Grizzly BearvsHippopotamus

Standard rules

Healthy adults · Neutral terrain · No escape · Incapacitation

Healthy adultsNeutral terrainNo escapeIncapacitation

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Verdict locked

Make Your Pick

Choose first. Our matchup-specific verdict and full breakdown unlock immediately.

Spoiler-free matchup brief

What decides this fight?

These ratings frame the pressure points without declaring a winner. Powers, counters, equipment and actual win conditions still decide the editorial call.

Grizzly Bear

Clearest edge: Intelligence

50 to 25 — the largest ratings advantage on this side.

Hippopotamus

Clearest edge: Durability

82 to 80 — the largest ratings advantage on this side.

Closest battleground

Strength

90 to 88 — the category least separated before matchup-specific counters are applied.

Grizzly Bear

Ratings
not the verdict

Hippopotamus

Strength

Speed

Intelligence

Durability

Combat

Power

Overall

Ratings describe broad attributes. The verdict also weighs counters, resistances, range, equipment and win conditions.

The deciding call

Why Hippopotamus gets the edge

The hippo wins through sheer size and weaponry advantage. The grizzly is a magnificent predator, but it's simply outclassed by an animal that weighs four times as much and can bite through the bear's entire body.

Read the full battle breakdown

Matchup context, every pressure point and the strongest counter-case.

Matchup context

The grizzly bear is one of the most formidable land predators on Earth, but the hippopotamus is in a completely different weight class — literally. At 3,000-4,000 pounds, the hippo outweighs the largest grizzly by 3-4x.

Battle factor 01

The hippo's jaws are its primary weapon, and they're terrifying. Opening to 180 degrees with 1,800 PSI of force behind 20-inch canine teeth, a hippo can sever a crocodile in half. The grizzly's claws, while devastating against normal prey, would struggle to penetrate the hippo's 2-inch-thick hide.

Battle factor 02

The grizzly's advantages — speed, agility, claws, predator instinct — are all real but insufficient against something this large and this armored. It's like a middleweight fighter with brass knuckles against a rhinoceros.

Strongest case for each side

The case for

Grizzly Bear

The grizzly is faster and more agile with sharp claws and a powerful bite. As a predator, it has superior combat instincts and could target the hippo's eyes, ears, or other vulnerable areas. The bear's ability to fight on hind legs gives it a height advantage for attacking downward.

The case for

Hippopotamus

The hippo is 3-4 times heavier with natural body armor and the most devastating jaws of any land animal. Its aggressive temperament means it won't be intimidated by the bear's size. In any body of water, the hippo's advantage becomes even more extreme — hippos are essentially amphibious tanks.

Editorial breakdown