(A/N: Justice from Afro Samurai vs. Alexander Anderson from Hellsing. Two powerful warrior extremists with regenerative powers on their own righteous path to make the world a better place through violent means with the use of holy items. Who will win?)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"JUSTICE vs. ALEXANDER ANDERSON"
INTRODUCTION
Wiz: There are many roads down the path of righteousness, but some of them can be rather… unorthodox.
Boomstick: And if you're an extremist who deals in absolutes, well, that road can get rather messy.
Wiz: Justice, the gunslinging wielder of the Number One Headband who seeks to become God.
Boomstick: And Father Alexander Anderson, the religious nutjob and secret weapon of the Iscariots. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, powers, and skills to find out who would win a Death Battle.
JUSTICE
Wiz: In the world of Afro Samurai, there is a legend of the Number One and Number Two Headbands, and they are a prize coveted by many.
Boomstick: Yeah, but if you're going for them, then you best be willing to risk your life and take the lives of others, because that's really the only way to get them.
Wiz: While ownership of these headbands has switched around over time, one of the few individuals to obtain the Number One is a man known as Justice.
BACKGROUND:
Age: unknown
Height: 6'5
Mutant human
Holds the title of Number One
Former holder of the Number Two Headband
Also known as "The One" and "Three-Armed Gunman"
Trained by Sword Master
Former best friend of Rokutaro
Believes in gaining world peace by use of force
Occasionally draws out his "Ss"
Boomstick: Is that the guy's real name, or is it just something he call himself?
Wiz: This is unknown, as is most of his history. What is known though is that he was once part of the same clan of swordsmen as Rokutaro, the father of the series protagonist, Afro. During this time, many people fought and died in the attempt to obtain the Number One Headband, causing a never-ending cycle of killing and bloodshed.
Boomstick: You may be asking yourself, what's the big deal with this Number One Headband? Bragging rights of being the world's number one fighter? Well, yes, but there was a little more to it than that.
Wiz: See, the Numbered Headbands are no ordinary headbands. They're actually sacred cloths that provide the owner with great power. And the owner of the Number One Headband is stated to be granted the right to rule the world and provide them with things like great knowledge, supernatural power, and even godhood.
Boomstick: And the only way to become the Number One is to kill the current one. However, the only person who can challenge the Number One is the wielder of the Number Two Headband. The problem with that is that anyone can challenge the Number Two. So you've got a bunch of people killing each other trying to get the Number Two Headband, all for the chance to try to become Number One.
Wiz: Seeing all this bloodshed, Justice sought to put an end to all the violence by any means necessary. Seeking to bring the world peace, he believed that the only way this could be done would be for him to obtain the Number One Headband for himself and use its power to force people to stop warring over it. This put him at odds ends with Rokutaro, his childhood friend.
Boomstick: Which is a real shame, because the two of them were once besties. But their different points of view eventually caused them to drift apart.
Wiz: See, Justice was a believer in absolute power and sought to use it to make all the fighting stop, while Rokutaro thought that it would be best to simply hide the Headbands away so no one could get ahold of them in the first place, presumably since the Headbands can't be destroyed. Eventually though, Rokutaro did manage to obtain the Number One Headband while Justice obtained the Number Two. This led to their final confrontation, where Justice was finally able become the Number One by killing his former friend.
Boomstick: Only he didn't just kill him, he decapitated the guy right in front of kid Afro's eyes. That is all kinds of messed up.
Wiz: Yes, despite being an apparent seeker of peace, Justice has displayed rather sadistic traits and a rather cruel personality at times. And while he does claim to feel remorse for those he kills, he doesn't show any regret, and even seems to find enjoyment in his killings.
Boomstick: The guy even gave Afro his father's decapitated head along with the Number Two Headband and basically taunted the kid and told him to come challenge him when he was ready, then laughed about it. That was something he would come to regret.
Wiz: Despite having achieved godhood status, Justice eventually came to believe that the only way for him to become a true god is for him to obtain all the sacred Headbands, presumably each one granting the owner a different power. He succeeded in this by killing all the other Headband owners and decorating his throne room with their corpses.
Boomstick: The bringer of world peace, everyone, the bringer of world peace.
Wiz: However, there was one Headband that he never managed to obtain, and that was the Number Two.
Boomstick: And it was wielded by none other than a grownup Afro, who was back for revenge.
Wiz: And after a particularly brutal fight, where Afro very nearly lost his life, he was able to take his revenge and give Justice a rather gruesome end.
Boomstick: It really was close though. Even without the Number One Headband, Justice is no pushover.
POWERS AND ABILITIES:
Superhuman speed, strength, durability
Skilled gunman
Swordsmanship
Hidden third arm
Regeneration
High pain tolerance
Longevity
Teleportation
Body manipulation
Tree trunk-like limbs
Semi-immortality
Arm tentacles
Spike projections
Spiritual leadership
Godhood powers via Number One Headband
Wiz: Justice is primarily a highly killed gunslinger. Wielding two long barreled pistols, he's able to gun down anyone in his path.
Boomstick: But he's not just good with guns, he's also a skilled swordsman. Which makes sense since he was trained by Sword Master. Seriously, who gives their kids these names?
