General
- Any match where Nice Peter and EpicLLOYD are on the same side. There's something nice about seeing them working together.
- The way Peter describes how he and Lloyd write the lyrics for the rap battles which shows how passionate they are about what they do.Peter: Writing is sometimes hard, and sometimes easy. It just depends. It's like—If you're like, a mom, and you have like nine babies. Some of them are labor for 40 hours and some of them are labor for like 20 minutes. They're all different, but we love them all the same.
- In a weird way, Teddy Roosevelt insisting to FDR that "All suggestions have merit."
- A year after the second Peter vs. Lloyd battle, they meet up for a brief update video.
Lloyd mentions his album, new show Epic Studios and weight loss. Peter simply says "I made this with my wiener," while holding up a sonogram of his daughter.- The fact that he decided to do the gender reveal on-camera so the viewers could share in the moment is also rather sweet. Doubly so when he gives Lloyd the honor of opening the envelope with the details.
- Their video thanking the audience for all their support, to the point they got nominated for a YouTube music award!
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Season One
Hulk Hogan and Macho Man vs. Kim Jong-il
- Randy Savage tagging in to take over for Hulk Hogan after Kim Jong Il fires a rocket at him. The video was uploaded a few months before Macho Man died, while the two had been trying to patch things up after their decade long animosity towards each other, one can view this as a sort of burial of the hatchet.
Albert Einstein vs. Stephen Hawking
- Albert Einstein vs Stephen Hawking got quite a lot of views and comments after Stephen Hawking’s death, including one by Lloyd himself which read “The universe just lost a giant. RIP Stephen we love you sir.” In fact, the whole battle could be seen as Heartwarming in Hindsight by the fact that Hawking ended up dying on Einstein’s birthday, at the same age as him, and all of this on the Pi day.
Billy Mays vs. Ben Franklin
- Vince Offer coming in to take over for Billy Mays after the latter dies. His utter schooling of Benjamin Franklin can almost be seen as avenging him - ironic when you consider their real life hostility.
Gandalf vs. Dumbledore
- Dumbledore flying away with Gilderoy at the end of his battle with Gandalf.
Nice Peter vs. EpicLLOYD
- At the end of the battle between Peter and Lloyd, it looks like Peter is about to pull a Rage Quit and completely end the rap battle series... then, Kassem G swoops in and gives something of a Rousing Speech that convinces him to make a second season.
Season Two
Mario Bros. vs. Wright Bros.
- The Wright Bros. VS Mario Bros. battle has both pairs of siblings working together flawlessly, showing the true bond between the brothers on both sides.
Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates
- Bill Gates saying the world loved Steve Jobs, but he was his friend.
- Not to mention that instead of two separate screens, the two dance together on the same screen at the end.
- More than any of the other videos their interplay comes off less like a rap battle and more like a heated argument between friends, switching between lines rather than verses and often speaking while standing next to each other. In fact, Bill's Villainous Breakdown at the end could be read as poorly handled grief for losing Steve.
Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney
- Obama vs. Romney
- Obama's line about having his fist kiss Romney's face comes right after he insults Obama's wife.
Obama: Uh...Let me be clear. Uh...don't get it twisted. We'll see how pretty your face is after my fist has kissed it!- After Lincoln shows up he tells Obama that he wants to like him and yells at him to make good on his hopeful promises. While he just rips Romney a new one, it seems like Lincoln is trying to give Obama some advice with a heavy helping of Tough Love.
Doc Brown vs. Doctor Who
- Doc Brown coming to the defense of Marty McFly.
Batman vs. Sherlock Holmes
- Batman shows clear displeasure when Robin joins in to rap with him, before finally interrupting him with a smoke bomb. In contrast, Holmes actively includes Watson in his own verses.
- Batman berating Holmes' behaviour towards Watson, telling the detective to let his friend "go home to his wife" and pointing out Sherlock often endangered others' lives.
Moses vs. Santa Claus
- Santa's elves finally outright stating that they are not Santa's slaves and are in fact the friendly, mystical helpers they are supposed to be portrayed as...with a bit of Trash Talk thrown in, of course.
Adam vs. Eve
- At the end of their rap, Adam and Eve apologize to each other, implying it was just a bump in an otherwise happy relationship.
Gandhi vs. Martin Luther King Jr.
- Dr. King is obviously very happy to be meeting Gandhi. He says he admires how he broke the British power, and even gives him a big hug during his last verse. Even if the feeling isn't mutual, it's still a sweet gesture.
