Scott Pilgrim is a time capsule of the late '00s and early '10s in many significant ways. One of the most critical examples of this is the influence of video games on both comics and the movie. Scott Pilgrim presents a unique power hierarchy within its cast by borrowing much of its visuals and storytelling tropes from the classic, final boss-centric video games of the '80s and '90s.
Fans might think the League of evil exes presents a clear escalation of power. Still, the actual rankings of power in the Scott Pilgrim universe are more circuitous than they might expect.
10 Knives Chau's Naivety Gets In Her Way
While not entirely helpless, Knives is easily the weakest member of the main Scott Pilgrim cast. Knives' age (seventeen at the beginning of the story) plays a significant factor. Aside from her youth, Knives' naivety stops her from tapping into her true power.
Comic book fans know that Knives' father, Mr. Chau is a highly formidable fighter. Although she does gain more confidence as a warrior towards the end of the series, surpassing her father will be a monumental challenge for the bright-eyed Knives.
9 Matthew Patel Was Easily Defeated
As the first evil ex that Scott encounters, Matt is bound to place reasonably low on a list of powerful characters. Even with the aid of a sneak attack, Matt is still incapable of besting Scott in their first and only meeting.
In addition to that, Ramona hadn't even informed Scott about her villainous exes. Since Scott effortlessly dispatched Matt at the beginning of the series, it's impossible to imagine even the most powerful version of Patel damaging him at the end of the story.
8 Lucas Lee Was Barely A Threat
Lucas's action movie prowess might lead many fans to believe he would be a beast, but that's hardly the case. Although he caused problems for Scott at the beginning of their fight, Lucas was quickly thwarted by Scott once the protagonist understood the battle and terrain.
Most of Lucas' battle damage came from Scott still being quizzical about battling Ramona's exes in the first place. Like Matt Patel, Scott would massacre even the most powerful version of Lucas Lee at the end of the series.
7 Movie Fans And Comic Fans Have Different Opinions On The Katayanagi Brothers
While there may be a difference in strength between the two brothers, it's impossible to judge as they always fight together. Depending on the version of Scott Pilgrim they encountered first, fans may differ in how they rate the brothers compared to other characters.
In the comics, the Katayanagi brothers exhibit more physical acumen than their movie equivalents. The Scott Pilgrim comic casts the brothers parallel to Ryu and Ken from the Street Fighter franchise."The battle of the bands" scene is a movie-only original.
6 Kim Pine Intimidates Everyone
Kim Pine doesn't fight much during the entirety of the Scott Pilgrim series. That doesn't stop Kim Pine from being more powerful than the characters before her. In the comics, Kim's gruff, no-nonsense demeanor is as potent as any punch thrown by another character. Even with the protagonist being in their band, most members of Sex Bob-omb are more intimidated by Kim than Scott.
If Kim decided to fight, odds are she'd be the strongest character in the Scott Pilgrim franchise, irrespective of the medium.
5 Roxy Richter Has Impressive Katana Skills
Roxy's speed alone places her among the top members of the League of evil exes. During their first several encounters, Scott is incapable of touching Roxy. Part of the problem stems from Scott's antiquated notion about not attacking female fighters and Roxy's unfathomable level of speed.
Also, Richter's proficiency with a katana can't be understated. At several points in their fight, Roxy almost decapitated Scott. As the only female member of Ramona's evil exes, Roxy proves the girls can play as hard as the boys.
4 Ramona Flowers Is Dangerous In Battle
Although she ultimately needed Scott's assistance to help free herself from the insidious League of evil exes bedeviling her, Ramona is no slouch in the combat department. Defying the damsel in distress trope, Ramona even brandishes a giant mallet that she wields with expert ability.
Ramona's ability to access sub-space is also an incredible power as its uses range from both offensive and defensive. Ramona and Scott may function on the ruling of "opposites attract"in their love life, but they are equally dangerous in battle.
3 Todd Ingram Had Vegan Superpowers
Todd might be the strongest in Scott Pilgrim's cast in the brackets of characters with raw power. As a consequence of his natural food, vegan lifestyle, Todd has intensely powerful psychic abilities. Unfortunately for Scott, Todd doesn't just rely on his psychic abilities as a crutch.
Scott was eventually able to overcome him, but if the Vegan Police hadn't interfered, Todd could have won the fight. If Todd were to fight "end of series" Scott, the battle might be even closer than their first encounter.
2 Scott Pilgrim Shows Impressive Growth
Part of the fun of being a Scott Pilgrim fan is watching the titular character evolve mentally and physically throughout the series. Possessing some innate power from the beginning of the series, Scott adds to his arsenal with each evil ex he defeats.
By the end of the series, with the power of love, Scott can overcome the most destructive characters of them all. Although it's quite the journey for him to get there, Scott becomes the second most powerful character in the franchise.
1 Gideon Graves Is The Final Boss
Gideon is the most powerful character in all of Scott Pilgrim. With the franchise centered on video games that featured an unreasonably powerful big boss, Scott Pilgrim is almost defined more by Gideon than Scott.
Only through their collective power were Ramona and Scott able to best the supremely powerful Gideon Graves. To hammer the point home even further, Gideon killed Scott in their initial encounter. Thankfully, Scott used his extra life to revive himself and win the battle, but Gideon would have won easily.