Miyamoto Musashi/Bio & Battles

"Whenever you cross swords with an enemy you must not think of cutting him either strongly or weakly; just think of cutting and killing him. Be intent solely on killing the enemy. Do not try to cut strongly and, of course, do not think of cutting weakly. You should only be concerned with killing the enemy."

- Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

Miyamoto Musashi was an invincible samurai from Japan's Edo period and was probably the greatest swordsman to ever live. Born in Mimaska Province to a family of lesser nobility, Musashi taught himself the art of sword fighting at a very young age. He won his first duel at the age of thirteen, when he challenged an samurai to a duel killed him using just a bokken. Musashi spent most of his life wandering the countryside just challenging people to duels to prove his strength. Over his lifetime he won over sixty duels, some of them against multiple enemies, and fought successfully in three major military campaigns, including the defence of Osaka Castle.

Battle vs. Julie D'Aubigny (by Elgb333)
The great swordsman Miyamoto Musashi was walking in the woods. When suddenly a femme duelist named Julie D' Aubigny appears out of nowhere drunk. She smiles at Miyamoto and tries to seduce him but Miyamoto just ignored. Julie got pissed and threw a bottle of sheree at Musashi back. Musashi turns and sees Julie with her rapier in hand and yells ,"En guard!"

Musashi unsheathes his katana and attacks. Julie parries Musashi slash and makes a thrust. Musashi catches the rapier with his jutte and snaps it in two. Julie got pissed and draws her arming sword and slashes. But Musashi anticipates it and using his bokken and katana, disarms Julie of her sword.

Julie was really angry. She doesn't like being treated like dirt. She grabs her dagger and attempts to stab. But Musashi again anticipates and lops her head with one slash from his katana. Julie falls down headless and dead. Musashi bows to his fallen opponent and leave.

Expert's Opinion
Even though Julie D' Aubigny had the better weapons, experts believed that Musashi wins because of his experience in battle and better swordsmanship.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Guan Yu (by MilenHD)
The great swordsman Miyamoto Musashi was wandering throught the forest, searching for worthy opponents. Not far away Guan Yu, The Saint of War had parked his horse nearby and was waiting for Zhang Fei and his squad to arrive, since Liu Bei had started invading Japan. Guan heard footsteps and decided to check who is coming, and this was not his friend Zhang Fei, but a swordsman wearing kimono.

Guan Yu holded his bow, ready for anything wrong that can happen. Miyamoto slowly lifted his head and he grabbed his yumi at fired at the general, missing him. Guan knew this fellow wants to kill him and he also fired his bow, narrowly scratching Miyamoto's kimono. Miyamoto charged at Guan with his bokken, the same with he defeated Sasaki Kojiro. As Miyamoto smacked Guan Yu's arms, destroying the bow in half. Guan lifted his Green Crescent blade, which was near him and raised it to block the bokken's blow, as Miyamoto swung much faster and smacked Guan's leg, making the general to grunt in pain but Guan swung with all his might destroying the bokken in half. Miyamoto pulled his katana and wakizashi and managed to disarm him as he cutted Guan's grip. Guan pulled his dao and tried to compete with Miyamoto's better swords skills, but Guan managed to slice his kimono and very little of his flesh. Myamoto tore his upper apart of the kimono and fought on against Guan.

As both swords clashed, niether warrior getting an advantage, Miyamoto swung both his katana and wakizahi and the blow was so powerful, it kncked Guan's dao sword. As Guan pulled his yian and yang daggers and blocked the blow of the wakizashi. As Guan swung with his axe blade he split Miyamoto's belly and with the pointy end he stabbed Miyamoto in the stomach, making him to caught blood. Guan Yu went for his Green Crescent Blade and as returned, Miyamoto was nearly unconscious.

Guan Yu stabbed Miyamoto in the chest, finishing his slow and agonizing death. Seeing he killed his opponent, Guan Yu raised his Green Blade in victory, while Zhang Fei finally approached with his squad only to see his friend, who was tired from battle and with wounded arm grip, Zhang and Guan were now ready to make their camp for the night.

