Spike TV’s Deadliest Warrior: Your Thoughts?

By guest author Thomas Tan

Deadliest Warrior

Spike TV, the unabashed cable channel dedicated to all things manly, has created a new show in the same vein as the moderately popular “Fight Science” and “Human Weapon” series. Like those other shows, it uses modern scientific equipment to gather data from historical weaponry and techniques. Unlike those shows, however, “Deadliest Warrior” makes no effort to be a cultured or sophisticated study of the martial arts. It bills itself as the next step in barroom debates over who would win in a fight to the death between two historical fighters. So far, the show has taken on an Apache vs. Gladiator, Viking vs. Samurai, Spartan vs. Ninja, and just last week the show was about a Knight vs. Pirate.

The show is brash and unapologetic. The modern representatives of the warriors are rude and insulting to each other, even the samurai-descended master of kyudo (Japanese zen archery). The hosts celebrate violence and dismemberment, cheering like a band of school boys as they watch slow-motion replays of the weapon in use against ballistics-gel humans and pig carcasses. The show is, for lack of better words, the ultimate guy show, on the same level as “Explosions Gone Wrong” and “When Animals Attack.”

However, speaking as a somewhat young man myself, there is something incredibly fun about the juvenile way this show is run. I find myself staring in awe along with them as the Apache decimates the fake skull with his tomahawk. Seeing the aforementioned kyudo master plant arrows right into the gel head’s eyes sends shivers through my spine. With the exception of the bad-mouthing and occasional historical inaccuracies, I love watching every minute of the show.


From episode: Shaolin Monk versus Maori Warrior

As martial artists, we often strive for that sort of Carradine-esque aura of serenity, especially when dealing with our most violent practices. But this show lets us embrace our inner “dude” for an hour, and watching the hosts’ enthusiasm can be enough to jump-start our own fervor. Beyond that, the show is still somewhat educational and intellectually stimulating, as the tests themselves are not completely objective and the results are open to viewers for interpretation. As long as we can recognize the show for what it is (a blatant excuse to test out historical weapons in a boyhood fantasy world), the show itself is definitely worth watching at least once. Just don’t mistake it for quality television.

Have you seen “Deadliest Warrior”? What do you think?

140 comments

  1. Seems like my kind of show. I bet the spartan kills everyone. We all know spartans kick ass.

  2. I’ve only seen one and a half episodes, so the following comments may be underinformed.

    • For a show that claims to present a scientific perspective, their command of historical fact is shockingly poor. My martial arts encyclopedia states that ninjas were spies, not assassins as such. They certainly didn’t run around wearing “I’m a ninja” costumes. And they must have been familiar with the spear and the shield, and armor, as all of these were used in Japan.
    • Would a ninja be thwarted by a Spartan shield, because he was unfamiliar with its use? Or were shields largely abandoned by Japanese warriors, because they were ineffective against modern threats (such as the ninja)? That is an interesting question.
    • The amount of time spent calculating weapons damage, and the experts’ comments on that damage show a unique perspective on martial arts. The single most important factor in a real armed duel is probably speed, maybe range or accuracy. Power just can’t be that important. Even a Spartan (who they choose to portray as a dim-witted brute) should know enough to attack the enemy’s weak points.
    • The simulation must assign each fighter a “health bar” or “hit points”, as if real-life fights resembled a game of Tekken or Street Fighter II. In that case, there is probably no difference between a strike to the leg and a strike to the throat.
    • The narrator mentions that each fighter is defined by 20 unique metrics: agility, strength, speed, etc. Assuming a minimum of 5 levels for each metric produces more than 95 trillion combinations. On the show, they run 1000 simulations. Does that sound like a statistically significant sample?
    • How many significant variables do you suppose affect the outcome of a fight? I would guess over one hundred. Twenty is not enough; the human body alone has over 20 different striking surfaces.
    • Success in a (non-sporting) fight is (to some degree) a matter of imposing your own reality onto the opponent; thus the saying “fight a boxer, box a fighter”. These mental models are just one of the many important aspects that I assume were excluded from the computer simulation. I’ll write more about the sim in a seprate post.
    • The trash-talking “fight experts” were actually my favorite part of the show. I wish they would have a match at the end of each episode, instead of that choreographed stunt sequence.
    • Can one truly be a weapons expert if they do not exhibit skilled use of their weapons? I saw swords bent sideways during a cut, and javelins thrown six feet from the target.
    • If Spike TV really wants to make a hit, they need to pit James T. Kirk against Boba Fett!

  3. Ah Spike TV, lowering the bar once again.

    I’m guilty; I too watch the car wreck.

    It looks like you have a bunch of nerd scientist wannabes having Batman vs. Superman discussions over simulated carnage.

    If you accept that it is “entertainment” and really hyped pseudo-science then it’s fun to watch.

    I missed the Pirate episode. Did he win?

    -B

  4. Pingback: Deadliest Entertainment « Striking Thoughts

  5. I watched a few clips on youtube looks sweet but their results are crap. Chuck Norris could beat all of them.

  7. As long as you approach it as ‘just for fun’, you’ll be fine. Once you start analyzing all the flaws in it, you’ll notice it doesn’t hold up in any real sense.

  8. I saw first episode – just few minutes, i couldn’t stand watching the whole episode. I was hoping that it will be something better than national geographic: fight science document but… ehh.. this deadliest warrior thing is for newbies..

  9. Oh god look at the next couple of fights they have set up.

    Yakuza vs Mafia

    Shaolin Monk vs Māori

    William Wallace vs Shaka Zulu

    IRA(Irish Army) vs Taliban

    I just cried ಥ_ಥ

  10. “there is something incredibly fun about the juvenile way this show is run”

    I couldn’t had put it better. I was planning on writing a post for my blog, but now there seems no point 🙂

    If your serious meter goes above 2, your not watching correctly. Anyone notice when they evaluate the weapons, it’s always even by the end of the show?

    I think the absurdity should be assumed when you turn the show on.

