Why it matters ‘who would win’ in pop culture debates

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We’re about to close the door on our inaugural Who Would Win Week, a five-day celebration of the oldest and most persistent question in popular culture: “Could my favorite thing kick your favorite thing’s ass?”

Arguments over who would win have a history of toxicity (e.g., the console wars, Star Wars eras ⁠— the list goes on), but when enjoyed responsibly, and with a healthy dose of levity, the debates can bring together disparate fandoms in fun and even enriching ways. At their best, fictional matchups encourage us to share what we love about our favorite characters and entertainment, and learn what others love about stuff we’ve overlooked or written off. These matchups allow us to ask important questions like “Magneto or Professor X”, who’s the best sex ed teacher?”

With Who Would Win Week, we wanted an excuse to spotlight what brings us joy and learn what matters most to y’all. We’ve collected some of our favorite showdowns for your reading pleasure:

We think you’ll love the entire Who Would Win Week collection, whether you want a scientist to determine which slime is the king of slimes or you need closure to the Gilmore Girls “best boyfriend” debate.

Good news! If you’re reading this Friday night, you still have time to help us select the most powerful character of all time. The battle for the millennium has concluded our Who Would Win Twitter bracket. Yuri Katsuki vs. Kirby.

YouTube this week | “Elden Ring’s first gatekeeping boss Margit the Fell Omen is a real jerk. Players can run into him early in their playthrough, before they’ve really explored Limgrave and gotten the Good Loot, but Margit poses a challenge even for seasoned, leveled-up Souls veterans. What is it that makes Margit such a difficult boss? And is this really the most challenging boss Fromsoft ever made in any Soulsborne game. Polygon’s own Pat Gill, Soulshead extraordinaire, investigates Margit’s moves and puts him to the test.”

There are three stories you can read

a Witcher medallion with glowing red eyes lying on snow

We know what we know so far about the Witcher 2 game | GwentJason Slama is the director for the sequel to Witcher 2. It will be the first Unreal Engine 5 game. Cian Maher (one of our favourite Witcher specialists), explained the future direction of the game after we have finished with the original. Wild Hunt in The Witcher 3..

Artists embrace the cringe, inspired by Turning Red We spoke with artists about their love for and connection with Mei’s fantasy drawings.| We spoke with artists about their love for and connection with Mei’s fantasy drawings.

Game developers help evacuate Ukrainian families | “For our team actual gamedev work [is] still a secondary priority,” Yaroslav Singaevskiy, lead game designer at Red Beat, told Polygon via email, “because our main efforts aimed at defensive needs — volunteer work mostly. That is what we still believe. [the] war could end in upcoming weeks, not months, and we make all efforts for it.”

Here are four things you should be paying attention to

young sunja in pachinko, sitting and contemplatively staring out into the distance

Pachinko for Apple TV Plus | PachinkoThis was one of the most beloved books in 2017. The adaptation of the book is shaping up as a popular TV show in 2022, thanks to bold departures from its original material.

Bridgerton Season 2 available on NetflixPerhaps you haven’t seen the entire first season on Netflix. |• It has been almost four years since Donald Glover & co. aired a new episode.Maybe you missed the first season of the soapy masterpiece on Netflix. Or maybe you’ve forgotten the gobs of plot over the past 15 months. Either case, we’ve prepared a primer of Bridgerton’s key plot lines so you can dive headfirst into season 2.

Atlanta on Hulu | It’s been nearly four years since Donald Glover & co. released a new episode of Atlanta. Now we’re getting the third and fourth seasons in the same year. That’s the good news. The not-as-good news: They’re the final seasons.

17 great martial arts You can also watch movies at home Yes, we’ve included some Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan flicks, but we think you’ll also love the films that have fewer famous names and more kick-ass fights.| Yes, we’ve included some Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan flicks, but we think you’ll also love the films that have fewer famous names and more kick-ass fights.

Also, there are many new features in streaming: We wish you a happy holiday! Jackass ForeverTo all who rejoice.

You can choose from four different games

Kirby sucks up a fox in Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Kirby and The Forgotten Land | Kirby’s new adventure can be a bit repetitive, but c’mon! Take a look at this little pink blob. It’s adorable!Switch available

TinyPolygon Recommends: Borderlands became a huge hit because of a single premise: Diablo, with guns.Tina’s Wonderlands | Polygon Recommends | The Borderlands franchise became a megahit off a simple premise: Diablo with guns. After a decade the series was becoming predictable. The Tiny Tina spinoff — with its D&D theme — does just enough to revive the Borderlands formula for at least one more adventure. PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Windows PC), Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

Kern Keeper Many years have passed since the boom in sandbox survival simulations on Steam.| Years after the boom of sandbox survival sims on Steam (so much sibilance!Pugstorm, a developer has just made enough changes to the game to make it fresh. Steam Early Access Windows PC, SteamOS.

Ghostwire: Tokyo | MBMBaM’s Justin McElroy returns to Polygon to review one of the strangest AAA games in years. PlayStation 5 and Windows PC available

Every week, a free game

Behold, a neon pinball machine that radiates demonic energy. This is Demon’s Tilt

Demon’s Tilt | In the mid-’90s, Windows included a free pinball game called Space Cadet. Demon’s TiltThis is what it would look like if the designer had. Space Cadet Included the entire text of the Necronomicon within the readme.Epic Games Store is offering a 100% free PC upgrade until March 31.