"Street Fighter. Mortal Kombat. Kings of the fighting genre. And every good fighter needs awesome villains." Wiz starts the episode.
"Like Akuma, the ultimate badass of martial arts." Boomstick introduces Akuma, who looks like an intimidating figure.
"And Shang Tsung, the sorcerous vanguard of doom." Wiz introduces Akuma's opponent, who on the surface only looks like an old man, but RWBY knows that looks can be deceiving.
"He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick."
"And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win… a Death Battle."
Ruby and Yang both looked at each other with an excited look. A fighting game themed episode?
"This is right down our alley." Yang says.
"If only Uncle Qrow could see this." Ruby says, remembering all the times they got to play fighting games with their uncle.
"Akuma, master of The Fist. Known as Gouki in Japan, he is a living weapon, ten times stronger than nearly every other Street Fighter." Wiz goes over Akuma.
"Plus, he looks friggin' awesome. I totally want me some red, glowing eyes."
"He looks friggin' scary." Jaune says, a bit intimidated by the way Akuma looks.
"This guy? Pfft, red eyes, red skin, red head, so what? I could take him." Nora confidently said.
"Let's reserve judgment on that until after we see what he can do." Ren advised Nora. He had a feeling Akuma wasn't one to be taken lightly.
"Akuma has dozens of powerful special attacks, including the Gou Hadoken, a powerful blast with precision control. He can even use the almighty Shinku-Hadoken, which is, bascially, a giant fireball of death." Wiz explains.
"Man, if I ever fire a Hadoken in real life, I'mma die happy."
"Me too, Boomstick. Me top." Yang said, impressed by the fireball Akuma just fired.
"Akuma also uses the Shoryuken uppercut, a teleport ability, a swift multi-striking hurricane kick, and the Hyakkishu, A.K.A the Demon Flip." Wiz continues going over Akuma's abilities.
"Also, Akuma's got tons of different Super Arts, but two really stand out. First there's the Kongo…Kokuretsu Za… how do you say that?" Boomstick asks, having trouble pronouncing it.
"No idea."
"Well, I'm pretty sure that's Japanese for "Fuck You Up!" 'Cause basically, Akuma punches the ground and things explode."
Teams RWBY and JNPR are left awe-inspired as they get a demonstration of this.
"He shattered a whole friggin' island just by punching it. Holy shit!"
"Well… that's terrifying." Weiss says.
"Yeah, I'm not sure even you could do that, Nora." Jaune says to his teammate.
"We won't know if I don't try!" Nora responds.
"But that's not the deadliest move up his nonexistent sleeve." Wiz continues.
Akuma uses his deadliest move against Dan Hibiki and his health depletes afterwards.
"The Shun Goku Satsu, also known as the Raging Demon, literally means 'Instant Hell Murder.'"
"Man, I'm going to totally name my first kid that. The Raging Demon at full power is fatal, this guy's a frickin' onslaught of pain!"
"Ya know, as bad as he sounds, I kinda wanna fight him." Yang says.
"Don't be offended that I wouldn't bet on you, Yang." Blake comments.
"Wow. No faith at all."
"That's right, Boomstick. Akuma lives for one thing, and one thing only: fighting. He travels the world day and night searching for worthy opponents. He's an unstoppable human Holocaust, losing only once to his brother Gouken, but after a brutal rematch…" Wiz goes on.
An image of Gouken's limp corpse slumped up against the wall with The Raging Demon's symbol smeared in blood on said wall appears onscreen.
"Oh hey, look. He can fingerpaint!" Boomstick jokes.
"Woah…" Yang can only say that after seeing what Akuma had done to Gouken.
"How could he do that to his own brother…?" Ruby asks, with a bit of sadness in her voice.
"It was rumored that Akuma sacrificed his soul to a demon in exchange for the strength to defeat Gouken, but this has been declared non-canon." Wiz says.
"Akuma's got one major problem, though. His stamina is absolutely pathetic. He can dish out the pain, but he sure can't take it." Boomstick points out.
"It's crucial for Akuma to have total control over the fight. He takes an extremely offensive approach, always moving, always attacking."
"See, I could totally take him. He couldn't keep up with me for long." Nora says confidently.
"He would definitely pose quite a threat." Pyrrha chimes in.
