed them all and tore a chunk of the city to the ground, causing Magda to flee from Max in terror. In this moment, he made a decision: since humans had hurt him his entire life, he'd act in kind to them, in the name of all of mutantkind. Though at first Max, now under the pseudonym Erik Lensharr, turned to the powerful telepath Charles Xavier and his fledgling team of mutants, he soon discovered that his new friend did not agree with Erik's stance of subjugating the humans, and so he reinvented himself as Magneto and formed his own group of mutants to carry out his will: the Brotherhood of Mutants.
Magneto is able to telekinetically manipulate any metal he knows of, such as bullets, vehicles, and buildings, and is even able to fly and create energy barriers by manipulating his own magnetic field. These magnekinetic powers are far more versatile than one would initially think: human blood contains small amounts of iron, the air has trace amounts of lead and mercury, mountains contains veins of metallic ore, and the planet Earth itself is surrounded by a magnetic field, meaning Magneto very rarely is without something he can use. He is able to detect magnetic fields within an extremely large range, even being able to pinpoint Earth's magnetic rays whilst in another galaxy, and subsequently pull himself back there within a single day. Even more impressive than that, Magneto is able focus his magnekinesis to control the magnetic fields generated by subatomic particles and bend them to his whim.
Magneto found his violent protests against humankind at odds with Xavier's peaceful attempts at reconciliation, and they and their respective teams of mutants would clash time and again, with Magneto desiring to prove his philosophy superior. But even with Xavier's unrivaled psychic powers, Magneto's psionic-repelling helmet and his own natural resistance meant that any efforts at attacking his mind would prove futile. He has survived Cyclops's earth-splitting optic blasts, absorbed the Sun's power to do battle with Iron Man, ripped Wolverine's adamantium skeleton from his body, and has overpowered Hercules himself, who once held up the skies of Olympus. Magneto had once used the Earth's magnetic field to overwhelm the Phoenix Force, which could destroy planets, and could shift the Earth off of its axes if he so desired. However, over time, he eventually came to the realization that, despite his initial good intentions, his war against humanity was hurting mutantkind far more than it was helping, and began to reevaluate his perspective. And though it took time and patience from both himself and his newfound allies, he turned over a new leaf, even at one point becoming a leader for Xavier's X-Men, though still prioritizing the wellbeing of mutants and operating under his personal mantra: Never Again.
After the first promotion for Hello Fresh, the hosts move on to Magneto's opponent, the teenage Tetsuo Shima. In the year of 1981 (or 1988 in the film), a nuclear bomb engulfed Tokyo, and thus began World War III. Years later in the future of 2019, the city of Neo-Tokyo stands in its predecessor's place, and with it a motorcycle gang known as the Capsules, led by one Shotaro Kaneda. While Kaneda was a strong, successful and charismatic leader, his number-two and best friend Tetsuo was not as skilled as him. As a child, he was bullied at the orphanage he grew up in for being a new arrival, until Kaneda came to his aid. As the two became teenagers and went to vocational school together, they founded the Capsules, though Tetsuo always desired more, unsatisfied with playing second-fiddle to Kaneda... and their lives would change forever when Tetsuo crashed into a hideously-aged government escapee, causing his motorcycle to explode spectacularly. Miraculously, Tetsuo survived, and his barely-conscious body was dragged away along with the recaptured escapee to military confinement, where he underwent genetic experimentation in a secret program that happened to be the same one that accidentally started the war decades earlier, becoming Japan's Esper No. 41.
While Tetsuo may not have easily taken to being in the Capsules, his new telekinetic powers swiftly became second-nature, soon learning the abilities of flight, telepathy, and violently crushing others into bloody messes. Finally, Tetsuo had what he longed for: power. But with it came a desire for even more power, and, for a time, an extremely powerful drug, a mere gram of which could kill any normal human. Tetsuo's psionic powers steadily grow more powerful over time due to his link to "the memories of the universe", and his telekinesis can cause earthquakes over a dozen miles below the planet's surface, create barriers to defend himself with, and crush opponents in gravity wells. Along with this, he can move around as a lightning bolt and teleport instantaneously, and his telekinesis is extremely precise, to the point that he can target and destroy specific parts of the human body. While he can heal from severe wounds, even losing an arm is no major deterrent, as he can craft a replacement limb from nearby objects.
