Saturday, September 10, 2022

Ihwa Steals the Power of DEATH BATTLE!

Ihwa, the Hero Killer

Hero Killer was created by Kkulbeol, it can be read on Webtoon


DISCLAIMER: The Imgur Purge of May 2023 deleted most of the linked scans. Until I am aided in reclaiming all missing images, this message will remain here. Regardless, the blog will continue being updated with new scans.

Welcome to my first ever blog! The purpose of this blog is as the title says. I'll be analyzing webcomic characters from the lens of someone in the VS community. Webcomic characters in general are highly under-discussed not just in the VS and Death Battle community, but the internet in general. Thus, I wanted to make an outlet where I can share info about some obscure characters and series and potentially get them into the series. Most webcomics are free, so it doesn't hurt to try them out! Since Ihwa and Hero Killer are being brought up in the VS community recently, I thought I'd start off with her since she doesn't have a proper page on any VS site yet. Seeing as Hero Killer is an ongoing series, I will add updates when anything significant pops up. Although I'm an avid VS fan, I'm not that skilled when it comes to actual VS analysis. If anyone has any advice on information I get wrong or ways I can improve this blog, please let me know! With that out of the way, let's discuss our first character…

Background

"I'll kill them. One by one. Over. And over. And eventually… I'm bound to find the right one."

Superheroes, the upholders of righteousness who use their powers for the greater good. Or at least, that's how it appears to be. In reality, there are many who don't deserve the title of a hero. They can be more concerned with their image than performing their duties or go out of their way to massacre those they were meant to protect. Yeon, known by her hero name Kasha was one of the good eggs among the corrupt ranks. However, her life was taken too soon not by a supervillain, but by a member of the Hero Clan during a cleanse of its defective members. Her unjustified murder left her younger sister who loved her deeply all alone. When it felt like her world was falling apart, she was approached by the fabled villain Yushin, who offered to train her to get revenge on the Hero Clan. Having sworn vengeance against all corrupt heroes, Ihwa began her journey to become the Hero Killer.

Ihwa experienced grueling training for many years, which she keeps up with to this day. She morphed herself into a cold, perceptive, adaptive, and ruthless woman. While she hardly ever expresses emotion, she can be brutally blunt and enjoys provoking her opponents. And when she isn't thinking about her mission of revenge, food is always on her mind. Not only is she gluttonous, but greedy to permanently possess any cool powers she can get her hands on. And now, she finally has the opportunity to do so.

After completing her training, her master sent her into the world to make her strike. Her first target would be Jade, a false hero who bathes in the fame and fortune that comes with his job, but couldn't give less of a shit about anyone but himself, one time killing a group of hostages because they were in his way. He would be the first of many to become Ihwa's stepping stones in finding Yeon's killer. After killing him and taking his gift, she was put on the radar of the Hero Clan. A hero was sent after her, but their fight was interrupted by the small, but notorious villain group called the Nameless. Its leader Engen the Smiling Man knows that the Hero Clan had to do with Yeon's death and wanted to work with Ihwa to help him take down the Hero Clan. She doesn't trust him or any of his cronies, but she saw the use of him and deemed him a temporary ally.

She and Engen made waves as the figureheads that destroyed the 17th division of the Hero Clan, which made Ihwa a larger threat to the Clan and inspiring many villains in hiding to come out of the shadows and follow in the footsteps of the Nameless.

Her next job was to infiltrate the Hero Tryouts as a mole. This venture put her at odds against both heroes and villains, neither side none the wiser of her true intentions. Yet it challenged her like nothing ever has before, defending herself against heroes above her level, combatting different villain groups that may be tied to Yeon, and learning that it takes more than just potential to become a masterful fighter. But these won't hold her back from achieving her goals. For when she finally uncovered the secret operation that caused the death of her sister, she's more determined than ever to make the Hero Clan suffer.

Despite some hiccups in the process—even faking her own death—she was able to complete the Hero Trials, becoming a member of the Hero Clan. Now that she's one of them, she can target them from the inside. As more corrupt heroes fall by her hand, she realizes she could double as both the hero and the villain in this scenario. Stationed in a town full of crime, she can kill dangerous villains and false heroes as the town's sole protector.

