# Mojo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 5, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661 "2004-05-05T16:18:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/1 "2004-05-05T16:18:09Z")
On two other threads the discussion of mojo came up…an ephemeral quality of of a character which trancends strength, speed, intelligence, resilience, etc. Whaty is the generally accepted definition of mojo? As a vs thread, which characters have more mojo? Batman vs James Bond John McClane vs Martin Riggs Terminator vs Robocop Worf vs Chewbacca Luke Skywalker vs Paul Atreides Mickey Mouse vs Bugs Bunny Freddy Kruger vs Ash (army of darkness) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/2 "2004-05-05T16:21:40Z")
Batman vs James Bond - Batman John McClane vs Martin Riggs - Don’t know who they are Terminator vs Robocop - Terminator Worf vs Chewbacca - Chewbacca Luke Skywalker vs Paul Atreides - Tied at zero Mickey Mouse vs Bugs Bunny - Bugs Freddy Kruger vs Ash (army of darkness) - Ash ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/3 "2004-05-05T16:59:32Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > What is the generally accepted definition of mojo? A witty, erudite poster always good for a laugh, a bon mot, or shameless self-promotion. > [@](#): > > John McClane vs Martin Riggs McClane. (psst, Otto- _Die Hard_ vs. _Lethal Weapon_) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/4 "2004-05-05T19:07:48Z")
Batman vs James Bond - 007, hands down. His entire persona is mojo. John McClane vs Martin Riggs - Riggs. McClane has panache, but Riggs is mojoed. Terminator vs Robocop - Terminator. Worf vs Chewbacca - Worf. Chewy may be cooler to the fans, but Worf gets the ladies and can do it in style at times. Luke Skywalker vs Paul Atreides - Atreides. Luke is about as anti-mojo as you can get. Mickey Mouse vs Bugs Bunny - Bugs. Tons of mojo. Freddy Kruger vs Ash (army of darkness) - Ash. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/5 "2004-05-05T21:12:36Z")
_Whaty is the generally accepted definition of mojo?_ A quality composed partially (but not entirely) of toughness (working through pain and hardship, that is, rather than simply avoiding it or being invincible; for this reason, physically powerful characters characters often have low levels of mojo), charisma, coolness, popularity, and winning ability. Mojo can trump all other known powers and abilities. Have caution though, mojo is not easily measured and often decreases and increases without rhyme or reason. _Batman vs James Bond_ A tricky one. Bond has extreme amounts of mojo. Indeed, it’s arguably his primary personality trait and ability. Batman however, Batman’s mojo approaches infinity. He has more mojo than anyone in the known universe. This matchup also illustrates a fact of mojo. Mojo comes in flavors. Bond has mojo of the “sexy”, “suave”, and “competant” flavors. Batman is composed mostly of “dark” and “competent” flavors, with a touch of “crazy”. _John McClane vs Martin Riggs_ McClane. Why? Better villains. Standing toe to toe with an opponent of high mojo raises one’s own mojo. _Terminator vs Robocop_ Here is an example of the mysterious nature of mojo. The Terminator is physically powerful, and nearly without personality. Both of these factors should work against him, yet they only add to his mojo! Robocop, not so much. _Worf vs Chewbacca_ Not even close. Chewie by a long shot. Vicarious Han mojo, antagonistic mojo from Vader (another all-time mojo champ), cool growl. Plus, he wasn’t beat up every other episode to prove how tough the alien of the week was. _Luke Skywalker vs Paul Atreides_ I don’t know Dune too well, but IMHO, Paul has low mojo. As does Luke of course, but Skywalker gets it due to the all important antagonistic Vader mojo. _Mickey Mouse vs Bugs Bunny_ Bugs is the Batman of funny animal cartoons. No one is higher. _Freddy Kruger vs Ash (army of darkness)_ Freddy has more mojo than many villians of his genre, it is true. But Ash has Bond-level mojo, albeit of the “tough” and “crazy” flavors. Plus, in case of a draw (which this isn’t), heroic mojo trumpos villainious mojo, which is almost aalways fleeting in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/6 "2004-05-05T21:17:23Z")
Picard vs. Xavier? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/7 "2004-05-05T21:32:01Z")
Xavier. Going mentally toe-to-toe with Magneto vastly increases his mojo. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/8 "2004-05-05T22:07:19Z")
Interesting theorum. So in, say, a fantasy literature context, Corwin of Amber would have a fairly large amount of mojo, while Rand Al’Thor would have virtually none? My challenge is thus: Roland Deschain of Gilead vs. Sir Samuel Vimes of Ankh-Morpork. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/9 "2004-05-06T03:06:30Z")
Sheeeee-IT…the concept of mojo is awesome, ain’t it! In all fiction, which character has the MOST mojo of them all? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/10 "2004-05-06T03:57:54Z")
