ADVERTISEMENT

4 battles that lived up to the hype (and 4 that didn’t)

There’s a reason why One piece is the most successful manga in history, not to mention the shōnen category.

One piece may not have a complex fighting system like naruto either Bleach, but makes up for it with a lot at stake emotionally. Eiichiro Oda knows how to build a tense confrontation between characters. Luffy versus Rob Lucci will always be highly regarded among fighting scene enthusiasts.

Despite hitting many home runs, One piece has some missed swings. Not a few battles end up disappointing fans for various reasons. Even so, they do not remove other moments worthy of exaggeration.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for the manga.

Note: This article reflects the personal views of the writer.


One Piece fights that absolutely fulfilled

4) Goal D. Roger vs. Whitebeard (Wano Country, flashback)

This brief skirmish was seen during Kozuki Oden’s flashback, the longest in history. One piece Serie.

Longtime fans have waited more than two decades to see Roger in action. They finally got their wish in this epic showdown.

When their weapons first collided, they didn’t even touch. Roger and Whitebeard had ridiculously strong Haki, so physical contact wasn’t necessary. They even shocked the entire island with their legendary encounter, along with their respective pirate crews.

Roger and Whitebeard are the measuring sticks of power levels in One piece. Arguably his shock was the second most popular moment in that flashback, right behind Roger’s famous laugh.


3) Luffy vs. Rob Lucci (Enies Lobby)

Luffy absolutely needed to win this fight, or he would lose Nico Robin in the process. He needed to take down the most dangerous agent in the CP9 organization, but that wouldn’t be easy.

Lucci was clearly beyond the Straw Hat’s power level at this point in the game. One piece Serie. His offensive and defensive stats were incredibly high, not to mention that he could turn into a leopard hybrid.

Luffy could barely stand on his own two feet, but he still kept going. He finally finished his fight with Gomu Gomu no Jet Gattling, sending Lucci flying through the Enies Lobby Tower.


2) Luffy vs. Charlotte Katakuri (Whole Cake Island)

The Sweet Commander made Rob Lucci look like a boss fight on easy. Katakuri could do anything Luffy could do with his Devil Fruit abilities, only stronger and faster. He could also see the future with his Observation Haki.

Luffy had to give everything he got in the Mirror World. This exhausting fight lasted more than ten hours. However, Luffy learned from Katakuri’s attacks and incorporated them into his own.

At the end of their fight, Katakuri showed Luffy the respect he deserved. This is a rare act of approval of a One piece villain. Katakuri was truly a man of his honor, unlike the rest of his family.


1) Luffy vs. Kaido (Wano Country)

This week’s One Piece, I can’t even breathe… I was waiting for Luffy’s great awakening, not only did he awaken his true Devil Fruit and FIFTH GEAR powers, his fruit’s true name is revealed, and it turns into Nika the Sun God, who is also JOY BOY!#ONEPIECE1044 https://t.co/n2dadZ88CK

Kaido is truly the strongest creature in the world. One piece Serie. He survived multiple waves of powerful fighters (including Luffy) and defeated the vast majority of them with ease. Kaido lived up to his reputation in the Onigashima attack.

Luffy lost several times against Kaido, even more than Crocodile in Alabasta. Conqueror’s Haki wasn’t enough, so the Straw Hat needed to awaken his legendary Devil Fruit.

Describing legendary moments in the One piece series, Gear Fifth should be up there. Luffy finally reached the peak of him in terms of power. He now has the means to liberate Wano Country and defeat the unbeatable.


One Piece fights that were very disappointing

4) Akainu vs. Aokiji (Fishman Island, flashback)

The One Piece series has a bad habit of having fights off screen.

During the timeskip, Akainu and Aokiji dueled to the death for ten days straight. It was a fierce battle to determine the next Fleet Admiral. However, he was relegated to a brief explanation from Jinbei’s perspective.

Fans were understandably disappointed as they wanted to see these mighty Admirals doing it. Neither fighter has been seen fighting since Marineford, which doesn’t help either.


3) Luffy vs. Hody Jones (Fishman Island)

Fishman Island’s main antagonist already seemed weak against Zoro during a previous confrontation. With that said, One piece fans didn’t buy him as a credible threat to Luffy, who has only gotten more powerful since the timeskip.

In fact, this fight involved constant interference from third parties like Shirahoshi and Fukaboshi. Hody Jones relied on multiple doses of steroids, but he was still no match for the Straw Hats.

Luffy was more focused on the giant ship that was about to sink on Fish-Man Island. Hody Jones was a mere warm-up for the New World.


2) Jinbei vs Who’s Who (Wano Country)

Who’s Who was promoted as the strongest member of the Flying Six. The man had the largest bounty of 546,000,000 bellies. He even had the confidence to challenge the King and Queen of the Beasts Pirates.

Not only that, he used to be a member of the CP9 agency. His fighting skills were said to be on par with Rob Lucci. One piece fans had very high expectations for this secondary antagonist.

However, Jinbei had no trouble dispatching Who’s Who. He needed an Onigawara Seiken to break her back. Who’s Who couldn’t even get past Jinbei’s Haki defenses. Rob Lucci would have had a much better performance.


1) Jack vs. the Minks (Wano Country)

The Minks had a very personal rivalry with Jack. Unfortunately, they were never able to fully display their combat potential. During the Onigashima attack, Jack was quickly defeated by Inuarashi and Nekomamushi in their Sulong forms.

The All-Star didn’t seem as strong as his counterparts, the King and Queen. Instead, he was eliminated quite easily, which took the original hype out of him. Remember, his bounty was the first ever shown in the billions range.

Jack was defeated once again by Inuarashi a short time later. Around this exact moment, Nekomamushi also defeated Perospero, who isn’t even a Sweet Commander in his own crew. The contrasting parallels made it seem that Jack was on Perospero’s level.


Edited by Rachel Syemlieh