A YouTube channel took two heroes from separate franchises and tossed them together in a battle of epic (and short-lived) proportions. ScrewAttack threw Legend of Zelda‘s Link against Kingdom Hearts‘ Sora earlier this week on November 2nd in an addition to their “One Minute Melee” series.
ScrewAttack often jumps in to settle inevitable “who would win?” debates. This is done through two different web series: “Death Battle” and “One Minute Melee.” In a Death Battle video, opponents each give their all to the brawl after grueling research by the series’ creators. One Minute Melee ditches research in pursuit of pure whimsy. The new video follows this path of minimal prep-work.
The video opens on Link effortlessly downing Goofy and Donald as Sora comes out of unconsciousness. Despite the lack of research, the very nature of the opening presents a fantastic nod to Kingdom Hearts and the sleepy-headed Sora who awakens to trouble or “sleeps” through a mess of it on more than one occasion. The boy desperately needs healthier sleep patterns (Chain of Memories and Dream Drop Distance, anyone?). Sora’s wakefulness marks the beginning of battle.
The fan-made video pays tribute to Legend of Zelda via the setting, as the entire sequence takes place in the Gerudo Valley. While Death Battle would feature far more of the characters’ specialties, the One Minute Melee gets the job done with plenty of familiar sound cues from both characters and at least a few signature moves. The end of the match comes shortly after Link’s finishing blow, for example, complete with final leap. Sora even accesses his Limit Form from Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix after classic Kingdom Hearts game mechanics pop up on screen.
A bit of research (just a little!) might have saved Link the embarrassment of yielding his sword in the wrong hand; the hero fights right-handed for the duration of the video. The nerd shame is real.
This video isn’t the first on ScrewAttack’s channel to star our beloved green-clad hero. Three years ago, Link squared off against Cloud in a ten minute Death Battle that gained more than 8 million views total. Link faired more successfully then, largely thanks to his additional weapons and items.
What do you think of the video’s conclusion? What would change in a Death Battle version? Discuss without a time limit in the comments below.
