Kevin's Watch

I feel like this has been posted about before, possibly by me even. In case it hasn't (I'm pretty tired and am not going to check on my own), question: which fantasy final battle that you've read/seen do you think was the most awesome? Bonus points if you say why you think so.

Here are some of my candidates, starting with the obviousish:

• 1. Covenant vs. the Despiser/Illearth Stone, TPTP. A beam duel before Dragonball Z made the style of fighting famous (at least I think that show made this style famous, but what do I really know? Not a hell of a whole lot when it comes to this exact point). A weird but profound salvation-by-laughter. And then the TCTC scene I may or may not have visualized more often than any other (to the tune of Angels and Airwaves, "The Adventure," of all things...): the destruction of the Illearth Stone.
  
  2. ... vs. the Despiser, Linden vs. the Sunbane, WGW. Enough said.
  
  3. ... vs. the Despiser, ... vs. Her, TLD. Though I may be in some kind of minority on this one, I really, really, really effin' loved these showdowns. Smashing!
  
  4. Rand vs. the Dark One, AMoL. It goes on for what, hundreds of damn pages?! Thank the Light! More or less what I hoped for, if not as meaningful as it might've been. (I'm not usually or personally a fan of "evil must always exist somehow to balance with good" kind of talk, but whatever.)
  
  5. Shea Ohmsford vs. the Warlock Lord, TSoS. Actually I don't remember it too well, but it seemed at least clever, even if the Warlock Lord talked all in capslock like the Dark One would come to.
  
  6. Brin Ohmsford vs. the Ildatch, TWoS. Once more, enough said.
  
  7. Whoever Ohmsford vs. the Shadowen horde, TToS. Especially when the magic is released back into the Four Lands and starts replenishing the countryside, I was like hell yeah!
  
  8. Nausicaä and Ohma vs. the Grave of Shuwa, NotVoW volume 7. Although when I first read it I was terribly disappointed that the title character appeared to randomly forsake her desire not to kill other living creatures (justifying what even she herself identified as a sin in part by describing the to-me obviously living Grave as "not a real living thing" or whatever), over the years I've reconciled myself to the fact that the scene is still, for better or worse, totally f--king awesome.

Forgive me, but memory and experience have failed me at this point: I don't remember or haven't yet read any other cool or close-to-cool apocalypses. And of course some very good fantasy conclusions don't hinge on one-or-two-on-one-or-two fights (e.g. LotR and HDM). I also for some reason don't at the moment recollect any movies relevant to this topic.

EDIT: Dear God, how could I forget?!

• 9. Vin, Elend, and Sazed vs. Ruin, THoA. Absolutely enough said.

My favorite moment in all the Shannara that I've read is Garet Jax vs the jachyra. Way too short though it was. He could've given us a lot more without revealing how it actually ended. But the fulfillment of Garet's life, his defining moment, is pretty awesome.

What strikes me most about Brin and the Ildatch is that she was omnipotent when they were joined. Damn!


Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul is fantastic. Visually amazing in the movie, and even better reading it in the book.

I was actually debating Star Wars battles as part of this list, seeing as the Force is quasi-mystical. I even asked the question of a Star Wars fanatic coworker of mine this very night...

Also, didn't Brooks write the The Phantom Menace novelization?

Could you perhaps give the full titles for your numbers 5-9, since I don't recognise them?

The Sword of Shannara, The Wishsong of Shannara, The Talismans of Shannara, Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, and The Hero of Ages.

If we wanna bring video games into the mix, I'd throw in Cloud vs. Sephiroth from FFVII and Tidus vs. Sin from FFX for starters. Various Legend of Zelda battles or the final antagonist in Chrono Trigger also come to mind as candidates...

The Silmarillion has enough for half a dozen books. Beren and Luthien vs Morgoth was probably the best. Fingolfin vs Morgoth was pretty epic, too. Turin vs the dragon was awesome. And Beren vs Werewolf-Sauron was cool.

Man, someone has got to make that movie. Jackson could turn it into about 20 films.