User blog comment:Wassboss/Epic Rap Battles of History: Shaka Zulu vs Julius Caesar/@comment-5900266-20160728021709

MoA's Edges:

Primary Weapons: Iklwa vs. Gladius. Close comparison but I give it to the Iklwa. The Iklwa was a versatile weapon, being able to stab and slash effectively at both mid range and short range. With that kind of flexibility, a Zulu can both maintain a distance from a Roman soldier at the mid range and compromies the Gladius' reach in the short range.

Edge: Shaka Zulu

Shields: Ishlangu vs. Scutum. Scutum shield easily wins here due to its superior materials.

Edge: Julius Caesar

Secondary Weapons: Iwisa vs. Pugio. I honestly don't see how many of you give the edge to the Pugio dagger. It's blade deals more damage, yes but that blade itself is super short and is an extremely close-ranged weapon. The iwisa won't be an effective thrown weapon but as a blunt trauma club, it will be able to inflict wounds through the Roman armor and outrange the Pugio. The iwisa has far too much range on the Pugio.

Edge: Shaka Zulu

Ranged: Assegai vs. Pilum. I really doubt either of these weapons will be incredibly effective in this battle but I guess I'd have to give it to the pilum. I'm not so certain an assegai would pierce a Roman shield but a pilum would both pierce the Zulu shield and possibly skewer the warrior behind it.

Edge: Julius Caesar

Special: Zulu Axe vs. Plumbata. I seriously doubt the plumbata will be doing any major damage here. Sure, they have a longer range but as EA said, they're relatively harmless and won't really add on to the Roman arsenal. On the other hand, the Zulu axe will contribute to the Zulus' short range arsenal incredibly well, able to slash at the unarmored areas and hook away Roman shields.

Edge: Shaka Zulu

Overall Winner: Shaka Zulu

Yes, I am hopping on EA's dissenting opinion train. While at a glance it would seem Caesar has the advantage, a closer glance shows something different. Yes, he may be armored, but that just makes his troops less mobile than the Zulus. Plus, the Zulu weapons have iron and can pierce Roman armor. Shaka and his troops are up-to-par with Caesar and his Romans in terms of experience and training but there's one more factor that seals the fate of the Romans: tactics. Shaka can easily employ his tactics in a small five-on-five scenario while Julius cannot. Julius lacks his large formations and cavalry and other units that he's so comfortable with. On the other hand, Shaka doesn't need any of that to effectively employ the aggressive tactics of the Zulu warrior.