Sebs Battle Blogs #2: Toy Story vs It Takes Two
Toy Story vs It Takes Two
(Woody & buzz vs May & Cody)
Thumbnail by SEB (yes I know the thumbnail is reversed)
"Toys are the seeds from which the tree of creativity grows. Nourish them well, and watch imagination bloom." ~ Pleasant Rowland
Woody & Buzz
The rivals turned dearest friends from Toy Story.
May & Cody
The broken partners fixed by love from It Takes Two.
On the surface, these two duos may just be toys, but deep down their connections and spirits mean and show so much more. They both have battled with grit, fought for the people they love and brought peace and joy to the children they adore most, but now they must fight for nothing more than themselves. Can Woody and Buzz find it in themselves to take out the two lovers, or will May & Cody take the two out of this story for good? There's only one way to find out! Barbies and gentlekens, it's time to tell!
A Story of Two
Connections:
This matchup is incredibly packed full of meaning. Both of their stories have taught so many lessons and it's important to realize that, although the connections are few, they are filled with values anybody can grow from, I highly recommended you just, play through / watch the media they are in if you have not already. These descriptions can only do so much, so to keep it fairly simple and allow the backgrounds and the rest of this blog to do the talking, here is a simple list of connections gathered together!
Two toy duos, one of them being actual living toys, while the other are people who were turned into dolls.
These two begin with a bitter feelings with each other, slowly growing out of that and becoming closer than ever (May and Cody nearly divorcing and then growing back into a very healthy relationship once again, Woody being jealous of Buzz and disliking him, then over time they ended up becoming best of friends, even brothers in a sense).
The two fight egotistical animal plushies both which wished to play big parts in their child's lives, even being their favorites at one point, thus being forgotten and having very different emotions on the situation, leading to them being "antagonists" (Moon Baboon being one of Rose's favorite toys, then she stopped playing with him completely, with Baboon continuing to watch Rose making sure she is safe and sound, and Lotso growing mad).
These two play massive parts in a particular child's lives, being toys that come to life through "magical" means, although it is slightly unknown for Woody and Buzz (May and Cody originally being Rose's parents, but through her tears of sadness they are turned into toys Rose created, and Woody and Buzz being marked for Andy, and them being his favorite toys).
Contrast in that, May and Cody were in the brink of divorcing, but then over the course of the story, they slowly fall back into love and end up staying together happily ever after, while Woody and Buzz became so close you could label them as brothers, but in the end they separate, for Woody to live the life he wants to live with someone who he loves.
Before we begin:
This may seem like a fairly simple matchup to cover, but one duo in particular shakes things up just a little bit, and there are also some formatting keys that needs to be covered here before moving forward. First off, for Woody and Buzz, there's a lot of content for them, but the video games in particular are the issue. Kingdom Hearts will be used, but it's important to read the entire Q&A section before getting confused completely! Though, to save some time and clarify in short terms, full on dimensional crazy stupid Kingdom Hearts scaling will not be used since it makes no sense. As for the others, there are moments within the games which take place in different canon’s, for example in Toy Story 3, there are bits where you play as Buzz, but you are actually playing in the world of the cartoon Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, that is not something we will be using. Anything else that may be contentious in being used will be covered in Q&A, but we wanted to cover those pieces before moving forward completely. Now, moving on is the key for this blog! As a duo matchup, we will both be covering stuff they have between the two, and their own qualities, but in order to not mix up which is which, the names will be color coded to have the best reading experience. Anything that looks like this, is going to be for May, and likewise, this will be for Cody! The same goes for Woody, and Buzz. With all that being said, I think it's time to finally get into this story once and for all!
Backgrounds:
Woody & Buzz
There was a time when Woody embodied everything a toy could hope to be... Trusted, loved, and proudly led the toys in Andy's room. He carried this role with quiet pride, believing deeply that a toy’s purpose was to be there for their child. In Andy, Woody found his reason for existence. However, that sense of stability was shattered the day Buzz Lightyear arrived. Buzz didn’t know he was a toy; he believed he was a real space ranger sent to protect the galaxy. He dazzled the others with his lights, wings, and action-hero confidence, captivating Andy instantly. Woody, once secure and unquestioned, felt himself slipping into the background. Overwhelmed by jealousy and fear, he tried to remove Buzz from the situation in a moment of desperation. But that attempt spiraled out of control, and soon the two of them were far from home, stranded in a world they barely understood. Forced to rely on each other to survive, the barriers between them broke down. Buzz, faced with the painful truth of his identity, nearly gave up, but it was Woody, the very toy who once resented him, who reminded Buzz of the value in being a toy and of bringing happiness to a child. In turn, Buzz helped Woody let go of his pride and embrace something far more meaningful than merely being the favorite toy. Together, they didn’t just return to Andy's side; they came back bonded by trust, having endured hardship together. No longer rivals, Woody and Buzz became partners.
As time passed, their friendship deepened. However, new challenges arrived. While Woody was repairing a torn arm, he was discovered by a collector and taken away. During his absence, he encountered toys from his forgotten past, Jessie, Bullseye, and a wise old prospector. For the first time, Woody saw himself not just as a child's toy, but as a relic of a beloved television show, part of something much bigger. The promise of immortality behind glass, admired forever, tugged at him. After all, Andy was growing up; how long would he keep playing with his toys? Perhaps it was safer to be remembered than to risk abandonment. Though, at that moment Buzz didn’t hesitate. He led the others to find Woody, not because it was expected, but because it was the right thing to do. He had grown from the delusional space ranger he once was into a steady, courageous leader, one who understood Woody’s lesson and now had to remind Woody in return. Ultimately, Woody chose to go back, not just for Andy, but for the life he had built and the friends who had become his family. He welcomed Jessie and Bullseye into that family, expanding the circle while keeping Buzz at the heart of it.
