Extinction Event: Yi Vs Raziel Blog
Made by Stars, that’s me!~
“Without death there would be very little progress.”
- Steve Jobs
Yi, the immortal Solarian warrior who seeks vengeance on the remaining Nine Sols.
Raziel, the Angel of Death who seeks retribution in the Legacy of Kain.
In a world ruled by fated cycles, two souls walk the edge of life and death—each a ghost of the man they used to be. Both seek answers. Both crave justice. Both would tear heaven and hell apart to claim what they’ve sought. But when two immortals meet on the battlefield, only one can transcend their torment. Will Yi carve his future from the wreckage of a fallen angel, or will Raziel push past fate & devour his opponent? It's time to decide—in a DEATH BATTLE!
Connections
Both were once members of century-old councils that justified the mass slaughter of humans to sustain their own kind—Solarians and Vampires, respectively.
Both were ultimately betrayed by their leaders, thrown off a cliff & killed, and resurrected by an outside force (The Primordial Roots & The Elder God) hundreds of years later. They returned as immortal warriors wielding energy blades, setting out on a vengeful path to destroy the very councils they once served, eventually killing all of their former comrades.
Both of their species' planets suffered from ruinous decay/infection that completely changed their forms & bodies slowly killing off most life on their planet.
Each character maintains a connection to both the spiritual and physical realms, moving freely between the two as narrative elements of their stories.
Both seek to escape the cycles that define their worlds. Raziel is ensnared in a web of fate, seemingly doomed to die and be absorbed into the Soul Reaver, but he fights to defy that destiny. Yi, meanwhile, resists the Taoist cycle—rejecting the belief that he and his people must inevitably return to the origin through death.
As their journeys progress, they begin to question the ideologies their societies instilled in them. By the end, both characters reject the systems that created them and willingly sacrifice themselves to give the world a chance to heal from the damage caused by their kind.
Generally speaking, both characters share smaller thematic connections. They each explore ideas drawn from different religions, both Yi and Raziel engage in time travel–like events (such as Yi’s encounters with past Lear and the Time Keeper), & despite their initially isolated natures… both eventually find people they can trust. Surprisingly, the tone of their respective stories meshes well too—given both series are steeped in gore and dark themes. Nine Sols already features zombie-like enemies, so incorporating vampires into that universe feels just as natural and fitting as anything else. There’s not really a lot to say, this is probably one of the easiest mash-ups to envision working; both have energy swords, focus on brutal up-close combat & skill, tech vs magic, physical and spirit world hopping shenanigans… it’s great!
Before We Start…
Canon
Canonicity for both series is a straightforward matter: everything officially provided by the creators will be considered canon. None of the material contradicts other media—in fact, it all builds upon the established lore. For example, the comics directly lead into the main story or are closely tied to it. As such, comics, games, word-of-God statements, supplementary materials, and official sources like hint books & art books will all be included; the only exception to this is Prima which I’ve always been against for the inconsistency of their guides.
This blog is going to contain heaps of spoilers... I'D HIGHLY ADVISE GIVING BOTH GAMES A TRY BEFOREHAND GRAHHHHHH, that being said, I hope you all enjoy!
All Media Used For Blog
Yi
Comics/Books:
Nine Sols: Legend of Lear (Part 1-3)
Games:
Nine Sols
Outside Information / Websites:
Raziel
Comics/Books:
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Games:
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Soul Reaver 2
Blood Omen 2
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Nosgoth
Outside Information / Websites:
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain—Official Game Secrets
Background
Yi
Banner by Stars, that’s me!~
When most people look up at the night sky, they think of the stars—how brilliant they are in their all-encompassing light, and perhaps even where they came from. But for one Solarian, it was simply… uninteresting. Yi was a brilliant child. He had a knack for anything technical, an insatiable curiosity for scientific teachings and philosophies, and a natural gift for learning. That curiosity eventually became his life’s work. But the world, in many ways, wasn’t ready for him. His parents especially disapproved of his unconventional pursuits, which forced Yi into a life of solitary experimentation—until his sister, Heng, got involved. Heng, ever the bright and joyful spirit, made it her mission to support him. She became his assistant, always eager to help, always trying to understand him. Through this, the two bonded deeply, sharing their opposing views on the universe: Heng believed in the spiritual, that everything had deeper meaning and that the world was meant to return to its source after death—nourishing the cycle of the universe. Yi, however, denied the spiritual outright. He believed only in what could be proven, in logic, reason, and science. He dismissed her views—something he would later come to regret.
Despite his intelligence, Yi had largely flown under the radar. On Penglai, there existed a council—formed by several nations to address threats that plagued the world. During one such initiative, Yi met his lifelong idol: Eigong, a renowned scientist known for her work on the Azure Sands. Eager to impress her, Yi proposed a theory that caught her attention. She gave him the chance to prove himself—an opportunity he eagerly took, assisted once again by his sister. But the experiment went horribly wrong. The resulting explosion tore Yi’s body apart. Miraculously—or perhaps due to Heng’s desperate pleas—the Primordial Roots surrounding their world responded. They revived Yi, giving him a new body infused with the Roots themselves. Not only had he proven his theory, but he now possessed something Eigong had long sought: true immortality.
Intrigued and perhaps even obsessed, Eigong took Yi under her wing. He became her new prodigy—a newly appointed Solarian on the council, one of ten. For a time, peace followed. But then a virus, known as Tianhuo, began spreading across the land—deadly, incurable, and unstoppable. As a council member, Yi proposed a radical solution. Their biggest obstacle was time—they didn’t have enough of it to create a cure. But cryo-sleep could delay the virus’s effects. Lady Ethereal and Goumang, two fellow council members, had the means to make his idea work: cryo-stasis pods and access to the Soulscape, an ethereal plane where minds could live for centuries.
Goumang’s contributions went further—she theorized that living beings could be transformed into massive biological calculators. The council’s deep space observer, the Haotian Sphere, had picked up life on another planet: a deep-blue world inhabited by Ape-Men. These beings could power their research for centuries. So the plan was set. Their nation would transform into a skyborne vessel, carrying hundreds of thousands into orbit, sustained by the biological power of the Ape-Men below. Yi believed it was the right thing to do. Ethics aside, it would save his people. But time was not on his side. His family succumbed to the virus—everyone except Heng. And as the launch date neared, she still refused to join him. Yi pleaded, begged—but she wouldn’t go. And in the end, Yi convinced himself that if she wasn’t on the vessel, then she was already dead to him. That was the last time he saw his sister.
Just before launch, Yi uncovered classified information detailing the truth behind the virus. It had been caused by Eigong’s experiments—her pursuit of immortality had triggered the outbreak. And worse yet, the entire council knew. Yi had been the only one left in the dark. Betrayed and furious, Yi confronted Eigong. In the ensuing battle, he lost—brutally wounded and thrown from a cliff to his death. But again, the Primordial Roots intervened. They sealed him in a cryo-sleep not unlike the Soulscape, preserving him for centuries… until he was awakened by the sound of music. The same music his sister used to play.
The one who found him was an Ape-Man boy named Shuanshuan. He had been living as an orphan, his parents taken as sacrifices to the "gods." Clearly, the Sols had begun using the Ape-Men as living batteries. Yi, still weak, stayed hidden. Under Shuanshuan’s care, he healed—and learned. Through the boy, Yi began to understand the beauty of simplicity. That not everything needed logic. That life itself, even in its idiocy or randomness, could still be precious. Shuanshuan taught him how to live. But even so, Yi never forgot what he came back for. When Shuanshuan’s execution was announced, Yi could no longer hide. He stopped it—and in doing so, revealed himself. His cover was blown. It was time for revenge.
One by one, alongside the few comrades he still had, Yi hunted the remaining Sols. As he did, he began to question himself. Was he no better than the rest of them? Had he become the same monster? But again, Shuanshuan helped him find clarity—along with Kuafu (one of the original Sols), the AI Ruyi, and Shennong, an Ape-Man from one of the early captured tribes. Their shared experiences, despite the tragedy surrounding them, helped Yi grow. He began to care. He began to fight not for revenge—but for life. And when the final decision came—between saving the Solarians or the Ape-Men he once condemned—Yi chose the latter. He crafted a final weapon: the Rhizomatic Bomb, capable of leveling New Kunlun, their sky-faring sanctuary. He hoped he wouldn’t need to use it. While Kuafu and the others evacuated the Ape-Men, Yi faced Eigong one last time. He struck her down. But in a final act of cruelty, she released her corrupted form of the virus into the Primordial Roots. Every Solarian except Yi was absorbed into them—becoming immortal, but enslaved. Yi knew what had to be done.
