Death Battle (stylized as DEATH BATTLE!) is an American animated web series about battleboarding. Originally published by the website ScrewAttack in 2010, the show has changed considerably over its history.[1] It is the oldest running web series in the battleboarding genre, and has gained a cult following.[2]
Format
The show is narrated by fictional hosts named Wiz and Boomstick, respectively voiced by series creators Ben Singer and Chad James.[3] These characters were originally disembodied voices, but as the show progressed they became animated characters.[4] Wiz is a genius scientist who presents scientific information and mathematical calculations, while Boomstick is a street-smart redneck that discusses weapons, armor, and feats.[2][5]
Each episode of Death Battle features a matchup between fictional characters from different media that have similar powers, skills, or backstories. The majority of each episode showcases background information about each character while analyzing their abilities and feats, and ends with a fully-animated battle scene that decides the winner of the matchup, taking into account the prior analysis.[4] The show's formula is inspired by shows such as Animal Face-Off and Deadliest Warrior, but uses fictional characters in place of animals or historical warriors.[6] Notable episodes of Death Battle include "Goku VS Superman",[7][8] "Galactus VS Unicron",[9] and "Gojo VS Makima".[10]
Death Battle has featured multiple styles of animation across different episodes, including 2D pixelated animations[3] and 3D animations integrating motion capture technology.[11][1] The show's battle animations typically feature high levels of graphic violence.[3]
Spin-off shows
Death Battle has had multiple spin-off series. ScrewAttack created the series Desk of Death Battle, which showcases pop-culture trivia that the ScrewAttack team found interesting while researching and writing the main show,[12] presented by Death Battlesupporting character Jocelyn the Intern, who is voiced by Lisa Foiles.[13][14][15] Additionally, DBX is a spin-off series that, like Death Battle, features both 2D and 3D animated battles,[16] but with winners decided by a poll among fans rather than research.[17]
History
ScrewAttack (2010–2019)
Death Battle debuted in 2010 as a web series published by the website ScrewAttack; Death Battle became ScrewAttack's most popular show. The website began to shift its focus towards the show, and in 2019 ScrewAttack rebranded to focus exclusively on Death Battle.[18][19] The show was acquired by Rooster Teeth,[20] and all of ScrewAttack's existing content was moved to the Rooster Teeth website.[21]
Rooster Teeth created a spin-off card game based on the show, titled Death Battle: The Game.[6][25]
Independent (2024–present)
Following the closure of Rooster Teeth, fans of Death Battle speculated about the show's future, and the hashtag "#SaveDeathBattle" trended on Twitter.[4] The rights to the show were acquired by series creator Ben Singer, making it an independent series.[26] In July 2024, the staff of the show announced a Kickstarter campaign to fund future episodes.[27] The campaign surpassed its original goal of $75,000 within the first twenty-one minutes of launching.[28][29]
During the #SaveDEATHBATTLE live stream, the crew confirmed that the show will return in the fall of 2024, they plan on releasing the episodes once a month, and they will no longer continue the "seasonal" format the show took in the past. Based on the Kickstarter stretch goals, they have confirmed at least 20 episodes will be produced from the campaign alone and have revealed some of the matchups included with them, which includes the winner of 2023's Tournament of Champions and a rematch of a previous fight they've done that the contributors will vote upon.[30]
Death Battle is one of the most popular web series dedicated to battleboarding, and the show's YouTube channel has been described as a "central hub" for fans of the genre.[10] The show has a cult following, and several online communities exist both for discussing the show and writing fan-made episodes.[6] It also inspired similar shows such as Super Power Beat Down and Grudge Match.[2]Death Battle helped popularize the use of mathematical calculations to determine the strength of fictional characters; in the battleboarding fandom, such calculations are called "calcs".[6]
The show has faced occasional controversy and backlash online surrounding the chosen winners of some episodes.[2][6]
^Unlike other episodes, the breakdown explaining the fight's results was released in a separate video.
^This was a bonus episode sponsored by Warframe. At the end of the episode, Singer disclosed that the game's developers did not dictate the victor of the episode or the matchup and were fine with the result going either way.
^This is confirmed to be a bonus episode with a unique format.
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