Monkey D. Luffy was the main protagonist of the One Piece universe and an already formidable warrior by the time of the Marineford arc. Having unlocked the second and third gears during his battle with Rob Lucci, he became a force to be reckoned with and a pirate worthy of his three hundred million bounty.
Although Luffy has grown exponentially stronger, it’s important to appreciate his merit during the first half of his journey. By identifying the anime characters he could beat before the time skip and those he couldn’t, we can better assess how much the Straw Hat captain was capable of protecting his crew.
10 WOULD LOSE TO: Magellan Defeated Luffy In Impel Down (One Piece)
Magellan was the warden of Impel Down at the time of Luffy’s break-in and a man whose Logia fruit converted his entire body into venom. Although Luffy was able to inflict somewhat meaningful damage against him through his teamwork with Mr. Three, an absence of armament Haki severely limited his potential as a fighter.
Without a way to put the villain down for good, Luffy would fight a battle he is inevitably destined to lose.
9 COULD BEAT: Luffy Has Greater Speed & Durability Than Pre-Shippuden Naruto (Naruto)
Before Shippuden, Naruto only had rudimentary access to Kurama’s chakra and a basic understanding of the Rasengan. Although he might be just as fast as Luffy in his base form (capable of racing across large statues in a matter of seconds), he’d have no means of keeping up with the Second Gear technique.
Considering that Luffy could whip air projectiles to devastate opponents much more durable than Naruto (such as Lucci’s iron body, a defensive maneuver that rendered him several dozen times tougher than order soldiers), Naruto could neither anticipate the Straw Hat captain nor defend against him.
8 WOULD LOSE TO: Ichigo Has Unprecedented Durability & A Means Of Circumventing Luffy’s Defenses (Bleach)
Ichigo’s durability vastly surpasses Luffy’s own. In his hollow state, he was able to survive massive explosions by Ulquiorra, ones that surpassed Kizaru in scope and caliber, which Luffy suffered immensely from in contrast.
Additionally, the battle between himself and Aizen was so intense and created shockwaves so insurmountable that ordinary people would perish simply by being caught in its general vicinity. Given his aforementioned advantages and the fact that his Zanpakuto is a cutting weapon that ignores the Gum-Gum fruit’s immunity to blunt objects, Ichigo’s victory is assured.
7 COULD BEAT: Reiner’s Armor Would Only Encumber Him (Attack On Titan)
Reiner’s armor may provide a useful defense against most targets, but it would be cumbersome when fighting Luffy. The Straw Hat captain was powerful enough to shake entire cities, proven through his fight against Crocodile, and push apart buildings as seen in the Water Seven arc. It stands to reason that ripping apart Braun’s metal plates would be trivial in comparison.
Additionally, the Armored Titan relies exclusively on blunt damage, a threat Luffy has demonstrated incredibly high resilience to on account of his devil fruit.
6 WOULD LOSE TO: Shigaraki Could Kill Luffy In A Single Touch (My Hero Academia)
The Gum-Gum pistol and gatling may be devastating, but it’s possible to avoid them if properly prepared as proven through Luffy’s fights against Kuro and Kuma. Even if Shigaraki wasn’t able to dodge lUFFY’s punches, an exchange of blows would benefit him far more than it would his heroic adversary.
Since Tomura was durable enough to survive being gunned down by Snipe, it follows that he could persist through one of the Captain’s blows. Conversely, Luffy would be powerless to prevent decay from crawling up his arm and claiming his life.
5 COULD BEAT: Alex Armstrong Has Proven Vulnerable To Excessive Physical Attacks (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Despite his burly frame and imposing alchemy, Alex Armstrong has proven surprisingly vulnerable to physical attacks, as illustrated in his battle against Sloth. Although the Homunculus was only powerful enough to destroy a stone wall, the hero feared that a single direct attack would kill him.
Considering that Luffy is able to target his punches much more efficiently than the homunculus and with greater caliber, Armstrong’s rudimentary pugilism and earthen alchemy wouldn’t be sufficient in tilting the battle back in his favor.
4 WOULD LOSE TO: Meruem Is Faster Than Luffy’s Second Gear Even In His Base State (Hunter X Hunter)
Meruem was the king of the chimera ants and a fearsomely powerful warrior. Even in his base state, he was capable of murdering dozens of grown soldiers with the blink of an eye and even walking past Isaac Netero — arguably the second most skilled warrior of the entire series — before he could notice.
Additionally, the King could rip off limbs effortlessly and shrug off attacks that could shake canyons. As a result, Luffy’s second and third gears would both be useless against him.
3 COULD BEAT: Luffy Is Perceptive Enough To Navigate Shinra’s Speed & Defeat Him (Fire Force)
Shinra Kusakabe may have been able to defeat infernal demons and go faster than the speed of light, but these feats are only attainable with specific Adolla links. Considering how situational his assets are and the fact that Luffy can use his gears at any time, the Fire Soldier is at a disadvantage.
The disparity is only widened when considering that the Straw Hat captain is skilled at fighting opponents faster than he is, proven via his victory over Kuro. As a result, he’d be able to anticipate Shinra’s jet-propelled legs and strike him down.
2 WOULD LOSE TO: Luffy’s Attacks Couldn’t Touch Escanor (Seven Deadly Sins)
In daytime, Escanor’s unimaginable durability would prove an obstacle far too grave for Luffy to overcome. He was able to survive being smashed through an entire castle and kicked into a large crater by Estarossa without being noticeably harmed, both feats that Luffy could only emulate with his Third Gear — even using it, he’d only have one punch to throw before shrinking.
Additionally, since Monkey’s body cannot conduct or fare well against an excess of heat proven through his fight against Eneru, he’d be reduced to ashes with a single “Cruel Sun.”
1 COULD BEAT: Josuke’s Melee-Based Arsenal Wouldn’t Be Sufficient To Fend Luffy Off (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Josuke displayed much of the aptitude for combat that Jotaro did, with his Shining Diamond capable of deflecting Keicho’s bullets and breaking steel proven in his fight against Super Fly. However, he does not have Kujo’s Star Finger or time halting ability and deals exclusively in blunt damage.
Although Higashikata’s Stand might be strong enough to catch Luffy’s punches, he wouldn’t be fast enough to anticipate them if his opponent enters Second Gear and begins phasing across the battlefield.
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