Expert's Opinon
While Miyamoto had better sword training, he didn't have the armor or the weapons which Guan Yu possesd at his disposal. Also Guan was so skilled that's why he became the God of War (Saint of War to some).

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Fiore dei Liberi (by Pygmy Hippo 2)
Akhmerovsky Forest, Russia

Fiore Dei Liberi rested impatiently on a log as he waited for his dueling opponent. The Pope had sent him to fight who Japan considered their greatest duelist. So far, all he had done was be late. Miyamoto Musashi slowly walked up the path with a giant Bokken and Fiore finally had a reason to get up. "Finalmente pronto?" (Finally ready?) "あんまり. " (Not really.)

Even more annoyed at the response, Liberi picked up his Poleaxe and took a swing at Miyamoto who dodged with ease and smacked his stomach with the wooden oar. Luckily the gambeson prevented most of the damage but Fiore was still sent backwards. Musashi laughed at his foe's pain which enraged him even more. Liberi just stabbed forwards and ran...all the way into a tree.

Realizing his horrible mistake, he barely sidestepped the Bokken swing aimed for his head and quickly wrenched the polearm out of the tree. Fiore pushed Miyamoto backwards with the wooden shaft before tripping him up with the lasso. He flipped the Poleaxe to the poisoned back and but yelled in pain as his hand was cut by a thrown Wakizashi. Musashi took the opportunity to get back up and unsheathed his Katana and Jutte as Liberi angrily drew his Longsword.

The two famous blades of Europe and Japan clashed a couple times but Fiore overextended himself in his rage and Miyamoto took advantage. The Jutte trapped the larger blade and tore it out of his hands before the top came off. Liberi stared in shock before his neck was stabbed and he stumbled backwards. Musashi dropped his baton and moved in for the kill but his foe stubbornly refused to die yet.

Fiore used his grappling training to hold back Miyamoto's sword arm while he took a chance and stopped gripping his neck to pull out the Rondel Dagger. Liberi tried to stab Musashi in the face who barely was holding back the Dagger from his eye. Miyamoto used his weight to slash Fiore's already wounded hand just enough to get him to drop the blade and curse him in even more pain.

Musashi went in for the killing blow but made his first mistake as Liberi dove for the Longsword and quickly smashed his foe's chest with the pommel. Bone cracking was heard as Miyamoto cried out in pain for the first time and Fiore aimed for his foe's head next. His guts getting slashed open prevented that and he collapsed to the ground from the massive amount of bloodloss he had endured.

Liberi could only hold his Bastoncello as Musashi retrieved his Wakizashi. When he came back, he chuckled at the pathetic sight. "私はすでに棒を持ってきた. それは大きなものです. " (I already brought in a stick. A big one at that.) "Bastardo." (Bastard.) Miyamoto faked a swing and only got an ineffective swat in response. He grinned as he swung the Wakizashi at Fiore's good hand, permanently disarming him, before the Katana slashed through his neck.

Miyamoto Musashi walked away from Fiore Dei Liberi's dismembered corpse and soon found his Bokken. There was only one thing left to do, leave before the Europeans realized they had lost twice. "今、私のボートはどこですか？" (Now, where is my boat?)

Winner:Miyamoto Musashi

Expert's Opinion
Miyamoto Musashi won due to having a better secondary and special weapon along with superior tactics, training, and experience. Fiore Dei Liberi had a much better sword and mid range weapon but his only advantage in X-Factors was having slightly better armor. In the end, the better duelist adds another victory to his legend.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Inuit Warrior (by Pygmy Hippo 2)
Men in bronze armor showed up in Japan and Canada with odd boats one day. They offered a great reward in treasure to anyone who would take their offer of a duel to the death in their city state. Three men from each nation accepted and would soon prove themselves once more by spilling another opponent's blood.

