Ryuko Matoi vs Monkey D. Luffy

Ryuko Matoi vs Monkey D. Luffy (by AzureWriter83, aka me)

Description

Two of the most popular and common anime character tropes in the anime community are the Shonen Protagonist, and the Anime Waifu! Now, two of the most recognizable of these two tropes are going head to head! Will scissors cut through rubber? Or will the sun god burn away bloody threads?

Interlude

Bryant: We all have reasons to fight. It's not always going to be for the most selfless reason, but one way or another, people will fight against the corrupt, the tyrannical.

Thea: And the douchebag! These two might be bullheaded and reckless, but they're going to fight like hell to protect the people that they call family!

Bryant: Ryuko Matoi, the Scissor-Blade wielding heroine of Kill la Kill.

Thea: And Monkey D. Luffy, the Sun God of One Piece.

Bryant: I'm Bryant Reese.

Thea: And I'm Thea Price.

Bryant: And we're here from Fanfiction.net to find out which of these two would win, a Death Battle!

Ryuko Matoi Cuts Death Battle!

Bryant: Thousands of years ago, the Life Fibers came to Earth. These thread-like aliens were the origin of all clothing on Earth, and were responsible for the evolution of humanity. And the head of them all was the Primordial Life Fiber, which was guarded closely by the Kiryuin Family. Thousands of years later, and the new head, Ragyo Kiryuin, had a plan to use the now awakened Primordial Life Fiber in a plot to take over the world with its parasitic nature.

Thea: So she founded Honnoji Academy, one crazy ass school. It had teachers and a principal, but all the power was held by Ragyo's daughter, Satsuki, and her Student Council. And when we saw all the power, we mean all the power. Honnoji Academy wasn't just the main school in Honno City, it was the main authority. And in the school, people were given Goku Uniforms based on their ranking. These Goku Uniforms were made out of Life Fibers, so they gave people superhuman strength. And the more stars your uniform had, the stronger you were. So while a lot of people only had the authority that the citizens let them, the Student Council had the authority and the power to enforce it.

Bryant: But one day, their authority would be challenged by a new transfer student. But not because they believed what was right and what was wrong. But because they sought revenge for the death of their father. This, was Ryuko Matoi.

• Ryuko Matoi:
  • Age: 17
  • Height: 160 cm
  • Weight: 53 kg
  • Favorite Food: Chikuzenni
  • Wearer of Senketsu
  • Was originally designed to look like her sister
  • Pogchamp

Bryant: Ryuko was the daughter of the mysterious scientist, Isshin Matoi, and was eventually sent off to boarding school so that he would be able to focus on his research. As such, Ryuko grew up bitter about being put to the side instead of being with her father. And as she grew up, that bitterness manifested, and she became a delinquent, even go as far as to join a gang.

Thea: But she still wanted a family. So when her dad sent her a message to come home, she didn't hesitate. But when she got home, she found her dad impaled on a scissor blade! Man, that's rough.

Bryant: In that moment, Isshin gave Ryuko a choice. To either walk away and live a normal life, or take the Scissor Blade, and avenge him.

Thea: And then the house blew up! Because there's no kill like overkill. To Ryuko, the answer was pretty damn obvious. She took the Scissor Blade and went to Honno City to find answers, and ended up challenging Satsuki.

Bryant: But one can't challenge the king-

Thea: Queen.

Bryant: Queen without going through a few obstacles. And while Ryuko was certainly no slouch, she wasn't strong enough to keep up with the opponents in her way.

Thea: Until she ended up being dropped down into her dad's creepy basement. There, she found her dad's last gift for her, and the guy who was gonna be her best friend in the future. A creepy blood sucking sailor uniform.

Bryant: This wasn't just any blood sucking sailor uniform, this was Senketsu.

• Abilities/Arsenal:
  • Life Fiber Biology
    • Enhanced abilities
    • Enhanced regeneration
  • Rending Scissors
    • Made of hardened Life Fibers
    • Can change size and form
      • Can be used as individual blades or giant scissors
    • Decapitation Mode
      • Fiber Lost
    • Alumni Mode
  • Senketsu:
    • Superhuman strength, speed, and durability
    • Extendable grappling hooks
    • Thrusters
    • Transformations:
      • Senketsu Senjin
      • Senketsu Shippu
      • Senketsu Mubyoshi
      • Senketsu Senjin Shippu
      • Berserker Form
      • Senketsu Kisaragi

Bryant: Senketsu is a Kamui made by Isshin to be inherited by Ryuko so that she would be able to fight off the imminent threat of Life Fibers. Most people are incapable of wearing Senketsu, as while even 3 Star Goku Uniforms are only 30 percent made of Life Fibers, a Kamui like Senketsu is 100% made of Life Fibers. For comparison, there were several attempts to make a uniform that was 50% Life Fiber, but wearing it caused the user to lose their humanity and become a hulking raging beast. Thankfully, Isshin had taken some of Ryuko's DNA and implemented it into Senketsu, making her the sole wearer of the uniform.

Thea: Senketsu doesn't just act like Ryuko's school uniform though. He can transform into a battle uniform thanks to a special tool called Seki-Tekko, which feeds Senketsu blood. And while he might turn into a stripper's outfit, this stripper outfit does give Ryuko a huge boost in strength and speed. She was completely overwhelmed by a student boxer wearing a Two-Star Goku Uniform without Senketsu, but when she was wearing Senketsu, the boxer couldn't even hurt her!

Bryant: It's worth noting that Senketsu initially was unable to utilize his full power due to Ryuko's feeling of embarrassment of wearing such a revealing outfit, as her shame caused more blood to be drank over time. And yet, Ryuko was still fast enough to slice tennis balls several times in an instant, even when they were launched by a pro-tennis player with a Two-Star Goku Uniform. And when she achieved a proper form of Synchronization by fully accepting Senketsu and the gift he was, her power and abilities skyrocketed, making her a potentially dangerous threat to a true threat to Satsuki's rule.

Thea: Ryuko might've been a hothead, but Senketsu was calm and collected, acting as a voice of reason for Ryuko. He also has a bunch of functions, like grappling hooks, jet boosters that increase speed, and a 'mouth' that can catch opponents. He can move Ryuko's body when she's unconscious, even dragging her across a city, and he can shape-shift parts of his body to form things like a sword, which is less of an actual blade and more of a sharp fancy blood pack that she used to blind Satsuki.

Bryant: But overtime, Senketsu unlocked various different forms, which drastically increase his versatility. With Senketsu Senjin, Ryuko gains access to sharp claws and spikes which can shred whatever touches them like a chain saw. Senketsu Shippu grants her high speed flight, and she can combine these two forms to enter Senjin Shippu, a form which grants both the blades and the flight.

Thea: But Ryuko is rarely without her signature weapon, her iconic Scissor Blade! This is the weapon she found impaled in her dad, and the weapon that Isshin passed down to her. The Scissor Blade is made of hardened Life Fibers, and specifically designed to cut through Life Fibers. It can shrink down for better mobility, or extend to Decapitation Mode for better range and effectiveness. Pretty useful against an entire school of Goku Uniform users. It's also super tough, being able to withstand Ryuko's own superhuman strength and act as a pretty good shield.

Bryant: But it was only one half of a complete whole. The other half was wielded by the one who killed her father, not Satsuki Kiryuinn, but Nui Harime, an artificial being who was made entirely of Life Fibers.

Thea: To make a total b*tch!

Bryant: Nui taunted Ryuko with the truth of her father's death, reducing Ryuko to a blood-soaked berserker monstrosity, whose blood boiled the flesh of those it came in contact with. But it's an extremely dangerous form for Ryuko, as it drastically increases the amount of blood being lost, which could bring her extremely close to death. At first, Ryuko would've been willing to undergo such a risk. But she had grown a good amount by this point.

