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In the era of the battle royale, it’s no wonder that renewed interest has arisen in deciphering once and for all who the toughest warriors of all time were, both in the general sense and in the specific. Ranking various historical armies and their members is all well and good, but the real excitement comes from matching up the most notable military figures from the annals of history and trying to figure out which of them would win in an all-out fight to the finish.
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History is full of war, and to win a war
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you need the best and strongest warriors to go above and beyond, transcending mere battlefields
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to become the stuff of legend. So today, we're running the gauntlet
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as we search for the toughest warriors in history. The most recognizable warrior of the 12th century
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united the tribes of Mongolia, conquering an empire that stretched throughout much of Asia
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Oh, and they also killed like a bunch of people. Can't leave that part out
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Genghis Khan was trained from a young age. And once his studies were complete
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the training gloves came off and the slaying gloves immediately took their place
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Khan would continue this get them while they're young tactic during his reign, providing younglings with a military education
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and himself with an army as cunning as it was bloodthirsty. As the Mongol Empire's leader
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Khan emphasized fast-paced brutality, plowing through anyone and anything that got in his way
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The chaos on the battlefield was organized, kept in check by the flag signals and ominous drum beats
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like a techno remix from Hell. Born in Pellegris, Alexander the Great received his warfare expertise
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from his father, Philip II, and the rest of his education from Aristotle
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Not bad, tutor-wise. After becoming king of Macedon in 336 BCE, Alexander went hog-wild on conquesting
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earning titles such as King of Persia, Lord of Asia, and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
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Hmm, wait, that might have been someone else. The Great One had his army utilize the Sarisa
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a 22-foot iron tip that would shish kebab any charging cavalry with ease
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While his most famous deed was the untying of the infamous Gordian knot, Alexander also
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felled entire armies of actual people. In the case of battle with the Persian Empire
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Alexander led his royal companion cavalry on horseback directly into the heart of the enemy
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Okay, which one of you jokers is actually Spartacus? You know, the famous warrior from Thrace, who deserted the Roman auxiliary as a young man
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was enslaved, sent to the gladiator pits, and eventually organized a revolt that numbered in the tens of thousands
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You aren't all him. Stop saying that. From an early age, Spartacus was destined for an impressive military career
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He grew up in the militaristic society of Thrace and was trained as a Roman soldier before learning one-on-one combat in gladiator school
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Where the only homework is busting heads. While in battle, Spartacus was well-versed with many different weapons
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and mixed it up in the middle of a fight rather than staying at the head of the army
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He was not afraid to fight dirty Spartacus died in 71 BCE as he lived cracking skulls in a brutal battle However his body was allegedly never found
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So who knows? Maybe the famous 1960 film will get a sequel one day
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The Battle of Thermopylae was a big deal when it occurred in 480 BCE, but perhaps a bigger deal
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in 2007 when it was depicted in the big-budget Hollywood would film 300
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The subject of both is King Leonidas of Sparta, who led his people through a bloody 10-year reign
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to halt the Persian invasion of ancient Greece, losing his life in the process
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From an early age, Leonidas was taught combat skills, discipline, and how to command the Spartans' tactical trademark
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a tight formation of troops protected by a wall of shields, like a giant spiky turtle slowly inching its way
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towards your front lines. So while Leonidas alone was a formidable fighter
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his real power was in numbers. Crowding together with your buds to create an impenetrable shell made of shields may sound like madness
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but this isn't madness. This is Sparta. If Miyamoto Musashi had written an autobiography
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the first line would open with, My name is Miyamoto Musashi, and I have slain over 60 men in fights and duels
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Intro-wise, we're not gonna top that. Miyamoto Musashi was born in Japan and trained in fencing by his father as a child
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The extraordinary swordsman and renowned artist took his first life at the age of 13
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a period when most of us were picking up Pokemon cards. After that, he basically became a self-taught battler and lived the rest of his life as a ronin
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a samurai without a master nor clan. A loner, Dottie. A rebel
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Musashi invented his own form of dual-wielding fencing known as Nito Ichi Ryu
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which involved double fisting two katana-style blades for maximum slicing. He even opened up a school dedicated to teaching the art
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and went on to train several individuals who would go down in Japanese history
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such as Teirao Magonojo and his brother, Teirao Motumanusuke. Musashi passed away in 1645
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but not before writing an entire book on warfare on his deathbed
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Jeez, you're not going to find us doing anything on our deathbeds except bawling out on DoorDash
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Born in Tikrit, Iraq, Saladin was mentored in both combat and strategy by brilliant military
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minds like Nur al-Dini and his uncle Shurka. These lessons followed the wise Saladin throughout his
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life, allowing him a clear and cool head. He would avoid violence when possible, which helped
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secure victories over the Franks in Jerusalem and during potential road rage incidents. But the
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even-tempered Saladin could be brutal when the situation called for it. His weapon of choice was
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a scimitar and with it he engaged in his fair share of executions even said to have personally beheaded a notorious French crusader He also had a remarkable willingness to put himself in danger charging into battle without thought or care for his own life
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It made him a fearsome warrior, but a less than desirable raid partner in World of Warcraft