    With that said, I f-ing love to see them bash skulls with different weapons. You know it’s a good show when you sit there thinking “how do I get THAT job” 🙂

  11. Oh dear, I’ve not watched it correctly! And I’m afraid my next post is going to poop the party. 🙂

  12. Mafia vs. Yakuza was great, but I’ve always thought who would win between Irish Mob vs. Colombian Cartels.

  13. This episode was massive failure. Why is this show so full of historical inacurracies? Why the ninja didn’t just blow the dart at the Spartan’s fleshy exposed arm in the beginning was just beyond comprehension but he suprised me with how dumb this ninja was who then went up to the Spartan then yelled out giving away his position and his sneak attack. Then after running away the Ninja didn’t set up caltrops the puncture the Spartan’s leather shoes. Oh and it was really nice how that Spartan was able to recover so quickly from the black egg, that and the fact that the Ninja didn’t finish him off when he was incapicated. CHRIST wtf?? Last note, what the hell is a ninja doing trying to fight a Spartan in broad daylight for? and the Spartan was on GUARD! wtf?? A ninja would follow him until he was tired and let his guard down before attacking.

    1 ninja can probably kill 100 spartans over the course of several months but 100 spartans can kill 100 ninjas in a head to head battle yes.

  14. That’s exactly why I don’t think you can take it seriously. First, keep in mind the final fight is a “representation” of the results of 1000 fights (which I’m sure is just a guy in a room flipping a coin). Second, they have no way to factor in different environments, or situations other then x-on-x in a prearranged setting.

    Wouldn’t the ninja just kill the guy in his sleep? Yes, he would… but that wouldn’t make for a very interesting show.

    The guys that perform (yes, preform) the final fight, are actors and stuntmen doing a choreographed fight scene. How is it that no one is ever killed with the first strike? Because it wouldn’t be fun to watch.

    These guys have no interest in the scientific truth of who would be a better fighter (I find the learning about the weapons the most interesting and scientific part). They just want to entertain you. Which, for my part, they have succeeded in doing.

  15. Absolute nonsense. They offer no credentials for the so called experts on the show. Explain none of the scientific reasoning other than some jargon and buzz word which sound very technical.

    I looked up ZERO KAZAMA the supposed Yakuza expert … he is an actor. ’nuff said

  16. i think they should have cowboys vs indians good episod

  18. I AGREE WITH JOSH BUT I THANK THE COW BOY WOULD WIN BECAUSE HE WOULD BRING MORE ADVANCED WEAPONS

  19. Wow Josh, cowboys vs. Indians! Way to think outside the box. No one would know the outcome of that fight. I think your missing the point of the show, the one where they pit two types of fighters who have never met against one another.

  20. I’ve seen enough to realize that your tests are skewed towards the warrior you want to win. Why else would you conduct dissimilar tests on similar weapons? Why not the exact same test for each weapon? I don’t appreciate your propensity for seeking only the entertainment aspect. Therefore I can’t bring myself to believe that any of your results are accurate or true. Thanks for ruining my opinion of SPIKE TV.

  21. yes all these are nice and all but cobra kai or whatever i gurentee that your little chuck norris would be made a fool of by Bruce Lee he would just sit crap his pants then fall over dead from the speed, the technique and cockiness of Bruce Lee to a failed actor and old man of Chuck Norris

  23. You guys, chillax! Just like everything else, it’s just a show for entertainment!
    …And entertained I was!
    It might be strange but, honestly, I think there’s nothing more attractive than guys sitting around kicking the shit out of each other with the most beautiful weapons my tender female eyes have ever seen <3
    Dr. Armand Dorian is love.
    Also, can we get some Celts Vs. Huns over here?!

  25. I dont know if anyone else noticed or comented on this.. But when they are testing weapons for differnet warriors have u noticed that they are not wearing all the gear each warrior would be in the actual battle..

    Yet they are taking all the results for speed, blunt force, cutting power, while each person is essentially naked as opposed to being fully outfitted and ready for battle..

    So really they are not getting the true effectivness of each weapon..

    For instance when they did the show with the knight and i forgot who hes was against but damn he was fully covered in armor with shield so that is at least 100++ pounds which would easily slow the weapon speed down and mobility while cutting thrusting at the test dummy..

    I hope they read this and put this into account and redo some of there earlier fight simulations it might actually make few outcomes alot different where the battles were won by like only 20 fights or so out of 1000..

    thank you

    Emilio

  26. Remember the French Resistance, Colonist loose militia against trained English troops, Vietnam, Afghanistan against the Russians, and the Middle East war? Any time a smaller less well armed force faces a larger organized and better armed force, a head to head battle is tilted toward the larger force. Strategy and guerrilla warfare are employed. Even the Spartans were bright enough to utilize terrain to their advantage at Thermopoly pass.

    The ninja would never fight head to head against a Spartan Warrior. Stealth, misdirection and ambush would be their strategy. Lead the Spartan into a densely wooded area like a bamboo forest where the shield and spear would be almost useless would be the way to go. The Spartan mentality of never backing down plays right into this. The ninja would hide and nail him in the back with a poison dart. Spartans prided themselves on having an unarmored back. Arrogance has its price.

    The Spartans may not consider the Ninja brave or honorable; similarly the British didn’t like Colonist shooting at their ranks from behind trees, but guess who won? A ninetyeight pound kid against a two hundred fifty pound guy with a bat kicks him in the balls and runs away. Not a coward, just smart.

  27. Want to know more about Ninjitsu? Check out Wikipedia(Koga Ryu) and (Iga Ryu). These were the two major Ninja schools in feudal Japan. In 1967 I got to visit an authentic ninja home. Ingenious trap doors and hidden rooms were fascinating. Their unusal weapons and methods were efficientl and deadly. Fair and ethical were not part of their vocabulary. In fact, they hired themselves out to both sides of some battles.

  28. NO seriously deadliest warrior is a good show but…… There should be an episode with the black man verses ninja verses jedi. Personaly i think the black man would win. But me and my family are debating. So who do u think would win. Well chuck norris and his fist would obiously win.

  29. i would like to see spetnez vs navy seals… or navy seals vs sas

  30. i would like to see the great chief tecumseh vs sitting buffalo

  31. I have one thing to say about deadliest warrior besides the fact that it kicks ass. How could a samurai beat a viking? and how could the spetznaz beat the green berets? Did you see the grenades and the snipers? The russkies got lucky.

  32. ok, so spartan beat ninja, i can see that. but an apache beating a gladiator? Gladiators trained to take on all kinds of opponents. They had tobe the best or they would die. Same with viking versus samurai. Sure, the samurais fast, but so is the viking. Vikings had to be prepared for facing all kinds of opponents. A samurai fought the same guys over and over again. Experience wins.