Along with her vengeance quest, she's been protecting a young girl named Nenya that is the current vessel of an immense power and is being targeted by various heroes and villains that want a piece of her power. In a way, Ihwa's become her surrogate sister. Along with that, more of Engen's allies start to join him as his plans make to make headway. Among them is a retired villain named Chain, a man fought during a previous war and runs a shady distribution company. While he and Ihwa have interacted in passing, it's here when both start showcasing a sense of good teamwork.

With a new war between Heroes and Villains around the corner, Engen decides to truly make a name for Nameless by assigning all the members a task to kill the strongest hero in the district, Ys Harbor, who was involved in the operation that killed her sister. It goes south when not only does the mysterious rival villain group interfere, but so does a hero dubbed the Punisher. The Punisher leads a group called the Fingers, who are the most powerful fighters in the Hero Clan's executioner squad the Blackhand.

It was tough, but Ihwa and Chain held their own against her before all three were too weakened to keep fighting. It was here that Chain made a proposition to Ihwa. He saw that she had the potential to become as strong as the greatest of heroes, and he wants to see her go above and beyond. Thinking he may have potential knowledge on who Yeon's killer is, he proposes they ditch Engen and follow him to confront who might just be the most powerful person alive, The Iron Witch.

As she takes his caution into consideration, Engen's gang is ambushed by the rival villain gang seeking Nenya's power called the Torch. Ihwa's able to interfere, but isn't quick enough to save Nenya from being completely absorbed. After her passing, the last of her humanity had vanished. Just before she could truly let out her rage, she is captured by the Punisher. During it she has a vision… witnessing how Yeon died.

As it turns out, one of the members of Blackhand is the one who killed her sister in an ambush.

After being broken out by a rogue hero, it seems she still needs time to reach her full potential by training with Engen. For the time being, she stays with him to reach their next goal.

Joining Engen in an all-out war against one fucked up "hero," this opened the opportunity for Ihwa to get her revenge against Jintae and his gang. However, this resulted in her giving up all the powers she stole, as the Torch would have eviscerated her body had she done nothing


Equipment


Jacket

She can take off her jacket to strangle someone with it or suplex them

Knives

Carries knives on her person which she can use for stabbing or throwing

Steel Balls

She has a few tiny steel balls she keeps in a sling. When using Jade's gift, she can hurl them vast distances with destructive potential and immense speed.

Grappling Hook

(cue Gravity Falls reference) Attached to her wrist is a device she can use as a grappling hook to scale up buildings. Can even use it to lasso and throw people.


Sword


She's also skilled with the blade. When unsheathing the sword, she can create a X slash projectile with her est. After Claymore corroded her sword, she took his blade after defeating him. While she's trying to claim the sword after Prim stole it, she robbed Claymore yet again to gain another sword. Sometimes when she doesn't have her sword around, she uses Chain—a villain that can turn into a sword—as a weapon.

Condor's Sickles

Oh shit a Puss in Boots 2 reference. Jokes aside, she took the villain Condor's twin sickles after killing him.

Serrated Blade

A toothed sword she uses in Killer's Time.

Unnamed Sword

A mysterious sword given to Ihwa by her father Ijincheon after training with him. Ihwa is currently unable to unsheath it and its capabilities are totally unknown

One Hundred-Sided Blade

This weapon once belonged to her rival Jintae, until she killed him. This is no ordinary sword, it's a shard, an object imbued with a gift. The blade of the sword is is invisible, and can change its shape based on the wielder's imagination. This sword is absurdly powerful, able to cut through city blocks and mountains like grass. Even the sheath is as durable as the blade.

Abilities


Martial Arts

Has been trained in the art of combat ever since she was young, and continues her strict training regiment everyday. She's skilled in hand to hand and basic martial arts fighting, but also utilizes whatever object is laying around in her environment to her advantage. She can perform suplexes, maneuver herself around opponents to pin them down, and launch herself off of her opponent with her legs. Her martial arts style is described as unconventional and creative.

Illusions

If Ihwa makes direct eye contact with someone, she can make them see an illusion. When fighting Jade, she made him hallucinate his own execution in a desolate environment and bag-headed figures clawing at him. When fighting Bareknuckle, she made him hallucinate disturbing imagery.

