S5 E4: Who will emerge victorious in the epic battle between Godzilla, the King of Monsters, and the legendary Power Rangers? Join us along with special guests Matt from Fun and Games, Reignite, and ScreenSnark, and Benjamin from Affable Chat, as we debate the outcome of this colossal showdown and share our love for these iconic franchises.
We'll take you on a nostalgic journey through the Power Rangers universe, discussing our favorite moments, characters, and the recent resurgence of the franchise in movies and games. Our guests bring their unique insights from the worlds of gaming and cinema, and we also dissect the Godzilla franchise, from its origins in 1954 to the latest movies and everything in between!
In this edge-of-your-seat episode, we analyze the strengths, weaknesses, and potential strategies of both Godzilla and the Power Rangers. Will the Zords be enough to take down the mighty Godzilla? Or will the King of Monsters prove too powerful for our heroes? Tune in as we explore every angle of this ultimate showdown and settle the debate once and for all!
Find more about Benjamin and Affable Chat here
Find out more about Matt AKA Stormageddon here
Discover where else Super Bracket Bros can be found here
See the current bracket at the pinned post at the top of the page of our Facebook
Vote on the all the matchups on our Instagram
Get in contact with us: superbracketbros@gmail.com
Check out Eli and his many good things here
Intro music created for this show by Nick Heredia
Big thank you to our current Patrons for helping support the show: Andrew, Matt, Wait For It Podcast, Kyle O, and Emily
S5 E4: Who will emerge victorious in the epic battle between Godzilla, the King of Monsters, and the legendary Power Rangers? Join us along with special guests Matt from Fun and Games, Reignite, and ScreenSnark, and Benjamin from Affable Chat, as we debate the outcome of this colossal showdown and share our love for these iconic franchises.
We'll take you on a nostalgic journey through the Power Rangers universe, discussing our favorite moments, characters, and the recent resurgence of the franchise in movies and games. Our guests bring their unique insights from the worlds of gaming and cinema, and we also dissect the Godzilla franchise, from its origins in 1954 to the latest movies and everything in between!
In this edge-of-your-seat episode, we analyze the strengths, weaknesses, and potential strategies of both Godzilla and the Power Rangers. Will the Zords be enough to take down the mighty Godzilla? Or will the King of Monsters prove too powerful for our heroes? Tune in as we explore every angle of this ultimate showdown and settle the debate once and for all!
Find more about Benjamin and Affable Chat here
Find out more about Matt AKA Stormageddon here
Discover where else Super Bracket Bros can be found here
See the current bracket at the pinned post at the top of the page of our Facebook
Vote on the all the matchups on our Instagram
Get in contact with us: superbracketbros@gmail.com
Check out Eli and his many good things here
Intro music created for this show by Nick Heredia
Big thank you to our current Patrons for helping support the show: Andrew, Matt, Wait For It Podcast, Kyle O, and Emily
Thank you so much for joining us on Super Bracket Bros. My name is Jay, your host and your personal brrrracketologist. This is the podcast that takes your favorite fictional characters from across the multiverse and throws them into a tournament to find out just who is the best of the best. Today we have our number one overall seed, godzilla of the Kaiju Tournament versus the Power Ranger And, of course, as always, sitting across from me, i have my co-host and your mighty morphin atomic lizard, elias Stokes. How you doing today, eli?
Speaker 2:I'm very excited. I got my mighty morphin coin. I'm officially the Chartreuse Ranger of the atomic lizardzord.
Speaker 1:So for the folks at home and the less artistically inclined like me, explain Chartreuse to me. What's the inspiration there.
Speaker 2:Well, it represents. It's like a greenish, brownish kind of color and it represents Sexy. Yeah, exactly, that's why they assigned me I am the Power Ranger of sex.
Speaker 1:That is exactly what I'm here for. So finally, not the green ranger, not the Power Ranger, not the pink one. No, the Chartreuse one is the sexy one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what you're saying. That's what you're saying Currently. I'm here for fan service. I provide nothing to the plot.
Speaker 1:You provide fan service to a very specific group of people that are really into bald people.
Speaker 1:Oh man, this is Superb Racquet Bros. Today we are talking Godzilla vs the Power Rangers. The Power Rangers are accompanied by the Megazord and Dragonzord in tow As a first round episode. how today's episode is going to break down is that we have some guests to introduce and get to know, and then the bulk of the first half is going to be getting to know our fighters today, and then the back half will be breaking down who would win in a fight between Godzilla and the Power Rangers. So our first guest today is their first time coming onto the show.
Speaker 1:They are the creator and producer of several incredible shows, the first of which is Fun and Games, where our hosts chat about the love of video games, the evolution of gaming, and sometimes bring a guest on from within the industry to chat about you guessed it gaming. They've had conversations recently about the replayability of games, cover art and so much more. They also produce a mini-soat series where they bring on folks in a solo format to break down their love of individual games. You can also find our guests on Reignite, a Bioware podcast, but also my personal favorite of their work is ScreenSnark, a podcast concerned with casual conversations regarding how the media we love shapes our lives. We're incredibly honored to have a guest with this much experience to help us break down this match today. Please welcome to the show, matt aka Stormageddon. How you doing today, matt.
Speaker 4:I'm good Bob. That is literally the best intro. I've ever gotten on any podcast. It's just like even Dave, who I'm going to throw shade on because he was on early in the season picked one of my podcasts to talk about the gaming one and then was like, yeah, that's enough, you can do this.
Speaker 4:No, i love Dave. I throw shade on Dave because I love him, but I'm doing really well. I'm really excited to be here and defending one of the best kaiju to ever live. I mean, we're talking about kaiju and literally he started the genre Godzilla, so I'm very excited to go to bat for Godzilla, although I am a Power Rangers fan as well.
Speaker 1:But yeah, no, i'm glad that you're bringing perspective from both sides here. It's always a bonus when a guest knows can get both perspectives here. But yeah, this is your first time on Super Bracket Bros. I'm super excited to have you on. How are you feeling about your first appearance on the show?
Speaker 4:I mean, I'm feeling good, I like. this may come as a surprise after all of that you read about me, but I like to nerd out about very hyper-specific things. Shocking. I know Wild And I'm just, i'm really excited to be a part of the show. You know I you reached out and I was. I checked it out immediately. I was really excited And then I mostly listened to two episodes I had a friend on, because you know you want to start with a base that you want to know Absolutely.
Speaker 4:You don't know podcast and and they it's really entertaining, really fun And, yeah, you all seem really great and really into making things fight right. This is like the podcast evolution of fighting with our action figures right, exactly. Literally the show, And so I'm very I'm very happy to bring my action figures to this battle.
Speaker 1:Perfect. Yeah, i'm glad that you brought your action figures today. You know, i mean, this is like you know the the your your best friend, you know, your coolest friend that has, you know, the coolest action figures you know they brought them all over today.
Speaker 1:You know, all the Zords are here, all the Godzilla's are here. Yeah, no, i'm, i'm, i'm stoked. But yeah, you know you've, you've got it down. But we could not. For Godzilla versus the Power Rangers, we could not just have one guest, of course not. The next guest is a regular super bracket bros collaborator and movie aficionado. He is one of the hosts of affable chat, a movie review podcast that breaks down movies with intelligent insights and a good helping of humor. You can find me and Eli on their show many times talking about everything everywhere all at once Dune, kubo and the two strings And, most recently, my personal favorite movie of all time, jurassic Park. Please welcome to the show Once again, benjamin of affable chat. How are you doing today, benjamin?
Speaker 3:Jay, i'm doing great. I am so excited to be back on the super bracket bros podcast. I've enjoyed all of my appearances on this podcast but for some reason this time feels much bigger than those other times.
Speaker 4:This time just feels more substantial in a huge way.
Speaker 3:So I couldn't be more excited to be here.
Speaker 1:You did us the incredible favor and honor of completing your ballot on stream on twitch, which I think it's really interesting to have gotten your insight on what seed all of these fighters got, and that's where I got the idea to bring you on for the Power Rangers today, because you said that you were a big fan. I think you spent the most time researching what you knew the most in the Power Rangers when you were doing your ballot. I appreciate it nonetheless And I'm super excited to have you on today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, i think the Power Rangers were a little bit slept on in the voting. Very tough for them to go up against the number one seed in the first round. But I think this may be a more interesting battle than some of the AP voters may have assumed. So I'm really excited to get in there and get talking about Power Rangers vs Godzilla.
Speaker 1:We shall see, but first I want to give our audience a chance to get to know the both of you a little bit better. Matt, this is the first time you're on the show, so I get to ask you the ultimate unfair question. If you come on the show again, i assure you this is the worst question that we ask. But I think it reveals the most about you and the media that you love. So I ask you do you have a favorite fictional character of all time?
Speaker 4:It's funny questions like this and I ask questions like this. I used to do an interview series that's now in hiatus and ask questions like this all the time. Right, because you really people's process like the fact that I'm stalling all the time first. No What, but like, this is a huge question, right? it's like when people ask me oh, what's your favorite band of all time? I don't know. Do you have like an hour to discuss this? because I have to go in detail.
