A dusty arena; a five-foot-tall, 430-pound, dominant silverback gorilla; and 100 young, healthy men. I know what you’re thinking: who would win? Two talented Eagle’s Eye writers are here to convince you of the rightful winner. 

Mars

Humans have the clear advantage in this fight, considering both our intelligence and endurance. First, our intelligence is unparalleled in the natural world. Our ability to transfer information through word-of-mouth, strategize, and work together is no match for the gorilla’s strength. All 100 humans can communicate with each other before and during the fight, meaning that their strategy can adapt mid-fight if needed. Humans’ endurance also greatly outpaces that of a gorilla. Due, in part, to our bare skin that allows us to sweat easily, we could easily outlast a gorilla, considering that it is covered in hair. Past that, we must consider the “indomitable human spirit,” characterized by humans’ unconquerable nature and ability to persevere in the face of extreme adversity. For instance, motivational speaker and retired Navy SEAL David Goggins’ non-stop 39-hour run and the 6,000+ humans to summit Mt. Everest are feats of absolute human strength and perseverance that are unique to us. The one hundred men have higher physical and mental endurance, compelling them to continue fighting until their last breath. 

Additionally, one gorilla is simply not equipped to fight one hundred men. Your average silverback gorilla stands at just five feet tall—a staggering seven inches shorter than the average human male. These creatures are also herbivores, and they rarely fight in the wild. Some people assume that the gorilla would automatically begin killing humans as soon as the fight started, but in reality, it would likely be frightened and overwhelmed by the mass crowd of men.

Overall, the humans’ strategy should be to overwhelm and tire out the gorilla. Run circles around it, jump on top of it, chase it, run from it, whatever is necessary to waste its energy. The gorilla would simply not be able to fight 100 humans at the same time and would eventually become fatigued, giving humans the chance to win the fight.

Elise

A mass of muscle and primal strength, silverback gorillas are the best of their species and are perfectly situated to defeat 100 men. Men and gorillas have essentially the same response to attacks. Your average man is not prepared for the strategy needed to defeat a gorilla. In the past, cavemen might have defeated mammoths or buffalo, but now our modern evolved man listens to Clairo and has a mustache. Humans might be able to strategize, but gorillas have the learned instincts of protecting their family and territory in the wild. Humans’ innate violent instincts are a vestige of their primate past. To rely on this so-called unique strength and motivation is denying the origins of the “human spirit,” which first came to be in the gorilla species. You don’t need to know the name of the brain stem to know a blow to the back of the head is deadly; your standard silverback has learned that through experience. In the wild, silverbacks obtain their dominance through a battle against the previous dominant silverback.

Gorillas are estimated to be capable of lifting ten times their body weight, and further are said to be stronger than 20 men combined. Their short stature does not hold them back from their intense muscular ability. It is physically impossible for 100 men to be on a gorilla at the same time, so when the men are forced to attack in waves, their collective strength will be futile. 

MARS REBUTTAL

A silverback gorilla is just a glorified strongman. I do concede that some humans will be injured or even die because the gorilla would, no doubt, be able to punch or hit a human so hard that it would cause death. However, gorillas are peaceful by nature, and they rarely fight throughout their lives, so they are not prepared to sustain this level of violence. Even when gorillas do fight, they do so rarely, and only against one other gorilla, not 100 men. I believe that even if the humans were completely unorganized, they could still win. If they do organize, whether they line up one-by-one or swarm the gorilla, it would still be impossible for the gorilla to win this fight because it would lose energy too quickly. 

ELISE REBUTTAL 

Human intelligence is redundant on the battlefield. The critical thinking and problem-solving unique to humanity are simply no match for the physical strength and instincts gorillas rely on daily. Your average man has less experience and knowledge of hand-to-hand combat than a gorilla that fights to survive throughout its entire life. And may it be said, although the gorilla might only be five feet tall, let us all remember that height has never stopped greatness. Bruno Mars gave us “24k Magic” at five-foot-five and Danny Devito brought the Lorax to life at four-foot-ten. If I, Elise Kohli, were a dominant silverback gorilla and I was told I must fight 100 men to the death, my adrenaline would spike. Harnessing this force, I could easily crush the men who I am far stronger than. BANG.