• Achievements:
  • Slashed tennis balls five times in a second
  • Sliced off the top of skyscrapers without Senketsu
  • Regenerated from being cut in half
  • Survived ripping Junketsu off her
  • Survived falling from Space
  • Defeated The Elite Four, Satsuki, Nui, Ragyo, Primordial Life Fiber

Thea: Ryuko's main motivation was to find the one who killed her dad, and avenge him no matter what. He was the only family she had, and him dying meant that she was completely alone in a world where people didn't want her. But she managed to find a new family in the form of her best friend, Mako Mankanshoku, and her family. She was accepted, and cared for, and loved. That gave her a new reason to fight, and real reason to live.

Bryant: And Ryuko was willing to fight in a war if that was what it took. Even without Senketsu, Ryuko has become powerful enough to cut skyscrapers from miles away, and is capable of tanking blows from Two-Star Goku Uniform users, even when they're strong enough to create large craters by pulverizing the ground.

Thea: Ryuko eventually was able to achieve True Life Fiber Synchronization with Senketsu, making him even stronger than before. And remember, Senketsu without a Synchronization was able to make Ryuko fast enough to quintuple slice tennis balls that were launched by a Two-Star Goku Uniform.

Bryant: Assuming these tennis balls had a base speed of that of a cannon ball, and accounting for amount of slashes, balls, and the distance between them and her, Ryuko would've had to attack at a speed equal to around Mach 29,312, or around 3 percent the speed of light. And keep in mind, Ryuko has become significantly faster. Like how she matched and outsped Nui, who was previously able to speed-blitz Ryuko prior to True Synchronization. It's likely that Ryuko is capable of matching the speed of light with this in mind, likely even surpassing it by a good amount.

Thea: That's not even taking her other forms into account, like Senjin Shippu, which does make her faster. And she's also really tough. Super tough. Almost, unnaturally tough.

Bryant: The truth of Ryuko's heritage was revealed during her first confrontation with Ragyo Kiryuinn, where Satsuki betrayed her mother and revealed that her true plan was to overthrown Ragyo in order to save the world. And yet, despite their best efforts, neither Satsuki or Ryuko could defeat Ragyo. And despite the fact that Satsuki's own Kamui, Junketsu, was capable of matching Ryuko consistently, Ryuko was noted by Ragyo to have the ability to wield Senketsu better than how Junketsu was wielded by Satsuki. To confirm her suspicions, Ragyo pulled out Ryuko's heart, revealing it to had been infused with Life Fibers.

Thea: Plot twist! Ryuko was actually Satsuki's baby sister, and Ragyo's second daughter. Her dad was actually Soichiro Kiryuinn, who was Ragyo's second hand until Ragyo performed a Life Fiber experiment on Ryuko. When it looked like it didn't work, Ragyo literally just threw Ryuko away in disgust. Soichiro realized that "Hey, my wife is a bitch!" and saved his daughter before faking his death to hide her while working on a way to stop Ragyo.

Bryant: Turns out, the experiment was a success, and Ryuko was thus a human whose abilities were greatly enhanced by Life Fibers. And after learning the truth of her heritage, Ryuko seemed to unlock her full potential with these Life Fibers. Not only did she obtain an absurd regenerative healing factor which allowed her to survive having her heart ripped out, she was strong enough to match Nui without Senketsu, as she refused to wear him in her rage over discovering the truth of her past. And she likely would've been able to kill Nui if Nui wasn't also made of Life Fibers.

Thea: Even ripping off Junketsu when it was literally sewn into her flesh wasn't enough to kill her! Even literally being cut in half didn't kill her! She was fine after just a bit! And now had two Scissor Blades after kicking Nui's ass again!

Bryant: Combining these two blades turned them from the Scissor Blades and into the Rending Scissors. She can dual wield the two halves and have them both use Decapitation Mode, which she used to destroy the Primordial Life Fiber in a battle alongside her sister. Though she and Satsuki had a bitter rivalry throughout the series, when they discovered that they were sisters, a new bond formed between them. A bond that formed due to the fact that while they both found a new, better family from their friends, they still had someone in their life that they could now rely on, and whose blood they shared.

Thea: Who wasn't a crazy psycho bitch. Speaking of which, even after the Primordial Life Fiber was cut, Ragyo was still crazy enough to keep going, and ended up going to space to spread the Life Fibers over the entire Earth in a last ditch effort. To end the fight once and for all, Ryuko and Senketsu activated their ultimate form, absorbing all the Life Fibers in the Goku Uniforms and even Junketsu, achieving Senketsu: Kisaragi! Aka, Senketsu: Super Saiyan! She gets even stronger, to the point where she can punch a country-sized hole in a shell of Life Fibers, calculated to need around 650 exatons of TNT, and can fly and breath in space, and transform her Scissor Blades into their Farewell Address Mode, aka the Alumni Mode, a form where her Scissor Blades are as big as a city!

Bryant: Using iron as a base weight and taking into account the size of the Scissors, Ryuko likely had to been moving a weapon about 2542.5 feet long, and thus using a weapon that weighs just under 4 million tons.

Thea: Something she did without Senketsu!

Bryant: Without, as Senketsu had sacrificed himself for Ryuko.

• Weaknesses:
  • A hothead
  • Losing temper can increase blood loss
  • Senketsu needs to drink Ryuko's blood

Thea: Yeah, for as strong as Ryuko is, she's definitely not a perfect fighter. She has her limits, and while she can definitely push past them, she needs to be careful on how much she pushes, since she can definitely fall to the wayside and lose too much blood, since Senketsu still needs to drink her blood to keep up his powers. As much as Ryuko grew, she never really grew out of losing her mind when she's pissed off.

Bryant: Like how she reacted when she learned of her true heritage as a daughter of Ragyo. Ryuko has lived her entire life yearning for a family, and yet always being pushed away from her father. That's why, despite her bitterness towards him for leaving her to the side all her life, she still rushed home to see him when given the chance, and why she was so determined to avenge him despite barely knowing him.

Thea: You can't blame her for being angry when she learned that Ragyo ordered Soichiro's death, and that she was his mom. It'd be like an orphan growing up as a Jew and finding out that Hitler was his dad. She got so angry, she even refused to wear Senketsu, too enraged by the fact that she was basically just a monster made by Ragyo.

Bryant: And yet, Senketsu never gave up on Ryuko. Their bond had grown to the point where, no matter what, they would always have each others back, even if the other were to lose themselves. Senketsu was the first member of Ryuko's new family, and he would do anything for the girl that he could essentially call his sister. So when he reached his limits in the final battle against Ragyo, he accepted his fate, and allowed himself to burn as they re-entered Earth's atmosphere, not only since it meant he could protect Ryuko to the very end, but also because he knew that Ryuko's future was no longer clouded, and had faith that she would live a good life even without him.

Thea: Ryuko Matoi lost a lot, but she gained a lot too. Even after all of this, you can bet that Ryuko Matoi will never lose her way!

(Ryuko Matoi) To hell with your opinion. I'll take my own path no matter what anyone else says!

Monkey D. Luffy Stretches Death Battle!

Bryant: Wealth. Fame. Power. Gol D. Roger, the king of the Pirates, obtained this and everything else the world had to offer. And his dying words sent countless souls to the sea. Thousands of people dreamed of being the King of the Pirates, but it's believed that only those with the Will of D had the destiny to change the world like Gol D. Roger did, and inherit the true will of the King of the Pirates.

Thea: But the World Government weren't having any of that! They dedicated their entire lives to tearing down the Great Pirate Era, and it was soon going to start fading since the legend of the One Piece started being considered to be just a myth. And the World Government waged war against the pirates, to the point where you couldn't even tell who were the bad guys or the good guys. Sure the Marines protect people, but at the same time, so many of them are either drunk on their power or just straight up bloodthirsty, to the point where they murdered innocent people in the name of their so-called justice.