Speaker 4:I mean the greatest rock singer to ever live was Freddie Mercury, because like there's just no contest there but it's more news question than that. Favorite fictional character is tough for me. Because I mean between video games, tv movies like comic books, novels, manga, like anime, all sorts of stuff, like I have so many favorites and like just picking a favorite game I'm guessing on another show later next month, and like they asked me oh yeah, you just want to talk about your favorite game of all time. And that's the only easy question, because my favorite game of all time is Chrono Trigger. It's been Chrono Trigger since I was a kid. There are other games that come close, but it's my favorite and so I think, for ease of the brand, as it were marketing I will pick a character.
Speaker 4:My favorite character from Chrono Trigger is my favorite fictional character of all time because he is born out of the love of anime when I was younger. So for those who don't know, chrono Trigger is a super Nintendo game, an RPG by Square, before they were Square Enix. Possibly one of the more popular RPGs they ever made. That wasn't Final Fantasy. I like to piss off my Final Fantasy friends by saying it's the best Final Fantasy ever made, which is true because all of the like alumni are worked on it. But a lot of the animation for the like, for the art book, for the instruction manual, was done by a curatorial. All this right work was based on a curatorial known for Dragon Ball Z, his artwork and Dragon Ball, and so I love Dragon Ball Z growing up, which led me to find this game, and my favorite character from the game is character named Magus.
Speaker 4:For those who don't know, magus is the villain when you start the game. He is one of the main villains of the RPG and is one of the few games. I guess I'm going to spoil Chrono Trigger here for those who haven't played it. It's a very old game so I guess too bad. He's a complex character.
Speaker 4:What I love about Magus is, after you fight him the first time, you encounter him again later. I won't say how, in case people are still playing or haven't played it yet, but when you encounter him again you get an option to fight him again, which then you will just defeat him permanently, or you can ask him to join you because you realize you have a common enemy. And that like blew my mind as a kid right every other game I ever played, the villains just want to done you kill him, they die. But with this, like, the villain gets to join you and he's badass looking as a scythe long blue hair, his face, facial. He looks a lot like Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z, if you're familiar, and so like I, just I loved this character growing up. He's also got one of the best boss tracks when you fight him ever, and it wasn't until I was a grown ass adult that I realized it had bossa nova influence.
Speaker 4:It's got this kind of danceable beat that like in my brain yeah, like in my and like I've always been a music nerd but I couldn't like wrap my brain around until I listened to more bossa novus. I got older and I went back to it recently because I was on a panel at PAX East about video game music and I brought that song and went, oh my god, this is a bossa nova track. I can compare it to direct, which was really cool for me and is a big music nerd. That influenced this. And so, yeah, if I had to say I had a favorite character of all time fictional character, it's probably magus, because he informed and my love of that game informed a lot of my nerdy as I got older chrono trigger is a blind spot that keeps getting brought up over and over again in my video game knowledge so, like I, this is just another another just piling on top that I need to like go back and find this game and play it, because that sounds out, because that that's also what I love.
Speaker 1:I remember playing and maybe you're familiar with legend of dragon yes, and the I can't remember the name of the character but I think it's the green character. You know it kind of goes through a similar storyline, you know, so to speak, and so you know I just love you, know badly members of your own party or they turn on you. It just adds an element to these stories that you know, especially as a kid, right, you know, it sounds like that was a big part of the influence too is that it came into your life at a young age and was influential then and has stuck with you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, i mean, it's one of the few games that I revisit as often as I can. I used to play it every year, but that doesn't happen anymore. But I it never got old, it never felt bad. The DS version is the best version of it, but they fixed the steam version. It's absolutely very playable now. I played it on my steam deck a little bit this year, so, like, if you're looking for a version to play, that's the version to go with because it's the most accessible.
Speaker 4:But the DS version is the best version because they did a PlayStation like re-release with, like animated cutscenes by Akira Toriyama. The load times were awful on the PlayStation but they compressed that all onto the DS cartridge, which had the space, so then there were no load times and so it's the best version of the game. But yeah, i didn't know. Like Chrono Trigger is the first video game I realized and I played others around that time that, like you, could have this big sweeping story that goes beyond like jumping on Goombas and I love Mario games but like the action platformer that doesn't really have a narrative. Like that was most of my life until Chrono Trigger and, like now, i attribute it to my love of larger storytelling, interesting characters and, like you know, broader narratives and complex villains, and all of that.
Speaker 1:We're gonna get along well, matt.
Speaker 4:I got a feeling.
Speaker 1:No fantastic answer. But let's turn it over to Benjamin here Now. Benjamin, I want to ask you a different question today. I want to ask you do you have a favorite fictional universe or world of all time?
Speaker 3:So I approach a question like this a little bit like Matt does.
Speaker 3:You know it's a big question to ask something like this because not only do you have to choose you, also it kind of says something about you. You know, i think if you're gonna say that you're you have a favorite fictional universe, then people are gonna expect you to be an expert on that. And I don't really consider myself to be like a true expert on any particular fictional universe. You know, i really like Lord of the Rings, but good luck calling your calling that your favorite if you haven't read the books, even if you have read the books.
Speaker 3:There's a lot of competition there. I grew up as a huge Star Wars fan, but now a big part of me regrets investing so heavily in the. Skywalker saga, after seeing what it has become now, and you know, furthermore, i don't even like favorites all that much because, like I said, it kind of diminishes the value of everything else, kind of a if you're not first your last kind of thing. So I'm still gonna answer the question today I will say my favorite fictional universe is the Tarantinoverse.
Speaker 3:There's a lot of reasons to love Tarantino, but I will focus on just one thing. So we're not here all day, okay, i'm gonna focus on how the universe is connected. There's tons of fun Easter eggs to be found throughout Tarantino's films, from Big Kahuna burger and red apple cigarettes to various characters sharing last names, you know, even across different time periods, implying a lineage. There's countless examples of this throughout his films, and Tarantino himself has actually explained how his movies are connected in a very unique way. What he considers the realer than real world movies, which includes movies that take place kind of in a real world, for instance, reservoir dogs, pulp fiction and glorious bastards, django and chain, so on and so forth. These movies are taking place in his realer than real world. Then we have the movies that are movies inside of the realer than real world.
Speaker 3:So that's things like Kill Bill and from Dusk Till Dawn, and then we have characters that actually straddle this line between the real world and the movies, like Mia Wallace and Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth, who Play actors who are would then be in both sides of that, and I just think that's really cool, because I Credit reservoir dogs as being the film that made me fall in love with film analysis. This was a very big step in my life where I met my podcast co-host, joey, and we watched reservoir dogs together And I feel like for the first time in my life, i didn't just stand up and walk away after the film. We sat there and talked about it for hours and it unlocked a whole new level of enjoyment for film, and I feel almost like I'm embarrassing myself by saying something like that, because it sounds so, so stupid to be like. You know, i used to just watch movies and then just like forget about them, but really the this movie was one.
Speaker 3:There's a turning point for me because after that I Got so much more out of the films that I watched and I really do think that reservoir dogs was a big deal in my life for that. It's actually the first episode of affable chat. We recorded that episode like two years after I'd seen reservoir dogs. But it really got me into that world and I know it means that I'll never beat the foot fetish allegations.
Speaker 4:But I really do enjoy Tarantino's work.
Speaker 3:That's why the Tarantino verse is my favorite fictional universe I.
Speaker 1:Now understand the preamble about not wanting to be solely identified, identified with your choices that you, i, force you to make. On Super Bracket, i don't think I could have ever. That was never on a list anywhere of universes that I thought anybody was ever gonna pick. So I Appreciate, i appreciate it significantly, benjamin.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like to bring my own little flair to the Super Bracket brothers I was gonna say in the middle of talking, benjamin, you were like turning into Pepe Sylvia, like the back. I just saw the note cards and the strung around and your hair was going crazy. Wait, smoking a cigarette? What? Where'd that come from?
Speaker 3:I was stringing you along, but I was going somewhere. I.
Speaker 2:Love that answer. Reservoir dogs is one of my favorite movies too. So, yeah, i like Jay, i would never have guessed somebody would use that answer, but I loved so much that you did. That's awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you both so much for excellent answers today. You know, i hope it should a little bit of light for our listener, you know, on to who our guests are today before we get started. But let's do just that. Let's start introducing our Character. So let's start with the big guy himself, right, let's start with the namesake of this tournament. Let's start with Godzilla.
Speaker 1:It is Fair to say, without this monster, the kaiju landscape would be completely different, if not totally non-existent. Godzilla is one of the most well-known names we have ever discussed on the show, if not the most well-known globally. So I'm gonna go ahead and apologize in advance that this introduction will not do the history of Godzilla justice, but he first appeared in 1954 and since then there have been several eras of Godzilla films, surges and resurges to varying degrees of success. Overall, there have been 36 major films, with the most recent being Godzilla versus Kong, which was released in 2021. The franchise has earned over two and a half billion dollars at the box office over its nearly 70 year history. There have also been countless TV series, video games and comics. That all solidify Godzilla as a pop culture Cornerstone. From its overwhelming size, aquatic nature and atomic breath, godzilla is truly deserving of our number one overall seed for this tournament.
