User blog:Laquearius/Baraka (Mortal Kombat) vs Lust (Fullmetal Alchemist)



Welcome back to the DFederal Homelessness Relief Initiative! For my second project, the subject is Baraka, the Tarkatan warlord of Mortal Kombat who always ends up fighting for the wrong side, who unfortunately suffered a tremendously unfair battle against the nigh-unkillable Wolverine in 2011. Baraka is famed for his natural arm-blades, and when a character in fiction uses a pair of natural blades or claws as their primary weapon, it's usually a sign of a violent and animalistic nature. Anyone that takes pleasure in getting up close and personal with their enemy and hacking them apart with their claws must have a sadistic streak to them, and Baraka is no exception, and neither is his new opponent: Lust, the second Homunculus and Father's Ultimate Spear! Let's see who is DEADLIEST!

Baraka
"My blades will find your heart!"

- Baraka

Of all the members of the Tarkata, a violent race of nomadic mutants, Baraka is the greatest. The native realm of the Tarkata was conquered by Shao Kahn, and Baraka was forced to serve him in his quest to take over Earthrealm. During the second Mortal Kombat tournament, Baraka plotted with Mileena to overthrow Shao Kahn, but Mileena was murdered and Baraka was banished. For the many tournaments that followed, Baraka would change his allegiance frequently, serving different masters like Shinnok, Quan Chi, and Onaga, the latter being the only one he did not seek to overthrow. Baraka's chosen side was defeated every time, and Baraka was constantly denied the power he sought. Baraka fought with the Forces of Darkness in the Battle of Armageddon, in which he was killed by his long-time foe, Kung Lao.


 * Tarkatan Blades: Like all pure-blooded Tarkata, Baraka has natural weapons in the form of two blades embedded in his forearms that he can extend at will. When fully extended, these blades have an approximate length of three feet. They are sharp enough to slice a person in half and strong enough to stand up to conventional steel weapons. Baraka incorporates his blades into his unique fighting style, such as by using the force of them extending to launch himself back onto his feet.
 * Blade Spark: By striking his blades together, Baraka can fire off a sparking projectile to burn his opponent from a distance.
 * Silat and Hung Ga: Baraka's fighting style incorporates elements from Silat and Hung Gar, martial arts originating from Indonesia and China, respectively. Both styles take inspiration from the movements of animals, fitting Baraka's animalistic nature. More specifically, Silat is an umbrella term for a wide variety of styles, usually focusing on swift and brutal strikes and grapples and the use of weapons, especially blades. The focus of Hung Ga is on strong hand techniques, such as the famous and versatile tiger claw.

Lust
"Humans are made up of violent, miserable fools."

- Lust

Lust is the name given to the second of the Homunculi created by Father, the original Homunculus, to serve as his agents. Because the Homunculi are born from Father's own body, he named them after the seven deadly sins to symbolically purge himself of vice in his quest to become the perfect being. As the embodiment of desire, Lust served as Father's assassin, manipulating and killing those who stood in the way of her master's plan to use the population of the nation of Amestris as human sacrifices in a bid to attain godlike power. Lust and the other Homunculi came into conflict with Colonel Roy Mustang and his allies when they discovered the extent that the Homunculi had infiltrated their government. Lust finally met her end at Mustang's hands, who repeatedly bathed her in alchemic fire until she was reduced to ash.


 * Claws: Fitting for her title of "Ultimate Spear", Lust's claws can pierce and slice through stone and steel alike. They also extend to be several meters long, allowing her to strike from a distance. When extending, they strike with enough force to completely impale the body of Alphonse Elric, a bulletproof suit of armor. They have decent cutting power as well, capable of slicing halfway through the arm of the aforementioned armor.
 * Philosopher's Stone: The source of Lust's power is a Philosopher's Stone, an object forged out of human souls, within her chest. The stone allows Lust to rapidly heal from any injury; impalements, bullet wounds, her flesh being burned off can all be healed within seconds. Even if the stone is torn out of her chest, a new body will be regenerated around it. However, each Philosopher's Stone has a finite amount of power, and regeneration drains it. Once her stone runs out of power, Lust will die.

X-Factors
Brutality

Both warriors are extremely violent, but they go about it in different ways. Baraka always fights with the intent of brutally killing his foes, while Lust is more sadistic, taking pleasure in watching her enemies suffer. This trait ended up leading to her death, as she chose not to finish off Roy Mustang after critically wounding him, giving him time to treat his wounds and give pursuit.

Experience

Baraka has had a lengthy career as both a general and a kombatant. He has participated in three Mortal Kombat tournaments as a representative of Shao Kahn, although he won no notable victories, and his prior experience as the leader of the Tarkata led Shao Kahn to appoint him as his general for two separate invasions of Earthrealm. The participants of Mortal Kombat tournaments and the defenders of Earthrealm vary greatly, giving Baraka a wealth of experience against skilled martial artists, shinobi, Shaolin monks, and sorcerers.

Lust was created by Father around the time of the founding of Amestris, meaning that Lust was nearly four-hundred years old by the time of her death. She worked as Father's spy and assassin, using her bewitching appearance and talent for seduction to manipulate Amestrian government officials and killing those who could not be controlled. How much combat she experienced during this time is unclear, as it is unknown if she was ever faced with an opponent who was capable of fighting back before her encounters with Mustang and the Elric brothers.

Physicality

Baraka is greatly resistant to damage and heals at a superhuman rate. He can shrug off an impalement through the abdomen and keep fighting, and he survived being bisected from head to waist by Kung Lao. With the help of a few staples to hold him together, he fully healed. He is highly agile as well, capable of jumping to a height of about two dozen feet and battling Kung Lao while in mid-air.

Lust's greatest physical attribute is her speed, but she rarely uses it to its full potential, often preferring to forgo avoiding attacks at all and let her regeneration do the work instead, which makes for an effective intimidation tactic. When she's not toying with her opponents, however, she can be fast enough to take Scar, who was repeatedly shown to be quick enough to dodge bullets, by surprise.