They remained by Andy's side as he grew older, but when the day finally came that Andy no longer needed them, the world became uncertain again. On the brink of adulthood, Andy made the final choice to give his toys to a new child who would love them as much as he had. It was a quiet, emotional transition, one that Woody accepted with difficulty but also understanding. For Buzz, it was simpler; he saw the opportunity for a new beginning. Woody, however, had to let go of a part of himself to move forward. Nevertheless, they stayed together, adapting once more, ready to be there for Bonnie just as they had been for Andy. Yet something felt different. Bonnie didn’t see Woody the same way. Where he had once been central, he was now left behind, gathering dust in a closet while other toys took the spotlight. Buzz flourished, finding new purpose, but Woody clung to the belief that his worth came from being needed by a child. So, when Bonnie created Forky, a toy made from scraps who didn’t understand his own existence, Woody took it upon himself to guide him, throwing himself into that role. This journey led them far from home again, where Woody unexpectedly reunited with Bo Peep, who had built a life of freedom away from any child. No longer waiting to be chosen, Bo had chosen herself.
Woody struggled with this idea. To him, a toy without a child was a lost toy, but with Bo everything was different. His previous views on life as a whole were slowly being twisted by the light she shed on this beautiful world. She taught him of a life where he wasn’t left behind or placed on a shelf, but active, helpful, and free. It was a truth he wasn’t ready to accept, not until Buzz reminded him of something even more profound. In a simple, knowing moment, Buzz told him, "She'll be okay." It wasn’t just about Bonnie, it was a message to Woody, telling him that he didn’t need to keep sacrificing himself to be meaningful. It was okay to let go. Woody looked at Buzz, and in that silence, they understood that this was the end of their journey together.
Sheriff Pride wasn’t a lost toy anymore; he had found his place, not in ownership but on purpose, and Buzz didn’t stop him. He returned to the others, quietly stepping into the role of leader, carrying forward everything he had learned, not just from Woody's words but from the kind of friend he had been. They had started as enemies, then became brothers, and finally emerged as two halves of a whole who could walk different paths without losing what bound them. Even apart, Woody and Buzz remained etched in each other's hearts. Both of them with a simple look spoke the same silent words,
You’ve got a friend in me…
May & Cody
Cody and May used to be in love. In the early years, before responsibilities piled up and conversations turned into tasks, they shared a real connection. They built a life together, had a daughter, and filled their home with dreams for the future. However, life has a way of creeping in slowly. Minor frustrations became daily habits, misunderstandings went unspoken, and the love that once felt easy became buried under work, resentment, and exhaustion. They didn’t mean to drift apart; it just happened. By the time they sat down to tell Rose about their divorce, it felt like the only logical step left. They weren’t fighting loudly anymore and weren’t even really talking, but Rose wasn’t ready to let go. In her quiet sadness, she made a wish, and somehow, that wish came true in a way no one could have expected. Cody and May woke up not in their own bodies, but within two small handmade dolls that Rose had created. The world around them was distorted, surreal, and filled with danger. In front of them stood a loud, animated book claiming to be a love expert, stating they couldn’t return to normal until they fixed their broken relationship. Neither of them took it seriously at first; they just wanted to get back to Rose and correct their mistake. Yet the only way forward was through cooperation, and the only way to survive was to start working together again.
Initially, their attempts were clumsy and frustrating. Every new obstacle pushed them to rely on each other in ways they hadn’t for years. Cody would leap too early, and May would bark orders without listening. But over time, something shifted. The strange environments they navigated weren’t random; they reflected pieces of their lives and emotions that had been ignored. A vacuum cleaner they had neglected became a vengeful creature. An old tree turned into a battleground between wasps and squirrels. A snow globe recreated their once-beloved vacation spot, now frozen in time. These places forced them to confront the emotional baggage they had left to rot. Cody, always the dreamer, began to see how often he had checked out when things got hard. May, the hard worker, realized how she had typically shut him out, not out of cruelty, but because she felt she couldn’t afford to stop moving. In their miniature forms, with their usual defenses down, they expressed feelings they hadn’t been able to share for years. Slowly, amidst the chaos, they began to truly see each other again. They weren’t just retracing old memories; they were building new trust.
With every challenge, their rhythm improved. Whether it be fighting off an army of terrorist squirrels, or battling in a toy dungeon with fantasy powers, their relationship was slowly being fixed without them even needing to speak their true feelings throughout it all. Where once there was silence, now there was laughter, even if only briefly. Where there had been bitterness, there was now recognition. Both had been hurt, and both had hurt each other in return, but now they were starting to acknowledge it, and more importantly, to listen. Their journey was surreal, but the emotions were real. They fought their way through long-forgotten parts of themselves, battled manifestations of their resentment, and remembered what it felt like to share joy instead of merely responsibilities. They rediscovered their creativity, humor, and frustrations, along with the strange peace that comes when you allow someone back into your heart after everything.
In the end, they were left with a choice. Their journey was just coming to an end and they had no clue. This was not a journey to make Rose happy again, this was not a journey to save the toy world, this was a journey of love. A journey that showed them that in marriage, it takes two to make it work. It was not up to Cody alone, working around the house, taking care of things and working on occasion, nor was it up to May, working longer hours, studying and more. It was between the two, that spark that they had in the beginning, that first love they encountered with each other, that was the end goal of this quest. Now that decision? It was a kiss, one that sealed their bond for the future, restoring what they once had…
When they finally made it back to the real world, there wasn’t a grand speech or perfect resolution. What they had found wasn’t a neat fix, but it was a choice to try again. They weren’t magically cured, and they still had work to do, but now they wanted to do that work together, not for Rose, not out of guilt or nostalgia, but because the connection they thought was gone had been buried, not broken. Cody and May returned as themselves, but they had changed. They had confronted the worst in each other and still chose to stay, not out of obligation, but out of hope. They had come back from a place they didn’t know they had reached, and in doing so, they showed their daughter something stronger than certainty…
what it means to fight for someone you love.
