Hummingbirds and swifts are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air and flying backwards and upside down. They are known for their speed, agility, and specialized beaks that allow them to feed on flower nectar. The broad-billed hummingbird holds the record for the fastest metabolism of any vertebrate and flaps its wings up to 80 times per second. But how does the hummingbird compare to Ganta – a fictional character from the manga and anime series Deadman Wonderland?
Ganta’s Abilities
Ganta Igarashi is the main protagonist of Deadman Wonderland. After being framed for murdering his entire middle school class, he is sentenced to death and sent to the bizarre prison theme park known as Deadman Wonderland. Here, Ganta discovers he has a mysterious ability called the “Branch of Sin” which allows him to control his blood as a weapon. When activated, a red crystalline structure emerges from Ganta’s hand which he can break off and shoot as projectiles. He initially struggles to control this power but eventually masters it. Ganta can alter the shape, speed, and angle of his blood shots and shoot them with pinpoint accuracy. With enough focus, he can penetrate steel plates and concrete walls. He can also rapidly fire a spread of blood bullets or charge up larger, more destructive blasts. Thanks to his Branch of Sin, Ganta possesses superior offensive capabilities compared to a regular human.
Hummingbird Capabilities
Hummingbirds have astounding natural abilities optimized for hover-feeding on flower nectar. Their tiny size, lightweight skeletons, and wings that can beat up to 200 times per second enable them to precisely maintain position while drinking from flowers. Here are some key features that allow hummingbirds to hover and fly with great agility:
- High metabolism – Hummingbirds have very fast metabolic rates to support the energy demands of flying. Their hearts can beat up to 1,260 times per minute.
- Rotating wings – Hummingbird wings are able to rotate at the shoulder to produce both lift and thrust on both the upstroke and downstroke.
- Lightweight – Weighing only 2-20 grams, their small bodies are ideal for maximizing aerial agility.
- Maneuverability – They can fly upside down, backwards, sideways, and rapidly change direction.
- Speed – Hummingbirds can reach speeds over 30 mph in courtship dives.
With these adaptations, hummingbirds possess incredible speed, precision, and mobility in flight to claim their niche as specialized nectar feeders.
Offensive Capabilities
When comparing the offensive capabilities of Ganta to a hummingbird, Ganta clearly dominates in raw firepower and his ability to weaponize his blood. Hummingbirds have no natural weapons and their beaks are for feeding only. While their nimble flight helps them evade predators, they cannot directly attack threats like Ganta can by firing deadly blood projectiles. With his Branch of Sin, Ganta can unleash barrages of blood bullets and sharpened blood shards capable of piercing solid steel. He can snipe targets from a distance or unleash close-range blasts. A hummingbird has no means to counter such a lethal offensive ability. Its only option would be to attempt to avoid the attacks with evasive flight patterns, but Ganta’s accuracy would make that difficult. The match up is akin to putting a fighter jet up against an unarmed civilian aircraft. One has all the firepower and the other none.
Advantage: Ganta
Speed
In terms of flight speed and maneuverability, hummingbirds have the edge over Ganta. The Anna’s hummingbird can reach 61 mph in a dive bomb, and the bee hummingbird only weighs 2 grams allowing it to perform rapid mid-air U-turns. Ganta is confined to running on his feet. While he has enhanced agility thanks to his Branch of Sin, he cannot match the 0-60 mph acceleration and complex aerial movements of a hummingbird. With its ability to hover in place, fly backwards, upside down, and rapidly change direction, a hummingbird far exceeds Ganta in overall mobility and speed. Its only limitation is stamina as the constant hovering and acceleration places huge demands on its metabolism. In a contest of pure speed and evasion, a hummingbird leaves Ganta in the dust.
Advantage: Hummingbird
Durability
When it comes to durability and resilience, Ganta possesses the stronger frame and stamina. Hummingbirds are incredibly fragile with hollow, lightweight bones and small organs. They can be killed by eating even a small amount of sand or dirt. Their wings are so delicate that rain and hail can damage their ability to fly. In contrast, Ganta has survived brutal beatings, deep lacerations, falls from heights, and even a sword stabbing completely through his hand. His Branch of Sin affords him some protection by sealing wounds with crystallized blood. While he cannot fly, Ganta does have great stamina to keep running and fighting despite injuries that would cripple or kill a hummingbird.
Advantage: Ganta
Senses
Hummingbirds have greater sensory capabilities suited to their lifestyle. With vision that sees into the ultraviolet spectrum, they can find nectar sources human eyes would miss. Their eyes have evolved to detect the slight movements of flowers in the breeze. Their sense of smell helps them locate bountiful flowers. A hummingbird’s sense of hearing is also acute enough to hear insect prey moving within flowers. Ganta’s human senses are inferior overall. His Branch of Sin blood sensing helps compensate but does not match the full spectrum of enhanced senses in hummingbirds tailored towards seeking out nectar and avoiding predators.
Advantage: Hummingbird
Stealth and Camouflage
A hummingbird’s diminutive size and coloration provides effective camouflage in flowers and foliage, hiding them from potential threats. Their ability to precisely hover in place for prolonged periods allows them to go undetected by prey like spiders and insects. Ganta’s larger frame has no natural camouflage. His bright orange Deadman Wonderland prison uniform is visually conspicuous. While he has some stealth capability when needed, a hummingbird’s smaller profile and coloration better blends into the environmental background noises and movement. With its greater sense of hearing, a hummingbird is also more alert to prey sound and movement.
Advantage: Hummingbird
Intelligence
Ganta possesses far greater reasoning, strategic thinking, and observational intelligence compared to a hummingbird. With a human-level intellect augmented by his Deadman Wonderland experiences, he can analyze opponents’ abilities to exploit weaknesses and improvise creative solutions. Hummingbirds operate almost entirely on instinct and lack advanced cognitive processes. Their brains are optimized for visual, olfactory, and spatial processing related to navigation and feeding. But they have limited memory, reasoning skills, and general knowledge. In a battle of wits, Ganta could easily outmaneuver a hummingbird.
Advantage: Ganta
Conclusion
In a hypothetical battle between Ganta and a hummingbird, Ganta has decisive advantages in offensive capabilities, durability, and intelligence while the hummingbird exceeds in speed, senses, and stealth. Overall, Ganta’s Branch of Sin blood weaponry and human-level strategic thinking gives him greater combat potential. While a hummingbird can swiftly evade his attacks, it lacks the firepower and durability to pose a serious threat. Ganta also has greater stamina in a prolonged battle. A hummingbird may be able to briefly disorient Ganta with its agility and senses, but it cannot really hurt him. With his projectile blood attacks, Ganta could quickly ground the hummingbird. His final edge is improvisational skills and tactics to track and trap the evasive hummingbird. The winner of this fictional match up is Ganta.
