Character Bios
Phoebus: After participating in an unknown war; Phoebus de Chateaupers, is summoned to Paris in order to serve as judge Claude Frollo's Captain of the Guard. Not long after his arrival in Paris; Phoebus, comes across the beautiful, dancing gypsy known as Esmeralda. Smitten with her beauty; Phoebes, gives the talented lady two gold coins for her performance. Not long after she receives her reward; Esmeralda, is harassed by two thugs working for Frollo. As the two men attempt to arrest her for being a gypsy; the Captain, helps her escape by blocking their path with the help of his horse: Achilles. After revealing his identity to the judge's goons; Chateaupers is taken to the Palace of Justice. Once he reaches his destination; Phoebus meets Frollo and begins to dislike him based on how he treats his predecessor for being a "disappointment". As the captain is lead to an outside balcony of the palace; Frollo, reveals he was summoned from the war in order to capture "fortune tellers and palm readers".
Despite initially being surprised by this revelation; Phoebus, accompanies Frollo to the Festival of Fools. During the festival, a crowd turns on the hunchback known as Quasimodo thanks to a riot started by thugs; which result in torture. Phoebus asks for permission to end their cruelty, but Frollo urges him to wait; showing no sign of mercy. Furious with his lack of empathy; Esmeralda, publicly ridicules the heartless judge. After the beautiful gypsy evades Claude's foolish henchmen for the second time; an impressed Chateaupers decides to follow her as she sneaks into a cathedral in Notre Dame. Before long, the pair engage in a brief skirmish until Phoebus assures Esmeralda he had no intentions of arresting her. As the captain locked eyes with the object of his affection; it was clear the pair were naturally drawn to each other. Just as the couple begins to kiss; judge Frollo, along with his thugs arrived at the cathedral. Once Frollo enters the building, Captain Phoebus claims sanctuary for Esmeralda and the Archdeacon arrives, ordering Claude's men to vacate the premises.
However; the French Captain sneaks back inside to search for Esmeralda, but runs into Quasimodo instead. The hunchback attempts to frighten him off until Phoebus asks Quasimodo to apologize to Esmeralda on his behalf for accidently trapping her in Notre Dame. When the hunchback helps the gypsy escape; Phoebus is forced to join Frollo on a ruthless manhunt to capture her. Irritated with Claude's unjust actions and behavior; the French knight finally rebels against him after he is ordered to burn down the house of an innocent man without any concern for the man's wife and children who were inside. Phoebus is then branded a traitor and ordered to be killed.
After being shot; the French knight is rescued by Esmeralda. In the process, the pair admit their feelings for each other and share a kiss. Enraged by the state of events; Judge Frollo, plans an attack on the gypsy hideout: The Court of Miracles. Despite Quasimodo and Phoebus's best efforts; Frollo, manages to capture all the gypsies; arresting the former captain in the process. At Esmeralda's execution; the hunchback, rescues her from her death and gives Phoebus enough time to escape from the cage he was thrown in, in addition to rallying citizens to fight against Frollo's tyranny. Near the end of the climatic battle between Quasimodo and Frollo; Phoebus, saves the hunchback from falling to his death. In the end, Frollo is defeated and Phoebus enters a long term relationship with Esmeralda.
Li Shang: After Han China is infiltrated by a ruthless clan known as the Huns, the emperor seeks the aid of one man from each family. During this period in time, General Li; vouches for his son's competence and skill as a leader , giving Shang the rank of Captain in the imperial army. Due to his age; Chi-Fu, the emporor's sexist advisor, objects to the general's decision, expressing concerns, regarding how well the young man would handle the weight of his responsibilities. As a result of these suspicions; Shang is ordered to train the new recruits. If the trainees meet the expectations of Chi-Fu, they would gain his approval to join the main branch of the imperial army at the Tung Shao Pass. Although his new recruits were severely lacking in skill; Shang, was capable of turning them into respectable soldiers. Despite the young Captain's accomplishments; Chi-Fu refused to grant his approval, stating his beliefs of Shang's promotion being the product of favoritism. After receiving a fake message created by Mulan's guardian spirit; both Shang and Chi-Fu were under the impression they had been ordered to join General Li in the front lines.
As the soldiers reach a village in the mountains, the men discover that the village was destroyed by the Huns. During his search for potential survivors, Captain Shang learns that the entire army as well as his father was killed in battle. Shortly after finding the bodies of his former comrades, Shang mourns his father's death and makes a small shrine in his honor. While in pursuit of the Hun army; Mushu, accidently fires a cannon, giving away their position, which results in an ambush. Outnumbered and outgunned by Shan Yu's troops; the young Captain prepared for one last stand. However; Mulan, disguised as a man named "Ping", managed to stop the Hun army by using a canon to cause an avalanche, and buries their enemies in the process. After he is caught in the avalanche; Ping, rescues Shang. Following the defeat of their adversaries; Captain Shang thanks Ping for his help and considered him to be a trusted friend. However, their friendship comes to an end once he discovers Mulan is a woman. Although her actions were punishable by death; Captain Shang, refused to kill her, choosing to expel her from the army.
Once the young captain reached the Imperial city with his troops, they are honored for defeating the Huns. Despite the recognition he received for his actions; Shang, is discouraged by the events that led to Mulan's departure. Not long after his fall to introspection; Mulan, suddenly arrives in the Imperial city, claiming Shan Yu, as well as his troops, survived their last encounter. Due to her previous deception, Captain Shang ignores the former soldier's warnings. As a result, he soon discovered she was telling the truth when Shan Yu and his troops kidnapped the emperor. After a failed attempt to rescue the emperor; Mulan, Yao, Ling, and Chien Po manage to defeat the Huns in hand to hand combat. With the help of her guardian spirit, the young maiden eventually killed the mighty Shan Yu.