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While fighting Richard the Lionheart in the Third Crusade, Saladin was forced to withdraw after being overwhelmed by Richard's forces
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This opened up a truce between England and Saladin's army and would be the last time Saladin saw battle
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He passed away a year later with almost no possessions after having given his riches away to the poor
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Hey, you can't take it with you. Vlad the Impaler might not be a household name
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but as the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula, Vlad has more than sunk his teeth into history
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The real deal Vlad III wasn't an undead monster, but that didn't mean he wasn't a totally bloodthirsty ruler
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His brutal reign started with an equally brutal upbringing. Young Vlad spent much of his childhood as a hostage
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of the Ottoman Empire. While this included an inordinate amount of torture
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it also provided training in warfare, hey, swings and roundabouts. Through this education, Vlad became very familiar with bows
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the javelin, and curved scimitar, all traditional weapons of the Janissary, the Turkish army
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And all that training really helped him out during the tumultuous 15th century
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when Vlad became ruler of Wallachia. Legend even says he seized the throne
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after seizing the head of his predecessor, Vatislav II, during combat. It was this time when Vlad truly found his calling
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skewering people on spikes as a show of power and brutality. Always great to see someone find their inspiration
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Vlad shishkebobbed his fair share of enemies during his three different reigns over Wallachia
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But that third reign was the charm, because it ended with his death
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Although, can we really be sure he's dead? Shaka Zulu was the king of the Zulu kingdom from 1816 to 1828 and expanded the empire so much that
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it was able to stand toe-to-toe with the British Empire during the Anglo-Zulu War. He accomplished
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his great expansion by whipping the Zulu culture into a more militaristic model. In fact, he
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invented an entirely new form of warfare focusing on small groups of warriors, or impi, specializing
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in careful teamwork, clever maneuvering, and close quarters ferocity. This emphasis was so
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brutal that their opponent's armor was no longer a factor. Shaka was also able to replace their
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weapons with shorter iron-bladed spears called Asagai, an invention that paid dividends on the
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battlefield. Shaka was such a cold-blooded warrior that it took three assassins to finally bring him
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down, two of whom were probably his half-brothers who had already tried to whack him twice before
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Did we mention he also made a lot of enemies? Queen Boudica of the Iceni's origin story sounds like stuff of comic books
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Her husband had been betrayed and brutally slain by the Romans and Boudica herself was publicly flogged and humiliated Anyone else would have gotten out of Dodge and started a new life but the only thing Boudicca got was an itch for a revenge rampage
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She rallied all the Celtic tribes she could in a rebellion against the Empire
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and it was said that during battle, her troops rode into battle naked and dyed blue
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But that comes from some guy named Caesar, and who knows how reliable he is
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Legend says the unusually tall queen led her armies from the back of a horse-drawn cart
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her long hair blowing as she charged, all the while taunting her enemies and rousing her allies
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She was almost captured in 61 CE, but ingested poison rather than get slapped with handcuffs
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We're surprised there was a poison strong enough to bring her down. By the time he was 30, Zhang Yu had already overthrown the entire Qin dynasty
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and warned against the establishment of the Han Dynasty. Most 30-year-olds haven't even thrown out last week's pizza box
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Born into a prominent family in a region already in revolt of the Qin Dynasty
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Zhang Yu had martial prowess thrust upon him at an early age
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When he was old enough, he trained with his uncle's army before rising through the ranks, eventually taking over as the supreme commander
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But it wasn't just a case of my uncle's the coach. Yu had skills
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His early and rigorous training led him to develop both a brilliant tactical mind
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as well as a uniquely impressive physique. To put it in purely scientific terms
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the dude was absolutely yoked. And this tank of a human would wield an equally impressive sword
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as he commanded soldiers in the rebellious Chu forces. That same sword was likely used to eliminate the final Qin Emperor
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after Yu's massive success in capturing the capital. His powerful reign came to a thrilling end
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after a series of losses to the Han Dynasty. Yu was cornered and alone
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But rather than be taken out by his enemies with a price on his head, Yu decided to off himself and let them sort it out
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which makes sense. The only person powerful enough to destroy Zhang Yu
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was Zhang Yu himself. Marcus Claudius Marcellus was known as the Sword of Rome
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the title which he had to earn the hard way as a vital leader in both the Punic Wars and the Gallic War
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Little is known about his early life, but someone who would eventually rise to Marcellus' prominence
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must have had access to proper schooling and military training. His early military success would also
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presume he was pretty darn good at hand-to-hand combat. After all, this is the guy who challenged
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Viridomarus of Insubria to a one-on-one duel and won. And we don't have to tell you what a big deal that was
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Oh, wait, do we? Well, it was a big deal. With a gladius on his hip and a scutum shield for protection
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Marcellus was the kind of Roman who was comfortable leading from the front lines as well as in close quarters skirmishes
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You would have picked him first in kickball, is what we're saying. He famously feuded with another badass warrior
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Hannibal of Carthage. in head-to-head battles on the field throughout the 3rd century BCE
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This rivalry would eventually lead to Marcellus' death, but not after what we imagine were some pretty epic face-offs
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Zack Snyder should have made that into a movie