Leonidas

"THIS IS SPARTA!"

- Leonidas

Leonidas battled Master Chief in Master Chief vs Leonidas. He was portrayed by Jesse Wellens and voiced by EpicLLOYD.

Information on the rapper
Leonidas I (Greek: Λεωνιδας Α; ca. 540 BCE – 480 BCE), also known as Leonidas the Brave, was a hero-king of Sparta. He is famous for his leadership in the battle of Thermopylae during the invasion of Greece by the Persians.

Myth
Leonidas is said to have met the great and vast armies of Persia at Thermopylae Pass, where he sent 4,000 regular soldiers (hoplites) and 300 elite soldiers to fight. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that the Persian Army had around seven million soldiers which "drank entire rivers empty". Packed tightly between the high cliffs of the pass, the Spartans held their position and were successful under unrelenting pressure from the Persians. However, a double-agent posing as a Spartan warrior is said to have passed Leonidas' battle plans to the Persians, allowing them to overtake the Spartans. Leonidas fell in this final stand, and died a great hero's death.

History
Although sources disagree, modern historians believe the Spartans and Athenians had around 7,000 soldiers and the Persians around 300,000 soldiers. As the myth became popular, these numbers may have been manipulated to emphasize the heroism of Leonidas and his men.

In popular culture
The story of this battle has been adapted many times, but the best known is the semi-fictional portrayal by actor Gerard Butler in the movie 300, based on a comic series of the same name. The film's most famous scene involves Leonidas meeting with a Persian messenger over terms of surrender; Leonidas adamantly refuses and holds the Persian at swordpoint, to which the Persian replies, "This is blasphemy! This is madness!", and Leonidas fires the retort, "Madness?! THIS... IS... SPARTA!!", kicking him into Sparta's Pit of Death. The scene is the subject of internet memes that include video remixes of the scene itself. Leonidas' physical appearance and voice are also mostly based on the movie's depiction of him, rather than on historical descriptions, as it is more recognizable.

ERBoH Bio
This. Is. MY BIOOOOO!!! I am the Great King Leonidas. Hero-king of Sparta, the 17th of the Agiad line, son of King Anaxandridas II. You can come at me with black powder bombs, war-beasts and arrows that blot out the sun, but dying in battle is the greatest honor, so bring it on! Although, to be honest, I probably could have done things differently. Could I have been nicer to Ephialtes the hunchback so he didn't turn on me and ruin my plan to defeat Xerxes? Sure, but that's not really my style. I'm more of a "kick-a-guy-in-a-hole-to-start-a-war" sort of guy. Could I have worn a bit more armor? Yeah, but then nobody could see my sexy abs while they're trying to kill me. I just hope my son, Pleistarchus, can avenge me and live through his battles.

Verse 1:
Spartans! Let's start this!

Show this petty officer who's the hardest!

The biggest mistake that you've ever made!

I'll toss you like a frag grenade!

I'll stomp you in the face with my sandals enraged,

And tonight, we shall rhyme in the shade!

Your puny fans are fat nerds on computers,

Jerking off to games, giving themselves first person shooters!

Your armor's hard, but my abs are harder!

You're in my hood now, Chief! THIS IS SPARTA!

Verse 2:
Ha! I've had better battles with my six-year-old son!

I don't need firepower when I'm rocking these guns!

I'm king! You sleep in a freezer in outer space!

I'd look you in the eyes, but you're too much of a bitch to show your face!

Trivia

 * Leonidas, his wife, and his son are the first, second, and third Greek characters to appear in a battle. Cleopatra is the fourth, having descended from Ptolemy.
 * Leonidas is the first rapper whose actor didn't rap but was dubbed over. He was followed by Nikola Tesla, played by Dante Cimadamore but dubbed over by Nice Peter (with vocal help of Dante), and Boba Fett, played by Atul Singh and Brian Neunhoffer but voiced by Ray William Johnson.
 * In the beginning of Hitler vs Vader 3, Leonidas can be seen flying in a ship along with the Fourth Doctor and Macho Man.
 * He is the first real-life historical character based on a film version of his character (in his case, the 2006 film 300), followed by Cleopatra, Moses, Joan of Arc, William Wallace, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.