Intellect / Experience / Skill:
Woody & Buzz
Now you may be wondering, what sort of experience or skills are toys going to have? They are still toys after all, right? Well, that's where you are mistaken, time and time again we see that these toys, despite being toys, have programming and the personalities given to them, including all of the necessary skills, except Rex, he’s the exception… Woody by himself grew to be Andy’s favorite toy, and was the leader of all of his toys, not only because of him being made as a sheriff, but also because of his keen intelligence and problem solving skills. He has created complex multi-step plans of escape and overall protocols to help toys in need or to just complete general missions. In combat he is no slouch either, he has the good ol’ cowboy moves that anyone would expect, using his lasso in varying ways, but he is also able to keep up against Heartless when fighting alongside Toy Sora, Donald and Goofy. Buzz on the other hand, although he does not have that long of a list when it comes to accolades in the Toy world compared to Woody, he is no doubt the best when it comes to straight combat and action packed scenarios. Granted, some of the feats come from a factory reset Buzz, but even then, we have seen normal Buzz beat and keep up with these reset Lightyear’s who are single handedly able to take out many toys attacking them at once. Star Command programming also provides Buzz with different tactics when it comes to different scenarios, and also the “training” he has given him incredible acrobatics skills and problem solving capabilities as well. It's safe to say that these two truly are veterans in the toy world…
May & Cody
Both May and Cody began as just regular people, but that does not mean that they aren’t skilled in many different aspects. May is an experienced and intelligent engineer, and while many of the tools and machines inside of the world despise her and call her a bad woman, she still does good work and is able to fix different machinery and has extensive knowledge on any of your technological needs. As a stay at home dad however, you might think Cody is a slouch, and to be completely honest he sort of is at times… Though that does not mean that he can’t be helpful! Cody loves his gardening and tries to help around the house with a lot of different things, cleaning up, knowing where things are, you know the classic stay at home parent deal. Now beyond this, these two are actually very gifted when it comes to solving puzzles and general problem solving scenarios, even without the hints Dr. Hakim gives them. On top of this, despite their lack of experience, they are also good at combat in differing events, from May throwing hands with a military squirrel boss, or the two of them murdering an innocent elephant plush queen, they are oddly good at violence, but we do not have to go any further into that… Lastly, they have shown proficiency with every item that they have used, despite not having any reasonable experience with them, such as shooting guns and blasters, using magic powers and flaming mystical swords, things that should not be regular for people, yet they grab onto their functionality instantly.
Weapons & Equipment:
Woody & Buzz
Pixar / Luxo Balls
Within the video games, like Toy Story 3 and Smash It for example, both Woody and Buzz have a large amount of Pixar balls that they can throw around. These Pixar balls can be used to hit necessary targets, or stun and launch enemies long distances away.
Pickaxe
A simple pickaxe that the gang uses to mine ores filled with brilliant gold! Given to them by none other than Stinky Pete himself.
Laser Pistol
Upon starting Zurg’s Spaceport in the Toybox, Woody and Buzz get the Laser Pistol, which of course, allows them to shoot lasers from the pistol. A lot of these are going to be very self explanatory if you have not already caught on!
Lightning Rod
One of the more powerful and unique weapons that the game grants our duo here. The Lightning Rod first of, just as you may expect, shoots out lightning that can destroy targets. This can also charge up machinery when needed. More importantly however, it is able to absorb ghosts, and shoot them out. You may think that it is only limited to ghosts, but it can also straight up absorb the spirits / souls of other toys and forcibly possess them.
Strawberry Wand
The strawberry wand straight from Lotso’s Enchanted Glen. It has two functions, it was mainly used to revert pixies back to their original state after they were turned into caterpillars, or simply give people butterfly wings and the ability to fly, but on top of that, it can be used to knock back enemies or random targets.
UFO Gun
The UFO gun is a unique yet powerful weapon from Al’s Toybarn, like everything else so far! When a target is shot with it, they are marked for an alien attack, and with that, a UFO comes down and blasts away until they are taken out for good.
Tower Defense Builds
In the DS version of Toy Story 3: The Videogame, the toys are able to build different towers in the TD gamemode. The first tower is a disc launcher which does decent damage and has a mediocre range. The second is a toy dart launcher, which shoots slightly faster but deals slightly less damage. Lastly, there is the ball launcher, which shoots out low splash damaging balls.
Toy Story Racer Items / Powerups
The massive hit racing game from 2001 on the PS1 surprisingly provides these two with some banging items! First off, as you can see in the image above, both Woody and Buzz have RC cars of their own that they use to race freely across the tracks. These are of course, like RC the character himself, much faster than Woody and Buzz themselves. However, the cars are not the only things they get from this game, as there is a selection of different toy themed items that boost them and allow them to take out enemies ahead.
Item / Powerups | Name | Description |
Battery | The battery acts exactly like a mushroom from Mario Kart, where consuming one or running into one gives you a massive boost in speed. | |
Eight Ball | The Eight Ball acts like a giant bowling ball, throwing it rolls forward bouncing off of walls and stunning all opponents hit. | |
Pixar Ball | The Pixar Ball is a projectile that once thrown, bounces backwards and if it hits anyone behind you then it stuns them for a brief period of time. | |
UFO Top | Just about exactly like Red Shell in Mario Kart, the UFO Top seeks out enemies ahead of you, hitting them and knocking them out for a brief duration. | |
Rocket | A powerful projectile that shoots straight ahead of you once thrown, if it hits an enemy, it seemingly knocks them out for the longest duration of time amongst all the different items. | |
Billy, Groat & Gruff | The banana peel of Toy Story Racer. Throwing these backwards stuns enemies for a long period of time, as the mighty wrath of Billy, Groat & Gruff demolishes their very existence (it doesn't, I just wanted to make this section slightly longer). | |
Spinning Top | The spinning top works very similarly to a green shell, you throw it in any given direction, and it bounces off of walls and whoever it hits gets stunned. | |
Electrical Field | While this acts as a shield if you get hit, it also acts as a defensive mechanism, as it shocks and stuns any opponents that get too close to you. |
Match
In Toy Story, Woody had stored away a single match ready for use that came straight from Sid. It works just like a regular match, and although it was wasted by a car the second they lit it, it was still a match that he had…
Shoestring
Toy Story Mania shows Woody with a shoestring that he uses as a genuine cowboy rope. He shows him using his cowboy skills to spin it around and of course, he could use it to wrangle up some livestock if he needed to.