  33. How about zombies? How come they haven’t done zombies? How about masked chainsaw wielding serial killers?

  34. i like the show but think that you shuld put an aztec warrior on your show i think that it wold be one of the best shows you put on so think abaut it lol

  35. astecs!!!!! or some tipe of mexican or south american colture they truthly loved blood

  36. other warriors would fight for money land but the aztecs would fight just for blood for there gods even there sports and pas time had some thing to do with some one dieing so the mexican natives are not only the deadliest worier but the bloodiest they just lived for it every day they had to kill some one and they bolived that the war should never end because they needed people to sacrifice every morning one time they sacrifice over4000 people withing one week or some thing like that i know it was withing less days but i dont remember
    so the aztec jaguar would be the best warrior on your show

  38. why are you guys getting angry about this show SO WHAT its for fucken entertainment purposes you dorks. Have you seen Spike Tv its about Boobs, violence, and cars nothing more.
    So relax place a bet with a buddy on who’s going to win and enjoy.

  39. how about an episode with american army vs iraq OH WAIT that already happened iraq ate it HARD.

  40. i think they should test cherokee vs. paladin.

  41. DeWayne, did u not c maori versus monk? the maori got 3 out of 4 edges and lost.

  42. HOW ABOUT MORE EVENLY MATCHED OPPONENTS. I FEEL THE WILLIAM WALLCE VS SHAKA ZULU WAS LOPSIDED. I’D LIKE TO SEE SHAKA ZULU VS CRAZY HORSE. AND FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BITCH ABOUT THE SHOW, GO BACK TO WATCHING RERUNS OF THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRARIE AND SHUT UP.

  44. I believe that the people making the negative comments are simply upset and who simply did not have things go their way. Or they are simply taking this show wayyy too seriously. You really need to lay off and stop ripping on the show.

    For me, I have not had my favored warrior win many times, examples. Viking, Gladiator, Green B, and probably more to come. However I am not complaining about it and making up excuses. Also, do not complain about the non-realistic scenario or the, (in your mind) faulty facts of the fights because this show is meant for entertainment. It is not your show, and at least they are doing some scientific experimenting with a fantasy fight. I will bet you that they have a more informed opinion than you do. Besides, no one likes a critic.

    The Spartan and Ninja fight had mannyy complaints. Mainly because of biased opinions towards the ninja. To be honest I didnt really care for whoever won this one. The spartan did win fairly however because in these simulations it is a 1 on 1 fight. In addition the terrain is normal and flat (not elaborate, as shown in the staged area at the end of the show) so the spartan would win. And yes, although the ninja would have probably used his stealth to kill the spartan, it is not simulated this way….or maybe it is, just not shown very well in the staged fight. The ninja may have won because of this, but the fight is not made to be this way. It is just a show, and if you want your little ninja to beat the dang spartan than just pretend it happened instead of criticizing a show for its credibility when you have a child’s opinion comparatively to them.

  45. The purpose of this thread is to discuss the show–obviously. No more “It’s just entertainment, so everyone shut up” comments will be tolerated here.

  46. Love The deadliest warrior but think IRA -v-Taliban is a huge mistake how can they glorify the weapons used by terrorists that our brave soldiers are still facing and some have been killed by. What have we come to when we glorify terrorists that have killed our brave men and women, huge mistake SPIKE if you show this I for one will never watch SPIKE again.

  47. The deadliest warrior is not an accurate method of pitting one opponent against another. The Ninja was not directly confrontational. He was a sneaky bastard and they usually attacked at night, hence the black uniform for concealment. They totally remove the Ninja from the context of the way it was implemented. It was not brute force against brute force like the Spartan they used as an opponent. I see a problem with the way that the data they use is initially entered into the program. Much of that is dependent upon how each different weapon is “weighted” to do a certain level of damage. I was not impressed with this particular episode as the final conclusion was bull crap. The Ninja would have won close to 100% of the time or they would not fight until they had that certain advantage.

  48. Dave, it is not horrible to simply study the weapons and tactics of a terrorist organization. Spike is not ‘glorifying’ the terrorists either. This is simply an informational show, and if you feel offended by it, do not watch it; you do not have to take such a great offense as to never watching spike again.

  49. I like seeing the weapons tested against dummies and sides of beef, but the show is way too long. Does anyone really need 3 idiots, a computer and some guy in a lab coat to figure out that an axe to the head would be fatal? Take them out of the picture, shorten the show to 30 minutes and then it would be fairly entertaining.

  50. Jack I do believe deadliest warrior goes into details about the amount of damage to the body/ kill strikes and the like I just don`t think these would be subjects I would like to see covered knowing a loved one of mine was the victim of these weapons would you sir. SPIKE is above this episode and should do the decent thing.All I`m saying is the Taliban are still killing people it`s as simple as that really.

  51. I am sorry if something very unfortunate happened for a war that i do not believed justified. However, I also believe that their is no problem with informing the public of certain researched tactics and weapons. Some people will always question someone being immoral, and while I respect your opinion, this is why there is freedom of speech.

  52. I have actually only seen tiny clips of the show. I have not had a TV connection for a few years now. I kind of ripped the cable out of the wall and cut it with some wire snips and let it snap back into the wall… It worked wonders actually, I heartily recommend this as a cure for programming.

    Having checked out clips of the show online after being told by some acquaintances how cool it was I found myself disappointed.

    If I could change one thing in the show it would be how seriously it takes itself.

    I almost wonder if they held auditions for the experts.

    I am going to go run my own simulation but I think it is a little more accurate than the show.

    Heads ninja wins, tails and it’s the spartan…

  54. I watched every epidose of Deadliest Warrior, i have to say they got my attention on the show, the IRA vs. Talibans was just terrrible tho. The best one of all was the Pirate vs Knight. I am currently doing a essay on the show for a school project, i had to present my topic in front of class and they all enjoyed what the show was about. So my opinion would be, if you like fighting shows simualted, youll definetly like the show. Thats all i got to say.
    PS : Trojan Vs Hunter!!

  55. What about making a episode that’s “Egyptian vs Persian” or “Amazon vs Valkyre(Not sure of spelling)”

  56. This show is complete crap. I watched today and they showed mafia vs yakuza. They didn’t do anything to factor in the yakuza’s superior fighting skills. All they did was compare the blunt trauma the weapons were capable of. For example, in their comparison, the baseball bat had the advantage over nunchucks. Tell me please, what thug with a baseball bat would be able to land a shot on a trained martial artist?

