Batman: Arkham Origins and Assassin’s Creed IV will be going toe-to-toe next week; Batman’s game arrives tomorrow and the next entry in the Assassin’s Creed series arrives on Tuesday. Both games will sell millions of copies, both have been getting great reviews. But no coverage has asked the question pressing on all of our minds: Who’d win in a fight?
First, some ground rules: No vehicles. Batman can keep his various utility belt tools, and Edward can also keep all his toys. But, as you’ll see, that might matter less for both than you might think.
We could argue over who’s more of a ninja but the answer doesn’t matter. Batman’s “detective vision” and Edward’s “Eagle Vision” make pretty short work of any attempt to hide. Maybe there will be a brief advantage at the beginning of the fight, but it’s largely going to be out in the open.
This is a problem for both of them because a lot of their tactics depend on stealth. Losing that advantage and being forced into a straight-up fight puts them both on the back foot right out of the gate.
Advantage: Neither.
Edward arguably has the edge here; he’s got multiple ranged and edged weapons. Flintlocks, swords, the hidden blade, he’s going to come to a fight like this loaded for bear. Furthermore he aims for the kill, while Batman aims for the takedown, so balancing his weapons for (relative) safety isn’t a concern.
Batman, on the other hand, mostly has a variety of grappling hooks and, of course, the Batarang. He’s also got gas and smoke pellets, but that’s less of an advantage than you might think, with the Eagle Vision. Edward’s bigger problem is that Batman’s got good aim with his Batarangs, and he’s quick enough, and flintlocks are inaccurate enough, that ultimately the guns might be more of a liability than an asset.
Advantage: Edward, But Just Barely
This one’s a chip shot. Batman wears armor, and Edward doesn’t, mostly relying on regenerating health to get over stab wounds. At best he might be wearing a leather jerkin. Batman’s also designed his armor to handle stabbing, so Edward is in trouble.
Advantage: Batman.
Edward is an Assassin, trained carefully and precisely to deal death with a flash of the hands and melt into the crowd. He is undeniably one of the most dangerous human beings of his era.
One problem: Batman regularly disposes of ninja squads, SWAT teams, gangs of thugs, and highly trained assassins, and more to the point has spent his life thinking about how to terrify even the toughest of people. This is a guy who kicks Superman’s ass. If you’re not scared of him, he will punch you until you learn to be scared of him.
Furthermore, he can close the distance with lightning speed, something assisted by his grappling gun, and is an expert at both using every hand-to-hand weapon on Earth, and taking them away from you and beating you senseless with them. If Edward gets into punching range, it’s all over.
Advantage: Batman.
We’ve got to give this one to Batman. Edward Kenway is no wuss, and he’d likely be a capable opponent Batman would respect. But the list of people who can fight Batman solo and last for more than a minute, forget winning, is so short it’s hard to see how Edward would manage to get onto it.
Did we get it right? Get it wrong? Let us know!