Sparta, Greece, 12:00 PM

A Japanese man was writing in a book before glancing up and seeing that his competition had arrived. Miyamoto Musashi put the book in his silk kimono before drawing his katana and jutte with his wakizashi sheathed on his hip and his bokken on his back. The duelists accompanying him drew a katana and wakizashi and dual bokkens respectively. The three men calmly stood and waited for the enemy's response.

A Native man fastened his ivory helmet and patted his chestplate before yanking his harpoon back out of the dirt he had stuck it in. The Inuit Raider held the weapon with one hand and pulled out a war club with the other with his ulu sheathed on his hip and his cable-backed bow on his back. The warriors accompanying him held a war club and ulu and cable-backed bow respectively. The three men let out a war cry but didn't move.

King Leonidas watched from a tall building before giving the order to begin. "Πάλη!" (Fight!) The Inuit pulled out a bearclaw arrow and fired it at Miyamoto's men but the shot missed and the dual sword wielder charged. He barely got within range to throw his wakizashi as three arrows hit his torso. A final one hit his neck but his thrown sword negated the ranged threat as the steel blade cut through the antler bow.

The Raider threw his harpoon at the bokken wielder and impaled him through the heart. Musashi turned around and mooned his foes who were consumed with rage and charged at him. As they yelled, he simply sheathed his other weapons and drew his bokken in one swift motion that smashed the dual short range weapon wielder's skull open. His comrades stared in shock and the remaining warrior cautiously circled with his harpoon.

Miyamoto dropped the big stick and switched it for his original weapons. The Inuit saw an opportunity but he didn't expect the man to not only dodge the stab but also slash through the wooden handle of his spear with the katana. He was then smacked in the throat with the jutte causing him to stumble backwards clutching his throat and looked up to see a small blade heading for his eye.

The Raider watched his ally's death with a grimace before pulling out the ulu. Musashi left the jutte in the corpse and drew his wakizashi before smiling at his foe. "Nittunak." (Respect.) His foe grudgingly said about his fighting skills before yelling out another war cry.「見事. 」 (Impressive.) The duelist complimented his foe's skills as well before bracing himself for the final clash.

The katana lashed out but only cut deeply into the ivory and leather armor before the war club swung in response. Miyamoto swiftly dodged the blow and stabbed forwards with his wakizashi but managed to get his sword stuck without hitting any vitals. The Inuit took advantage and forced him to let go of the weapon by swinging the club on his foe's arm, snapping it.

Musashi cried out in pain before pacing backwards, holding his katana in front of him to discourage his opponent from going in for the kill. The Raider yanked the blade out of his chestplate before advancing with a fake swing. The katana lashed out again but hit nothing and his foe swung the ulu at his wrist. His luck ran out as the steel sword came back and sent the copper blade flying out of his hands.

The Inuit couldn't react fast enough and got his leg slashed as well causing him to stumble backwards. Miyamoto saw his foe was struggling to stand up and attempted to decapitate him but the war club swung again. What happened next shocked both combatants as the hard stone head managed to break the tamahagane steel blade, leaving the duelist with half a blade.

The warrior quickly attempted one last mighty swing to crush his opponent’s skull but he felt a sharp feeling in his throat and tasted blood. The Inuit Raider stared face-to-face with Miyamoto for several seconds before what was left of the katana was yanked out and he dropped the war club. Miyamoto Musashi watched his foe's body fall before sheathing his broken blade as the Spartans cheered at the outcome of the great duel.「主もまた強者であった. 」 (You were a worthy opponent.)

Winner:Miyamoto Musashi

Expert's Opinion
Miyamoto Musashi had a better mid and special weapon along with having more experience and better tactics. The Inuit Raider's better short and long range weapons along with his armor and better physicality did enable him to keep up for a while however. In the end, Miyamoto was still the better fighter and once he got past the range disadvantage he could put his dual-wielding style to great use. The armor was also not that effective against steel blades.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Andrew Jackson (by Pygmy Hippo 2 and Elgb333)
Colosseum, Rome

A huge crowd was in the stands as two foreigners were set to fight in the gladiatorial arena, one from the United States and one from Japan. The former had already arrived and waited impatiently for the man who had killed two of Europe's most famous duelists already and grew more impatient with every minute. "Noon, he agreed on. It's ten after. Where the hell is my opponent?!" Andrew Jackson took out his duelling pistol and quickly inspected it before finally hearing the doors open again and the latter duelist walked in calmly.