With his new psionic powers, Tetsuo's former friend Kaneda was no longer a threat to him, and he no longer needed or wanted Kaneda's approval. But Tetsuo's lust for power grew still, and he rampaged through Neo-Tokyo upon learning of another esper named Akira. Though it is at this point where adaptations of AKIRA's story diverge; while in the film Akira had already been dissected for research, in the manga, not only was Akira still alive, he was even more powerful than Tetsuo, and engulfed Neo-Tokyo in a massive explosion not unlike the one that started the war decades ago. After this, the pair formed the Great Tokyo Empire, though it was Tetsuo that held all the power. However, Kaneda, now leading a rebellion against him, was still a thorn in his side, forcing Tetsuo to fight him once more, though his impressive feats would ensure that Tetsuo would not go down easily. Along with having defeated other powerful espers, Tetsuo has dodged light-speed lasers, and once leapt to the moon in an instant to punch a large hole in it. And though Tetsuo's powers eventually spiraled out of his control, this only made him an even more difficult opponent for Kaneda and his rebellion, as he mutated into his Ego Collapse form, a grotesque behemoth of flesh that triggered a large explosion of energy described by observing scientists as both "the birth of a new universe" and a miniature Big Bang. In the manga, this permanently destroyed the espers and their abilities, as a testament that mankind was unfit to wield such godlike powers. However, in the film, Tetsuo instead obtained omniscience and became the god of a new universe. In either case, Kaneda would maintain Tetsuo's empire in his honor, now known as the Great Akira Empire.
Both psychic powerhouses have been comprehensively studied, and are now ready to clash. One advertisement for the second sponsor Bespoke Post later, it's time for a death battle!
As destruction rages on the streets of the Great Tokyo Empire, the Master of Magnetism descends over the carnage, lamenting humanity's inability to acknowledge the superiority of mutants, even in Japan. The teenage leader Tetsuo then drops onto a rooftop behind him, cockily correcting him that the territory now belongs to Akira, and flies at Magneto, blasting him away with a burst of telekinetic energy.
FIGHT!
As Magneto recovers mid-flight, Tetuso gives chase, making his intentions to murder the mutant very clear, ripping off three signs along the way. Tetuso attempts to toss the signs at Magneto, who easily retaliates by dodging one, and throwing the other two out of the way. The Master of Magnetism angrily dissmisses his opponent as a mere child, riling up the psychopathic psychokinetic and making him boast of his rank in the Akira Empire before throwing debris at Magneto. Magneto retaliates by making a shield out of a pair of cars, then crunches them into a ball before chucking it at Tetsuo, who overpowers the magnetokinesis and turns the ball onto Magneto, witch hits the former X-Man out of the air. While Tetsuo laughs at his supposed triumph, Magneto reveals he created a shield, and tosses several debris at the esper, one of them managing to cut his arm clean off. While Magneto boasts about his powers, Tetsuo uses his telekinesis to create a metal arm, in witch the mutant tries to retaliate by hurling a building at the young man. Tetsuo holds back the building, and swears to kill Magneto, before psychically holding the Master of Magnetism in place in order to go for the kill. Tetsuo lands several hits before Magneto breaks free from his grip, using the building from earlier to try and kill Tetsuo. Tetsuo has none of it and plows through the building with his head. Magneto charges up a magnetic punch, and butts fists with the ruler, the punches being enough to disorient the planets magnetic fields. As Magneto's helmet falls to the ground and breaks, Tetsuo seems to have the fight in the bag, about to blow the mutants head to bits, before Magneto uses his magnetism to turn Tetsuo's makeshift arm on him, choking the esper. But just when the Master of Magnetism tries to put an end to the brawl, Tetsuo's arm stump lets out a stream of flesh, his entire body twisting and growing...and at the end of it, Magneto can only watch in terror as the young ruler of Akira has mutated into a screaming heap of flesh. When he stands, Magneto is suddenly barraged by Tetsuo's inner thoughts, scrambled between self-reassurance and rage...until he hears one thought begging for the mutants help. Confused at the request, he immediately considers it when Tetsuo grabs him, using his magnetokinesis to grab iron from pools of blood and turn them to saws. While he hacks free, he isn't able to escape the monsters grasp as it prepares its Big Bang. Magneto screams in horror at the explosion....only for it to turn out that the Omega Level Mutant was able to condense the explosion into a ball. Now understanding the hell Tetsuo has been through, Magneto can only utter his sympathy for the poor child before launching the ball of Big Bang, destroying Tetsuo's mutated form, and causing his normal form to emerge from the rubble. Tetsuo makes one final dash at Magneto, only for the Master of Magnetism to simply fire a shot into the mad espers head, quickly and painlessly killing him. As the leader of Akira's corpse falls, Tetsuo leaves one final telepathic message for Magneto, thanking him for his help. Magneto, with a hint of solemn in his voice, can only say "you're welcome" and fly away from the battlegrounds as what remains of Tetsuo's mutated form withers away.