- Even though Gandhi doesn't feel happy meeting Dr. King, he still cheers him on while dancing at the end, indicating they're both friendly enemies.
Babe Ruth vs. Lance Armstrong
- Even though Babe Ruth clearly despises Lance Armstrong, he still takes the time to congratulate him on beating cancer.
- Likewise, the way Armstrong acknowledges Ruth's talent between bouts of dissing him.
Rasputin vs. Stalin
- When Putin comes in and starts rapping during the Rasputin vs. Stalin battle, you can see Rasputin bobbing his head along and swaying in place as if he's enjoying it.
Season Three
Hitler vs. Vader 3
- In the third installment of Darth Vader Vs Adolf Hitler, Boba Fett joins in for 8 seconds (all of which were golden) before getting shot by Hitler. Not only was Vader actively enjoying Boba's rap, but shows visible anger when Hitler shoots Boba Fett, and seconds later, kills Hitler, mid-rant, as revenge. No carbonite freeze, no Rancor pit, he finally has had enough, and just straight up Darth Maul's him.
Bob Ross vs. Pablo Picasso
- Pablo Picasso, portrayed as The Cynic, lightens up when he mentions his pet dog, Lump.
- Ross acknowledges Picasso as a genius even though they're opponents.
Michael Jordan vs. Muhammad Ali
- Muhammad Ali showing brief sympathy for Michael Jordan's dead father and his family. Subverted as he was just setting up a shot at Jordan's baseball career.
- Michael Jordan vs. Muhammad Ali got a ton of views after Ali's death, along with quite a few comments that they were watching it in honor of him.
Donald Trump vs. Ebenezer Scrooge
- JP Morgan telling off Ebenezer Scrooge for his greed and misanthropy, ending with, "Your greed is the curse that's going to tear you apart! What good is a purse, if you're poor in the heart?" Given that JP Morgan was a noted philanthropist in addition to being one of the richest and most powerful men of his time (not to mention the man solely responsible for preventing the united states banking system from collapsing in 1907), while no saint, he was the equivalent of Uncle Pennybags compared to Scrooge.
- Scrooge's Heel–Face Turn.
Rick Grimes vs. Walter White
- In Rick Grimes vs. Walter White, Rick starts both his verses by telling Carl to stay back, away from his opposition. There is nothing stronger than a father's love for his son.
Sir Isaac Newton vs. Bill Nye
- Crosses over with Funny Moments: Bill Nye is so positive that it seems to hurt him. He compliments Isaac Newton during several of his lines, sings along with one of Newton's segments, and cheers on Tyson when he steps in to take his place.
- He's so out of his league against Isaac Newton that it's a profound relief to see Neil deGrasse Tyson come to his rescue. "I got yo' back, Nye!"
- A good portion of the Behind The Scenes footage is Lloyd geeking out over "Weird Al" Yankovic, Peter explaining how much inspiration he draws from Chali 2NA, and even Chali talking about how much his son loves Epic Rap Battles of History. The episode as a whole starts to look like a dream come true for them.
Artists vs. TMNT
- Artists Vs Turtles features the Renaissance artists explicitly passing the mic to one another. It's wonderful to see these guys showing care for one another's presences in the battle, especially if you watch TMNT and are familiar with the conflict between their reptile counterparts.
Season Four
Romeo and Juliet vs. Bonnie and Clyde
- The respective couples in Romeo and Juliet VS Bonnie and Clyde are definitely in love; while it's more obvious with Romeo and Juliet, who spend about as much time professing their love for one another or defending each other as they do insulting the other team, there are some subtle moments for Bonnie and Clyde. When Juliet points out that Bonnie technically is married to another man, it's Clyde who tells Romeo to make her shut up. And when Juliet says that Romeo will do to Clyde's dick what he did to his toe (Clyde cut his own toe off with an axe), Bonnie simply shoots Juliet. All those insults directed at her, and it's the threat aimed at her boyfriend that causes her to stop averting Why Don't You Just Shoot Her?
- Also, Bonnie and Clyde feeling bad for Romeo and Juliet's suicides.
Zeus vs. Thor
- In Thor vs Zeus, Thor is outraged at Zeus's abusive behavior towards humanity, and a good portion of his disses are seething with disgust for such tyrannical behavior. Looks like Thor really cares about humanity.
- It fits with both his Marvel portrayal and his mythological portrayal, and he briefly looks like the former.
- It's also nice to see Loki backing up Thor throughout the battle, despite their often...tumultuous relationship, both in Marvel and in mythology.
