Who would win in a fight between 100 men and one gorilla?

David vs Goliath. Theseus vs the Minotaur. Perseus vs Medusa.

Tales of myths and legends are full of stories where one brave fighter wins in a battle against an epic beast.

And it’s clear from the latest social media craze, asking who would win in a fight between 100 men and one gorilla, that us humans are still obsessed with these legendary battles.

Of course, there’s no zoo in the world which would allow a 100 men vs gorilla fight to actually take place, so simulations as well as rampant speculation and memes are being used instead to try and predict who would win.

Weirdly enough, this question has been considered for longer than the current craze may suggest, with someone asking this very same question in the r/whowouldwin subreddit in 2020.

Possibly a result of coronavirus lockdown boredom, the extremely detailed question sets out a number of rules and rounds, including disallowing weapons and adding the proviso that none of the 100 men are trained in any martial arts or other disciplines.

In the comments on that post, most seem to agree that the men would win, with the gorilla defeating a number of men before running out of stamina.

Fast forward to 2025, the debate was reignited when X user @DreamChasnMike wrote: ‘i think 100 n***** could beat 1 gorilla everybody just gotta be dedicated to the s***.’

That post has been viewed millions of times, and sparked fierce debate over who would actually win the brawl.

While some seem to think they could take out the gorilla easily, others joked they would never stand a chance, with one user saying ‘me and the homies going to fight the gorilla but wearing suits to make the funerals easier’.

Others compared the fight to a grown man taking on 100 toddlers (don’t try this at home, folks) – but while a gorilla may have a massive advantage in terms of raw power, humans can probably work collaboratively to come up with a more strategic approach.

Adult male silverback gorillas weigh around 430lb (195kg), and are incredibly strong, able to lift more than 1700lb (800kg) of dead weight.

They have a very strong bite force of around 1,300lb per square inch, much stronger than a lion’s bite, their long arms give them much more reach and a powerful swipe compared to humans.

Plus, they can climb extremely well, can sprint short distances at 20-25mph, and have thick skin and dense muscles.

So really, this all depends on who the 100 men are. If they’re untrained civilians, almost all of them will be physically weaker than the gorilla – but if they’re trained fighters or soldiers, their ability to strategise improve their chances.

This hypothetical fight is extremely polarising, with two simulations shared on X account @DramaAlert featuring wildly different outcomes.

The first depicts a gorilla absolutely destroying 100 men, knocking them out with one swipe of its huge arms and sending them flying with its pure strength.

But the second shows the men clumped together in a much more dense formation, and although the gorilla manages to beat 62 men, sending them flying through the air, the remaining men manage to tire it out enough to finally overwhelm it and claim victory.

Overall, it seems likely in the 100 men vs gorilla fight that eventually, the gorilla would succumb to exhaustion and be defeated.

However this would likely come at a great cost to the men, including several deaths and life-changing injuries.

They would need to strategise carefully, and most importantly be extremely courageous against a terrifying foe.

Of course this speculation is all just lighthearted fun – don’t try this at home – but if you ask me, along with my support of Medusa, I’m cheering on the gorilla.

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