He called his companions—his new family—and told them how much they meant to him. And with that sense of fulfillment, he let loose an arrow. An arrow that pierced the sky. That seared the air. That struck the sun. And exploded. The entire planet vanished in an instant alongside the virus. But in doing so, Yi gave the universe another chance. He returned to the Tao, to the source, reunited with his old family once more—as all things were meant to be. And while there were tears in the eyes of his old friends, they accepted what he had done, and made an effort… to fix what the Sols had done. So when you look up at the stars, remember the familiar blue glow of hope, that Yi left the world.
Raziel
Banner by Stars, that’s me!~
Skeletons, ghouls, zombies—there are many names for the Undead. But none are as infamous, or as cursed, as vampires. In the land of Nosgoth, vampires rose beyond mere legend. They ruled as a dominant race, maintaining a fragile balance through the Pillars—ancient constructs tethered to the state of the world. Each Pillar had a guardian sworn to uphold it, but corruption seeped into this Circle of Nine. With the murder of Ariel, the Balance Guardian, the others fell to madness. The Pillars were abandoned, and the land began to rot.
Into this decaying world, Kain was born—an aristocrat ignorant of his fate. Murdered by brigands, Kain was resurrected by the necromancer Mortanius, reborn as a vampire. Driven by vengeance, he hunted down his killers and the corrupted guardians poisoning Nosgoth, believing that restoring balance would lift the curse afflicting the Pillars. But power changes people. When Kain learned the truth—that he was destined to become the new Balance Guardian and must sacrifice himself to restore the world—he refused. Choosing damnation over death, he condemned the Pillars and took the throne as Nosgoth’s dark lord.
Raziel was forged in that shadow—a soul shoved into an undead vessel, reborn as a vampire and Kain’s first lieutenant; working by his side for hundreds of years of war and conquest. When Raziel evolved beyond his master, sprouting wings before him, Kain declared it heresy. In a brutal act of betrayal, he tore Raziel’s wings and cast him into the Lake of the Dead. His wings were his crime. For centuries, Raziel burned in that abyss until he was revived by the Elder God—a deity seeking revenge against the vampire race. Now an Angel of Death, sustained by soul consumption, Raziel emerged as something new.
Driven by revenge and rage, Raziel began to hunt down his former brethren—fellow lieutenants who had once ruled Nosgoth by his side. One by one, he confronted and defeated them, each fight revealing how far the vampire race had fallen into madness and decay; through transmutation and decay. With every soul he consumed, Raziel grew stronger, inheriting their unique abilities and evolving further into something neither vampire nor revenant. His journey was both a mission of vengeance and self-discovery, unraveling the mystery of what he had become.
Eventually, Raziel confronted Kain once more. He was seemingly unsurprised by Raziel's resurrection, Kain baited him eventually gaining the edge, he raised the Soul Reaver against him—only for the blade, thought indestructible, to shatter upon contact. In that moment, the soul-devouring entity within the blade was released and bound itself to Raziel, becoming the spectral wraith-blade. Kain, curiously satisfied rather than shocked, fled to Moebius’s long-abandoned Chronoplast chamber, drawing Raziel further into his web. After a battle ensued between the two, using the time-streaming device, Kain launched them both centuries into the past.
Raziel, now swept into Nosgoth’s ancient history, began to uncover truths that shook him. He learned of an ancient vampire race who foretold his coming and forged the Reaver as a weapon of salvation. He discovered that the Sarafan warriors he slaughtered & once hunted were his own people from before he was transformed—and that he had slain them in life, only to be resurrected into the very role he once despised… he was the one who killed his own people. In a chilling twist, he also learned that he was destined to become the future spirit trapped within the Soul Reaver itself. The wraith-blade he wielded was his own soul, bound eternally to him.
This grew to be too much for Raziel, he was not just some pawn. Along his journey, he realized that everyone—Kain, Moebius, even the Elder God—had used him. What began as vengeance evolved into a search for truth and purpose. Kain explained that every decision he made had been shaped by prophecy and paradox. To save Nosgoth, he would have had to die, allowing the murderers of his kind to thrive. If he refused, the world would decay. There was no right answer—only sacrifice; in that same way everything Raziel had done was fated to be… including the murder of the Sarafan. Raziel began to see that Kain had struggled to break free of fate’s grip. He himself had been manipulated to hate, to kill, to serve ends he never understood. Even his desire for vengeance wasn’t truly his own—it was orchestrated by someone... the very God who helped Raziel to begin with.
Despite their animosity, Raziel came to see Kain not as his tormentor, but as a fellow prisoner of destiny. They were forged by prophecy, used by unseen forces. Their goals aligned: to break the cycle. And in a final act of defiance, when confronted with the God who had been his guide in this world for so long… the one who tried to control his fate, Raziel chose sacrifice—not as a pawn, but as a martyr. He cast himself willingly into the Reaver, completing the blade and freeing it from its paradox. In doing so, he gave Kain the only weapon that could defy fate. Raziel’s soul, once shattered, found peace, giving Kain the chance to use the COMPLETE Soul Reaver against the God. And for the first time in Nosgoth’s cursed history, Kain stood alone—from Raziel's free will, his final choice... instilling Kain with the power to choose for himself. The Elder God had been stopped. The cycle was broken & the world had a new chance, unbound by their dire fates.
Intelligence, Experience, & Skill
Yi
Yi is often a lone wolf, handling most things on his own. Physically, he’s over 900 years old—having remained in stasis within the Solarians' ‘Soulscapes’ for centuries—yet in just the two years since he began plotting his revenge, he's made incredible strides. During that time, Yi taught himself how to cook and hunt, scale and sprint up walls, and became proficient in both manual and digital hacking. He's skilled enough to bypass or even cause malfunctions in systems protected by multiple encryption layers.
A man of science at heart, Yi is responsible for numerous technological breakthroughs. In the game’s normal ending, he successfully deciphers and improves upon Lady Ethereal’s Soulscape system. He designed the mechanism for absorbing solar energy via the Primordial Roots, built New Kunlun’s navigation systems, and—while still a child—engineered technology capable of drawing energy from multiple dimensions.
Yi was trained in a lifetime’s worth of martial arts and ancient techniques by Eigong, including secret forms lost to time. His combat résumé includes taking on elite soldiers, sentinels, generals, and engineered super-soldiers—many of whom were classified at military level. His skill is so refined that even the world's most advanced supercomputer can recognize it. In the Limitless Realm, Yi not only learned from Lear, a warrior who led wars and lived for eons, but also taught him martial arts—despite Lear taking years to master techniques Yi picked up in minutes.
Yi has fought Ji, a millennia-old elite guard; Jiequan, a master of multiple martial arts; and at the end of the game, Yi even kept up with his own master, who had lived for centuries. This is especially impressive, considering that being inside your Soulscape still allows you to retain full consciousness and control over a mental body.
Raziel
Raziel possesses immense experience and intellect, forged through centuries of war, leadership, and personal transformation. He fought alongside Kain for over a hundred years, serving as one of his most trusted and superior lieutenants during the vampire conquest. More recent entries and supplementary material confirm that Raziel’s campaigns of slaughter spanned well over a thousand years, making him a seasoned veteran in both open warfare and brutal hand-to-hand combat. As a high-ranking member of Kain’s council, Raziel helped maintain order and direction within Kain’s empire, demonstrating not only military prowess but also political insight and strategic planning.
Raziel has shown exceptional intelligence throughout his journey—solving complex ancient puzzles, navigating long-lost temples and labyrinths, interpreting spiritual and dimensional mechanics, and mastering the metaphysical aspects of the Spectral and Material Realms. He constantly adapts to new enemies and environments instinctively; to the point where he can instinctively learn how to use the powers of his opponents moments after taking their abilities. He has even fought and kept pace with Kain himself—who is over a thousand years old and arguably one of the most powerful beings in Nosgoth.
