Boomstick: And for some reason, the weirdest of powers keep showin' up in teens. When's it gonna be our turn?
Wiz: Danny Phantom, Amity Park's half-human half-ghost superhero.
Boomstick: And Jake Long, the hip American Dragon of New York City.
From the turn of the millennium come the fighters of this season seven episode: bridges between humanity and the fantastic, these animated adolescents juggle ordinary lives with adventures protecting their hometowns from dark forces entwined within. A match of tradition and technology, fire and ice, will ensue between two demi-human heroes; Danny Phantom and Jake Long, two fledgling heroes, have taken on many comers and emerged victorious, but here, only one can claim such an honor by the end of a death battle.
The first of these teen heroes covered in the episode is one Danny Phantom, or, going by his civilian identity, Daniel Fenton. As a 14-year-old in the urban expanse of Amity Park, Danny's life was much the same as any teen, with responsibilites at school and a healthy social life to his name. The only real distinction is that Jack and Maddie, Danny's parents, had a deep fixation with studying, hunting, and dissecting ghosts. The Fenton household was rife with their inventions, the crown jewel being their ghost portal tied to another dimension rife with malevolent specters. Upon what was meant to be the portal's inaugural opening, only failure awaited the Fentons; despondent, Danny's parents gave up, leaving him to investigate it alone. Roaming through the machine's interior, Danny accidentally activated the portal. In the ensuing surge of ectoplasm, the energy emanating from the portal both permanently bonded with Danny's DNA and gave the apparitions within the ghost zone a means to escape. The Amity Park teen was quick to embrace his newfound powers and quicker to realize the threat posed by the spirits unleashed upon the living world. With otherworldly ghostly power at his disposal, he made it his role to protect the city from these ghosts, operating under the none-too-original alias of Danny Phantom.
As a liminal being between human and ghost, colloquially called a halfa, Danny can tap into his ghostly side at his leisure with all the powers it entails. Standard invisibility and intangibility are at the core of Danny's skillset; flight and taking possession of other beings are also included among them. The same ectoplasm that gave Danny his ghost powers is the source of supporting abilities beyond these. Danny can shape this otherworldly energy into protective barriers or direct it into concentrated blasts with most of the same properties as lasers. For more niche abilities, the halfa hero can create duplicates of himself that share the same powers and operate indepently of his will. He is also capable of detecting the presence of any other nearby ghosts; this ghost sense, a wisp of energy that escapes Danny upon being triggered, turned out to be only a small part of his latent prowess in cryomancy, which is otherwise used in the form of expelling icicles and cold energy. As impressive as the scope and versatility of all these powers may be, there is one final trick at Danny's disposal and arguably the greatest he has: the ghostly wail. An omnidirectional shout that generates waves of ectoplasmic energy, the ghostly wail can obliterate weaker ghosts through its sheer volume. It is then telling that Danny only uses his family's equipment sparingly; his only mainstay that can be construed as a weapon would be the Fenton Thermos, reserved for safely apprehending subdued ghosts.
For still being a teen, Danny has accrued a wealth of experience in the short time since gaining his powers. An average ectoplasmic ray can exert 550 tons of energy, and, as stated before, have a physical makeup similar to a laser. In the ghost ray's case, that includes a velocity comparable to the speed of light; the fact that Danny both fires and reacts to these rays from opposing ghosts serves as testament to his skill. Indeed, with strength and speed like this, Danny proves himself as an equal to villains such the ghost dragon Dorathea, fellow halfa Vlad Plasmius, and even a more experienced version of himself from a possible future. Dorathea, in particular, failing to best the teenaged halfa should be taken as a point of pride on Danny's part; her fire, which can clear several hundred square meters of sky, is equivalent to 7 and a half kilotons of TNT. If anything, the more likely way for Danny to be defeated is through his own faults. There is a noted tendency for him to lose his powers, forcibly reverting him back to human form, and the ghostly wail notably taxes his stamina, which can yield the same result. In addition, he is still a teen, and subject to the mental rashness associated with such. Even so, it is easy to remember that Danny is a hero, one dedicated to his self-imposed life goal.
