In a fit of rage, The Entity, unhappy with the sacrifices the killers have been able to muster, decides it’s time to thin the herd. Everyone must prove their worth and only the strongest will survive.

Just for fun, have you ever thought about which killer in the Dead by Daylight franchise would win in a one-vs-one style tournament? No? Well I have and now that you’ve read this I guess you have too! I’ve seen people talk about this before and they all make the same points that certain characters are unbeatable, but then they talk about if it were a Hunger Games style battle who would be the last one standing. But I’m thinking in a one-vs-one randomly-seeded Mortal Kombat-esque tournament who would come out with the victory?

In discussion with one of my good friends we debated on who would come out victorious in each fight and with the results I’ll be writing this article in multiple parts when the next part is complete I will add a link to the bottom of this article that attaches to the second part. In this part of the article I’ll be doing Rounds 1 and 2.

PS. I know lore says Pyramid Head is stronger than the entity itself and a couple of the other killers are literally unkillable, but for fun, lets just ignore that.

Behold, a fully randomized bracket featuring all the Dead By Daylight killers, including Ash Williams to ensure an even number. I simply entered the names in the order of their release and clicked the magical randomize button, resulting in the arrangement you see above.

Round 1

In the first round, we have two matchups: Ghostface versus The Clown, and The Oni versus The Cenobite (Pinhead). Initially, I believed that The Clown would defeat Ghostface since they both possess a similar "attack" mechanism. However, considering The Clown's potions, I was inclined to give him the advantage. Yet, upon further reflection, Ghostface's stealth ability, which revolves around stalking a single person, could ultimately give him the upper hand over The Clown. Therefore, we'll award this victory to Ghostface.

Moving on to the second matchup, we have two formidable contenders: The Oni and The Cenobite. To ensure fairness, I won't require Pinhead's opponent to be capable of killing him; they simply need to solve the box before Pinhead reaches them. While The Oni may have been able to defeat many other powerful opponents, I don't believe he would be able to solve the Box before Pinhead could reach him. Considering the game abilities, the chain whips that attack while working on the Box would likely send The Oni into a blind rage. Unfortunately, I predict that The Oni's own strength would lead to his downfall, as he would be overpowered by Pinhead.

Round 1 Winners: Ghostface; Cenobite.

Round 2: 16 Matchups

Round two brings forth a combination of closely matched opponents and some that are not so evenly matched. Let's begin by addressing the matches where the outcome seems quite clear. In the face-off between Xenomorph and The Cannibal (Bubba Sawyer), it is evident that Bubba stands no chance against the Xenomorph. The Xenomorph possesses superior speed, agility, and even has acidic blood, making it an undeniable winner. Similarly, the battle between Singularity and Legion is highly one-sided. According to their lore, Singularity was designed with ten times the strength of a human, and when coupled with their bipods, it becomes clear that all four members of Legion would be no match.

I must admit, my knowledge about The Dredge is limited, but after delving into their lore, I discovered that Dredge is a malevolent construct that feeds on misery. This abstract nature sets Dredge apart from Ghostface, who is simply a masked murderer. Therefore, I believe Dredge would emerge victorious in this matchup. Moving on, I believe Wraith would pose a formidable challenge as he is practically invisible to the naked eye. However, his perfect opponent would be The Skull Merchant. Although she is essentially a female version of Tony Stark with murderous tendencies, her drones and relentless tactics would aid her in tracking down the elusive Wraith and securing a win.

The most captivating battles often involve opposing forces, such as The Blight, who possesses incredible speed, and The Mastermind (Wesker), whose abilities actually slow him down. While Wesker may have greater strength, his sluggish ability wind-up would make it difficult for him to land a hit on the nimble Blight.

Now I do not wish to offend any fans of Stranger Things, but I believe the Demogorgon would have no chance against Pyramid Head. Despite the Demogorgon's "impenetrable skin," its vulnerability to fire, as depicted on the show, becomes its downfall when faced with Pyramid Head's blade that can bring forth hellish punishment.

The matchup that proved most challenging for me and one I am still uncertain about is The Gunslinger versus The Huntress. It is remarkable how the random seed generator produced such fitting matchups. I perceive both contenders as strong candidates for victory, yet I can also identify reasons why they might each lose. The Gunslinger, a seasoned bounty hunter accustomed to taking down solitary targets, faces off against the Huntress, known for decimating entire groups of enemies. While the Gunslinger possesses firearms, the Huntress wields lethal hatchets. I even contemplated how the Huntress would need to locate a locker to reload, whereas the Gunslinger merely requires a winding mechanism. Ultimately, I believe the Huntress would capitalize on the Gunslinger's slow wind-up time and limp, managing to strike him down with a hatchet before he could unleash his chain gun.

As for The Twins, while they may excel in surviving an all-out brawl, I do not consider them individually powerful in a one-on-one scenario. Furthermore, their opponent, the Doctor, holds an advantage in terms of medical expertise, allowing him to navigate around the “advantages” the Twins bring. His shockwave ability is sure to instill fear in Victor, rendering him ineffective.