Equipment
Yi
Medicine Pipe
Hat
Yi wore this hat while living among the Apemen to conceal his identity, outside of that it’s just a cool looking hat.
Mystic Nymph
The Mystic Nymph is a device of Yi’s own creation which he can manifest to his side (even if restrained), it can create holographic imagery and has even been shown capable of traversing through the air for reconnaissance & hacking tech (even on heavily encrypted tech). When Yi was trapped inside of Lady Ethereal’s Soulscape, it was capable of helping Yi see through her illusions. The Mystic Nymph CAN run out of power, but it’s pretty clear that even after multiple days it was still capable of working just fine (so it’d likely take much longer to actually deplete the battery)... outside of that if damaged enough or out of range it will threaten to disconnect & shut off- returning to Yi.
Root Node
The Root Nodes are Yi’s primary method for swapping out the skills in his internal systems & regenerate his body completely when destroyed. Yi can warp between any Node that he’s ever accessed himself.
Fusang Horn
The Fusang Horn is a piece of tech gifted by Lear in the endless Limitless Realm of infinite tao, which allows Yi to utilize the roots themselves (it’s said only people like Yi can use it). He can utilize the roots to warp between realms, the roots comprise all of existence and spacetime in the universe–& the horn comes with a teleport function to go between them. The only downside is that Yi can only teleport to Nodes that he’s already registered with.
Poisons
Although they’ve never been used in a fight, Yi has been seen numerous times to be carrying around poisonous material, including such that could inflict fatal ones with just a touch (a full list can be found here).
Gene Eradicator
The ‘Gene Eradicator’ is a poison that can reverse & remove any effects of genetic modification, resulting in the severe physical harm of the target’s body. All it needs is to enter the target’s body as fumes or to be swallowed.
Grappling Hook
Yi can use a grappling hook to hook onto objects far away and bring himself to them. Pretty self explanatory.
Azure Bow
The Azure Bow is a mechanical marvel that can channel Qi, similar to Yi’s more standard energy attacks; it can hold a maximum of 5 shots at any given time. Its arrows are made of Dark Steel—the hardest metal found on Penglai—allowing Yi to pierce through enemies, fire homing arrows, and launch explosive bolts. However, by the end of the game, Yi acquires the Rhizomatic Bomb—an arrow type with only a single shot, but it has enough firepower to obliterate an entire planet.
Jades
Jades in the world of Nine Sols are passive chip enhancements that can be directly inserted into Yi’s systems, granting him a wide range of passive abilities that remain active during combat. Most of the chart is paraphrased, but for the sake of proper citation, I created a GIF showcasing all of the in-game descriptions.
Control Collar
A Control Collar that Yi took and used on Goumang, it has the ability to control others with ‘signal waves’; leaving the targets in a mindless comatose state as they wait for directions as long as it remains attached to them. (See Before the Verdict)
Support
Abacus Ruyi
Ryui is the world’s most advanced super-computer & AI, it purely exists to serve Yi. He’s been shown countless times to communicate with Yi through intercoms & can do quite a lot for just a computer. Ruyi is completely undetectable by outside forces, has a built-in firewall, & even if found it has a location scrambler. It’s capable of communicating with Yi via a neural-link, can pick up signals & locate the source, create holograms, sound off alarms, parse information, translate extremely old medieval text in seconds, perform analysis and calculations on probability, manipulate tech like alarms, and can download and search through data servers that Yi has hacked with the Mystic Nymph.
Shuanshuan
MORAL SUPPORT!
Raziel
Wraith Blade
The Soul Reaver was a legendary blade, renowned for its ability to consume the blood of its victims. Though it was shattered in the physical realm by Kain, its essence endured in the Spectral Plane. There, Raziel was able to merge with the weapon’s spirit, binding their fates together and transforming it into a spectral construct—the Wraith Blade. Unlike the original, this version fed not on blood, but on souls, becoming an inseparable extension of Raziel himself. While he could initially only summon it at full strength, he later enhanced the blade, allowing him to wield it at will. And then once more the blade was upgraded, cleansing it with holy flames that could purify enemies.
The Soul Reaver, once enhanced, is capable of unlocking sealed areas, magical barriers, and certain objects. It can ignite to shoot fire and cause explosions, fire dark homing projectiles and render Raziel invisible, attack with light, channel wind to create tornadoes & launch enemies away, harness water attacks to freeze enemies & objects solid, and strike with earth energy to trigger earthquakes. Additionally, it can drain energy from objects and enemies, increase its own power or paralyze foes, and even rip out and devour the souls of the afflicted.
Halberd
A common slashing/stabbing weapon in the Legacy of Kain that has been used to great effect when in the hands of Raziel.
Sword
A common sword that can be dropped or found within the many decrepit structures that you stumble upon, it can cleave an enemy in two.
Trident
A trident can be used to slice and skewer enemies like a polearm, great for staying out of range of enemies.
Axe
While you’d think Axes are only good for chopping down trees, they come in handy for tearing through hordes of enemies in quick succession.
Torches
Torches are one of the primary lighting sources throughout the Legacy of Kain, though Raziel has found that they’re great for igniting enemies.
Glyphs
Glyphs are powerful magical sigils that Raziel was able to collect from ancient altars scattered throughout his decaying, corrupted world. Each Glyph granted him access to a unique elemental or spiritual force, each gave Raziel a vital edge in combat, compensating for moments when the Soul Reaver was unavailable or when enemies required more strategic means of defeat.
Beacons & Obelisks
The Soul Reaver gave Raziel a lot of options when it came to immortality, should he find his spirit destroyed– these beacons would restore it entirely and bring Raziel back to life. In a similar manner, Obelisks create a copy of Raziel’s soul he can be returned from.
Gates
Gateways that twist space and allow Raziel to travel great distances in seconds, essentially acting as portals.
Abilities
Yi
Dash + Talisman Tags
Allows for Yi to gain speed and momentum while also passing through any objects that can hurt him, it can even be used in the air. This process can be used in unison with a Talisman, these ‘tags’ are used to paralyze opponents temporarily and cause them to combust. They’ve been referenced as ‘transmutation’ multiple times, eventually the Talisman System got upgraded to the ‘Super Mutant Buster’ in order to deal with regenerating enemies. This new upgrade negates regeneration entirely, destroying enemies on a genetic level, & reducing them to vapor. Whenever Yi lands a ‘tag’ on someone, a reticle floats over the enemy & keeps track of them even while invisible.
Counter / Unbounded Counter
Yi is capable of parrying any attack that comes his way, it’s said to work due to Yi dissipating the energy or redirecting it to negate damage. ‘Red Attacks’ in Nine Sols are essentially unblockables, explicitly stated to be so due to their raw strength… ‘Unbounded Counters’ are capable of blocking these attacks that Yi would normally have no chance of negating (such as Jietongs).
Skills
There exists a ‘Jade System’ inside of Yi that uses a great deal of computing power, he can use to manifest new powers the more ‘Skill Points’ that he absorbs. Most of the chart is paraphrased, but for the sake of proper citation, I created a GIF showcasing all of the in-game descriptions.
Qi Blade
Qi is a visible aura that can be shaped into whatever the user desires—and for Yi, that just so happens to be a blade. This energy blade is powerful enough to pierce through defenses such as forcefields and barriers.
Tai-Chi Kick
Directly inflicts damage to the internals of the opponent and bypasses their usual durability & negates damage from enemy attacks by bouncing off of them.
Cloud Leap
This ability is a simple exploration tool that allows Yi to jump twice in mid-air.
Hacking / Possession
Yi is a very extremely skilled hacker, even after being asleep for hundreds of years no less… he’s showcased they can hack multi-step encrypted setups in both digital & manual devices; allowing him to cause malfunctions, ‘unlock’ coded seals, download data, bypass credentials, disable, shut-off, & enable technology, divert power, or even possess and control it (though if this tech is destroyed, Yi will be ejected).
Limited Energy Absorption / Memory Manipulation
Yi has showcased the ability to absorb the energy straight out of ‘Tao Fruit’ which is a fruit imbued with the memories of an individual after they die.
