Nightwing vs. Daredevil: Who Wins the Fight & How?

Nightwing and Daredevil, two vigilantes, one from Gotham and the other from Hell’s Kitchen. Both are considered among some of the most skilled and formidable fighters among superheroes and with more similarities than it seems at first. Former Robin and Batman’s protegee against the Man Without Fear, a blind lawyer by day and a vigilante by night. I don’t know about you, but I would pay to see that fight. But, just to make sure who would be a better option to bet on, let’s see who would potentially win a fight between Nightwing and Daredevil.

Daredevil would win in a fight against Nightwing. He is one of the best martial artists among superheroes, and he possesses enhanced senses. Nighwing’s fighting style is similar to Daredevil’s and he has fewer weaknesses than Daredevil, but overall, Matt would win thanks to his combat skills and senses being more fine-tuned.

This decision was made based on several factors. Further in the article, I have compared these two regarding their combat skills, strength and abilities, and finally their weaknesses. So, keep reading if you want to find out more about it.

Combat skills

Anyone who is even slightly informed about these two characters knows that their combat skills are on point. However, there can only be one on the winner’s throne, so let’s see how they compare regarding their combat skills.

Nightwing is an expert in martial arts such as boxing, capoeira, Eskrima, and Taekwondo. This does not come as surprise considering that throughout his career, he has learned from some of the most skilled fighters in the DC universe. Even before officially becoming Robin, and later Nightwing, Dick Grayson was trained by Batman to become the best he could be and to assist him in fighting Gotham’s villains.

Besides Batman, he studied martial arts from others like Richard Dragon and many other skilled fighters. In addition to exceptional martial arts skills, Nightwing is also very adept at using weapons, both melee and firearms. He is no stranger to handling knives, swords, and guns, and it’s worth mentioning that even the great Ra’s Al Ghul lost to him in a sword fight. Nightwing’s weapon of choice is Escrima Sticks.

Now, by demonstrating Daredevil’s combat skills, you will get a better understanding of why I find these two characters more similar than it seems at first. Just like Nightwing, Daredevil also possesses exceptional skills in martial arts. From a young age, he looked up to his father and perfected himself in boxing, and then, under Stick’s guidance he was trained in ninja arts and has the knowledge of Chaste, and that was something even Nick Fury was impressed with.

Matt is considered to be a versatile fighter regarding martial arts since he has a mixture of Boxing with Ninjutsu, Jiu-jitsu, Aiki-Jujutsu, Savate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, Judo, Krav Maga, Silat, Karate, Capoeira, Eskrima, Aikido, and Greco-Roman Wrestling under his repertoire of fighting styles. However, what makes him an even more formidable opponent is the fact that Stick taught him how to combine all of his fighting styles with stealth and the usage of pressure points on his opponent’s body causing instant paralysis or even potential death.

His combat skills are so fine-tuned and crafted that he is considered to be one of the best martial artists in the Marvel Universe, and that was proved many times as he fought the likes of Black Panther, Wolverine, Captain America, and Deadpool, where he managed to go toe-to-toe with them.

So, as far as combat skills go, I think it is fair to conclude that Daredevil has the advantage here, even though Nightwing would not go down without providing a close fight.

Points: Nightwing (0:1) Daredevil

Strength and Abilities

Nightwing was a circus performer in his early days, where he performed acrobatic acts alongside his parents. Thanks to this, he developed exceptional acrobatic skills and significant physical strength. Dick is strong enough to lift a man with one hand and break down a concrete wall by pushing that same man against it. In terms of speed comparison, he is allegedly faster than Batman. Although that might not be the most relevant comparison, it’s interesting to note.

What speaks to his speed is that he matched a Metahuman’s speed in combat, which is impressive. What one might initially think is Daredevil’s advantage is not necessarily so. Like Daredevil, Nightwing also possesses the skills to move with a blindfold on, or in other words, without seeing.

Training with Batman also enabled him to dodge bullets while blindfolded. In addition to being skilled in combat, fast, and agile, Dick is also an exceptional hacker and knows how to intimidate his enemies. The fact that he managed to scare Scarecrow, who uses fear as his main weapon, speaks for itself.

Regarding Matt’s strengths and abilities, the first things that must be said are that he possesses some enhanced attributes. Nick Fury’s intel classifies Matt as power level 7, and that is due to the radioactive isotope that enhanced his abilities but also blinded him in the process.

Just like Nightwing, Matt is at the peak of his physical strength and speed. He can easily lift a man and throw him and use a 400-pound barbell as a weapon. He is incredibly fast, and it is estimated that he is faster than Olympic athletes. His reflexes are also enhanced as he can dodge bullets and catch a say thrown by Bullseye.

Daredevil is blind, but he compensates for it with his other senses being so developed and enhanced that he has an even better understanding of his surroundings than a person with healthy eyesight. His smell and hearing are so enhanced that he can hear other people’s heartbeats and whispers while also detecting whether they are lying by using his senses. Also, Matt is often called the Man Without Fear, and that is because he shows a detached ability to fear and emotions.

So, everything mentioned taken into account, we can conclude that Nightwing is strong, fast, and has some abilities that make him a fierce opponent like intimidating his opponents. However, Daredevil possesses all the abilities and powers that Dick does, and even more. And I am afraid that Nightwing’s intimidation skills would be of little use against Daredevil.

Points: Nightwing (0:2)Daredevil

Weaknesses

Up to this point, it was demonstrated that this fight would most likely go to Daredevil’s corner. But things are never as simple as they seem, and to prove that, we need to take a look into these guys’ weaknesses and see if there is anything that Nightwing can use to his advantage. Spoiler-yes there is.

Nightwing possesses almost all of his abilities at the peak of human capabilities and even slightly more, so it is hard to determine his weakness. It is easier to conclude what he lacks in comparison to Daredevil; that is the inability to sense and be aware of his surroundings on a level Matt can.

On the other hand, Daredevil’s main weakness is his blindness. Even though he compensates for this rather well, with his other senses being extraordinarily developed, the problem occurs when he becomes overstimulated or can not detect the object’s temperature. Matt’s senses are vulnerable to odors and extensive noise. He can get disoriented and overwhelmed by them, leaving him with no high-functioning senses to rely on. He also can’t detect attacks he can’t hear. While immersed in water, his senses are also pretty much useless.

So, I believe that while reading this, you got the picture of several methods that Nightwing could use to bring Daredevil to a state where his senses become vulnerable and eventually where Daredevil is vulnerable and beatable.

Points: Nightwing (1:2)Daredevil

Daredevil vs. Nightwing: Who wins?

Daredevil and Nightwing have similar fighting styles, and those kinds of comparisons are never easy to make, but based on everything presented in this article, I lean toward Daredevil to win the fight against Nightwing. Daredevil is a slightly more skilled martial artist with enhanced senses than Nightwing. However, Daredevil’s blindness and his senses being vulnerable to outside conditions make him beatable if Nightwing knows how to exploit that. Considering his intelligence, I am sure he would know how to exploit Matt’s weaknesses. But, the points are on Daredevil’s side without speculation, so Matt wins this one.