- Danny Phantom: I'm going ghost! (transforms into his ghostly self, surrounded in a cyclone)
Having wrapped up Danny, the analysis phase moves on to Jake Long and the web of intrigue he was born into. Since time immemorial, dragons have existed around the world, protecting the secrets of magic and all who practice it. Opposing dragons and the magical community at large are an order of warriors known as the Huntsclan, who seek to purge the earth of all magic creatures. The Huntsclan have faced conflict with the bloodlines of countless dragons through the passage of time. One such case was Luong Lao Shi, the Chinese Dragon. When he chose to move to New York, Lao Shi also had to pass his duties as protector of the magical community to a descendant; as his daughter had no affinity for the draconic, the role instead fell into the hands of Jake, his oldest grandchild. When he was only 13, Jake's dragon powers started coming to light and Lao Shi took it upon himself to mold his grandson into a warrior worthy of the family legacy. Jake has since spent his days working to strike a balance between his day-to-day affairs and his training under Lao Shi, all so he may earn his place as guardian of the United States' magical community, the first American Dragon.
There is a heavy responsibility on Jake's shoulders, but Lao Shi's efforts to hone his power have paid off. Jake's bipedal dragon form comes with a fitting anatomy; tail, claws, and wings, all as durable as his armored scales. There is no need for Jake to induce a complete transformation when he needs to use his powers; individual body parts can freely shift between their human and dragon states. As a result, Jake has full access to a majority of his skillset as he needs it, such as the Eye and Ear of the Dragon that grant him heightened senses. Magical by nature, dragons such as Jake are highly attuned to other magic creatures, meaning he can fight ghosts and other dragons. As should be expected from his magic powers and simply being a dragon, Jake can generate and weaponize fire, both in the form of concentrated streams and as fireballs. He can even, if with some effort, duplicate himself for impromptu assistance in a fight. Even then, Jake is still not helpless even putting aside his numerous magical abilities; he is a gifted martial artist thanks to Lao Shi's training, able to perform acrobatic flips and strikes in both human and dragon forms.
The life of the American Dragon can be harrowing, but Jake manages to push himself through every ordeal. His in-flight speed is able to reach 180 mph exactly, while he consistently dodges light-speed laser blasts from Huntsclan-based weapons. In the way of strength, Jake can lift stone slabs and giant creatures weighing several hundred pounds; the force exerted by his fire attacks, which can destroy stone walls, is even greater, being comparable to nuclear weapons. Just as the scale of Jake's powers and accomplishments is wide, so too are the array of foes he has defeated to prove them. His nemeses in the Huntsclan, an evil clone with the same powers, and even the Dark Dragon, the greatest threat to the magic community, have all been felled at some point or another in the American Dragon's travels. It should be made clear, there are only two real things that work against Jake: his own brash nature and the more esoteric sphinx hair. With those out the way, the American Dragon is sure to prove his place in the world of magic is well-earned against any whom dare challenge him.
- Jake Long: Dragon up! (takes a stance as he assumes his dragon form)
With all that said, the two fighters have been studied and nothing remains to keep them waiting. It's time for a death battle!
Buried beneath the nighttime skyline of New York City, a closed museum plays host to one Danny Fenton. The Amity Park teenager, having just placed a missing skull into its rightful sarcophagus, admires his good doing when a second voice cuts through the empty halls. Jake Long, the American Dragon, has mistaken Danny for a thief and prepares to force Danny out the premises, shifting into his red reptilian form to do so. In the midst of Danny's confusion, the dragon lunges towards his foe and hurtles him towards the museum walls before giving chase once more. Even in uncontrolled flight, Danny has the clarity of mind to take action; rings of light dart from out the halfa, and where Danny Fenton once was, but Danny Phantom takes his place.
FIGHT!