Wiz: Even though he mostly relies on his guns for combat, Justice also has a katana that he keeps hidden in his jacket that he uses for surprise attacks. He wields this sword with an extra-long third arm that he has growing out of his back. This actually earned him the nickname the Three-Armed Gunman.
Boomstick: That's actually how he beat he beat Afro's daddy. They were fighting and suddenly, surprise! Decapitation! He almost killed Afro this way as well, but Afro got lucky when Justice's sword ended up hitting the steel ninja comb he got from his lover, Otsuru, which blocked the blow, otherwise he would have ended up with his head sliced in two, because Justice's sword, that thing cut that comb to pieces.
Wiz: But Justice isn't just a deadly combatant, he's also a survivor. This is due to regenerative abilities he has, allowing him to survive otherwise lethal injuries and heal from them. He can also apparently restore his youth by absorbing blood, going from old and decrepit to young and strong in a matter of seconds.
Boomstick: So, what, he's like a vampire? Super strong, super fast, super durable, healing abilities, and he can absorb blood to become young again.
Wiz: Well, no, he's not a vampire, but he no longer seems to be fully human either. While he was once a normal human, he mutated after an accident in his past caused him to become submerged in toxic waste. This is the cause for his strange abilities and the development of his third arm. It's also the cause for his disease-ridden appearance.
Boomstick: I was wondering why he looked like a cross between Deadpool and Freddy Krueger. The guy definitely has a face for radio.
Wiz: But Justice's mutations grant him more than just healing abilities. He also seems to gain shapeshifting abilities to an extent. In his showdown with Afro, after his left and right arms get cut off, he grows fleshy tendrils from the severed ends and uses them to connect to the ground and shoot spikes at his opponents. And looking at the corpses in his throne room, several of his victims fell prey to this attack, and he very nearly killed Afro this way as well.
Boomstick: Yeah, but instead he only ended up stabbing through Afro's afro. And thinking he won, he let his guard down, allowing Afro to slice Justice to pieces and finally out an end to him once and for all. Guess he never should have given little Afro the Number Two Headband, even if Afro did lose it but get it back later. Speaking of which, why didn't Justice just keep both Headbands? If the only one who can kill the Number One is the Number Two, he should have just hung onto it so no one could challenge him.
Wiz: Well, aside from ego, even though it was never directly stated, evidence suggests that a person can't possess both Headbands at once. This is demonstrated in how once Afro killed Justice, as the Number One Headband came to him, the Number Two unraveled from his head and blew away. So presumably there's some divine intervention to stop someone from having both, just as there is to prevent someone without the Number Two Headband from killing the Number One, be this by some kind of divine intervention or simply making the Number One immortal. Really, it's all very vague.
Boomstick: Well, if that's the case, then how did that Sio girl manage to get the Number One Headband from Afro when she didn't have the Number Two?
Wiz: Ah, yes, this is where some of the vagueness of the Number One Headband comes into play. See, after Afro killed Justice and became Number One, he more or less lost his purpose in life, having lived solely for vengeance, and he allowed the guilt and regret he felt for all the people he killed consume him, practically giving up on life. When Sio attacked him, Afro didn't bother to fight back at all, so there was nothing stopping her from taking the Number One Headband from him, despite not having the Number Two since Afro basically just let her have it.
Boomstick: Got it, so the Number One immortality thing is circumstantial. And you know, if you think about it, Sio didn't kill him, she just took the Headband. So maybe, in a way, it did kind of save him since she didn't have the Number Two Headband.
Wiz: I suppose that's an interesting way of looking at the situation, but as we said, the Number One's powers are vague. It may grant power, intelligence, and godhood, but it never actually indicates what this means, and any special abilities Justice uses seem to be his own and not any kind of power granted to him by the Number One Headband. Although, it's possible that the Number One Headband's powers simply don't work on the Number Two, which is why only they can defeat the Number One, but we have no way to confirm or deny this.
Boomstick: Even in the Afro Samurai game, when Afro fights Justice, he can only do things like stretch out his limbs, turn his missing arms into tree branch-like limbs, and even teleport. Now, I can accept that the first two powers are abilities he developed from his whole mutation thing, but teleporting? That's gotta be a power of the Headband.
Wiz: It's hard to say, as the video game is different from the anime, where instead of Afro fighting Justice at the end of his journey, Justice is already dead, and instead Afro faces down his inner demons in the form of Justice in a battle that takes place in his mind. So whether the real Justice or not has teleporting abilities as well or if they're just a result of Afro's imagination is unknown.
Boomstick: Well, like I said, I can accept the tree arms and stretchy limbs, but that teleporting thing is kind of fishy.
Wiz: One power we do know that the Headband does grant the owner does seem to be a bit of omnipresence, as Justice was able to watch Afro's journey, and he was even able to see Afro's imaginary friend, Ninja-Ninja.
Boomstick: Oh, yeah, I loved that guy. Wish I had a coping mechanism imaginary friend like that.
FEATS:
Became Number Two
Became Number One
Defeated Rokutaro
Killed all the other holders of the Numbered Headbands (except Afro)
Achieved godhood status
Founded his own religion
Almost killed Afro
Survived near decapitation
Took control of the world
Wiz: But whatever Justice's godly powers may be, there's no doubt that Justice took his godly status worldwide. After having obtained the title of Number One, Justice traveled to Mount Sumeru, where he took up residence in the head of a giant Buddha in the City of the Gods known as Bhava-agra. He would then go on to do what he set out to do and take control of the world.