Bryant: But one day, their authority would be challenged by a new rookie pirate. But not because they believed what was right and what was wrong. But because they sought to live life as free as possible, and have no regrets when they die. This, was Monkey D. Luffy.

• Monkey D. Luffy:
  • Age: 19
  • Height: 174 cm
  • Weight: 64 kg
  • Bounty: 3,000,000,000
  • Favorite Food: Yes
  • Wearer of the Straw Hat
  • Sun God Nika

Thea: You know Luffy! He's a goofy-ass monkey boi who loves food and living life however the hell he wants!

Bryant: Which stems from his childhood. Luffy was born in Foosha Village, a simple and small village in the East Blue. Where, even at a young age, Luffy underwent vigorous training under his grandfather, Monkey D. Garp, who hoped to make him a fine Marine.

Thea: But Luffy didn't want to be shackled down by stupid things like the law or social decency! It was the pirate's life for him! Garp tried to force Luffy to be a Marine, but Luffy's mind was made up, especially when he met Red-Haired Shanks!

Bryant: Shanks was no ordinary pirate. To the world, he's one of the most dangerous beings in the world, as a former apprentice to Gol D. Roger, and soon to be one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, the top dogs of top dogs. However, to Luffy, Shanks was the ideal pirate, and the man he looked up to more than anything. Luffy hung out with Shanks' crew a lot, forming a romanticized vision of being a pirate from them.

Thea: But when Shanks let a mountain bandit disrespect him by spilling drinks on to him, Luffy was pretty angry that the man he respected would 'wimp out'. And that came back to bite him in the ass when he tried to fight the bandit, only to be dropped into the sea. Luckily for him, Shanks saved him from a Sea King, a giant sea monster that tried to eat him. Unluckily, Shanks ended up losing his arm. Which wasn't really healthy for Luffy to see.

Bryant: But Luffy wasn't completely traumatized by this. Instead, he took it as a sign that Shanks truly was the man to look up to, not just as a pirate, but as a man. A man who wouldn't threaten, only promise. And who knows what battle is worth fighting, and which are beneath him. And so, as Shanks left the village for good to continue on his adventure, Luffy made a vow to his role model. That when he grew older, he would become a pirate himself, and gather his own crew. He and his future crew would surpass Shanks, and he would become the King of the Pirates!

Thea: Shanks decided to bet the future of the world on Luffy, and gave him Luffy's treasured straw hat with the promise that it would be returned when Luffy became a great pirate. Turns out, that Straw Hat didn't just belong to Shanks, it also belonged to Roger! That dusty old farmer's hat turned out to be the crown of the pirate king, passed down to the man destined to succeed him!

Bryant: But the Straw Hat wasn't the only thing that Shanks left Luffy with. Luffy had also eaten one of the most valuable treasures in the world, which was in Shanks' possession: A Devil Fruit. Turning Luffy into a rubberman!

• Abilities/Arsenal:
  • Superhuman abilities
  • Gomu Gomu no Mi
    • Actually the Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika
    • Techniques:
      • Pistol, Rocket, Bazooka, Gatling, Bullet, Bowgun, Rifle, Cannon, Whip, Hammer, Giant Hammer, Spear, Sickle, Giant Scythe, Battle Axe, Balloon, Bell, Pinwheel, Shield, Finger Net, Stamp, Stamp Gatling, Munch Munch, Buzz Saw, Storm, Fireworks, Daze, Octopus, Ally Robot, Volcano, Rain, Human Shield, Snake Shot, Fire Salute, UFO
    • Gear 2 (Gear Second)
      • Jet Pistol, Jet Stamp, Jet Bazooka, Jet Whip, Jet Bullet, Jet Gatling, Jet Rocket, Jet Hammer, Jet Mace, Jet Spear
      • Red Hawk
        • Hawk Gatling, Hawk Rifle, Hawk Whip, Eagle Bazooka
    • Gear 3 (Gear Third)
      • Giant Pistol, Giant Battle Axe, Giant Whip, Giant Bazooka, Jet Shell, Giant Rifle, Giant Balloon, Elephant Gun, Elephant Gatling, Grizzly Magnum, Thor Elephant Gun
    • Gear 4 (Gear Fourth)
      • Bounceman
        • Kong Gun, Rhino Schneider, Culverin, Leo Bazooka, Kong Organ, King Kong Gun
      • Tank Man
        • Cannonball
      • Snakeman
        • Jet Culverin, Black Mamba, King Cobra
    • Gear 5
      • Gigant, Bajrang Gun, Mogura Pistol, Dawn Whip, Dawn Rocket, Dawn Stamp, Star Gun, Dawn Gatling, Dawn Cymbal, Lightning
  • Haki

Thea: The Devil Fruit that is totally the Gomu Gomu no Mi, or Gum Gum Fruit, made Luffy's entire body, from bones to muscles to skin, act more like extremely elastic rubber instead of regular flesh and bone. He can stretch or expand his body to crazy degrees, which gives him a lot of creative freedom when it comes to super moves!

Bryant: Super moves which came about due to his childhood on Mt. Colubo, where he was raised by the mountain bandit Dadan.

Thea: Aka, one of the contestants for best One Piece moms.

Bryant: Are you sure?

Thea: I'm pretty sure. I mean we don't know a lot about Vivi or Usopp's, Bellemere is another contestant, Oliva wasn't really around to be a mom, and-

Bryant: Anyways, Luffy lived with not only Dadan, but Portgas D. Ace, and Sabo, who were two other boys who shared his dream of being a pirate. They swore to live life as free as possible, and Luffy had sparring partners to spend the next ten years training against. When he was 17, he was ready to set sail, both with a decade's worth of combat skill and training with his Devil Fruit, and an army's worth of fighting moves behind him.

Thea: Like his signature Gum Gum Pistol! A stretchy punch that lets him fight at both a range and up close! Simple but reliable. My favorite has got to be his Gum Gum Battle Axe, where he sends his foot high into the sky and then brings it down like an axe! Or his Gum Gum Bazooka, which is a strong-ass double palm thrust which can send people flying into the horizon!

Bryant: Well my favorite technique would be his Gomu Gomu no Gatling, a fast barrage of punches that act much like the bullets of a machine gun. Or his Gomu Gomu no Rifle, a powerful corkscrew punch. Many of his techniques are fairly straight forwards. Stretched stamps, stretched headbutts, or swinging people around with his extended limbs. But he's also quite creative with many of his techniques. He can inflate his body like a balloon to block cannonballs, launch attacks in all directions like the flares of a firework, use his fingers like a net, twist his arms to spin his target around before slamming them, or even expand his head to straight up eat his target.

Thea: Yeah, he's pretty stupid when it comes to academics and social cues. But he's a genius when it comes to fighting, with natural battle instincts that can't be matched by most people in his world! But he's also surprisingly a genius when it comes to emotions. Overtime, he gathered up one of the most iconic pirate crews in One Piece, and recognized that they all had their own struggles that he can't just brute force his way through.

Bryant: But while he may be childish, no one takes the pirate life more seriously than Luffy, and he knows his role as the Captain is to protect his crewmates, and pave the way for them to achieve their own dreams. He will always be ready to fight for his friends. And when he lost against an Admiral and almost failed to protect his crew, he developed even more unique abilities in order to prevent such events from happening again.

Thea: Geah, Secondo! Gear 2 is a super cool and badass technique, where he uses his rubbery body to super charge his abilities by pumping his blood through his heart in a way that would be fatal to anyone else! This causes his body to become super hot and straight up start to steam, and he becomes fast enough to move faster than the eye could see, and beat the shit out of people whose bodies can become as durable as steel!

Bryant: What's more, his techniques become extremely fast, almost blindingly so. His Jet Pistol has the speed of a sniper rifle with the power of a cannonball, and his Jet Gatling can devastate just about anything. But should speed not be enough, he will trade it for overwhelming power and size in the form of Gear 3, where he blows so much air into his bones, his arm becomes that of a giant. Instead of speed, Gear 3 relies on overwhelming his target with sheer size, like with his Giant Pistol, a punch the size of a building. Or his Giant Bazooka, which can crush a several hundred feet tall giant's spine like paper mache.

