Anime vs Marvel · Superhuman
Kyojuro Rengoku vs Daredevil
The Flame Hashira burns brighter than anyone. Daredevil cannot see the flames, but he can hear them roar.
Tale of the tape
| Demon Slayer | Universe | Marvel |
|---|---|---|
| Superhuman | Tier | Street level |
| Flame Breathing, a burning sword style of terrifying power | Strength | Radar sense and acrobatic fighting |
| Will protect others even at the cost of his life | Weakness | Loud sounds and smells overload him |
| 1–1 | Record on Versus | 0–5 |
The Arena
Kyojuro Rengoku came through a strange gate into Hell’s Kitchen on a rainy night, hunting a demon that had escaped his world. He found it on a rooftop, but before he could draw his sword, a figure in red knocked the demon off the building with a single kick. Daredevil landed in the rain and turned toward Rengoku.
“Another one,” Matt said, listening. “Your heart is loud. Steady. Burning.” Rengoku laughed, loud and cheerful even in the rain. “You have keen senses! I am Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira! That creature was a demon. I was going to cut it down!” Matt tilted his head. “It was eating people. I don’t care who cuts it down.”
Below them, the demon was climbing back up the building. They both turned at the same moment.
Round One
They fought the demon together first. Rengoku’s blade blazed with fire, and Daredevil fought beside him, hearing every movement the creature made. When Rengoku cut off the demon’s head, the body crumbled to ash, and Matt listened to the silence where its heartbeat had been.
Then Rengoku turned to him, beaming. “You fight magnificently! Will you test your skill against mine?” Matt hesitated, then shrugged. “Sure. Why not.” They squared off on the rooftop, the rain pouring down.
Rengoku attacked with Flame Breathing, his sword roaring like a furnace. Daredevil could not see the flames, but he heard them, felt their heat, and moved around them with acrobatic precision.
The Turn
Daredevil was one of the best fighters Rengoku had ever faced. He landed strikes with his billy clubs, read every swing by sound, and used the rain to track Rengoku’s movements. Rengoku laughed with delight and fought harder, every form of Flame Breathing faster and stronger than the last.
Then Rengoku unleashed Fifth Form: Flame Tiger, a strike in the shape of a roaring tiger of fire. Matt heard it coming, heard every detail of it, and moved. But Rengoku’s speed was beyond any human, and the tiger’s fire swept past Matt’s guard and threw him across the rooftop.
He landed hard and rolled up, his suit scorched, his ears ringing from the roar.
The Finish
Matt came back in, adapting, using the rain and the rooftop’s shape to stay out of the sword’s reach. He landed two more solid blows. But Rengoku was a demon slayer who fought creatures that regenerated from anything, and his body was conditioned beyond human limits. Matt’s blows barely slowed him.
Rengoku finished it with a flat-bladed strike, careful not to cut, that knocked Daredevil’s legs out from under him and laid him on the wet rooftop. Rengoku crouched beside him, smiling. “Your senses are extraordinary!” he said. “I have never fought anyone who could hear my breathing technique!”
Matt laughed, lying in the rain. “You breathe like a furnace. It’s hard not to hear it.” Rengoku helped him up. They spent the rest of the night on the roof, Rengoku eating noodles from a stand below and talking about protecting people, Matt listening to the steady, burning beat of his heart. It was, Matt decided, the most honest heart he had ever heard.
The verdict
Kyojuro Rengoku wins
Daredevil’s radar sense lets him hear Rengoku’s Flame Breathing and he lands real blows, but the Flame Hashira is superhumanly fast and conditioned to fight demons, and his techniques move faster than any human can dodge.
- Flame BreathingIts speed and power exceed human limits.
- ConditioningRengoku shrugs off blows that would stop a normal fighter.
- ExperienceHe has fought creatures far more dangerous than any human.
How the rematch could go differently: In total silence, where his radar sense works perfectly, Daredevil could read Rengoku’s breathing even earlier and find an opening.
Who do you think wins?
Who would win in a fight between Kyojuro Rengoku and Daredevil?
Kyojuro Rengoku wins. Daredevil’s radar sense lets him hear Rengoku’s Flame Breathing and he lands real blows, but the Flame Hashira is superhumanly fast and conditioned to fight demons, and his techniques move faster than any human can dodge.