“The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.”

– Leon Trotsky

Magneto, the mutant Master of Magnetism from Marvel Comics.

Tetsuo Shima, the biker-turned-psychic terror from Akira.

For as long as intelligent man has roamed the Earth, we have pondered the true extent of humanity’s potential. Through the study of genetic anomalies and scientific advancement, the process of evolution has granted us invaluable insight into predicting where we may one day find our species amid an ever-changing world. However, what if the far-flung evolutions we predict were already here? What if there were mutants living among us, stowing away incredible powers beyond our comprehension? What if they were… dangerous?

Today’s combatants combine unbelievable power with unparalleled ferocity, kinesis capable of annihilating organisms with but a mere thought. And yet for all their mutant might, they are still undeniably human, a sobering reminder that no amount of godlike power can mend traumatic wounds. Wounds that are about to be a lot more than just emotional, because only one of these iconic cape-wearing baddies can walk (or fly, I guess) away from this impending maniacal mutant mayhem. Will Marvel’s premier anti-hero claim victory for the X-Men? Or will Akira’s enraged esper prove his superiority to even an Omega Level mutant? Let’s dive into this mind-blowing DEATH BATTLE!

Background

Magneto

“Greetings, X-Men. I bid you welcome to the site of your final battleground. You are going to die here, mutants. And neither your powers nor all your skills can save you from my wrath! Look on me, X-Men, for I am your oldest, deadliest foe. Master of the legion of evil mutants — and soon to be lord of all the world! I — am — Magneto!!”

Apocalypse. Mister Sinister. The Juggernaut. The X-Men have faced no shortage of impossibly indomitable foes since their debut, but none would deny the distinction of their ultimate adversary: Magneto.

But before the Master of Magnetism brought humanity to its knees in the name of mutant superiority, he was nothing more than a young child, living a normal life. Well, it would have been, if he hadn’t been living in 1940’s Germany. Max Eisenhardt watched his parents die in concentration camps and was forced to work as a corpse burner in Auschwitz. Luckily, Max eventually escaped, and even married a woman named Magda. Despite living through such an atrocity, Max’s life seemed to be looking up, and that was before he learned he had latent mutant superpowers!

…Although that elation would not last long, as he was spotted using his powers and reported to the government. Not taking kindly to a mutant hiding among them, the people burned down Max’s house with his young daughter inside. On that day, Max Eisenhardt died too, in those flames bred of hatred, and from the ashes arose none other than Magneto.

With his comfortable life gone, Magneto used his newfound freedom to travel the world, where he eventually met Charles Xavier. As fellow mutant with dreams of a better world for their people, the two fast friends soon realized just how starkly their ideals split from that shared goal. Charles founded the X-Men, seeking peace for both humanity and mutants alike, while Magneto formed the (somewhat questionably-titled) Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, believing mutants could only live peacefully in a world without humanity.

Magneto became many things over the years: an archnemesis, a terrorist, a boogeyman, even a (pretty terrible) father off-and-on-and-off again. Defeat after defeat, sin after sin, one thing never changed about Magneto: he truly wanted the best for his people, and respected the efforts of his friend Charles, even if Magneto considered him to be naive. When the chips were down, though, the man who once endured the worst humanity has to offer, the man fueled by vengeance for his people, became a man willing to lay down his life to save one single woman, or even the entire universe.

While he certainly won’t hesitate to take matters into his own hands from time to time, Magneto has strived to be a genuinely loving father, a valued member of the X-Men, and ultimately, earned a spot as a recognized leader of all mutants alongside his friend Charles. And if anyone tries to stand in his way, well… let’s just say they’re welcome to die. 

Tetsuo

“Kaneda, you’ve always been a pain in the ass, y’know. You’ve been telling me what to do since we were kids. You always treat me like a kid. You always show up and start bossing me around, and don’t you deny it!”

July 16th, 1988. This is the date that Tokyo fell, obliterated by a mysterious nuclear attack. Fingers were pointed, and World War III erupted, leaving the world in ruination. Just like that, the post-apocalyptic future of 2019 (phew) came along, and Japan’s capital had become Neo-Tokyo. And there’s no sugarcoating it, it was an absolute shithole. A dirty city where violence and crime ran rampant, the military had strict control over the population, and the kids of this era had fun by swallowing pills and participating in biker gang wars. One of these gangs was the Capsules, lead by Shotaro Kaneda, and his second-in-command was his best friend, the young Tetsuo Shima.

Tetsuo was a somewhat troubled child. He was always eager and enthusiastic to fit in with his crew, but due to his rookie skill and general social awkwardness, it wasn’t easy. Exacerbating his shortcomings was his friendship with Kaneda, who was older, stronger, and braver. He was easy to respect and defied authority. It was no wonder he was Tetsuo’s superior in the gang. Tetsuo saw himself as weak, and the feelings stirred from this would shake all of Neo-Tokyo.

During a race with the other Capsules, Tetsuo overcompensated with speed in an attempt to prove himself, only to wipe out horribly upon collision with a strange child in the road. This boy wasn’t even 10 years old, but had aged like an elderly man. Did he have a disease? How did he survive? Well, in truth, he was an Esper, one of a few psychic children isolated by the Neo-Tokyo government. One of these supernatural children was the titular Akira, the real reason for the bombing of Tokyo all those years ago. 

The government took a grievously injured Tetsuo and experimented on him, hoping to turn the kid into a weapon. As it would turn out, he held the potential for immense psychic power. Such foolish experiments awakened them in him, and in a confused daze, sporting a terrible headache, he escaped, psycho-kinetically killing anyone in his way.

This was a problem. Espers already possess impressive power, but Tetsuo outclassed pretty much every other one. He had already developed an inferiority complex, and this newfound power went straight to his head. Harboring resentment towards what he saw as being bossed around by Kaneda, he took over a rival gang, abused drugs like nobody’s business, and became public enemy number one. Kaneda saw the rampage his former friend had gone on, and opposed him. 

All of this came about because Tetsuo was selfish. His arrogance and contempt grew to new heights, leading to multiple failed assassination attempts on him. He was king of the world, but like all megalomaniacs, he needed more. He freed Akira from his cryogenic state, and the two shared a mutual bond in the cards the world had dealt them. And when another Esper, Takashi, was mistakenly assassinated, all hell broke loose. Akira snapped, destroying most of Neo-Tokyo and its inhabitants. The ruins, now dubbed the Great Tokyo Empire, would be dictated by the two rageful boys. 

Tetsuo faced off with Kaneda, letting him know just how much he resented him, and how he’d always end up in his shadow. The US military was forced to step in, and in the ensuing carnage, Tetsuo’s love interest Kaori was killed. This was the final straw for Tetsuo. In his dangerous mix of emotions, his powers turned on him, and he began to mutate. He became a grotesque, oversized fetus, for the way he handled his power was like that of a child. He consumed everything. Kaneda found himself stuck inside his former friend, and could peer into his very memories. Finally, Akira let off one last explosion, eliminating the Espers and Tetsuo himself. Kaneda survived, but with more than scars. That experience inside Tetsuo made the two understand each other, finally making peace. Maybe things could’ve been different. Maybe. But the tragedy of Tetsuo Shima is that of a warped self-image. With all that hatred in his heart, nobody was safe from his wrath, not even himself.