Speaker 1:Godzilla was originally created by the team of artist Akira Watanabe, special effects director Eiji Tsu Buiara, producer Tomoyaki Tanaka, but first, primarily, credit is given to director Ishiro Honda. Honda directed the first Godzilla film and eight out of the first 15 films from the Shoah era. A survivor of World War two, honda took his Experiences from the war and into the world of filmmaking, where you can regularly find anti-war, proenvironments and natural disaster themes. Today, we are honing in on one of the most recent versions of the character from the Monsterverse, first appearing in the 2014 Legendary pictures film. The movie was directed by Gareth Edwards, who is also well known for directing Rogue one.
Speaker 1:Edwards, when talking about he was Preparing Andy circus to do the mocap for Godzilla in an RTE interview, said You kind of want to find who is Godzilla. And we sort of said if he was a real person, who would he be? and we said well, he's sort of like the last samurai, like an ancient warrior whose kind has long since died out, a lonely But noble figure that keeps to himself whenever possible, and it's because of what we do that he needs to come out and correct the situation. This description, while you know it may not be from Honda or original creator, i feel like it really showed Edwards respect to the source material and I really appreciated this quote. While the 2014 debut was Edwards only participation in the Monsterverse franchise, his work on the initial movie has spun out to a standalone King Kong movie Godzilla, king of Monsters and, like I said, most recently, godzilla versus Kong. The franchise overall has been a financial success, leading to Godzilla Kong the new Empire being slated for release in 2024.
Speaker 1:Matt, let's start with you. Tell us about your connection. You know your fandom to Godzilla sure.
Speaker 4:So I mean, i've been watching Godzilla films like Since I can remember, i think as a kid. They were always on, either like TNT or whatever other, like like classic movie, like station on cable like always was showing the old Godzilla films. I assume they were cheap and like the American versions, of course, were cheaper still and not the superior versions, and so I just became obsessed with the character. When I was very young my dad worked in and around finance and came back from a Trip I don't think he went to Japan, but he met with folks from Japan, brought me this little wind-up egg That when you wound it up it would roll, crack open and Godzilla would walk out.
Speaker 4:It was the cutest thing. It was like my favorite toy for years and years, and so I was obsessed with the character for a long time And then kind of took a break from it.
Speaker 4:I played some of the games and then, in the game cube era, they made Godzilla destroy all monsters, probably one of the best, one of the best Multiplayer, like kind of Smash Brothers, like like kind of like competitive everyone on the field game where you're fighting other monsters And you're destroying everything around you. It was. The graphics were great, the sound was great, it was awesome. It had monsters who had been appeared in like two films back in the day. Some of my best knowledge of my favorite characters within the Godzilla verse are literally just from that one video game.
Speaker 4:And then, like you know, we all watched the the 99 movie. That was not great, and I'm glad he's not the representative today.
Speaker 4:But I actually watched it again not that long ago and like it's not a good movie. But I don't. I think things when they're a brand they get a bad rap. Like I rewatch phantom men. It's recently. We're talking about Star Wars. It's not that bad of a sci-fi film. Is it a good Star Wars film? Absolutely not, but it's really not that bad.
Speaker 4:So, like you know, at my my interest waned a little bit and then I heard about these new Godzilla films that were coming out. I was like I don't know, maybe, and anyone who's listened to screen snark recently over the last year. So I went on this journey and finally watched these movies, sharding with Godzilla 2014, and then King Kong, which is phenomenal if you've not like of all of them, kong skull Island, i think, is one of the best made movies and absolutely worth seeing, but they're all really good. And then, very recently, i think last month of the month before I finally watched the most recent one, i watched King of Monsters and then and Godzilla, first Kong, and I really like this depiction of Godzilla because The I agree that the like lone Ronan kind of vibe Also I love that.
Speaker 4:You know, they know that it's the like we're the idiots, right? Oh, human should always be the villains, because we are the idiots and It, like Kong Kong or Godzilla, is just trying to correct our mistakes, protect the world, whatever it is, and I really like these depictions. I think that People being mad that Godzilla wasn't in a lot of the first film was like well, you're using it to set him up and he's got more than enough screen time in the other two films, and so I think it's really cool that this monster verse version is the version that We're gonna talk about, because I think it's the most interesting version of Godzilla since the classics, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's interesting that you say that that is the most interesting And I have you dabbled in, like Shin Godzilla or any of the animated things that are going on recently.
Speaker 4:I grew up watching the Godzilla Godzuki cartoon, which was not good but was entertaining as hell, and then, like I've seen some of the more recent different versions as well, i think it's really interesting how they're launching a new King Kong cartoon, i think soon or something too, and it's like I just I love that this brand is still kind of ubiquitous, with nerdom a little bit, and it's kind of still everywhere Benjamin.
Speaker 1:What about you? What is your familiarity with this historic franchise?
Speaker 3:Well, as long as I can remember, godzilla has had a presence in my perception of pop culture, without knowing how poorly perceived it was as a film. I've definitely had a litany of toys from the 1998. Godzilla and that scream Like the roar I should say is iconic. You know I've the different iterations of it kind of have their own little special blend that they put in there. I do really appreciate the one from the the current monster verse run, but even the 1998 Maybe there's other issues with that movie.
Speaker 3:I haven't seen it since I was a kid, but that roar just hit different and and Godzilla is just An amazing kind of ubiquitous character in pop culture. Even without directly engaging too much with the official Godzilla canon, godzilla it kind of just emanates through so many references through other, you know, mediums that it's. You know. It's impossible to ignore Godzilla's existence, even learning about Godzilla in history class, because what is Godzilla if not an allegory for the destruction of, you know, atomic warfare? so it's been really great to kind of dive back into that world in preparation for this podcast because, you know, even without being like a Godzilla stan, i think that the respect for what Godzilla is, you know, is something that's almost automatic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, i think I'm in a pretty similar boat that you are, benjamin. I, you know, like, in preparation for this whole tournament, i've been, you know, my, my kaiju appreciation has increased a hundred fold, but it still doesn't match my co-hosts, it still does not match Eli's. so, eli, you know, i know for the first time, you've recently watched some of these new Godzilla movies, so I I really want to hear about your experience.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I've much more of an old school Fan of Godzilla. I watched so many movies as a kid. At one point It was probably my favorite franchise. I, like Matt said, i played the the straw monsters video game, which was amazing. Oh my god, i played gigans so many times with his little knife blades. But no, i was obsessed with Godzilla as a kid. I had the toys. I memorized all the monsters I.
Speaker 2:It's one of those franchises I can look back on and say it probably got me like into film, because it was just so, and I'm talking about like, the like the first Godzilla like. I was so into just the practical effects They used, the, the artistic representation that was also married with this kind of like action orientation. That's one of my favorite things about Godzilla has existed to this day is there's this Venn diagram of like, like, nerdy, nerdy people who love action and film snobs, and Godzilla is right in there in the middle. The criterion Collection, well known for being artsy fartsy, made their hundred or their thousandth edition like all the show, a Era Godzilla, which just shows the impact like, like. Everybody loves Godzilla like.
Speaker 2:But you know, as I grew up, i think around like high school and college I fell off of Godzilla like a lot. I just I wasn't really following it and that's why I didn't see any of the newer legendary Studios movies. I didn't see the 2014 Godzilla, didn't see him. The monsters didn't see Godzilla versus Kong. Just because I wasn't, i wasn't interested.
Speaker 2:But you know, we were bringing in that version for this term and I watched the movies and man, like, when Godzilla shows up in the 2014 movie, i had a ratatouille moment. I almost had tears in my eyes because I was like, oh yeah, i missed this. And actually the time I actually started crying was in King of the Monsters, when Mothra shows up, because she's my favorite kaiju, and just her wing, when she's hatching out of her eggs and the wings, and man, it was just this revelation of like I missed this, like it was something I wasn't actively avoiding. It was just kind of like I forgot about it and left in the wayside. But man, seeing those movies, seeing the new movies that came out, just reignited that love of the franchise. So, yeah, i really like the new movies a lot. Also, jay, you're smart for bringing in the legendary additions, because if you did the, i can't remember what era it is, but the one where Godzilla drop kicks. He flies across the screen on his tail and drop kicks.
Speaker 2:This tournament would be over no contest So fun story.
Speaker 4:So I friends of mine run a show called Castle Bravo, which is a Godzilla retrospective podcast, and I was a guest on one of the episodes. And the episode I was guest on was the first appearance of Jaguar, one of my favorite movies, and that drop kick is featured in that film, where he just slides on his tail like across the field and then just drop kicks.
Speaker 2:Oh, does it twice.
Speaker 3:The monster and like they. Just it's ridiculous.
Speaker 4:It's just the dumbest thing.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. I was going through.
Speaker 4:Also, the two main characters in that film are very good friends, two men who are just really good friends. I'm doing air quotes.
Speaker 3:I can't see them Like.
Speaker 4:it's like gay stuff I've ever seen And it's like. It's not even like hinted, it's very, it's just awesome. It's the best, it's a great film.
Speaker 1:It's not the last time on this podcast We're going to talk about two friends that definitely are very very good Quote, unquote very good friends.
Speaker 1:But speaking of which, let's transition over to the Power Rangers.