N.P.I. (Non-Physical Interaction)
Qi (Yi’s main method of attacking) & basic attacks that involve body contact have been shown capable of affecting Lear who is said to be a ghost who is ‘beyond the mortal coil’.
Immortality / Regeneration
One of the biggest plot points in the game is that Yi is directly connected to the Limitless Realm through the Roots. This connection not only grants him the ability to regenerate wounds—like organ damage and punctures—in a short amount of time, but it also means that after each death, he simply reappears at a Root Node as if nothing happened. While it's implied that the core of his regeneration lies in his heart thanks to the Nodes, it’s heavily supported (even in cut content and the artbook) that Yi is functionally immortal—he just can’t die. Even during his boss fight, where Jiequan is fighting for his life with full knowledge of this fact, he still can’t bypass Yi’s regeneration. Most impressively, Yi was able to regenerate even after his consciousness was completely destroyed during the Lady Ethereal fights, while trapped within the Soulscape. Yi himself describes consciousness as “spiritual” in nature & mental—implying he can recover even if his very spirit implodes. While the game’s ending suggests he may have died, Yi is shown waking up afterward, and it's never confirmed that he couldn’t return from the Spirit Realm like before. More importantly, the previous planet was reduced to smoldering dust in the explosion—there simply wasn’t anything left to return to at that point.
Raziel
Vampire Physiology
While many of Raziel’s powers and weaknesses were altered through the absorption of numerous souls and ‘NEWER’ transformation (Raziel became resistant to water, resistant to his sunlight spells & outside light, snowy weather that used to damage people like Kain, etc.), he likely still retains several of the more standard abilities commonly associated with vampires. Vampires in the Legacy of Kain universe are said to grow stronger at night, can evolve to improve their biology, possess the ability to communicate telepathically with one another, and exhibit a rapid healing factor capable of closing wounds almost instantly.
Soul Absorption / Healing / Power Copying
Raziel’s form is an interesting one, unlike a typical vampire that needs blood to sustain itself, he can consume the souls of fallen enemies to regain health. This absorption can even allow him to copy the powers and resistances of a fallen foe.
High-Jump
An enhanced variant of a jump that allows Raziel to clear distances he normally wouldn’t be able to.
Gliding
Raziel once had wings before they were torn off by Kain, but their remnants still allow him to glide through the air.
Possession / Biology Manipulation
When Raziel lost his physical form for a time, he was able to enter and inhabit another body, controlling it as if it were his own—and even altering its biology in the process.
Telekinesis / BFR
During one of his final encounters with Kain, Raziel was able to open a portal and fling him inside with telekinesis. This newfound power allowed Raziel to keep people helplessly in the air or pull them closer.
Earned Abilities
By devouring the souls of his fallen comrades, Raziel absorbed their powers as his own, granting him a wide array of abilities to combat the hordes of enemies that stood in his path.
Immortality / Regeneration / Empowerment / Intangibility / Invisibility / Dimensional Travel / Time Stopping
Being an Angel of Death comes with its perks, and in Raziel’s case, his original death led to him being cast into the Spectral Plane, where he was transformed into an incorporeal spirit. However, this fate was not enough to halt his existence, he was unbound by the wheel which forced souls to be reborn; moreover in the Spectral Realm he’ll gather energy and if he retains said energy, he possesses the ability to manifest matter across separate planes of reality, allowing him to construct new bodies to inhabit or exit them at any time. The Spectral Realm itself functions in mysterious and often paradoxical ways, spirits such as Ariel who is completely visible in the real world, become invisible when they enter the spectral realm—not only can Raziel reconstruct his soul when it’s destroyed, but time loses all meaning within the realm, becoming suspended in the material worlds for as long as Raziel remains adrift in his spiritual state (though while in the Spectral Realm, Raziel cannot interact with physical objects or physical enemies). Fundamentally aside from regeneration, it allows him to move freely between realities at a whim. It’s implied that Raziel’s immortality is so strong that not even the person who resurrected him has a way to permanently destroy or kill his spirit.
Resistances
Yi
Electricity / Paralysis - Yi can not only take hits from electric enemies, but has been able to tank electricity from floor panels no problem. ‘Spotlight’ enemies in the game can temporarily ‘bind’ Yi in place, before he breaks free.
Fire / Radiation - Yi has withstood friction burns, been set on fire for lengthy periods of time and been no worse for wear, taken multiple doses of x-rays, & was fine inside of the ‘Furnace’ which blasts the area with intense ‘powerful radiation’.
Transmutation / Infection / Disease - The Tianhou virus is unable to infect or mutate Yi into a grotesque monster; it spreads through the flowers the dead corpses produce, Yi has been in close proximity to them and absorbed them with no ill effects. Yi has also been attacked & been in physical contact with them numerous times, yet never succumbed to the effects. He was even fine being inside of the Limitless Realm for years, a place that transforms anything inside into energy.
Soul Absorption / Death Manipulation / Memory Manipulation / Sealing - Is completely fine after being killed & taken into the Primordial Roots (it’s been said numerous times that Yi has died & even ignoring that he died as a kid). Heng, who is a girl who can speak, communicate with, and understand the roots–describes it as a place which consumes your soul & dreams, binding them to the realm. Lear who is said and implied numerous times to be a ghost stayed inside of the realm for so long that it made it impossible for him to leave at all (in the same scene it’s even brought up that Yi should leave as soon as possible implying the imminent nature of it), despite this Yi leaves multiple times after spending years inside.
Poison - Yi is capable of nearly instantaneously sobering up from overindulging in alcohol, he can have damn near 6 sessions (each session with him having multiple cups) in quick succession (literally) with no consequences; there is trace poison in all alcohol and this level would normally kill a person… but for Yi it actually strengthens his vitality and max health.
Acid - Completely fine picking up GM Fertilizer which is ‘highly corrosive’ & dangerous to anyone who comes into contact with it.
BFR (Battlefield Removal) - Yi is unable to be warped away by Ji’s Space Holes, which mysteriously warp away anything sucked inside.
Age Manipulation - It has been brought up multiple times & implied ingame, but Yi has been said to not age at all ever since his death & tethering to the roots. It’s been explained that anyone who is tethered to the roots becomes immortal.
Mental Manipulation / Empathetic Manipulation / Sleep Manipulation / Illusions - Yi wasn’t affected by Lady Ethereal’s illusions which tended to merge consciousnesses. Yi after having his nerve centers taken over by Eigong who intended to trap him in a deep sleep was able to resist it & regain consciousness. Ruyi commented that he was fascinated that Yi was able to stay lucid & not succumb to the process; many others who tried were unable to ever wake up. The Mystic Nymph was able to help Yi see through Lady Ethereal’s illusions.
Raziel
Sleep Manipulation - The Legacy of Kain series makes it clear that having a large portion of your soul consumed typically renders you unconscious—yet despite the Soul Reaver consuming Raziel’s soul till ‘he was on the brink of oblivion’, he remained conscious.
Sound Manipulation - Unaffected by sound that was so loud it caused a fellow vampire to bleed out internally.
Fate Manipulation / Acausality - Raziel was able to resist the pull of history which attempted to force him into a destiny where he killed Kain. Raziel not killing him was so great a change, that history had to be rewritten and yet he was still unaffected.
Invisibility - When Ariel turned invisible, Raziel was capable of seeing her by shifting to the Spectral Plane. This is further backed up by how the Elder God was invisible until Kain could see the Spectral Realm.
Soul Removal - Even in his most present incarnation, Raziel is still considered a vampire. Vampires cannot have their souls removed from their bodies unless they are killed. Strong Vampiric souls can take refuge in the Spectral Realm and then fly back to their hosts as long as they aren’t consumed.
Vision Obstruction - Vampires can see their prey even through smoke screens.
Feats
Yi
Overall
“I'm not going to let you have your way.”
Mastered multiple Martial Arts.
Joined the Council of Sols.
Created interdimensional technology as a child.
Got his revenge against the Sols & beat his old master.
Saved the Apeman civilization.
Sacrificed himself & became one with the Tao.
Power & Durability
Yi may not look like much at first glance, but don’t be fooled—his strength lies in precision and overwhelming force whenever he's backed into a corner.
Survived a massive fall.
Can shatter massive boxes.
Yi’s Talisman can cause explosions.