Resistances

Ihwa is highly perceptive and quick to react. She's able to react quickly to sneak attacks and dodge long distance attacks from unseen locations. She can pinpoint the trajectory of long distance attacks just from dodging them, and accurately hit them from her distance. According to Vector, every single movement is calculated, even when she's mad due to her unchanging heartbeat.

Stealth Mastery

After joining Nameless, she's proved she can be as stealthy as she is flashy when on missions

Full Power Burst

Ihwa reveals her full power, causing a massive burst of est energy and an immense boost in speed and power. In this state, she's at her best physically.

Weapon Mastery

Ihwa is skilled in various weapons. Even some unconventional choices in her arsenal as shown before.

Rage Power

The angrier she becomes, the more her abilities strengthen. For instance, her increased rage made her blade summoned by one of her gifts tough enough to not shatter with an empowered strike

Power Absorption

Hero Killer's equivalent of quirks is called gifts. Most of the population has them, and Ihwa is no exception. Her gift is that she can absorb the gifts of other people via touch while they are using their power. When borrowing a gift, she can hold onto it and use it whenever she wants, but only for a limited time. Gifts that are especially powerful burn out quickly due to their est reserves (basically mana/energy equivalent). The only way to permanently steal a gift she borrows is to kill someone while they are using a gift, or if she's already borrowed their gift previously. She has to have witnessed her opponent use their gift before coming into physical contact with them. The gifts she permanently keeps also run on a timer, but can use them again once her est recharges. She is able to use borrowed gifts simultaneously with other gifts, with the cap currently being two at a time. The same can't be said for stolen gifts, as she can only use one at a time. Her gift improves after each time she steals a gift. Vector theorized that she not only steals her opponents' gifts, but also their 'statuses,' meaning her strength, durability, and est levels increase after gaining a stolen gift. The limit to how many gifts she can steal is unknown. If gift users reach their limit, they experience a phenomenon where their gift goes wild and it consumes them. Most die, some lucky become physically useless, and in rare cases they might turn into monsters. Here are the stolen gifts she possesses currently.

UPDATE: ANY GIFT MENTIONED BELOW THIS POINT HAS BEEN GIVEN UP


Jade's Gift

The gift she's comfortable using the most. This gift allows her body to generate electricity. She's is able to imbue electricity into her attacks or objects and move as fast as lightning. This gift has enhanced lately, turning her lightning red and her attacks are more destructive when using that gift.

Grayman's Gift (UPDATE: gave up this power after absorbing the Torch)

This gift lets her spawn blades from her wrists, heels, and torso and channel her inner Wolverine… or should it be inner Bayonetta? Since then, it's evolved so that she can form giant axes from those body parts, as well as a giant version of the blade. These blades can grow as big as a large building. Since Ihwa is very comfortable fighting while wielding a sword, she can use the gift to create a saber to use. It has a hilt she can grip on, but the sword still connects to her body. Ihwa can even spring multiple blades from the mentioned body parts. She crafted a technique where her heel blades burrow underground to skewer multiple targets. She can spawn so many blades that they effectively form a wall. She can She even used this technique to provide extra defense when blocking attacks, along with breaking her own blades and shooting the shards like bullets. Hell, she can even bend her blades every which way.

Dave's Gift

After killing a man who worked for the villain group Vendetta, she gained his gift of disguise mastery. She's able to alter her hair color/length, age, eye color/shape, and even giving herself a fang.

Condor's Gift

After killing Condor, a powerful member of an unidentified villain group, she gained his gift known as Killer's Time. Killer's Time is classified as a spatial manipulation talent due to how it completely alters the space caught inside it. When activated, she creates a city block-sized dome around the area. The interior is subject to change. One time, it created a field covered in snow, and another time it spawned a giant tree. Sometimes it even swaps her outfit. A giant hourglass looms in the background. When the sand in the hourglass reaches the bottom in an hour, her opponent is instantly killed by a giant sand reaper and their body is turned into grains of sand used in the hourglass. If more people are inside, Killer's Time resets after the first death. She can use the gifts of anyone inside the dome, along with her borrowed gifts in Killer's Time, but canot us any she has stolen. In dome, she's also able to summon weapons like a sword, a spear, and a shield.