"Yeah, screw defense! Give me more ways to hurt people!"
"I am Akuma, and I will teach you the meaning of pain!" Footage of Akuma's intro for a Street Fighter game plays.
After seeing what Akuma is capable of, both teams were thinking his opponent has his work cut out for him.
"Shang Tsung is the cunning sorcerer from Outworld, and scheming pawn of Shao Kahn. He's extremely adapt in magic and a well-rounded fighter." Wiz gives an intro to Shang Tsung.
"This guy can shoot flaming skulls, which is totally awesome, but where the heck does he keep them? I mean seriously, how many skulls can a person carry around with them?"
"I mean, I don't think he carries them with him. If he really is a magic user, he can make them appear right." Weiss thinks.
"Tsung can teleport around the battlefield with the special move called 'Hot Escape.'" Wis continues.
"Wah! Sucker punch, bitch!"
"He can morph into whomever he wants, giving him tons of different skill sets. It's like fighting a hundred different foes combined into one."
"Woah, so he can change into whoever he wants to and copy their movesets." Jaune says.
"A fascinating ability." Pyrrha admits.
"But terrifying if used by the wrong person." Blake says, a bit worried for the heroes of this universe.
"Man, I wish I could morph into anybody I wanted. I can have some fun with that!" Boomstick weirdly implies. "He also has a razor sharp Straight Sword, though he usually keeps it hidden for a surprise attack."
"Shang Tsung possesses one other strange, but useful ability. Long ago, when he was caught cheating in the Mortal Kombat tournament, he was cursed, by the Elder Gods, to rapidly age until an untimely death. The only way to prevent this fate is to absorb the souls of his victims."
"He can literally eat your soul. Your soul!" Boomstick says. "Not only can this heal him, but he gets the memories of the souls he devoured."
This sent a shiver down everyone's spine. The thought of having their soul absorbed by an evil sorcerer doesn't sit right with them. Especially since this would not only give him their aura, but also their semblances.
"This helps him copy the movesets of other fighters when he morphs." Wiz explains further.
"So really, his curse became his deadliest weapon. Good punishment there, gods." Boomstick sends a jab to the elder gods.
"Shang Tsung has lived and fought for over a thousand years. His sorcery, powers, and brutal Fatalities are rivaled by few, and he's claimed the title of grand champion of Mortal Kombat several times, almost bringing about the winning streak necessary to allow Shao Kahn to invade Earthrealm, key word being 'almost.'"
"Yeah, unfortunately for Shang Tsung, he pretty much sucks at actually accomplishing his goals. He's super powerful, but like most villains, he can never get around some goody-two-shoes getting in the way of global takeover."
"That's good to hear at least." Ruby says relieved.
"I can take him!" Nora says.
"Stop trying to challenge everyone on the show, Nora." Ren says, worried that his friend's carefree nature will get her killed someday.
"His only notable victories have included treachery and deceit. But, keep in mind, Tsung's not fighting any ordinary meatheads. He's fighting demons, sorcerers, and gods, and even in defeat, he somehow keeps coming back more lethal than ever.
Footage of Shang Tsung from the Mortal Kombat movie appears onscreen and he's pointing to somebody offscreen.
"You… will… DIE!" Shang promises.
"Alright, the combatants are set." Wiz says.
"What are we waiting for? Oh wait, a Death Battle!" Boomstick says.
"This one is harder to call than the last one." Jaune says.
"On one hand, Akuma's brute strength would probably give him the edge against most opponents." Ren says.
"But strength isn't the only thing that matters in a fight. You have to be smart as well. And Shang Tsung has the edge in that department." Weiss says.
"It sounds like you're getting into it Weiss." Yang says.
"What?! I-I-" Weiss stammers.
"I'm not making fun of you. It's a good thing."
Akuma walks on the stage when Shang Tsung suddenly appears behind him from his Hot Escape technique. Akuma jumps away to the other side of the battlefield, and prepares to fight.
FIGHT!
Tsung shoots a Flaming Skull, which Akuma dodges by jumping over. He shoots two Gou Hadokens in the air, and Tsung blocks them. Akuma attacks Tsung's feet, and knocks him even more off balance by hitting him with a hurricane kick, and knocks him in the air with a Shoryuken uppercut. While in the air, Akuma hits him a few times and finishes the combo with a Shinku-Hadoken.