- In spite of his own abusive behaviour towards them, Zeus jumps to the defense of the Greeks after Thor insults them.
Oprah Winfrey vs. Ellen DeGeneres
- Ellen goes on in her second verse about how she likes cute things and making people smile; out of place for a rap battle, but heartwarming nonetheless.
- Also, in her first verse, she refers to Oprah as her friend, even though she's battling her.
Steven Spielberg vs. Alfred Hitchcock
- Spielberg begins his verse acknowledging how he took inspiration from Hitchcock when he was a child. Granted he proceeds to boast how he surpassed him in every aspect, but it's still a nice sentiment.
- Similarly, while the other rappers appear annoyed with Stanley Kubrick, Hitchcock breaks his stoic indifference for the only time in the video when he nods his approval and agreement that Kubrick was an artistic genius.
- Hitchcock's line that even many Spielberg fans will agree with: "Half your billions should go to John Williams." Especially when you remember that Williams scored Hitch's final film Family Plot, a year after starting to really make a name for himself with Spielberg's Jaws.
- In an uncanny way, Michael Bay's verse on him striking back against the other directors by taking pride in his directing can be seen by some viewers as an anthem of self-confidence and not letting the haters get you down, which would be absolutely inspiring.
Lewis and Clark vs. Bill and Ted
- Bill & Ted are left devastated after hearing Lewis and Clark's second verse which disses them completely, telling them that without Rufus they'd be useless. They start their own second verse doubting their own abilities and asking themselves what they can do. Then Rufus himself drops by and answers "Be excellent", making them so happy that they proceed to deliver a, shall we say, most excellent verse.
- Meanwhile, Lewis and Clark's relationship with Sacagawea is also heartwarming in a different way. If you pay close attention, you can see that Sacagawea appears to be annoyed by the rap battle and/or Lewis and Clark's immaturity - especially when she has to row the boat by herself because they're too busy rapping against Bill and Ted. However, she still fights an angry bear on her own to protect them.
Eastern Philosophers vs. Western Philosophers
- In Eastern Philosophers vs Western Philosophers, Voltaire jumping to Nietzsche's defense, even though they all start arguing immediately afterwards. Doubly so considering Nietzsche disliked Voltaire.
Stan Lee vs. Jim Henson
- Henson is quick to point out that Lee stole quite a bit of credit from Jack Kirby, a man who has infamously gotten very little credit for his creations, is a nice touch.
- Stan Lee quickly shoots back that Jack Kirby was his friend, meaning that he didn't purposefully steal Kirby's creations.
- Stan Lee and Jim Henson become friends during their rap battle. Stan's second verse is about apologizing for going too far and how much he respects Jim. Jim, in turn, spends his verse accepting the apology and saying that Stan has left a great legacy to the world.
- After seeing Jim's horrified reaction when he mocks Mr. Hooper's death, Stan immediately stops and apologizes. Given how difficult the death of Mr. Hooper's actor was for the cast and crew of Sesame Street in real life, that's a thoughtful touch.
- The end credits in Jim Henson vs Stan Lee (the Season 4 finale) includes a "thank you" note to several people, including each of the season's guest stars, the ERB Wiki, "everyone on YouTube" and "you".
- Jim Henson vs Stan Lee got tons of views and comments after Stan Lee’s death, with a lot of people quoting some of the battle’s most warming lines:Henson: Aw Stan, don't be sad. We all have a time to go. (Yeah…)
Most of the Internet thought that you died 12 years ago,
But the Four will always be Fantastic. The Hulk will always be Incredible.
The words you wove within the hearts of heroes are indelible.
Season Five
J. R. R. Tolkien vs. George R. R. Martin
- For those who are apathetic about A Song of Ice and Fire or Game of Thrones, Tolkien not only fighting for the idealistic view of the fantasy genre, but doing it superbly.
Frederick Douglass vs. Thomas Jefferson
- Thomas Jefferson spends his whole second verse against Frederick Douglass genuinely contrite about being a slave owner, and wanting to make up for it. On the other side, while Douglass emphatically says they "ain't cool", he nonetheless agrees that Jefferson has accomplished impressive things. In fact, Douglass doesn't get mad or disagree with what Jefferson was saying until the latter went for a pound and a pathetic "We cool?"
James Bond vs. Austin Powers
- Austin Powers calling out Sean Connery's James Bond on being "a bit rapey." Even better: this is consistent with his characterization from the movies when he turns down a drunk Vanessa because "it's not right." Austin may be a horny little cad, but even he has standards.