Equipment

Magneto

Armor

Aside from looking imposing as all hell (well, usually), Magneto’s suit is more practical than that of your average costumed crusader. It’s made of various lightweight metals that are stronger than steel (fitting, given his brand) that protect him from physical injury and serious trauma. He can manifest the suit with no more than a thought, and if he sees fit, he can even use his powers to enhance his armor with further alloys, making it tough enough to tangle with Iron Man’s Bleeding Edge armor.

Helmet

The most iconic piece of his get-up is that oh-so-menacing headpiece. Not only does it have style, it has superb defense, as it can block telepathic and psychic attacks as well as physical blows.

Tetsuo

Artificial Arm

After getting his original arm blown off, Tetsuo’s telekinetic abilities bonded a conglomeration of metals to his shoulder to act as a prosthetic limb. Should he lose control over his powers, this can begin to overtake his body in gruesome fashion. Though in the manga Tetsuo was able to regrow his arm.

Abilities

Magneto

Mutant Physiology

As a mutant, Magneto’s physique is naturally sturdier and more capable than any ordinary man. Magneto himself has stated that his physical strength is comparable to his Magnetokinesis in power, and he’s traded fists with the likes of Namor, and even drawn blood from Cable with a punch. He also has a heightened metabolism and immune system. 

Genius Level Intellect

Magneto isn’t just powerful, he’s incredibly intelligent. He’s noted to be gifted in the field of genetic engineering, and is stated to be among the finest minds on Earth as a whole. His studies of particle physics are grand enough to place him among scientific giants in history, and his creations are said to be so marvelous that even Reed Richards or Tony Stark would be impressed. Magneto has even deciphered an entirely alien language he had never seen before.

(Also, looking at half the stuff he’s capable of doing with his powers, he’d kind of have to be a genius to pull them off, let’s be real.)

Magnetokinesis

Magneto’s mutant ability is the power to actually understand how magnets work, and weaponize that to a frankly ridiculous degree, but his most common form of attack usually involves throwing something at the enemy or controlling anything metallic they might have on them. He can manipulate almost any metal, even Uru, something not found on Earth. If faced with something that isn’t magnetic, he can simply magnetize them to get around that. Even with no metal nearby at all, the range of his power is so great that he can just… y’know, bring in metal from somewhere else, or even use his own helmet. Assuming his opponent isn’t providing enough iron for him in the first place, that is. Not to mention, Magneto can also just manipulate magnetic waves to effectively create a ‘fence’ around his opponent, trapping them in place without the need of any metal objects. Not only can his magnetism extend throughout deep space in scope, he can affect structures as large as massive 10 mile long bullets or as miniscule as sub-atomic nuclear structures. As an added bonus, his powers increase dramatically when introduced to extreme cold, making him a living superconductor.

Frankly, we could be here all day listing off every single application of Magnetokinesis – overheating objects with magnetic induction, acting as a living M.R.I., controlling radio waves, ultraviolet and visible light, infrared radiation and gamma rays, or even having the potential to warp reality itself (Good ol’ mutant power creep at its finest) – the fact of the matter is, Magneto’s powers are some of the most versatile and potent among all mutantkind.

Force Fields

Magneto can conjure up magnetic force fields that shield him from all kinds of attacks. While his magnetic fields can be set to repel any force that comes close to him, they are still more than durable enough to withstand attacks from most foes. His barriers have an incredibly impressive resume, sustaining blows from the likes of Thor, Thor plus She-Hulk, Hercules, and the Phoenix. 

Magneto’s force fields are typically always active to some degree, even when invisible. They’ve allowed Magneto to stand at the bottom of the ocean, in spite of the immense pressure and lack of oxygen. He can expand his forcefield to an immense size to act as a sort of attack, or do the reverse and compress his shields around someone else, crushing them within it. ”Oh hey, he can do that too!”

His force fields even have the handy ability to interfere with teleportation, either preventing foes from escaping the vicinity or shutting them out from entering an area entirely.

Flight

Magneto routinely makes use of his magnetic abilities to levitate and fly uninhibited through both air and space. 

Blood Manipulation

One of Magneto’s deadliest abilities, allowing him to manipulate the iron found in blood to produce a variety of deadly and frankly overpowering effects. He can slow the flow of blood in a victim’s brain to create what are essentially living statues, unable to move their bodies without Magneto’s mercy. Following this, Magneto can basically control your body as though it were a vacant shell, practically resembling mind control. Through messing with the blood in the brain, Magneto can also induce amnesia, paralysis, seizures and strokes.

Though of course, Magneto can just as easily explode human bodies with a thought, either by completely eviscerating organs through the rupturing of blood, or by concentrating all your blood into a single point until things go ‘pop’. If he feels like making a point, he could always instead just, say, extract all the iron from your blood and leave you to die a painful, agonizing death.

Electricity Manipulation

Naturally stemming from his magnetic powers, Magneto can tap into the electromagnetic spectrum to act as, essentially, a full blown electrokinetic mutant. He can directly interact with other electrokinetics, like Surge, to drastically amp her power. He can fire off multi-kilovolt electric blasts, powerful enough to incapacitate the likes of Beast. Defensively, Magneto can bend oncoming lightning to protect himself from harm, even from those used by mutants as powerful as Storm.

Perhaps most impressively, Magneto has shown to be able to produce shockwaves that instantly shut down any living being’s nervous system within a 1-kilometer radius. 

Energy Projection and Manipulation

Likely an offshoot of his electrical abilities, Magneto can fire energy blasts from his hands and even tear apart beings made of energy such as Proteus. He can release energy in a lightning-like torrent, or in the form of a widespread AoE attack.

Extrasensory Perception

Magneto’s ability to manipulate the laws of physics and energy provide him with the additional bonus of being able to view and sense these fundamental forces as well. On a basic level, Magneto can ‘map out’ entire areas, sort of like a sonar radar. Taken to its extreme, however, he can sense… well, just about anything as long as it’s wrapped up in magnetic fields. He can detect shifts in the Earth’s electromagnetic field to track someone down, counter teleportation, perceive magnetic waves stemming from another galaxy altogether, feel a planet’s destruction from outside the galaxy, or even react to alterations in energy patterns, acting sort of like a Spider-Sense. 

On a smaller scale, Magneto can identify and analyze tachyons and particles, literally view electrons scattering from atoms, or shift his sight entirely to view patterns of force and energy. He apparently is also somewhat capable of sensing psychic emanations from the likes of Charles Xavier.

Matter Manipulation

Magneto’s powers extend to such a degree that he can manipulate matter on an atomic level. He’s stated to be able to scatter atoms with a glance, and has re-arranged molecular structures, making them much stronger in the process. He can disperse hydrogen and oxygen and use water molecules to create an electrostatic conductor. When it comes to his specialty, Magneto can manipulate iron on an atomic level as well, creating completely airtight constructs from scrap metal.

Gravity Manipulation

With enough power, Magneto can effectively reverse gravity, sending anyone in the vicinity floating helplessly skyward. According to Magneto himself, anyone caught in reversed gravity would be flung out into space by the velocity of Earth’s rotation.

Energy Absorption

 

Yet another application of magnetism, somehow. By shaping magnetic forces around his opponent, Magneto can drain all sorts of energy. He has absorbed power from (a weakened) Jean Grey, Storm, and Polaris, his own daughter. In the latter case, he directly gained more power from the absorption, proving its usefulness in dire situations.