Thea: He can even combine the two and use the speed of Gear 2 with the size of Gear 3, but this takes a pretty big toll on his body. Which is something which Luffy has trouble with. He's a bit too dedicated to protecting the people he cares about. Like when he tried to save Ace from his execution. Luffy took a shot of adrenaline on steroids, which shortened his lifespan by ten whole years! And he did it twice!

Bryant: While to an unknown but likely much smaller degree, Gear 2's blood pumping also shortens his life, as even his rubbery body can barely withstand the strain. Yet despite all of this, Luffy failed to save his brother, who died in front of his eyes. But in a way, this was necessary, as it helped Luffy realized that he wasn't ready to take on the worst of the world. So he took two years to train in the art of Haki, a special energy which all life possesses, but only few learn to use.

Thea: Haki comes in three types. Observation Haki is sort of the basic level when it comes to Haki. It helps Luffy detect incoming attacks like a sixth sense, detect another person's presence, read their emotions, see kilometers away, and even see into the future! Armament Haki is the next level of Haki mastery, and is the Haki that a lot of people say helps rule the world. It covers a person's limbs or body with an invisible armor that boosts the power and ability of a person's body, making them tougher and stronger! And when it's really strong, it manifests as a black armor, which can even alter weapons to become higher quality in efficiency!

Bryant: Armament Haki is useful in that it can bypass a Devil Fruit's natural defenses. For example, Luffy's rubber body allows him to withstand extremely high levels of blunt force damage, to the point where a heavy club to the head is useless, a punch could be ignored, and a bullet would simply bounce back. But with Haki, someone can actually hurt Luffy as if he's a normal man. What's more, Luffy eventually learned advanced applications of this Haki, like Emission, sending Haki beyond his limbs like a powerful shockwave, and Internal Destruction, sending it into a target to destroy it from the inside out. He can combine Armament Haki with Gear 2 for one of his most reliable techniques, the flaming Red Hawk!

Thea: But Luffy's got a couple of extra tricks too. Like Conqueror's Haki! The third type of Haki that can only be found in 1 in a million people, Conqueror's Haki is super powerful, and can't be unlocked with training, only obtained by birth. This power is basically the signal flare that says that this person is destined to rule the world. It can manifest as an intimidating aura that intimidates animals and weak-willed people, or as an omnidirectional pulse of energy that can cause people to pass out when they don't have a strong enough will. Luffy's Conqueror's is so strong, it can even dish out physical force like a genuine shockwave!

Bryant: It can even manifest itself as black and red lightning, and can actually combine with Armament to super enhance the black armor. Luffy's attacks become so potent in energy and power, he can hit someone with the energy surrounding his fist alone, without his actual fist connecting.

Thea: And cause the first opening to start playing! And if Haki wasn't enough to say that those two years were well spent, he also invented another transformation, boosting him further! Gear 4!

Bryant: Like Gear 3, Gear 4 inflates Luffy's body like a balloon for greater size. However, rather than revolve around expansion, it instead focuses on compression, as the inflated body is able to compress into itself, much like the spring of a gun, then fires a devastating blow. Like with the Kong Gun punch, or the Rhino Schneider kick. And while the nature of these techniques means that he can't use them at a far range, his Python attack is a completely different story, as not only does it continue to stretch for miles without limit, it can even change direction at a sharp angle without losing any momentum. He can even compress his legs, creating short but powerful shockwaves that propel him through the air in the form of flight.

Thea: His body is also filled with air, to the point where he's constantly bouncing since he's too light to actually stand still. Hence why it's called Bounceman! And this balloon body is capable of taking a lot of powerful hits, even hits enhanced with Haki! Though someone with strong enough Haki and enough power can still overwhelm his defense. But if he wants to trade defense for speed, he's got Snakeman, a variation of Gear 4 that trades the balloon body in exchange for attacks that not only stretch just as fast and strong as Bounceman, but they actually get faster the more they travel! How does that work?

Bryant: It's pretty noticeable by now that while many of Luffy's abilities revolve around the properties of rubber, some of them go a bit, beyond rubber.

• Achievements:
  • Dodged lightning and laser blasts
  • Toppled and destroyed buildings
  • Can adapt and learn mid-battle
  • Is one of the Emperors of the Sea
  • Can match Zoro, Sanji, Jinbei, and the Five Elders
  • Defeated Buggy D. Clown, Crocodile, Enel, Rob Lucci (twice), Gecko Moria, Hordy Jones, Doflamingo, Katakuri, Kaido, and Kizaru

Thea: But while you can deny that his abilities match the properties of rubber, you can't deny just how strong this monkey boy is! He's on par with the likes of Zoro, Sanji, and Jinbei, all masters of combat! He's defeated a lot of powerful enemies, like Eneru, whose Devil Fruit let him attack both with and as lightning!

Bryant: Which would imply that Enel is capable of fighting at speeds over 270,000 miles per hour, over 350 times faster than sound. And Luffy fought him well before he even unlocked Gear 2. After the timeskip, Luffy patiently waited for laser blasts to reach him before moving to dodge, then called it slow, while in his base form. Though its worth noting that an exhausted and injured Zoro could avoid Kuma's Pad Cannons, which launch air at lightspeed. With higher forms like Gear 4, he's defeated the likes of Doflamingo, who can kill giants in mere seconds, and Katakuri, whose Observation Haki was so advanced, he could see into the future.

Thea: During the battle, Luffy learned how to use future sight himself! He learned how to see the future, to the point where he can have a conversation before his opponent even says anything, in the middle of a fight! Even before that, he mastered superhuman techniques after seeing them just once! Monkey see, monkey do!

Bryant: As time went on, Luffy only continued to prove to the world that he was one of the best, eventually reaching a bounty of 3 billion beris after the war in Wano, where he fought against Kaido, the Strongest Creature in the World.

Thea: And Kaido was one of the four strongest pirates in the world, on the same level as Whitebeard, who could move tectonic plates! Tectonic plates of a planet that is generally agreed to be way bigger than our own Earth!

Bryant: Now, it was debatable on whether or now Luffy could compare to such levels of power. That is, until he was pushed to his limit, and revealed the true nature of his amazing Devil Fruit.

Thea: Turns out the Gum Gum Fruit didn't exist! It was always the Human Human Fruit: Model Nika! And Luffy found out just how much potential he had when he unlocked Gear 5! This power-up is, really weird!

Bryant: Luffy's heart pounds with the Drums of Liberation, a special heartbeat that belonged to the mighty warrior from 800 years ago, Joyboy, giving him all of Joyboy's powers. Not only could Luffy stretch, twist, shrink, expand, and compress every part of his body to even greater extent than before, but he could even affect the world around him. The ground, the building, even bolts of lightning can be manipulated and altered to how Luffy wishes, causing the very world around him act more like a cartoon than an anime. He can turn into a demonic hungry hungry monkey, spin like a top to drill into the ground, turn a tree into a baseball bat, and even create goggles out of his own flaming hair.

Thea: He's basically the cheesy yet badass Shonen Protagonist combined with the goofy Rubber Hose Animation. Everything about Gear 5 is goofy and fun! Like when he became a giant and used Kaido's dragon form as a jump rope! People theorize that Kaido is 8 kilometers long! Kaido before could nearly one-shot Luffy's Gear 4, but Gear 5 was practically immune to the same attack! He just wrapped around it! And Luffy used his super stretchiness to become the size of a giant, and took Kaido down with his most powerful attack: the island-sized Bajrang Gun!