"He's throwing Shang around like it's no problem." Jaune says.
"I wouldn't count Tsung out yet, Jaune." Blake responds.
Tsung lays on the ground and Akuma tries to finish him off but Tsung transforms into Scorpion.
Akuma stops and decides to see if this form is powerful enough to fight against, allowing him to get back up.
"Why'd he stop? He had him right where he wanted him?" Ruby questions.
"Since Shang Tsung morphed into somebody else, Akuma's love for battle likely got the better of him and he stopped to see if this new form was worth a challenge." Pyrrha theorized.
"Big mistake. You should never underestimate your opponents." Ren says.
"That's the thing, Ren. I don't think Akuma is. He just wants the adrenaline rush of a good fight." Yang points out.
"COME HERE!" "Scorpion" shouts before throwing the kunai spear at Akuma and dragging Akuma towards himself.
Tsung uppercuts Akuma, cueing the "Toasty Guy", Dan Forden, to appear in the right corner of the screen.
"TOASTY!"
"What was that?" Weiss asks, very confused.
"It's the pancakes when Ren oversleeps." Nora says.
Shang Tsung then keeps him in the air by hitting him with flaming skulls that burst out of the ground. Akuma falls behind him and throws him to the right. He then teleports behind him and kicks him, which Tsung blocks. He fires a Hadoken, but Tsung uses Hot Escape to get away, then reappears and slashes Akuma with his sword. He then grabs Akuma and tries to steal his soul, which heals some of his health and drains some of Akuma's. Akuma breaks out of it by hitting him with a Hurricane Kick.
"That might be the difference maker." Blake simply says.
Tsung runs toward him, but Akuma catches him off guard using the Kongo Kokuretsu Zan, which knocks him in the air. He then teleports over, hits him a few times, and then throws him. Tsung then lands on his feet and transforms into Akuma.
The two stare from across the room and prepare for battle.
Everyone leans in, wondering who's going to come out the winner.
The two Akumas then jump in the air and they attack, blocking each other's moves. One of the Akumas knocks the other into the ground, and then tries to finish him off using the Kongou Kokoretsuzan. However, the other Akuma grabs him and finishes him off with a Shun Goku Satsu. As one of the Akumas stands with his back to the screen with the iconic heaven kanji confirming the kill, it is then shown that the Akuma lying dead on the ground is Shang Tsung, who shortly turns back into his original form, releasing his souls.
K.O.!
"That…" Yang says first.
"Was…" Jaune continues.
"AWESOME!" Ruby shouts.
"Oh man, that was way too close!" Boomstick says.
"No kidding, Boomstick! Akuma's raw power and speed pressed a distinct advantage early on, but Tsung's own cleverness and wide array of skills quickly even the odds."
"It looked like Akuma had the whole thing wrapped up, but Tsung's morphing trick saved his ass."
"Akuma's pride for battle almost cost his life, as he stopped to see if this new face was worth a challenge."
"After switching up strategies, Tsung managed to steal enough of Akuma's soul for some extra health and new abilities."
"But, it wasn't enough. In the end, Akuma's skills as a fighter proved unmatched."
"I mean, Tsung loses to Liu Kang all the time, and compared to Akuma, Liu Kang's the nicest guy in the world. There was no way he could take Akuma's constant punishment."
"As Tsung isn't used to winning anything on his own, he wasn't perfect on delivering the final blow, leaving him wide open for the experienced Akuma to unleash his greatest weapon."
"The Raging Demon of Instant-Hell-Murder-Awesomeness!" Boomstick yells.
"YEAH!" Ruby and Yang yell at once.
"And so Shang Tsung fell once again releasing his devoured souls, again."
"Looks like Tsung's all souled out! Haha, get it, Wiz?"
"Ha! I love this guy." Yang laughs at Boomstick's puns.
"He's going to do this for every episode isn't he…?" Weiss wonders.
"Most likely…" Blake says.
"The winner is Akuma."
"That was even better than the first fight." Yang says.
"We have to watch more, Weiss, we have to!" Ruby shouts.
"Fine, Ruby. We can watch some more." Weiss says.
"Don't pretend like you're not enjoying yourself." Jaune tells his "snow angel."
Weiss simply goes, "hmph."