However, he isn’t just limited to draining people of their power, for Magneto can also directly siphon energy from surrounding planets to amp himself in combat.

Weather Manipulation

On multiple occasions, Magneto has shown the ability to manipulate the weather at will. He’s managed to create a whirlwind around a Sentinel, sucking in extremely cold air from the Earth’s atmosphere to reduce its surface temperature to nearly absolute zero, creating a snowstorm in the process. He can even create electromagnetic storms potent enough to shut down all mechanical systems within a 800 square mile perimeter.

Sound Manipulation

Through the use of magnetic… waves? Fields? Uhh… anyway, Magneto can warp back the sonic attacks of Banshee, indicating some degree of sound wave manipulation.

Power Jamming

Using his electromagnetic powers, Magneto can… somehow jam psionic powers, even those as potent as Jean Grey’s. In this instance, Magneto was able to completely jam Jean’s powers without her even realizing it, allowing his Acolytes to launch a surprise attack on the X-Men, completely undetected.

Wormhole Creation

What, you didn’t know that magnet powers could make wormholes? Pfft, did you even pay attention in physics class?

Non-Physical Interaction

Magneto has the weird ability to affect intangible objects with the use of his powers. He was able to manipulate Vision’s synthetic blood while the android was altering his density to phase through objects. And of course, Magneto was able to control the Breakworld Bullet for an extended period of time, all while Kitty Pryde was making the bullet completely intangible, phasing through entire planets.

Astral Projection

Magneto can project his mind from his body and traverse the Astral Plane with an intangible body, free to view any destination he desires.

…cause, y’know. Magnetism. Allegedly.

Telepathy

Despite not actually being a full-blown telepath, Magneto has been shown to have latent psionic abilities that can allow him to contend with the likes of Charles Xavier in telepathic combat. Magneto’s telepathy allows him to send his thoughts to others or, when combined with his magnetic abilities, even hypnotize people to do his bidding.

Resistances

• Mental Manipulation – You ever realize how many psychics and telepaths are in the X-Men’s sphere of characters? It makes sense, then, that Magneto would be well equipped to handle the likes of Psylocke, Emma Frost, and Charles Xavier’s mental powers. He’s even fought off possession from the likes of Proteus, and can reverse the effects of mind control chemicals using his blood manipulation.

• Power Nullification – Magneto is so ridiculously powerful that Rogue was unable to do anything to him with her mutant ability to absorb powers. Rogue, whose power absorption could not only work on, but knock out Thor, failed to do the same with Magneto. He’s also shrugged off a gun specifically designed to neutralize his powers.

• Mental Attacks/Vibrations – Magneto was able to survive a literal quake being manifested in his brain. He was briefly knocked out by this but almost immediately regained consciousness to escape his confinement.

Tetsuo

The Stream / The Power

Ever since the Big Bang, the energy and time of it all flowed forward in some type of “cosmic stream”. A great energy was dispersed, searching for “perfection” (the course of evolution). In truth, it originates as the memory of the universe – the memories of the most microscopic particles of creation came together and formed this Cosmic Stream. Tetsuo and other psychics channel this stream to use esoteric abilities connected to the mind and beyond. All life forms have a semblance of connection to the Stream, though channeling too much of The Power will deform the vessel using it and break it down, or completely destroy their sense of mental being as it did with Akira.

It is possible to “transcend the stream”, as Tetsuo’s spirit alongside Akira and his esper friends go to a higher plane. While not named in the anime, the same principle seems to apply to some degree; Akira was able to guide Tetsuo to another dimension, where Tetsuo eventually gained control over his power.

Telekinesis

The primary use of his psychic powers, Tetsuo possesses extremely potent telekinesis. With it, he can do a myriad of things, like forming shields, blowing up people from the inside, or manipulating his environment to convert things like rocks and metal into projectiles. He can even use telekinesis to manifest energy blasts… somehow.  He can also use his telekinesis to press the gas pedal on his bike or use it to repulse matter away from him, which he used to create a massive crater in the Moon. Lastly, should he ever lose a limb in combat, he can use scrap metal from his surroundings to create replacement limbs, though by the end of the manga he can simply regrow lost limbs.

Telepathy

What kind of self-respecting psychic would Tetsuo be if he was unable to read minds? Tetsuo is able to know if people are talking about him from across a city and extract information telepathically. It also seems to have evolved into some sort of precognition that allows him to predict future events, although these are more so “visions” he has, which appear at random to him.

Soul Manipulation

Tetsuo was briefly able to return Kaori’s spirit to her dead body, but could not resurrect her fully.

Clairvoyance

Espers are noted to have some degree of clairvoyance. Tetsuo’s own connection with Akira allowed him to see past and future events alongside viewing Kaneda who was temporarily displaced from being inside an Akira Event. His own awareness was amplified by his exposure to the Stream, granting Tetsuo a more profound understanding of the universe.

Flight

Tetsuo can use his telekinetic powers on himself in order to achieve flight.

Teleportation

Tetsuo can use his powers to teleport instantly anywhere he wants. He can also teleport objects like buildings as well.

Phasing

Espers have shown the ability to phase through objects and allow bullets to pass through them. While Tetsuo has not used this ability, he has seen it in use and is far more skillful than other Espers who have done so.

Force Fields

Tetsuo’s primary method of defense, he can erect a psychic barrier that can block incoming attacks. It can deflect laser beams, satellite blasts, and can protect him from the heat of atmospheric reentry.

Healing Factor

Tetsuo possesses a healing factor to repair wounds at a superhuman rate. It seems to be tied with his power, as at the beginning of the manga he could heal from gunshot wounds fairly quickly, taking about a day. Later when his powers more fully developed, he could quickly regrow his arm, which would likely extend to replacing other lost limbs, as he does later.

Combustion

Tetsuo if mad can cause small explosions with his brain, which… work just like any other explosion would. Some destruction, some damage, the usual. Hey, they can’t all be over-the-top.

Weather Manipulation

His psychic powers allow the creation of large storms. He can also use this ability to travel as a bolt of lightning as a form of movement, and likely as a form of attack directly.

Gravity Manipulation 

His powers allow him some control over gravity. He used this to try and crush Kei, Kaneda’s love interest. 

Electricity Manipulation

Besides his ability to turn into lightning and possibly use it as an attack, Tetsuo was also able to hack into a PIN-locked door with his mental abilities, as well as to generate electricity from shockwaves of his telekinesis, which released Akira from his cryo chamber.

Earthquake Inducement

Tetsuo once accidentally created an earthquake, which measured at an 8.5 on the Richter scale.

Fusing with Inorganic Matter

As a result of his ever-increasing power, Tetsuo’s body was unable to fully control it and would fuse with inorganic matter. This does have some advantages however, since he’s shown to exert some control over what he fuses with. Examples include controlling a jet and controlling an aircraft carrier and making it fire its nuclear warheads. He can even extend metallic tendrils across an entire stadium, travel through them, and use them offensively.

Akira Event

A large-scale release of power, an Akira Event manifests as a singularity which absorbs its immediate surroundings, such as people or buildings. The singularity opening leads to a dimensional space linked with the Cosmic Stream, linking trapped individuals to different moments in time and even memories. Viewing memories within the singularity can lead to a loss of self, requiring a focused mind to counter this. Time flows differently within the singularity, as shown with no time passing for Kaneda within it, despite being trapped inside for over a month.

