Viral battle of 100 men vs one gorilla goes viral - here's what you need to know

Daily Mirror

02-05-2025

One of the Internet's greatest unanswered questions has re-emerged. Now social media is aflame, as animal lovers, computer developers and influencers argue who would win in this viral battle
Have you ever wondered who would win in a fight: 100 men or one gorilla? No? Well, you're about to enter down the Internet's most viral rabbit hole.
The question appears to have been first broached on Reddit five years ago as a thought experiment conducted on r/whowillwin. The parameters are simple: 100 men, of average size and ability, versus one gorilla, hand-to-hand, no weapons. The question is: who wins and who dies?
‌
Now, the hypothesis has begun to resurface – but the stakes are higher than ever. Across platforms, users are weighing in, from influencers like Mr Beast to James Charles.
‌
One tweet that really kicked things off said that 100 men could easily beat up one gorilla, they "just gotta be dedicated to the s--t.' It was viewed over 250 million times and the replies were a mix between agreement, bafflement and complete backlash.
'You're tripping bro,' one reply said. Others conceded that it would be possible, but not without heavy losses. 'Bro, [for real], if 100 dudes really locked in, like truly committed — no fear, no second thoughts — they could maybe take the gorilla... after 87 of them get turned into smoothies first. It's not about strength. It's about sacrifice & vibes at that point.'
Of course, gorillas are notoriously strong. The average gorilla is about 1.7 metres tall and can weigh up 220 kg. In fact, according to experts from Wild Gorillas Safaris, one gorilla punch can completely shatter a human skull.
However, these facts have done little to stop the debate. Across multiple platforms, social media users and influencers have been weighing in with their opinions – and stating their allegiances. James Charles recently posted a TikTok in which he stated: 'I'm on Team Gorilla, personally.'
‌
It's also exposed some delusional attitudes towards human ability. One viral tweet reads: 'My husband says 100 men could easily defeat a gorilla by all piling on top of it and 'smothering it' and when I pointed out this would probably lead to a number of human casualties under the crush pile he just said 'bees do it'.'
One commenter responded: 'theoretically if you could get 100 guys on top of it at once then yeah that would work but logistically I don't see it. Maybe if they're all totally blood-lusted and willing to die.' Another reply raised an equally important point: 'You're not killing a mature, angry silverback gorilla without some casualties.'
The species of gorilla in question has also become a pertinent part of the debate. As many have pointed out, silverback gorillas are some of the world 's strongest animals, possessing about the same muscle power as 20 humans combined. One of these giant monkeys can lift over 800 kilograms, which is the same weight as a fully grown horse.
‌
But some have attempted to argue that strength is irrelevant without technique. TikTok user @shayan opened his video: 'Gorillas are what we like to call 'fake demons'.' Pointing to a green screen pic of a gorilla, he stated: 'This is a herbivore, not a hunter, not a predator. This is someone's prey. And last time I checked, I would be damned if 100 men would lose to a f--king vegetarian.'
He continued: 'Gorillas cannot fight. They're not quick, they're not agile, they have no footwork, and they have no punching technique whatsoever.'
Unsurprisingly, comments were quick to disagree. 'Humans have no way to critically injure a gorilla, the only reason humans have been running the earth is because of tools, without them we would've been packed up,' one wrote.
People have even been using computer systems to simulate the scenario. One model, posted by Clip&Tell, shows a gorilla easily punch and barrel his way through a horde of average-sized human men. However, this also provoked backlash, with comments claiming the creator 'nerfed' the humans and gave the gorilla too much stamina.
Women in heterosexual relationships have also been using the debate to figure out how delusional their partners are. Under the hashtag 'team gorilla', one woman captioned a clip of her appearing concerned: 'POV you realise you're married to a '100 guys CAN beat a gorilla' man instead of a 'anyone who thinks that is an idiot' man.'