- [Narrator] If you've ever overheard a schoolyard conversation, you know nothing captures the imagination quite like the daring
fights of a brave warrior. I remember spending
countless hours as a kid debating whether Goku or
SpongeBob would win in a fight. But today, I'm here to
look at real warriors who committed utterly awesome feats that put anime and
cartoon fights to shame! From Aztec beast-men to one-armed gunmen, let's take a look at some
of the greatest warriors that have ever existed. (upbeat music) William Marshal. Now, we like to imagine medieval knights as valiant warriors, longing for the thrill of
battle against worthy foes. In reality, however, most of their time wasn't spent clashing blades
with menacing adversaries, but mowing down hapless peasants that could barely swing a sword. Not exactly heroic, right? Jousting, however, required real skill. These competitions
allowed practiced knights to throw-down against
equally fierce opponents to determine who was the baddest, and in 12th century England, there was nobody badder
than William Marshal. Born around 1146, Marshal
was kidnapped at an early age by rebels hoping to extort his father. Will's dad wasn't playing though, telling them to "go ahead and hang him. I can forge better sons." Oof! Sensing the awkward family dynamic, poor William was released
without incident. The ordeal no doubt
left a mark on the boy, as at just 12 years old, he left for Normandy to train as a knight. By 1166, at around 20 years old, he had fought his first proper battle. Not long afterwards, he
began his tournament career, with a mace on foot, and
a lance on horseback. After racking up win after win, Queen Eleanor took notice of him, and he became her champion, fighting battles in her honor and becoming a kind of ye olde celebrity. Marshal was an unstoppable jouster, toppling man after man, and claimed to have bested
over 500 knights in his career. Marshal was such a stud, he was even accused of having an affair with King Henry's wife, though he was eventually
cleared of the charge. Proving that you can't
keep a true himbo down, Marshal married into royalty at 42, becoming the first Earl of Pembroke. He would go on to become the only man to ever knock King Richard
the Lionheart off his horse. Now this must have impressed the king, as upon his deathbed, Richard entrusted Marshal with the task of choosing his successor. Ever valiant, Marshal
continued riding into battle until the ripe old age
of 70 under King John, the man he chose to rule. Maybe after all that, he finally
earned his dad's respect. (air whooshing) The pirate queen. Yarr! Enough terrestrial-terror,
ye scurvy landlubber! (coughs) Sorry, I'm just really excited to talk about pirates. Specifically, this one;
Ching Shih, the Pirate Queen. She was born into poverty in 1775 in China's Guangdong province. After a difficult youth, she
was kidnapped by Zheng Yi, captain of the infamous
Red Flag pirate fleet. Enamored by her beauty and wits, however, he asked for her hand in marriage, but Ching Shih was no pushover: she had him sign a pirate prenup granting her ownership
of 50% of his earnings and a portion of his fleet. After they married, Ching
Shih shocked everyone with her aptitude for piracy; she supervised raids, plotted attacks, and got stuck into the action. Under her, the Red Flag
grew from 200 ships to over 1800 in just a few months. The reason for this, if
you'll pardon the pun, is that Ching Shih ran a tight ship. She rewrote their code granting
crewmates more freedom, but much harsher punishments
for disobedience. When Zheng Yi died in
1807, Ching Shih took over. Under her leadership, the
fleet became unstoppable, amassing immense wealth and
exerting unmatched power over the Chinese seas. It soon became evident
that Ching Shih's outlook was a lot like Spider-Man's: with greater power came
greater responsibility. Pirates found hoarding
loot lost body parts equal to the crime, and those who protested
were slain on the spot. Furthermore, she codified protections for enemies that surrendered. This allowed her numbers
to grow exponentially; after all, it made way more
sense for sailors to surrender and potentially join
her than die fighting. While the Chinese government
was terrified of Ching Shih, they knew they had to do something. Eventually, the Red Flag Fleet faced down the thunderous might of the Qing Dynasty's Mandarin navy, and decimated them in a few hours. The defeat was so resounding that the emperor's hand was forced. He offered her a ridiculous deal: in exchange for stepping down, she would be granted full
amnesty for her crimes, the right to keep
everything she'd plundered, and the ability to keep operating
her legitimate businesses. Knowing the life of a pirate