Miyako states these singularities send the captured victims to “beyond the boundaries of this world” (referring to Kaneda).

Strong enough Akira Events will manifest as a massive burst of energy capable of consuming entire cities. Akira Events can manifest anomalies such as beta decay, nuclear fusion and gravitational deterioration.

Mutation

With the increase in his power and use of his powers, Tetsuo begins to mutate, doing things like grotesquely stretching out his limbs and eating away at people, which causes him pain. This state can grow to several meters.

Though he cannot control any of his actions at this point, Tetsuo is still capable of using telekinesis and releasing energy in this state. Sufficient damage can momentarily revert him back to a human state, though he will deform quickly if his body is still channeling too much power from the Stream. Likewise, gas or drugs that repress his power or affect his nervous system may cause temporary reversion back to human form.

Resistances

• Extreme Cold – Can survive inside Akira’s chamber, which is stated to be kept at nearly absolute 0 temperatures

• Heat – With his shields, he protected himself and a falling satellite from the heat of atmospheric reentry, which can hit up to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 1649 degrees Celsius

• He has been shown to survive in the vacuum of space

Feats

Magneto

Overall

• Genius level intellect
• Led multiple teams of extremely powerful mutants, both as a villain and a member of the X-Men
• Skilled enough in hand-to-hand combat to defeat a room full of men without using his powers
• Described as the most powerful person on Earth
• Has fought for mutant sovereignty more than any other 
• Defeated the Avengers, X-Men, Defenders, and Apocalypse
• Yeeted a racist into space 
• Has overcome the nerf bat multiple times
• Classified as an Omega Level mutant
• Managed to still think and fight while having six aneurysms going on in his brain 
• Somehow served as a surrogate nervous system for a Celestial
• Ruled over the nation of Genosha until its destruction
• Reconciled with Charles and the X-Men, leading mutantkind on Krakoa
• Became a good father to Wanda, Pietro, and Lorna
• Probably Jesse Pinkman’s favorite Marvel character

Power

• Moved the Breakworld Bullet at near light-speed from far out in space to Earth. (3.942 – 32.984 zettatons of TNT) (Was weakened at this time)
• Claimed he has enough power to crush the planet.
• Claimed his physical strength is comparable to his capabilities with his magnetic powers.
• Lifted up and moved a thousand-ton space station.
• Without his powers, was strong enough to knock away an Asgardian Troll and knock down a young Beast.
• Beat Red Skull to death.
• Ragdolled Colossus.
• Famously ripped out Wolverine’s skeleton. Wolverine can fight in Blightspoke, a realm above the multiverse where collapsed realities are stored. In this fight, entire universes shattered around and atop Logan, but he was able to continue fighting..
• Broke free from Thor’s grip.
• Briefly restrained Red Hulk and blasted him back.
• Overpowered Namor.
• Hit Cable hard enough to make him bleed.
• Summoned a massive surge of energy and affected clouds on a large scale.
• Knocked down Doctor Strange and Hulk, and even generated a magnetic field strong enough to restrain them.
• Briefly restrained Hulk and later blasted him back.
  • Hulk destroyed Nightcrawler’s universe with a thunderclap.
  • Hulk channeled enough energy to destroy two universes.
  • Grey Hulk destroyed a meteor twice the size of Earth (1.2 yottatons of TNT)
• Matched Doctor Doom in power several times.
• Claimed that Thor was the only superhero during Secret Wars who was comparable to him.
  • This scene was later shown again with Thor present and being blown back, supporting the statement.
• Nearly killed Iron Man even when he was wearing the Endo-Sym armor.
• Raised an island out of the ocean.
• Nearly destroyed an island while asleep.
• Overpowered Hercules, and Beast was worried Magneto would end up killing him.
  • Hercules is strong enough to lift the weight of the heavens.
  • Hercules stated he has enough power to shake the universe.
• Broke free from Hercules’ grip, which not even the Titans could do.
• Was so powerful that Rogue’s power absorption barely affected him.
  • Rogue has managed to absorb the powers of Thor and Juggernaut before.
• Overpowered Havok in a beam struggle, who can:
  • Produce a burst of energy as bright as a star across the Milky Way. (45 FOE)
• Can block Cyclops’ Optic Blasts, which can:
  • Hit Juggernaut with enough force to rip a small planet apart. (97.283 petatons of TNT)
  • Burn through Colossus’ body.
  • Pulverize Adamantium.
• Can punch with the force of a Sun.
• Banshee once compared the power he felt from Magneto to the time Phoenix saved the universe. This is referring to when she stopped the creation of a neutron galaxy which would’ve collapsed into a gravity well powerful enough to destroy the universe.
• Stated to be the most powerful mutant of his power type on Earth. This would make him stronger than his daughter Polaris, who can punch a hole through the Earth down to its core.
• Is an Omega Level Mutant.
  • Manifold, a mutant who isn’t even omega level, can fold the entire universe into such a small piece that he can simply walk across it in a single step.
• At his absolute peak, managed to withstand an Incursion (collision of two universes) for a time, though he was ultimately overpowered & died as a result.
• Recently overpowered a version of Nimrod that was stronger than Nimrod units that were pressuring Apocalypse in combat

Speed

• Intercepted Red Hulk’s leap.
• Caught Beast and tagged Nightcrawler mid-teleportation.
  • Beast is capable of reacting in nanoseconds.
• Intercepted Dazzler’s photon blasts.
• Has reacted to and blocked Cyclops’ Optic Blasts multiple times, which move at light speed.
• Reacted to lightning from the clouds.
• Kept up with Iron Man’s flight speed.
• Caught Northstar mid-combat, who can run 1% over the speed of light.
• Tagged his son Quicksilver, making Pietro state that “[his] speed means nothing to [Magneto].”
  • Quicksilver can outrun radio waves.
  • Quicksilver can react in a picosecond while suffering a concussion. (138.76c)
• Siphons energy from planets across the cosmos in a short time.
• Travels from the Moon to Earth in a short timeframe.
• Routinely dispatches swarms of bullets with ease, even sniper rounds.
• Can activate his powers “at the speed of thought”.
• Can project his consciousness at the speed of light.
• Traveled 3000 miles in a short timeframe.
• Redirected the Breakworld Bullet at near the speed of light.
• Harnessed magnetic waves to fly from a planet in another galaxy to Earth in a short  time-frame. (22.224 billion c)
• Reacted to a hammer throw from an amped Juggernaut, who was earlier implied to be above Thor.
• Has kept pace with Thor and reacted to Mjolnir.
  • Thor can travel from another universe in the time-span of a prayer. (at least 9.275 quintillion c)
  • Thor scales to Loki, who can send Ulik from Asgard to Earth at a speed “faster than the human eye could scan these words”. (at least 30.368 quintillion c)