Boomstick: He even founded his own religion, like with churches, statues, symbols, and everything, and came to be known as "The One". Hell, he even had teachings, commandments, and even held a Mass in his honor. Man, I wish I had my own religion. The church of Boomstick, where instead of bread and wine, communion will consist of hotdogs and beer.
Wiz: That's a rather unhealthy communion.
Boomstick: Hey, don't tell me about unhealthy habits. Justice is a smoker, and he's fine. Hell, he didn't so much as cough or wheeze once.
Wiz: That may be more related to his regenerative abilities, as we've seen Justice take some pretty substantial damage and not even seem all that bothered by it.
Boomstick: Like when Afro cut off his arms and even part of his chin, and Justice was only mildly annoyed about it and just kept fighting like nothing happened.
Wiz: But Justice's most impressive display of survival and regeneration would have to be when Afro cut through his neck. In fact, he more or less decapitated him, leaving Justice's head hanging on by just as few strands of flesh.
Boomstick: Oh, just say it, Wiz, Afro turned the guy into a frickin' Pez dispenser, but Justice just reattached his head and laughed it off, then went right back to fighting. It actually took him getting sliced to pieces to finally put him down for good.
Wiz: And even accomplishing that was no easy feat, and really only happened because he was taken by surprise. Because not only does Justice possess superhuman strength, but superhuman speed as well; enough to match, if not surpass Afro.
Boomstick: And trust me, that's really saying something since we've seen Afro do things like dodge lasers and cut bullets out of thin air. So if Justice is at least on Afro's level, then you know he's one tough S.O.B.
Wiz: Even with his godhood status aside, it's very easy to see how and why Justice was able to obtain the title of Number One.
ALEXANDER ANDERSON
Wiz: Vampires. Werewolves. Ghouls. Demons. These are just some of the many foul creatures that go bump in the night.
Boomstick: Usually you can count on the Hellsing Organization to take care of these baddies. I mean, no kidding, they've got the freakin' King of Vampires on their side. There ain't no one more badass than Alucard.
Wiz: However, the Iscariot Organization, an secret organization created by the Vatican, tended to frown on Hellsing's methods of fighting evil, especially since they employed vampires such as Alucard to do their dirty work. This sparked a bit of a hostile rivalry between the two groups.
Boomstick: So in order to hold their own against the descendants of Van Helsing, the Iscariots engineered this guy, Father Alexander Anderson. Strap yourselves in for this Stephen King religious kook of a character.
BACKGROUND:
Full name: Father Alexander Anderson
Age: unknown (physically 40s)
Height: Approx. 6'8
Species: Altered human/regenerator
Affiliations: Roman Catholic Church, Iscariot (Vatican Section XIII)
Occupation: Vatican priest, Holy Warrior of Iscariot
Iscariot's trump card
Religious fanatic and extremist
Holds the titles of The Paladin, The Bayonet Priest, The Blade Master, The Angel's Dust, The Purifier, The Ripper, God's Assassin, Saint Guillotine, The Blue Light of Persecution, The Golden Cross Bearer
Wiz: To be perfectly frank, Father Anderson made for the perfect weapon of the Iscariots. Utterly devoted to his faith, he is completely dedicated to his mission of cleansing the world of evil, especially when it comes to the supernatural.
Boomstick: He's pleasant enough in normal company and can actually be a pretty chill guy. But when it's time for him to go on the hunt, oh boy, you can bet it's gonna be a bloodbath. And unless you want him to send you to the Lord, you better get your ass as far away from him as you can. Well, unless you're a bunch of senior citizens on a tour of an art museum.
Wiz: While he makes a point not to harm innocent bystanders, Father Anderson will mercilessly cut down any who stands in his path with sadistic glee. And when it comes to those he's actually hunting, Father Anderson will take great pleasure in delivering divine punishment upon them, and will sometimes even torment his victims before killing them. In fact, he seems to rather enjoy watching the suffering of those he deems to be evil or heathens.
Boomstick: No, seriously though, there are some real religious fanatics out there, but they've got nothing on this guy. The man is clearly insane, and he seems to enjoy his job a little too much. Especially when it means he gets to go head-to-head with Alucard.
Wiz: Ever since their initial meeting, both Father Anderson and Alucard became sworn adversaries. And really the only thing preventing them from tearing each other apart and leaving a bloody trail of chaos and destruction in their wake are orders from their superiors, Integra Hellsing and Enrico Maxwell.
Boomstick: Yeah, but those two pretty much hate each other too, but they at least know how to pretend to be civil towards each other because of the truce they share. Of course, Anderson and Alucard won't hesitate to beat the shit out of each other at any given moment.
Wiz: While both the Iscariots and Hellsing attempt to stay out of each other's way for the most part, with the rising threat of Millennium, an organization of Nazi vampires, whose sole purpose is to bring forth a never-ending war and cause as much chaos, bloodshed, and destruction as possible, both sides found themselves crossing paths more and more.
Boomstick: Which meant Ally and Anders often ended up running into each other. Which also meant they would try to kill each other. But at the same time, they also have an almost friendly rivalry and reluctant respect for each other. Just chalk up their relationship to 'it's complicated'.