Bryant: An attack which was calculated to be just over a zettaton of TNT. And with this powerful punch, Luffy had secured himself as one of the new Emperors of the Sea, the four greatest pirates in the current age. And Luffy only continued to prove it, like with how easily he overwhelms Kizaru, who's Devil Fruit gives him the properties of light itself.

Thea: But he's definitely not without some issues.

• Weaknesses:
  • Dumb and reckless
  • Haki and rubbery body can be overpowered
  • Seastone
  • Seawater
  • Cutting Weapons
  • Gears can exhaust Luffy

Bryant: Luffy's rubbery body is only resistant to blunt force attacks. A strong enough enemy can overpower his body's elastic defense, even without Haki. And his defense can be overcome with just a sharp weapon like a sword or a spear. Even with the supposedly invincible Gear 5, there's no evidence saying that his resistance has evolved to blades, and he can still feel the pain of an enemy's attack, even if it doesn't break anything.

Thea: And all Devil Fruit users have common weaknesses, like seawater. We don't know where they came from, but some people say that Devil Fruits are the reincarnation of a sea devil, so the sea hates Devil Fruit users. There's even a stone that has the same energy as the sea called Seastone, which is basically a Devil Fruit user's kryptonite, without the radioactiveness. If a Devil Fruit user is stuck with either one of them, they lose strength in their body and their Devil Fruit's abilities.

Bryant: Luffy's also, not very bright. Thinking too hard is literally a physical strain. But more than that, Luffy is incredibly reckless. While this can and has been played for comedic value, it has also left him in bad situations. What's more, the likes of Gear 4 and Gear 5 have an incredible strain on Luffy's body, potentially leaving him unable to use the forms again until he can recover.

Thea: Gear 5 even makes him age decades when it wears off, though it's a temporary state. Unless he's able to regain his strength, or force the Drums of Liberation to sound off again, he's pretty much helpless.

Bryant: Even so, Luffy has proven time and time again that he is one of the best of the best. He's tangled with Marines, superhumans, enhanced humans, the inhuman, other pirates, and the top of the world. There is no doubt in the minds of any who know him. Monkey D. Luffy is the man, who will become the King of the Pirates!

(Monkey D. Luffy) "If the path to what you want seems too easy, then you're on the wrong path!"

Pre-Death Battle

Bryant: Alright, the stage is set, time to start this dance.

Thea: It's time for a DEATH BATTLLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!

Death Battle

"Woo whoo! New island! Food!" a certain straw hat pirate cheered as he dashed off.

"Luffy! Slow down!" his navigator shouted after him in vain as he disappeared into the distance. Luffy sniffed the air as he tracked down a place to eat.

"Food, food, food! Ah!" he spotted a lone bento box on a wall nearby. "Food!"

His hand stretched towards the bento box and snatched it before bringing it back to him. "Thanks for the food!"

"Hey!" Luffy, surprised, swallowed all of the bento's contents at once. A teenage girl in a sailor uniform was stomping over to him.

"You- You're that pirate in the news recently! You just ate my food?!" Ryuko fumed.

"Ah! I am very sorry," Luffy said politely. Ryuko breathed heavily before grinning angrily.

"That's okay."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yeah. I'll just buy a feast with your bounty!" Ryuko said as she pulled out the Rending Scissors and entered her stance. Luffy blinked before grinning and punching his hands together.

FIGHT!

"Hah!" Ryuko lunged forward and slashed at Luffy as he jumped over her. Luffy giggled as he pushed off the ground to land further away.

"Let's have fun!" he said before grabbing his bicep.

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" he yelled as he shot his fist forwards, letting it stretch towards Ryuko. She grunted as she blocked with the Scissor Blades, but the force sent her flying into a nearby building. She growled as she got to her feet and yelled as she unleashed a powerful air slash that Luffy leapt over as it destroyed the wall behind him. Luffy flipped towards Ryuko and slammed his foot against her blade before she pushed him out of the building. She chased after him and slashed at him repeatedly, only for Luffy to easily evade all of her attacks before catching the scissor and throwing her back. She skidded to a stop and growled.

"Ryuko, you won't be able to beat him like this."

"I get that feeling too. In that case!" Ryuko bit something on her bracelet and pulled it out, revealing that it was a pin. Senketsu flashed with rainbow colored light as he transformed. Ryuko closed her eyes as Senketsu unraveled and reformed, snapping into place. She opened her gear shaped eyes and grinned before gritting her teeth as Senketsu finished his transformation and took her battle ready stance.

"Life Fiber Synchronize! Kamui Senketsu!" she said.

"Woah! Cool!" Luffy exclaimed with stars in his eyes. "Hey! Naked girl! Join my crew!"

"Fuck off!" Ryuko said as she separated the Scissor Blades and leapt forwards, bringing them both down. Luffy dodged the twin slashes and the following slashes as she chased after him. Thrusters flared as she rocketed forwards and slammed her knee into Luffy's face. His neck stretched as his head flew back, causing Ryuko to pause in slight surprise.

"Gomu Gomu no Bell!" Luffy yelled as his head flew back and slammed into Ryuko's, sending her flying back. She skidded to a stop and flung a pair of air slashes that Luffy dodged by flipping through the air.

"Alright, my turn!" Luffy grinned as he brought his fist to his chest. He whipped it to the side as his arm pumped large amounts of blood through his heart. His skin became pink as steam began to hiss off his flesh.

"Gear Second!" Luffy landed with his hand extended and a fist pulled back.

"Gomu Gomu no! Jet Pistol!" The faster than eyesight punch shot forwards, only for Ryuko to slide under it and slash at Luffy as he dodged.

"Jet Stamp!" Ryuko grunted as the crossed Scissor Blades blocked the kick. She pushed the foot away and spun the Scissor Blades to reverse grips before shooting forwards.

"Jet Bazooka!" The twin palm thrust collided with the weapons as the two matched strength. Ryuko grinned at Luffy before pushing him away. She bent into a stance with the Scissor Blades held in a reverse grip.

"Try this!"

"Gomu Gomu no! Jet Pistol!" Luffy launched his attack, only for Ryuko to appear behind him. He grunted as he felt a pair of slashes open on his chest.

"Hah! Got ya!" Ryuko taunted. Luffy grinned at her.

"Yeah. You did. My turn! Gomu Gomu no! Jet Gatling!" Luffy yelled as he launched the powerful barrage of incredibly fast punches. Surprised, Ryuko used the Rending Scissors to block the attack, grunting as she was pushed back. The attack was fast and incredibly strong, eventually knocking the scissors out of her hands, leaving her vulnerable for the barrage. Ryuko grunted in pain as she was pushed into another building as it crumbled into dust.

"Nishishishi!" Luffy grinned as he paced back and forth. Sure enough, the rubble became pebbles as Ryuko leapt out, the thrusters on her back flaring with bright light.

"Bring it on!" she yelled as she scooped up the Rending Scissors and split them into Scissor Blades again. Black covered Luffy's arms as he charged forwards. The two yelled as the Scissor Blades met Armament Haki, the two clashing repeatedly as their limbs became a blur, creating sparks before a final collision separated them.

"Gomu Gomu no! Jet Gatling!" Luffy said as he threw the attack rush again.

"Not this time!" Ryuko retorted. She swung the dual Scissor Blades, parrying and deflecting the blows instead of trying to block them. When it ended, she shot forwards with her boosters as Senketsu shined.

"Senketsu Senjin!" she yelled. Spikes and blades appeared all over Senketsu as she attacked. Luffy laughed as he dodged the fast barrage of slashes and parried a few that nearly hit him. He swept Ryuko's feet from under her and kicked her away, only for Ryuko to send an air slash back at him, forcing him to block as it sent him flying backwards.

"Gear Third! Bone Balloon!" Luffy said as Gear 2 faded as he bit his thumb and blew into it. His arm swelled up and became a giant's arm that he swung back.

"Giant Pistol!" he yelled as he brought it forwards. Ryuko grunted as she got into a stance.