  57. Why don’t they use Bruce Lee vs who-ever. Seems that Bruce was the best and I can’t see anyone beating him.

  58. While some point to the entertainment of the show as an excuse for its poor execution, the fact is that all instructors are going to have to deal with the discussion of this style versus that style as presented by the show. It would be nice if some of the people who wrote these responces would hang out in martial schools and berate anybody who used this show as support for their personal fighting theory, but we know that won’t happen. The reality is that the information in this show may be responcible for decisions which end result in crippling injury and death. Just like the “reality” of WWE resulted in many paralyzed morons, and the “reality” of gangster movies results in really unfortunate gang tactics; the “reality” of martial “engineers” will cause many people to believe very stupid information. Students, as well as teachers, need to have a source of information which exposes such fundamental scientific mistakes. The comparisons on this show are simply wrong. It is like haveing a fish fight a bird. Whether the fight happens in the air or underwater makes all the difference and comparing jaw pressure is not a valid comparison.

    The ninja vs spartan is simply the comparison which is easiest to spell but the flaw is the same for indian vs gladiator , samurai vs viking, and every other comparison. They take competing theory and discount it. On one side is always a warrior who had a code of honor vs one who didn’t. They then have one be trained to fight in a group vs one who faught alone. One fights on flat terrain and one fights on varied terrain. One leads an assault and one fights from ambush. They always try and balance out the weapons and pretend that there is equal training and ignore the reality of a situation.

    In a one on one fight with equal footing and weapons where both warriors have noticed each other and decided to fight we have certain assumptions which have been proven in every battle, in every war, in every location.

    1. The warrior who knows the terrain has the advantage.
    2. The warrior who trains to fight alone will always have an advantage over the warrior who is part of a unit.
    3. The warrior with less limitations (honor, hostage, fear, whatever) has the advantage.
    4. the warrior with better technology has the advantage.
    5. the warrior with more training has the advantage. By more training I mean simply more options and understanding as the result of more variation in weapons, enemies, terrain, ranges of combat, and culture.

    The game engine that is used to make the comparisons does not take into account how blinding affects the defense and attack of the victim. The game does not take into account any problems with mobility that result from leg attacks. The game does not take into acount such concepts as cutting the wrist and fingers to immediately destroy any weapon potential. The examples of technique also do not, in any way, show the effects of actual weapon use such as broken bones from falling or the fact that all armored training involves hitting the opponent hard enough to take them off of their feet. those nice little slashes and hacks they showed are great for an unarmored duelist but do not represent an actual attack that would affect an armored opponent.

    I know that my next group of students is going to pretend they know more than me or have friends who think I am full of crap because of this show.

    Since they need to actually train to find what is truth and this show will be used as some sort of knowledge base to choose training, It is difficult to view this show as anything more than a poison in the minds of young students. Some can shrug it off, some will be ruined by it, and others will use it as a weapon to support their own incompetance.

    All of you who just say it is entertainment and can be ignored are simply the kind of people who will never teach. You will also never learn.

  59. Mike, if u r refering 2 the spartan with the Advantages over a unit thing, u need 2 do some more research. spartans were trained as individuals for most of their training, group tactics were ingrained later.

  60. Well, first of all, the purpose of this show is merely entertainment, it doesn’t have accurete historical facts, or, solid arguments and convincingly scientific facts.

    As someone said before, many of you just criticise because the show didn’t went the way you were expecting.

    For example, the ninja, technically isn’t even a warrior, a warrior is someone engaged and experienced in warfare, in other words, a soldier who participate in war, and battles, a ninja is just a spy, a mercenary, not a soldier, ninjas didn’t fight in large battles with armies. According to the logic of many of you, then the ninja would be the dedliest warrior ever, becaouse he just waits his victim to be sleeping and then kill him, and thats it, the same way he would kill the viking, the samurai, the green beret, etc…

    When you say the word warrior in this show, it should means that two soldiers of different armies will fight to each other, armies that actually fought in wars, like in the other episodes, thats something they should consider, the equal terms of the warrior’s, like some other guy said, spartan’s honor is at a very high level, while the ninja just kills for money and he does it cowardly, how can you even think that the spartan would win this battle when his honorability tells him not to fight a foe if it’s not front to front. Thats just ridiculous.

  61. I’ve watched several shows and for example, Apache stupid expert was very confident of braking the gladiertor’s helmet with his club, thst just doesn’t make any logical sense, then the club brokes and the face of the apache expert is of disapointment, that was so stupid that was hilarous, so again, this is not a serious show, its just violent farytale entertainment with a little bit of pseudo-science

  62. Yeah!, a warrior is not a soldier. a warrior is a fighter, who lives 4 the kill, the chance 2 do what he does best.

  63. I’m now watching the episode of ” Green Beret vs. Spetznaz”. I dont think that a computer should desifer between the two being that they are basicly the same warrior and are from our present time. I feel that the battle should take place in a real life paint ball competition. Minus real knife and shovel weapons. What do you think?

  65. These guys that pick the criteria for the warriors have never been in a fight and it shows. The one guy has a blackbelt but, that does not translate to fighting experience. I like the show but, some of the match-ups are ridiculous. Such as, Pirate vs Knight. If you have someone with a gun thats not fair. How they should test the warriors is to have them fight in an arena like Romans made the gladiators do. Give them similar weapons and see who wins. Spetznast had no clue what to do with Green Berets in Vietnam. Oh, you don’t think they were fighting in Vietnam do you. Bullshit!!! The Russians know it and so do the U.S. soldiers who fought in Vietnam. The G.B.’s were smarter and technically superior warriors. Physically though they were probably equal. All this being said, there is one factor you can’t put in your computers and thats the heart of a man and what he is willing to do to win!! Hence the saying, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. Being I have done things to men that would make Satan blush, all in the name of my country, I can say once confronted with your impending demise certain men become almost invincible. In the movie 300, it showed a character that lost his son in battle. That character was a real man. Read up on your history about this guy. He may have been the greatest warrior of all time. After his son died he killed over a 1,000 men and the Persians did not have an answer for him. Anyone who got close died. They had to stand off and kill him with thousands of arrow vollies. This was a bad man! As I said before I like the show just put the warriors in a fight with parameters like an arena with similar weapons or else the guy with the gun will always win. That does not make him the better warrior though, does it?