Wiz: This rivalry would ultimately come to a head during Millennium's attack on London. After Alucard unleashed his full power to wipe out the entire Nazi-vampire army, along with the Iscariots' private army–
Boomstick: Private army? More like Crusaders. Seriously, that Maxwell guy went full-on psychopath. It's no wonder Anderson betrayed and killed his ass.
Wiz: Well, Father Anderson didn't kill Maxwell himself, but he did break through his defenses and leave him to die at the hands of Alucard's familiars. Which just goes to show that despite Maxwell being of higher ranking in the Vatican's holy order, Father Anderson would destroy corruption wherever he saw it, even if it's from someone who was on his side and shared his faith.
Boomstick: And after basically killing his boss and losing most of his army to Alucard, Anderson tried to take down the vamp king once all the Nazi nutjobs were dealt with. Buuut this is what eventually led to Anderson's death at Alucard's hands.
Wiz: He did come close though. In fact, Alucard himself acknowledged Father Anderson's worth and considered him worthy to finally be the one to kill him once and for all, as it has been implied that he had been hoping to find someone who could actually kill him, and Father Anderson very nearly did.
Boomstick: Well, no kidding. Have you seen this guy fight? The dude is a total beast. Why don't they teach you how to fight like that at Sunday school? I'd be so down for it.
POWERS AND ABILITIES:
Superhuman speed, strength, durability
Regeneration
Blessed bayonet blades
Exploding bladed chain
Teleportation via scripture pages
Hand-to-hand combat
Holy barriers via scripture pages
High pain tolerance
Unshakable will and faith Helena's Nail
Holy fire pyrokinesis (with Helena's Nail)
Holy thorns (with Helena's Nail)
Semi-immortality (with Helena's Nail)
Wiz: Father Anderson's standard weapon of choice are a series of blessed bayonets blades that he usually duel wields. Usually keeping several on him at once, he wields them with such speed and accuracy that he was once even able to behead Alucard before the vampire king could react.
Boomstick: Yeah, and old Ally can actually move fast enough to dodge bullets. Though he normally just takes the gunfire with a smile on his face; the guy's a total masochist.
Wiz: But Father Anderson doesn't rely solely on his blades. He's also able to make use of pages that seem to contain holy writing. With these pages, he's able to create holy barriers that can trap creatures of darkness, allowing him to hunt them down at his leisure.
Boomstick: Or use them to teleport himself away, however the hell that works. Wait, did he teleport, or actually turn himself into pages and fly away. It was really vague. But when he needs to take out a bunch of baddies at once, he's got these bladed chains with a bunch of explosives on them that he can use to blow away groups of enemies all at once.
Wiz: But even without weapons or sacred items, Father Anderson is a formidable opponent. He's a skilled brawler with strength and speed that far surpass those of a normal human, allowing him to match vampires in battle, and very nearly Alucard himself. His speed is as such that he's able to dodge bullets, and he's strong enough to cut a subway car in two with his blades or throw his blades with enough force to pierce a tektite composite shield. He's been able to punch with enough force to cause Alucard to stagger, and Alucard is known for withstanding high caliber gunshots and barely being fazed.
Boomstick: He's also super durable as well. No, really, this guy tales a licking and keeps on kicking, even tanking blows from Alucard, and that dude is strong! Hell, most of the time it even seems like he's resistant to pain. At one point, he gets so mutilated in battle that his limbs are practically falling off, but he doesn't even flinch. Like the time his arm went limp after nearly being severed, the guy just kept hold of his blade and bit into his sleeve so he could use his head to swing his blade around since he couldn't move his arm on its own anymore.
Wiz: However, Father Anderson's most noteworthy ability would have to be his regeneration. Having been experimented on and engineered by the Iscariots, Father Anderson gained regenerative abilities that would allow him to heal from any injury mere seconds after having sustained it.
Boomstick: Like the time he took a gunshot to the head at near pointblank range from Alucard's gun. This gun. He took the shot at arm's length, but then he just got up and sliced Ally's head clean off his shoulders. Hey, is it just me, or did this kind of give the two of them a whole Dracula versus Frankenstein vibe?
Wiz: These regenerative abilities also seemed to have slowed down or possibly even halted Father Andersons aging process, as evident to him looking exactly the same when Maxwell was an adult, despite having met him while he was still just a child.
Boomstick: Wait, a psycho priest meeting a young boy? Uh oh.
Wiz: Boomstick, don't you dare!
Boomstick: Ah, come on, it's called dark humor.
Wiz: There was no indication of that from Father Anderson at all. And those jokes are inappropriate.
Boomstick: The best jokes are.
Wiz: Boomstick…
Boomstick: Alright, fine, no perverted priest jokes, you killjoy.
Wiz: Thank you. Now, as I was saying… Um…
Boomstick: His regeneration.
Wiz: Right, right. Father Anderson's regenerative abilities not only make him a formidable foe, but also a relentless one, allowing him to fight for long periods of time with little to no signs of fatigue. It was thanks to this and his unshakable will and faith that he was able to endure and fight his way through Alucard's army of familiars.
Boomstick: Hold up a sec. I remember that part. That was when his arm went limp after it was severed and was hanging on by just a few strands of meat, so he used his mouth to have his arm swing around his blade. But if he's supposed to regenerate, then why didn't his arm heal? Did all his injuries override his healing factor or something?