Skateboard
Yes this is real, Woody has a miniature makeshift cowboy themed skateboard that he uses to do sick flips and tricks, rivaling the best skaters in the world.
May & Cody
Ropes
Right at the beginning of the tree chapter, Dr. Hakim gives May and Cody ropes they can use to latch onto places and use them as grappling hooks, swinging across larger distances.
Half Magnets
After a regular magnet got split in half in order to represent May and Cody’s relationship life with each other, they both were given a different half which allows them to pull on magnetic things. Granted, there is a limitation in that, each side is only able to pull on things of the opposite color and push on things that are the same, like a regular magnet…
Fidget Spinners
May and Cody both get fidget spinners from Rose’s room that allow them to soar through the air elegantly while also enhancing their focus! The fidget spinners are able to launch them upwards, and when spinning they can glide through the air reaching further distances. This also acts as a means to catch them from long falls, and just an overall great mobility option.
Nails & Holder
The first items that Cody gets inside of the entire game. Cody wields 3 separate nails that he can call back Mjolnir style one at a time with a whistle and has them in a makeshift nail holster. He can throw them long distances and leave them pinned on enemies, walls and more. When these are on walls however, both May and Cody are able to swing on them like monkey bars.
Tree Sap Habschaiki 57
A larger cannon fitted with a sap container on his back. This shoots out highly flammable and explosive sap that can stick onto varying surfaces. When it is shot by May with her matchstick gun, this can unleash massive flaming explosions, destroying walls and dealing massive damage to enemies.
Cosmic Inflation Belt
A special belt that allows Cody to change his size. He can change into big Cody, which allows him to move around heavier, larger objects, but he can also turn tiny allowing him to fit into extremely small gaps they would normally not be able to fit into.
Wizard Costume
When trying to hide from castle guards, Cody had to think fast for the two of them (May and Cody), so he ran into a room and they both hid inside of different costumes. In this case, Cody got a wizard costume, which grants him magical ice powers. He can shoot out large ice attacks and longer distance ice balls, along with creating ice platforms to cross longer distances when needed. Though on top of these, he is also able to teleport with these wizard abilities.
Stopwatch
While May receives powers you will see soon, Cody is given a stopwatch which allows him to control time. Of course, as we see in the cutscene, it can reverse time on targets, but also just revert it forward to its original state. This must be held however, as once Cody puts the watch away, he loses control and whatever the target was goes back to its previous, present state, this also can only be used on one target at a time.
Cymbal
In the final chapter of the game, Cody receives a miniature Cymbal. He can use this as a shield, blocking incoming attacks, but he can also throw it around, destroying enemies in his sights Captain America style.
Hammerhead
A talking hammerhead, who despises May in the real world for allowing all her old tools to rust and die a slow and painful death, helps the partners here. May uses the hammerhead in order to pin down enemies, squash enemies, hit targets and spin different things around with power.
DrillBazzer X200
Given to her by the squirrel army in their battle against the dreaded wasps, she obtains this gun which shoots out explosive matchsticks, which of course can be used in unison with Cody’s Tree Sap blaster for ideal and higher levels of chaos and destruction.
Gravity Boots
In the beginning of Rose's room, while Cody received the size changing belt, May received a pair of space boots which allow her to defy the laws of gravity. She is able to walk upside down on the ceiling, walking straight up walls like nothing, and that's it! Anything you would expect from gravity defying boots is what she gets here pretty much…
Knight Costume & Flaming Sword
Similarly to Cody’s Wizard Costume, May hid inside of a knight costume and wielded a powerful flaming sword. On top of simply having fire enhanced sword swings, May can also unleash larger bursts of flames in an AOE fashion, and also do long distance flame dashes to charge over long gaps without falling to her death.
Sickle & Water Gun
Inside of Cody’s garden, May is given a sickle that she can attack with, and a water gun to go along with it! She uses the water gun in order to heal dry spots allowing Cody to use his plant powers.
Powers & Abilities:
Woody & Buzz
Toy Physiology
Within the world of Toy Story, all toys are oddly resilient, they get just about everything that you would get from your basic Inorganic physiology, with some additions thanks to the toy hybrids on Sid’s behalf. In general the toys should be resistant to all sorts of diseases, poisons, and biological attacks. They also have the added self-sustenance aspect, seeing as they do not have to eat or breath. Toys also are able to survive and function even after being separated and broken apart, squashed and more, with some additional very slim toon force capabilities. Lastly, the toys also have longevity, being able to age older and older with no showings of slowing down.
Double Jump
Woody and Buzz can double jump within their games. Even inside the Toybox, he also uses this in other games in unison with his wings in order to travel longer distances.
Non-Physical Interaction
Both Woody and Buzz are able to attack the Heartless within Kingdom Hearts. They are also seen attacking ghosts within their own game.
Hammer Space
Across all of the games, Woody & Buzz are able to pull out random items like Pixar Balls from nothing, storing hundreds, occasionally thousands of them in who knows where. The Toy Story 3 video game also gives them an inventory pop-up, as you can see above.
Natural Weaponry
Woody can use his voice box pullstring as a grappling hook, and also as a means to latch onto enemies and whip them as well, like a regular cowboy rope. In the original Toy Story game, all it takes is an instant to tie up enemies with rope instantly.
Energy Projection
Within Kingdom Hearts, we see Buzz being able to shoot real lasers from his wrist blaster. This is not only limited to Kingdom Hearts however, as in Toy Story 2 the video game, we see Buzz shooting actual lasers within the real world as well.
Psuedo-Flight / Gliding
Thanks to his glider, Buzz is able to glide through the air, granted, he must already be at high enough speeds in order to achieve this.