Yi was able to fragment giant metal hammers with his bare hands. (0.328 Tons of TNT) [Building]
Yi’s ‘Qi’ Mastery inside of the Limitless World has visibly resulted in the detonation of stars. [Debatably Star] (See Before the Verdict)
Via Rhizomatic Bomb [Equipment]
Stated capable of destroying islands.
The Fusang Roots have not only been absorbing light since ‘Prehistoric Times’, but the sheer size of these roots dwarf the entirety of the sun, and Yi’s Rhizomatic Bomb was capable of destroying a great majority of the roots. (0.1157 FOE) [Large Star]
Speed
Can react to attacks in slow-motion.
Dodged constructs made out of sound like Nuwa’s music. (157.2 m/s) [Subsonic]
Parries high-speed energy projectiles. (Mach 13.18) [Hypersonic+]
Yi can move in tandem with beams that move in straight lines, burn, produces electrical currents (a side-effect of most ultra-fast lasers), & it’s called a laser. Although it's important to note that this would be somewhat inconsistent, as these are among the only lasers in the game that don’t impact within a single frame. Though this might be due to them being the farthest-spanning ones in the game, it remains uncertain, & thus better suited as a supporting feat. (Debatably 0.54 c) [Debatably Rela+]
Yi can outrun spotlights. (1.96 c) [FTL]
Stamina
Yi’s stamina is less about endurance and more about sheer refusal to stay dead. His body and mind have been torn apart dozens of ways, but the guy just won’t quit.
Fought for multiple hours to possibly even days with barely any rest.
A lot of the game Yi was struggling with an incurable illness that caused internal bleeding, yet he was completely fine to keep going.
Survived being tortured for a full day straight, enduring lots of blood loss and constant electric shocks.
Yi was able to regain consciousness & bare the pain of having his organs displaced, punctures in his body, and being on the verge of death; only to make a near instant recovery & go on fighting even without the roots.
Raziel
Overall
Became a member of Kain’s council.
Endured the painful burning of the Lake of the Dead.
Transformed into an Angel of Death.
Got his revenge against his brethren & eventually defeated Kain.
Broke free from his destiny.
Merged with the Soul Reaver to give the world a chance to heal.
Power & Durability
Raziel is incredibly strong, he's one of the strongest Vampires in his verse—so it's no wonder that he was able to exterminate a majority of them.
Can lift massive steel blocks.
Can push over stone pillars.
Destroys massive insect arms.
Can tank & attack with Sound Glyph waves which are capable of destroying multiple pillars. (0.66 Tons of TNT) [Building]
Tanked hits from and overpowered statues capable of causing earthquakes that crumble structures by screaming. (15.09 Megatons of TNT) [City]
Speed
He’s more like a stalking phantom than a blur—but don’t mistake that for slowness. He moves with purpose & has impressive feats in his own right.
Reacted to a fire-ball that was in motion.
Dodged gun-fire.
Moves in tandem with electricity.
Raziel & enemies can move in tandem with his Sunlight Glyph which fires waves of sunlight. (Mach 6731.94 - Mach 30489.43) [MHS+ - Sub Rela]
Stamina
To put it simply—Raziel can’t be worn down. He’s an immortal undead that has an incredibly vast supply of stamina to pull from.
Endured the pain of being thrown in the Lake of the Dead; which sears your flesh until you’re just bones.
Went against all of his brothers in a conflict that lasted multiple days.
Fought multiple wars alongside Kain which lasted for hundreds of years.
Gained the ability to extend his stamina multiple times over his current level.
Raziel has infinite stamina while the Soul Reaver is in usage.
Scaling
Yi
The Sols
“No one’s at fault, for we are only Sols.”
It’s the main premise of the game, after all—Yi is able to take hits from, damage, keep up with, and parry every single Sol. As such, he naturally scales to everything that happens within the game, including all the attacks, feats, and weapons used against him throughout his journey.
Sols
Took hits from weaponized rhizomatic energy.
Can tank hits from the ‘Sky Rending Claw’ which can destroy walls.
Lady Ethereal can destroy massive bridges in the Soulscape. (52.375 Tons of TNT) [City Block]
Eigong sliced faster than the eye. (Mach 39.24 - Mach 78.48) [High Hypersonic - High Hypersonic+]
The roots that Eigong took control of had the ability to shake the entirety of New Kunlun which is a massive island.
The core system created by Yi was supposed to support the minds of 100,000 passengers for lifetimes. It required so much energy that Abacus (the world’s greatest super computer) wouldn’t be enough to sustain it even using every single one in their nation. [Inapplicable]
Raziel
Kain
Given that the entire premise of Legacy of Kain centers around Raziel seeking revenge on Kain, it makes perfect sense that he would scale to Kain by the end of the story. Throughout the series, they have multiple direct encounters where they actively attempt to kill each other. Kain uses both his powerful magic and physical attacks against Raziel—attacks that Raziel can withstand, evade, or parry. In their final confrontation, the fight ends in a stalemate, only for Raziel to ultimately rip out Kain’s heart—netting him the win. As such, it’s entirely reasonable to scale Raziel to Kain’s level in terms of strength, durability, and overall combat prowess.
Kain
Dodges fireballs.
Moves in tandem with arrows.
Can move massive boulders.
Superior to the Mentalist whose death shook a room.
Survived a portion of a prison exploding.
Knocked over a large statue.
Flies across a kingdom; the in-game timer is the same from his departure to his arrival time, suggesting a short time-frame. (Mach 3.4) [Supersonic+]
Moves in tandem with lightning. (Mach 12.88 - Mach 57.87) [Hypersonic+ - High Hypersonic+])
After the original Balance Guardian was killed, the world birthed Kain to maintain the Pillars just as well in his stead. This death sent out a psychic shockwave which caused the Pillars to be shattered by a burst of energy. (10 Tons of TNT) [Large Building] (See Before the Verdict)
Looked into the future and saw 'paths and streams tracing out into the infinite'. The chamber he used to glimpse into the future also had infinity symbols present. The reason it’s a bit iffy is because Raziel never once blitzes Kain (so it’s a Kain only feat) & it could still be considered hyperbole despite the supporting evidence. [Debatably Infinite]
Turned the world into a desolate wasteland. [Inapplicable] (See Before the Verdict)
Weaknesses
Yi
"I believe... they'll have a chance to live better lives."
Yi is an incredible fighter, but he has been defeated by more experienced opponents in the past. Jiequan, for instance, beat him effortlessly during their first encounter. While his regeneration is extraordinary, extreme pain has rendered him unconscious before, and some enemies have bypassed his healing by simply restraining him instead of trying to kill him—especially considering it’s implied that his heart is the source of his regeneration. Aside from that like many of his people he is suffering from an illness that can have a drastic effect on his vitality, requiring him to heal up every so often. Additionally, although his technology—such as the Ruyi system—features firewalls, it has been hacked and exploited in the past.
Raziel
“There was only one possible outcome. My eternal damnation.”
Unlike normal vampires, while Raziel ORIGINALLY did share their weaknesses, he does not share them anymore—he outright ignores them (like sunlight, water, & weather) and gains additional resistances by absorbing his brethren after the first game. However, that’s not to say he’s without vulnerabilities. While in the Spectral Realm, Raziel cannot interact with physical objects. If overstimulated by consumed souls, the Soul Reaver can enter an unstable overdrive state and begin consuming Raziel himself over time. Raziel also relies on a limited reserve of eldritch energy, which must be replenished regularly. Being a devourer of souls, he grows weaker if he does not continuously feed on souls.
Before the Verdict
Star Level Arguments For Yi?!
There’s a few arguments for this so we’ll go through them one at a time.