Austin Powers: Yeah to be honest, you are a bit rapey. I mean, I like to swing but Dr. No means no, baby
- Likewise, Daniel Craig's James Bond calls out his counterpart's actor Sean Connery for his poor views on women. note
Daniel Craig's James Bond: The world has had quite enough rug-wearing misogynists.
Bruce Banner vs. Caitlyn Jenner
- Caitlyn Jenner to the Hulk: "You're a tiger, stop trying to tame yourself / you gotta be big enough to contain yourself." That video ends with the Pride flag billowing behind the ERB logo.note
- Despite the obvious problems the battle had, prime among them deadnaming Caitlyn Jenner and the tasteless "Hulk Smash" line, the battle never once mocks Jenner's gender identity. The closest it comes is Hulk stating that Caitlyn made a huge deal out of her transition to drum up publicity and money and goes on to state that his issue isn't with Caitlyn's gender but with her actions.
- Even though she spends her time dissing him, Caitlyn correctly deduces that Hulk's anger comes from self-loathing and between her insults tries to advise him to forgive himself for the root of his anger since it's not even his fault.
Ash Ketchum vs. Charles Darwin
- Ash Ketchum has Pikachu alongside him for his battle, at first jumping in to stop Team Rocket, before spending the rest of the battle adorably dancing and playing. It's extremely cute.
Wayne Gretzky vs. Tony Hawk
- Wayne Gretzky saying that his hot wife is the only woman in the world for him, while a heart shows up under the scoreboard in the background.
- Both Hawk and Gretzky are far friendlier with each other than usual for the show, calling each other by their first names and complimenting the other's lines. It comes off more like a backyard competition between friends than an actual battle.
Nice Peter vs. EpicLLOYD 2
- After five seasons and many hard nights and arguments with each other, what do Peter and Lloyd do at the end of the season five finale battle? Go off to write a song together.
- Also heartwarming is their showing the entire ERB staff working together over the course of the video to make the scenes we love to see, giving the team their due outside of ERB2.
- Even while taking jabs at each other and attempting to get physical, Peter and Lloyd still take a moment to thank the viewers for enjoying their videos, and Peter apologizes to the editors for insulting their work earlier.
- A lot of the comments on the video, left back before Season 6 became reality, were made by concerned fans worried less about future rap battles and more about whether Peter and Lloyd were still friends, since the battle got a bit too personal for some viewers. One particular comment (with a heart by Peter and Lloyd!) simply states: "You're both winners. Now hug."
Season Six
Freddy Krueger vs. Wolverine
- Wolverine proudly declaring his title as a hero by saying he “saves the world”, reminding the clear differences between him and Freddy.
Ronald McDonald vs. The Burger King
- The Burger King makes a reference to his restaurant's onion rings, to which Ronald McDonald agrees they're pretty good before starting his next verse.
- The fact that, during this whole battle, both opponents ( and Wendy) seem to be pretty proud of what their restaurants serve. As corporate mascots, they could simply boast about profits, but nope, they really take more pride in their recipes.
- Ronald McDonald and the Burger King bob their heads to the beat of Wendy's verse. The King in particular does it even after being dissed, and they both casually shrug to each other after Wendy leaves the scene, making it clear that they're not offended.
George Carlin vs. Richard Pryor
- While it's a borderline Tear Jerker as well, Lloyd's impression of Robin Williams in George Carlin vs Richard Pryor is very faithful to the real deal.
- Williams saying "he loves the prince", after the uproar initially surrounding Will Smith playing his character in the Aladdin remake.
- At another point, he takes a break to admit that comedy isn't easy and they've all had their shortcomings.
- Not to mention, according to the BTS, he wasn't going to be in it at all, until the supporters of ERB on Patreon all collectively agreed he should get an appearance.
- A more subtle one, he only insults things that the subjects themselves made plenty of self-deprecating jokes about (Carlin’s aging, Rivers’ plastic surgery, Pryor’s Man on Fire incident), giving the impression he refuses to say anything genuinely hurtful.
- With the two comedians being good friends in real life, Williams is noticeably more friendly to Rivers than he is with Carlin and Pryor. He beams upon seeing her, calls her by her first name and even seems to spread out his arms for a hug (though Rivers crossly folds her arms in response).
- While Joan Rivers pulls no punches roasting Carlin, Pryor, and herself, she treats Bill Cosby with special disdain on behalf of all the women he raped.
