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Here’s an updated version of my Luffy vs Katakuri fight analysis thread I did back in 2018. I highly suggest checking it out as it gives lots of detailed insight to the best fight in the series (yes, that’s a fact). Hopefully by the end you’ll see it in a way you hadn’t before!
But as always, we must do our daily prayers:
Blessed is he, Who in the name of charity Shepard's the weak through the valley of darkness, For he is truly his brothers keeper and the finder of loss children.
In the name of the Mamma, The second son, And the holy Donuts, Amen.
Blessed is he, Who in the name of charity Shepard's the weak through the valley of darkness, For he is truly his brothers keeper and the finder of loss children.
In the name of the Mamma, The second son, And the holy Donuts, Amen.
Ok so a lot of people say the fight itself was full of plot armour or whatnot. If you’re one of those people, you better pay close attention. Though, I do admit there was one moment in particular that well... I won’t get into.
People for some reason really want to downplay Luffy’s endurance. It ain’t no joke! Like a bouncy ball, he just keeps bouncing back up. This is somewhat the premise of the fight and the mental battle that takes place between the two adversaries.
With that in mind, let’s begin! So One Piece, like most shonen series, has a tradition of climactic fights. Whether it’s Luffy vs Crocodile, Lucci, or even Hody. And so Luffy vs Katakuri is simply the latest in the series (excluding Kaido since Luffy just got baby shaked lol).
Now that being said, Luffy vs Katakuri feels a bit... off. If it wasn’t made clear by the conclusion of the fight and how Luffy covered Katakuri’s mouth, we can definitely see that there’s a deeper meaning here but what? Well that’s what this thread is for!
What typically makes Luffy's fights so satisfying is that the knockouts usually coincide with liberation. Luffy cracking Arlong's spine through every floor of his tower meant that Nami, and the village that she was raised in, were finally liberated from his rule.
Luffy punching Crocodile through the bedrock from the underground ruins exposed him to the world as the secret leader of the criminal organization Baroque Works which effectively meant that the people of Alabasta would be free from his rule too.
When Luffy punched Doflamingo down into the ground (man people on the Grand Line should really get Straw Hat insurance), it meant that he got sent back to the Underworld where he belongs and off his pedestal as an evil false king with a superiority complex.
In short, most of Luffy's big throwdowns are fistfight declarations of independence... and Luffy's brawl with Katakuri, well... isn't. Beating Katakuri won't save and liberate the people of Whole Cake Island from the rule of Big Mom.
What made the Whole Cake Island arc so interesting and unique was the fact that:
1) it makes you think about what you can consider to be a "victory”
2) how victory for the Straw Hats simply means retrieving Sanji and then surviving the rest
1) it makes you think about what you can consider to be a "victory”
2) how victory for the Straw Hats simply means retrieving Sanji and then surviving the rest
From there, the fight between Luffy and Katakuri has morphed into something way more personal. Luffy and Katakuri will probably never have an outright "we're not so different, YOU AND I" scene.
Personality-wise, they're not really similar. Luffy is excitable, adventurous, and loves meat. Katakuri is staunch, tense, and enjoys copious 
. Yet, they both live with the weight of their entire families on their backs.
. Yet, they both live with the weight of their entire families on their backs.
Luffy's family is, of course, his crew, and as we've seen, he'll go to any lengths to protect them. He loves his crew, and they love him, and with his goal being to achieve the status of Pirate King and live freely, it makes for a pretty open lifestyle.
Katakuri, on the other hand, has a family that's mostly made up of jerks, who all live in fear of their nearly omnipotent mother, and Katakuri is forced to be the big brother to all of them. He's the one that will bail them out. He's the one that will never fail.
He's the one that will ensure that Big Mom is never truly threatened. Both Luffy and Katakuri's positions come with a huge amount of stress, but while Luffy is able to be himself and travel on the high seas whenever he wants, Katakuri cannot.
Katakuri's only moment of openness is when he's able to sit in his little mochi cottage by himself, sip tea, and chew on pastries with his big ol' mouth.
To say that One Piece is directly commenting on how traditional masculine roles can lead to repression and anger (when Luffy sees Katakuri having a moment of relaxation, Katakuri is pisssssed) might be going a bit far.
But the idea is out there, and I think that's a pretty cool topic for a shonen story to tackle. Also, being a villain usually seems way more fun than being a hero, as the villain is free to run rampant, while the hero is stuck being devoted to whatever code they promised to keep.
But here, the roles are reversed. When the day (and fight) are over, Luffy can go back to pirating on a whim. Katakuri, meanwhile, is just a magical footstool for the Big Mom family, no matter how much some of them love him.
This battle basically comes down, not to the liberation of Whole Cake Island, but the emotional liberation of Katakuri. Katakuri's whole life has been devoted to the fact that, no matter what, he can't lose.
So maybe finally losing (and thus becoming okay with his own personal "weaknesses") will be some chicken soup for Katakuri's soul.
LvK breaks the common shounen formula for a fight once you discover the motivation and philosophy behind each character’s actions. In short, it could be said that Luffy is an impersonation of what Katakuri would’ve been like, had he stood up and been himself.