Speaker 1:While we may be taking the most recent iteration of our first combatant, the opposite is true of the Power Rangers and their mega dragon sword. We are going back to 1993, when the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was first released in the United States, Originally produced by Sabin Brands and is today is controlled by Hasbro. The toy franchise alone is reported to have made over $6 billion in sales as of 2001. As of just this year, the superhero team up franchise consists of 29 television seasons, three theatrically released films and one very recent Netflix film called Mighty Morphin Power Rangers once and always, which featured several of the original cast members from 1993. Of course, the reason the whole team is here today, including the ever popular green ranger, is because of their ability to call upon their swords. Each ranger is responsible for piloting a different giant mechanized dinosaur with varying powers and abilities and of course, they can all come together to create a super robot. Objectively, there are more not dinosaurs in there. It's absolutely wild to me when I first started watching this.
Speaker 1:These are what now? The Dino?
Speaker 2:And I love that you never question it until you brought it up and I was like, don't worry about it.
Speaker 1:The original creators of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the team of Shuki Levy and Hame Sabin, the founders of Sabin Entertainment. I say creator, and a little bit of more air quotes here, because the series is actually heavily based off the Super Sentai series from Japan. I didn't know this until Eli was telling me about it, but most of the footage from Power Rangers originated from the TV series in Japan, while the American actors were spliced into all of the action scenes where the protagonist's faces were covered. So while Levy is responsible for the soundtrack, which, i will note, is itself a very large contribution, it's mostly thanks to the Super Sentai series created by Shotaro Issunomori. So I just needed to give credit to Super Sentai. I could not believe that when Eli told me that.
Speaker 1:That much was pulled.
Speaker 2:I was at Jay's apartment and we pulled up an episode online and there was a scene where the villains are landing on earth and the map is of Tokyo And they land and they're driving around and there's a whole bunch of Japanese people and I'm like the architecture looks not American at all And I was telling Jay and he like the look on your face was priceless.
Speaker 1:I was shook. I was like you know, like I knew it was Japanese based, i didn't know, it was half like just a Japanese TV show. But so, while the story lies in writing in, the series is a mixed bag, in part, i believe, due to the circumstances of its production. But it's also my opinion that the original series was carried by a very likable cast, and I have to note that while the GTA 5 crew last season set the record on Super Bracket Bros for the most fighters with three, this time we are breaking that record today with six Power Rangers.
Speaker 1:We have Austin St John as Jason the Red Ranger, walter Emanuel Jones as Zack the Black Ranger, david Yos as Billy the Blue Ranger, t Trang as Trini the Yellow Ranger, amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly the Pink Ranger and, last but far from least, jason David Frank as Tommy the Green Ranger. So, benjamin, like I mentioned at the top, you are a Power Rangers fans. You did the ballot on stream and I got to witness your fandom alive, so I know you were excited to see the Power Rangers come to Super Bracket Bros. So tell us about your connection to this series.
Speaker 3:It actually surprised me that the entirety of the series had already come out. Basically by the time I started watching it. At least the first three seasons were already out, because I thought the show was coming out in my childhood, based on how many t-shirts and toys and light up sneakers I had that were Mighty Morphin inspired.
Speaker 3:I mean, this was definitely one of the children's shows that captured my imagination and had me jumping and kicking the air in my living room growing up. I'll be honest, the lore of the show goes way deeper than I had any knowledge of as a kid and I didn't really revisit much after I got older. So this was a major nostalgia trip to go back and research this. But there are a lot of things that are present in the Power Rangers TV show that I still really love and it kind of makes me proud that I was a fan as a little kid, especially the practical effects.
Speaker 3:I think it's goofy, it's campy, but it's also so fun to look at the way that they disguise people in costumes as these giants pushing each other and shoving each other and hitting each other with plastic swords in a city that is made of cardboard, and when they punch each other all the sparks fly in the smoke. I mean it's so simple but it's also just so amazing. One of the other things that I've loved on the rewatch is how they don't really emphasize too much on consistency shot to shot but they do emphasize is getting their point across. It doesn't matter that the Yellow Ranger is punching guys in a completely different spot than she was in the last cut. The point is that she's punching guys and it's addicting.
Speaker 3:It's quick and I definitely see where the appeal comes from. So I do think that seasons one through three were the experience for me as a kid. So I'm glad that's what we're talking about here today, because that's really where my roots are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, i think maybe it's because of my unfamiliarity with the series, but I looked at all the Power Rangers and I looked at all the Megazords and I looked at all these different versions and there's a big discussion between me and Eli of like, what version are we going to use, what combo?
Speaker 2:It was funny. When Jay was like what are we adding? I said the Megazord. And he was like which Megazord? I'm like the Megazord, what are you talking about? And he sent me the Power Rangers Wiki of all the Megazords. I was like, oh yeah, i forgot about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is a conversation that we definitely needed to have. So I think that's why we landed on this original. I mean, it seems to be by far the most iconic being the original, and I know there's a lot of great stuff in between there that maybe someday, when I suddenly have days of free time. I can go back and experience some of those series. But, Matt, I want to toss it over to you and tell us a little bit about your experience, your connection to the Power Rangers.
Speaker 4:Sure. So, as Benjamin was saying, he thought it was from his childhood. I think it was from my actual childhood, as I am probably much older than the rest of the folks on the show. I'm going to be 40 in October and I always love the reaction because most of the time it's like, damn, you don't look 40 and I will love that reaction every time You don't
Speaker 2:look 40.
Speaker 4:It just hands down the best reaction I'll get. I hope it continues forever. But as a kid I remember when the show first came over and I had no idea about the Super Sentai stuff like no clue until many years later. But I was obsessed with it and I'm glad you have a question later on that I was going to ask. Until I saw it in the outline I was like, oh good, we have to answer that question. It's an important question.
Speaker 1:I think I know which one you're talking about.
Speaker 4:But yeah, i love the original series. I had all the toys. I had the Megazord, i had the Dragon's Order, i had the individual Rangers. There was a version of them where their heads would flip and it'd be like the human head.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, yes, i had all of that stuff.
Speaker 4:Because I grew up with Voltron also as a kid I loved Voltron and I had those toys too, and this is very much in the same vein The Super Sentai side of it, of course. It's so obvious that God's a little influence from the show. My favorite tiny detail is when the Megazord is fighting in the old TV show. When it doesn't have a weapon it's got these big blocky hands, but when it does have a weapon it has this little black glove on because it's got to hold the weapon and move it.
Speaker 4:Never noticed as a kid and then watched as an adult, went. Oh damn. I watched it for a long time. I watched the different evolutions when the new group of Rangers came in. After the film Power Rangers, the movie, which I loved I had the Super Nintendo game based on the movie that I loved, where you got to like you would fight through a stage. It was like a beat them up, So I think Ninja Turtle, Scott Pilgrim, that kind of stuff And when you got halfway through the stage you would morph and like then you'd become a power and do your special abilities And so I love that game.
Speaker 4:There's fighting games on the Genesis, which has a resurgence. Recently There's a Power Rangers game battle for something. I can't remember the name of it, but this is a Power Rangers fighting game. There were street fighter characters introduced to it a few years ago, which is really cool that it's got this resurgence.
Speaker 4:But yeah, that, even though I watched a lot of it and I forget where I fell off because there have been so many versions, as you said, but like the original run is so iconic, i didn't realize until very recently that that Brian Cranston, who plays Zordon in the new movie the reason Billy is named Billy is for Billy, brian, billy Cranston, because he was an original producer or investor or writer I don't remember how he's connected to the original show, but he was And so Billy the Blue Ranger was styled after and named for him, which I think is just the coolest thing.
Speaker 4:And then for him to play Zordon in the newer movie was really neat. No, movie was pretty good. I'm bummed that they're kind of like shelving it and not going to do anything else with it, because I thought they actually did a decent job. But yeah, i love that original cast. You know. Unfortunately, two of these six Rangers are no longer with us, which is a bummer too. The actors who play Trini died very young, and then Jason David Frank only died, i think last year which is sad, but you know their, their legend lives on in these videos.
Speaker 4:And Jason David Frank, who's had a colored past, like he loved this, this franchise, and the fans like did Power Rangers stuff until pretty much the day he died, like he was in fan films and like special events and voiced character. It was just mind blowing And so, and then of course you mentioned that Netflix film, which I haven't watched yet because I'm not ready to cry with some of the original cast members. Walter and David are both in it as the black and blue Ranger, which is really neat. Yeah, it's. It's. It's wild that this franchise is still around. That kind of blows my mind And still around in a way that's sort of popular. Like I think there's still a running show And for sure, like this movie proves that the people who still want classics and new stuff. It's kind of really wild. But yeah, i I only would go to bat over Godzilla, over the Power Rangers, because I know more complete about Godzilla.
Speaker 4:But I've loved the Power Rangers since I was a kid, so there's a lot of heart that like goes out to them and like kind of rooting for them in the background a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, i think it'll be an interesting matchup once we get to it. But, like Matt said, we have a very important question to answer. Eli, i want to throw it over to you. I know Power Rangers means an incredible amount to you, but I have to ask you, do you what is your favorite Power Ranger?
Speaker 2:I have to go with the Blue Ranger I was. I saw myself as kind of the, the derpy, you know nerdy kid growing up. In that, like I saw myself in Billy And in seeing him throughout the show get more and more confident, it just really resonated with me. I was actually talking to my mom about this a few weeks ago And she reminded me I went three years in a row as Power Ranger for Halloween.
