Killer Instinct vs Darkstalkers! These two werewolves are on the hunt for each other, but one will become the prey!
History of the Matchup[]
When it comes to horror, few creatures are more well-known than the werewolf. Darkstalkers and Killer Instinct both have a signature lycanthrope in their rosters meant to dish out damage fast and ferociously, and their similarities have developed into an intense rivalry. It didn't help that both made their debut in 1994, with Sabrewulf following mere months after Talbain. Who handled werewolves better, the east, or the west? Let's find out!
Intro[]
A dark, rainy night falls over an abandoned castle courtyard, and a deathly wind blows the bare branches of the trees that decorate it. Rats scatter across the cracked cobblestones, bats fly in and out of windows, and an owl perched on a rickety fence gives a few hoots. Footsteps are heard rapidly approaching, sloshing in the small puddles made on the walkway; they belong to a human Jon Talbain, who runs towards the mansion with nothing but a jacket pulled over his head to protect him from the rain. Inside the mansion, watching him run towards it, is Baron Konrad Von Sabrewulf, who quickly shuts his windowβs curtains and grabs a candelabra. Running down an old staircase, he kicks open the front door, and holds out a pistol towards the intruder; Talbain stops in his tracks as Sabrewulf flicks off the safety.
Suddenly, a crack of lightning splits the sky, and both look up. The rain starts pouring even harder, but the clouds in a section of the sky separate, revealing a full supermoon behind them. Bathed in the light, and fueled by anger, each of the humans yells out in pain. Talbainβs hair begins to grow, Sabrewulf hunches over, Talbainβs fingers grow claws, and Sabrewulfβs jaw begins to elongate. With another flash of sheet lightning, all is bathed in white for a second, but when it fades, the humans are no more, having transformed into their werewolf forms.
Each points their heads to the sky and lets out a ferocious howl, before running and leaping at each other.
HERE WE GO!!![]
(Bark At The Moon, 0:21-1:40)
The two collide in the air and exchange a few fast slashes, but Talbain quickly gains the advantage with his Wild Circular, gripping Sabrewulf and spinning around backwards, slamming him into the ground. The Baron gets back on his feet, but only to get rushed by his opponent, who slashes and kicks him multiple times before kicking him into the air so fast his leg leaves an energy afterglow.
Talbain recovers out of the air and lands on a gargoyle adorning the courtyard fence; hurling himself downwards, he tackles Talbain into the ground, and slashes wildly while trapping the Darkstalker in between his knees. Talbain breaks free and does a backwards roll to get away, but Sabrewulf pursues him and slashes at his guard. It isnβt long before his repeated attacks knock Talbainβs arms out of the way, allowing Sabrewulf to continue slashing at his enemyβs face and chest. The slashes turn into punches, knocking Jon back, and then Talbain slashes upwards in an arc, striking multiple times and knocking Talbain into the air. He throws another one of these attacks to cut into Talbain again, leaving a crescent moon-shaped glow in the air as he sends Talbain flying up.
Talbain grips onto a balcony to stop his ascent, causing Sabrewulf to jump onto the building and start scaling it with his claws. Not having any of it, Talbain leaps off his perch and uses a vertical Beast Cannon, bathing himself in white energy and ramming into Sabrewulf, driving both back down into the pavement. The cobblestones fly away and leave a small crater which Sabrewulf backflips out of, only to run forwards again. Talbain blocks his strike, and the two grip each otherβs forepaws, trying to overpower the otherβs strength. Staring deep into the otherβs enraged eyes, both snarl and howl at the top of their lungs.
Both yank their paws away from the other and slash with their claws as fast as they can; their forearms turn into blurs, and all that can be seen of the impacts are the sparks that fly out. The intensity of the duel causes the bats and own to fly away, and the rats all scurry back underneath the porch. Slowly, the shaking camera zooms in on their clashing claws, until Sabrewulf gets the upper hand by swinging an uppercut that slices the bottom of Talbainβs snout, knocking him upwards and ending the stalemate. Grabbing Jon by the throat, Sabrewulf slams him into the ground, then twists back and hurls the body into the air, before crouching down on all fours and running after it.