Yi Nukes Stars in the Limitless Realm: This one is admittedly a bit weird, Yi & Lear playing a chess match quite literally causes stars to blow up inside the Limitless Realm. Whether or not the Limitless Realm is "real" shouldn't be an issue—Yi physically takes items from the Limitless Realm (such as the Fusang Horn) and uses them in the real world. It's also stated that the realm is forged by pulling tangible parts of the universe into it & there’s smaller evidence like the spiritual energy of the Sols are represented by suns. The real issue lies in the inconsistencies & it much more likely being symbolic than literal (aka the chance that there’s no correlation). Yi was canonically killed by a Rhizomatic Bomb, which drains energy from the same realm—and this was done on a much smaller scale and with much less energy (we're talking about a bomb that was only around the size of your hand). Right off the bat that potentially introduces circular scaling concerns. Additionally, Yi only demonstrates these feats within the Limitless Realm, not in the real world—where he very clearly lacks the ability to do the same. So, theoretically speaking, this level of AP COULDDDD be something Yi could access potentially… but he can only access it if he successfully pulled someone into the Limitless Realm with him… it’s not really ideal for Yi’s everyday stats and wouldn’t scale to physicals regardless.
Ji’s ‘Astral’ Hole: During the fight with Ji, he creates what appears to be a black vortex that is said to ‘project cosmic imagery’ within it. Though the real problem is even if this were real (which would be ignoring how it specifies ‘projects imagery’), the Celestial Sphere isn’t affecting the stars shown inside—it’s clearly acting more as a gateway to somewhere distant. Ji even uses it multiple times to pull in items for later use or to absorb them for storage. So while it’s interesting, it’s ultimately kind of a nothing burger.
Soulscapes: This is probably one of the most interesting arguments you could make for Nine Sols. The Soulscapes are very clearly intended to resemble a kind of “virtual/dream reality,” but there’s always been one major factor that suggests they hold real-world significance: items can be brought into and out of them. To start, objects from the outside world can be brought into these virtual realms, and vice versa. For instance, all the Sol Seals already exist within these realities, yet they can be physically carried into the real world. This alone implies that the boundary between “virtual” and “real” isn’t as rigid as it seems. Additionally, Yi’s physical body is affected by what happens inside. His in-world avatar can die and cause actual consequences. His weapon—drawn from his spiritual energy—remains intact across these realms (& obviously wouldn’t be affected even if you wanted to argue he was digitized or something). Characters like Lady Ethereal are capable of pretty blatant force within the realm, further blurring the lines. I’ve never been opposed to “virtual realm” interpretations, there’s a strong case to be made that these worlds are more than mere simulations. Though, as you’ve probably noticed, I’ve only really credited Yi with the bridge feat from that sequence. Lady Ethereal does mention the Sun during Yi’s time in the realm—but not only is she completely delusional and nearly incoherent at that point, but throughout our entire time in the Soulscape, there’s no Sun to be seen at all; at best it works as supporting evidence for Yi’s star busting feat during the Kickstarter trailer.
Should Yi Get Solarian Tech?
For the purposes of this blog, it’s a bit complicated… Yi lands somewhere in the middle. A significant portion of Penglai’s technological advancements are implied to be due to his engineering skills and planning—he was responsible for many of the inventions used throughout the region. However, that was before Yi became distanced from his original organization, so it would feel a bit off to equip him with tools he likely wouldn’t use anymore. The one exception we made for the blog is the Control Collar. As mentioned earlier, even ignoring how he likely created it himself, it’s small enough to carry around with ease, and—most importantly—we actually see him take and use it onscreen, even if only for a brief moment. Considering that this journey marks his final appearance before his eventual death, it feels fair to equip Yi with everything he used throughout his story; it's the same logic people use for most other characters & verses.
Then where is Yi’s Soulscape?
It’s not combat applicable lol
Kain ‘Destroys’ The World
The ending of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain sees the world reduced to a wasteland: the skies turn red, and Kain essentially triggers an apocalypse. However, how exactly he does this remains vague, as the game doesn’t explain it directly. Fortunately, the official hint guide—created by the game’s developers—provides more context. According to the guide, the Pillars of Nosgoth are upheld by the Circle of Nine, a group of individuals whose very existence sustains the balance of the world and stops it from ‘crumbling and coming apart’. When one of them is harmed or killed, their corresponding Pillar is also damaged or corrupted. The main issue is that there's no real way to scale this. Kain never actively manipulates the Pillars in a way that directly causes the devastation—his inaction causes a corruptive ‘poison’ to spread and rot the land. It's more of a passive decay than an active feat, and as such, it's not something that can be reliably calculated or quantified. What is applicable, however, is the destruction of the Pillars themselves. Simply sustaining them required a vessel of significant power—while the plague that spread across Nosgoth isn’t calculable, it’s worth noting that Kain’s very birth was AT LEAST enough to shatter these massive pillars… which very clearly took force to accomplish. It’s best to think of it as a chain reaction—while destroying the Pillars has a devastating effect on the world, it doesn’t require planet-destroying power to do so. As such, Kain would only scale to the destruction of the Pillars themselves, not the global consequences that follow.
Raziel’s Soul Destruction/Absorption Resistances
This one's fairly simple to clear up. In the first Soul Reaver game, Raziel is able to survive a hit from the Soul Reaver without having his soul consumed. This is later explained in the sequel: the Soul Reaver had always been known to be partially sentient and due to time travel, Raziel is able to find out that he was the soul within the blade—just from another time period. As a result, the Reaver couldn’t consume him, not because he resisted it, but because it was effectively trying to devour itself. When the Soul Reaver was empty, it quite literally worked on Raziel—so trying to extrapolate any kind of resistance from this would be unwarranted.
Where’s Raziel’s Vampiric Powers & The Soul Reaver?
You’re probably wondering—if Raziel is a vampire like Kain, then why doesn’t he use the same powers? Abilities like absorbing blood through his fingers, mind control, time slowing, or other vampiric feats are notably absent. The short answer is that it wouldn’t make much sense for Raziel to retain his vampiric powers alongside his current ones. He even says himself that he no longer feels the urge to consume blood. Beyond that, we’ve never actually seen any vampires other than Kain display those specific powers. Most of them—like mind control or blood absorption—were abilities Kain had to learn, unlock through relics, or acquire by defeating other powerful beings. The iconic “blood siphoning” ability, for example, isn’t something any other vampire has demonstrated—most would have to kill their target just to drink their blood, unlike Kain (hell the manuals literally call them ‘unique abilities’). All things considered, it’s more likely that Kain is simply built differently—whether due to his unique resurrection or his connection to the Pillars… not to mention the sheer existence of ‘Nosgoth’ implying there are vampires that only exist with certain powers. Raziel, by contrast, doesn’t benefit from those same advantages and wouldn’t possess the powers that Kain has demonstrated. Similarly, this would suggest that certain potential resistances—like immunity to corruption or madness manipulation—are likely off the table for Raziel. After all, vampires in the Legacy of Kain universe have been affected by such things before, including the entire Circle of Nine (plus im not gonna hold you in Legacy of Kain Defiance Madness Manipulation deadass worked on Raziel, the arguments people have given me for those particular resistances are just really bad, im not using them). It’s important to remember that Kain is a unique case among vampires, and Raziel, while powerful, doesn’t inherently share all of those exceptional traits.
The Soul Reaver not being used is much easier to explain—it’s essentially canon that Raziel never actually gets to wield the physical Soul Reaver. On the rare occasions he does come into possession of it, he gives it up almost immediately (over a VERY long-running story I might add). More importantly, Legacy of Kain Defiance makes it clear that while Raziel holds the Wraith Blade, Kain holds the Soul Reaver. They’re the same weapon, just at different points in time and with different abilities. Giving Raziel Kain’s iconic version of the weapon makes little sense—it’s not his to wield, narratively and thematically.
Bonus Art
Art by Stars!~
Verdicts & Closing Thoughts
This is probably the part I dreaded the most while making this blog (immortality makes things complicated frfr). I really love both characters, and honestly, they’re both ridiculously hard to kill. In the end, it really just came down to one thing: could either of them actually bypass the other’s regeneration & immense spread of abilities? Same as always, there’s a lot to unpack… so I hope you all enjoy the breakdown!~
Stats
Both have accomplished a lot throughout their respective journeys, but honestly, stats were probably the most surprising part of this entire debate—at least for me. Yi has survived massive falls that would kill any normal person, shattered heavy crates, caused large explosions, and even fragmented giant hammers with strikes around 0.328 Tons of TNT. While there are higher-end arguments, like the Limitless Realm star detonation, the only realistic way he reaches that kind of power is with the Rhizomatic Bomb, which hits with about 0.1157 FOE—or Large Star level energy. So while Yi is physically Building level without scaling, his actual offensive output with gear reaches far beyond that. Yi also benefits from scaling to the Sols. For example, Lady Ethereal destroyed a massive stone bridge mid-fight with Yi, a feat worth 52.375 Tons of TNT, placing her (and by extension, Yi) at City Block level—a big boost.