  66. This show has great possibilities but honestly, it is very WEAK. Try the computer simulated battles with 100 verus 100, not this pathetic one on one. It makes the end battle painful to watch…soooo unrealistic. Example, the Knight verus the Pirate…oh good gods above and below…where did the pirate hide four pistols, a gernade and a shotgun? Why did the last flint lock pistol fire when it was picked up off the soaking beach? Or the Gladiator verus the Indian. If your computer program wasn’t truely sad, it would have been VERY different.

  67. The Green Beret vs the Spetsnaz was an embarrasment to one of the greatest fighting forces the world has ever seen. An E-tool?? Honestly as a current Green Beret with mulitiple deployments to combat zones let spike feel free to come with and see if i carry a stupid shovel on my kit. Speaking of didn’t the Green Beret do in 90 days what the Russian army couldn’t do in years in Afghanistan?

  68. Do your research.

    I’m a history major. I am very fascinated with the classical period. Spartans did not wear armor, save for a helmet. They did carry a shield. Other than that, they refused armor because of the effects of encumberance.

    Read Plutarch’s “On Sparta,” the book written by a man who lived during that period who studied their culture and way of life.

    Yes. These shows are bulllshit. But, they’re also a lot of fun too.

  69. Hi, I’m Zero – the guy from the Yakuza episode.

    In reply to I’m an actor – yes I am, so what? I’ve also got 20 years martial arts experience and family in the Yakuza that I grew up around. People that are full fledged in any real organized crime group wouldn’t be caught dead on tv, get fucking real.

    On the show is b.s. – I’m not arguing that one. How they can say “you can get shot five times with this gun” after blowing the brains out w/the 9mm, and saying the nunchakus are ineffective after making the skull explode, AND the ice picks getting 2.5x the kills as a sai….is beyond me.

    On the show is “brash” – dude, it’s Spike.

    What really baffled me – Ninja masters = fat white guy and a Chinese kung fu practitioner….wha?

  70. I agree with u Daniel and Zero tell them to make amazon vs Valkyrie or Egyptian vs Persian and Talon that’s cool yo!

  71. Hello,
    Full of bacon flavored testosrone, loaded with Homeric legendary ideals, the warrior series appeals to us on very raw base levels. I’ve studied many of these warrior cults for years with personal favorites in the Classical world, i.e. Spartan, Theban, Macedonian, Assyrian. My only serious criticism is the match selections. Shaka vs an Apache with the winner taking on th Maori is believable. William Wallace vs a Viking warlord is a movie. A Shaolin warrior on a pilgrimage attacked by a Samurai seeking adventure, well, this is a dick-flick dream choice.
    So, refine the selections next time Bronze Age to Iron, 18th century Zulu to Apache and the shows will be better. When will are you planning Alexander vs Hannibal; the Hero vs an admirer?

  72. u must put deadliest warrior on more often because i cant stand not watching it or u should make a DVD ” Deadliest Warrior Season 1″.

  74. Ok so Zero u think that some gang nobody knows about is going too beat the Mafia the most feared gang of all time I mean come on there’s movies made about them

  75. Bob, you’re obviously one who’s unaware of anything outside the united states, and probably under 19 years old with that kind of comment.

  76. Well still man you seriously think that the little Yakuzas could stand a chance against the Mafia no way u guys could stop the Tommy gun and it also took u how many times too break the skull with your numcuks the baseball bat took one I’ll give u one thing your ceramic grenade wasn’t too bad but that’s all u guys had

  77. you guys need to chill out. It’s just a show haha.

    Anyways I thought the pirate vs. knight was bad ass. My favorite one so far.

    I think they should do Celtics vs. late 1700 brittish red coats.

  78. When is the episode where the macho talking online kid squares off against the meager lurker with decades of training?

  79. How about Dick Cheney vs His Friends?
    I’ll bet Cheney would win, the dude doesn’t fight fair!

    Wepons of choice: Violent Snear, hurtful language, water boarding, strength increasing pace maker, reckless aim and a shot gun!

    OH YEAH

  80. I love this show they do some real good matchups. I have seen the ira and the taliban and the russian vs the barret (hope it was close to what it really was) I would like to see a russian soldier vs. a German soldier. I have heard Alot about the german and alot about the russains being so badass, so let’s machup either a group of 5 german(Heers) vs. a group of 5 russian soldiers(Army of the Soviet Union.) against eachother. That would definitely be one to see. What do you think?

  82. I just watch ninja vs spartan and they said spartan would win. However if you really put it in a senario the Ninja would never get caught by a warrior. The Warriors only defence/weapon was his shield and the ninja has millions of weapons he could use. Further more the ninja would hide in wait while the warrior looked for him and the ninja would wait for the perfect second and hit the warrior in the face or neck ( exposed area’s on the warrior) and just shoot hit with a poison tip dart, he would never fight face to face because thats not the way they are trained. There is no possible way a spartan would win the fight when he has no way of hitting the ninja because the first rule in martial arts is that you cant beat what you cant hit (aka if the spartan cant catch the ninja he can’t win).

    and YeaH!! your wrong… a warrior is anyone who fights. acording to the definition “1.One who is engaged in or experienced in battle” a Ninja does fight in battles. a battle is “a.An encounter between opposing forces using Armed fighting or combat( 1 on 1 or otherwise)” therefore a ninja who is fighting with weapons agenst someone else is considered a warrior. and also a ninja is a spy he is an assasin (aka someone who kills other people) 🙂

  83. Wow, this show is bad……but so fun to watch. First off-a pirate defeating a knight? An amateur raider who preyed on traveling merchantmen and then fled, verus a man who trained his whole life for combat as part of his heritage, and armored with steel plate. I know the pirate is using a firearm-but firearms do not guarantee success versus armor.

    The Maori vs. Shaolin was clearly inaccurate…first of all, the same time the Maori were using their weapons the Shaolin monks were not likely using their steel weaponry. Spike’s Shaolin is a monk from a later age. But, the monk’s training seperates him from the Maori warrior-a senior monk or one that had more training would stand a good chance of beating the everyday Maori. But what they did there is pit a common soldier versus an individual whose faction numbers in the hundreds. The Maroi tailored their skills to fighting on a battlefield, notlike the Shaolin who avoided fighting.