Resistances
Poison Manipulation, Disease Manipulation, Biological Manipulation - Being toys, they simply should not be capable of being affected by any one of these abilities, as explained above in the Toy Physiology section.
Pain Manipulation - Woody is able to withstand his army being completely ripped off without any showings of feeling pain in the slightest (yes he does freak out but its because he is missing an arm, not out of pain), he is also able to fare very well with having his head and body crushed. The same goes for Buzz, who is able to withstand complete torture from the Caterpillar room.
Heat Manipulation - Both Woody and Buzz were able to survive for a longer period of time inside of a trash incinerator, which even with their distance from the flames themselves, would still be extremely hot, more so then what a human would reasonably take, granted eventually the closer they got, they would have eventually been completely incinerated. On top of this, Woody withstood a magnifying glass shining the sun onto his head, and although it hurt him quite a bit, he was perfectly fine afterwards, this heat level can vary however.
Existence Erasure, Absorption, Death Manipulation - Woody and Buzz are able to take on the Heartless, which are stated and shown to be able to actively erase others from existence by stealing their hearts, absorb them and induce death, but these are also passive capabilities the Heartless have in general.
Data Manipulation - Hearts within KH are unable to be contained by data, and the process in even attempting to calculate something as such is quite literally an impossible task.
May & Cody
Toy Physiology 2.0
After the tears of their daughter Rose turned both May and Cody into dolls, they explored the world as miniature versions of themselves. Similarly to the Toy Story duo, these guys are also toys of course! Granted, there are some key differences, toys and items within It Takes Two have not shown the same amount of resilience that Pixar toys have shown, but the key points stay the exact same. As toys, they should resist any biological attacks, diseases, and forms of poison. Outside of this, being small is the other added benefit, but also, not so beneficial? We will talk more about that later on.
Immortality / Respawning
Within the game, we see both May and Cody respawning both in and out of combat. They can respawn infinitely, and we know this is not just a game mechanic due to it being shown within cutscenes. Though, there is a drawback to this by virtue of the way it works in combat. When you fight inside the game, there is a timer or a mash sequence that you must do before you can respawn, this also means that, if both May and Cody are taken out, their respawning stops working, and they are effectively dead… Though, that is not an insane drawback, as the mashing does not take long at all, and it is still very quick similar to the normal instant respawning.
Double Jump 2.0
Just like many video games, there is not much say here outside of the fact that both May and Cody can double jump!
Cloning / After-Image Creation / Teleportation
In the clock tower, May is given the ability to create holographic clones of herself. She can use these as placeholders, and teleport to their placements on command.
Sound Manipulation
Within the final level, May is given singing powers in order to perform for a crowd. The beautiful voice she is given can be used to knock back and lift obstacles, but it can also be used to pacify evil microphone monsters until she eventually runs out of breath.
Natural Weaponry / Plant Manipulation
Once inside of the garden, Cody with his plant hair is able to grapple onto targets and use his plant powers to his advantage. He is able to sort of fuse and inherit different plant powers as well whenever he comes in contact with that. The list of plants can be found below!
Dandelion - Allows Cody to glide over short distances.
Cactus - Gives him the ability to shoot off needles that destroy enemies and obstacles in their path.
Tomato, Potato, Lime - All allow him to roll into and over enemies, dealing damage to them.
Mushroom - Turns Cody into a bouncing mushroom allowing others to reach higher areas.
Moss - Turns him into a path of moss that can move along with ground, allowing for him to mask the footsteps of May, giving increased stealth capabilities.
Flower - Turns Cody into a flower that he can grow in length and can also create leaves for May to traverse on.
Resistances
Poison Manipulation, Disease Manipulation, Biological Manipulation - Being toys, these two similarly to the others, should be completely resistant to poisons, biological attacks, and any diseases. Note, rust does not work on these two, as they are not metal in any way.
Electricity Manipulation - Can conduct and act as connections, allowing electricity to pass through broken cables. They are perfectly fine after getting zapped a little with no lasting damage at all.
Partial-Pain Manipulation - Although they do feel pain, they are perfectly fine and ignore attacks and damage done to them, like getting completely impaled by a nail through the chest, and getting up like nothing, or getting crushed by a hammer, and moving forward like nothing.
Support / Summons:
Woody & Buzz
Bullseye
Running like the wind as he was always meant to do, Bullseye is originally the loyal companion to that of Woody, but overtime he became friends to all. The two in our duo here are able to summon Bullseye and move at increased speeds when riding him. Find more about Bullseye's speed later on down!
Rex
Sometimes, you need a little bit more firepower, and what better than an absolutely massive and 100% fearless T-Rex to back you up on the field am I right? Within the Toy Story 3 DS version, inside of the tower defense gamemode the player is able to summon Rex to run through the entire map and stun any and all enemies in his path.
Dragon
The Toy Story 3 video game gives Woody & Buzz a dragon summon. Not only is it slightly faster than the two of them on their feet, but it can jump higher than both of them as well. This same dragon can also shoot fire balls across long distances, burning and knocking out enemies it hits.
May & Cody
Dr. Hakim
The world-renowned and best-selling book, Master of Love, and all the secrets it holds. Throughout the game, Hakim supports our duo through various challenges, helping them build a relationship that eventually leads to a newfound love and a desire to work through their issues together. The support he brings, although not directly involved in combat, such as fighting enemies, is still helpful, as he provides hints and the equipment they hold on certain occasions.
Spiders
Within Cody’s Garden, the two find spiders that they befriend and use in their adventure. These spiders can climb up walls and even upside down, and can shoot out webs, along with overall just being a much more efficient and quicker form of travel!
Feats:
Woody & Buzz
Overall
Both were Andy’s favorite toys.
The two escaped certain death way too many times…
Fixed their relationship and became brothers.
The leaders of their group of toys.
Power
Can send a container, Rex & Hamm flying (Approximately 3lbs; 0.2 Joules of Energy).
Can send all the toys flying (Approximately 5-10 Joules of Energy).
