Hello Nakama!
Sabo’s untimely departure did leave a void in our hearts since he was amongst the most charismatic characters in the world of One Piece and had a history like none other! It wasn’t until the Dressrosa Arc that we were introduced to the Sabo, brother to Luffy and Ace!
Being around the same age as Ace, he is the nicer version of him as he treats Luffy with a tad bit more kindness than Ace; at the start, he does have trust issues with Luffy but grows to like him as time passes. The two never met again after Dressrosa, but Is Luffy stronger than Sabo?
Being a One Piece fan for +15 years, I’ll be your host for today’s article, and it’ll be a pleasure to discuss this with you all!
Luffy vs Sabo
As said before, it wasn’t until the Dressrosa Arc that we finally got to know who Sabo actually is, with all his tragic backstory being brought up to us viewers in such awe. Originally the son of the rulers of the Goa Kingdom, making him a prince, he wanted to live free from the clutches of his hypocritical parents and explore the world, a dream he shared with both Luffy and Ace.
It wasn’t until the Grey Terminal incident that Sabo faced a tragedy and almost sank into the ocean when his ship collided with a Celestial Dragon’s vessel, and lost his memories. Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army and father of Monkey D. Luffy, saved him as he cursed his lineage and the rest of the World Nobles.
Because of this event, Dragon increased the Revolutionary Army’s activities worldwide and took Sabo under his wing, making him rise to the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army while losing his memories after the Gray Terminal incident.
Once Ace’s death was reported in the news, it was only then that he regained his memories back. It was in Dressrosa where he got a brief reunion with Luffy and inherited Ace’s Mera Mera no Mi, making him known as “Flame Emperor.” You can read here about an other brother fight : Is Luffy stronger than Ace ?
Granted that Luffy didn’t get to meet with Sabo after Dressrosa, nor did the two interact after, I wonder what the latter’s reaction would be after fighting Luffy in his current state!
Categories for battle assessment
Here are the categories for the fight:
- Strength
- Speed
- Haki
- Power (destructive capabilities)
- Endurance
- IQ
- Battle IQ
- Devils fruit powers
Is Luffy stronger than Sabo in terms of Strength?
Sabo is one of the most capable fighters in the One Piece Universe, fighting the likes of Fujitora and Post-Timeskip Jesus Burgess, showcasing his abilities as a formidable fighter.
Luffy has fought the aforementioned opponents, but he has fought even tougher enemies than them, such as Katakuri, Big Mom, and Doflamingo. I think it’s safe to say that Luffy has the upper hand in this one.
Luffy stomps Sabo in terms of Strength.
Is Luffy stronger than Sabo in terms of Speed?
The only proof we have of Sabo’s speedwork is that he kept up with Fujitora, which is no easy feat either since overcoming any Marine Admiral in any category requires an insane amount of footwork, strength, and willpower. Sabo has all of these checklists completed for this.
Luffy, on the other hand, has the necessary speed required to overcome his foes by blitzing against Katakuri, Doflamingo, Kaido’s Beast Pirates, and Kaido himself, thanks to his Snakeman form of Gear 4.
Luffy blitzes Sabo in terms of Speed.
Is Luffy stronger than Sabo in terms of Haki?
Despite having arduous training from the legendary Monkey D. Dragon himself, Sabo only seems to possess mastery over Armament and Observation Haki. This is no small feat either, as having mastery over the two gives you quite an edge in battle!
Luffy would gain an advantage over Sabo thanks to his mastery of Conqueror’s and the aforementioned forms of Haki. And not just the Basic forms of it, but Advanced Forms as well!
Luffy overwhelms Sabo in terms of Haki.
Is Luffy stronger than Sabo in terms of Power (Destructive Capabilities)?
Back in their old days at Goa Island, Sabo, Ace, and Luffy were known for their shenanigans and the destruction they caused. The same can be said of their Adult forms as well as Sabo caused massive destruction around the Dressrosa Coliseum with this Flame Dragon Roar attack, a Dragon Marital Arts attack infused with Mera Mera no Mi’s flames.
On the other hand, Luffy can cause significantly more destruction than Sabo, as ANY attack from Luffy’s Boundman or Tankman forms infused with Conqueror’s Haki can wreak havoc on a massive scale. Surely, larger than the one Sabo created.
Luffy overwhelms Sabo in terms of Power (Destructive Capabilities).
Is Luffy stronger than Sabo in terms of Endurance?
Sabo can take a punch, that’s a given. If he can withstand Fujitora’s Ferocious Tiger, he can withstand attacks that are, at the very least, Multi-Continental Level.
Luffy took hits from Katakuri, withstood Prometheus’s Heavenly Bonbon, was unharmed by a bite from Queen’s Zoan Form, and withstood hits from Kaido’s Hybrid Form. Those attacks and enemies are, without a doubt, stronger than Fujitora AND higher than the Multi-Continental level at the very least.
Luffy beats Sabo in terms of Endurance.
Is Luffy stronger than Sabo in terms of IQ?
Sabo is the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army. It is no easy feat to become the right-hand man of Monkey D. Dragon since a lot of intelligence is required to perform covert operations required to thwart the World Government’s efforts and lead a whole rebellion against them.
On the other hand, Luffy couldn’t care less about the situations of the world around him and doesn’t act with logic at all, which can act as his eventual downfall.
Sabo beats Luffy in terms of IQ.
Is Luffy stronger than Sabo in terms of Battle IQ?
Apart from the standard Devil Fruit weaknesses that both contenders have, Sabo has expertise in hand-to-hand and close-quarter combat, thanks to the mentorship of Monkey D. Dragon. This gives him the opportunity to adapt to newer fighting situations as well.
Luffy may not have a higher IQ, but in terms of Battle Intelligence, he is no ordinary fighter as he learns new moves on the spot and mimics his enemies’ tactics rather quickly.
Luffy and Sabo are equal in terms of Battle IQ.
Is Luffy stronger than Sabo in terms of Devil Fruit power?
Sabo has the Mera Mera no Mi, one of the strongest fruits in the One Piece universe, and is considerably powerful, given that it is a Logia-type fruit and Ace’s former fruit as well.
On the other hand, Luffy has the Gomu Gomu no Mi fruit and is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit which, unfortunately, is weaker than the aforementioned Devil Fruit of Sabo.
Sabo would win over Luffy’s Devil Fruit Power.
Conclusion :
Sabo may have grown into a fine combatant and warrior, but that doesn’t make him strong enough to compete against Luffy in his current form, who has fought against enemies way tougher than this.
Probably the moment the two reunite, they won’t fight. Still, nobody knows what circumstances Oda might develop that the two might duke it out again for reasons unknown or complex.
Luffy stomps Sabo with a moderate difference.