With his eyes glowing a brilliant green, Danny flashes a cocky grin as he phases through the incoming wall. Jake, meanwhile, slams into it and barely has time to nurse the injury before Danny's taunting voice rings clear. The halfa dives back into the fray and begins to pummel the American Dragon before Jake comes to his senses. As he takes to the skies, the hero of Amity Park dodges plumes of fire before grabbing the dragon's tail and flinging him against the marble floor; a diving stomp onto said tail, punctuated by a sharp crack, only complements the intensity on Danny's face. Ectoplasm swirls around a closed hand before Danny drives his fist into the New Yorker's gaping maw. The dragon is driven through a stone coffin, which proves thick enough to halt his careening about. Picking up a fragment, the American Dragon watches as the rock is tossed at a now-intangible Danny. Another snide taunt from the halfa wears on Jake's nerves, shown by how he flings a second stone to disguise him following after it. Taken by surprise as the rock is reduced to rubble inches in front of him, Danny is left open for attack. Jake drives his claws into the specter before throwing him earthward.
The phantom touches down just in time for Jake to continue slashing at him, ectoplasm spraying out of Danny with every swipe of the dragon's claws. With a final breath of flame, the draconic hero launches his foe backward. This, in turn, gives the teenaged apparition enough time to retreat, turning invisible as Jake closes the distance. With Danny nowhere in sight, Jake calls upon the Eye of the Dragon to aid him. Even with the golden aura around his eyes, Jake remains unaware of the mummy creeping up on him from behind until the last minute. He plunges his claws into the mummy and soars out the museum, Danny firmly in tow. A swift punch, however, proves enough to break the dragon's hold on Danny. The American Dragon sees his left arm has been encased in ice but can afford no time to deal with the situation; a cryogenic volley is incoming. Swerving around the frigid blast, Jake musters the strength to tear his arm free from the ice just in time to return Danny's hook with a punch of his own. The distance between the two is enough for Long to expel another stream of flame; this Danny meets with another ice ray.
Streams of cyan and gold collide before these dueling elements result in a tremendous burst of energy. The ensuing mist dies down a second later, but that second is enough for Danny Phantom to fly straight towards Jake and draw breath. In a deafening bellow, the ghostly wail's energy pulses send Jake rocketing through the sky, the flapping of his wings just enough to reorient himself. Danny touches down on a neighboring billboard, and after him, three more Dannys. The two teenage demi-humans have a brief exchange of words before Jake answers Danny's doppelgänger gambit with his own set of duplicates. The four dragons fly towards the ghostly quartet, and the specters charge forth in turn. Explosions soon fill the city air as fire and ectoplasma surges across the battleground. The clones of Danny and Jake give chase to one another, yet the chase is brief as each clone of the American Dragon gets the better of his halfa opponent. All four Dannys are tossed onto a skyscraper rooftop, and the four Jakes fly around them, creating a crimson tornado. Once they soar back out, each dragon unleashes another torrent of fire; one of the Dannys barely escapes the cyclone just as the tornado is consumed by fire and erupts across the roof.
Jake dismisses his clones upon seeing the scorched concrete, and assuming the best, lets his guard down in self-assured victory. Danny is quick to deprive Jake of that comfort, becoming intangible and flying straight into the dragon teen. Try as he does to resist Danny taking control over his body, the dragon's saffron eye giving way to white sclera and emerald iris tells all. With the American Dragon under his possession, Danny takes Jake for an uncontrolled flight around the city, repeatedly slamming into buildings as he boasts about his superior skill. Once Jake is forced into a steep descent towards the pavement, the halfa hero makes his escape and primes both palms with ectoplasmic energy. This ghostly laser closes in on Jake and consumes him fully. Reduced to ash before the laser dies down, Jake reappears in human form; from the waist down, however, he is little more than a wispy tail. The ghost of the American Dragon is shocked at first, but his confusion turns to horror hearing the crackling suction behind him. A vacuum effect slowly drags Jake away, and his brief attempt to struggle is cut short by his being sucked into the Fenton Thermos. As Danny seals it shut, the thermos's blue glow, much like the battle, swiftly ends.
K.O.!