Both are strong enough to lift and beat all the other toys in combat.
The Lightning Rod can cause this explosion (Low End - 0.02806 Tons of TNT, Building Level, High End - 0.03634 Tons of TNT, Building Level; See Debate For Explanation).
Speed
Can somewhat keep up with toys like RC & Bullseye (See Scaling Section).
Both can react to lasers (Invalid, See Debate).
Durability
Withstood being mauled by horrible children without breaking.
Can withstand being stepped on by a full grown man.
Withstood the speed and force of a rocket.
Survived a TV falling on his head (1.45 KJ - 2.84 KJ of energy, Street Level)
May & Cody
Overall
Beat up a General Squirrel.
Quickly learned the ways inside the Toy world.
Murdered an innocent Elephant plushie.
Fixed their relationship through the art of love.
Power
Can move around and aim heavier objects like vacuum pipes
The two combined can move around a heavy dumbbell.
May can shatter multiple glass bottles at once with the hammer head.
Tore apart the Queen Cutie (Approximately 1-2 Joules of Energy).
With the squirrel tech, slowly but surely took out the giant robot wasp queen, blowing up in the end.
May performed a badass fighting game KO on the Squirrel Chief.
Speed
Can dodge attacks from squirrels (See Debate / Scaling Section).
Can outrun Moles underground and in open areas (See Debate / Scaling Section).
Durability
Shook off getting sent flying by a giant angry vacuum.
Tanked the vacuum blowing up point blank in their faces (329.8KJ of Energy - 3044.64 KJ of Energy, Wall Level At All Points, See Debate Section).
Tanked the clocktower explosion point blank (0.0117648 Tons of TNT, Small Building Level).
Scaling:
Woody & Buzz
Other Toys
Of course, there has to be scaling to other toys in Toy Story right? Time and time again these two are shown to be at the peak of the toy ranking, both in the sense of being leaders, but also simply being able to take out of the other toys, and keeping up with them more times than not. There are not many notable feats for each individually which leads us to put them all together here, so let's not waste anymore time and get straight into the feats!
Zurg withstood falling a long distance down an elevator shaft without taking damage (916 J - 978 Joules of Energy, Street Level)
Ducky and Bunny consider themselves capable of overpowering an elderly woman (Below Average Human).
RC can keep up with moving cars and a moving truck within a residential neighborhood (Approximately 20-30MPH).
Bullseye can keep up with an airplane while still on the apron (Approximately 10-20MPH).
Toy Heartless can withstand Rocket Ruckus, which is an attack, with a rocket of course (10-25 Kilojoules of Energy, Wall Level).
May & Cody
Other Toys & Beings
Throughout the game, fixing their love life, May and Cody encounter many different beings on their path. Unlike Woody and Buzz however, this is more than just other toys, they encounter animals, plant monsters, and so much more, but every single time they come out victorious against all odds, so let's check out what that gets them!
Moon Baboon took a direct rocket hit from his UFO.
As a superpowered squirrel, Chief Squirrel scales to other squirrels (About 20MPH).
Moles can move at surprisingly fast speeds, and dig at fast speeds as well, but also have extremely fast reaction and processing speeds (About 4-5MPH; About 25-85MPH in Reaction Speeds, Subsonic Level).
Weaknesses:
Woody & Buzz
Due to being made of fabric, Woody has the obvious weakness of being susceptible to fire, on a much higher extent compared to the plastic Buzz Lightyear, however, high heats are not something he is afraid of or susceptible to, just the flames. As for Buzz however, he does not have any notable weaknesses outside of having no game without his spanish mode being activated.
May & Cody
In active combat, if one of the duo is down for the count, the other has no chance at respawning. On top of this, similarly to Woody, May being a wooden doll should also be susceptible to flames on a much higher level compared to the clay made Cody. There is also the drawback to their respawning, which can be found in the respawn section itself.
Questions & answers:
Toy Story Canon
The world of Toy Story can be a little tricky to sort out, especially with all the different games and spin-offs that sometimes seem unrelated. That is exactly what we are here to clear up—at least to a certain degree. Canon in Toy Story is not always straightforward, and plenty is left open to interpretation, but we can narrow down what fits and what does not. First, let’s look at the main Toy Story games. The first two are simple enough, since they mostly retell the movies without changing much. They do not stray far enough from the films to cause any real conflict, so we can safely count them. Things get more complicated with sections that clearly take place in separate continuities. Levels where Buzz fights Zurg on alien planets, for example, belong to the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command canon rather than the toy versions of Woody and Buzz. The same goes for sequences built around Andy’s imagination or reenactments of it, such as the opening of Toy Story 3: The Video Game with Evil Dr. Porkchop. These are fun but do not reflect the toys’ actual world. Other crossover titles like Disney Infinity, Mirrorverse, or Heroes Arena also fall outside the main canon. They tend to feature Woody and Buzz without reference to their lives as toys or any explanation of how they ended up in those universes. Since there is no connective substance, they cannot really be included. On the other hand, games that lean into the toybox concept, and show off the real life aspects with nothing truly out of the ordinary, such as Toy Story Racer and the Toy Box modes can reasonably fit in. They are essentially stylized versions of playtime with the toys, which lines up with what we know from the films.
Now, let’s talk about the big one: Kingdom Hearts. At first glance, it might seem like this crossover would completely reshape how we look at Toy Story canon, but it actually does not change as much as you might expect. In the Toy Story world of Kingdom Hearts III, we see the characters struggle to understand what is happening, and eventually it is revealed that Xehanort created a copy of their real world. The original toys, including Rex and Hamm, remain in the true world, while Woody and Buzz are transported into the fake one. This detail confirms that it really is the same Woody and Buzz we know from the films, just displaced into another reality. That said, while interesting, this does not have a major impact on the larger canon and is not the focus of this discussion. On top of that, you do not have to worry about anything in terms of dimensional scaling, as it simply makes no sense for these guys to scale it. While it is Kingdom Hearts characters, and you could argue fighting the Heartless leads them to being around these levels, everything is still to scale within the world, including Sora and the others, so for this instance, nothing crazy can be used, nor should it be used at all.