On the other hand, Raziel’s feats aren’t far behind. He casually lifts huge steel blocks like paperweights, topples stone pillars, destroys giant insect limbs, and tanks the Sound Glyph, which demolished multiple pillars for a yield of 0.66 Tons of TNT. His most impressive durability feat comes from surviving attacks from foes whose screams shook an entire manor courtyard—roughly 15.09 Megatons of TNT, or City level. That’s a huge leap. Scaling-wise, Raziel doesn’t have as many clear AP boosts. The prison explosion and the Pillars of Nosgoth being shattered clock in at around 10 Tons of TNT, or Large Building level—not quite as impressive. Still, all things considered, Raziel is definitely carrying the verse when it comes to raw physical strength.
When directly comparing them: Raziel is stronger physically, while Yi is stronger & more dangerous with equipment; since both characters can one-shot each other under the right conditions. The big difference is that Yi can only one shot with the bomb (which he only has one of)—this gives the edge to Raziel overall.
Speed, on the other hand, tells a very different story. Yi is remarkably impressive in this department. He’s dodged arrows traveling at 48.76 m/s, kept pace with Nuwa’s sound-based attacks at 157.2 m/s, parried high-speed projectiles moving at Mach 13.18, and potentially even dodged lasers at 0.54c. His most impressive feat? Outrunning spotlights, which clocks in at 1.96c (FTL)—insanely fast, especially for an indie title protagonist. Scaling doesn’t do much for him here since he’s already the fastest in his verse, but it’s worth noting that he’s also blocked attacks from Eigong, whose strikes moved faster than the eye could follow—estimated between Mach 39.24 and Mach 78.48.
Raziel, surprisingly, is a bit lacking in raw speed feats—especially for a long-running character across multiple games. He’s dodged fireballs, avoided gunfire, and moved in tandem with electricity, which are all solid but not extreme. His most impressive unscaled feat comes from reacting to and fighting alongside enemies who move in sync with the Sunlight Glyph, which emits waves of light. It sounds like a SOL-level feat, but in reality, it only clocks in between Mach 6731.94 and Mach 30489.43, or MHS+ to Sub-Relativistic—a solid range, but not truly lightspeed.
With scaling, Raziel gets a little help: Kain has flown across kingdoms at Mach 3.4 and reacted to lightning-speed attacks in the Mach 12.88 to Mach 57.8 range. So all in all, Raziel’s top-end speed caps at Sub-Relativistic even with scaling. Comparing the two directly, Yi absolutely dominates in terms of speed. With feats reaching into FTL territory, Yi easily blitzes Raziel—this category isn’t even close.
Arsenal & Abilities
This was honestly the hardest section to form a consensus on. Yi's entire arsenal, in comparison, is the polar opposite of Raziel's—where Yi is almost 100% defensive, Raziel is nearly 100% offensive. That means we'll have to see which strategy ends up being stronger, but first, let’s cover their items and abilities.
The most important aspect of Yi’s side is his ability to self-heal using the Medicine Pipe, along with his multiple methods of gathering information and doing reconnaissance through the Mystic Nymph and Abacus. He can travel between dimensions using the Fusang Horn, deploy various poisons, use the Gene Eradicator to undo mutations, and unleash massive AOE with the Azure Bow. Then there’s the Control Collar and the Jades—possibly his most versatile tools. The Jades vary wildly in function: immobilizing enemies, stealing back stolen energy, targeting internal organs to deal direct damage, reflecting an attacker’s strength back at them, transferring damage, stealing vitality, reviving Yi without him actually dying, and even buffing his stats to further extremes.
Yi’s entire strategy is built around making it nearly impossible for his opponent to land any lasting damage. His abilities mirror this too—negating physical regeneration with Talisman Tags, countering and reflecting attacks too strong for him, summoning energy weapons that can’t be stolen, hacking tech and possessing others, absorbing memories and energy, even targeting souls. He’s got quite a few tricks up his sleeve—but his most important ability is regeneration. Yi’s body could be blown up, his spirit and consciousness destroyed... but if he wants to come back, he will. That caps off his defensive strategy.
On the opposite end, Raziel doesn’t have as many item-based tools, but what he does have is incredibly impressive. Chief among them: the Wraith Blade. It’s essentially a swiss-army knife of destruction—connected to Raziel’s soul so it can’t be taken, able to undo sealing, shoot fire and explosions, unleash homing projectiles, turn him invisible, attack with light, channel wind and tornadoes, freeze enemies solid, trigger earthquakes, drain energy, paralyze foes, and even devour the souls of whoever it impales. It’s the cornerstone of the series for a reason.
Aside from that, Raziel has supplementary tools like the weapons taken from fallen soldiers and followers, Glyphs that give him sound attacks, petrification, telekinesis, and sunlight-based damage. Beacons and Obelisks let him retry even if his soul is truly destroyed. Like Yi’s Fusang Horn, Gates let him teleport vast distances. His vampire physiology allows him to evolve and grow stronger over time. He has a healing factor that doesn’t require him to leave realms, and abilities like soul absorption, power copying, and gliding (similar to Yi’s grappling hook) that give him solid traversal.
He also has more esoteric powers: possessing or altering someone’s biology, using portals to fling enemies across dimensions, and earned abilities from his brethren like phasing through matter, scaling walls, compressing/altering space, and controlling enemy movement. His most impressive trait, though, is his immortality. While in the Spectral Realm, he can’t interact with the physical one—but he has infinite time to plan, and he can regenerate both his body and spirit fully. He’s intangible and invisible while inside too.
So with Raziel’s overwhelming versatility and offensive strategy, can he overwhelm Yi’s defensive one?
That’s the big question—and the answer is honestly surprising, because it could genuinely go either way. I debated this for hours. Neither really has many reliable ways to put the other down—their regeneration is just too good. Physical weapons and gear on both sides are practically useless beyond being accessories; poison wouldn’t even work on Raziel due to him being undead. Both can heal repeatedly. Both can traverse dimensions. Both have temporary incapacitation tools—like Raziel’s petrification and freezing, and Yi’s Super Mutant Buster. But even if Raziel lands a killing blow, Yi would just come back. Likewise, if Yi negated Raziel’s biology to kill him, his spirit would just form a new body from ambient matter. Neither could really warp the other away either given Yi’s dimensional travel & Raziel’s dimension shifting; possession would also cancel out given how both have a pretty clear lack of extreme will-power feats.
That brings us to the actual win-condition arguments—these are the more thought-out and “real” possibilities.
1. Using the Control Collar to make Raziel brain-dead or control his mind.
This is arguably the easiest win-con for Yi, since Raziel has no resistance to mind manipulation (as explained earlier). The big problem is that, like most of Yi’s items, the Collar could be broken or destroyed—especially with Raziel’s wide-reaching AOE. It’s also not something Yi would likely open a fight with, especially given how risky it would be to get close.
This one’s fascinating. Raziel wasn’t always a vampire or a angel of death—he was once a human corpse transformed by Kain. The Gene Eradicator’s job is to undo genetic modification, which should work on Raziel. The problem? His immortality isn’t tied to being a vampire or angel of death. He’s a being literally unbound by fate & rebirth. The Wheel of Souls won’t take him. Even if you turned him into a human, it wouldn’t stop his regeneration. Many of his powers come from Glyphs and Runes, so changing his biology doesn’t really limit him. And if his body becomes too fragile? He could just redo the transformation himself—he’s shown the ability to manipulate his own form. So ultimately, not a reliable win-con.
3. The Super Mutant Buster could negate Raziel's regeneration!
Sure, it can negate the physical regeneration of his vampire body—but that ignores the fact that the Super Mutant Buster only works on physical DNA. Nothing is stopping Raziel from doing what he’s always done to create new bodies: just generate new matter. So while the Buster might temporarily kill him, it’s ultimately useless—he’d reappear almost instantly.
