The Deadliest Warriors Throughout History

For as long as there have been humans, there has been conflict. You don’t need a private investigator to realize that we are, in general, a combative species. Throughout all of human history we have seen some amazing, bloody, and deadly battles. Today we are looking at 27 of the deadliest warriors to ever grace a battlefield.

Marcus Cassius Scaeva

Yeah, his name isn’t going to ring a bell and it sounds like you should have found it on one of those medical web sites. Still, Marcus Cassius Scaeva is considered one of the toughest, raddest Romans of all time. Scaeav was shot in the eye a battle between Julius Caesar and the Gnaeus Pompey army. He pulled the arrow out, yelled a battle cry, and kept fighting. Yeah, you’ll find different health information nowadays when it comes to treating an eye wound.

Alaric the Visigoth

Alaric is the Visigoth King who sacked Rome — that alone earns him an honor on our list. He was considered a ‘Master of Soldiers’ and rarely ever found himself overmatched in battle. Only Mother Nature could slow down this brutal warrior.

Dipprasad Pun

If you want to talk about a war hero who lived up to the deadly moniker, look nowhere else but here. Dipprasad Pun’s story is legendary. Pun defended a checkpoint in Babaji from the Taliban, singlehandedly, from the Taliban — killing 30 enemy soldiers in the process. He fired 400 shots, threw 17 grenades, exploded a grenade and even the handle of his turret to beat back enemy combatants. He also survived.

Alcibiades

Not only was Alcibiades a skilled politician but he was also a military genius with extreme skill on the battle field. He was an Athenian warrior who fought so magnificently that even his enemies would offer up their daughters for marriage.

Nai Khanom Tom

Have you ever heard of ‘Boxers Day’? Well, thank Nai Khanom Tom. Thailand had fallen to Burmese troops and Nai Khanom Tom was imprisoned, along with many others. Khanom was forced to fight in a ring for the amusement of his new captors. He ended up beating 10 men in hand to hand combat in a row. He was freed on the spot, granted wives, and ‘Boxers Day’ was created in his honor.

Flamma

Otherwise known as ‘The Flame’, Flamma was a Roman gladiator who won his freedom four different times. He never accepted and instead stayed as a Gladiator so he could keep fighting and killing people.

Miyamota Musashi

sMusashi is the most famous swordsman that Japan has ever seen. He began dueling at age 13 and he would fight, and win, 60 duels throughout his life. He wrote books on strategy and philosophy as well. Musashi has even influenced health information used in Japan thanks to his writing. The public health of his enemies, however, was not so great.

Simo Hayha

Simo Hayha is the most successful sniper ever. He was known as ‘White Death’ thanks to his uniform and bizarre white mask that he would wear. Hayha clocked 505 confirmed kills as a sniper with 200 more on his submachine gun. Hayha died of old age in 2002.

Vercingetorix

One of France’s earliest national heroes, Vercingetorix pulled together Celtic tribes to fight in unity against the invading Romans. He was a bloodthirsty warrior with a politicians tongue though Vercingetorix was eventually curbed by the Roman army.

Carlos Norman Hathcock

You can just call him Gunny. Sgt Hathcock racked up 90 confirmed kills while serving in Vietnam. He was a sniper that was so successful that a bounty was laid on his head. Hathcock would put down every enemy that ever crossed his path — racking up closer to 300 kills, though only 90 could be confirmed.

Pyrrhus of Epirus

King of the Greek Molossians, Pyyrhus was the man to make Roman quiver. Pyrrhus was repeatedly able to beat back the venerable Roman Legions and he was considered the best general to ever live. Pyrrhus was murdered while in Argos by a traitor to the Romans — a young woman.

Saigo Takamori

Saigo Takamori is most well known for leading 40,000 Samurai up against over 300,000 Imperial troops during the Battle of Shiroyama. He was integral in finding victory during the Boshin War, taking Edo Castle away from Katsu Kaishu.