Speaker 2:I can't remember for the life of me which one it was, but I'm willing to bet money it was the Blue Ranger. Just because, just you know, billy was the underdog And like I like, i like just that character I empathize with. You know, i was the little brother, you know, so Billy kind of felt like the little brother of that group. He was, you know, kind of the nerd, but when he actually showed up, when he got the confidence it just it really resonated with me. And that was only reaffirmed when I was watching the original series again. And yeah, it's Billy's kind of ridiculous character.
Speaker 3:He does not talk like a normal person, you know affirmative, it's just like oh my God, let's be clear, none of these Power Rangers talk like real people.
Speaker 2:No, absolutely. That's one of the things that I love about them.
Speaker 2:The weird stuff that they say No, they're teenagers. But they're not teenagers. That existed. They only existed in 90s pop culture media. But no, yeah, if you ask me, i got to say the Blue Ranger, but close second would have to be, i think everybody's the Green Ranger, just yeah, and one of the. We originally just had the Megazord, just the five Zords. But after watching I went up to James like can we please add the Dragon Zord, because I, we need to talk about the Green Ranger.
Speaker 2:Just the impact, the legacy of of Jason David Frank, the fact he passed away so recently. When I heard the news last year, you know I was sad because I was like, oh, it's one of my, you know, childhood actors. But rewatching the series and looking up all the like fan tributes and everything, man, i it hits hard because, like, he was probably one of the reason I did martial arts as a kid And I'm he's probably one of the reasons why I did it. You know I was so interested in martial arts and and all that stuff. Yeah, jason David Frank was, was definitely an inspiration for that. So, yeah, i'm happy we got to I, we brought him in here to as the sixth Ranger because, yeah, it's just a lasting legacy that deserves to be talked about.
Speaker 1:I didn't know anything going into it. But when I actually watched Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, like as an adult, like in the last couple of months, like the show elevated significantly once the Green Ranger became part of the cast, you know, like I actually like was started to become invested, like as an adult, like watching, and I was like, oh hey, like this, this made a tangible difference. So like I 100% respect, like why the Green Ranger is so many people's favorite. But, benjamin, i want to know who your favorite is.
Speaker 3:Well before I answer that I didn't realize that Brian Cranston was in the Power Rangers movie, which is something that kind of connects our two franchises here, because Brian Cranston was also in the 2014 Godzilla movie And that was around when Breaking Bad was ending And I remember seeing the commercials that were heavily kind of implying that that movie was kind of a Godzilla versus, like, brian Cranston kind of thing.
Speaker 4:It was like very much like implying that he was was like?
Speaker 3:well, it was Walter White in Godzilla. But anyways, back to the actual question here. You guessed it my favorite Power Ranger is the Green Ranger, And I gotta go back to my preschool days for the reason, and it's because Green is my favorite color. And on top of that, I did really think it was cool when they had the battle between the Red Ranger and the Green Ranger at the sword, but I gotta go stick with my roots and say it's because he's Green.
Speaker 4:What about you, matt? Well, it's funny you say that, benjamin because so my favorite is the Red Ranger and that's because Red is one of my favorite colors since I was a kid. Also, i just I liked Jason, i like the leader characters and a lot of stuff, except for Ninja Turtles, because Raphael is Red And so I love Raphael. He's also kind of an asshole, but yeah, i always loved the Red Ranger and like I like the Green Ranger a lot. But then when everyone was like I love the Green Ranger, i was like no, i'm staying true to Jason the Red Ranger, he's the leader, he's going to help Tommy out.
Speaker 4:And like I love that narrative. Like I've rewatched the series of episodes where the Green Ranger like becomes evil and like changes, then gets convinced to be good and breaks control from Rita, and like it's really good. It's not the best written There was struggles with the show but like it's still entertaining and still compelling, a compelling narrative, even when the writing falters. And there are still like moments that really make me laugh, like Bulk and Skull for being such a trope in the old show. They're genuinely funny moments with those two clowns who always get what they deserve. And like I like that right. But yeah, it's definitely the Red Ranger. I love the sword, i love the T-Rex, like I loved Godzilla's the T-Rex right. And then, of course, tommy got the dragons was like God, that one's more.
Speaker 1:I still like the Red Ranger. Yeah, i gotta tie this conversation up with one particular note that I found while watching the series And I thought that the will they won't they teenager dynamics of the pink and Red Ranger and the pink and Green Ranger. But I really feel like the series missed the mark and it should have been a will. They won't they? between the Red and Green Ranger.
Speaker 3:Obviously Correct.
Speaker 2:I mean, I swear they were this close, That specific episode where it's just those two and they like trade their sword and armor And it's just like man just Yes, Just kith, just kith, Like what are we waiting for?
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, absolutely, and like that was. Another thing is like I really loved how the show was not like in a time when queer romance was not common and like even men being like emotional wasn't common, they didn't care about that. In the Power Rangers, like they cried, they had moments like a hurt, they were vulnerable, like that's what I think I really loved about the show is like even Billy's story you're talking about Eli like he struggles and getting upset and wanting to do better Like all of it was very, very advanced for a time when a lot of that kind of narrative wasn't in kids shows And so I thought that's kind of neat. But absolutely there was so much queer energy between Jason and Tommy. Like it's not even that. It's absolutely there, you are not wrong.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, i just like that like beamed out to me, like As I was watching. I texted Eli immediately. It was like Eli when did they fuck?
Speaker 2:You texted me that and I send a meme of the like. Kimberly is like this is my boyfriend, tommy, and this is his boyfriend Jason. Yes, exactly.
Speaker 1:Oh man, but I think we know our character is well enough. Let's find out who's gonna be moving on the determined. Are we ready for a fight?
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 4:Yeah, let's do it More phenomenal. Well, that happened.
Speaker 3:All systems go, i'm ready to rock.
Speaker 4:Benjamin we got to commit to the bed We got to the hand signs, all right guys powering up.
Speaker 1:I have never more wish that I was recording video for this podcast than just that moment right there. Just as a reminder that this is a fight to incapacitation, whether it be death, trapping, unconsciousness or forceful battlefield removal. it's also important to note that we take these characters as they are morals, ethics and everything included. And one last note is we have our random location generator and we have a set of locations just for our archaic U-Tournament. So let's roll the dice and see where we are headed today. That's right, we are headed to the.
Speaker 1:Legend of Zelda. We are headed to Breath of the Wild. We are headed to Central High Rule. This is right in front of the Grand Castle. This is a pretty wide, open area. If you're at all familiar with the series, this is one of the first major areas you encounter in Breath of the Wild. But if you don't, i mean it's a wide open green space, lots of some foliage surrounding. You've got some sort of small towns, small villages, some stables around, but we are headed to very timely. By the way, i guess this isn't really from Breath of the Wild anymore. It's from Tears of the Kingdom now, but so I mean, it's literally the same map in both.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:But yeah, we are headed to High Rule for this battle.
Speaker 2:Jay, can I steal the introduction for you for a second, please? do? I like to imagine Godzilla is marching across the horizon. He's looking super badass and silhouetted and he gets to the fight And then he has to watch a montage of the Zords emerging from their slumber and having them fly in there And he's just sitting there watching, kind of like tapping his foot. He's got a giant watch.
Speaker 1:He's just like I mean, if there ever was. I mean, there's a volcano, There's a desert.
Speaker 3:There's an ice area Like I mean. I mean yeah.
Speaker 4:I mean like this version of.
Speaker 1:High Rule was built to summon the Zords from So you know, they could actually all be within like a couple miles of each other for the first time, instead of like across the globe coming together.
Speaker 2:Now it's important to note that we did stipulate They're beginning. The Power Rangers are beginning the fight in six separate Zords. They can do their transformation sequence but they're starting off as like six individual Zords.
Speaker 1:We wanted to give the team the flexibility of the Zords because, like I thought, i thought that was like a relatively unexplored area from the series, probably because, like the Megazord is badass, right, you know. so I totally get it, but also I really like the design and the abilities of the individual Zords, so I wanted to start with that. how long that lasts, i don't know.
Speaker 1:But, you know, i thought it was a nice touch. But with our fighters converging on each other across the lands of High Rule, i present to our panel here how does this fight break off?
Speaker 3:Now I know that we just said that they start out in their Zords, but I think it would actually be a little bit more like canonically realistic if they started in just plain clothing and then saw Godzilla on the horizon and declared it's morphin' time And then became the Power Rangers And then after that they said I need Dino's sword power now And summoned their Zords.
Speaker 2:That came in, like Eli said from all their different regions. You're making Godzilla wait even longer.
Speaker 1:No, and then there's a whole fight sequence of the Power Rangers just demolishing some like Bacobblans or whatever from Breath of the Wild. They just take some time to beat up some enemies, and Godzilla was just sitting there just kind of like OK.
Speaker 3:So well, i think something that's interesting is something you guys talked about in, i think, in your episode zero. We were talking about the scale. What is the size difference from these different gigantic monsters? OK, i guess. What is the difference between the Tyrannosaurus, zord and Godzilla? Is it half the height? Are they similar size? What are you thinking?
Speaker 1:So for the sizes that we went for with this tournament, we have Godzilla standing at 120 meters tall, weighing 90,000 tons. On the other side here we have together the Megazord, 60 meters, 10,000 tons. So the Megazord combined about half the height.