Durability

• Survived getting shot with a miniature neutron star. (23.191 megatons of TNT)
• Took hits from Colossus, Cyclops, Namor, Iron Man, Wolverine, and Scarlet Witch.
• Blocked an attack from Mjolnir.
  • Thor can use Mjolnir to strike with enough force to shatter planets thousands of miles away. (628 yottatons of TNT)
  • Thor shook the stars with two Mjolnirs. (12.75 FOE)
• Beast stated that not even Mjolnir can break through Magneto’s shield.
• Survived getting hit by a massive nuclear explosion. (27.63 megatons of TNT)
• Even when firing his Optic Blasts at full power, Cyclops couldn’t get through Magneto’s barrier.
• Barrier protected him from Hercules’ punch.
• Tanked a blast from Havok.
• Survived getting hit with plasma shots hotter than the Sun.
• Blocked an attack from Cosmic Spider-Man.
• Blocked a plasma blast that was strong enough to punch a hole through planets.
• Survived channeling enough energy to destroy the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Survived getting hit by the magnetic energy of Jupiter.
• Survived getting hit by a miniature blizzard slicing through the very marrow of his bones.
• Remained standing after being blasted by a bloodline-destroying hex from Scarlet Witch, with the same attack knocking Quicksilver out of commission.
• Withstood getting blasted by his own electromagnetic power.
• His barriers blocked strikes from Thor and She-Hulk.
• Tanked a lightning strike from Storm.
• Survived several punches from Black Bolt.
  • Black Bolt can regularly trade blows with other heralds like Thor and Gladiator, who have several universal and higher showings of power.
• His barriers were able to block a blast from Phoenix.
• Could still move even after Proteus turned all the iron in his blood to lead.

Tetsuo

Overall

• Joined a bōsōzoku gang
• Became one of the strongest Espers on the planet
• Killed thousands of people
• Gained a cult of worshippers/followers
• Released Akira from his imprisonment
• Ruled the Great Tokyo Empire in Akira’s name
• Thwarted an attack on Japan from foreign powers
• Cratered the moon
• Came close to reaching Akira’s level of power
• Ascended to a new universe with Akira 
• Has a pretty sweet cape
• Is one of the greatest contributors to anime’s popularity in the west

Power

• Pre-mutation, could decapitate a biker with a pipe.
• Threw a forklift.
• Scales to Takashi, who tore up a canal. (6.45 tons of TNT)
• Collapsed a warehouse. (16.15 – 139.29 tons of TNT)
• Crushed a tank.
• Destroyed a bridge.
• Created a large explosion with his lightning.
• Blew someone up and destroyed part of an Olympic stadium
• Destroyed much of Tokyo’s stadium by merging with it.
• After his fight with Kei in the anime film, the large metal sphere they were fighting around collapsed.
• Stated he can lay waste to “all the energy mankind has amassed” and that “compared to the power of [Tetsuo’s] will, the energy mankind has used to date is no more than puffs of air”. (At least 6.3 gigatons of TNT)
• Flew into orbit while carrying several tons of debris behind him. (52.239 kilotons of TNT)
• Created storms across Neo Tokyo. (7.756 megatons of TNT)
• Displaced a large amount of water.
• Created a Magnitude 8.5 earthquake. (84.8 megatons of TNT)
• Blew a hole in the moon, with its debris forming a ring around it. (1.79 exatons of TNT)
• Tetsuo implies those who can direct the power of the Stream could stop the rotation of the planet. (61.614 exatons of TNT)
• After awakening, likely comparable to Akira’s first and second singularity, which destroyed Tokyo (125.993 megatons – 1.85 gigatons of TNT) and Neo Tokyo
• Akira and Tetsuo’s combined power is stated to be too much for the world to contain. Kaneda has also mirrored this statement.
• Created the third “Akira Event”, which was compared to a miniature Big Bang.
• With assistance from Akira, created a new universe in the anime film. (See Q/A below)

Speed

• Caught a tank shell.
• Can travel as a bolt of lightning.
• Flew into orbit in a few seconds. (Mach 119)
• Flew to the moon before anybody could react, likely as a bolt of lightning. (0.128c)
  • It should be noted that we don’t know the exact means he used to get there.
• Can react to, catch, dodge and deflect laser shots numerous times, which have plenty of evidence to support them moving at the speed of light. (Various results in the relativistic range)
• Should compare to Miyako, who redirected a blast from SOL which contains a laser cannon.
• Should scale to Sakaki, who dodged an electrical attack.

Durability

• Survived his bike exploding before his powers manifested. (0.007 tons of TNT)
• Took a hit from a drug so potent a drop could kill a normal human.
• Literally laughs off falling from a skyscraper.
• Can survive in rooms at near absolute zero temperatures that instantly froze others.
• Got hit by a large rock and a subsequent satellite blast.
• Shielded himself and a falling satellite from the heat of atmospheric reentry and an assault from an aircraft.
• Has both deflected and tanked blasts from the SOL satellite. Stray shots flew off and destroyed large sections of Neo Tokyo. (402.78 tons of TNT)
• Unfazed from several tons of collapsing rubble.
• Was still standing after getting shot by a missile.
• Undamaged by a jet crashing into him.

Weaknesses

Magneto

Magneto preaches absolute superiority, and while he’s mostly right, let’s be honest, he’s still got a few notable shortcomings. Over the years, Magneto has struggled with maintaining any kind of consistent power level, fluctuating from someone powerful enough to knock out Hulk in a single zap, to someone on the verge of passing out from taking out a moderately large monster. This may stem from the fact that while Magneto’s powers are theoretically limitless, that doesn’t actually mean Magneto himself can physically withstand a limitless amount of energy. Too much power beyond his limit can overload his body, resulting in death.

Now, granted, we’re talking a lot of power, like “hold-off-two-entire-Marvel-universes-colliding” levels of power, but still, it’s clear that Magneto has an upper limit to what he’s capable of.

And yes, the wooden gun. Of course.

Tetsuo

Despite possessing awe-inspiring power, Tetsuo has… numerous problems, to say the least. Along with having an inferiority complex almost as big as his forehead, Tetsuo never had true control over his powers, needing to take drugs to quell his pain and even having to make sure not to overuse his abilities or else he’ll mutate into the gross fetus flesh monstrosity we’re all familiar with. This is due to his body not being able to stand the power from the Stream.  

This of course doesn’t exactly pair well with how all that god-like power gave him quite the god complex; while all that arrogance and hot-headedness makes him all the more terrifying, it’s also what ultimately helped lead to his downfall.

Summary

Magneto

“You built these weapons to destroy us. Why? Because you are afraid of our gifts. Because we are different. Humanity has always feared that which is different. Well, I’m here to tell you, to tell the world, you’re right to fear us! We are the future! We are the ones who will inherit this earth! And anyone who stands in our way will suffer the same fate as these men you see before you! Today was meant to be a display of your power. Instead, I give you a glimpse of the devastation my race can unleash upon yours! Let this be a warning to the world. And to my mutant brothers and sisters out there, I say this: no more hiding. No more suffering. You have lived in the shadows in shame and fear for too long. Come out. Join me. Fight together in a brotherhood of our kind! A new tomorrow, that starts today!”

Advantages:

• Stronger, faster, more durable
• More versatile set of abilities and potent hax
• Can counter most of Tetsuo’s abilities
• Greater range and AoE
• Decades more experience
• Superior intellect and physical capabilities
• Helmet and mental resistances block out all of Tetsuo’s mental abilities
• Already defeated a Tetsuo ripoff
• HE’S SO PRINGLES
• Tom Kane, Sir Ian McKellen & Michael Fassbender

Disadvantages:

• Probably has no way to win if Tetsuo were to become a universe
• Less suited to a prolonged battle
• Wooden gun
• His children are dead
• The Last Stand and Dark Phoenix

Tetsuo

“Hah! You don’t like what you’re hearing, do ya? Makes you angry? So what are you gonna do now? Well, Kaneda? WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO NOW?!?!”