Fanart & Commissions:
Art by Seb
Debate:
Part 1: Stats
Alright, let’s get this started! Starting with the obvious, the stats are extremely close here, but there are still a few key things to sort through. On the surface, it looks like the two sides are fairly even in range, but when you dig in, Woody and Buzz come out slightly ahead. Thanks to the Lightning Rod feats, they end up sitting about three times higher in raw strength and durability. Now, to be fair, this is a pretty heavy high-end showing for them. Without those feats, they would only sit around 25 kilojoules, which is much more grounded. However, there are supporting examples that help keep the Lightning Rod stuff from being a total outlier, like both of them tanking the same lightning that powered it in the first place. On the other side, May and Cody’s best feats come with their own issues as well. Their clock tower feat is impressive, but when you compare it to the vacuum explosion calculation, the numbers get shaky. The vacuum feat alone, based on its size, was already pretty extreme. The simple fact that at the highest end it was a 7 foot tall vacuum says everything by itself, and the clock tower still pushes them about sixteen times higher than that. Both sets of high ends clearly stretch things, but since each side has similar problems, it should be fine to treat them as equally valid (it also makes the debate more fun). That leaves us with both duos sitting in the Wall level range on average, with Building level showings at their highest. In short, Woody and Buzz get a slim durability and strength edge from their scaling, but it is not game breaking in the slightest.
Now onto speed, and this one is much more straightforward. The truth is, neither side has anything overwhelming here. Woody and Buzz, with help from mounts like Bullseye, consistently reach about 20 to 30 miles per hour, with the upper end coming from RC. May and Cody’s movement speed can be tied to animals like grey squirrels, which puts them in the 20 to 25 miles per hour range. So right away, you can see both sides are once again nearly identical. The one outlier here is the Mole chase sequence. Some people might want to argue subsonic reaction speeds because of the moles, but that does not really hold up. May and Cody never directly react to the moles; they are only running away from them. There is no actual indication they can match those reflexes, and even trying to scale them that way does not line up with their normal showings. It is cleaner and more consistent to just keep them in the athlete and the bare minimum of superhuman levels at their highest. That makes sense for all four characters, and avoids inflating anything unrealistically. Overall, stats are not the deciding factor in this fight, but there is a duo here with a clear advantage Both sides are evenly matched in speed, neither can blitz the other, and their endurance is roughly in the same ballpark. Though with their slight advantage in strength and durability, this section will end up going to Woody and Buzz.
Part 2: Experience, Skill, & Intelligence
Lets not waste time here, this section is going to be fairly simple and straight to the point. Out of every single combatant here, Buzz is by far the best in straight hand to hand combat at his best. We have seen him facing brain washed, hyper focused versions of himself that have the same “star command training”, easily giving him the best survivability skills and combat skills. The only person here that could stack up is May, as she was shown to have decent hands when facing the squirrel chief, but that's about it. Now with that being said, it may come as a surprise that even with that, the It Takes Two duo does end up taking experience in terms of straight combat experiences. Although their time as toys was much shorter than the 50 years Woody has had, they spent that entire time facing obscure, over the top, and difficult combat scenarios the whole time pretty much. They have simply faced a lot more high stakes combat scenarios then the Toy Story duo has, despite them living longer. Though as I said right there at the end, this is sort of evened out via the simple fact the Woody and Buzz just have way more experience in being toys, but that does not help as much, since many of those years were likely spent in a box or just being played with by Andy and other children, not fighting giant Krakens or plant monsters. So this section will go to May and Cody.
Part 3: Weapons, Powers & Support
Here we go, now we get to the big guns! When it comes to overall versatility, both sides bring a wide spread of tools, but Woody and Buzz hold a slight advantage thanks to the consistency of their ranged game. May and Cody certainly have very good and respectable options, like Cody’s shield or May’s sickle, those of course being at the bottom of the barrel compared to other things they have. Their squirrel tech combo is always a trustworthy tool which we will get into later on, but they also have Cody’s plant powers, the cosmic inflation belt, his ice wizard powers and more, but Woody and Buzz can keep pressure on them from a distance much more reliably. Buzz’s laser alone gives constant chip potential, and when paired with heavier hitters like their rockets, their energy fields that can block incoming projectiles, or just a magic 8 ball for example, the toy story duo can force May and Cody to keep playing catch-up. A good example of this is the Luxo Balls, which can bounce May and Cody around the field and leave them wide open for follow-up attacks. The UFO gun only makes this worse, acting as a constant threat they have to respect. Meanwhile, May and Cody simply lack that same level of control in their arsenal. They are forced to rely on closing the distance or setting up specific combos, while Woody and Buzz can keep layering danger from every angle.
Of course, both teams also have access to powerful fire-based options, and this makes for one of the deadliest exchanges between them. Woody and Buzz can summon the dragon, whose fire breath is strong enough to badly burn May if she is caught off guard. On the other side, May and Cody’s Tree Sap Blaster, May’s DrillBazzer X200 matchstick gun, and her flaming sword provide equally dangerous tools for setting Woody ablaze. With both sides having credible firepower, this part of the matchup is a double-edged sword that punishes the first slip-up. Though, this is a pretty dangerous issue for Woody more than it is for May if we take out the dragon. While he is on the dragon, he should be more or less on the same level of risk, simply by virtue of having better mobility and the fact that he can still be shot, but by himself without any mounts or anything, he is in for a rough night. To put it simply, the fire options here are more consistent for May and Cody than the dragon. Woody does have means to stay away though, so this is not a 100% solid wincondition, as summons like Rex, or the UFO, and the tower defense builds are also constantly holding the It Takes Two Duo back. Regardless of that, this is not where our two lovers pull ahead so there is no need to worry, that of course comes with their key to survival.