"We can't take that head-on, Ryuko!" Senketsu warned.

"Then we won't!"

"If his arm is that of a giant's..."

"We'll outmaneuver it! Senketsu Shippu!" Senketsu's leggings became jet boosters as her crest grew larger. Ryuko rocketed out of the way of the attack, swooping under the fist and flying up behind Luffy in a flash. Luffy immediately recognized this and used his Haki-covered foot to block her follow-up slash.

"Gear Second!" Luffy pushed off the Rending Scissors and somersaulted backwards to land on the ground. Ryuko yelled as she across the ground with the Scissor Blades at the ready.

"Jet Rifle!" Luffy yelled as he shot forwards. The two approached each other and became a pair of blurs, repeatedly clashing as they created shockwaves from their battle. Ryuko laughed as she zipped around, outmaneuvering Luffy with her flight. Luffy grimaced as he blocked another slash, only for Ryuko to had already flown out of reach of his counter.

"Gear Third!" Luffy said as his foot inflated.

"Giant Whip!" He swung the giant limb around, only for Ryuko to swerve around it. Luffy grunted in surprise as she flew around and attacked him, slashing him repeatedly before a cross slash sent him flying. Luffy landed and threw a giant spinning punch.

"Gomu Gomu no! Elephant Gun!" Luffy yelled. The giant punch tore up the landscape, yet Ryuko used the Scissor Blades to slide along the top before sending air slashes at Luffy, forcing him to block.

"Gomu Gomu no!" Luffy said as he stretched his arm back. It became covered in Haki and started to burn as he recalled it.

"RED HAWK!" Luffy yelled. Ryuko dodged the punch as it hit the ground, but grunted as she didn't expect the flaming explosion that knocked her out of the air. Luffy jumped after her with both arms drawn back.

"Jet Bazooka!" he yelled as he slammed it into her stomach. Spit flew from her mouth as she was sent rocketing into the ground, creating a crater. Luffy blew into his thumb, expanding his foot to incredible levels.

"Giant Stamp!" he yelled as he threw the stomp down. Ryuko, unable to escape the crater with its size, gritted her teeth as she threw her hands up, catching the blow only for her knees to buckle, and her to be slammed down to all fours. Blood burst out from behind gritted teeth before Luffy finally retracted his foot and landed on the outer part of the crater.

'She took Gear 3 like a champ!' he thought.

"Nishishishi! Had enough?" Luffy called down. Ryuko got to her feet and spat some blood to the side. She grinned with bloody teeth.

"We're just getting started."

"Alright then..." Luffy smiled. His arm became covered in Haki again as he brought the arm to his lips.

"I'm still hungry and I gotta meet back up with my crew later, so let's skip the rest of the warm-up!" he bit down on his arm and started blowing, causing it to expand and swell up. His entire body inflated like a balloon as his eyes widened to appear crazy. His massive arms were covered in Haki, though his lower half was still small as he bounced in place. Steam was even circling around his head.

"Geeaah! Fooouuuurth!" he howled as he bounced. "Bounceman!"

"What the hell kind of form is that?" Ryuko mocked slightly as she flew up from the crater.

"Don't underestimate him, Ryuko. This is clearly a different kind of form than last time."

"Yeah, you're right. In that case!" Spikes appeared all over Senketsu as Ryuko spun the Scissor Blades.

"Senketsu! Senjin Shippu!"

"Gomu Gomu no!" Luffy growled as he flew forwards. "Kong Gun!"

"Guh!" Ryuko didn't expect the powerful punch before being flung backwards. She straightened herself in time to parry another punch, and the two flew around even faster than before. Ryuko grunted as she was flung back.

"Gomu Gomu no! Rhino Schneider!" Luffy growled as he attacked her again. Ryuko coughed up blood as the kick slammed into her gut, sending her flying back again.

"Gomu Gomu no! Culverin!" Luffy threw the punch, and Ryuko immediately dodged. She grunted in surprise as the punch instantly changed direction to chase her, and she rocketed through the city as it flew after her.

"Dammit, this is annoying!" she growled as she dodged it again. She reformed the Scissor Blades into the Rending Scissors and tried to cut the arm off, only for it to retract before she can do it.

"Ryuko, take this time to recover! Try to figure out ways to fight smarter instead of brute forcing it!"

"Right!" Ryuko flew further into the sky. Luffy gave chase with shockwaves coming from his compressed legs. Ryuko hurled air slashes down at him as she flew, with the two constantly flying around the clouds as they fought. Thin strings wrapped around the handles of the Scissor Blades as Ryuko flew.

"Try this!" she yelled as she spun the weapons around and hurled them. Luffy dodged and tried a King Kong Gun that Ryuko blocked. Wolverine-like claws extended from her hands and the two fought with their limbs moving like blurs. Ryuko grunted as she was knocked back, bringing her claws back. Further down, the string snapped taut and yanked the Scissor Blades back, sending them flying towards the two as they spun like disks.

"Come on! I'll take you down!" Ryuko yelled. Luffy grunted, and then suddenly released large amounts of gas as he suddenly became skinny as the Scissor Blades flew passed him. Surprised, Ryuko caught the blades.

'He shrank!'

"Gear Fourth! Snakeman!" Luffy growled as his arm spiraled and his fist expanded like a spring. "I can see every move you do! Now! Gomu Gomu no!"

"Fine then! Bring it on!" Ryuko yelled as she held the blades to the side. The handle and blades unfolded, becoming longer blades. "Scissor Blades! Decapitation Mode!"

"Black Mamba!"

"Fiber Lost!"

In the sky, the clouds were instantly vaporized as the two clashed. The two were fast red and black blurs as they battled. Ryuko was constantly battered and punched, but Luffy was receiving cuts all over him that made him bleed a decent amount. A final clash knocked each other away.

"Gomu Gomu no! Jet Culverin!" Luffy said as he launched the attack. Ryuko immediately flew around it and tried to slash his arm, only for the punch to immediately slam into her cheek, knocking her off course.

'Did it just get faster?!' she thought as she tried to dodge, only for the attack to slam in between her shoulder blades immediately after passing her. Ryuko was knocked back and forth as the Jet Culverin knocked her around before slamming into her stomach, spewing blood from her mouth as she was sent flying all the way down to the town below, slamming into it like a mini-nuke. Luffy flew down and landed on the ground, panting slightly as he turned back into his base form.

"... Heh heh heh! Nishishishi!" he giggled. "Wow! You're really strong! Oi, can you keep going?"

"You said you could see every move I do, didn't you? Well then, why don't you tell me?!" Golden light shone from the rubble as red strings flew in from nowhere. Inside the pile, Ryuko stood with her head bowed and her eyes closed as she felt Senketsu become stronger. She gritted her teeth as Senketsu's second eye snapped the stitching to reveal itself as Senketsu's colors flashed from black and red to red and gold. Her hair blazed yellow like the sun as glowing ribbons extended around her legs. Stars shone around her before she burst from the rubble, spinning as she flew up before flaring with Scissor Blades in hand.

"Kamui Senketsu! Kisaragi!"

"Woah-ho-ho!" Luffy gasped with stars in his eyes. "That's so cool!"

"Have a taste!" Ryuko yelled as she flew forwards. Luffy immediately put up a block with Armament Haki, but the force of the attack sent him flying down the street like a missile before he crashed through more buildings. Ryuko rocketed towards Luffy as the pirate jumped out with a seemingly glowing Haki-colored arm.

"Gomu Gomu no! Bullet!" Luffy yelled as he threw the Emission attack. Ryuko grunted as it slammed into her stomach, but powered through to slash Luffy, sending the pirate flying again with another X on his torso. He grimaced, and then grinned. He spun mid-air to grab a building by the roof and landed on the ground with his arm stretch a large distance.

"Gomu Gomu no! Rocket!" Luffy yelled before he shot into the atmosphere. Ryuko, flying towards him, dodged the flying monkey before shooting after him herself.