Talbain lands just in front of the stone fence, only to get shoulder-rammed by Sabrewulf; two reaching claw slashes send Talbain flat against the wall, and Sabrewulf roars as the area around his body becomes distorted. With a series of wild attacks that leave fading afterimages in their wake, the cursed Baron hacks into Talbain before using both palms to punch Talbainβs chest. This attack shatters the stone wall and sends the Darkstalker flying out into the street. Getting up, he licks his wounds, and sees Sabrewulf silently staring at him from the other side of the wall, eyes intensely glowing in the dark. Talbain growls, but suddenly one side of his head is lit up with yellow beams of light. He turns to see an old car driving straight for him, with a panicked driver inside only noticing him at the last minute. An attempt to swerve out of the way only has the car skid on the wet road, and it nearly rams its side into Talbain before the Darkstalker leaps over it and slashes his arms down. There is a second as he passes over the car harmlessly, before the vehicle is split into four pieces following an X-shaped slash appearing through it. The driver, cleaved as well, loses all control and the vehicleβs parts fly over to the courtyard wall. Sabrewulf leaps up just as they collide with the stone and go up in flames.
Sabrewulf lands back down on the burning wreckage and immediately somersaults, stabbing two pieces of flaming metal in his claws, before leaping at Talbain. He slashes with his flaming weapons, but Talbain dodges each attack, leaving nothing but smoking trails in the air before he roundhouse kicks the Baron, forcing him to drop the weapons. With a howl towards the moon, Talbainβs arm nearly turns invisible as it inflicts several cuts on Sabrewulfβs body, before Jon leaps up and lands on his opponentβs shoulders. With a throw, he sends Sabrewulf back towards the wall, and waves his hands in the air. Pushing them forward, he summons two snake-like wolves made out of pure energy; this dragon cannon smashes into Sabrewulf, he breaking through the stone wall a second time, carrying him all across the courtyard, and smashing through the large wooden doors, taking the fight inside the mansion.
(Bark At The Moon, 2:10-2:43)
Once inside, Sabrewulfβs body goes flying back until it hits a wall, but he immediately springs back into the action once Jon runs in through the broken door. He leaps at Talbain, though the Darkstalker drops to the ground to dodge. Talbain spins around, almost break-dancing, on the floor to try and kick Sabrewulf a few times, but each attack is blocked and avoided until Talbain gets fully on his feet, and kicks rapidly with one leg; these attacks break through Sabrewulfβs guard, and eventually kick him up into the air. Talbain leaps at the wall, clings to it, then leaps off of it into the air and passes by Sabrewulf, leaving a deep cut in his chest as both fall to the ground.
Talbain lands, and starts to howl, but is cut off as a very-much alive Sabrewulf ambushes him from behind with two downwards slashes. Talbain goes flying into a grand piano, which gets blown into pieces, as Sabrewulf howls at the top of his lungs. Activating a deep feral rage, he lunges at Talbain and grips his foot in his fangs, twisting his neck to slam him into the ground, and then at the wall. With a roar, a burst of blue energy escapes his mouth, stunning Talbain enough for Sabrewulf to slash him repeatedly with his Ultra Combo. Sabrewulf finishes it off by curling into a ball and jumping into the air; gripping Talbainβs head between his feet, he slams the werewolf into the ground, then slashes with a scooping motion. This blow sends Talbain sliding across the floor, next to the main staircase.
As Talbain gets up, he snarls and spits at Sabrewulf, who lunges at him again. Dropping down on his back, Talbain kicks Sabrewulf over him up part of the staircases, and then leaps at him in turn. The view shifts to the outside of the house as their fierce battle is heard traversing up the stairs. Windows shatter and bats fly out, bricks fall out of the walls, and shingles slide loose, until the door to the rooftop balcony smashes open, and Sabrewulf flies out of it, sliding backwards on his hind legs. Talbain rushes after him, and the two exchange a series of slashes at even strength and speed.
(Bark At The Moon, 2:43-2:57)
Talbain howls at the sky and becomes surrounded by an ambient energy. He continues his assault, but now, his movements are followed closely by a mirage of himself taking physical form; with double the force, he breaks through Sabrewulfβs defenses and cuts faster and faster, until he and his mirage stab twenty claws into the Baronβs chest. Hurling himself past Sabrewulf, Talbain rips his arms down, causing an enormous amount of blood to spray out of his chest. As Sabrewulf leans backwards and howls in pain, he slowly reverts back to his human form, before the full effects of the attack take effect and his upper body is blown into bits.
(Silence)
Talbain stands still, getting showered by the blood, and howls at the sky, before leaping off the roof. As he ducks back inside the house, the view shifts to the smoldering car wreckage by the gate. Footsteps are heard approaching in the rain, and when they come into view, they belong to a little girl dressed in a read hood, holding a picnic basket in one hand, and an AK-47 in the other.
DBX.
