Hades Cup Review: Sophia vs. Kuja

Alright so Sophia and Kuja were in my opinion equally fair in the Damage that they’d managed to inflict as well as receive. I will admit that that by the end of the battle, it was quite hard to discern whom would ultimately be able to continue due to the fact that based off their psots that both of them were gravely injured – battered and scarily able to continue. However, I will ultimately half to go with Sophia due to the fact that she managed to get Kuja to heal himself so she managed to widdle him down, not just once but twice.

Alright, so both Kuja’s and Sophia’s writing style are unique and easily distinguishable from one another. Kuja maintained his egotistical superior complex well as did Sophia, which made it increasingly fun to read because these are two people that simply won’t accept defeat – even if Death itself was staring them in the eyes. However, I would ultimately have to bode with Kuja on Skill and Style simply because his creative use of his abilities and how he’d made use of his Trance Mode as well ( he quite literally used everything at his disposal )

So, this one was perhaps the hardest for me to judge because it was also the determining factor in who would advance to the next round. First and foremost, Kuja’s creative writing and dedication to his character’s tendancies was admirable. I’d also like to add that he’d embraced Kuja’s petty nature, especially when he got injured, he was dead set of returning even ounce of damage that was dealt to him. Alas, Sophia on the otherhand, her descriptive writing and unique battle-style as a Battle Mage was highly interesting read. Especially given she is one of the few hybrid-type characters we have on the site. I will also say that both were overtly fair to one another and it is with great pleasure that I congratulate each of you, especially Sophia.

As previously noted by others, this was battle was pretty much arcane Armageddon. Both gave everything they got and pulled out all the stops. The battle was so swingy in who was melting whose flesh to ribbons that “Combat Dominance” was roughly equal. Both did an excellent job of showing in very vivid terms how damaged their characters were and allowed them to show it in how they responded to their opponent's next action. With so much brutal beat down its hard to really say who damaged who more. My vote gots to Sophia, both because of her various tactics used to nullify damage and being very consistent in keeping up retaliation even when put on the defensive.

Both writers brought a glorious amount of haughty panache to this fight. Kuja played our crazed Nero figure and Sophia was determined not to shame her bloodline. It was fun reading both character’s inner monologues. Both writers did an excellent job of showing their characters (who are each magical Alpha Predators on their respective worlds) being shocked/unnerved that there could possibly be another being who could be their match. The combination of arrogance and growing wary respect made the battle flow well, a compliment to both writers. Sophia’s skill was undeniable. She tread an interesting line between tactics and ferocity and employed her spells in patterns to inhibit evasion. However my vote goes to Kuja both in the out the box way he used some of his abilities and how the mad-Sun King vibe of his character was felt not just what he said, but in how he fought..

Both writers were very realistic and responsible. Without need to establish a system between themselves they both allowed their characters to sustain huge amounts of damage. Even more of a credit to them was that their writing was detailed enough that we as the audience could see and feel it with the characters, rather it being just an abstract statement noted in the narrative. Kuja’s insane foppish dialogue was lots of fun to read, and Sophia might not have been as extroverted, but she had a inner monologue that detailed well her reservations and doubts. Kuta’s nuclear strikes of magical destruction had good imagery, and Sophia’s description of her transformation was a stand out for me. Overall though both were beyond competent in this category, I’m gonna give this one to Kuja for both excellent characterization and a great touch of sportsmanship and realism near the end where he reduced Kuja’s damage to reflect his weakened state..