As with every fight, retrospective analysis is due, and so the case is here. With the different selection of abilities each combatant had, comparing them was an interesting endeavor. Jake had greater technique through his martial arts, and his ability to hit ghosts would be of some help; the problem lies in the fact that Danny greatly outclasses the ghosts that Jake has come up against. Danny also had more experience under his belt, and while they have both reacted to light-speed lasers, Danny has shown to be both faster and more consistent in movement speed. In the way of energy output, Jake's wall-busting fire breath is equivalent to 31 tons of energy. Danny, by using Dorathea as a reference point, can survive flames over 200 times greater than that. The various long-ranged powers Danny has, such as ecto lasers and ice blasts, would also be more than a match for Jake's fire breath. Other powers in Jake's lineup are similarly countered by those in Danny's; the latter could duplicate himself just as easily and his invisibility would bypass the Eye of the Dragon. Jake, meanwhile, had no suitable answer for any other abilities that Danny had, meaning he would be vulnerable to techniques like possession and the ghostly wail. To summarize, Jake could put up a fight for some time, but against Danny's superior versatility and physicality, any resistance would be swiftly and decisively put down for good.
- Boomstick: It didn't take Long for Jake to fall short in this phantastic battle.
Wiz: The winner is Danny Phantom!
Danny Phantom vs. American Dragon Jake Long contains examples of:
- Attack the Tail: Danny to Jake shortly after transforming, to painful effect.
- Bait-and-Switch: At the end of the fight, Danny and his clones are trapped then seemingly finished off by a combined fire breath attack — although a sharp eye would notice one of the Dannys escaping the attack. It appears to be a victory for Jake, right before Danny reappears behind Jake, possesses and disorients him, and opens him up to Danny's finishing move.
- Broken Win/Loss Streak:
- Not for the two series, but for the voice of Danny, Nicholas Andrew Louie. Previously voicing characters who have lost, he finally plays the character who wins.
- In Disney's case, this is the first time an in-house character loses on the show, after two consecutive wins with Goliath and Scrooge McDuck.
- Bullying a Dragon: Ironically, Jake, an actual dragon, is the bully in this case, attacking Danny after mistaking him for a thief, only to find out at the cost of his life that the ghost boy was a lot more powerful than him.
- Continuity Nod: Like with other cartoon heroes, Boomstick spends plenty of time reciting Danny Phantom's and American Dragon: Jake Long´s Expository Theme Tunes. At least this time he's aware of it.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Despite being largely outclassed by Danny's greater physical might and ghostly powers, Jake does give his opponent some trouble thanks to his martial arts skills and ability to harm ghosts. Jake even manages to draw (ectoplasmic) blood from Danny and overpower his duplicates with his own before he is defeated.
- Fartillery: Both Danny and Jake are shown in their respective shows to be able to fire from their rears. Wiz thinks both of them should see doctors because of this.
- Fire/Ice Duo: This episode pits Danny Phantom whose ghostly powers include ice versus Jake Long whose draconic powers include fire.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus:
- When Danny and his clones land on the billboard after Jake is sent flying through it, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment
◊ where they dab upon landing. - When Jake's clones perform a massive fire attack against Danny's clones on the roof, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment where one of the Danny's flees the area. This one, the real one, manages to get Jake when his guard is down.
- When Danny and his clones land on the billboard after Jake is sent flying through it, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment
- Got Me Doing It: After the beginning portion of Danny's rundown sees Boomstick rattle off the show's opening, Wiz gets into quoting snippets of it later on, much to his ire.
- Lame Pun Reaction: Pretty much everyone from the hosts to the fighters gets at least one bad pun. Even Boomstick, of all people, expresses disappointment at Wiz's poor pun attempt.
- Magic Versus Science: On team Science, there's Danny, the product of a trans-dimensional lab accident equipped with faux-Ghostbusters technology; on team Magic, there's Jake, the dragon shapeshifter who safeguards magic creatures. Thanks to his wider skill set and overall better skill, point goes to science.
- Product Placement: When Danny uses his Ghostly Wail to blow Jake away, the dragon crashes through a billboard with an advertisement for Red vs. Blue Zero on it.
- Riddle for the Ages: Who stole that skull in the first place that Danny had to return?
- Shout-Out:
- Boomstick compares the Fenton Thermos to something straight up from Ghostbusters
- When talking about Fu Dog causing the Titanic sinking, he mourns Leonardo DiCaprio and thanked him for teaching him how to fight bears.
- A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: This entire fight starts because Jake assumes Danny was the thief stealing artifacts from the musem...but the audience knows that Danny was returning the artifact back from the true thief.
- Trash Talk: Both combatants trade boasts and taunts to each other during the fight.