Bareknuckle's Gift

She possesses Bareknuckle's gift called Bestial Cuffs. When activated, she and her opponent are cuffed together. She can't unlock it unless one of them dies. Its length can be adjusted.

Cookie Cutter and Madame Liquor's Gifts

0xqvclgb o
One gives her sharper teeth, the other legnthens her tongue. Both are basically throwaway gifts she likely won't use again after stealing them.

Dicer's Gift

34ctx4ek o

After killing the hero Dicer, she took his gift Gamler's Risk. It's a luck-based gift that gives her boons depending on the side of a dice she rolls. Its completely functions are unknown, but getting a 6 is an immense power boost.

Daemon's Gift

After killing the villain Daemon, she stole his gift that allows him to shift into a winged demonic form. Ihwa can alter her appearance to partially replicate Daemon's appearance. She can gain wings to fly, grow horns, and transform her arms and legs into dark clawed limbs. Her her hair color and clothes the closer she gets to her full demon form. She's also capable of shooting large laser beams out of her mouth.


Feats

Overall


  • Trained under the fabled villain Yushin, who is an ex-member of an elite group of the nine most powerful gift users
  • Singlehandedly took down two security guards using her jacket and martial artist skills
  • Killed the corrupt superhero Jade
  • Spotted Chaos trying to snipe her, despite the vast distance and scale between the two
  • Became a valued member of the notorious villain group Nameless
  • Successfully helped infiltrate and destroy the 17th Division of the Hero Clan
  • Killed the corrupt retired superhero Grayman
  • Held her own against Victoria, Hero Killer's Homelander equivalent
  • Bested the hero Claymore in a fight
  • Infiltrated the Blackhand intelligence agency
  • Cleared out ten train cars of Vendetta members and defeated its right-hand man Scar
  • Infiltrated District 16 and the Hero Tryouts—under the moniker of 'Kasha' using her disguising gift—successfully making it through all three trials (a treasure hunt where peers have to fight each other, sparring against imprisoned villains, and fighting everyone on a city-wide scale for ownership of the torch, a little girl named Nenya)
  • Defeated a gang of six superpowered candidates during the first trial including Lyca, who can make thin est threats that can easily rip anyone to shreds
  • Saved herself from falling several meters above treetops with her grappling hook
  • Killed Condor—a member of a villain group affiliated with Vendetta—and drove the group away from invading the first trial
  • Diced nine vegetables midair with five swift slashes
  • Uncovered Operation Dusk, a top secret operation carried out by the Hero Clan killing several of its members that were deemed "insolent" or "difficult to control," including Ihwa's sister
  • Fought Engen on equal footing and stood her ground against him, who can level buildings and create small mountains
  • Killed the corrupt superhero Bareknuckle
  • Resisted Mind Shocker's mind control, who after failing to control her from a distance psychically enters her mind, only for him to unsuccessfully control her and be banished from her mind.
  • Surprisingly a skilled watermelon sculptor
  • Fought Jintae Yang, a member of the same group Condor is in, who is powerful enough to be considered a threat to even Engen. She could have killed him if Highnoon didn't interfere.
  • Faked her death with John Nash's borrowed revival gift.
  • While in her child state, she stopped a gift user's punch with a single finger and proceeded to beat him down
  • Defeated Highnoon, Chaos' sister who could destroy the body parts of anyone when she aims her gun at herself
  • She clashed with Sledgehammer—a district manager in the same league as Victoria—during the final trial of the Hero Tryouts
  • She killed the lustful hero Pitbull while she was drunk. Afterwards, she made it look like someone with a fire gift attacked her and killed him
  • Held her own against Executioner, a powerful villain who has crossed paths with Ihwa's master before
  • Decapitated the corrupt poison-manipulating hero Sting X and bisected his physically superior partner Metal Giant
  • Wiped out all three of the Nostra heroes: the sharp-toothed Cookie Cutter, the acidic tongue-whipper Madame Liquor, and the gambling hero Dicer
  • Rescued the bearer of the torch Nenya on multiple occasions
  • Fought the mysterious killer, the Executioner. He's physically quicker than stronger than her, and he attacked her when she was fatigued after many battles. She had to defeat him with her allies' help
  • While wielding Chain in his sword form, she fought Dalia Mendoza, AKA The Punisher—the formidable leader of The Fingers, which is a group of the six strongest members of the Hero Clan's executioner squad the Blackhand. Her gift was especially strong, as she could snap to instantly slice through Ihwa's body, and wielded two swords that cause drastic slices
  • Survived in the Forest of Immortals, a twisted woods populated by failed experiments of the Elder Reagan Sinclair. In there, she killed one of the notorious and grotesque Human-Faced Plants
  • Squared off against the villain Puppeteer, who had the powerful hero Prosecutor under her control
  • Killed Sapphire and Daemon, core members of Jintae's gang