As Luffy flew, he closed his eyes. Everything around him seemed to go dark. Quiet. He concentrated, willing the power to answer his call once again. At first, it seemed nothing was going to happen. But then, he felt his heart thud twice. He felt it again, the sound seeming more like a drum. And then, his heart flared to life as it beat irregularly like the drums of a song. Luffy's eyes snapped open.

DRUMS OF LIBERATION

"I feel it, IfeelitIfeelitIfeelitIfeelitIfeelit!" Luffy howled as he pounded his chest before red and black lightning erupted around him. Ryuko grunted as a shockwave halted her, and she stared in surprise. Luffy's clothes and his hair were turning white, waving around and reshaping as though they were white flames. Clouds and steam emitted from his mouth and body as Luffy breathed heavily before forming a ring around his head. Luffy breathed in, breathed out, before trying and failing to contain a laugh. Luffy began giggling uncontrollably as he somehow landed on a cloud and began dancing on it while repeatedly bouncing around.

"Gyehah! Gyeha! Gyehahahaha!" he howled. "Gear Fifth!"

"Huh..." Ryuko grinned as she repeatedly struck the Scissor Blades together, creating sparks and a melodious clang.

"Let's have some fun!" she yelled as she flew up before swerving around and rocketing towards Luffy. The Sun God cackled as he grinned maniacally and stomped on the ground before suddenly shooting forwards. Mid-air, thousands of feet above the island and the sea, the two approached each other like rockets. If someone were to look in Ryuko's eyes, they would see a Gear 5 Luffy with a demonic smile and glowing red eyes with his fist stretched kilometers behind him. If someone were to look in Luffy's eyes, they would see a Kisaragi Ryuko with eyes blank white with bloodlust and an insane smile with her Scissor Blades held behind her to swing. If they saw this while being between them, safe to say that they would be obliterated, for the two clashed with enough force to create a shockwave that cleared the entire sky of clouds.

Luffy fell to the ground, where it stretched to form a trampoline to launch him back up. Ryuko flew into the sky before stopping her momentum by flaring once again before shooting forwards. The two clashed, creating another shockwave as the Scissor Blades met Haki covered arms before they moved even faster, creating countless smaller shockwaves as they battled at blinding speeds. Ryuko launched a fast, relentless barrage of air blades, but Luffy shattered them with a Haki-enhanced Gatling attack. The stretching fists approached Ryuko, but she spun the Scissor Blades in front of her, forming a make-shift shield that blocked the punches before she launched an X-shaped air blade that Luffy blocked with crossed arms.

"Gyehahahaha!" he laughed before blowing on his thumb, bulking up. "Muscles!"

"Take this!" Ryuko yelled as she flew forwards with the Rending Scissors. A fast jab stunned her, and Luffy punched her repeatedly before swinging his arm around like a wheel while she reeled back in midair. The large fist slammed into her gut, sending her flying towards the ground. Luffy laughed as he somersaulted down and landed on his feet. A dust cloud exploded, catching his attention as he spotted Ryuko flying towards him at high speeds. The Scissor Blades swung towards him on threads, forcing him to dodge. Ryuko swung the blades at incredibly high speeds, slashing up the entire area. Luffy yelped as he bobbed and weaved around the attacks before covering his arm in black armor again. Ryuko caught the Scissor Blades in her hands and swung them into his Haki-covered arms, and the two knocked each other back. Ryuko shot forwards and attacked, and the two clashed in another trade of attack rushes, the sheer force of their collisions causing the area around them to be pulverized.

"Haaaaaah!" the two yelled before Ryuko managed to land a slash, sending him flying away. Luffy grunted as he skidded to a stop, causing the ground behind him to stretch and bundle up. He giggled and laughed before flipping, causing the bundled up ground to release. Ryuko was charging, but she was surprised when the ground suddenly shot up like a wave and slapped her into the air. Luffy twisted his legs to make them springs before shooting after her and flying past her. He grabbed a cloud and pulled before releasing it, causing the now elastic cloud to snap into a ring shape. Ryuko yelled as she swung, only for her blades to be caught. Luffy grabbed her face and began pushing it in, until she was a ball.

"What the f-?"

"Gomu Gomu no! Slam Dunk!" Luffy laughed as he stretched his arm and slammed Ryuko through the cloud hoop. Ball Ryuko flew towards the ground and bounced on it before Luffy landed behind her. He spun his leg around until it was a large, twisted mass, and then slammed it against Ryuko.

"Oiiiiiii!!" Ryuko yelled as she was spun around by the leg unraveling. When it finally fully unraveled, Ryuko was sent flying into the distance like a bat out of hell. Large portions of the city were sent flying from the sheer force of her flight before a massive wave erupted from where she landed in the ocean. Luffy twisted his body like a spring before launching himself into the air. Ryuko exploded from the ground, now very angry.

"I'm done with this!" she yelled. She flew after Luffy as her Scissor Blades sparkled.

"Scissor Blade: Alumni Mode!" The Rending Scissors unfolded repeatedly, growing into a massive size. Far below, the ruined city was covered in shadow as the city sized scissors were fully expanded. But Luffy still grinned.

"Gomu Gomu no..." he said before blowing into his thumb. His opposite arm expanded, and continued to expand into a massive size before becoming covered in Haki. It was now the size of her Scissor, and Luffy cackled.

"Bajrang Gun!" he announced. The air around his massive fist rumbled as it swung around to be raised high into the sky. Metal groaned as the Alumni Mode Scissors began to move.

"Sayanora, Straw Hat!" Ryuko snarled as she forced the Scissors to start closing.

"Rock, Paper, Scissor, Shoot!" Luffy laughed as he swung the Bajrang Gun. The air rumbled before the two attacks clashed, creating a massive surge of black and red lightning.

"Ryuko! His fist isn't touched by your Scissors!" Senketsu pointed out. Despite how hard she was pushing, there was an invisible energy matching her power as the giant fist was being forced down.

"Gah! Die already!" she growled as she strained everything she got. Luffy gritted his teeth in a wicked smile as the two pushed harder, before Ryuko heard something.

"D-did something crack?"

"Ryuko! Move!" Ryuko immediately released the Scissors right before they shattered, leaving her open for the Bajrang Gun to rocket down with surprising speed. Ryuko gritted her teeth as it slammed into her body.

"Ryuko!"

"Senketsu!" Ryuko yelled as she pushed back against the fist. Luffy cackled before pushing down with all his might, sending his giant fist into the island, even as Ryuko continued to push back. She roared at the top of her lungs before the fist hit the island, creating an earthquake as the entire island seemed to become covered in a white light. In the middle of it all, Ryuko and Senketsu both yelled in pain and frustration as they felt the Life Fibers snap one after the other, before they were engulfed in the light as well.

When it all finally died down, Luffy landed, panting as he put his hand on his chest. He breathed heavily before looking up. There was a red streak on the ground, the only sign that Ryuko was there at all.

"... Nishishishi! That was fun! Let's do it again, someday," he said tiredly as he seemed to age before collapsing, Gear Five finally running its course.

KO!

Results

Thea: Now why did Ryuko try to beat rock with scissors? Is she stupid?

Bryant: Rather ironic, considering their respective advantages. Both Ryuko and Luffy were incredibly powerful protagonists of their worlds, but Luffy had more to give than Ryuko could.

Thea: Ryuko did have a few things on her side. Her Scissor Blades were, well, sharp, so they could bypass Luffy's rubbery defense, and she was generally smarter.

Bryant: However, Luffy either matched or surpassed Ryuko in just about every other category.

Thea: Ryuko may have a bit more book smarts, and she's definitely not a noob when it comes to a fight. But her experience and skill doesn't really compared to Luffy's, who's a combat genius who trained for basically his entire life against monsters!

