Round 1, Side B - Dame Aylin (Baldur's Gate 3) vs. Link (The Legend of Zelda)

Propaganda:

Dame Aylin (Baldur's Gate 3)

brutally kills a power hungry asshole trying to enslave her -Extremely devoted to her gf - i want her to throw me like a football

Link (The Legend of Zelda)

He's literally a royal knight on a quest to save the princess. I don't know how you get any more paladin than that. Just ignore the fact that he canonically ate a rock once and spends a good portion of his time swimming in dirty pond water.

Round 1, Side B - Galaad (Chivalry by Neil Gaiman) vs. Artix von Krieger (Dragonfable)

Propaganda:

Galaad (Chivalry by Neil Gaiman)

No propaganda submitted.

Artix von Krieger (Dragonfable)

Dedicated to killing the undead and part of a paled in order! Light aligned. Enjoys killing the undead so much he lives in doomwood, in a necropolis, surrounded by monsters.

Round 1, Side B - Undyne the Undying (Undertale) vs. Optimus Prime (Transformers)

Propaganda:

Undyne the Undying (Undertale)

“Right now everyone in the world… I can feel their hearts beating as one… And we all have ONE goal. To defeat YOU. Human. No, WHATEVER you are. For the sake of the whole world… I, UNDYNE, will strike you down!”

Optimus Prime (Transformers)

He’s the leader and super loyal to the autobots. He’s a kind and wise leader and is willing to sacrifice himself for others.

Round 1, Side B - Ronan Nolan, Jr. (Young Wizards by Diane Duane) vs. Zerxus Ilerez (Exandria Unlimited: Calamity)

Propaganda:

Ronan Nolan, Jr. (Young Wizards by Diane Duane)

Wizards, in this universe, are chosen to fight back against entropy, and only remain wizards so long as they strive for the good of existence. In order to drive back an incursion of mythological might-have-beens, the wizards of Bray, Ireland sought to recover and restore four great treasures of the storied Irish past. Ronan ended up being the one to bear the Spear of Light. In the process of wielding it, he ended up also bearing one of the Powers That Be, specifically the one called the Winged Defender - inspiration/source for such figures as the Archangel Michael and the goddess Athena.

Zerxus Ilerez (Exandria Unlimited: Calamity)

Zerxus is an Oath of Redemption paladin who is so dedicated to the idea of redemption that he tries to redeem the devil (it doesn't work but kudos for trying). He does the whole sword-and-board, hits-like-a-truck thing that paladins tend to do, including quite a bit of taking damage for or helping his friends. I would also argue that his arc is the best fallen paladin narrative to come out of 5e, but I might be the only person who cares about that.

Round 1, Side B - Palafin (Pokémon) vs. Utena Tenjou (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

Propaganda:

Palafin (Pokémon)

His name is literally palafin! Paladin + fin! He’s a friend and hero to all pokemon :)

Utena Tenjou (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

Utena starts the show by trying to defend her friend's honor after her friend is publicly embarrassd. She continues the rest of the show by being a kind and friendly, if not hotheaded person, who is always trying to help others. Also shes got a nifty sword

Round 1, Side B - Blue Knight (Tokyo Mew Mew) vs. Sir Gawain (Sonic and the Black Knight)

Propaganda:

Blue Knight (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Literally becomes a magical knight dude just to protect their girlfriend

Sir Gawain (Sonic and the Black Knight)

HES SO COOOOOL first of all he’s knuckles. he’s knuckles the fucking echidna. second he dual wields two swords. third one of the weapons you can equip him with? named caledfwlch. he’s got the welsh swag AND the homestuck swag in addition to the knuckles swag and dual wielding swag. and his story? great. they made a sonic game where he talks an arthurian knight out of suicide. and it’s actually good

Round 1, Side B - Thistle (Spells, Swords and Stealth by Drew Hayes) vs. Martin the Warrior (Redwall series by Brian Jacques)

Propaganda:

Thistle (Spells, Swords and Stealth by Drew Hayes)

Thistle is a paladin of Grumble, god of minions; as you might expect, Grumble doesn't get many followers who are willing to stand up and boldly act, so he's one of a very small number. In the second book he completed the work of Grumble's first paladin in destroying "a piece of the divinity" of the god of evil magic, which has naturally put him directly at odds with said god.