"Now you show up! What man of honor shows up late to a duel?!" "スマートなもの. " (A smart one.) "Can you not speak English? Was that supposed to offend me sir? Because if so, I'm already annoyed enough by your timing!" Miyamoto Musashi had no idea what his opponent was saying but knew from his tone that once again, despite the language barrier, he had struck a nerve. What was even more surprising was that Miyamoto had once again accurately predicted what his opponent would say and managed to continue the conversation but obviously that ability wasn't what mattered.

"一本の刀？ 哀れです. " (Only one sword? Pathetic.) He pulled out his Katana and Wakizashi as he said that to illustrate his point and confidently waited for his opponent to draw his blade. "I have half a mind to just shoot you, showoff, but this crowd wants a duel, not an execution." Andrew finally put away his duelling pistol and unsheathed his Model 1812 Officer's Sword along with his walking cane.

"あなたは棒で私と戦うつもりですか？" (You intend to fight me with a stick?) Jackson ignored the foreign words and stomped over to the other duelist before taking a stab at him which he sidestepped. Musashi chuckled as he then blocked a slash from the Sword with his Wakizashi and tried to stab with his Katana but cried out in pain as a gold cap smacked his leg, causing him to crash to a knee.

Miyamoto cursed under his breath as he was forced to use both his swords to block the Model 1812 from hacking through his face and both hit the guard with great force. Luckily they didn't break on Andrew's blade but he took the opportunity to reel back his walking cane and attempted to smash his foe's skull with it. Unfortunately for him, the other duelist took a risk and let go of his Wakizashi to throw two bo shurikens at his bad arm, making him drop his sword as well.

"Bastard!" Jackson angrily stumbled backwards and pulled out the projectiles in rage before throwing his cane at his opponent. Musashi ducked and threw his Wakizashi back which his foe barely dodged before he lunged forwards with the Katana. He yelled out in pain as the I Wilson Knife stabbed through his wrist and made him drop his main sword before his chest was slashed with the knife.

Both took a moment to catch their breath before Miyamoto charged once more with his katana raised for a stab to the heart. Andrew once again foiled this plan by throwing the I Wilson at his foe's face, cutting open his cheek, and causing him to crash into the dirt behind him. "あなたは武器を使い果たしています！" (You're running out of weapons!) "Good thing I saved the best for last." Their roles were reversed as the Japanese swordfighter furiously got up and turned to see the American duelist smirking with his duelling pistol out once more.

The .70 caliber bullet tore through Musashi's shoulder and he collapsed once more in pain before pulling out his bokken from its sheath. Andrew calmly strided over with his walking cane and barely put any effort into kicking away the swung wooden sword before retrieving it for his coup de grâce. "詐欺師. " (Cheater.) "I'm the one who was smart enough to use a gun while you brought in lawn darts. You practically handed me this win."

The two sticks slammed into Miyamoto Musashi's head again and again even as it cracked open until his face was rendered unrecognizable and his skull looked like it had taken a flanged mace instead of a cane and bokken. The crowd cheered on the incredible display of gruesome bloodlust as crunches filled the air, mainly due to their own warriors being avenged by the American. Andrew Jackson dropped both blunt objects next to the Japanese man's disfigured corpse and walked out a champion, this victory was sure to help him in the upcoming election.