Advantages:

• Great regeneration
• Would likely force a stalemate if allowed to access his universal state of being
• Lupe Fiasco
• Bartkira
• KANEDA!!!!

Disadvantages:

• Loses in the stat trinity
• Abilities get countered by Magneto, and Tetsuo is vulnerable to Magneto’s own hax
• Far less experienced, and could never truly master his powers
• Not nearly as intelligent despite that forehead
• Mental instability isn’t great against a more calculating foe
• Can’t affect Magneto with his telepathic abilities
• Bringing a metal arm against a living magnet
• Not a single good official English dub

Verdict

Q/A

Universal Tetsuo

There are two arguments for Tetsuo being universal, the first being that he made a universe in the manga and the other being he made one in the animated film. Both have issues.

Manga

In volume 5, a team of scientists notes Tetsuo’s Akira Event to be like a miniature Big Bang, and note they are witnessing the birth of a new universe. This alongside cosmic imagery on volume 6 has inspired the notion Tetsuo made a universe at the end of the manga.

However, that is not what occurs in volume 6. In that volume, Akira absorbs Tetsuo into a singularity, alongside Kaneda. The result is Kaneda viewing the past memories of Tetsuo and Akira, alongside the origin of the universe as told by Miyako’s spirit. Kei even refers to these as illusions in the colored version of the manga. The cosmic imagery is simply describing the truth of the Cosmic Stream (check Tetsuo’s abilities section) and its relevance to human evolution. 

Even if there was some level of creation going on during this scene, Tetsuo would not scale at all. He is consumed and killed by Akira, with his spirit moving to the afterlife/“higher plane” as a result. Tetsuo stated several times that he would eventually reach Akira’s level of power, but when both finally clash Akira decimates him entirely.

As for the commentary about the Akira Event being a small Big Bang, this doesn’t mean it is universal. Miyako gives us two measures of power for Tetsuo, the first being while he was suppressed on drugs and the second when his power had grown so much his body could not contain it. The first measure is simply being above all the energy humanity has amassed and the second is being capable of busting the planet alongside Akira, who is his superior in power, neither of which are universal. The highest level of power shown by Akira Events is destroying Tokyo/Neo Tokyo, even with two Akira Events occurring at once.

It should be noted that at the time the scientists compared an Akira Event to a small Big Bang, they admittingly did not fully understand the Stream, as revealed in their later discussion with Tetsuo. The very Akira Event that was studied (the one generated by Tetsuo) is also stated to be weaker than Akira’s own produced ones.

Lastly, redirecting the Stream, at least for Tetsuo, is not universal. He suffered severe after-effects from making a hole in the Moon, and his body could not contain his increasing amount of power. At best, it’s comparable to the comparison he gives about stopping the Earth’s rotation. Only Akira is ever suggested to be capable of affecting the whole Stream, having been stated by Miyako to have transcended it.

And in case there was any doubt about Akira being superior to Tetsuo for the vast majority of the manga, if not all of it:

Further addressed here.

Anime

In the film, Tetsuo is likewise consumed by Akira’s singularity. The scientist formerly attending to Tetsuo notes that it might be the birth of a new universe. Tetsuo gets sent to another dimension by Akira, and the film concludes seemingly with a Big Bang caused by a now in-control Tetsuo.

To note, the possibility of this feat being legitimate is far more likely than in the manga’s version of events. We see an actual Big Bang on screen, Tetsuo declares “I am Tetsuo”, and we get a panning shot of stars and galaxies. There is also confirmation that Akira didn’t kill him in this continuity, as the Espers mention they left the Earth, and Kaneda mentions he is not so sure Tetsuo actually died.

Issues arise from the fact that Tetsuo needed Akira’s interference to even do this. In the film, Tetsuo loses control of his power, with it even being stated that it would kill him. Akira circumvents this by taking Tetsuo and the other Espers to another world/dimension, and the Espers imply they may one day return. One argument is the new universe we see at the end is the new location they went to. The scientist earlier on does say it might be universal creation, but it is noted as a maybe.

Regardless, the time-frame isn’t exactly specified, though it may have been quick, and more importantly, Tetsuo cannot simply generate a universe in the middle of a fight. He needs Akira and the Espers’ assistance for this, and cannot do so on his own. We also know nothing of Tetsuo’s combat abilities or physical being in this new state. Tetsuo at the end of the film is a big unknown, and that’s kind of the point of the ending.

100x Planet Tetsuo

In volume 1, Ryu makes a comment about Japan having the budget to “destroy the planet 100 times over”. In volume 4, Miyako says Tetsuo has more power than all the energy mankind had amassed to date, that it was like puffs of air to Tetsuo. This has led some to believe Tetsuo can destroy multiple planets. Once again, this has several issues.

First, it’s vague as to what destroying the planet means. Nuclear winter? Surface wiping? Life wiping?

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2013EF000205

“A limited, regional nuclear war between India and Pakistan in which each side detonates 50 15 kt weapons could produce about 5 Tg of black carbon”

The knock on effects of which would wipe out about 26.3% of the global population via mass starvation/global weather events/etc….

1.5 megatons could wipe out over a quarter of our planet in terms of life.  Nuclear winter makes more sense narratively at the time the statement is made. Tetsuo being 100x that is 100-200 gigatons, which is consistent with Miyako’s statement.

More importantly, Ryu refers to budget. The budget statement is more so referring to what could be done over time with that budget, not something that already exists. Meanwhile Miyako specifically notes the amount of energy mankind has already amassed to that date. Ryu and the guy with him are not completely out of the know, but are not on the level of authority or knowledge like the colonel or the scientists that appear later on, and certainly not as knowledgeable as Miyako. Additionally, those scientists and the military are severely alarmed later on by multiple city busting Akira Events, or hypothetical planet busting. The best statement Japan has for its weapons is that their orbital lasers might be able to sink Neo-Tokyo, which is a far cry from life wiping or planet busting.

Consistency is also an issue. If a suppressed Tetsuo is supposed to be that strong, it does not match up with later context and feats. He has to use more power than he ever has before in order to perform the Moon feat, which kick-started his eventual degradation, because he was then using so much power that his body couldn’t handle it. The highest level of power he’s ever suggested himself to have is stopping the Earth’s rotation, which could be taken as a hypothetical. Both he and Akira have worked together to hypothetically planet bust, which could be interpreted as them multiplying their power together.

Keep in mind the Ryu statement comes midway into volume 1, everything else mentioned comes from volume 4 and onwards. Ultimately, the statement is far too vague and inconsistent with Miyako’s statement in relation to Tetsuo.

Herald Magneto

Magneto’s placement in power is an interesting topic. He’s tangled with his fair share of Marvel heralds, but likewise almost died from moving a 10-mile world-ending bullet across space.

To get a general idea of where Magneto actually is in power, first we need to go over his ability. The following has been stated in regards to his magnetic abilities:

Magneto has stated that he “embodies a primal force of reality, one of the building blocks of creation” and that his powers allow him to tap into “the direct primal force of the cosmos itself”. Charles Xavier also backs up this claim, stating that magnetism is one of the four foundation elements of the universe, in the same manner as the Phoenix Force. This lines up with Banshee comparing the power he felt from Magneto to the time the Phoenix stopped a neutron galaxy from destroying the universe.