Wiz: Actually no. The reason his injuries didn't heal in this case is because of how he obtained the injury. See, when Alucard kills someone by drinking their blood, he actually absorbs their life and even their very soul. This turns his victims into his familiars, and they become a part of him, granting him their strength and any special abilities they might have. And one of the people Alucard consumed was the Dandy Man.
Boomstick: Oh, I remember that guy. He was the dude with the really long name and magic cards. Man, Alucard messed him up good.
Wiz: Yes, and if you'll recall, Dandy Man's cards had sharp edges, and when he cut someone with them, the wounds stayed open. Not even Alucard's vampire healing ability was able to heal these wounds, not until he drank blood anyway. And since Alucard consumed Dandy Man, he gained the power of his magic cards. It was with these cards that Father Anderson was struck with that prevented him from healing, and were the cause of his arm getting injured.
Boomstick: But Anderson had a solution for that too, and a way for him to get the best of Alucard. Presenting, the Nail of Helena!
Wiz: For those of you that don't know, Helena's Nail is the name given to one of the nails that pierced Christ's body when he was nailed to the cross. So devoted to his faith and his mission was he, along with his determination to kill Alucard, that Father Anderson used this ancient relic to become a "Monster of God".
Boomstick: Which was apparently the equivalent of what Dracula did to become the King of Vampires. And let me tell you, Alucard was not happy with Anderson's choice. He viewed himself as a monster, and would often declare that only a man could kill and monster, and he didn't want Anderson to give up his humanity and become one too, be it for the divine or the demonic. His words.
Wiz: But Father Anderson was so devoted to his cause that he even stated that he would have been happy having been created as nothing more than a miracle of God, even if that miracle was a powerful storm or a mighty explosion in God's name.
Boomstick: Which doesn't make any sense. I mean, an explosion isn't sentient, so how could he be happy as one? But whatever, to each their own. So Anderson took that nail and stabbed it into his own heart. And somehow, his made him really thorny.
Wiz: We mean that literally, as Father Anderson became a living mass of thorns in the shape of a man. This not only greatly increased his speed and strength, but also greatly enhanced his healing abilities.
FEATS:
Killed numerous vampire and ghouls
Disemboweled a vampire with his bare hands
Killed millions of Alucard's familiars
Killed Enrico Maxwell (indirectly)
Survived numerous fatal injuries
Saved Integra
Dodged and caught bullets with his blades
Sliced a subway car in two
Became a "Monster of God" via Helena's Nail
Holy thorned vines (with Helena's Nail)
Surpassed Alucard at Level Zero in speed and strength (with Helena's Nail)
Defeated Alucard at Level Zero (temporarily)
Nearly killed Alucard (prevented via interference)
Boomstick: No joke. Alucard actually blew his head apart, but Anderson's head grew back in like, less than a second. He then went on to wipe out Alucard's entire familiar army, and they ranged in the millions.
Wiz: We mentioned before that Alucard absorbs the lives, souls, and powers of those he feeds on. However, when granted permission from his current master, in this case Integra, Alucard can lift the restraints on his power to Level Zero, allowing him to unleash all his familiars at once to attack his enemies.
Boomstick: That's how he single-handedly wiped out the Nazi and Iscariot armies, because he literally is one, kind of like a hive mind that he's in control of. And like I said, the dude's got, like, millions of them. And get this, Anderson wiped them all out in just a few seconds.
Wiz: Yes, along with Father Anderson's… um, thorn power, which he can also apparently infect others with to tear them apart from the inside, he also seemed to gain the pyrokinetic power of holy fire. With it, he was able to completely incinerate Alucard's entire familiar army in just a few moments.
Boomstick: Man, forget his army, Anderson actually beat Alucard himself. And this was Alucard at the peak of his power, like, his full strength. And Anderson beat him. Alucard had literally accepted his death and defeat at the guy's hands, and was waiting for him to finish him off.
Wiz: And Anderson actually would have had Alucard's protégé, Seras Victoria, not stepped in at the last second to stop him. This gave Alucard the time and opening he needed to tear Father Anderson's heart out of his chest.
Boomstick: Oh yeah, like full-on. Ally straight up tore that thing right out with his bare hands, and the holy nail along with it, then crushed it to a bloody pulp. Now that's hardcore!
Wiz: This seemed to be the limit of Father Anderson's regeneration, as once Alucard did this, his body began to crumble to dust, since, as stated by Alucard, it was the only way for either of them to be defeated.
Boomstick: But even as he lay dying, he was still able to exchange some surprising pleasantries with Alucard as his body broke down. Huh, imagine that.
Wiz: This is a testament to Father Anderson's begrudging respect to the vampire king, despite their many differences. And even though he failed to kill Alucard and fell in battle, it seemed that the secret weapon of the Iscariot was able to find peace in death.
Boomstick: And at last all the little boys were safe from him.
Wiz: Boomstick!
Boomstick: Haha! Got one in.
THE BATTLE
An old decrepit Justice is sitting on his throne, surrounded by a pool of blood. He lets out a "hmm" when he hears footsteps approach, and looks up to see Father Anderson enter his throne room, his face hidden in the shadows with a sadistic grin on his face and light reflecting off his glasses.
Justice: "Well, well, what do we have here? It's been a long time since I've had any visitorsss."
Anderson: "I'm afraid you're mistaken. I'm no visitor, I'm your death."