Speaker 4:And Godzilla's font monsters half his size that have kicked his ass before. So I don't think just the size purely makes a difference. But if we're talking like the Zord's separate and the Dragon Zord separate, the Dragon Zord is probably about the same size as the Megazord, as I remember, and I feel like at least early on the Zord's will have the mobility side, especially the Pterodactyl and the Sabertooth Tiger. Both move very quickly And they can kind of distract Godzilla, while the larger, heavier Zords like the Tyrannosaurus Triceratops and the Mastodon all kind of close in and use their special abilities. I think also I mean the Dragon Zord is obviously based off of Godzilla, like cry, and everything is very similar. So that's an interesting fight because he's going to be moving similar to Godzilla but definitely doesn't have the same power as Godzilla. I feel like Godzilla is like a amped up version.
Speaker 2:I was going to shoehorn in the Spider-Man pointing at each other. meme with the Dragon, zord and Godzilla, right yeah.
Speaker 4:But also the Dragon Zord has ranged attacks, just like Godzilla does too, not just atomic breath but finger missiles and all sorts of stuff and the drill tail. So I feel like, early on at least, the Power Rangers might have a bit of an advantage, because they're more mobile and there's so many of them It's just one Godzilla and many Zords.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we saw in the 2014 Godzilla. He was struggling against the two Moodos, especially since one was flying. Obviously, the two Moodos are larger than, i think, these individual Zords, but that's still six. Like Wolfpacks, attack in numbers and they could take down larger opponents. But and I want to bring up each Zord They do have their own abilities. If you remember, the Mammoth Zord has almost like this freeze breath. The Tyra, I believe the Tyra Triceratops has like a cannon, obviously not as powerful as like the full Megazord, like blasting, but I feel like it's just going to be really like beast things almost enough beast things That'll do some damage and, i think, separated. I mean the Power Rangers. They're pretty dopey, like you know, they're action heroes, but I think they have the wherewithal to be like, hey, let's start off, you know, swarming him and see how that goes.
Speaker 3:Now I have a Godzilla question. One of the things that I read about with Godzilla is he has some sort of energy absorption abilities. So would that be something where the Power Rangers might be blasting with these, because we've got lasers, we've got lightning, we've got all these different projectiles coming out of the various Zords? Would that actually be counterproductive, be something that Godzilla would be kind of store? I guess? I don't know exactly how that works, but what would happen when Godzilla actually gets hit by the twin cannon tail lasers from the Triceratops?
Speaker 4:I mean. So in the newer movie, the newest movie, kong, if I may, kong vs Godzilla, kong to Fight Mechagodzilla, which is in that film and so cool the way they're like introduced the character like uses an axe with one of Godzilla's scales on it to absorb the energy of the blast and it reminds him that also Godzilla can do the same kind of a thing. And so they do do something like that. And while I don't think concussive stuff like missiles and explosives, he can absorb definitely energy blasts of any kind which the Megazord and Dragon's Lord have a bunch of. He probably could.
Speaker 3:And to redirect back, So I guess, because that could be something that they might obviously be setting up their own undoing by charging Godzilla up that way. But I guess, just a clarification do the Power Rangers have communication with Zorgon during this battle? because there are definitely times during the show where Zorgon just straight up explains the opponent And Zorgon could be like stop it Rangers, that Godzilla will absorb those and that could potentially stop them from digging their own grave.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna say no. That sounds like we would have put like Zords with Zord on. That seems kind of like cheeky, so I'm gonna say no.
Speaker 3:Fair enough.
Speaker 1:In a very recent previous episode, when we talked about Gypsy Danger, we asked a very similar question Like do they have like home base feeding into their earpieces? And we said no for that one. So I think we have to do the same thing for the Power Rangers today.
Speaker 2:And we also don't get Alpha going ay, ay, ay.
Speaker 4:Unfortunately not.
Speaker 2:But I think so In the beginning stages of this fight. I can imagine just bombarding Godzilla, trying to, like power, shoot him with laser beams, and I don't think it's having as good as powerful an effect as they would like. So I think you're gonna start seeing them morph together. I think they're gonna try and do the what was the dragon Zord, where it morphs with the, it turns into the legs. You know what I'm talking about The triceratops.
Speaker 3:So I guess there's a few different ones we've got here. Are you talking about the one where it's not all of them yet?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Because there's the dragon Zord battle mode, where the dragon Zord combines with masted on triceratops and saber toothed tiger to become, you know what is considered to be more powerful than the Megazord alone, and the drill tail turns into a power staff.
Speaker 2:That's what I was thinking, and, benjamin, that was the most confusing discussion I had with Jay about this.
Speaker 4:Can we include the dragons? Wait, they become what?
Speaker 1:Thank you exactly.
Speaker 2:But no, i think when they're starting off the Zords, they try and like do some just peppering damage, seeing if that's any effect. I don't think it's as powerful as they want. So I think they go into that. The dragon battle Zord with the spear, because that's a pretty powerful, And having the extra Zords just continuing to just like annoy Godzilla, i think might have an effect, because we see it again in the fight with the Moodos. The flying one wasn't doing terribly strong damage, but it was a good distraction, and so I think you're going to have the other Zords more of a distraction, while the Tyrannosaurus and the dragon battle Zord Yep, i think they're going to be the principal damage in this like phase.
Speaker 1:Yeah, i think the thing is that, as long as Godzilla is directly battling with the most powerful Zords, the issue that I have, or the concern that I have for the Power Rangers, is if or when Godzilla gets his hands on like the saber tooth or one of the less robust Zords, that could be in very quick trouble for that individual Zord, and so that's what kind of leads me to believe that they are eventually going to morph into something else. During this first phase of the fight, do you see a lot of damage being done to Godzilla, or does the real damage come from the Megazord Dragon Zord?
Speaker 4:I mean, i think that they might be able to do minor damage and like, maybe distract or like, depending on how they can get close up to him, if they can get in his face, like obviously, like eyes and mouth, like, if you can damage that on Godzilla, like he's like any other creature, right, whereas their robots being controlled by people, they can do some damage to, like any of his senses maybe. But barring being that precise, i feel like Godzilla's kind of got the advantage still, especially since Godzilla is this one giant big thing and these are several robots controlled by tiny, squishy people, and Godzilla is known to squish people and people inside things trains, boats, whatever. And so it's like to what you're saying, jay, like I can see him swatting the pterodactyl out of the air and like, if he gets his hands on it, just kind of totally smashing it, and like, if that happens, that like they can't, like without one of the Zords they can't become the Megadragons Zord, like they need all of them. And so I feel like they'd be playing still pretty defensively to make sure that they still have that backup, and which means if they're playing that defensively, they're not going to really do that much damage to Godzilla, because he's got thick scales and he's used to taking a lot of hits and a lot of damage.
Speaker 4:I mean we see him take a beating in Kong vs Godzilla vs Kong I can never remember which comes first in that movie title but like he takes a lot of damage but he still gets up, like you know, and he can heal. He does have a healing factor. Sometimes it takes a long time, sometimes it just takes energy and put, and so I think, at least in this early scenario, until they become the Megadragons Zord, they're kind of going to be only like not being all in right. Once they're the Megadragons Zord they're going to give it their all because they've got nothing left, like that's the last stage.
Speaker 2:They're not winning this fight and separate. They're very much like a Shtalk group. They're the sum is greater than, or what is it The sum is greater than their parts are?
Speaker 3:The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I definitely agree. You know when we're thinking about this battle and like all the different out of tens that could happen, right, the multiple different iterations, i think you could definitely imagine some situations where Godzilla just gets his atomic breath on the mastodon and then they're like oh, we're stuck here, You know we can't, you can't, you know, be combined anymore, and that's, that's a huge problem for them And I think that's huge advantage Godzilla, and then after that, just a matter of time before Godzilla, you know, swats the rest of the flies Because Godzilla is so durable.
Speaker 3:Godzilla is incredibly durable. I think Godzilla and John Wick are kind of cut from the same cloth, and their ability to just tank damage and just get up and I don't really know how many.
Speaker 3:You know we love some of the attacks from the, from the Megazord and all the different Zorgs, but it is tough. There's a limited list, I think, of attacks that can that could do substantial damage to Godzilla. I think one of them could potentially be the mega power sword. When it's charged up and it delivers that like big red, almost bolt of lightning type slash. I think that is something they could potentially land on them. We were talking about having Dragon's Ward battle mode going here, The drill tail that becomes the power staff that can be charged up. And there's actually some pretty bad ass like finishing blows where they're able to impale a monster on that thing, which I thought was pretty brutal.
Speaker 3:There's this one scene where you can literally see through a monster after it gets impaled and I think potentially that could be something that would be strong enough to get into Godzilla. I mean, Godzilla is thick. I don't know if this is going all the way through Godzilla.
Speaker 3:So I think even landing one of those blows maybe wouldn't be enough, but it's kind of in the neighborhood of what needs to happen, right. So I agree, it's great to have the different swords kind of flying around, but if the Power Rangers is serious, they're going to have to become one of these battle modes or the mega Dragon's Ward to really have a chance.