Immortality and resurrection is where May and Cody shine brightest. Even though their respawning is slowed while actively in combat, and they can be permanently taken out if both fall at the same time, it still forces Woody and Buzz to put in extra work to finish them off. It is an incredibly strong defensive layer, and in most fights it would be enough to swing things heavily in their favor. However, the effectiveness of this ability comes into question once Woody and Buzz’s more specialized weapons come into play. They just so happen to have something more or less perfect to counter this immortality, but once again, that's not to say this is not an extremely good advantage.
Now, we can actually get to the big guns, the main conditions for both sides of this story. It comes to nobody's surprise that the lightning rod capable of removing and capturing your spirit, is of course a main wincon for Woody and Buzz. As you have seen in the weapons section, it has been shown to rip out the spirits of other toys and even ghosts, trapping them inside the rod until further use. While basic blasts and flames could be nullified by virtue of respawning over and over again, the Lightning Rod directly interferes with that process since it does not kill its target when using those effects. If their spirits are stolen and locked away, there is nothing left to return, and their immortality becomes meaningless. This weapon alone poses a critical threat to them in ways that nothing else in their arsenal can fully prevent. That said, May and Cody do have a powerful answer of their own: the Stopwatch. With it, Cody can hold Woody or Buzz completely still, or even rewind their time without much need for precision aiming. This creates a huge opening and is by far one of their best win conditions. May’s singing powers also add another layer, as we have seen her use them to pacify microphone monsters, which suggests the potential to subdue Woody and Buzz temporarily. Though I will say, there is little substance showing that her songs would reliably affect them, and even if they did, the effect would not last very long. The Stopwatch is the real danger here, as it offers a direct way to disable one of the toys without giving them a chance to fight back.
Now with that all that being said, we do need a winner, and the real difference maker comes down to how both sides maintain their weapons. May and Cody have to actively focus to keep their gear and abilities going, while Woody and Buzz do not face that same limitation. They can freely switch between their strongest tools without breaking concentration, while leaving others actively powered on, and both carry multiple copies of their most dangerous weapons. This means that even if the Stopwatch manages to lock one of them down, or May’s singing does manage to stall one for a moment, the other is still free to act. Even in the case that Cody has Buzz in time lock for example, and May has Woody in a trance, one of them is eventually going to get out, otherwise May and Cody will simply be stuck there holding them and this would be a stalemate. Now with both Woody and Buzz having access to just about all of their different pieces of equipment, I think we all know where this is headed. At that point, it only takes one strike from the Lightning Rod on Cody, the wielder of the Stopwatch, to completely turn the tables. Now with all that being said, we have covered every necessary facet of this matchup, and I believe we are ready to get into the final verdict!
Summary:
Woody & Buzz
“Not today Zurg! (pretend it says May and Cody)”
Advantages:
Slightly stronger and more durable.
Buzz is more “trained” and skilled at combat than any of the participants.
Much more experience with actually being toys.
Have multiple of their best weapons.
The Lightning Rods spirit stealing should work against immortality.
Better ranged options overall and Luxo balls should disorientate May and Cody.
The Dragon should be able to burn up May badly.
Both are taller by at least 2 inches.
Equal:
Speed is just about equal.
Disadvantages:
Less experienced in straight combat.
Have no counter to the stopwatch time manipulation.
But the lightning itself would not deal damage…
Woody can be burnt by fire sword and gun combo.
Have no counter to the Stopwatch.
May & Cody
Advantages:
Much more combat focused and have faced harder opponents.
Better mobility options overall with and without mounts.
Immortality is extremely strong even with combat limitations.
The Stopwatch can hold Woody or Buzz in a timelock indefinitely.
The Cosmic Inflation Belt could potentially grant Cody a slight strength advantage.
May’s singing could potentially set one of them in a trance.
Should be able to burn Woody badly with the flame sword and squirrel tech combo.
Equal:
Speed is just about equal.
Disadvantages:
Slightly weaker and less durable.
Less experienced at being toys.
Worse ranged options, Luxo Balls can knock them around.
But the Lightning Rod spirit stealing could counter it.
May could be burned by the fire breathing dragon.
Both only have 4 fingers.
Shorter…
To be quite frank, I was not expecting this to be as close as expected. Both sides had very strong pieces of equipment, and powers that could assist them in every situation, but one side just ended up having just what they needed to pull through. With the stats not really mattering as much as one would expect, this all came down to powers and equipment. May and Cody put up a formidable fight, and could definitely take the win if they were to play their cards right, but the Toy Story duo’s problem solving skills, access to multiple weapons, and perfect counter to immortality lead to the downfall of the two. It looks like in this story, love couldn't quite heal May and Cody from this battle…
The winner is,
Woody & Buzz
Media & References:
Woody & Buzz
Toy Story
Toy Story 2
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 4
Toy Story of Terror!
Toy Story That Time Forgot
Lamp Life
Toy Story Treats
Buzz Lightyear: Mission Logs
Toy Story Toons
Forky Asks a Question
Toy Story: The Video Game
Toy Story 2: The Video Game
Toy Story 3: The Video Game
Toy Story Mania!
Toy Story Racer
Toy Story: Animated Storybook
Park Attractions
May & Cody
Wrap-up & NEXT TIME
Well that was fun! To be completely honest, this matchup means a lot to me and I mayyyy or may not have cried while writing the background for Woody and Buzz, but we don’t have to get into that. There were some complications, we had to switch up priority blogs 3 times due to different circumstances, but out of the blogs we switched, I can confirm that Magik vs Karlach is still going to be happening, it was simply bad timing to go through with it completely. Though like I said, it will come out eventually, so look forward to it! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this blog, and I think the next time will be a treat to everyone who reads it as well, so without further ado, lets take a look at what's next (this might be stupid but we will see)!
I AM SO FUCKING HYPED FOR THE NEXT TIME DUDE, FUCK YES!!!!
ReplyDeleteHoly crap balls, this might be the best blog I've EVER read. If you keep this quality going, I'll gladly read your next blogs to come.
ReplyDeleteThis was increible. Love it.
ReplyDelete