Katakuri is someone who changes himself to fit into society but in contrast Luffy is someone who changes society to fit his character. Kat saw his former self in Luffy. It’s for this reason that Kat began to gain respect for him and let him leave WCI at the end of the fight.
It’s also for this reason that he decided to land on his back. Katakuri WANTED to lose. He wanted to be defeated. After he saw himself in Luffy, he wanted to admit defeat by his former self, representing that he used to be stronger than what he is now.
Katakuri chose to fall on his back but he could’ve fallen forward just as easily. Brûlée even pointed that out at the end of the fight. This fight is a masterpiece because of the clashes between similar ideologies. If you don’t understand it, it just looks like “another” fight.
Luffy reminds him of something he once was which is why he kept pushing him to get up every time he fell; because he wanted Luffy to surpass him and his current ideals.
(he was a lot like Luffy in his flashback but once someone hurt and left a permanent scar on his little sister Brûlée’s face because of his actions, he changed himself so that never would happen to someone he cared for again)
Based on my experiences, I believe that people are upset at the technical outcome of the fight, where many perceive that one “defeated” the other in a 1v1 physical brawl. In my opinion, the beauty of the fight comes from two main reasons:
1. The fight is both a physical and mental fight
2. The winner of both these “fights” are subject to the reader’s interpretation of the ending of the fight
2. The winner of both these “fights” are subject to the reader’s interpretation of the ending of the fight
I believe that the physical fight was won by Katakuri as he lands far more attacks on Luffy than Luffy lands on him (albeit I’m in the school of thought that Kat does have less durability and stamina).
When Luffy climbs out of the hole, Katakuri stands there looming and towering over him, as if to say “I’m still stronger than you”.
However I believe the mental fight was won by Luffy. He pushed Katakuri to his absolute limits mental and physical stamina with his refusal to go down.
Katakuri’s initial desire in this fight was to crush Luffy’s confidence by proving that there would always be someone stronger than him, thus allowing Kat to maintain his required image as the perfect older brother.
But through the fight, Luffy showed Katakuri his grit and determination. This made Kat realize that he was actually enjoying the fight. This is because somebody had finally created a fight in which Kat could fight without the worries of his family/image.
It served as a catalyst to relieve all his pent up feelings. At various stages in the fight, Kat has Luffy on the ground and could’ve finished him off, but instead yells “What’s the matter Straw Hat?! Is that all you got!?” with “Yes, endure it and stand back up”.
This shows that Kat is desperate for the fight to continue so that he can continue to see Luffy’s continual growth. In a sense, Katakuri was even teaching Luffy.
Their final conversation has Luffy obviously tired and hunched over with fists raised, but Kat is standing upright (implying that he can keep going) without fists raised (implying that he no longer wants to fight).
Kat asks Luffy if he’s coming back to which Luffy responds “Of course! I’m the man who will be the pirate king” to which Kat is speechless (“...”)
Here, Kat realizes that no matter how hard he physically beats Luffy, he can’t crush his mental fortitude. Despite the desperate situation, despite being off the brink of death, Luffy never gave up.
With this, Kat accepts mental defeat and newfound respect for Luffy by falling on his back to show that he is indeed liberated from his required perfect image catalyzed by his fight with Luffy.
Some people are saying that Luffy at this point in the series is now stronger than Katakuri solely based on the fact that he was the “victor” in the fight. Although it is true that he won, the outcome of the fight was solely based on Katakuri’s character.
Katakuri essentially forfeited the match and had no intention to kill Luffy half way through the fight. And, like I said before, Luffy would have lost if Brûlée wasn’t conveniently there to save him.
Katakuri still outclasses Luffy in nearly every aspect. Look at how quickly he adapted to Snakeman which is a speed based form. He took a couple of hits and then quickly adapted to the new situation and even then came out on top in the end.
He was always waiting for Luffy’s next attack. He kept pushing him up saying “What’s next?”; never taking the initiative to attack himself. He even took it upon himself to take on Luffy’s strongest attack and while Luffy fell into the crevice, he stood saying “I’ll never lose”.
Basically once again reaffirming the fact that he’s still stronger. Next, people say that Luffy has the same level of observation Haki as Kat. This is not true either.
While there are instances where it does seem like it, it’s still not the same as Katakuri who’d practically use it unconsciously. Luffy couldn’t foresee Gazelleman nabbing Tama for example.
When we most likely see Kat in the future, I hope he won’t be wearing the scarf to hide himself anymore. I want him to show that he too has surpassed his limits, grew as a character and learned from his fight with Luffy.
Whether you believe it or not, not only is Luffy vs Katakuri is singlehandedly the best fight the whole series, but Katakuri is also the best antagonist and that’s a FACT.
And that concludes the thread! Thanks for reading everyone! Hope you enjoyed and learned something new from this! 
Images used by artists:
First image: https://www.deviantart.com/melonciutus
Second image: ???
Third image: https://www.deviantart.com/tag/burupegasasu?q=popular-all-time
First image: https://www.deviantart.com/melonciutus
Second image: ???
Third image: https://www.deviantart.com/tag/burupegasasu?q=popular-all-time