Magneto states he is the undisputed master of the force that binds the universe, and the notes regarding Omega Level mutants in House of X states the upper limit of Magneto’s power cannot be surpassed in any measurable fashion. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe claims that Magneto’s power, while not on the level of the Silver Surfer in his prime, is for all practical purposes limitless.

In regards to the Breakworld Bullet, Magneto at this time was so far from the peak of his power that ripping up one random Predator X made of metal caused him to collapse and nearly pass out. For reference, one of these same enemies was easily oneshot by Storm, the likes of whom peak Magneto regularly goes up against. He also has higher feats than this that suggest it cannot be his limit, such as blocking a blast from a weapon designed to punch through planets, and creating a massive surge of energy visible in comparison to the planet’s curve, on a continental scale. Magneto has also been able to block Cyclops’ Optic Blasts, which can rip apart a small planet by Cyclops’ own estimate. He has also stated he has the power to crush the Earth.

While some of the heralds he has fought do hold back sometimes, he has pushed several to their limits, even nearly killing Hercules once. He of course does have his own limits. He is classified as being weaker than Silver Surfer, has been defeated by Doctor Doom, and died trying to prevent an Incursion.

Some like to argue Magneto does well with heralds via blood controlling hax that lets him push herald tiers back. However, he does not invoke this in every fight, and has overwhelmed high-tier characters with blasts alone. Likewise, lifting strength arguments ignore that he is damaging these characters and not just tossing them. If he crushes someone with lifting strength, and they are hurt by it, that’s not durability negation. It’s just the pressure he’s applying being superior to their durability.

Lastly, even if the herald-tier characters he fights were holding back, he still scales above his daughter Polaris, who can punch a hole through the Earth down to it’s core, and can amp himself to punch with the force of a Sun.

Breakworld Bullet Size

The space bullet Magneto redirected has a statement of being the size of a Moon, and some decent angle shots of it in comparison to buildings the first time it was shot to Earth.

Most consistent however, are several statements that it is 10 miles long. The bullet is visually larger than buildings in comparison to the station firing it, which was mistaken for a small moon, and Kitty Pride traveled more than a mile into it and didn’t reach the end of it. It is visually not the size of the Moon but is larger than buildings, and as such we are going with the narrative intention that it is 10 miles long.

“Infinite Universe”

There are claims the universe/Cosmic Stream in Akira is infinite due to descriptions of it from Miyako and Tetsuo.

Tetsuo’s statement of the infinite flow could just mean infinite in the sense that it’s constantly present, not necessarily something specific to size or length.

If the power source is always there and ‘flowing’, calling it “infinite” can refer to the status of it being there or its length/distance, and contextually the former makes more sense. Think of it like a water hose constantly pumping out water, and you can’t turn it off, but you can move the hose around to do stuff with it.

First page there also outright has Miyako state it’s beyond what they can possibly perceive or comprehend. You dont actually need to be infinite to be beyond those parameters.

If it is truly infinite, it doesnt change much. We have multiple statements of Magneto’s powers being able to control a fundamental force of the universe. That does not sound all too different from the Stream when you consider Marvel universe statements.

Stats

On Tetsuo’s side, it’s pretty easy to gauge his power level. Making a big crater on the moon and having the potential to stop Earth’s rotation puts him solidly on multi-continent to moon levels of power, and the end of the manga has him and Akira’s combined power stated to be “too much for the planet to contain.” Granted, giving Tetsuo half of this yield is a bit generous, since it’s shown a few times in the manga that Akira is superior to Tetsuo, so it’s likely most of the blast was Akira’s power. That said, giving him a benefit of the doubt would leave him with 29 zettatons of TNT, putting him well into small planet level. As for speed, traveling to the Moon and reacting to light-speed lasers on a daily basis gives him relativistic speeds. There’s no denying that Tetsuo is a power house; it’s just not enough to win this battle.

Simply put, even if we disregard all of Magneto’s instances of harming heralds as hax, lifting strength, etc., just giving him the bare minimum, it still paints a clear picture. Magneto redirecting the Breakworld Bullet (32 zettatons) is pretty comparable to Tetsuo’s highest end, but that was when Magneto was FAR from his prime. Killing a random enemy that Storm and Cyclops could one-shot exhausted him and caused him to pass out. And Magneto has dozens of instances of blocking and surviving direct blows from Cyclops’ Optic Blasts, even when they’re being fired at full power, which can split a small planet in half.

He’s capable of restraining and blasting back Savage Hulk, and while his power varies, he’s at minimum stronger than Grey Hulk, who destroyed an asteroid twice the size of Earth. This has been calculated to be around 1.2 yottatons, roughly 40x greater than Tetsuo’s max potential. He’s survived a direct attack from Havok and even overpowered him in a beam struggle, and Havok can channel enough energy to light up the entire galaxy (45 FOE). Maggie’s blocked an energy beam capable of punching holes through planets, and says himself that he has enough power to crush the planet, which is very consistent with all the other feats mentioned. Hell, surviving lightning strikes from Storm means he can pretty cleanly scale to her planet-wide storm and her reigniting the light of an artificial star. Even if we needlessly lowball Mags for no reason, there’s really no comparison to be made on who’s stronger.

Similarly, speed is easily in the Master of Magnetism’s favor. Cyclops Optic Blasts are consistently stated to be light-speed, and Magneto blocks them casually. He’s caught Quicksilver before, who can run faster than light and react within picosecond time-frames. He’s blatantly superior to several Marvel street tiers capable of nanosecond-timing and light-dodging. And most of all, Erik can travel between galaxies in a short time-frame, rounding up to over 20 billion times faster than Tetsuo, who’s just light-timing. There’s no real way to make him even comparable; the speed advantage is blatantly in his court.

And of course, all of this is ignoring Erik’s multiple instances of going up against S-tiers, having been able to seriously injure and contend with universal level characters like Hulk and Hercules, as well as react to the universe-crossing Mjolnir. Essentially, Magneto will always edge out in strength and dominate in speed, and this just becomes an exponentially bigger gap across the board with scaling.

Addressing lower end arguments for both here.

Abilities

At first glance, both combatants here can manipulate gravity, are capable of flight, can erect protective force fields, and of course can, at least on a basic level, match each other in general telekinetic combat.

Looking deeper, however, shows an imbalance in their respective power sets. Magnetokinesis, for starters, is far more versatile than Tetsuo’s telekinesis, as the former can essentially do everything telekinesis can do and then some. Including but not limited to: manipulating magnetic waves around people to trap or crush them, operating on a subatomic level, increasing in potency in cold conditions, controlling light, and altering matter itself. This extends to Magneto’s counters and defenses against many of Tetsuo’s own techniques.

Phasing means nothing to the Master of Magnetism, who can interact with intangible objects. Gravity welling can simply be reversed. Tetsuo’s barriers require active use, while Magneto’s are constantly active. Lightning is simply going to be redirected or absorbed by Magneto, who is accustomed to defending against much more potent bolts from Storm. Telepathy is completely shut out by Magneto’s helmet and his own personal mental fortitude. Teleportation is nigh-useless when Magneto puts up a magnetic field to prevent Tetsuo from leaving the area, and Magneto’s ability to sense disruptions in electromagnetic fields means there’d be no surprises when Tetsuo teleports anyway.