    Of course there would be favoritism for the ninja on the internet…..modern culture really has built the ninja up to an insurmountable pedestal. In the end, guys, a ninja is mortal. He’s a man. He is not perfect, and his stealth does not come from his black robes and shadow creeping. No, he came at night to spy on his target or possibly assassinate him/her. He was not a warrior. He also wore no armor or very little armor, which would be weaker than the bronze worn by the Spartan. Yes, they wore armor-do not listen when people say they did not. Spartans were most definetely not idiots. The Spartan also trained for 21 years, beginning at the age of 7. His training was not limited to combat, though much of it was fighting. He was taught to never give ground-not to pursue like an idiot, as has been suggested, but not to turn his back on his foe. He was also taught to fight as a unit. So, considering the ninja’s appetite for stealth and the Spartan’s total avoidance of individual combat, this fight would never have even happened in the first place.

    The Gladiator and Apache? Be serious. Firstly, they didn’t even specify which type of gladiator was fighting-they picked out a steretype and give weapons which he would never have sued. Each gladiator was tailored to fight another class of gladiator (although mised matches were common as well). A retarius, for example, would have not worn armor and would use the net and trident. A Samnite, however, would carry an enormous shield and a short gladius, and be covered in armor. The Apache’s only advantage is his bow, and its stone arrowheads would only be useful versus the unarmored retarius. The Apache’s strength is in his speed-he strikes on horseback where the enemy does not expect, and then leaves. He is an excellent raider, and does not favor pitched combat.

    As for the pirate…that is a fight that could go either way. As with the Spetsnaz and Green Beret. As with all the previous fights, the real challenge is between the experience and determination of the two combatants, and not their weapons or armor.

  84. love the show,was just wondering when or if they have thought of switching the weapons,between the warriors and how differently each would use the others weapons,effectively or other wise. think that would be awesome for them too try. and see the results of.

  85. should do king arthur vs sir lancelot
    —
    a good matchup would be between The 1930’s public enemies( John Dillanger,Baby Face Nelson, and the godfather) vs 3 of todays best modern gangsters.
    —
    I love this show but I wish they would take some of our ideas
    —
    Cool-Spartan vs Samari or Viking
    —
    bruce lee vs chuck lidell
    —
    swat team(with riot shields this time).I was very dissapointed that they didnt use riot shields against the GSG-9 because the swat could of had alot more survivors .vs. Union army.

    each has a team of 5 and since swat gets to get riot shields, the union will get wagons as protection and to be fair, the swat gets to use no electric modern bombs, mines tazers and rocket launchers.
    —
    It would be neat if 8, or 7,or 6 or,5, or4, or 3 teams of 5 or 2 on 2 or 1 on 1 went head to head on an every man for himself matchup
    —
    is there any way to get our suggestions on the show?????????

    PLEASE ANSWER AS SOON AS READ OR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    —
    you know what ben

    I think it would cool for fictional characters to go head to head.

    Opinion: wookie (STAR WARS) vs the Hunter dude from Spiderman

  86. just wanted to tell you i like this alot Alexander the great would win why hes faster with a lighter sword hes a better fighter i dont if you did your fights 1000.ooo on the computer times he would still win

  88. Yet again Knight the pirate won because of guns,guns,guns.
    it wasn’t fair to the Knight. I think people who carry guns when the other person is carrying a sward are cowards and the pirate is a coward. No way the pirate would of won without that stupid rinkydink gun of his.The knight would of won hands down. why did’nt they seperate before guns and after guns like they did in BACK FOR BLOOD. its just not fair.
    common sense.

    REAL WINNER- KNIGHT

  90. iwas watching Back for blood last night and i discovered something. 3 years ago i thought it would be neat if there was a show that could compare warriors and i never told anybody. 2 years later they came out with deadliest warrior.
    i loved it. a year ago i thought it would be neat if a spartan vs samurai. never told anyone. a week ago iwatched back for blood where they see who is the deadliest of season one. in the championship fight, it was samurai vs spartan and the spartan won! a year ago i even predicted the spartan would win!

    WHAT ARE THE ODDS!

  91. Bill,

    they were actually thinking about swithching the weapons between the SWAT Team vs the GSG-9. but they didnt.

    good thought though. 🙂

  92. Ask any question about the show and i will be happy to help or answer! 🙂

  93. they should have an indian vs a ninja!
    Or a Spartan vs a knight. That would be a great match.
    They can also make a Masai warrior vs a Aztec warrior!

  94. Will they do a show with a Navy SEAL? I saw a SEALin one of the promos(along with a Persian Immortal whom i know will be on), and was wondering who they would pit the US Spec Ops fighter against. I’ve heard talk about the SAS, but i’m not entirely sure how accurate that is.

  96. No one should take this show seriously.

    It is there for entertainment, but i believe Spike should at least tell the audience to not take the results seriously because its causing a lot of arguments across the internet.

  97. Nothing but pure bullshit, and better if you are drunk when watching this crap!

  101. I think that for one of their episodes, they should have Anakin Skywalker vs Spider-Man. I know that they aren’t actual warriors, and are just made-up characters, but just think about the out comes. I know that almost everyone I know would watch it, and start to watch all the episodes! Who do you think would win in a battle to the death? Cause I say Anakin! >:)

  102. Cobra Kai, please note – IRA is not the Irish Army. Jeez!!!

  103. okay. everyone just listen. all the people who complain about ,”oh it’s not accurate”, or whatever idiot said, “the yakuza’s fighting skills would have beaten the mafia”, need to shut up. the test results, accurate or not, showed clearly that nunchucks don’t deliver enough damage. and if you don’t like the results then shut the f-k up and don’t watch the show. you’re a huge whiner. and any person who watches this show and 0nly sees bad science projects obviously doesn’t have balls.

  104. I am rooting for the muskateers over the ming warrior and the navy seal over the israeli commando

  105. There has been no disappiontment in your show so far, but you selection of warriors is getting limited.
    I have found a great match-up that has not been on your show, The Green Beret vs The Marine. Both skilled killing machines.