One month after the death of Shan Yu; Captain Shang, marries Fa Mulan and is then promoted to the rank of General in the Imperial army.
Combat skills/Weaponry
Phoebus: In battle, the French knight wielded a double edged sword with a golden guard facing in an upward fashion and a medium length hilt, baring a golden pommel at the end of the handle; which is similar to the medieval blades used by the Knights Templar. As a knight; the captain has received extensive training in terms of armed combat. In a fight; Phoebus, is more of a brawler, lacking a formal technique and does not appear to have any significant hand to hand combat skills, however; Phoebus, is capable of beating more than one opponent at a time.
Li Shang: Trained in the art of combat; General Li Shang, had become a skilled practitioner in the field of martial arts, mastering a number of techniques such as: Tessenjutsu and Bojutsu. In combat; Shang wields the Jian, a double edged sword with a bronze guard, resembling short wings that cover the surface of a medium length hilt. Due to his military training, General Shang is a cunning strategist capable of beating men who are larger and stronger than himself in a one on one battle.
Edge: In terms of their skills in hand to hand combat, Phoebus has proven he can hold his own in a fight, beating numerous men in a bare knuckle brawl, however; Shang is a better trained, more disciplined fighter, displaying a superior level of skill. Although the French knight holds more experience in combat, the young General has a keen mind for strategy and defeated an enemy who outclassed him in physical strength. Given the nature of Shang's training; Captain Phoebus, doesn't have anything he hasn't seen before. When it comes to their weaponry, both combatants hold a considerable measure of skill; based on the fight scenes presented in their respective films; neither appear to have a significant advantage in swordsmanship. However; the Jian blade is a lighter weapon and is easier to handle unlike the Captain's sword; which is heavier, making it hard to maneuver in battle. Shang's method of fighting in addition to the advantages his weapon provides him with prove to be more practical and effective. General Li Shang gets the edge in combat skills and weaponry.
Powers/abilities
Phoebus
Strength- In his first animated appearance, Phoebus displayed an incredible measure of physical strength, punching a man with enough force to knock him out with a single blow. During the final battle with Judge Frollo's forces, the French knight managed to outmuscle three trained guards, knocking them off balance at the same time.
Speed- The French knight is capable of moving at an average level of speed for a man in good physical condition.
Agility- In battle, Phoebus has displayed a decent measure of agility, using quick reflexes to dodge and outmaneuver trained enemies.
Durability- Although he hasn't shown any significant feats of durability, as a knight; Captain Phoebus, was subject to a rigorous training method and has survived an unknown war.
Li Shang
Strength- General Shang has displayed an impressive amount of physical strength. In his first appearance, Shang was capable of kicking Shan Yu (an opponent much larger than himself) with enough force to knock him off balance and managed to pin him to the ground.
Speed- The young General is remarkably fast moving at speeds slightly above the average capacity of what humans are capable of achieving; which gives him the rank of an Olympic level athlete in peak physical condition.
Agility- In combat; General Shang is incredibly agile and has been able to dodge fireworks, arrows and some explosives, in addition to leaping on extremely narrow logs protruding from a lake.
Durability- Due to his military training, Shang has developed a high level of durability and was able to take hits from Shan Yu for a brief amount of time.
Edge: In terms of their strength, both combatants have displayed an incredible measure of power. During his battle with Shan Yu, Shang managed to overcome the evil warlord, wrestling him to the ground, however; Phoebus is physically stronger and was capable of moving three men who were heavily armored, knocking them off their feet. Although General Shang has defeated multiple assailants in the midst of combat, in addition to out wrestling a stronger opponent, his success was a result of his skills in martial arts rather than a testament of his physical strength. Despite the captain sharing a similar level of speed as the general, in addition to holding an admirable measure of agility; Shang is much more agile and fluid in his movements. When it comes to their durability, neither opponent seems to have a significant advantage over the other. Although Shang was able to endure the might of Shan Yu for a brief amount of time, considering Phoebus hasn't been shown taking hits from an opponent who is stronger than himself, we can't determine whether or not he is capable of sustaining the same amount of damage. I declare; Phoebus and Li Shang equals in powers and abilities.
Verdict
After analyzing their combat skills in addition to their physical abilities, it's clear a fight between these warriors would come down to Phoebus's strength and experience versus the General's combat skills and agility. In the beginning, both fighters would stare each other down, sizing up the competition with their hands hovering over their blades. Reaching for his sword, the French knight lunges towards Shang's mid section, but the General counters his attack with a diagonal slice. After deflecting his counter-strike; Phoebus, mounts an assault with a series of committed strikes. Shang manages to parry the bulk of his assault, dodging a number of his attacks. As their swords continue to clash, Phoebus swings his sword backwards in a sweeping motion. Shang parries his attack. As the soldiers continue to lock blades, With a flick of his wrist; General Shang rotates his sword, disarming his adversary in the process.
After kicking his opponent to the ground; Shang, lunges toward Phoebus, swinging his blade downward for an over head slash. Before the final blow is struck; the French Knight catches the blade with both hands clapped together. Twisting the blade from his hands; Phoebus, proceeds to kick the General in his stomach and launches an elbow strike to his face. After landing two powerful blows; the French knight, continues his assault with a left hook, but Shang manages to dodge his attack, countering with a sharp jab to the ribs, and a swift palm strike to the chin. As Phoebus begins to gather his bearings; a determined General Shang, launches another palm strike. The French knight blocks his attack and retaliates with a right jab. Shang catches his arm mid-swing and slams Phoebus to the ground. Desperate to gain an upper hand; Phoebus trips his opponent and leaps several feet in the air to perform an elbow drop. However; Shang, counters his attack with a flying kick, snapping the Captain's neck in the process. I declare; General Li Shang, the victor.
