I don’t really understand why people are so unsatisfied with the outcome of the Luffy vs Katakuri fight. For me, the ending was perfect, logical and did both fighters justice, especially Katakuri.
I think, here we had two different “Fights”( if you can call it that way) going on. One was the physical confrontation, while the other was a test of the personality of both fighters. The winner of the actual fight is Katakuri while Luffy wins in willpower and proving that he stands for everything that Katakuri desires.
I know, you probably think I’m crazy and I just can’t accept that Luffy won, but I truly think that there was much more to that fight, than simple “you hit me, I hit you”.
Let me explain: – After both men have landed their final attacks, Luffy is the first to collapse. At that time the fight has finished because there aren’t any combat related actions anymore. Katakuri was still standing, he observed Luffy well and came to the conclusion that he had achieved victory because Luffy won’t manage to get up again, thus he collapsed too. – After Luffy got up, Katakuri was the one getting up first, unlike many other, I think that Katakuri was fully capable of continuing and he would have, but now we come to the really mind blowing part.
Katakuri observed Luffy the entire time throughout their fight, he witnessed Luffy’s unbreakable determination to achieve victory, not because he wants to kick Katakuri’s ass but because he has to in order to achieve his dreams. Katakuri couldn’t find a way to break Luffy’s will. Then he questioned himself, even after everything that he had to endure through our fight, does he still hold on to his ambitions as before? Well, he then asked him the question, if he will come back to beat Big Mom and follow his dreams of becoming Pirate King, even after witnessing how big the difference in strength is between those two.
With that question he tested Luffy’s will, if his answer didn’t satisfy him, Katakuri would have continued fighting him till the end, but nothing has changed, Luffy still holds on to his dreams more than ever! Katakuri’s respect for Luffy has reached max level, he realised that Luffy does something all the time which Katakuri never could in his entire life and that is, being himself. You remember how Luffy just uttered everything that was on his mind? Not giving a damn what others thought? That’s what Katakuri admires, he wants to express his personality, instead being seen as a machine or the “perfect big brother”. He simply wants to be the donut loving Katakuri!
In addition to that, Katakuri thought to himself: – Why should I continue fighting? Why do I want to kill this man? – Since I was a child my family prevented me from being who I am, they laugh and spit at me, altough I became such an important figure for the family. – Yet, this idiot, who doesn’t even know me, is the first person to ever acknowledge me as an actual individual with desires and flaws. – He calls his own mom, not mama, but Big Mom. That shows that he clearly doesn’t see himself as part of the family, like we always thought. He distanced himself from them.
He asked him whether he would come back, was I the only one who thought that he just wants to see him again XD
All that can be summed up with Katakuri falling on his back, his family thinks that when his back touched the ground, it’s shameful. Yet he himself sometimes wants to lie on his back, because he feel comfortable (Snack time). It’s not his enemy (Luffy) who forced him on his back, he does it himself, it’s his one will, like Luffy, not giving a damn what others think!
Please reread(rewatch) the scene where he falls on his back, does it feel like he feels ashamed of doing it? To me, it looks like he has waited for that moment his entire life, he’s enjoying every moment of lying on his back (And everything because Luffy was his opponent).
That’s my take on the fight, it can be totally wrong I know, but I like to think of it that way and I’m curious what you guys think, please share your opinion.
*Theory by Rob-Lucci