Speaker 2:It's just so interesting because we're comparing Godzilla from very modern, like special effects, versus late 80s, early 90s special effects. So it's like you know, conceptually they're both, you know, of the same power level, but it's very, you know, funny to imagine this realistic Godzilla destroying, destroying you know buildings and mountains And you have this guy in a cardboard suit with a plastic sword. Swing it A question Every blow that Megazord lands on Godzilla, is there sparks coming out of Godzilla? Oh, definitely Oh yeah, how confusing. Is that for Godzilla?
Speaker 1:He's like oh Godzilla thinks he's taking way more damage than he actually is, And that's the whole trick, right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, i'm curious though, like how close are we? Like you said, essentially the main area, hyrule Field. On Hyrule There aren't a ton of large body of water besides the Zora Kingdom. But like, if Godzilla gets near a bottle of water he moves twice the speed he does on land. And that's another thing. Like, if the Zords end up in water, I don't think they fry immediately. I think they can take some, like take on some water, but they're going to sink, they don't swim. Like they've got human pilots. I don't know if it's airtight, and so like that's another interesting wrinkle is like if Godzilla can get near water, it would also give him an advantage.
Speaker 3:Now, the Dragonzord does come out of water when it's. Out of the water, But still you're working with now one Dragonzord versus you know, any other combination. So I still especially because Godzilla is, so you know, on another level underwater I still think big time advantage to Godzilla if he's able to get to some water.
Speaker 1:So one thing that I wanted to talk about, and maybe, benjamin, you have this in the.
Speaker 1:I think you might be referencing a list of attacks that the Power Rangers have access to, but I remember there being these like energy balls that they would throw at monsters and occasionally vaporize them. You know, this is kind of the And hearkening back to what Eli said, right, you know, like, conceptually, the Magizord takes down monsters that are city sized, right, you know, in devastating fashion sometimes, right, and I'm like we can't forget that when we're talking about this fight, even though, like, this version of Godzilla is a CGI masterpiece. Right, you know, just because it looks better doesn't mean it's necessarily that much more powerful. You know, yeah, it's quite a bit larger and weight and things like that, and the atomic breath is scary. But, you know, i kind of want to, like, if the Magizord, the Dragon Zord, is landing these energy beams, you know, is that taking off like limbs of Godzilla? You know, is it vaporizing parts of him? You know, that's like the thing that I've been thinking about this whole time is like I've seen the Mega Dragon Zord just make monsters disappear.
Speaker 1:So like that's a legit thing that I want to talk about here.
Speaker 3:I do think that the Mega Dragon Zord is one of their best options here to go up against Godzilla, because that is what you're talking about, I think, is that huge energy ball that the Mega Dragon Zord can, you know, shoot out of its chest. And of course, for the listener you know the Mega Dragon Zord is the Dragon Zord becomes kind of an armor around the Mega Zord, which is the combination of the five Zords.
Speaker 3:So now we've got all six of them in one big Mega Dragon Zord And I guess I'd still go back kind of to that energy absorption thing, because is this going to completely obliterate Godzilla, or is this going to be the moment where the Power Rangers seal their own fate and give Godzilla the power that Godzilla needs or doesn't need, but can now use to blow them away?
Speaker 4:Right, and it's not the temperature of the atomic breath, like they're just people inside a tin can, essentially Like and we've seen them like get hurt really badly trying to fight against enemies with energy blasts and beams.
Speaker 4:And like I just wonder scientifically, like this is atomic breath that is compared to an atomic explosion and atomic bomb? Like, could they actually realistically survive that in the Dragon Zord, the Mega Dragon Zord, which they might, but it is something worth considering, i don't. I think I agree with you, j, though, that we have to remember that even though special effects differ, they are of equal power. But I mean you did say at the beginning that Godzilla is twice the size of the Mega, mega Dragon Zord, which, even if they taken on monsters bigger than them in the show, i don't think any of them were twice the size, and so that makes a big difference because, also, remember, godzilla is more than just his atomic breath, he's manhandled monsters as well, thrown them, stabbing them with his spines, all of that stuff, and so, absolutely at that size difference, manhandled the Mega Dragon Zord probably pretty easily.
Speaker 2:There are weight classes in sports for a reason, yes, well, not to mention.
Speaker 3:Godzilla is pretty agile and pretty quick, even on land. One of the things that kind of levels the playing field for Kong when going up against Godzilla is the concrete jungle, the fact that when Godzilla turns around really quickly, his tail knocks down a building. You know there's obstacles there. I don't see a lot of obstacles here. Godzilla has free range to. You know, cock and pull it and just blast some lasers at these Power Rangers. So I think that that's another advantage, godzilla.
Speaker 2:And, most importantly, he has a wide open space to do the drop kick. He can go across the battle field on his tail and kick the Dragon Zord.
Speaker 1:Do we see a drop kick? you know tribute in the new and the upcoming Godzilla movie.
Speaker 2:I'm walking out of the theater. If they don't.
Speaker 3:Well, i honestly think you know in this battle, you're most likely to see that kind of kick from the Tyrannosaurus, because it has that ability to tail is strong and it's able to, you know, rear back a kick like a kangaroo. So maybe, while the battle mode or the yeah, the Dragon Zord battle mode is got the mastodon to try, try, seratops and the saber tooth tiger, combined with the Dragon Zord, the, the try the Tyrannosaurus is over there doing the drop kick you know as a way to really distract our Godzilla, or even make Godzilla try it himself and maybe hurt himself in confusion.
Speaker 2:I want your guys opinion. How do you compare atomic energy to morphine energy? Right.
Speaker 4:I mean it's it's hard to compare, right, but I think Jay had a good point is like the powering just have literally vaporized things from existence, so clearly their energy is really powerful, but like there is a scale to an atomic blast. and like also, especially in the new movies, godzilla is also very easily vaporized entire city blocks with his beams. So I would be inclined to say they're on par, only because, like it's more, even because we've both seen both parties vaporize entire structures or beings with with relative ease.
Speaker 2:I like to imagine Godzilla absorbs the morph attack and like he turns into the like Power Ranger version of Godzilla, like he did with like he has a different version.
Speaker 3:He just suddenly has like a helmet, like he's curvy, like absorbing somebody, yeah right.
Speaker 4:These swords, their power becomes them.
Speaker 1:So how we decide the winners here on Super Bracket Bros is each of us all four are going to give an out of 10 on who we think will win this fight. The out of 10 is just to represent our individual confidence in a given fighter to prevail in today's matchup, but whoever receives the majority of our overall votes is going to be the character that moves on in the tournament. I think I'm actually going to kick things off today. I am going to go with Godzilla here. I think I am going to go. I think I'm going to go eight out of 10 times, because I do have a lot of respect for this, this energy blast from the Power Rangers.
Speaker 1:I really think that that could potentially do significant damage, but there's also the potential that Godzilla just absorbs it. Or, i would say, even more likely than any of that is, godzilla finishes the fight before they even get a chance to use it. I think that he is just too overwhelming in this situation. Weight wise, class wise, you know, i think he can. He's going to get his atomic breath going while the Power Rangers are amping each other up. You know, like I think that Godzilla doesn't mess around, and so that's why I got to give it to Godzilla today. But, benjamin, do you have a decision in mind?
Speaker 3:I do, and you know this has been a really good time. I think we explored all the different configurations, all the different battle modes that the Power Rangers can get into And I think we found a couple that could potentially crack Godzilla's armor and maybe get through, you know, and pull out a victory for these Power Rangers. Maybe we lose a couple along the way, maybe we don't, but with this battlefield being so wide open and Godzilla being the king of monsters, the way Godzilla is, i've got to go with Godzilla eight times out of 10. You know that if they can stab him through or maybe nuke him with the energy ball from the Mega Dragon Sword, they could get lucky, but I think most of the time Godzilla is just going to go out there And, like you said, end the battle before it begins, which is why I've got to go Godzilla eight out of 10.
Speaker 4:Matt. I mean, godzilla is the number one seed for a reason right. Like I love the Power Rangers And I think, i think that I think, if, sure, if the location was different, they might have had a better shot. I really do, because they are good at using what's around them to their advantage for blocking, dodging, moving around, whatever You know, guiding the monster, whatever it is, but being in a wide open field and Godzilla, like we said, already agile and can run, and then if there's water involved, he'll just drag him to the bottom of the sea and they're done. So I got to give it to Godzilla nine times out of 10.
Speaker 4:Like I really love the Power Rangers, but like we're talking about the King of Monsters who wins almost every fight, can heal, can get back up, like it's just if there was a group of Power Rangers to do it, it's this group, but I just don't really think they ever had a chance. Just because of the location, especially because in a more natural environment, godzilla is at his best. It's when he's in, like you were pointing out to it, when he's in the city, when he's got stuff around him, he is more flustered, he is more clumsy and incapable, but not in this space, like the Power Rangers, are going to bite it nine times out of 10.
Speaker 1:Eli.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i'm in agreement with everybody. Sadly, i think for posterity, i'm going to give the Power Rangers three wins. I'm going to give Godzilla seven one. You know, the energy ball from the Mega Dragon, zord, you know, takes out Godzilla. Their piercing attacks go through the core. And the third reason if you ever watch Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, you know some McGuffin falls from the sky. That helps them win the battles. And I think it happens once because I'm the co-host and I'm using my authority on that.