Justice: "My death? And just how are you plannin' on doin' that? I can only be defeated by the holder of the Number Two Headband, and you're a little lackin' in that area."
Anderson: "I don't need no accursed headband to kill you, you heathen. I've got the Lord on my side. You are nothing more than a false prophet, and that's why your blasphemous ways are going to end here and now."
He pulls out his double blades and holds them at his sides. Justice stares at him for a few moments, then a wicked grin spreads across his face. On the ground, the pool of blood begins flowing towards him, and he begins absorbing it. As he does, his youth returns as he rejuvenates.
Justice: "Ssso, you think your power is greater than that of God? Let's test that out."
He whips out a gun and fires. The bullet hits Anderson right between the eyes, and he goes down. Justice chuckles at his fallen form.
Justice: "What a fool you were to challenge God. It's sssad you had to learn where you stand the hard way."
Suddenly, Anderson jumps to his feet with a deranged smile on his face, and the bullet hole in his forehead heals.
Anderson: "Thou is no match for a solider of the one true Lord. You believe yourself to be God? I shall show you the error of your heathenistic ways. Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust. Amen."
Justice seems surprised at first, but then he chuckles and gets to his feet.
Justice: "Well now, this just got interestin'. Alright, let's do thisss."
FIGHT!
Justice points his gun at Anderson and begins firing. Anderson takes off running, zigzagging about to avoid the gunfire as he charges at Justice. When he reaches the throne, he leaps up and swipes his blade. Justice jumps high up in the air to avoid it, and fires down at Anderson as he flips through the air. The bullets hit Anderson and he stumbles back.
Landing a distance away, Justice turns back to Anderson and begins firing again. Anderson's body jolts with each bullet that hits, causing him to turn about and land on the throne. Justice stops firing and arrogantly blows on the smoking end of his gun.
Anderson suddenly sits up and lets out a battle cry before launching himself out of the seat and at Justice. He raises his blades to bring them down, but Justice jumps back, and the blades stab into the ground. But Anderson immediately leaps at Justice again and starts rapidly swinging his blades at him. Justice dances backwards to avoid the swipes and pulls out a second gun. He points both of them at Anderson, but Anderson knocks his arms out of the way, causing Justice's shots to go astray.
The two begin a kind of dance, with Justice attempting to shoot Anderson, only for Anderson to knock his arms away and to slash at Justice, who avoids the swipes and tries to shoot him again. But then one of Anderson's swipes cuts of the pointed end of Justice's chin. Justice lets out an irritated grunt and kicks out, his foot collides with Anderson's chest, and his leg stretches out a far distance, pushing Anderson farther and farther back until he crashes into the throne, causing it to explode into a cloud of dust from the impact.
Justice retracts his leg and points his guns at the dust cloud, waiting for Anderson to emerge. Instead, several blades come flying out of the dust cloud. They stab into Justice's torso, bursting out his back, and he lets out a grunt as he stumbles back. Anderson then leaps out of the dust cloud with two more blades at the ready and a large grin on his face.
Anderson: "Amen."
He charges at Justice, holding up his blades. Justice seems caught off guard, but then he grins and his third arm emerges from the back of his jacket, bringing his hidden sword down on Anderson, who skids to a stop.
Anderson: "What!?"
He holds up his blades, catching Justice's katana at the last second. Justice sneers and begins firing his guns. The bullets cause Anderson to stumble back, and Justice swipes at him again with his sword. He slashes Anderson across the chest, then changes his hold on his sword and stabs him through the gut.
Anderson cries out as he's impaled, spitting up blood. He's lifted into the air on the end of the katana, and Justice swings it, sending him flying off the end of the sword and landing in a bloody heap on the ground. Justice then retracts his third arm and begins pulling the blades out of his body.
Justice: "Well, you made for an amusin' opponent, but without the Number Two Headband, you never stood a chance."
Behind him, Anderson suddenly rose up again, fully healed and holding a book.
Anderson: "I told you, I don't need no damned headband. My faith is all I require."
The book he holds opens, and several pages begin flying out of it. They surround Anderson until he's completely obstructed from view, then they scatter, and Anderson is gone. Justice begins looking around as the pages gather in the air above him, and Anderson bursts out of them. The pages then fly down and stick to the ground around Justice.
He looks up and sees Anderson coming down at him. He open fires, and the bullets hit Anderson as he drops down. Justice jumps back to avoid Anderson swiping at him as he lands, but suddenly collides with a barrier of light. Justice glances down at the pages on the ground and sees the glowing writing on them.
Justice: "Is that some kind of barrier?"
A battle cry from Anderson had Justice turning back to him, but the barrier he's backed up against prevents him from dodging. Anderson swipes at him, and his blade cuts straight through Justice's neck. His head falls back, held on by only a thin flap of skin. Anderson lets out a chuckle and glances at Justice's nearly headless body, but then grunts in confusion when his body doesn't fall, and Justice snickers.
Justice: "That was a good try. Didn't know you had sssuch fancy tricksss."
His head flops back up onto his shoulders, and he sneers at Anderson. With a growl, Anderson swipes at him again, but Justice suddenly teleports away. He reappears outside of the barrier and starts firing. Bullets repeatedly hit Anderson, causing him to grunt and jerk. But then Justice's guns click empty, and he glances at them.
