After clawing his way back to the Byzantine throne, Justinian II ruled like a man possessed—merciless, paranoid, and hell-bent on vengeance. But his enemies weren’t done with him yet. In the western city of Ravenna, a revolt brews that will bring down the emperor once and for all. This is the story of how the man who came back from the dead was finally taken out—by priests, rebels, and his own shattered empire. No one cheats death twice.
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55:22
Justinian II: No nose. No mercy.
They cut off his nose, exiled him to the edge of the empire, and left him for dead. But Justinian II didn’t stay gone. This is the story of a Byzantine emperor who clawed his way back to the throne with a mutilated face and a murderous grudge. A tale of gold noses, broken alliances, double-crosses, and the bloodiest comeback in imperial history—when Justinian returned, it wasn’t just to rule. It was to get even.
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49:48
Admiral Yi: One Man. One Fleet. Zero Mercy
When Japan invaded Korea in 1592, one man stood defiantly against impossible odds: Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Outnumbered, betrayed by jealous rivals, and stripped of command, Yi clawed his way back from ruin, inventing the legendary “Turtle Ships” to wreak havoc on enemy fleets. Using unmatched tactics and sheer audacity, Yi crushed Japan’s armada again and again, earning victory even when it seemed hopeless. Join Ben and Andrew as they dive into the life of history’s most badass naval commander—a warrior whose courage, cunning, and stubborn refusal to quit turned certain defeat into eternal glory.
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55:05
Chuck Yeager: One Hand on the Stick, One Finger to Death
He broke the sound barrier with two broken ribs and a broom handle jammed into the cockpit of an experimental jet. Chuck Yeager wasn’t just the first man to fly faster than Mach 1—he was the embodiment of American grit, guts, and go-for-broke test pilot bravado. In today's episode, Ben and guest Brandon Fibbs dive into the wild life of a World War II ace who dogfought Nazis, cheated death more times than he could count, and then strapped himself into rocket-powered death traps just to see what they could do. Before astronauts were heroes, Chuck Yeager was already a legend.
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1:01:33
Handsome Mingyan: Too Fast Too Furious
Continuing the epic story of Handsome Mingyan, the loyal warrior of King Jengar as he’s tasked with the impossible: Capture the King of the Western lands, Mighty Kerman Kahn . Mingyan must travel vast distances, face three crazy trials, and somehow, someway, sneak into King Kerman’s castle, avoiding 16,000 soldiers, and a bear and leopard duo ready to throw him down into the depths of hell. With his trusted and brilliant steed Golden Sharga by his side, how can he fail?
Throughout the course of human civilization certain individuals have stood out as being completely f***ing awesome. From ninjas and gunfighters to pirates and Vikings, to explorers, scientists and great leaders, these people - true badasses - completely obliterated anything that stood in their path, routinely overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and ultimately altered the course of history through their actions. Be it glory, conquest, or survival, these hardcore men and women all had one specific goal in life - and they didn’t let anything stand between themselves and their mission. They refused to back down even when the odds seemed hopelessly stacked against them, they came back from the brink of failure to achieve ultimate success, and they beat the fucking hell out of anyone stupid enough to have stood in their way. Badass of the Week is a weekly (duh) podcast, that dives into new stories of badasses every week.
Ireland