KO!
Even in the confines of Death Battle, Tetsuo couldn't escape from the clutches of the afterlife. While he was a very game opponent for the Brotherhood's leader, Magneto just held about all the cards needed to take victory handily enough. In sheer stats, Erik has his younger foe beaten when comparing who was tougher and faster. Whereas Tetsuo could jump to the moon and shatter a part of it, Magneto can fly between galaxies in seconds and punch with the power of a sun. The leader of the Great Tokyo Empire certainly had the means to kill Magneto by himself, but such an opportunity would never pass since Magneto's shields have withstood attacks from the likes of Thor, who hit on a scale Tetsuo cannot reach. Tetsuo's telekinesis could allow him to target Magneto's organs, but Magneto could do the same with his magnetism, which can manipulate the iron and metal inside Tetsuo's own body and the atmosphere around him. Tracing these metals inside Tetsuo also granted Magneto ways to predict Tetsuo teleporting around and could even be used to shut down his telekinesis entirely. Even if Tetsuo attempted a more mental approach to combat, Magneto's battles against Professor X showed he could certainly resist having his mind probed or messed with even without the layer of protection his trusted helmet provided; it doesn't exactly help Tetsuo's case that when he had tried to do the same to Akira - an esper whose power far exceeds his, it had overwhelmed him.
While Esper No. 41 seemed outgunned as a human, his horribly mutated Ego Collapse form brought a few more abilities to the table - the biggest of which was creating Big Bang-level explosions theorized to either destroy his universe or create a new one entirely. Wiz and Boomstick express skepticism at it being able to do either, since the explosion exhibits traits of being more of a nuclear bomb going off, which fits the post-war symbolism of AKIRA, not to mention that statements of Tetsuo creating a universe never existed in the original manga. Even if it were genuinely considered to be a Big Bang, it still wouldn't be enough to stop Magneto's tracks, as he had managed to defeat the Greek god Hercules, who had once taken on Atlas' place in upholding the skies of Olympus - an entirely different universe within the vast 616 Marvel reality. While the hosts concede that this does not necessarily make Magneto capable of destroying an entire universe on his own if he wanted to, this does show that his abilities are potent enough to be on par with such universe-level entities. Furthermore, Tetsuo's Big Bang explosion was observed to specifically exhibit cases of proton collapse, which makes it comprised of an unstable collection of neutrons and electrons - all of which Magneto could easily detect and manipulate if he so wanted to. Overall, while his abilities may seem one-note, the Master of Magnetism's unparalleled control over his namesake field proved him superior against Neo-Tokyo's telekinetic terror, enough to mercifully put him out of his misery for good.
Wiz: The winner is Magneto.
"Magneto VS Tetsuo" contains examples of:
- An Arm and a Leg: Magneto manages to slice off Tetsuo's arm early in the fight, forcing him to make a scrap metal replacement. Later on, Magneto wraps this arm around Tetsuo and chokes him with it, which causes Tetsuo to mutate into his Ego Collapse form.
- Ascended Extra: DUMMI, who usually only appears to take the brunt of most physical slapstick, discusses Tetsuo's Ego Collapse form with Wiz and Boomstick during his run-down (though he does still explode in Magneto's run-down from Boomstick taking one of his "electrons").
- Bait-and-Switch: Twice; first, after Tetsuo destroys Magneto's helmet, he has him in his grip. Magneto's head starts to swell, he spits up blood, and it seems as if Tetsuo's about to induce Your Head A-Splode... and then Magneto wraps Tetsuo's metal arm around him and starts choking him with it, causing him to mutate into his Ego Collapse form. A few moments later, when Tetsuo grabs Magneto and activates the Big Bang explosion, Magneto's scream seems to signify this as the killing blow... only for it to be revealed a moment later that Magneto has successfully contained the energy of the explosion, and fires it back at Tetsuo, splitting him in half.
- Bond One-Liner: After Magneto lands the killing blow and the dying Tetsuo falls:Tetsuo: [telepathically] Thank you...