Speaker 2:But no, I'd say yeah, we spent this entire episode trying to figure out how the Dragon Megazord could win when you know the. you know the giant elephant in the room of Godzilla is just like, but you know I'm bigger, so yeah, it's just you know sometimes if the you know the right solution is the clearest one.
Speaker 2:I you know. I'm just mad They got under seated because I think the Mega Dragon Zord could have done a lot of damage in this tournament if they didn't go up against the number one overall seed. So yeah, unfortunately I have to pick one influential childhood Japanese media over the other.
Speaker 1:I figured it out. I figured out your McGuffin, eli. I think that the Power Rangers see that they're clearly outmatched here, and so they retreat into the deep forests of Hyrule and they look to regroup, try to contact Zordon, and they just can't quite do it. But then, out of the corner of Jason's eye, he sees something shining in the distance and he approaches it and there it is the Master Sword the ultimate sword from the universe.
Speaker 1:He takes it, lifts it above his head and they become Link Zord and they turn into a giant version of Link from Breath of the Wild and they are able to defeat Godzilla with the power, with the Triforce power.
Speaker 2:Jay, you know, you know, somewhere out there there were kids who put their Toy Master Sword in the Mega Dragon Zord's hand and played with him in the playground, absolutely Without a doubt.
Speaker 1:But that is going to do it for the Power Rangers in this tournament. With that being said, godzilla is going to be the character that moves on in the tournament. They are going to be facing the winner of last week's matchup between the Colossal Titan from Attack on Titan and Fury Bowser from Bowser's Fury. So if you haven't caught that episode yet, definitely go back and check it out. We had another host of affable chat on that one, so make sure to catch Joey's appearance on Super Bracket Bros as well. That was a fantastic time. But yeah, no, i just want to give a big thank you to both of our guests today. Benjamin, matt, you were both fantastic in bringing your knowledge of both of these characters, your love of all of these characters that we talked about today. I just genuinely appreciated it. I'm so glad that we had an opportunity to talk about that and then have you know, like just trying to find a way for these Power Rangers to pull it out.
Speaker 1:I think we came up with some cool scenarios, but you know, with that being said, you know, like I said, godzilla's moving on, but I want to give the audience a chance to, you know, get to know where to find you out on the Internet. So, matt, I'll hand it over to you. First, tell our audience where to find you.
Speaker 4:OK, I'll do the short version because if I really go into detail about everything, we'll be here for like 20 minutes.
Speaker 2:We've already been recording a while.
Speaker 4:So you can find everything that I do at DJStormGit'ncom Made it really easy for you. If you want to follow me on social media, I'm on most platforms as DJ underscore Storm again, except Blue Sky. If you're on there, I'm just DJ Storm again, because they don't like underscores. But I'm most active on Twitter until it burns and dies because that's where I have the most followers, So that's where I will go down with the ship. If you want to check out my podcasts again, they are ScreenSnark, Fun and Games and Reignite Really quick. Screensnark is a media conversation that I do with my incredible co-host, Rachel Corky-Shank. We bring a guest on every episode to talk about the most recent things all of us have watched and then, like I don't know, make fart jokes for an hour.
Speaker 3:It's really a lot of fun, it's really great.
Speaker 4:I'm going to have each and every one of you on there at some point.
Speaker 3:It'll be a blast.
Speaker 4:Reignite was a Mass Effect podcast. We finished all four games. I played Andromeda for the first time on the podcast. It was a really cool experience I ended up really liking the game.
Speaker 2:And now we're out here. There are dozens of them.
Speaker 4:And Reignite. The first four seasons cover the Mass Effect trilogy before the remaster was out, and then Andromeda. We go into very deep detail, mission by mission, per episode. It's a play along podcast. Definitely go check it out. But we've completed that And so we of course become a Bioware podcast and moved on to Dragon Age.
Speaker 4:We were playing Dragon Age Origins and it's a game. I really like it but like the PC version is so buggy, crashes all the time. We talk about it a lot but I do generally enjoy it. So we're moving through the Dragon Age world. Now Who knows if we'll finish before the new game. We'll see. Bioware takes forever, so no one knows. And then my last show, of course, is Fun and Games. As Jay mentioned earlier. It's a open and positive, most importantly, discussion about video games, the industry. We talk about the bad stuff that's out there too, but mostly we want to celebrate gaming, celebrate. We've interviewed composers, we've interviewed developers, we've gotten to talk about retrospectives, about consoles and franchises. It's really just a love letter from me and Jeff. Oh, i didn't mention Regenade I hosted with my incredible co-host, frankie Bradley, bradley the Strange. They'd kill me if I didn't say their names.
Speaker 3:I wanted to throw that out there.
Speaker 4:But my co-host on Fun and Games is Jeff, and yeah, we talk about all sorts of stuff within the games industry and then a mini series within it where all people are welcome. Podcast or experience, inexperience. Come talk about your favorite game. I birthed this series. That's five to 15 minutes about a game you love and why you love it.
Speaker 4:Because of the inherent negativity online about games Shocking, i know And I wanted to put a positive thing out into the world, and people who are experienced podcasters recording for the first time all have told heartfelt stories about games. They love them, why they love them. I've done a bunch of episodes. If you are listening to this and thinking, hey, i could do that, but I don't know how, reach out to me on Twitter. I will find a way, because I want to share these voices and the more diverse versus voices the better. I love straight white guys. Too many of them need less of them, but that said, of course, all are welcome on the show. Yeah, i think that's it. We have a Patreon for Fun and Games. If you go and listen and enjoy it, please support us, because it's the only way podcasts like this grow. This podcast is Patreon. Support them all. Just scattershot Bucks for everybody.
Speaker 4:But thank you for having me on the show. This was a blast and I hope I can come back sometime because this was really a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you so much for taking the time. I was so happy that you were so excited when I first reached out through our mutual connection with Dave Jackson from Tales of the Backlog. So shout out to him for being the connection between us. Thank you so much for your time. But, benjamin, tell us where you can find Fable Chat. Tell us what you got going on over the pod.
Speaker 3:Well, once again, thank you guys for having me on the podcast. I love Super Bracket Brothers. We name drop you guys all the time, mainly to point out when we've made good arguments and been right about things on your show. But also just to promote you guys, because we do love what you're doing over here, Matt. great to meet you. That's one of the things that I love about Super Bracket Brothers is it brings people together.
Speaker 4:Oh my God, I'm already thinking about how we can collaborate after this Don't worry, we're going to talk. I'm so excited I'm already downloading Fable Chat.
Speaker 3:But yes, I am one half of Fable Chat. We are a weekly movie review podcast. You can find us wherever you find your podcasts, And we're doing old movies, new movies and everything in between, weird movies, movies that are bad. We just love to have those conversations and have interesting guests on to do it with us. You can find out everything about us on affablechatcom, which is your new favorite website on the Internet. Check it out, affablechatcom. But yeah, that's about it for me. Again, I really enjoyed being here guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you so much, Benjamin. Always a joy to have you on the show, and whenever we get to go on affablechat too, it's always a good time. Thank you so much for the time. So if you're listening to this, make sure you check out Affable Chat. Make sure you check out Fun Games, screen Snark and Reignite all four fantastic shows. So please, if you have room in your podcast rotation, just at least give them a try.
Speaker 1:I really think if you enjoyed today's episode, if you've made it this far into the episode, then I think you owe it to yourself to give these podcasts a chance. But if you are looking to catch up with Super Bracket Bros, you can do that. There's a couple of different ways to do that. One you can follow us on Facebook or Instagram. Those are our major social medias at Super Bracket Bros. At the pinposts of both of those pages you can find our schedule and the bracket in its entirety. So if you want to know where all these characters are, where they're potentially headed, if you just want to kind of see the whole field and get a feel of things, that is the best way to do that.
Speaker 1:If you're looking to do a little bit more, like previously mentioned, we have a Patreon. Super Bracket Bros is patron-supported. That is really. I mean, we've been just ecstatic about the reaction and the patrons that we do have And we are providing some really cool bonus content. We are releasing monthly exclusive episodes that you can check out, and also Patreon. They're doing new trials. So if you want to go and binge a bunch of them on a free trial and hopefully you stay But you can absolutely do that I 100% won't be offended, i'll just be excited that you're there. So you know, i really genuinely, if you have the time and ability, check out the Super Bracket Bros Patreon. I would genuinely appreciate you checking it out. But speaking of our Patreon, gotta give a shout out to our current patrons. That's Andrew, emily, the Wait For Podcast, matt Bliss and Kyle.
Speaker 1:And one final shout out today goes to the one and only Nick Heredia, who actually I was contacted through via Benjamin of Affable Chat, because Nick Heredia created our brand new theme music. I think it's incredible. I really love how it opens the show And so thank you to Nick for creating. If you are in the podcast, if you're just in the creation business and you need a little bit of music, definitely reach out to Nick. I think he's at NDH Artist, on Twitter and all his socials, so definitely check Nick out. And he's on Spotify. He's legit, so check him out. He's doing some awesome things and he did an awesome, awesome intro. I had so many ridiculous requests of game music I wanted him to emulate and everything like that, and he was very kind and did a fantastic job. So that is the very last shout out today. Eli, do you have anything else for the people?
Speaker 2:I'm going to call from Zordon Chartreuse Ranger out you.