As for Tetsuo’s signature brain blasts, those aren’t likely to be a win condition either. Outside of Tetsuo, there are cases of other Espers in Akira demonstrating that same technique, and we can visibly see psychic waves emitting from the Esper and flowing out into the target. This would imply that the brain blasts we see Tetsuo employ do not instantly appear in his victim’s heads, and instead travel to them. This is significant because Magneto’s barriers are more than durable enough to hold up against such pressure. Not to mention, Magneto has the aforementioned ability to shut out teleporters from entering his protective fields, which would imply an instantaneously-appearing pressure could not successfully enter Magneto’s space. 

On the other hand, Magneto’s abilities are overwhelmingly useful here and Tetsuo has very few, if any answers to them. Magneto can:

• Splatter Tetsuo with blood manipulation
• Turn Tetsuo into a mindless slave with hypnotism or blood control
• Suspend his body in place forever
• Draw all the iron out of Tetsuo’s body
• Shut down Tetsuo’s nervous system with a shockwave
• Induce paralysis, amnesia, seizures, and strokes
• Scatter Tetsuo’s atoms with a glance
• Just punch him really goddamn hard
• Crush Tetsuo in a magnetic shield

His energy draining, absorption or stealing would keep Tetsuo’s growing power in check, and Magneto can always just jam his psionic abilities, preventing them from working properly. Jean Grey, someone exponentially more experienced and powerful than Tetsuo, was totally susceptible to this power jamming, to the degree that she didn’t even realize it had happened until it was too late. Magneto’s extrasensory perception would tip him off to any increases in Tetsuo’s power and ensure he constantly has awareness of the battlefield. And his weird ability to whip up wormholes would allow him to escape from any pesky Akira Events Tetsuo makes.

To his credit, Tetsuo’s regeneration is indeed quite good. On a more even playing field, this would pose a challenge to most, as Tetsuo can regenerate quickly from basically being pastified. Unfortunately, Tetsuo’s defenses just aren’t good enough here, meaning that regen is basically just a ticket to experiencing all of the nasty tools in Magneto’s kit until one of them does the job permanently. 

At the end of the day, Magneto has displayed far grander scale feats with his Magnetokinesis than anything Tetsuo has achieved, along with far more potent, versatile abilities and perfect counters to anything Tetsuo can throw at him.     

Cosmetics (Intellect, Experience, etc.)

In terms of intelligence, we have a super genius who intellectually matches Charles Xavier facing off against a 15-year-old who isn’t even top of his class. Pretty clear-cut.

Going into more detail on it, Magneto is a genius in several fields of study, and this intellect has allowed him to outsmart and make plans that have caused the several geniuses of the X-Men trouble, is the intellectual rival of Professor Charles Xavier who has a doctorate from Oxford, he himself has studies in genetic engineering and particle physics, and could even decipher an alien language he’d never seen before without issue. Meanwhile Tetsuo is a young man, who at that point in his story has not had an education higher than that of a tenth grader. So while he’s not a complete idiot, he’s definitely not a genius on Magneto’s level. And between the two, Magneto is far more adept in combat intelligence, as Magneto has fought various characters throughout Marvel for decades, while Tetsuo has only killed several weaker people with ease. He’s never faced a challenge or someone on his level before, much less someone who surpasses it.

Related to this, Magneto also has more experience compared to Tetsuo. He’s been alive since the 40’s, meeting thousands of friends and enemies, fighting a wide variety of people in the Marvel universe, had experience as both a villain and a hero, has gone on various adventures to space and other dimensions… The guy has done too many things to count, and he’s seen pretty much everything. Meanwhile, Tetsuo barely has any experience using his telepathic powers, and Akira’s events take place during the span of weeks or months at most. It’s true that Tetsuo has managed to overcome Espers with more experience than him, but none of them compare to the power and abilities that Magneto has.

Another advantage that Magneto has over Tetsuo is the latter’s inferiority/god complex. Although Magneto has had his moments of self-righteous superiority, he has mostly grown out of this, and was always level-headed on the many occasions when he was fighting someone who can match him, even coming to respect many of them. While Tetsuo is the most powerful being in his world, he still holds resentment to those who look down on him, and his unchallenged power facilitates his god complex. With none who can match him, it led to him becoming very cocky when fighting someone, and prone to instability and anger when injured. This is partly why Kaneda made it out of their confrontation alive, despite being far weaker than Tetsuo.

Finally, it’s important to highlight the trauma both suffered, and how that has led to the decisions they’ve made, and how that has formed the two as people. Magneto suffered through countless ordeals that would break any person, and always emerged a stronger man because of it, his resolve and will strengthened by his pain. Over the years, he’s had the time and ability to work through and push past the pain he’s endured, growing and maturing as a person. On the other hand, Tetsuo never had the same opportunities, and his unhealthy mentality coupled with unrivaled powers resulted in an individual who never allowed himself the opportunity to face his real issues head-on and learn from them. When Tetsuo was eventually able to do so, it was at the end of his life, and could never grow past that into a more mature and well-rounded person. He simply isn’t able to stack up to Magneto; in either stats or mentality.

Conclusion

In closing, this is a matchup that certainly has a lot to talk about, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a close call. Tetsuo’s sheer ferocity and unbridled, disastrous potential are definitely dangerous, but Magneto holds the advantage in nearly every category.

Magneto possesses reliable counters to most of Tetsuo’s powers, and while Tetsuo’s brain-blasting technique is extremely potent, Magneto’s barriers can withstand that force, and keep them out in the first place. It helps that Magneto has taken literal earthquakes in his brain before, too. To his credit, Tetsuo’s regeneration is quite good, and could let him hang in here for a while… but that basically just means Tetsuo gets to sit through Magneto showing off his grocery list of hax and generally painful techniques.

This of course is all before considering stats, which Magneto undoubtedly runs away with. Magneto is stronger with direct feats and he’s exponentially stronger with scaling to the universal lads like Hercules and Hulk. Speed isn’t much better. Crossing a galaxy in a day already makes Magneto more than fast enough to speedblitz Tetsuo without even moving a finger, and since Magneto did that with his powers, he can pelt Tetsuo in a rainstorm of magnetic attacks much, much faster than anything the Esper can possibly keep up with. 

Now, the elephant in the room here is of course universal Tetsuo, and whether or not it’s a factor in this fight. Sure, technically Tetsuo literally just being a universe could make this match inconclusive, but this form is barely shown, not consistent with the manga, and possibly not even combat applicable. It doesn’t help that otherwise, Tetsuo’s maximum potential requires time, outside influence, and a lot of uncontrollable pain to achieve. Compare this to Magneto, who doesn’t really have any caveats using his power. 

Ultimately, this is a battle between a seasoned warrior, a ruthless leader, and a cunning genius, against a mentally unstable kid who can’t control his powers. Tetsuo is powerful to be sure, but Magneto’s intellect, abilities, versatility, defenses, speed, and power are more than enough to put an end to Akira’s iconic Esper.

Final Tally

Team Magneto:

Adam, AgentRedhead, Akhil, Andrex, Bluegatito, Clockboxxer, Cyber, Joshski, MKF4, Momoura, Notatruename, Rina Antiqua, SoMaShadow, TManTheDefender, Trashy, Twicefold

Team Tetsuo: 

None