Magneto: [sighs] You're welcome. - Chekhov's Gun: When Ego Collapse Tetsuo tries to grab Magneto, he makes use of the blood spilled from Tetsuo's lost limb and the blood he spat up from Tetsuo's earlier attempt at inducing Your Head A-Splode, turning the iron from it into sawblades to slice apart the limbs around him and free himself. Unfortunately, this doesn't do much to deter Tetsuo, who successfully restrains him a few seconds later.
- Clothing Damage: During the battle, Magneto's helmet, which helps protect him from telepathic attacks, is destroyed. Fortunately, as he has some natural resistance to said attacks as well, he didn't need it to win.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Magneto's magnekinesis is purple, while Tetsuo's telekinesis is red.
- Darker and Edgier: This episode's fight is remarkably similar to Korra vs. Storm's: an iconic X-Men character fights a hotheaded, more inexperienced teenager with similar powers to them and a Super Form, and the X-Men character ultimately wins the fight by shooting their opponent through the head and pays their respects after. The difference is that AKIRA is way darker than The Legend of Korra, and it shows. Ironically, Korra ended up suffering a much messier death than Tetsuo.
- Death Cry Echo: Ultimately subverted by Magneto who screams in pain when subjected to Tetsuo's Big Bang explosion, but ends up surviving and containing the blast shortly afterwards before turning the fight around.
- Defiant to the End: Though Tetsuo eventually asks Magneto to end him, he doesn't make it easy for the Master of Magnetism, attempting to envelop him in the Big Bang explosion and, when that fails, emerges from the remains of his Ego Collapse form for one last suicidal charge.
- Dying as Yourself: Tetsuo breaks out of his Ego Collapse form and dies as his normal form.
- Irony: Tetsuo is a brutal and bloody killer, but Magneto kills him with a bloodless headshot.
- Heart Is an Awesome Power: Boomstick is surprised to learn that Magneto's magnekenesis is much more potent and versatile than simply tossing some metal around. It helps him greatly in the battle against Tetsuo, as he could cause similar internal damage, predict his teleportation, shut down his Esper abilities altogether and even counter his theoretical Big Bang capabilities.
- Heroic BSoD: After Tetsuo mutates into his Ego Collapse form, all Magneto can seem to do is stare at it in horror, with it only getting worse as he's barraged by Tetsuo's thoughts. He only snaps out of it when one of Tetsuo's thoughts begs for help.
- Logical Weakness: Tetsuo learns the hard way that bringing a metal arm against the Master of Magnetism is a bad idea.
- Mercy Kill: Once Tetsuo mutates into his Ego Collapse form, the onslaught of telepathic messages that ensues ends with the scared teenager begging Magneto to help him. One struggle later, Magneto complies, and Tetsuo thanks him as he dies. Notably, Magneto chose to end him in an almost instant and relatively painless manner, and he clearly doesn't take any pleasure in doing so.Tetsuo: It hurts! Help me!
- Mythology Gag:
- In Magneto's analysis, one of his dislikes is listed as "wooden guns", referencing the one time Reed Richards tricked him with such a weapon into believing that his powers had stopped working, which gave the police an opportunity to arrest him.
- Early in the fight, Magneto takes off Tetsuo's right arm with a well-placed shot, forcing Tetsuo to create a replacement from scrap metal, as in his home series.
- After Tetsuo transforms into his Ego Collapse form, Magneto is barraged by Tetsuo’s thoughts, most of which are lines said by the former in his series of origin, and he also uses Magneto's
infamous "Welcome to die" line, with the only difference being that while the original line was due to "Blind Idiot" Translation, Tetsuo's use of the line is due to him speaking multiple sentences at the same time.
- Noodle Incident: During Tetsuo's run-down, when Wiz talks about him being addicted to drugs so potent that a single gram could kill any normal human, Boomstick mentions that "Snow Wizard" was in a similar situation in his college days, with Wiz swiftly changing the subject.
- Oh, Crap!: Magneto can only stare in horror at Tetsuo's Ego Collapse form.
- Pretty Little Headshots: The deathblow inflicted by Magneto only leaves a small hole in Tetsuo's head, and no blood or brain matter leaks from it either.
- Shout-Out:
- During Tetsuo's run-down, while the hosts compare his mutation into his Ego Collapse form to experiences from taking drugs such as LSD, scenes from Rick and Morty are displayed.
- In the post-battle analysis, Boomstick expresses surprise at Magneto's Swiss-Army Superpower, quoting a question from "some of the greatest prophets of our time": "Fucking magnets, how do they even work?"
- Sympathy for the Devil: Once he hears Tetsuo's cries of help, Magneto can only mutter "Poor child" before he puts an end to Tetsuo's pain.