Turning to Justice, Anderson charges at him. Justice looks back at him and lashes out with his third arm. Anderson stops and blocks the katana, and the two engage in a sword fight with Justice remaining a distance away with his out-stretched third arm as he reloads his guns.
Before he can finish, Anderson throws one of his blades. Justice looks up just in time for the blade to bury in his face and burst out the back of his head. Anderson then knocks the katana out of the way, pulls out another blade, and charges at Justice.
Recovering from the blade being thrown into his face, Justice raises his guns and begins firing. The bullets hit Anderson, but he charges through the gunfire and comes right up to Justice. He lashes out with his blades and cuts off both of Justice's arms. He then drives both blades into Justice's gut and lifts him into the air.
The katana wielded by Justice's third arm suddenly rises up and comes down, and Anderson's head is split in half right down the middle. Justice then teleports off of Anderson's blades and reappears a distance away. Anderson's split head flops on his shoulders, but then he reaches up and pushes the two halves back together, and the cut heals.
Justice's strains for a moment, and tree-trunk like limbs burst out of the ends of his severed arm. He lashes out with one, and it stretches out to cover the distance between him and Anderson. Anderson steps aside to avoid it, and stabs his blade into it. Justice lashes out with his other limb, and this one slams Anderson, knocking him to the ground. Justice then retracts both limbs before sending them out again.
Hopping to his feet, Anderson jumps straight up into the air, avoiding the limbs. He then reaches into his jacket and flings out a bladed chain that wraps around Justice's limbs. The explosives on them go off, blasting apart Justice's limbs, leaving him armless once more except for his third arm. Anderson then throws his two blades, but Justice knocks them away with his katana, and then lashes out with it. Anderson lands and quickly pulls out two more blades, blocking Justice's strike. Justice then retracts his arm as Anderson holds up his blades, forming a cross with them.
Anderson: "Is that all you've got? You're nothing compared to a certain vampire I aim to kill. I'll deal with him once I finish with you. Now come at me, you cursed heathen. Hurry, hurry!"
A sneer crosses Justice's face as he begins snickering, but he makes no move to attack.
Justice: "Well, ain't you somethin' special. But I'm afraid that this here'sss the end for you, priest."
Tentacles suddenly grow out of the stumps of Justice's arms, and they stab into the ground. Anderson goes on guard and begins looking around. He suddenly leaps away as a large spike shoots out of the ground, just missing getting impaled. He lands, but immediately has to leap away again as several tentacles burst up to stab him. More and more shoot out of the ground, forcing Anderson to keep dodging. He slashes at the tentacles, severing them, but more keep coming, and Justice laughs as Anderson goes on the run.
Anderson: "Your heathen tricks won't stop me!"
He throws one of his blades at Justice. A thick spike suddenly bursts up from the ground in front of Justice, and the blade stabs into it instead of him. Justice sneers, and from out of the ground, a similar large spike suddenly shoots out and stabs Anderson straight through the head, lifting him up into the air. Then four tentacles shoot out, impaling Anderson's wrists and ankles, forcing his arms into the air. Justice snickers as he stares up at Anderson hanging in the air.
Justice: "How do you like that, priest? I'm givin' you the sssame death as your precious savior. You can thank me for it of you want."
Anderson: "It would be an honor to die in the same manner as the son of God. But I'm not ready to meet the Lord just yet. Besides, I have something a little more on the nose."
He suddenly rips one of his arms free of the tentacle impaling it and reaches into his jacket. He pulls out a small box wrapped in a cloth and holds it out. He squeezes it, and the box breaks apart in his grip so he is now holding the large nail that was inside.
Anderson: "Or rather, on the nail."
He suddenly stabs himself in the heart with Helena's Nail. Justice cocks his head to the side in interest as Anderson's body starts jerking. Suddenly, dozens of thorny vines burst from his body. He's torn free of the tentacles, and his head rips from the spike, leaving a large chunk of his head behind, but several thorns grow out of the missing chunk of his head and reform it. The thorns lift Anderson higher into the air, and he holds his blades out in front of him in the sign of the cross.
Justice shoots several tentacles at him, but several more thorns fly out, coiling around the tentacles to stop them. Justice then launches a large spike that goes straight through Anderson's gut, but he rips himself free of the spike, nearly tearing himself in half, and more thorns fill in the missing section of his torso and heal him.
The thorns suddenly carry him over to Justice. Anderson swipes at him and Justice jumps back. His tentacles, having remained buried in the ground, get severed through by the blade. Anderson then sends thorns after Justice, but Justice dodges and teleports to avoid them, or cuts them with his katana. They keep coming though, and he eventually teleports a distance away.
Justice: "Well now, things just got even more interestin'."
From the ends of his arms, new tree-like limbs sprout. He then teleports directly in front of Anderson and begins punching him with his new limbs. Anderson jolts backwards from each blow, and Justice's limbs stretch out to knock him further back. He then stretches both his limbs out to deliver a double blow, but a bunch of thorns shoot out and coil around them before he can land the hit.
Justice suddenly lashes out with his katana and cuts Anderson's head clean off his shoulders. Anderson doesn't go down though, and he swipes his blades upwards, cutting off the end of Justice's third arm. His thorns regrow into a new head, and several more shoot out of his body. Justice is impaled by several of them, and then they start coiling around him.