Martin the Warrior (Redwall series by Brian Jacques)

He's a mouse with a sword forged of star-metal and the fighting prowess of a full-grown badger. He smashes tyrants and helps all in need. Once he passes on, his guiding spirit appears to other heroes and Abbeyfolk in times of great need, so he's even got the holy guardian ghost thing down.

Round 1, Side B - Peter Parker/Spiderman (Marvel (Not MCU)) vs. Roberta “Bobbie” Draper (The Expanse)

Propaganda:

Peter Parker/Spiderman (Marvel (Not MCU))

Peter Parker is dedicated to helping others, to protecting those he cares about, which includes all of New York City. Even when he is looked down on, even when it would be easier or safer for him to turn away, even when he struggles, he follows one of the most powerful and famous oaths of any hero: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Roberta “Bobbie” Draper (The Expanse)

She’s basically a scifi version of a Knight Errant or Ronin. Starting out as a power-suited Gunnery Sergeant in the Martian Marine Corps, she goes through a tumultuous arc of conflicting loyalty to her government and her own morals. Driven by unrelenting faith in the people and original ideals of her native Mars, she walks out on her military career and takes her combat armor with her. From there she plays a pivotal role in everything from combating genocidal terrorists to fighting in a resistance movement against a fascist dictatorship. Also she’s huge and strong and I love her.

Round 1, Side B - Aragorn (Lord of the Rings/The Tolkien Legendarium) vs. Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)

Propaganda:

Aragorn (Lord of the Rings/The Tolkien Legendarium)

Aragorn’s character serves as one of the more immediate progenitors of the Paladin as we understand them, along with rangers as well. For perhaps the most beloved fantasy of the modern era, he brings me of the traits we associate with paladins, being a passionate errant force for good wielding a blade of fire and light against the forces of darkness. Beyond that, he’s by all accounts a moral, charismatic stand out character in a great work full of them, but perhaps most importantly, though he is the king, he is not someone who demands attention as the hero of the story, but is kind and considerate as well as brave in his actions. Lord of the Rings as a work is the source of much of the fantasy tropes and character concepts we still use today, but as much as we like to tweak or subvert them, the classic remains a classic for a reason. I submit Aragorn for the Paladin Tournament.

Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)

He’s fiercely loyal to the people he loves, and there’s an oath he made with his childhood best friend that he is very determined to fulfill or die trying. Other things about him: he’s a feminist, he’s extremely petty, he’s a 19 year old alcoholic, he’s suicidal, hes gonna be the worlds greatest swordsman with three swords up his ass, hes literally just some guy, hes the one piece equivalent of tony hawk. hes even gay

Zoro's Oath, to never lose again, and promise to his childhood friend Kuina and his captain Monkey D. Luffy to become the World's Greatest Swordsman. He wields not one, not two, but Three Swords! That thrice more than what a traditional paladin would carry! He has showed religious simbology in his attacks, despite not actually praying to any God per se. Is mostly Buddhist things, likely because the author thinks it looks cool (he is correct). Zoro has a paladin-like aura that intimidates his enemies. Dude shows up not in shining armor, but covered in blood. And yeah, it's mostly HIS blood, but not for long. But the thing that can be seem most of a Paladin is in that he protects his crew, which on can see as a kingdom, the most loyal Knight to the future King of Pirates.

Round 1, Side B - Lancelot (Arthuriana) vs. Hup (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance)

Propaganda:

Lancelot (Arthuriana)

Iconic figure in arthurian mythos, and a strong influence on the "knight in shining armor" character archetype that we know and love today. While his exact lore varies a lot, some key details are that he was brought up in Arthur's court by the Lady of the Lake as the perfect example of chivalry, was one of the knights of the Round Table, and was the father of Galahad. His name is also really fun to say but that's just my opinion. He did have an affair with the king's wife Guinevere that led to the downfall of the knights of the Round Table, though.

Hup (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance)

He fights evil with a spoon as his main weapon. His friendship with Deet is wholesome af and he stood up to SkekMal, one of the most terrifying physical threats in the whole series, to keep Deet and her friends safe. Short king in every way.

Round 1, Side B - The Black Knight (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) vs. Pallegina mes Rei (Pillars of Eternity)

Propaganda:

The Black Knight (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

'Tis but a scratch.

Pallegina mes Rei (Pillars of Eternity)

She's a bird-woman! She's rebelling against the order she gets her paladin-ness from! she flirts with a giant shark-woman barbarian

Round 1, Side B - Wellan (The Knights of Emerald) vs. Jeanne d'Arc (real life, France)

Propaganda:

Wellan (The Knights of Emerald)

No propaganda submitted.