Halftime Report

So we’re halfway through round two, I hope you’re still agreeing with me and if not I hope you’re still here to find out more! But so far we’ve got eight out of our 16 winners that will be moving onto Round 3. In bracket A we have: Dredge, Skull Merchant, Blight, and Pyramid Head all moving on. As for bracket B we have: Singularity, Xenomorph, Huntress, and Doc moving on. I still feel bad for Bubba but let’s continue on and see who moves on in the next half. We have some instesting matchups coming up including Samara (The Oynro) vs The Cenobite and Ash Williams vs the Trickster.

Round 2: Continued

In the next stage of round two, our first match features Cenobite versus The Onyro. Personally, I doubt that Pinhead would be deceived by a mere video tape, which means he has little chance of being killed within the seven days. Consequently, I find The Onyro to be rather ineffective in this battle. Moreover, Pinhead would relish in passing on death to someone else and would likely derive pleasure from showing them the video, possibly even exploiting that power repeatedly. Therefore, I believe Pinhead will easily secure the victory here.

Moving on to the next matchup, we have The Artist facing off against Nemesis. Both contenders possess similar abilities, as they are able to summon additional adversaries throughout the battlefield. The Artist commands her crows, while Nemesis summons relentless zombies that relentlessly pursue their targets. In my opinion, Nemesis would effortlessly overpower The Artist and leave her defeated.

I must admit, I had some difficulty deliberating between the Knight and the Trapper in the following bout. Initially, I believed the Trapper's tactical prowess would serve him well against most opponents. However, it is unlikely that bear traps would prove effective against the Knight's heavily armored exterior. Additionally, the Knight possesses the ability to summon three minions: the Carinfex, the Assassin, and the Jailer. Each minion possesses its own distinct attack style. Although the Trapper may be able to defend against them initially, I predict that he will ultimately be overwhelmed and defeated.

This particular confrontation is rather peculiar, as there is an uneven number of killers involved. However, I have decided to include Ash Williams in the mix, as he is perhaps the only survivor who could hold his own ground. I will base his arsenal on the weapons he typically wields in the Evil Dead franchise. Therefore, the matchup will pit Ash Williams against The Trickster. The Trickster possesses a baseball bat and throwing knives, while Ash relies on his trusty 'Boomstick' and his iconic chainsaw hand. From my perspective, Ash holds the advantage in terms of both long-range and close-quarter combat. Given his experience, Ash should be able to dodge some of the throwing knives, and his chainsaw would easily slice through a baseball bat in a hand-to-hand confrontation. Thus, I believe that The Trickster would either fall victim to the Boomstick or, even worse, suffer the fate of a chainsaw in close combat.

When it comes to facing survivors in the game, Nurse proves to be quite formidable, capable of inflicting significant damage and wiping out an entire team effortlessly. However, when pitted against another hunter, I doubt she would fare as well. Particularly, going up against the Plague, who can unleash a corrosive bile that weakens her victims and can even be upgraded to deliver fatal blows. Given that the Nurse's ability to blink leaves her at a significant disadvantage, requiring immediate recovery, I believe the Plague would have no trouble landing a killing shot with her bile. Therefore, the Plague would emerge victorious.

Now, let's delve into the unexpected outcome between two formidable beings: The Shape (Myers) and the Spirit. Contrary to popular belief, I do not believe that The Shape stands a chance against the Spirit. Firstly, she possesses the ability to phase out and escape the battle entirely. Secondly, she embodies the vengeful spirit of a dismembered woman. I highly doubt that Myers' kitchen knife would pose a significant threat to her. So in a battle of a vengeful Spirit and the embodiment of evil, vengance wins.

Having the ability to teleport through her hexes that she places on the ground, I believe the Hag would have been incredibly formidable in this tournament. Similarly, Kruger and his Nightmare abilities would have also posed a significant threat. However, only one of them can remain. While I cannot say for certain what the Hag fears, I speculate that she would eventually either succumb to sleep or fall victim to one of Kruger's tricks, allowing him to manipulate her mind and ultimately emerge victorious. Although there is a possibility that the outcome could go either way, considering that we have not witnessed any other hexes apart from the ones in the game, I predict that Freddy would ultimately overcome the Hag.

When I considered the inclusion of Amanda Young in this tournament, I believed there were only two killers she could feasibly defeat: Legion and Hillbilly. Surprisingly, the odds were greatly in her favor. In her first round matchup, she faced off against the Hillbilly. I hold the belief that she could triumph over the Hillbilly due to his reliance on attachments that enhance his running abilities. It appears that he lacks exceptional balance, and I speculate that he would become increasingly frustrated while chasing her, ultimately losing track of her as she ensnares him in a trap. Once trapped, I doubt he stands a chance of escaping on his own, as his intelligence may not be sufficient.

Round 2 Winners:

• Bracket A

  • Dredge, Skull Merchant, Blight, and Pyramid Head

• Bracket B

  • Singularity, Xenomorph, Huntress, and Doc

• Bracket C

  • Cenobite, Nemosis, Knight, and Ash Williams

• Bracket D

  • Plague, Spirit, Kruger, and Amanda Young

If you’re still here, thank you for tuning in! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you agree, if not let me know! I had a lot of fun debating who would win each fight and picturing the battle that ensued resulting in these outcomes. For now, this was rounds 1 and 2 and I will update the link to the next rounds here.

Edit: Here is Round 2