Xiahou Dun

Dun was completely insane but he was so capable that he was accepted for who he was. Xiahou Dun served for Cao Cao, a warlord during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Dun had been shot in the eye during a battle in the 190s. He pulled out the arrow and ate the eyeball off of the other end and kept on fighting. He was thereafter known as the ‘One Eyed Warrior’.

Audie Leon Murphy

Have you ever seen the film Fury — it’s based off of Murphy’s real exploits. Audie Leon Murphy served during WWII and it was there that he would actually hold back an entire company of German soldiers at the Colmar Pocket — by himself. He was awarded the Medal of Honor and various awards for heroism from other Allied troops.

Aristodemus

You know him by the name Dilios, the character based off of Aristodemus in the film 300. In real life Aristodemus was so shamed by fleeing during the infamous ‘300’ stand that he would spend his whole life making it right. Aristodemus led a charge at Plataea that was so brave and reckless that he was forever remembered by the Spartans as a noble warrior.

Attila the Hun

When your name is synonymous with death, you get a spot on our list. Attila the Hun may not have been a ‘good dude’ but he was easily one of the most violent and deadly rules of all time. He was known for his wild eyes and gigantic sword that he claimed to have been forged by Ares himself.

Yue Fei

Yue Fei served in 126 different battles throughout Central China and he never saw defeat. Fei went from a private to the Overall Commander of the entire Imperial Forces during his career. He was an amazing swordsman, a talented martial artist, and a poet — making him a national treasure.

Michael Wittmann

Despite being a Nazi, we still have to give Wittmann a spot on our list. During World War II he was responsible for destroying 138 tanks as well as 132 anti-tanks. His most famous moment came in the Battle of Villers-Bocage where Wittmann would destroy 15 carriers, 14 tanks, and two anti tank weapons in the span of 15 minutes.

Galvarino

Galvarino is essentially a Mapuche superhero only he liked to stab his enemies a lot. Galvrino was captured by the Spanish and his hands were cut off. He didn’t mutter a single cry. After he was released he continued fighting for Chile by strapping knives to his arms.

Count Roland

He can singlehandedly undo any joke about the French being cowards. Count Roland was a legend in France and the right hand man of Charlemagne. Look to the Battle of Roncevaux Pass for some serious echoes of King Leonidas and his legendary stand.

Vlad the Impaler

He inspired the creature Dracula, how could we not include Vlad on our list? Vlad was a real person who was born in Transylvania back in 1431. Vlad was a merciless ruler who never shied away from bloodshed and, in fact, seemed to revel in it.

Varvakis

Born on a tiny island in Greece, Varvakis changed his life by going pirate at 17 years old. He started off with a small boat, the St. Andrew, before making history at the Battle of Chesma. Varvakis also introduced caviar to the world. Not too shabby, right?

Lu Bu

Read into the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and you’ll know why Lu Bu was so deadly. Lu Bu was a gigantic man, a master horseman, an incomparable archer, and the most brutal hand to hand fighter in all of China. Lu Bu was an awful person but he was the kind of deadly reserved for shows like Game of Thrones.

Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War and that alone had enough of an impact on the public health of people during war that he could earn his spot on our list. Sun Tzu was a tactician and politician of unparalleled ability. In one battle Sun Tzu was so overmatched that he simply opened his front gates. The opposing commander stared at the open gates for hours before determining that Sun Tzu had something up his sleeves. The opposing commander left, leaving Sun Tzu a victor without raising a finger.

Leonidas of Sparta

He led the most dangerous warriors in military history. Leonidas was utterly fearless and brave beyond reason. His battle at Thermopylae is literally the thing of legends. You should see the kind of work outs, and subsequent health information posted on medical web sites, that the ‘300’ diet has influenced.

Genghis Khan

Khan’s bloody terror at the reigns of the Mongol Army literally changed and helped shape the world. Ghengis Khan was known as a ‘Holy Warrior’ amongst his own people because they assumed he had to be sent from heaven in order to be as powerful as he was. You don’t need a historical private investigator to realize that Khan is a deadly legend.

Alexander the Great

He was the most revered man in the world at the time of his death. Alexander the Great is considered the finest general to ever live and one of the most successful. Alexander took over almost all of the known world during his life.