The 7 kinds of versus debates you will get into

Type 1: The singular point debate

Get ready for essay long arguments longer then some college theses about whether or not “combat speed” exists or what qualifies as an “outlier”. Watch a debate on how fighting “really” works between two people who probably have never been in a fight before. Inevitably the debate will no longer even remotely involve the actual fight that was initially be discussed as it degenerates into a spiraling pit of anger at a basic axiom. I’m half-convinced the sole purpose different versus forums exist is solely so that these can be avoided more so.

Type 2: The boring numbers debate

In real life humans fighting each other is interesting due to how most humans physically speaking are well within an order of magnitude with each other and when you include weapons then skill and tactics have to come into play. Unfortunately, due to fiction’s superpowers covering such a huge range of power, some debates are as simple as “well this character’s numbers are higher”.

Type 3: The argument about abilities debate

Only marginally more entertaining debate then the above, this is a debate about what abilities a character specifically has and how we should “interpret” something from fiction. Be prepared to see people try and give the most esoteric possible arguments for why something is or is not an ability a character has. Also be ready for people making intuitive leaps instead of sticking to what the series actually depicts.

Type 4: The “too popular” characters debate

Some characters are very well-known (or get very popular in the space of a short timespan) and as such people get very popular conceptions of how strong they are. The more popular the characters are, the harder it is to change people’s mind that they should be stronger or weaker then they intuitively think because how much they feel they already know about the character. Doing a debate with one of these characters can quickly make you feel like you’re arguing against absurd claims because OBVIOUSLY this character isn’t x strong. Have you never seen anything involving them? God help you if you have a debate with multiple of these characters.

Type 5: The “clear sides” debate

When different fandoms have a popular matchup that’s somewhat close and so your position on it is seen as nothing less as you claiming allegiance to one side or another even though it’s supposed to be about what’s most rational.

Type 6: The “I participated” debate

Sometimes an actual cool matchup comes up, one that’s actually debatable. You could make a good in-depth argument for either side. Watch as you get a flood of responses that are 1 sentence long, don’t reply to any points anyone else brings up, and doesn’t dig very deep.

Type 7: The Real Tactical Debate

Some say it doesn’t exist. Some say it’s a once in a lifetime experience. The Real Tactical Debate is a debate where both sides are actually fairly even in interesting ways giving both sides a good chance of winning and then people actually debate the tactics of the debate, giving in-depth thoughtful responses to each other’s arguments, thinking of how the characters can use their powers in interesting ways to combat each other, and the unique interactions the two characters can have. I try and foster these debates.