Bryant: And while Senketsu was versatile and the Scissor Blades were sharp, Luffy's techniques and Gears matched them every way that counted. For example, Senketsu Shippu gave Ryuko flight, which Luffy could match with Gear 4. And his Armament Haki protected him from the blades. And while Luffy hasn't shown himself to be able to use Full Body Haki, his Observation Haki and future sight allowed him to keep track of her tactics and attempts.

Thea: But wait Bryant, Ryuko's got a busted-ass healing factor, and Luffy's Haki and Gears have a time limit! Couldn't she just outlast Luffy?

Bryant: It's true that Ryuko would be able to recover from most of Luffy's attacks. As long as a single Life Fiber is able to stay intact, she'll recover from most grievous wounds, and the Life Fibers are capable of repairing themselves even while they're being destroyed. But a blade isn't the only thing that can break a thread. As long as Luffy had the power and speed needed to surpass a Life Fiber's durability and restoration, he would have the power and speed to win.

Thea: And he had just that! Ryuko at the beginning of the series could reach relativistic speeds, so she's definitely faster than light by the end of the series with her enhanced modes and stronger abilities. But an exhausted Zoro could dodge Kuma's Pad Cannons, which were pressurized air projectiles moving at the speed of light, and that was before the time skip! After the time skip, Luffy could straight up wait for lasers and call them slow!

Bryant: Which were calculated to be around 13 times faster than light. A feat which Luffy accomplished without any enhanced modes like Gear 2 or Gear 5. Suffice to say, Luffy most certainly was faster than Ryuko by a good margin.

Thea: And stronger too! Let's compare their strongest forms, Senketsu Kisaragi and Gear 5.

Bryant: Senketsu Kisaragi was capable of breaking through a shell made of Life Fibers, forming a country sized hole. An impressive feat of power, and one that would require around 650 exatons of TNT to pull off. However, the force needed to move Luffy's Bajrang Gun was an entire zettaton of TNT. Over 1.5 times greater than what Ryuko could pull off.

Thea: Which would mean that he could be strong enough to snap the Life Fibers! Granted, if Ryuko could land a good slash attack with her Scissor Blades, she could probably land a fatal blow. But how would she get that chance when Luffy was faster with both future sight and greater skill? But wait Bryant, what about Ragyo spreading the Life Fibers across the entire planet? That's gotta be a high number, right?

Bryant: Not really when compared to the numbers we already gave. Ragyo only sent out a signal that caused the Life Fibers to move on their own. But let's give her the benefit of doubt for the sake of argument. Let's say that she covered the entire atmosphere down to sea level, despite the series showing otherwise, and say that the shell was only 50% hollow to account for the space, the Life Fibers would've occupied a space of around 2.1 billion cubic kilometers. Considering they held humans, assuming a base weight of 60 lbs per cubic foot, and considering the speed needed to cover the entire planet, this would only be a feat of around 91 gigatons of TNT. Meanwhile, a Gear 5 Luffy is certainly capable of being compared to Whitebeard, who could move tectonic plates.

Thea: Well damn. So in the end, Luffy was still just too strong, too fast, too skilled, and too equipped for Ryuko take down. Ryuko may be queen shit, but she couldn't dethrone the king.

Bryant: The winner is Monkey D. Luffy

• Ryuko Matoi:
  • +Scissor Blades can cut through Luffy's rubbery body
  • +Healing factor
  • =Flight
• Monkey D. Luffy:
  • +Greater power and speed
  • +More training and experience
  • +Future Sight
  • +Armament Haki protected from Scissors
  • +Rock beats Scissors
  • =Flight

Trivia

• Connections:
  • Both are bull headed, chaotic, battle loving, fierce and kind-hearted anime protagonists of their series associated with the color red
  • Both fight a corrupt organization (Marine Base/World Government and Revocs Corporation) that that a family member of these two are part of it and while it has been shown they care for each other they tend to have conflicting views too (Luffy with Garp and Ryuko with Satsuki and then Ragyo). They were even forced to join them before because they were made to be like them but they didn't and their fathers rebel against them (Monkey D. Dragon and Isshin Matoi)
  • Their own fathers were the leaders of important organizations that fought against the oppression of the antagonist organizations that plague their worlds, although they never were that close and didn't actually raise them properly (Luffy's father is the leader of the Revolutionary Army and Ryuko's father was the leader of Nudist Beach)
  • Because of that, both also did not have a proper family relationship and was sent to live somewhere else by their old looking family members (Luffy being sent to live with the mountain bandits and Ryuko being sent to boarding school)
  • Both became members of a group of misfits that during their histories opposed the corrupt and authoritarian organization and their cold hearted and cruel leader (Luffy leading the Straw Hats who had battled the World Government and the Marines while Ryuko joined the Nudist Beach which opposed the actions of Revocs Corporations and the use of the Life Fiber to control people). They also have a boat that has the word "sun" in it (Thousand Sunny (still counts) and S.S Naked Sun)
  • Both of them had lost a member of their family against their worse enemies, worse thing is that they watched them die right in front of them with their own eyes (Luffy watching his own adopted brother Ace being killed by Akainu while Ryuko saw her own father die after he was attacked by Nui Harume)
  • Both don't want to be seen as heroes due on focusing their goal but still perform heroic acts anyways
  • Both also weaponize blood as well and take a form where pink glows in their body (Luffy's Second Gear and Ryuko's True Life Fiber Synchronization with Senketsu requires Ryuko's blood to function)
  • While they are really bull-headed at times, both still come up with strategies and come up with new techniques, even creative forms in fighting their enemies, whether it be against people with powerful sight/senses (Luffy's fight with Katakuri and Ryuko's fight with Sanageyama) or literally in a bad position/situation they are in to lose
  • Both bodies are also inhuman as well cause they are made of something (Luffy's body made of Rubber and Ryuko's body made of Life Fibers) and it made them sort of difficult for them to kill
  • Both are planning to take down other top leaders to claim their goal but for different reasons (Luffy taking down other Yonkos to become King of the Pirates and Ryuko taking down the School Presidents and the Elite Four to give her the answer of who killed her father, basically Contrast of Freedom vs Justice) and they even challenged everyone for that, that also made them being targeted/wanted by most of the people in their series because they are even wanted (Most of the world trying to get Luffy because he's a pirate and the entire Hono academy trying to get Ryuko to become big in the academy ever since she challenged Satsuki)
  • Both have shown to respect and love their friends, even though they hurt them by refusing to fight back (Luffy with Sanji at Whole Cake Island and Ryuko with Mako with her Goku Uniform)
  • On their journey, they found found their first mate who is a like to each other on how they behave (Luffy next to Mako and Ryuko next to Zoro) and they saved them from getting executed on the exact same day
  • The two have allied with various individuals who are similar to each other in their journey during the show, such as green haired swordsmen (Zoro and Sanageyama), and a goofy best friend who fought with them before due to not letting something go but then apologize to them (Usopp and Mako)
  • Both had fought pink clad psychopaths who manipulate string (Doflamingo and Nui)
  • Both even allied with a leader swordsmen or someone who was suppose to be their enemy for some point associated with white to somehow team up against their bad parent figure and a villain who is planning to take over the world (Law with Doflamingo/Yamato with Kaido and Satsuki with Ragyo)
  • Finally they eventually awaken their ultimate forms to defeat the villain (Kaido and Ragyo) by almost losing the battle, which are granted by the same item that gave them their power in the first place and have some different color in them (Gear Fifth: Joyboy Awakening and Senketsu Kisaragi respectively)
  • Also both have memes with a yellow background ("Dam Daniel" and "Fine I guess you are my little Pogchamp")
  • Hiroyuki Imaishi worked with Eichiro Oda in the 6th Movie of One Piece before Kill La Kill was a thing
  • They contrast on Luffy having a big ambition on becoming a pirate king and Ryuko is a girl who vows to crush ambitions like Satsuki and some school president
  • Dynamic of Rubber vs Scissor