inevitably ends in bloodshed, Ching Shih took the deal. She disbanded the Red Flag and retired to a life of luxury. This likely makes her the most
successful pirate in history. Take that, Jack Sparrow. (air whooshing) Leonidas. You may recognize
Leonidas I from his oily, glistening portrayal by Gerard Butler in Zack Snyder's action film, "300". Zack wasn't the first to portray Leonidas in this way though, look
at this painting from 1814. Did Leonidas own any clothes
besides a jock-strap? Maybe he just wanted to show
his bod off to other Spartans; after all, these guys were tough. Existing between 900 and
132 BCE in ancient Greece, the Spartans were a notoriously
hard and warlike people. From the age of seven, Spartan boys were forcibly
taken from their homes and began the agoge, a militaristic, state-sponsored
training regimen designed to turn them
into unbeatable soldiers. Here, food was scarce,
fighting was encouraged, and because all Spartan men were expected to be lifelong soldiers, the very concept of surrender was considered the ultimate disgrace. Leonidas, though royalty,
was no exception. He, like many others, survived the agoge, but he never expected to rule. His half-brother, Cleomenes,
was king originally, but after going mad,
the crown fell to him. And boy, did he inherit a mess! In 480 BCE, the Persians, led by the cunning King Xerxes, were on a war path across Greece. Many Greek city-states
had already submitted to Xerxes' overwhelming
numbers; but not Leonidas. Legend has it that at the
Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas and just 300 Spartans, successfully fended off 2 million Persians in a narrow mountain pass for over three grueling days. While all Spartans were eventually slain, their sacrifice rallied the
rest of Greece into action, ultimately repelling Persian forces. The story is heroic, inspiring,
and genuinely unbelievable because it's not completely true. While the 300 Spartans
factoid isn't untrue, it is leaving out one important tidbit; the Spartans weren't alone. Leonidas had allied with
several other Greek states before the battle, who
supported the Spartans. I know, I know! I'm sorry to be the party pooper, but in reality, there
were around 7000 soldiers on the Greek side and between 100,000 and
300,000 on the Persian. This still makes for an
incredible Greek victory, however. With those numbers, the
Persians outnumbered the Greeks anywhere from 14 to one and 42 to one. Imagine standing in the roaring rain, spear and shield in hand, and being told you only
have to defeat 42 soldiers! In my book, that still makes Leonidas a pretty outstanding warrior,
without exaggeration. (air whooshing) Chandragupta Maurya. Some people say that revenge
is a dish best served cold. Our next warrior, Chandragupta Maurya, preferred it served
with the tip of a spear in his enemies' own throne room. In the fourth century BCE, India was ruled by the cruel king, Nanda, who even Alexander the Great
didn't wanna mess with. Despite his military power, however, Nanda was concerned about
the growing strength of the subordinate Maurya clan. Legend has it, one evening
he invited the family to his palace for dinner, only to imprison them all in his cellar. As the Maurya's starved, their patriarch made them swear an oath; if any of them survived,
they would destroy Nanda. Eventually, only the young
Chandragupta was left. To further mock the
once-prestigious family, Nanda released the weakened
boy into a life of squalor. Having lost everything, Chandragupta resigned himself to poverty, until he was discovered by the long-haired sage, Chanakya. Chanakya had been insulted
by Nanda in his court, and vowed not to cut his
hair until he got revenge. And this guy's hair was long. Together, the two swore a
blood oath to take Nanda down. While the historical legitimacy
of this legend is debated, the duo's conquest is undeniable. Chandragupta was trained
in the arts of warfare and leadership by Chanakya, and became a brutally cunning warrior. Chandragupta rallied the
numerous dynastic clans of India behind him,
trained war elephants, and defeated all those that opposed him before absorbing their
warriors into his ranks. Despite being its sole surviving member, Chandragupta reforged the
Maurya into a terrifying force. Eventually, he launched an
assault on Nanda's palace and, after a long and bloody battle, finally put an end to Nanda
himself, in his own throne room. Chandragupta quickly expanded the borders of the new Mauryan empire, liberating territories Alexander
the Great had conquered just a few decades prior. Proving his strength
of will was unmatched, Chandragupta eventually abdicated the throne of the empire he forged, believing his work was finished. I can't even give up
the last slice of pizza, imagine giving up a kingdom that stretched from
