Fairy Tail’s Natsu vs. One Piece’s Luffy: Which Protagonist Would Win in a Fight?

One Piece is considered to be one of the “Big Three” (or “Big Four”, if you count the slightly older Dragon Ball) anime series. On the other hand, Fairy Tail is considered to be one of the best post-“Big Three” anime. In this article, we have decided to talk about the protagonists of these two shows – Natsu Dragneel and Monkey D. Luffy – as we are going to compare their skills and abilities using our point-based system to determine who would in a fight between these two powerhouse protagonists.

Physical abilities and fighting skills

Natsu Dragneel is a strong character and is a skilled fighter, but he mostly relies on his magic, which is a downside when faced with certain types of opponents. Due to his magical abilities, his physical properties are also significantly increased and he is also quite durable in battle, which makes him one of the most skilled and apt characters in his universe. He has immense strength, speed, and reflexes and is also great in hand-to-hand combat.

Luffy has demonstrated amazing superhuman strength and strong fighting prowess. His slim build gives the impression that he is weak, but it is a trick. Luffy has demonstrated strength that is significantly more than that of humans throughout the series; he even used one punch to beat a sea king. This is the outcome of the rigorous training that his grandfather Monkey D. Garp gave him. This training included dropping him deep into perilous jungles and tying him to balloons to soar to great heights. As a result, he became one of the most formidable One Piece characters.

In terms of physical skills and abilities, there is no doubt that Luffy surpasses Natsu, especially when it comes to experience. This is why the first point goes to Luffy.

Points: Natsu 0, Luffy 1

Special abilities

Natsu is a Dragon Slayer mage of the fire kind. This kind of magic makes use of the user’s own fire to both attack and support since ingesting it increases the user’s power. He still can’t consume his own fire, though. The more emotional he gets, the more energetic he seems to be. It is also known that Natsu is capable of consuming magic other than fire, however this has temporary negative effects. Natsu doesn’t need to consume lightning bolts in order to enter the Lightning Flame Dragon state after the seven-year time jump. He is still unable to willingly switch into Dragon Force mode, though. But when he does, his abilities greatly increase.

Unknowingly, Luffy consumed a Devil Fruit that belonged to Shanks’ crew when he was a child. The fruit, known as Gomu Gomu no Mi, gave him the elastic qualities of gum. Because of the resilience of his rubber body, he is also completely impervious to physical attacks, however, this was refuted multiple times over the series. Cuts from a sword or knife would be the most likely to harm Luffy because of his extreme flexibility and susceptibility to injuries. It later turned out that his Devil Fruit is the mythical Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, giving Luffy the powers of the Sun God Nika and making him even more overpowered. On top of that, he is able to use all three types of Haki.

Natsu’s magical skills are special at their maximum level, but Luffy’s Nika Fruit is something that is right up there with these powers. This is why we have decided to split the points here.

Points: Natsu 1, Luffy 2

Intelligence

In terms of his intelligence, it has to be stated that Natsu’s official evaluation reveals that intelligence is not really his forte (2/5). He is not stupid, but he relies more on his physical abilities and his magic than on his mind, which is a trait that is not that uncommon among anime protagonists.

Luffy does seem a bit dumb when you first see him and he can be slow when some things are concerned, but he is a tactical genius and when it comes to fighting, he is able to skillfully use his mind to find a way to surpass an opponent even in the most dire circumstances.

Although neither of them is a certified genius, Luffy’s tactical prowess is something that needs to be taken into consideration here, so the Straw Hat wins the final point.

Points: Natsu 1, Luffy 3

Who would win, Natsu or Monkey D. Luffy?

The ultimate conclusion of this analysis is a very complex one. On the one hand, we have Natsu, whose powers at their maximum potential are truly amazing and due to their nature, it is difficult to compare them with Luffy’s powers, which are more focused on strength and durability than anything else. In that aspect, it might seem like Natsu would win.

But, with Luffy unlocking both the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and Gear 5, it becomes more than obvious that Luffy is on par with Natsu and even above him. Paired with these new – and completely ridiculous – powers, to be frank (just remember what the guy did to Kaidou, and he was also able to knock down Kizaru), Luffy’s experience in fighting tough opponents as well as his durability in battle would, in our opinion, be enough to surpass Natsu in a fight. This is what the points state and we genuinely think that Luffy would be able to come out on top as the winner of this clash.

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