  106. You know, I think it’s funny how all the white boys(excluding myself) honestly believe that the Vikings/Spartans, etc., would always beat the Samurai/Ninja/Yakuza/whatever because the Vikings are bigger and stronger and their opponents are”skinny little Asian guys”. Apparently, drinking beer, watching Spike, and obsessing over 300 neither makes you intelligent nor a martial arts expert. I mean, if this was just taken in stride as dumb entertainment , that’d be one thing.
    What irritates is that this show(and to a certain extent, 300) produces about 20 million combat experts with black belts and a P.H.d. in ancient history.
    Let’s face it, when someone(probably under the influence) says that the Spartan could beat the Samurai(?), or for that matter, anyone in the world(?!), and clutters up cyberspace with this rubbish, all over a stupid TV show, it’s time for an education reform.
    For the record, I think that the Viking raider stands the highest chance against the Samurai because he is a skilled swordsman, and not because he’s bigger, stronger, or European.
    On a parting note, for all the fanboys who claim that the Samurai was hamstrung by Bushido, I apologize that they don’t fit into your belief that a real warrior lives in a near-perpetual state of drunken stupor, from which he only emerges to butcher defenseless farmers/peasants, rape innocent women, take children to sell as slaves, and raze entire villages for money before jumping back on his ship/horse, and running back to whatever hole he crawled out of.

  109. I was rooting for the Muskateers over the Ming warrior because i just finished watching The Man In the Iron Mask (1999), a very touching movie about the Muskateers. And because I think that the Ming warrior is a Very skilled and creative Warrior, led by Sun tzu. But, I think that the Muskateers are Better. And I am rooting For the US Navy Seals over the Isreali Commandos because I have a Friend that is in the Navy Seals and i know what they do.
    They are Better trained and and have better technology than the Commandos. I hope they win.
    I like these skilled warriors not just because they are white. But because I actually thought that they were better skilled than their opponent.
    And again I was going for the Samurai over the Viking. I did go for the Spartan over the ninja and the samurai because I think that The Spartan is the greatest Army/Warrior thats Ever Lived.I think that the Roman Empire Is The Best Empire thats ever existed. Not because their white, but because i am into the Roman Empire and I think that even in their century, they made very good use of their technology.
    I think that that the Mongolian Empire is the 2nd Best Empire in history.They were the Largest in History and the Roman E. was the Longest in History.
    Even thought that i am a white guy, I have a lot of Asian friends. I even Have 3 African american friends. Im not a rasis White Guy. I like this show. I just wish that people would just stay on topic and if all you have to say about this show is this show is a load of bull, it is a horrible show, The white Guys win every time,its not fair,I hate this show,
    THEN STOP WAISTING TALK SPACE, THEN STOP WAISTING OUR TIME, STOP WAISTING YOUR TIME AND STOP MAKING US READ YOUR PROBLEMS WITH THIS SHOW , WHEN ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS STOP WATCHING DEADLIEST WARRIOR , STOP WATCHING SPIKE, GET OUT OF THIS CHAT ROOM, GET OFF THE COMPUTER AND SPEND YOUR TIME SOMEWHERE ELSE. YOULL BE MAKING MY LIFE EASIER AND YOUR LIFE EASIER. THANK YOU. JEEZ! I LIKE THIS SHOW. I THINK IT IS A REALLY GOOD SHOW. IF YOU DONT THAN STOP WAISTING TIME AND GO AWAY!

  110. For all the people who like this show and want to talk about it, for get about the prievious comments and continue what you want to say. Everybody else, You heard what i said, GO AWAY!

  111. Any Way Lets talk about the matchup between mongol and the comanche,

    Winner:Comanchee

    I think the Mongolian warrior should of won.
    Your Thoughts?
    Please share?

  112. First off, I didn’t say that you, or anyone else, was “racist”. I was just pointing out the most common argument that these people use. Second, I did not say that it is a “horrible show because the white guys always win(although it is convenient that they never mention the Samurai’s Judo skills, and that this is why shields were almost never used in Japan)”.
    If you can’t stand me pointing out all the major inaccuracies in this show that everyone’s treating as proven fact, that’s your problem.
    And by the way, I don’t even watch this show anymore, because it was made abundantly clear during the first season that Spike cares more about making things go”BOOM” then about making a good show(Human Weapon was excellent, so why did they need to make this crap?). And before someone brings this up, I don’t like the Samurai because of comic books, anime, or video games. Several years ago, I was skeptical of them, because their swords and armor looked really frail compared to broadswords and plate armor; but that was before I spent nearly five years researching them.
    Now, I like them best because not only are they the deadliest warriors I’ve ever studied, but they were also philosophers, poets, and wonderful artists.
    If you like Spartans the best, then I respect your right to hold that opinion. However, don’t rant, rave, and throw a tantrum over a fictional TV show, and DO NOT put words in my mouth that I didn’t use, because if our opinions were reversed, I would not have done the same to you. If my last posted comment was offensive, then I apologize, but just because you don’t agree with me is no reason to be rude.

  113. By the way, you are right about one thing, it seems that the mongol should have won… but I did not see the episode, so I may have missed something.

  114. So far I watched 2 1/2 episodes. They were alright but I think that they should take into account of the warrior’s skill. I mean the warrior could have been average and the other warrior could have been one of the best. Also the weight of the armor and the weapon. The show is okay from what I saw. I enjoy the blood and how the weapon was used.

  115. Just caught a re-run last night. You were right, fatboy. The mongol should have won.

  117. does anybody know the deadliest warrior season 3 official matchups?

  118. Such a fail show, sif a 21 year old can simulate a RL fight, its nothing more then a silly dice roll program.

  121. When Animals Attack Ultimate Fighters With Period Weaponry

    Coming soon on Spike TV.

  122. to cris-

    i believe achilles would win yes king leonidas was a badd ass, but achilles was the best warrior the world has ever seen, the story of the fall of troy vs the story of thermoplye
    hands down the fall of troy alot better, good suggestion tho it would be an intense match!

    red tabbed black belt marine thats in MARSOC vs. any mutha fucka on this planet!! any takers???? ur shits weak!!
    OORAH TEUFELHUNDENS!!!

