3- Zoro vs King
The next two fights are interchangeable and purely depend on what kind of fight you prefer and which character you like more. For me, Zoro vs King, is number 3. It has some impressive display of power from both characters as well as some very, very impressive choreography, something I haven’t seen done this good ever since Zoro’s fight with Ryuma, which is my 2nd favorite fight of his.
Not only that but this fight also has some nice internal conflict for Zoro, an obstacle he must overcome before winning which was a nice surprise.
We haven’t seen something like this for Zoro ever since his fight with Mr.1 and Zoro needing to learn to cut steel, which is my favorite fight of his.
Zoro learning to control Enma was nice conflict to follow and his surprise flashback was also nice to see. It’s always nice to see more of Zoro’s past as there is so little of it that we saw. It does steer too much into ret-con territory but I’m willing to give it a pass if it means we get to see more of the Zoro’s backstory.
The choreography and the internal conflict all nicely culminate in the awesome moment of Zoro learning to coat his Conqueror’s Haki and eventually defeating King.
This was the longest Zoro fight to date and it shows as it doesn’t feel rushed and gives enough time for the moments to breathe before moving onto the next thing.
2- Sanji vs Queen
This fight is peak Sanji. Sanji has been lacking clean 1v1 fights ever since Fishman Island and once we finally got one, Oda delivers. I’ve said the fight is interchangeable with Zoro’s because they are basically dealing with the same thing, just going around it different ways. Where Zoro vs King have great choreography and good conflict, Sanji vs Queen has good choreography and great internal conflict for Sanji to overcome.
The entire fight is centered on Sanji’s long awaited resolution with his Germa family. The previous arc never gave us a resolution to this but here in Wano, we unexpectedly get it. Where Zoro struggled physically to control Enma, Sanji struggles mentally with the changes happening in his body due to the usage of Raid Suit.
He is afraid of losing his emotions and is presented with a dilemma – Wear the Raid Suit and become a killing machine or continue being who he is. He asks which one of these does Luffy wants and ends up doing the most unexpected thing of them all – He actually destroys the Raid suit, giving us the answer loud and clear.
This isn’t all. Not only is Sanji having a mental conflict with Germa 66 but he is also having a physical conflict with them in form of Queen, someone who used to work with his father and possesses all of the abilities his brothers do, including his own invisibility. The fight ends with every good quality of Sanji prevailing and being on the display front and center. He shows his compassion towards women when he saves O-Some, he displays his own strength by using his original technique, Ifrit Jambe, he showcases his trust in his crew mates (for the second time) by trusting in Zoro and he demonstrates his kindness by saving the pet mouse.
I honestly believe this is the best Sanji moment we ever got and maybe the best character moment in the whole manga.
1- Luffy vs Kaido
I know the fight isn’t yet over but I’ve seen enough? Luffy’s fights are always the best ones and just by what we have seen so far it’s easy for me to put it as Number 1. There is so much stuff to talk about here that it’s insane.
From the awesome 5v2 on the rooftop, to Luffy unlocking Conqueror’s Coating and punching Kaido around, to Kaido knocking him out. All that culminating in Luffy’s eventual triumphant return and him splitting the sky with Kaido, which in itself would be awesome but Oda goes a step above and actually uses the sky splitting to clear the skies for Inuarashi and Nekomamushi to use their Sulong forms and win their battles. Not to mention that before this we get a great moment with Momonosuke, now adult, who Luffy goats into biting Kaido, just amazing.
After that, we get an entire chapter focusing on Luffy vs Kaido where we get to see them fighting equally. We also get to see more of Kaido’s arsenal with his drunken style as well as a reveal that Kaido is actually getting stronger when he is drunk.
That all and we are yet to see the final push of their fight which undoubtedly will be filled with more great revelations, more amazing double spreads and some insane attacks. The thought of that final panel where Luffy knocks out Kaido for good is exhilarating. 300+ chapters of build-up finally paying off and finally being realized in front of our eyes, there has never been a villain built up this much and his eventual defeat is definitely going to deliver.