Winner:Andrew Jackson

Expert's Opinion
In this battle of history's arguably two greatest duelists, Andrew Jackson won for his metallurgically superior and longer Model 1812 Officer's Sword at mid range and the devastating Duelling Pistol at long range. Miyamoto Musashi had the Wakizashi which was actually made for combat at short range and the Bokken which was an actual weapon in the special category but despite tying up the X-Factors, Andrew still had the greater advantages with his more varied experience in battles and was surprisingly the physically healthier one. Miyamoto's various strategies were difficult to counter but Jackson's pain tolerance was more simple and equally effective in the short duel where guns once again beat blades.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Shaka Zulu (By 1298god)
A small raft washes up on a South African beach, the legendary ronin, Miyamoto Musashi steps on to the beach and observes his surroundings. Several meters away, two Zulu warriors sit waiting for their king, and notice this strange man on the shore and charge. Miyamoto sees them coming and quickly throws two Bo-Shuriken, peircing one of the Zulus between the eyes, while the other blocked it with his Ishlangu. When the remaining Zulu gets in range, Miyamoto hits him in the lower leg with his Bokken, fracturing his tidia, then brings his Bokken to his head and breaks his skull, killing him. As this happens Shaka Zulu arrives, seeing his men killed and this stranger standing over their corpses was proof enough. Shaka takes out his Iklwa and bangs it against his Ishlangu, Miyamoto responds by drawing his katana and wakizashi. Shaka lets out a warcry as he charges and thrusts his ikwla at Miyamoto, whom parries the attack with the wakizashi and swings the katana at Shaka's neck, but Shaka blocks it with the center of his ishlangu and kicks Miyamoto in the stomache, causing him to stumble back. Shaka jumped back and growled feircly, but instead of seeing the stelly, battlehardened look of a warrior on his enemy's face, he sees Miyamoto laughing in his direction. Shaka was confused for a moment, but realized what was so funny when he realized the feel of blood trickling down his hand. He quickly examines his ishlangu and notices a sizable cut through it's center, and his blood flowing down it from a cut on his hand. Shaka looked up and ducked under a swing from Musashi's katana in the nick of time and thrusts his ikwla, but Musashi parries the thrust with his wakizashi and slashes downward with his katana. Shaka rolls to the right and thrusts his ikwla at Musashi's head, but Musashi dodges and swings his wakizashi at Shaka, in response, Shaka raises his ishlangu to block, but the wakizashi slices the ishlangu clean in half and grazes Shaka's cheek-bone. Shaka immediatly recovers and slashes Musashi across the chest with his ishlangu and headbutts him, causing Musashi to stumble backwards. Shaka sees this opening and luges forward with his Zulu axe and chops downward, but Musashi cross blocks it with his swords and pushes Shaka away. Shaka then pulls out his iwisa and throws it at Musashi, whom dodges and throws his wakizashi directly into Shaka's right lung. Shaka, having enough common sense not to pull it out, leaves it there and charges with his axe. Musashi, suprised by Shaka's incredible pain tolerance, gets slashed at the left humerous, and the axe gets stuck in the bone. Musashi quikly punches Shaka in the face and makes a mad dash to his boat and Shaka takes pursuit. Miyamoto pulls a Naginata from his boat and stares Shaka in the eyes. Shala was sweating, panting, and bleeding in 3 different places. Suffice to say, he was not happy. Shaka charges with his ikwla, but, before he could get close enough to use it, he gets his right arm gets hacked off and slashed across the gut by the Naginata. Shaka is stunned by the blood loss and Musashi uses this opening to rip his wakizashi out of Shaka's chest and slices left and right with swords, causing Shaka to fall to his hand and knees. Musashi sheathes his wakizashi and swings his katana downwards, decapitating the Zulu king. Musashi then sheaths his katana and bows to his fallen opponent

WINNER: MIYAMOTO MUSASHI

Expert's opinion
Out of 1000 battles, Musashi won the majority of them due to his far superior Niten-ichi ryu combo and Naginata dominating the kills and his phycological warfare would definatly throw Shaka off his game, but the biggest reason for his victory is the fact that Musahi was in his element, he was much more well-versed in this kind of one on one duel while Shaka was more versed in army battles.

To see original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.