Miyamoto Musashi vs Napoléon Bonaparte: who would win in a fist fight?
Pick the winner and how they win (TKO, DQ or decision), then see how everyone else called it.
Miyamoto Musashi
“The Sword Saint” · Japan · c. 1584–1645 · about 5′11″ (180 cm), about 176 lb (80 kg)
Japanese swordsman who said he won all 61 of his duels, and author of The Book of Five Rings. Famously turned up late to his duel with Sasaki Kojirō and won with a wooden sword carved from an oar.
Napoléon Bonaparte
“The Little Corporal” · France · 1769–1821 · 5′7″ (169 cm), about 170 lb (77 kg)
Emperor of the French who conquered much of Europe before his final defeat at Waterloo in 1815. Not actually short: about average for his time. The myth came from British cartoons and French inches.
The crowd
Nobody has called this one yet.
The AI’s verdict (spoiler)
Musashi by Decision. Musashi wins by decision. Napoleon, an artillery officer, keeps looking for range and spends three rounds escaping the ring like it's Elba. Musashi, 11 cm taller and a duelist since age 13, calmly lands the cleaner shots and takes every scorecard.
Fair fight? Make Musashi fight with one hand tied behind his back. A man who trained with two swords at once can find out what a lopsided fight feels like.
More fights: Miyamoto Musashi · Napoléon Bonaparte · all fighters