1. Possess the Primordial Roots and disable Yi's powers.
This is a hilarious argument to me, because the Roots are literally the universe. They’ve been implied to have a consciousness (Heng literally talks to them & learns how they work that way), so technically... there’s a slim chance Raziel could possess them and become omnipresent or some stupid shit like that. But the problem is he’d have to overpower the combined will of the universe. The Roots contain all minds and souls they absorb… which literally includes the universe. And more likely than not... the roots would just eat Raziel. One of his biggest weaknesses is that his soul can be absorbed and sealed, just like what the Limitless Realm does. And since the Roots do consume souls, trying this would almost certainly get him devoured. Very risky. Bad idea.
2. Sever the Roots from Yi’s heart.
An interesting approach. Yi is only connected to the Roots through the ones linked to his heart. But... it probably wouldn’t work. The Roots don’t need a physical attachment—they encompass the whole universe, including Yi’s soul. When he dies, his heart and the Roots vaporize and return. So cutting the connection wouldn’t sever the bond. Plus, he can regenerate from his soul anyway. So it’s kind of a dead-end tactic.
3. Absorb Yi’s energy until he’s too weak to fight.
This is probably Raziel’s best argument. While Yi has the Soul Reaper Jade to steal energy back... that’s the problem. It’s tied to the Jades. If Raziel figures out how to target and rip them out—like how Kain pulled the Soul Reaver—then Yi could be worn down and outpaced. That’s assuming Raziel can use telekinesis or other tools to pull them out or restrain Yi. If the fight drags out long enough, Raziel could eventually explore Yi’s body—literally—and rip it out. At that point Yi would have no reliable method to get his energy back (since his normal absorption requires Raziel to die) & eventually Yi would be too weak to fight at all.
So overall, their arsenals and abilities match each other blow for blow. Both sides have arguments for victory—but only one truly solid one each. That makes this category incredibly hard to call.
While the most honest answer is probably a tie, I do think Raziel has slightly more versatile weapons and abilities, while Yi has more practical and effective tools overall. Considering both have many resistances, it really comes down to offense versus defense—and in that case, it’s a draw.
Tertiary Factors
These will be divided into four key categories: Intelligence, Skill, Experience, and Stamina.
Intelligence:
This one is pretty straightforward—Yi clearly outclasses Raziel. A lifelong scientist, Yi has been dabbling in complex tech since childhood. He’s invented interdimensional devices, navigation systems, and is both a master hacker and an accomplished martial artist. Raziel’s only arguable claim to intelligence is his aptitude for solving puzzles, but Yi has demonstrated similar, if not superior, puzzle-solving abilities throughout his journey. In both combat intelligence and raw IQ, Yi decisively takes this category.
Skill:
Yi once again takes the lead here. He’s mastered multiple martial arts, shown precise and intentional movement in battle, and developed a wide array of survival skills—ranging from combat adaptability to environmental awareness and even providing support for those around him. Raziel, while formidable with the Soul Reaver, doesn’t show a wide spread of technical combat skill outside of his duels—especially considering most of his fights are against brutes or Kain himself (who doesn’t have many technical skill feats either). Ultimately, Yi is the more versatile and demonstrably skilled combatant.
Experience:
This is where the tide shifts a bit. While both characters are centuries old, Raziel holds the edge due to how he spent his years. As one of Kain’s most loyal and active warriors, Raziel has spent countless years immersed in warfare, fighting enemies, executing orders, and navigating complex battlefields. By contrast, Yi was unconscious for a large portion of his lifespan, only awakening after merging with the Primordial Roots. Both have fought a wide range of enemies, but Raziel's lifetime of consistent war experience gives him the nod in this category.
Stamina:
This one is a bit more nuanced. Yi has demonstrated absurd levels of pain tolerance, surviving days of torture, multiple ruptured organs, and still managing to fight off entire squads of Solarians afterward. His willpower and durability are phenomenal. However, Raziel’s trump card is the Soul Reaver, which grants him virtually infinite energy as long as he wields it. He doesn’t tire in the traditional sense, giving him a technical advantage in stamina despite Yi’s greater toughness. Raziel’s indefinite stamina would allow him to take endurance.
Summary
Yi
Advantages:
Can one-shot with the Azure Bow…
Faster to the point of blitzing.
Could potentially use the Control Collar to incapacitate Raziel, securing a win.
One of Raziel's wincons could back-fire & end up with the Roots incapacitating him.
Exceptionally more intelligent.
More skilled by a wide margin.
The Lovable Scrimblo Bimblo
Neutral:
Both were incredibly annoying to actually put down for good; they arguably had the exact same level of regeneration. And neither had an actual argument to bypass the other.
Could attempt to possess each other… though even if it worked, neither really had a way to mentally overpower the other leading it to cancel out.
Both sides resisted almost all of each other's arsenal & abilities.
Disadvantages:
…but he only has one shot.
Weaker by a large margin.
Less experience.
Infinitely less stamina.
Raziel
Advantages:
Physically stronger to the point of one-shotting.
He could set up a scenario where he absorbs Yi’s energy until he's too exhausted to fight back or move, securing a win.
More versatile.
More experienced.
Infinitely more stamina.
HE’S MY GOAT.
Neutral:
Both were incredibly annoying to actually put down for good; they arguably had the exact same level of regeneration. And neither had an actual argument to bypass the other.
Could attempt to possess each other… though even if it worked, neither really had a way to mentally overpower the other leading it to cancel out.
Both sides resisted almost all of each other's arsenal & abilities.
Disadvantages:
The Azure Bow could one-shot Raziel.
Yi’s Jades are exceptionally annoying to deal with.
Could potentially incapacitate himself by trying to possess the Primordial Roots.
Less skilled.
Less intelligent.
Final Tally
Yi (2): Stars, CheeseFM.
Raziel (0): My goat is getting SHOVED right back into the Soul Reaver. 💔
As close as this battle was—given both of their immortalities—at the end of the day, Yi’s superior speed, easier-to-execute win-con, and vastly more skilled, level-headed, and intelligent mindset gave him the time and clarity to craft the exact strategy needed to win. Raziel always had the looming risk of accidentally incapacitating himself with the Roots… and in a battle of soul versus sol, Yi just had the tools to shine brighter.
The winner is Yi.
Still working my way through my blog-list (most are pretty much done as said before; it’s mostly the hassle of writing verdicts for each of them), though I’m making some pretty good progress… if all goes well, Pac-Man vs Frogger will be out next. Outside of that just a quick change to the match–up list, I’ve sort of come to the decision to change the Ghostface Vs Kickass blog into a Kickass character blog; mostly due to how well Ghostface is already chosen and it originally just being picked a meme match-up in-between the blog list; outside of that a few of the filler blogs were removed to focus on the ones that I’m actually close to finishing & refocus my effort on the main ones. Obviously there’s no next time trailer for this blog, as this is a part of the ‘mini-blogs’ that I’ve been making while everyone waits for the Tournament Winner blogs to finish-up. For anyone interested, the current ‘mini-blogs’ that I’m working on are the following:
Rust Vs Ark Survival (... Vs …)
Yi Vs Raziel (Nine Sols Vs Legacy of Kain)
Frogger Vs Pacman (... Vs …)
Bruce Wayne Vs Daisuke Kambe (Telltale Vs The Millionaire Detective Balance: Unlimited)
Alice Vs Ellen (Mario The Music Box Vs The Witch’s House)
Army Men Vs Small Soldiers Vs Mushroom Men Vs Worms [Collab with BioGator Blogs]
Cosmos Vs Aleph (MLP Vs Cassette Beasts)
Connor Vs Gesicht (Detroit Become Human Vs Pluto)
Cyl-005 Vs Dextera (Picayune Dreams Vs Baroque)
Kickass Character Blog
Sergey Vs Kyle (Atomic Heart Vs Dying Light)
Marnie Cromwell Vs Harry Potter (Halloweentown vs ...)
The main blogs that won the tournament and are currently being worked on during the mini-blogs are:
Kaiba Vs Kamen Rider Genm (Yu-Gi-Oh Vs Kamen Rider)
Beheaded Vs Skul (Dead Cells Vs Skul: The Hero Slayer)
Cookie Clicker VS Battle Cats (... Vs ...)
Arakune VS Merkava (BlazBlue VS Under Night In-Birth)
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