Anderson: "Amen."
Suddenly, holy fire spreads from the thorns, consuming Justice and filling the entire room with flames. Justice's burning body is lifted into the air by the thorns impaling and binding him. As he burns though, he lets out a chuckle.
Justice: "You really think any of this makes a difference? You really think you can kill God? Without the Number Two Headband, you'll never be able to defeat me while I possess the–"
One of Anderson's blades suddenly flies through the air. It strikes Justice's hat, stabbing the Number One Headband tied around it. Both it and Justice's hat fly off his head, and the blade stabs into the wall, keeping them impaled there.
Surprise and distress flash across Justice's face, and suddenly Anderson is hovering in front of him. He raises a blade and brings it down, completely cutting Justice in half right down the middle. Then his arms begin quickly flying about, swinging his blades. And once he stops, a few seconds pass by before the severed pieces of Justice's burning body fall apart.
Anderson: "You thought of yourself as a god. Well, now you can meet the real one."
KO!
Anderson is seen leaving the burning throne room. The Number One Headband remains tied to Justice's hat, pinned to the wall by Anderson's blade.
OUTCOME
Boomstick: Would it be ironic to say that Justice was served justice?
Wiz: Father Anderson and Justice were similar in many areas, one of the biggest being their regenerative abilities, which made it difficult for either of them to put the other down for good.
Boomstick: Difficult, but not impossible. Justice may have been able to survive some pretty drastic stuff and heal himself, but Anderson's regeneration was a lot more advanced. He could heal from damage after just a few seconds, but with Justice, it took a lot longer.
Wiz: And since Justice was primarily a gunslinger, Father Anderson was able to heal from most of his attacks. And while Justice did have his katana, that was mostly used for surprise attacks. It wasn't until Justice started using his other abilities that Father Anderson started to find himself in trouble.
Boomstick: But old Anders had a way to take care of that with the whole holy nail through the heart thing.
Wiz: By becoming a Monster of God, Father Anderson was able to not only overpower Justice, but his healing factor had become so great that Justice's attacks were essentially rendered useless against him.
Boomstick: No kidding. Don't forget, in this form, Anderson was able to defeat Alucard at his strongest, and he instantly wiped out the millions of Ally's army of familiars. We haven't seen Justice do anything close to that.
Wiz: It's worth noting that despite this transformation, Justice could have pulled off the win by destroying Anderson's heart, the only way to kill him according to Alucard. However, Justice wouldn't know this, and so wouldn't make a point of attacking Anderson's heart, even if he could get around all of Anderson's thorns.
Boomstick: So much for the Number One Headband granting the owner great knowledge. You'd think a magic headband that supposedly makes someone a god would at least grant him that kind of knowledge along with all the other smarts it's meant to grant him.
Wiz: Yes, but this goes back to the vagueness of the Number One's powers. Having great knowledge does not mean becoming all-knowing. Alucard knew to destroy Father Anderson's heart because as a similar monster, he understood that this was his weakness, but it's completely debatable if Justice would have this knowledge granted to him. Case and point, he wasn't aware of the comb that saved Afro from Justice's sneak attack with his katana. And again, even if Justice was aware that he needed to destroy Father Anderson's heart, he would still find it difficult to accomplish this thanks to Father Anderson's new divine powers.
Boomstick: Alright, I'll grant you that, but what about that whole thing with only the Number Two being able to kill the Number One? How'd Anderson get around that?
Wiz: Well, once again, this relates to the vagueness of the Headband. Does it grant full-on immortality to the owner except for against the Number Two? We don't know. But we do at least know that it can be taken away from the current Number One by someone who doesn't have the Number Two, as was evident when Sio took it from Afro. This shows that Justice could have the Headband taken from him or lose it under certain circumstances, which would actually render the whole immortality debate moot. Honestly, tying it to his hat like that was not the best idea.
Boomstick: Yeah, but in the case with Sio, Afro basically gave up without a fight. Justice certainly didn't just roll over and not bother fighting.
Wiz: True, and so once more we have to point to the Headband's vagueness. You have to remember, the different Headbands are sacred cloths that grant divinity to the wearers, and the Number One Headband is the most powerful, so it makes sense that no one else besides the Number Two can defeat the Number One. But Father Anderson had his own divine artifacts that weren't taken into consideration in Afro Samurai universe, most notably, Helena's Nail.
Boomstick: I'll say. That baby provided Anders with his own brand of divine power, one that goes far beyond anything seen in Afro Samurai. So, yeah, I guess it's plausible that such a power would be superior to the vagueness of the Number One Headband, especially when we can only go by what we've seen in the series.
Wiz: At the very least, it would provide Father Anderson with the opportunity to get the Number One Headband away from Justice, allowing him to move in and finish off the wanna-be god once and for all.
Boomstick: Justice may have wanted world peace, but instead, it was his world that ended up going to pieces.
Wiz: The winner is Father Anderson.
TRIVIA
Both possess regenerative abilities.
Both have been modified and mutated through experimentation.
Both take a sadistic glee in killing.
Both are dedicated to peace through violent means.
Both have a warped view of morality.
Both are heavily involved in religion.
Both are extremists.
Both possess longevity.
Both possess semi-immortality.
Both use holy artifacts as a source of power (Number One Headband/Helena's Nail).
Both have a rival they strive to kill.