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The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

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"The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny", often shortened to "The Ultimate Showdown", is a comical song and video released on December 22, 2005. The song was written and performed by Neil Cicierega under the pseudonym Lemon Demon, appearing as the fifth single of the project's fifth studio album Dinosaurchestra. The song describes a massive, citywide battle set in Tokyo started by Godzilla and Batman, ultimately lasting for a century and involving dozens of pop-culture icons with the music video's animation by Shawn Vulliez.

"The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny"
Still from the official music video for "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny", featuring a large collection of pop culture characters
Single by Lemon Demon
from the album Dinosaurchestra
ReleasedDecember 22, 2005
Genre
Length3:36
Label
Songwriter(s)Neil Cicierega
Producer(s)Neil Cicierega
Lemon Demon singles chronology
"Stick Stickly"
(2005) 		"The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny"
(2005) 		"Snakes on a Plane"
(2006)
Music video
"The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny" on Newgrounds
"The Ultimate Showdown" on YouTube

Background

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In the early 2000s, Neil Cicierega popularized animutation, a form of flash animation that humorously depicts pop-culture images set to upbeat music.[1] Steven Lerner, the owner of Albino Blacksheep, later stated that as the genre grew more popular that it had begun to advance in effort, with creators drawing the characters rather than editing publicly available photos.[2] Cicierega adapted to this development, publishing the song "The Ultimate Showdown" to Newgrounds on December 22, 2005,[3] with Shawn Vulliez credited for the video's animation under the name altffour.[2] The song was additionally released under the full name "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny" as the fifth single of Lemon Demon's fifth studio album Dinosaurchestra,[3] which came out on July 20, 2006.[4]

Reception

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"The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny" gained a large cult following among web enthusiasts.[5] It ranked on Newgrounds as the "User's Choice" upon publication, amassing 6.5 million views within its first six months of release.[3] It appeared on several other websites including Albino Blacksheep and YouTube,[6] receiving over 25 million views on the latter before a takedown and replacement by Vulliez in early 2021.[7] A higher resolution fan upload has received over 7.7 million views on YouTube as of April 2024.[8] The song topped the "Funny Five" on The Dr. Demento Show for several weeks and was the #1 request for 2006.[9] In 2009, the song was re-recorded with a full band, receiving inclusion on the compilation Almanac 2009 and Lemon Demon's first EP Live (Only Not) (2011).[10] It additionally appeared on the Rock Band Network, releasing to the service on July 6, 2010.[11]

Plot

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While most of the characters named in the song are fictional, historical figures Abraham Lincoln (left) and Benito Mussolini (right) are also described as combatants.

As Godzilla is going on a rampage through Tokyo, Batman surprise attacks him with a Bat-Grenade. Godzilla's attempt to retaliate is blocked by Shaquille O'Neal, who is attacked by Aaron Carter until Batman runs over them both with the Batmobile. Before Batman can return to the Batcave, Abraham Lincoln rises from the dead and shoots Batman with an AK-47. Lincoln is then forced to flee by Optimus Prime.

After Godzilla eats a piece of Optimus Prime, O'Neal returns but is then attacked by Jackie Chan. Meanwhile, Lincoln attempts to finish off Batman with a machete but is stopped by Indiana Jones. Jones is left defenseless against Godzilla as Batman steals his gun and unsuccessfully attempts to kill Chan. A somersaulting Chan and a pole-vaulting Lincoln (who was attempting to pole-vault onto Optimus Prime) collide in midair and are killed by a Care Bear stare.

Chuck Norris, presented as a godlike figure, descends from the sky to angelic tones, kicks Indiana Jones in the groin, and decapitates Batman with his thighs. Dozens of additional heroes and villains, including the historical Benito Mussolini, all arrive and kill Norris.

Approximately a century later, the battle has officially ended and is implied to have claimed the lives of many more characters besides those mentioned, with only one contestant remaining: Mister Rogers. The music video additionally features Rogers raising a katana in victory before committing seppuku with it.

Characters

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Depicted but not mentioned

The latter two characters are animated in the same designs as they were in the music video for Lemon Demon's song "Ebaum's World Dot Com".[citation needed]

Mentioned but not depicted

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Personnel

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Live (Only Not) version

  • Neil Cicierega – vocals, piano
  • Alora Lanzillotta – bass
  • Charles "Chooch" Sergio – guitar
  • Dave Kitsberg – guitar
  • Greg Lanzillotta – drums, recording, mixing

References

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  1. ^ Mieszkowski, Katharine; Standen, Amy (April 26, 2001). "All hail Neil Cicierega". Salon. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Rempel, Shauna (August 26, 2006). "Copy, paste, animate". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Sweeney, Emily (June 22, 2006). "He's a hit with Internet set". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  4. ^ Cohen, Max (February 16, 2022). "Lemon Demon: The Man, The Meme, The Legend". Bandcamp. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  5. ^ Leonard, Andrew (June 9, 2009). "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny". Salon. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Rini, Carol (April 11, 2006). "Good guys, bad guys and explosions..." Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  7. ^ "The Ultimate Showdown (with MP3 ♫)". YouTube. AlbinoBlackSheep. May 6, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2018.[dead YouTube link]
  8. ^ "Lemon Demon - The Ultimate Showdown [4K Remaster]". YouTube. Cheesy Potatoson. September 27, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  9. ^ Hansen, Barret (July 2, 2006). ""The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny" (the show's #1 song of 2006 thus far)". Dr. Demento. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  10. ^ "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny". Bandcamp. April 28, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2024. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |people= ignored (help)
  11. ^ "Lemon Demon on Rock Band Network". Rock Band. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
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