Luffy vs. Ace: Who Is Stronger & Who Would Win in a Fight?

One Piece is an anime that certainly has its fair share of strong and powerful characters. And while its protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, is certainly among them, some characters might be even more powerful than the cheerful and quirky protagonist of the manga. In this article, we will analyze one such potential character, as we will pit Luffy against Portgas D. Ace, his deceased friend and brother, who was likewise one of the most powerful characters in the series.

Luffy is stronger than Ace and would be able to defeat him in a fight. As someone who survived a clash against Blackbeard, Ace was, for a long time, more powerful than Luffy. But even if we disregard the fact that Ace died, Luffy became stronger than Ace when he activated Gear 5 and the true nature of his Devil Fruit, thereby becoming one of the most powerful characters in the lore of One Piece.

The rest of this article will further elaborate on the above-given answer, as we will compare Luffy and Ace in more detail. Through several categories, you will see who the stronger of the two is and why our answer is like it is, i.e., why Luffy would ultimately be able to defeat Ace in a fight.

Physical powers

Luffy is endowed with immense physical strength, enough to lift gigantic boulders and shatter steel with his bare hands. His physical strength derives in part from the workouts his grandfather Garp subjected him to as a child, where he survived critical circumstances and used to face huge ferocious beasts. Even as a child, he defeated grown-ups and endured Polchemy’s torture.

His physical strength is such as to overwhelm the strongest fugitives of the eastern sea and rivals even that of the fish-men, as demonstrated in the battles against Arlong and Hody Jones, whose strength was even higher than that of the average of their race. . In particular against Hody, after two years of training, he showed himself clearly superior, so much so that he defeated him despite being powered by Energy Steroids.

In addition to the abilities he acquired from consuming a Devil Fruit, Ace was incredibly physically strong. His ability to defeat some local bullies who claimed his father “ought to die” as a boy and his ability to sit on a large animal (perhaps a bull) that he killed with his stick when he first met Luffy were both indications of his strong physical potential. Later footage showed him easily down a huge tree. Three years before Luffy left his family, Ace had already developed significant strength.

Ace displayed his strength during the battle with Blackbeard. Blackbeard delivered many punches to Ace, two of which nearly broke his nose and caused him to bleed. Ace then struck back. Van Augur stated that even without his Devil Fruit abilities, Ace was a powerful combatant and the Whitebeard Pirates’ Second Division leader.

Initially, Ace was stronger than Luffy, but there is the fact that Luffy has honed his strength over the years and that he has surpassed Ace’s level, which is why he wins the point.

Points: Luffy 1, Ace 0

Devil Fruit

Luffy ate Gomu Gomu Devil Fruit which made him rubber, allowing him to stretch his body parts and hit enemies from a long distance. Although, as a child, he had problems in fully controlling his power, after intense training of over ten years, Luffy could use the fruit to exponentially improve his physical strength and agility, thus making him a dangerous opponent. It was later revealed that his Gomu Gomu no mi is actually the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, which gave Luffy even more powers and abilities.

Despite his fighting style sometimes appearing improvised, it is precisely his creativity that makes him an unpredictable opponent, capable of overturning critical situations by adapting from time to time to combat. His rubber body also makes him extremely durable and immune to marine bullets, normal punches, and even electricity. However, he is not immune to swords and knives, as well as to dehydration or poison, although, after the fight with Magellan, he becomes immune to a wide variety of these.

Ace ate the Mera Mera no Mi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit, giving him pyrogenic powers, hence his nickname “Burning Fist Ace.” Ace also demonstrated his immense power by easily destroying several Baroque Works ships in one shot. For some reason, Ace cares very little about his inability to swim, as shown by the risk he took of ending up in the water when he destroyed the Baroque Works ships. This power also allowed him to stop the snowfall on Drum Island the night he traveled there.

Ace handles his Devil Fruit very well; evidenced by his boat named Striker. It’s a cross between a rowboat and a windsurfer that’s propelled by a rear engine, which Ace fuels with his flames. However, being composed of fire did not protect him against Akainu’s power, which managed to inflict a fatal wound on him while his Logia powers were still active. This is because Ace’s Devil Fruit is disadvantaged against Akainu’s power. After his death, it was revealed that Ace’s “Burning Fists” could burn cities to ashes.

Had this comparison been focused on Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Mi, we would have given Ace the point, but with Luffy’s Devil Fruit being the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, we have to give Straw Hat this one as well.

Points: Luffy 2, Ace 0

Haki

Rayleigh trained Luffy to become an expert Haki user. He knows how to use the Observation Haki, which he instinctively used for the first time against Mihawk, avoiding a swing that would have cut off his arms. He also mastered the Armament Haki at high levels, making it an essential part of Gear Fourth. Using this ability combined with the powers of his own devil fruit, Luffy can also ignite his fists thanks to his friction.

He also knows how to use the rarest form of Haki, the Royal Haki, which is the one he prefers. With it, he could knock out fifty thousand fish-men at once. During his confrontation with Kaido, he proved to be one of the very few individuals able to use her to enhance his attacks. His third fight against the emperor also ripped through the sky.

Although not featured in the actual story, it is revealed in a flashback, 10 years before the current timeline, that Ace has the innate ability to use Royal Haki. He is seen unknowingly using it against Bluejam when the latter wants to kill Luffy. He says of Luffy in Marineford “you have it too,” as his little brother unknowingly uses it. In Novel A, he consciously uses it against Hammond. It was revealed in One Piece Magazine that Ace could use Armament Haki. However, his level of proficiency in the matter is unknown. Ace developed Kenbunshoku Haki through his training with Thatch in the manga adaptation of a light novel.

Since both of them can use all three types of Haki, we wouldn’t distinguish between them, so we opted to share the points in this category.

Points: Luffy 3, Ace 1

Weapons

Luffy rarely uses weapons in combat, mostly due to his inexperience and inability to use them. In his childhood, he wielded a metal pipe, which is probably the most sophisticated weapon he successfully handled. In Arlong Park, Luffy briefly tried to fight with swords but failed miserably.

Ace carries a dagger, but we never see him use it. However, in the flashbacks where he attempts to assassinate Whitebeard, Ace shows himself capable of using several weapons, including an axe, knife, etc. As a child, he was seen armed with a pipe, as seen in Luffy’s flashbacks.

Although Portgas D. Ace doesn’t rely on weapons as much as some other characters, he has the necessary knowledge to triumph against Luffy in this category.

Points: Luffy 3, Ace 2

Monkey D. Luffy vs. Portgas D. Ace: Who wins?

As the points confirm, Luffy is now stronger than Ace. Sure, initially, Portgas D. Ace was much more powerful than the inexperienced Luffy. Still, Luffy has since had the time to hone his skills, and even though Ace died and stopped growing, we still think that Luffy would be able to defeat him at this point in time, even if Ace were alive. After defeating Kaidou, Luffy becomes a truly formidable fighter, which is also reflected in this analysis. And that is why Luffy is the winner.