One Piece, our favorite manga, is known for its epic battles, engaging characters, and intricate storyline. In the Whole Cake Island arc, the Straw Hats Pirates face off against one of the strongest pirates in the Big Mom’s crew, Charlotte Katakuri.
In this blog post, we will delve into the details of how Luffy managed to defeat Katakuri
I have been following the One Piece series for years and it will be a pleasure to guide you on this journey.
So, take a seat, and let’s sail!
Overview on Katakuri
Before diving into one of the most intense, but speculative fights of the verse, it’s essential to rewind how notable Luffy’s opponent was.
Charlotte Katakuri is Big Mom’s second son, and one of the three Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates.
He is also the second of the crew in terms of power and strength, just behind the Emperor Charlotte Linlin.
His most notable abilities come from his mastery of Haki and his Devil Fruit, the Mochi Mochi no Mi.
How special is Katakuri’s Haki mastery?
Katakuri has an imposing control of all three types of Haki: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror Haki.
His main asset is the advanced color of Observation haki.
He refined it to the point he could foresee up to 5 seconds in the future. Thus, predicting his opponent’s next move is easier, and he can retaliate most effectively.
Secondly, the Armament Haki allows Katakuri to coat his body and weapons with strengthening Haki armor. It greatly enhances his offensive and defensive capabilities.
The most notable are the Zan Giri Mochi and the Chikara Mochi.
Lastly, the Conqueror’s Haki of Katakuri was strong enough to equal the likes of Luffy, and in the process, to knock out weaker opponents such as Charlotte Flampe.
Considering all those abilities in his skillset, plus his expertise, Katakuri was undoubtedly a great opponent.
How powerful is the Mochi Mochi Fruit?
Aside from the aforesaid abilities, his Devil Fruit, the Mochi Mochi no Mi allows him to transform, produce and manipulate unlimited amounts of sticky rice.
It serves as a good trap material, due to its sticky properties.
Let’s keep in mind that this Devil Fruit is a Special Paramecia.
Thus, Katakuri can morph his arms to a bigger size, create additional limbs, or even imbue his enlarged arms with the Haki, to deal tremendous amounts of damage.
We saw Katakuri doing so many times with Kaku Mochi, to overpower Luffy’s inflated arms in Gear Fourth.
Finally, Katakuri’s most astonishing breakthrough was the combination of his morphing abilities and future perception.
Since he can predict enemies’ moves, the Sweet Commander is capable of shaping his body, creating holes the size of his opponent’s attack.
The trick is so ingenious that Katakuri can even dodge Haki punches, attesting to the value of this breakthrough.
What was Luffy’s condition before fighting Katakuri?
Luffy was already a talented fighter with strong Haki and his Gear Fourth techniques, before facing Katakuri. He was mentally ready to confront the Sweet Commander Katakuri, seeing in this confrontation, a means to improve his Haki and overall abilities.
How advanced was Luffy’s Haki?
Before the fight, Luffy’s mastery of Haki was already relevant to his level.
- His Armament haki was used several times to diminish strikes from Big Mom, or to unsuccessfully attack Prometheus.
- Despite not being abusive, his Conqueror’s haki used to be valuable too. While clashing with Katakuri’s, it was strong enough to put Flambe out of action.
- His Color of Observation Haki, which will get the most progression, was just as capable as an average skilled user.
How valuable were Gears for Luffy?
Luffy’s Gear Four technique has already proven to be a game-changer in his battles, back to Dressrosa.
With the physical strength and resilience boost of this latest Gear form, Luffy was able to take down Charlotte Cracker, after an exhilarating fight.
However, similarly to all Gears, the drawbacks of his Gear Fourth were just inhibiting his use of Haki, which can be crucial on the battlefield.
What happened during the intense battle between Luffy and Katakuri?
At the start of their confrontation, Katakuri was undoubtedly the most likely to win.
What struggles did Luffy face at the beginning of the fight against Katakuri?
Not only were his Devil Fruit abilities giving him a huge lead over Luffy, but his expertise in Haki was just monstrous.
One of the most baffling facts was the numerous limbs of Katakuri, throwing 10 times more punches than the Gomu Gomu no Gatling.
Even the Elephant Gun wasn’t big enough to compete with Katakuri’s giant fist.
Plus, whenever their fists collided, Luffy’s got repeatedly swollen. It attests to the superiority of the Armament Haki of the Sweet Commander at that moment.
As Katakuri started to use his Observation Haki, keeping up was a real struggle.
Pretty weird, most of Katakuri’s special moves seemed similar to Luffy’s ones. To such an extent that we saw Katakuri using a Red Hawk-ish move against him.
Coincidence or is it one of Oda’s jokes?
How strong did Luffy grow during his fight against Katakuri?
As the fight was progressing, Luffy unconsciously started to foresee Katakuri’s attacks. As with every new ability, he wasn’t capable of reiterating it voluntarily.
Once he bought enough time, he could activate the fourth gear.
The latter mode made a difference in the first few minutes after its activation.
Boosting his strength and speed, Luffy was then able to perform Katakuri and, after gaining enough time, activate Gear Fourth.
The latter mode made a difference in the first few minutes after its activation.
With increased strength and speed, Luffy was able to perform Katakuri.
In addition, bewilderment was beginning to show on the Sweet Commander’s face, as Luffy was more frequently avoiding his strikes. No longer by chance but on purpose.
Furthermore, he also came up with a faster, more unpredictable, and astonishing variant of the Gear Fourth: the Snakeman.
From there on, Katakuri was obliged to employ his “intangible mode” to retaliate fiercely. The most stunning moves were while escaping from the Gomu Gomu no Black Mamba.
Notwithstanding the damages intaken, Katakuri never fell, showing how steady he was. He repeatedly managed to take damages and stand put.
When did Katakuri realize Luffy’s true potential?
Without realizing it, Katakuri began to appreciate his opponent Luffy.
The latter was increasingly able to keep up with him in a single fight, with a level he had built up over years.
The focus of the battle then shifted from why Luffy keeps standing up after taking heavy hits, to why Katakuri was unable to keep Luffy down.
Katakuri wanted this fair victory over his worthy opponent, otherwise it would have meant defeat. Therefore, he stabbed himself when his sister’s intervention caused Luffy to be injured.
From there on, each one of the contenders went all in: Katakuri with his Buzz Cut Mochi, and Luffy consistently striking back, despite the pain and fatigue.
What was Luffy’s final attack that ultimately defeated Katakuri?
As the fight came to an end, Katakuri saw the unshakable image of himself begin to crumble.
Undoubtedly, it had an effect on his willpower, and therefore his Haki.
Guided by the memory of his master Rayleigh, Luffy unleashed the Snakeman’s most powerful attack: « King Cobra ».
After an intense exchange of blows, both Luffy and Katakuri found themselves on the ground, with Katakuri falling for the first time in the battle.
However, true to his resilient nature, Luffy rose to his feet, unwaveringly proving that he will be the future Pirate King.
If you want to know which episode it happen, check our article « What episode does Luffy defeat Katakuri? »
Conclusion
In One Piece fights, mental determination is as crucial as physical strength.
Luffy beat Katakuri through adaptivity and the unwavering willpower he displayed all the fight long.
Katakuri could have won by starting with full force, but he recognized his opponent’s talent too late. He eventually gave up due to exhaustion.
With this victory added to his record, Luffy stepped up a considerable gap, and got closer to the Yonko level, furthermore, to the rank of the Pirate King. What did you think of the Luffy vs. Katakuri battle? Do you believe it was a turning point in the series?