Strength



Speed



With Jade's Gift



Durability



Weaknesses

  • When Ihwa borrows a gift, she can't use it again after using it up unless she kills the original owner of it. Whether it's stolen or borrowed, her gifts run on est, and can't use them if est supplies run out.
  • Although highly intelligent and perceptive, she can be pretty rash. This is especially apparent in how she needs to work on picking her battles. She wants to get straight to killing any corrupt hero in her way to get to her sister's killer, so she can make mistakes by not realizing the potential consequences that could happen from killing someone. During her mission infiltrating the hero tryouts, she kills Bareknuckles, who was said to be a villain that the Hero Clan keeps imprisoned and lets out for the heroes in training to fight during challenges. When in reality, Bareknuckles was an actual well known hero, which put lots of suspicion on Ihwa since no one was expected to kill the villains.
  • According to Engen, another weakness she has is not understanding gifts, as he believes emotion makes peoples' gifts stronger, and that's something Ihwa generally lacks. He also believes she lacks focus and imagination, which are the most important factors when using gifts.
  • Needs to learn how to prioritize gifts. While Jade's has evolved, she finds herself using Grayman's gift in more defensive situations, and Killer's Time would likely slow her down in most cases. There are just some gifts her body cannot fully handle yet
  • Although a great thinker on the fly, her rash decisions can easily lead her to trouble
  • She can't use her permanent gifts in Killer's Time, only borrowed gifts.
  • Her master warned her not to ever drink alcohol. When she ended up drinking for the first time, she lost control of her senses and killed a hero
  • She can get into so many consecutive fights that they eventually leave her fatigued
  • When evaluated by Victoria's right hand Hekate, she determined Ihwa has a lot of power, but has trouble focusing it into a single point, making her attacks not as powerful as they could be
  • After Nenya's death, she isn't as composed as she used to be

Matchup Potential

Ihwa vs Billy Butcher (The Boys)

(thumbnail by BlasterMaster101)

Vibe Check

Connections are as follows. Two people who live in a society where heroes spend most of their time trying to increase their image to the public rather than helping people, with a lot of the big leagues being pretty messed up. Both lost loved ones because of corrupt heroes and want to take revenge on them, joining a group to get to their goals and are totally fine with murdering their targets in cold blood. Both use their enemies' weapon against them (Billy uses compound V to gain super powers while Ihwa can steal her enemy's power and use it for herself)

Although Ihwa is a character on a larger scale than Billy and has a plethora of abilities, I believe the fight doesn't have a scale issue (at least at the moment). She mostly relies on hand to hand combat and her weaponry, using her gifts situationally to get the upper hand. Even then, the one she relies on the most is pretty grounded. I could see in a Snake vs Sam type situation where the two are on their own missions with the same goal and run into each other, but is far different due to the superpowered potential. The banter would be pretty fun seeing as Billy is Billy, and Ihwa could bounce off of him really well. She could try to provoke him only for him to send a cheeky insult back at her, but when the fight turns to her favor, her prideful words really get to him. Climax would definitely be Ihwa copying his Temporary V powers and a beam clash. He'd probably get the upper hand, resulting in Ihwa getting pretty damaged, but as Billy's about to land the final blow, she makes him hallucinate his own execution, with an aesthetic similar to the posters of the Boys, and brutally kills him after some chilling finishing lines. Surprisingly enough, the MU also has some good OST potential since Hero Killer is one of the few series I've read that has its own soundtrack.

Resident Joe


Billy vs Ihwa is a personal fav of mine do to how few web comic MU's there are and how cool the animation/ fight potential is. Billy's strength and weaponry vs Ihwa's strategy and various powers could lead to a great fight.