Southern India to Pakistan. Chandragupta lived the rest of
his life as a solitary hermit and died meditating one
afternoon in a secluded cave. Chanakya, presumably,
finally got a haircut. Well, destroying an entire empire because someone made fun of
you seems pretty extreme, but you know what isn't? Hitting those like and subscribe buttons, which is easy as pie, and a
great way to stay up to date with even more videos of mine. All done? Alright! Moving on! (air whooshing) Soldier millions. It's been said before that
I could eat for a dozen men, but even I can't imagine
being called a soldier worth a million. But that title is awarded
to Portuguese soldier, Anibal Milhais, who, despite
his fetching mustache, was just 22 years old
when he found himself in the middle of the Battle of Lys. This fierce firefight took place
in northern France in 1918, during the final years of World War I. For days, Milhais and his comrades had been bearing the brunt of a ceaseless German bombardment. One foggy morning, the
bombardment mysteriously and suddenly stopped. Milhais raced to his machinegun and spotted soldiers he didn't recognize jumping into the trenches in front of him. Realizing the bombardment had been cover for a German approach, Milhais fired indiscriminately at the approaching shadows in the fog. Many Portuguese attempted
to run back and join him, only to be mowed down
by mist-veiled Germans. Milhais continued to fire at
any movement he saw in the fog, taking down waves of
men entirely on his own. The German numbers were
too great, however, and Milhais was forced to retreat. He briefly regrouped with
several allies behind a wall, but sensing their fear, told them to run and that he would cover them. Milhais fired bursts of
suppressive fire at the Germans, who ducked into his former
trenches for safety. Cleverly, Milhais changed his position by several feet each burst, tricking the Germans into believing they were facing more than one man. After firing his last bullet, Milhais motionlessly hid under a canvas as dozens of Germans approached. Thinking an entire squadron had mysteriously vanished into the mist, they didn't think to check
the tarp for a single man. For his bravery, Milhais was awarded Portugal's
highest distinction; the Military Order of the Tower, which was delivered to
him in front of 15,000 of his fellow men. The general presenting his medal claimed that, "Though you are Milhais, you are worth millions of soldiers." This is a pun, as the word "Milhais" is similar to the
Portuguese for "millions". Imagine the sound of 15,000 brave soldiers politely laughing at
their superior's dad joke! (air whooshing) Crazy Horse. Think you're tough? Well,
you aren't crazy tough. This is Lakota Sioux warrior Crazy Horse. Born sometime around 1842, he was a man of unmatched bravery. At just 12 years old, Crazy Horse rescued his brother
from a rabid grizzly bear, successfully fighting the beast off with nothing but a lasso. Recognized for his spirit, Crazy Horse became a
revered young warrior, never hesitating to throw
himself into danger. When gold was discovered
in the Black Hills, Sioux territory, the previously held peace between new US settlers
and the Sioux fell apart. Despite the fact treaties
promised the region to the Sioux, America's new settlers
just couldn't resist the sweet call of gold. War broke out between the two, and Crazy Horse found
himself going toe-to-toe with the US many times. On one occasion, Crazy
Horse acted as a lone decoy pursued by 80 US soldiers. After miles of chase, Crazy Horse led them right
into a deadly ambush. He was a commander at Little Bighorn, one of the most important
battles fought between US and Indigenous forces. During this battle,
America's Lieutenant Custer attempted to surprise the Sioux with a surrounding pincer attack. Custer thought if he surrounded them, the Sioux would be overwhelmed
by his superior firepower. However, it was Custer's
forces that ended up surrounded and were decisively defeated. The encirclement of a
larger army by a smaller one is rare in military history, often only pulled off by
people like Hannibal Barca and Alexander the Great, considered some of the greatest
commanders of all time. With that in mind, remember the Sioux were
also out-maneuvering Custer's attempt at a pincer attack, and did so with mostly inferior weaponry. Unfortunately, this
victory was short-lived. Americans began hunting the
native buffalo to extinction in the late 1870s. The animal was hugely important
for Sioux agriculture, and they struggled without it. Crazy Horse eventually
relented to American demands and moved his people to a small village. In 1877, at just 35 years old, Crazy Horse was killed
during peace negotiations with the United States. The man is still remembered today through Lakota's annual Crazy Horse ride, along with his enormous memorial carving. While impressive, this