Cecil just _has_ to be in the running for the person with the largest amount of mojo. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/11 "2004-05-06T04:02:58Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Interesting theorum. So in, say, a fantasy literature context, Corwin of Amber would have a fairly large amount of mojo, while Rand Al’Thor would have virtually none? Virtually? I’d say it’s because Zelazny knew how to tell a story and wasn’t afraid to make his protagonist dark. Jordan OTOH is an irredeemable hack. > [@Enola Straight](#): > > In all fiction, which character has the MOST mojo of them all? The God of the Old Testament. Makes the God of the New Testament look like a total pussy. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/12 "2004-05-06T06:31:18Z")
Bugs Bunny may have the most old-school cartoon mojo, but I claim that Samurai Jack is the king of the new guard. And while Batman has buckets of mojo, it’s split between Batman (the ‘crazy’ and ‘badass’ flavors) and Bruce Wayne (‘suave’ and ‘rich’). Bond’s mojo is is undiluted. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/13 "2004-05-06T13:32:53Z")
> [@Johnny Bravo](#): > > Bugs Bunny may have the most old-school cartoon mojo, but I claim that Samurai Jack is the king of the new guard. Jack was tons of Mojo, but he isn’t a funny animal, is he? (Except for that episode where he turned into a chicken, but that decreased his mojo) Bugs rules the roost of comedic characters. The highest mojo of all animated characters is, of course, the Dini/Timm animated Batman. > [@](#): > > And while Batman has buckets of mojo, it’s split between Batman (the ‘crazy’ and ‘badass’ flavors) and Bruce Wayne (‘suave’ and ‘rich’). Bond’s mojo is is undiluted. Pah! “Bruce Wayne” is an act. He has very little (if any) real mojo of his own. That’s the point, as nobody would believe that that spoiled trust fund baby is capable of such high mojo. Besides, even if his mojo was split, he’d still beat Bond. Batman just has that much mojo. He has more mojo than any charcter in recorded fiction. Yes, more than God. God, being omnipotent, has very, very little mojo. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/14 "2004-05-06T13:52:26Z")
I love this concept. I would add that mojo is inescapably tied to living beings. Or even the formerly living. Robots just ain’t got it! For that reason, I must go on record as the only one in this thread to pick Robocop over the Terminator. Termie’s just a robot; he may SIMULATE having tons of mojo, but it ain’t real mojo. Robo wins by default. I would also add that generally mojo cannot be self-proclaimed. The louder one talks about ones own mojo, the more you don’t have it. And yet, somehow, Austin Powers does undeniably have a certain mojo … Oh, and as to Roland Deschain of Gilead vs. Sir Samuel Vimes of Ankh-Morpork. Well, I must admit to being only vaguely aware of Roland, since I’m not really a big Stephen King fan so I can’t really do a fair comparison. But I find it hard to believe that in the fantasy world crime-fighting arena that _anyone_ could possibly have more mojo than my man Sam Vimes. And as to greatest mojo of all time, so far I’m with Otto on OT Yahweh. Beats Cthulhu by a mile. Remember, OT Yahweh isn’t the omnipotent invincible God of today; while very powerful he did have his weaknesses – look at the constant setbacks of his people. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/15 "2004-05-06T18:52:56Z")
Huh. How much mojo does it take to kill off a thread? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/16 "2004-05-06T20:57:16Z")
God isn’t omnimojent? ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/17 "2004-05-06T23:50:19Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > I love this concept. I would add that mojo is inescapably tied to living beings. Or even the formerly living. Robots just ain’t got it! For that reason, I must go on record as the only one in this thread to pick Robocop over the Terminator. Termie’s just a robot; he may SIMULATE having tons of mojo, but it ain’t real mojo. Robo wins by default. 1. The Terminator is alive, well, parts of him, just like Robo. By the end of T2, he was most definitely “alive”. 2. I do not concede that non-living beings cannot have mojo. Besides the Terminator, other mojo’d artificial beings include Hal 9000, Data (albeit not very much), and the replicants from Blade Runner. Any conscious being can have mojo. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/18 "2004-05-06T23:58:10Z")
Addendum: Agent Smith is another high mojo artificial character. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/19 "2004-05-07T00:12:41Z")
Of course, all main characters have this, but IMHO you also get bonus mojo points for: 1. Having the series named after you (although _Angel_ is dangerously getting close to the show getting stolen by Spike :D) 2. Being clueless, naive, or basically just dumb as a brick. (Otherwise known as the Forrest Gump Effect. :P) 3. Looking handsome; extra bonus points for being a pretty boy (i.e. Sephiroth) 4. Highly competent/cool supporting cast members. Extra bonus points for butlers, cute anthromorphic animals, or recurring villains. (I call it the “The Story Gods Love You” effect. Because a lot of times the character is bailed out by basically what amounts to some very thinly disguised Deus Ex Machina.) ---
**Author:** ![x27](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/7993a0/32.png) [@x27](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x27)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661/20 "2004-05-07T02:12:07Z")
I think mojo has two important components: sex appeal and being the winner in the particular contest under scrutiny. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mojo/243661.md?page=2)