  123. I also thought that the Mongol should have won over the Comanche, and that the Ming should have won over the Musketeers. Given that they are using simulations, which can be programmed with any parameters, I would love to see a match up between a Klingon warrior and a Samurai. They both have lightweight armor, a similar martial philosophy, and bladed weapons. Just take away the Klingon’s disruptor pistol, and just leave him with bladed weapons, and it would be a relatively even match of weapons. The simulation could be modified to account for the Klingon’s different anatomy, which should result in greater resistance to damage, and would mean a blow from the Samurai’s kanabo might not necessarily be a killing blow…

  124. Man, you guys are all losers. Especially Fatboy. LMAO anyone who watches this show really has no life. When this show came out I think the world heard a collective nerdgasm. I’m actually glad that Spike TV caters to losers like you guys. One day hopefully nerds like Fatboy will never leave their parents house, watching an endless stream of terrible television.

    Fatboy, I’ll stay away from Spike TV, as long as you stay away from the real world. We don’t want your kind out here.

    THIS SHOW SUCKS!!!!

  125. Homo Erectus vs Typical Internet User

    Homo Erectus’ Weapons:
    -a rock
    -a sharp rock
    -a sharp rock on a stick
    -horrendous ugliness

    Typical Internet User’s Weapons:
    -a keyboard
    -large cache of silly pictures
    -flawless logic and impeccable knowledge of everything, ever
    -horrendous ugliness

    Who will prevail?

  126. Homo Erectus, because he is vastly more intelligent. Unless the Internet User in question is a Fundy, in which case he will do horrific Stupidity Damage and win.

  127. sikh warrior vs egyptian
    saladin vs charlemagne
    borneo headhunter vs pygmy
    janissary vs conquistador
    dervish vs amazon tribesman
    moor vs saxon
    knight templar vs chinese imperial guardsman

  128. My word, I’ve seen most of these shows. Mainly for comedy value. My Instructor and I always like to pick all the millions of holes is each of the wildly innacurate methods and justifications.

    Basically, it comes down to mo much more than the pure methods, it’s also to do with the warriors themselves, their abilities as individuals, which way the wind might be blowing, who has the higher ground, etc…

    Soooo much wrong with that crap it hurts..

  129. I have been woundering for a long time know who would win in a fight and im hoping that deadliest warrior can help solve this dibate. I whant to know if a Halo spartan can beat a Jedi although it is Si-Fi. I still love the show i just want to know who would win Halo nspartan VS Jedi.

  131. All right I’ve had enough of this choas you guys hav created you should care who wins just pick who will win by your jugdment and plus they both win becuase they have 1000 battles and one more thing I actually know what season has for a few of its wars I’ll just say one George Washington VS Napoelon.Fatboy there you go theres one of your battles for season 3.you will see that I’m right this Wesnesday for thier first shows at 10p.m. if you can’t stay up that long I’d suggest you record it. Now heres another thing look at the spartan’s shield when he fights his second one on one battle.you will eventualy notice that it gets dentd big time and then at the end it becomes some how undented and then uses his undented shield to defeat his opponent. Okay my entire family noticed it and they were routing for the spartan.

  132. what I meant to say was you guys shouldn’t care who wins its just a simulation a simulation is what could most likely happen.

  133. (i meant to say don’t care who wins)

  134. By the way why would they have fictional characters on the show?

  135. number 1 reason why this show sucks? they always test weapons (short range, medium range, etc). they are not testing the warriors, they are testing the weapon. to test the warrior, you have to actually test the way the warrior fights with the weapon (or no weapon), not the weapons themselves. this show should be called DEADLIEST HISTORICAL WEAPON COMBINATIONS

  136. First thing, love the show. I try not to miss an episode, but I know I have. I watched the episode on Spartan vs. Ninja, and
    although I did not agree with the outcome, I did enjoy it. My biggest complaint, which I’m sure has already been commented on, was the short recovery time of the Spartan when he was hit with the black egg full of glass…way too quick. A blind opponent would be no match for a Ninja, or anyone else for that matter. A Ninja would never yell out when sneak attacking from the rear, either. The Spartan would not have known what hit him until it was way too late.
    Next. I think a more even battle would be Spartan vs. Knight, and Ninja vs. Shoilin Monk. On a personell note, how about Steven Seagal vs. Chuck Norris…sorry Chuck.
    Looking forward to U.S vs. North Korea, tonight. Being Canadian, I’m rootin’ for the States. Just wondering, where would a conventional battle be fought? I would think it would be more of a air or I.C.B.M. fought war, wouldn’t it?
    Also, just wondering if Alfredo Quintero has heard of spellcheck. Nuf sed.

  137. It’s bullshit. It doesn’t matter who is pitted against Americans, the fucking Americans win.
    I just watched old Teddy Roosevelt kill Lawrence of Arabia, followed by American Rangers beating North Koreans.
    It’s Bullshit.
    It’s typical American propaganda.
    I’ll never watch another episode. Hell, I won’t even watch Spike – everything else on that channel is Yankee propaganda too.

  138. The Deadliest Warrior is only worth watching when there are no american soldiers or leaders involved. These arrogant bastards always have the americans win, no matter how obvious it is that the other guy should have won.

  139. Dude Idc how much you want to argue the reality of this show, but its better than anything else on TV other than Football. I like the carnage and explosions and guns n ammo manliness of it…Grow a frickin pair and quit actin like a dumba$$ if people like it keep ur mouth shut and change the channel for petes sake!

  140. Spike TV Wankers

    Thank you very much for glorifying the IRA as a Brit and relative of one of there bombing victims aka the Harrods department store bombing I wish to thank you for showing there weaponry provided by American sympathizers to the Troubles and how wonderfully effective catapults are at shattering the eye sockets of policemen and women.

    Whilst this is all good ole schoolboy fun I would ask any of you have you ever witnessed watching children checking under there dads car for pipe bombs as they witnessed another soldiers family die at the Givvenbeck barracks for families in Dortmund Germany?

    This is the most insensitive ridicule I have seen in my life from a country that lost over 4000 British Soldiers let alone thousands of innocent women and children on the streets:

    I am an ex-pat in Canada and will be highlighting this outrage amongst my other English friends to show that you think it entertaining to see how a bunch of cowards murder and maim my countrymen the same brave British forces that are always there alongside US forces in every conflict our flag also bleeds red white & blue nothing short of a broadcast apology is warranted.

    Utterly disgusted you crossed a line without realizing that there are in your demographic 41 million Americans & 8 million Canadians that on the last census identify there nationality & roots as British citizens.

    Apologize now.

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