memorial is, unfortunately, carved into a mountain
many Sioux consider sacred. That's like trying to honor a Christian by scribbling "good job" on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Ugh! (air whooshing) The White Death. So, no one was having a great time during the Second World War, were they? Not exactly a relaxing period in history. Well, in 1939 when the USSR invaded, Finland was having a
particularly terrible time. At the outbreak of the invasion, the population of Finland
was around 3.7 million, while the USSR's was over 175 million. Not good odds! Still, there was one thing
the Soviets didn't have: Simo Hayha. Born in 1905, Simo had lived
an unassuming life as a farmer. When the Soviets invaded, however, he picked up his rifle
and walked out the door to defend his country, passing by his multiple
marksmanship trophies on the way out. You see, despite being a humble farmer, Simo had the eyes of a hawk,
the discipline of an athlete, and the reactions of a YouTube commenter whenever I mispronounce a word. Over just 98 days, Simo would become the
single deadliest sniper in human history,
acquiring him the nickname, "The White Death". Simo earned this moniker
because, in his native forests, he could become invisible. Simo would dress in white,
bury himself in the snow, and even place ice in
his mouth and nostrils. This cooled his breath, so it
wasn't visible in the cold. Simo knew a single
mistake could mean death, so he changed his location constantly. When Simo lined up a
target, he stayed on them, never giving into his
nerves or firing too early, taking them out only when
it was most advantageous. Entire squads were sent into
the woods looking for Simo, but most never made it back. As if this wasn't scary enough, Simo didn't use a scope while sniping: he feared it would give away his position if it glinted in the sun. This means Simo was making all his shots based on eyesight alone. Man, there are times when I
can't even find the cursor on my desktop! Simo was only ever hit
once, but it was a doozy. The Soviets eventually
blasted the forest apart just to hit Simo, and sadly they did. A mortar exploded right in his
face, but it didn't kill him. After several reconstructive surgeries, Simo pulled through: he was
scarred, but he was alive. The war ended a week later, and he lived to the ripe old age of 96. But during this time,
in less than 100 days, Simo amassed over 500 kills, more than five slain soldiers a day. Talk about being ratioed. (air whooshing) Tlahuicole. Some folks want to pass away
peacefully in their sleep. Others want to go tearing
apart Aztec eagle warriors. Both ways have their merits! Meet Tlahuicole, a
Central American warrior born in 1497 to the Tlaxcala tribe. And, according to ancient depictions, he was also an absolute beast of a man. Tlahuicole was captured
defending his tribe and brought before Emperor Moctezuma I. Moctezuma took one look at
him and, fearing his wrath, ordered his release. Tlahuicole refused this offer, stating the shame of being captured alive dishonored his home, and
that he could never return. Impressed and a little frightened, the emperor offered him a deal; Tlahuicole could become an Aztec and be granted control
of one of their armies. This way, he could continue
living as a warrior. And he did just that,
decimating other tribes in the name of his new emperor. In addition to being an absolute unit, Tlahuicole was also a master of arms, including the vicious macuahuitl. This nasty weapon consisted
of a wooden paddle with inlaid teeth of obsidian,
a kind of volcanic glass. These teeth can be up to 500
times sharper than steel, and are designed to break off in whoever is struck by the macuahuitl, eviscerating their insides. If that wasn't bad enough, Tlahuicole's weapon was
apparently so heavy, other men weren't even able to lift it. Forget internal damage, I'd be worried about exploding on impact. When the Aztec Empire began to expand, Tlahuicole was presented
with an awful task; to conquer and subjugate his former tribe. Tlahuicole found himself
caught between two codes; he couldn't bring himself
to fight his former people, but as a warrior, he couldn't
refuse to fight them either. The only option for Tlahuicole was to accept execution by combat. One warm morning in the jungle, Tlahuicole entered a
ceremonial stone circle and awaited his opponents; eight Aztec eagle warriors,
the baddest of the bad, each eager to be the one
to bring down the beast. Unfortunately for them,
Tlahuicole slew them all, one by one. Multiple warriors attacked
him simultaneously, and he would go on to injure 20 more before he was taken out. Tlahuicole's heart was