Jacques Cousteau vs. Steve Irwin
- "Jacques Cousteau vs. Steve Irwin" ends with several clips of people cleaning up litter, as fitting for two conservationists.
- The end of the clip even shows two people dressed as Cousteau and Irwin cleaning up litter together, symbolising an Enemy Mine between the two men.
- Cousteau tries to end the battle early, but Irwin calls him back specifically to call him out on the damage inflicted on the wildlife by his old films, which are naturally an animal-lovers' nightmare.
Mother Teresa vs. Sigmund Freud
- Mother Teresa at first seeming to call Sigmund Freud a Worthy Opponent, even though only to psych him.
- Mother Teresa boasting about how she gave food, bed, medicine, and showers to the people who’s flesh had been affected by the leprosy.
- Sigmund Freud taking a moment to talk about how Teresa had a nice message behind her actions, even if her methods for them were detestable.
The Joker vs. Pennywise
- Pennywise threatens to eat Batman, which actually gets the Joker riled up. He doesn't lose his Slasher Smile, but you can hear the Tranquil Fury as he immediately threatens to knock out all of Pennywise's teeth if he touches "[his] Bat". Sure, it's mostly because Joker wants to be the one to kill Batman, but it's still adorable how protective he gets.
- There are some continuities where Joker actually likes Batman, either seeing him as a friend in his own twisted way or as a Worthy Opponent, lending this line more weight.
- Even Pennywise offers an example. After the Joker claims that "as far as Mr. King goes, I'm a shining man - wink!", Pennywise's response is to admit that he likes the work of Jack Nicholson (and uses it as a set up to mock the Joker's other incarnations instead). An unexpected demonstration of camaraderie from one Stephen King villain to another, especially considering that King himself actually hated Nicholson's version of Jack Torrance.
- The Joker, of all people, taking offense to the prepubescent orgy scene, saying even he wouldn't stoop that low.
Donald Trump vs Joe Biden
- After Trump's low blow about his wife and daughter's deaths, Biden opens his verse talking about the pain losing his loved ones, in a way not unsimilar to him directly addressing the audience during the first debate. It helps set an immediate contrast between the two men, Biden's empathy and compassion to Trump's brash arrogance.
- Biden bringing up Breonna Taylor after Trump trashes the Black Lives Matter movement before giving him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
Harry Potter vs Luke Skywalker
- Ron and Hermione are cheering behind Harry for his first verse. On the line "like Hermione and Ron, I'm about to get it on," the camera closes up on the couple with huge dorky smiles.
- Luke's True Companions have his back as well, with Han, R2-D2, and Yoda joining in his verses. Luke even says he learned from the best while gesturing to the latter.
- After Harry says "I roll deep and the Weasleys got my back", we get none other than Ron, Fred, and George, swooping in to deliver a few disses of their own! Made especially heartwarming when one realizes that Ron is often villainized in fanworks, to the point of being the literal Trope Namer for Ron the Death Eater.
- He also calls Alastor Moody "[his] man".
Season Seven
Jeff Bezos vs. Mansa Musa
- After getting a pretty big following reacting to ERB's (among other rap videos), Scru Face Jean finally made it to the channel playing Mansa Musa. His sheer joy and enthusiasm are infectious.
Henry Ford vs Karl Marx
- Marx is genuinely disgusted as he calls Ford out for his abusive treatment of his workers.
- When Ford accuses Marx of hypocrisy for living off of the income from Friedrich Engels' textile mills, Marx turns it around, pointing out that sharing money is part of what it means to be a communist, that Engels was extremely important to his cause, and was a true believer in their work.
Godzilla vs King Kong
- Special Thanks are credited to Freshy Kanal, an upstart rap battle channel.
- Godzilla gets in a good one when he namedrops Mothra and Rodan as his 'homies'.
- An odd but neat Shout-Out; King Kong apparently has a high opinion of the Kraken, claiming Godzilla isn't the "bombest monster from the sea" because Kraken is.
Bonus Battles
Deadpool vs. Boba Fett
- A minor one in the form of Deadpool's speech bubbles rapping alongside him for one short verse. It's definitely not uncommon for the three of them to be bickering or snarking at one another's expense, but here the "goofy" box quickly jumps to Deadpool's defense when Boba Fett calls him schizophrenic, and the "voice of reason" one wraps up a line in conjunction with Deadpool himself.
Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg
- You can tell in the BTS for Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg that after two years of remaining mum as to when (or for that matter if) they're bringing back the series, they're both ecstatic to be finally doing what they love again, and they're constantly thanking the fans for sticking with them.