Minato Emosato


The choreography potential is really interesting because Ihwa’s gift allows her to copy other people’s powers temporarily, although if she kills her opponent while the stolen power is active, she gets to keep it. She currently has super speed, the ability to make blades out of her body, and a dome on a death timer.
Now imagine a third act where Ihwa copies the powers of a V-24 injected Billy! You could have a brutal slugout of superhuman strength and them shooting lasers at each other

Ihwa vs Garou (One Punch Man)

(thumbnail by Dick with a D)

Dick with a D


Connections: People who hate and desire to kill all superheroes due to horrible actions that happened in their past, who can copy other characters' attributes. In addition, there's a neat contrast in that Garou's hatred of superheroes is honestly pretty flawed when most of the heroes aren't evil, just assholes, whereas Ihwa's hatred is completely justified when almost everyone is basically irredeemable. Dynamic: Now, Garou matchups are notable for getting hurt by Garou's massively rising scale of strength, going from relatively okay to tectonic to straight up cosmic. However, I do not think it hurts Ihwa at all, as her power stealing and his style copying can bounce off each other quite well and showcase the scale without it being an issue. In addition, banter can work really well as their personalities clash in many ways, Garou's strong sense of honor and justice clashing with Ihwa's serious deameanor I think fits well, and I think it can make for a great ending once Garou goes full cosmic. Misc: While it isn't close (Garou wipes all his opponents fr fr), I've stated above why I don't think that matters in particular. Not much else I can say, I just like it a lot.

Ihwa vs John Doe (unOrdinary)

Ihwa vs John Doe (Hero Killer/UnOrdinary) | Connections in comments. : r/DeathBattleMatchups
(thumbnail by wtfbooomsh)

wtfbooomsh


Connections: Both were once seemingly normal people, before an incident pushed them too far and set them down the route of violence and vengeance. After a while, they would re-emerge as different people due to the actions of a villain. The societies they live in and want to tear down has a corrupted system that secretly commits crimes in the shadows and uses the news including the support from the law to manipulate or make the public turn a blind eye. Both have abilities that involves in copying other's powers. Also, John and Ihwa would walk down opposite paths in the aftermath of a tragic past, which would define their path in their stories (John turning from a violent, hypocritical, narcissistic and merciless person as Joker into a self-aware, decent, and nice guy that shows mercy after Seraphina redeemed him, and Ihwa from a normal and innocent girl into a ruthless, cynical, and callous anti-heroine that'll kill anyone who dares to block her path after her sister’s murder).

The banter could be cool, seeing as both are about toppling corrupt hierarchies. Maybe the fight could start with Ihwa trying to persuade John to join her, but he refuses. Especially when she brings up his traumatic past, which he doesn't take too well and leads to a fight. Could also have a funny moment where both try to absorb each other's powers, leading to a few seconds of awkwardness since their powers operate on different rules, so they can't copy each other.

Ihwa vs Nathan Moore (Kill All Heroes)

(thumbnail by Vibe Check)

Vibe Check

Oh sweet, another webcomic about a hero killer. This one has a similar premise to Hero Killer: in world full of corrupt superheroes, one superpowered man chooses to take a stand against the heroes of the world after one murdered his family. After years of preparation, he makes a huge splash and later affiliates with a team of villains to help achieve his goals.

Nathan's powerset is pretty standard, mainly utilizing explosive/firey projectiles and an enhanced super form. However, his brutal fighting style can make for quite a bloody animation. What interests me the most regarding the matchup is the interaction potential, as both have really similar goals. They'd likely be in combat due to Nathan's villain faction getting in Ihwa's way, yet over time they sympathize with each other. While Ihwa's powers are very overwhelming, Nathan has experience fighting many different types of superheroes, so it can demonstrate his varied approach in dealing with her powers.

As for who wins, Nathan absolutely. The heroes in Kill All Heroes operate at a scale leagues higher than anything Hero Killer has shown so far.

I should also mention that Kill All Heroes has a decent animated short tied to it for anyone curious.

NEXT TIME ON WCAB… whenever I feel like it

at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

DEATH BATTLE Immortalizes Valentine Yu!

                 Valentine Yu, the Blue Phoenix of Ashbourne Island Sunset Phoenix was created by NeverDraws, it can be read on  Webtoon Wel...