then carved from his body and treated by the Aztecs as a revered artifact of power. Ah, I'll just stick
with cremation, thanks. (air whooshing) Lachhiman. If you asked me who the
baddest people on Earth are, a few answers come to mind:
bodybuilders, bounty hunters, YouTubers who challenge other
YouTubers to boxing matches, the list goes on. With all those badasses in mind, I still don't think there's
anyone tougher than the Gurkha. These Nepalese warriors have made up some of
the most elite soldiers in the British army for
more than 200 years. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw once said; "If anyone tells you
they're not afraid of dying, they're either lying or they're a Gurkha." Whoa! To back those words up, let's take a look at the
story of Lachhiman Gurung. Gurung and his battalion were
stationed in Burma in 1945, towards the end of World War II. Japanese forces were growing desperate as the war drew to a close, and the Gurkha's mission
was to stop their advance into Taungdaw. On the first night,
Lachhiman was keeping watch, far away from his comrade's camp. Suddenly, 200 Japanese
soldiers surprised him with a sudden advance on Taungdaw. They announced themselves
by throwing three grenades into Gurung's trench. Acting fast, Gurung
picked up each grenade, and tossed them back! One, boom, two, boom, three, boom! Tragically, he was too late on the third, which obliterated his hand. Gurung had no time to mourn, however. He dug his traditional
Nepalese kukri, a heavy dagger, into the ground in front of him, and vowed no Japanese
soldier would cross it. Off balance and with only one good arm, he took to his machinegun, firing wildly into the night. The Japanese soldiers continued
tossing grenades at Gurung but, having not learned his lesson, he tossed them right back. Gurung was also blinded in
one eye during the firefight but continued his unrelenting defense. Gurung menacingly screamed,
"Come and fight a Gurkha!" over and over again as
he reigned down bullets. Eventually, Gurung
considered taking the kukri from the ground for one
final melee assault. While these brutal knives
are sharp and heavy, there's not much they
can do against gunfire. Luckily for Gurung, after holding off 200 Japanese soldiers for four grueling hours, reinforcements arrived and
relieved the exhausted, battered Gurung of duty. He was awarded the Victoria
Cross for his efforts, and despite his injuries, continued to fight for
the rest of the war. Folks, let's give him a
hand. He really deserves it. (air whooshing) Julie D'Aubigny. Do you find the opera a
little stuffy? Boring? Think the medium could use
a little more fight scenes and scandalous affairs? Well, meet Julie D'Aubigny,
your new favorite superstar. Born in France around 1707, Julie quickly discovered
she had two great passions: singing and sword fighting. Unfortunately, the
incredibly prudish society of 18th century France looked
down on girls in blood sports. So, naturally, Julie
began dressing as a boy in order to compete in
dueling competitions when she was just 12. As she grew older, she began
dueling more openly as herself, and started her professional career as an opera singer. At one point, another male
singer annoyed her so much she challenged him to a
duel while dressed as a man and beat him senseless with a cane. Apparently, she couldn't stop laughing the following day when
he claimed he was mugged by three large men. Oh! And as if her life couldn't
get any more scandalous, she was also openly bisexual in the 1700s. At one point, a girl
she was entangled with was sent to live in a
convent by her parents. Julie responded by
disguising herself as a nun and setting the convent on
fire to break the girl out. As if she wasn't enough of a badass, she once kissed a
noblewoman at a fancy gala in front of three nobleman
who had been hitting on her. Enraged, they each
challenged her to a duel. She beat them one after the other, never breaking a sweat. As you can imagine, Julie's
ostentatious lifestyle got her in trouble with
the law on many occasions. Luckily for her, the king
at the time was Louis XIV, who was quite the character himself. Louis found her exploits hilarious, and pardoned her of her
crimes on several occasions. Julie eventually entered
a long-term relationship with Madame de Florensac, whom many called the most
beautiful woman in all of France. Julie continued dueling and
singing the rest of her life. She died young, between
33 and 36 years old, having never lost a duel. She must have had a very disarming voice! There you have it! A collection of truly formidable warriors across time and culture. There are way, way too
many awesome warriors from around the world to
include in a single video. So, if you want a part two, let me know down in the comments below. And, as always, thanks for watching!