Jeanne d'Arc (real life, France)

They were visited by archangels with divine visitations, guiding them into battle, for which they were martyred. Non-fictional, but the archetypal paladin.

Round 1 Side B - Rory Williams (Doctor Who) vs. Xenk (D&D: Honor Among Thieves)

Propaganda:

Rory Williams (Doctor Who)

protects one sci fi bullshit object for thousands and thousands of years because he loves his wife. transgender (to ME). cmonnnnn. he wears the roman centurion armor and everything!

Xenk (D&D: Honor Among Thieves)

He is literally a paladin. Also gay and autism <3

Round 1, Side B - Kabbu (Bug Fables) vs. Azu (Rusty Quill Gaming Podcast)

Propaganda:

Kabbu (Bug Fables)

love this animal... the beeble. he's a very classic Lawful Good Knight character with a strict code of honor but he's never boring at any point because he bounces off his adventuring teammates/bestest friends in the whole world so well! he's got traditional knightly qualities converted into the format of Being A Bug: he serves a monarch (ant queen), wears armor (carapace) and fights with a sword (beetle horn), slays a dragon (centipede), all of that. should be noted that the aforementioned adventuring teammates/bestest friends are also a classic Rogue and Mage. he has so many other qualities that make him a great loveable character but we think we've said all there is that makes him a great paladin here

Azu (Rusty Quill Gaming Podcast)

Paladin of Aphrodite. She's not *great* at the religion bit, she was too busy blowing off classes in favour of axe practice and kissing girls. She's also a buff orc in glowing pink armour, what else can you ask for?

Round 1, Side B - Javert (Les Miserables) vs. Brienne of Tarth (A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin)

Propaganda:

Javert (Les Miserables)

This man is, as far as I've seen, the go to explanation for what an Oath of the Crown paladin should act like. In the name of the law, in the name of France, he will defend the people from (what he sees as) Dangerous Criminals and Revolutionaries. Unlike many other paladin pop culture examples, he did swear an oath, by the stars, to hunt down Jean Valjean. He serves as an excellent example of a paladin who is far more lawful than good, misguided by a restrictive black and white worldview yet still upholding all tenets of his oath.

He centers his entire life around the oaths he's taken to uphold the law to the letter and to hunting one man in particular. The moment he's forced by morality to break that oath he kills himself that night because he can't live with himself or understand a world more complex than blind unrelenting obedience.

Brienne of Tarth (A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin)

Despite not technically being a knight, the truest knight there was. Brave, protects the innocent no matter the circumstance ("no chance against seven. No chance, and no choice"). Her quest to return sansa ended up being a riverlands goose chase, but that isn't her fault.

Round 1, Side B - wearepaladin (Tumblr) vs. Kibadda (Patapon 3)

Propaganda:

wearepaladin (Tumblr)

Tumblr's very own paladin. Brings the best paladin posts to everyone's dash.

Kibadda (Patapon 3)

Patapon is filled with a lot of cool looking knights, but I felt that Kibbada most closely resembled a classic paladin! Underneath that mask, Kibadda is just a little CREATURE :) Awesome looking horse

Round 1, Side A - Ricky Matsui (Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City) vs. Camilla Hect (The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir)

Propaganda:

Ricky Matsui (Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City)

He's a paladin in an urban fantasy setting. He's a himbo. He's a firefighter. He was Mr. March on the firemen's calendar. His weapon is a blade that chooses heroes and it takes the form of a fire axe. He gets his power from his dedication to civic duty. He once swam miles because he somehow became aware that his friend's house was burning down. He is just an absolute delight of a man and an ideal paladin.

His explicit character concept is "what would a paladin-type oath look like in modern-day New York City" and it was executed WONDERFULLY. He's this firefighter who's just ENDLESSLY devoted to helping people. His paladin oath (its a dnd show so he's got the devotion subclass) is literally just him liking helping people so much that he gains incredible strength. And in the second season he finds his calling and switches from firefighting to working at a homeless shelter and maintains an identical level of golden retriever-esque devotion to his work. He's a delight and I Love Him.

Camilla Hect (The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir)

She will protect Palamedes Sextus until the end. She learned two swords instead of one because it's more efficient. She is devotion made a person. He died, and she carried him. He gambled, and she covered his bet. She kept the faith, and was the instrument of both his vengeance and his grace. She will always know him.