If you were not able to watch the American Megabots Eagle Prime go up against the Japanese Suidobashi Kuratas streamed online on Twitch, here is now the video of the fight complete with commentary. Posted by Megabots, the Americans won in what we hope to be just the first round of giant robots fighting and that another round would take place in the near future.

As written here previously, the streamed video on Twitch was not a live one and has been already edited as teams fixed and readied both robots for the next rounds which takes more than a day to do as compared to three minutes like in a boxing match. Some may be disappointed as it was not a live battle between two hulking chunks of steel but it is understandable. Apart from not being a livestream, other websites found it to be “Hilariously Bad” according to Popular Mechanics, and that “it was an incredible waste of time and effort” according to Quartz.

Team Megabots

Was the fight oversold? Perhaps, as the Megabots team were more savvy using social media to promote the fight that was two years in the making and get people excited about history in the making. Some may have thought this is ala-Pacific Rim, but for those who have been discerning enough to take time and watch the videos of Megabots in their preparation, it is obvious that these first generation giant fighting robots are lumbering ones. So there is actually no slam-bang action with, fireworks, and explosions. Just two giant robots trying to topple or rip each other off, albeit slower than the faster but pet-sized robots in “Robot Wars.”

Team Suidobashi

Thus, we did not have high expectations that the fight would be spectacular (though in the back of our minds, we hoped it was to be really exciting and tense) and more of understanding that both American and Japanese teams are attempting prove that it can be done and can be improved on in the future. Putting together giant robots for a fight is a very expensive undertaking, but from an engineering and robotics standpoint, Eagle Prime and Kuratas will pave the way for more interest in giant robots.

I do not know if military organisations around the world took interest in this event. Probably they had done so in secret. They have the budgets and capability to make these things happen.

The Megabots team dream of a giant fighting robot league. Do you think after this first fight between Eagle Prime and Kuratas, it is going to happen?

Watch the fight below: