Natsu VS Ace

Natsu VS Ace is the 76th episode of Death Battle, featuring Natsu Dragneel from the Fairy Tail series and Portgas D. Ace from the One Piece series in a battle between pyrokinetic anime heroes. Natsu was voiced by Howard Wang and Ace was voiced by Valentine Stokes.
==Interlude==
Wiz: In ancient times, the Greeks believed anything could be made of four elements: Earth, Air, Water, and the most difficult to control, Fire.
Boomstick: But these two combatants have mastered the art of playing with fire. Natsu Dragneel, the Dragon-Slaying Mage of the Fairy Tail guild.
Wiz: And Portgas D. Ace, the feared pirate known as Fire Fist.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
==Natsu Dragneel==
Wiz: In his infancy, Natsu Dragneel was a pretty normal child living in a pretty normal village.
Boomstick: And then a bunch of dragons toasted the town and killed everybody, including him. The End.
The Death Battle transition card closes over.
Wiz: Almost.
Wiz: Fortunately, Natsu's older brother, Zeref, survived. Horrified by the violent fate of his family, Zeref desperately sought a way to revive Natsu. Eventually, he discovered the connections between life, death, and magic and became obsessed.
Boomstick: And so, he became the most evil and powerful mage ever, cursed to live forever and ruin everyone's lives. But everything worked out, I guess, because he brought Natsu back. Just one catch: Natsu had to be revived as a demon, though this gave him the potential to become even more powerful than Zeref.
Wiz: Unfortunately, Zeref had become incredibly dangerous to be around. Fearing for his brother's safety, he left Natsu in the care of his friend, Igneel, who just so happened to be the Fire Dragon King.
Boomstick: Natsu got adopted... by a freakin' dragon? Kinda weird since a dragon killed him in the first place and his family, but whatever. Dragon Dad ended up teachin' little Natsu Dragon Slayer Magic, a school of mystical martial arts developed specifically to kill... dragons— wait, man, that's really back and forth with these dragons, isn't it?
Wiz: Regardless, Igneel eagerly accepted his role as adoptive father. He taught Natsu how to read, write, and fight.
Wiz: But then, when Natsu came of age, Igneel suddenly sent him through a time machine and poof! Before he knew it, Natsu was trapped 400 years in the future and abandoned by the only father figure he ever really knew.
Boomstick: I know that feel, little buddy. I know that feel.
Wiz: Of course, it was all part of Igneel's plan to save the world, but at the time Natsu didn't know that. Fortunately, it wasn't long before he found a new home and family among the mercenaries of the Fairy Tail Guild.
Boomstick: Yeah, turns out being a demon trained by a goddamn dragon made Natsu pretty effective as a bounty hunter.
Wiz: Natsu possesses superhuman speed, impressive strength, and unbelievable durability. He has superior senses such as sight and smell, along with a mastery of hand-to-hand combat skills.
Boomstick: Mix all that up with his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic and you got one fiery cocktail that'll knock just about anybody on their ass.
Wiz: As the name suggests, Fire Dragon Slayer Magic revolves around conjuring and manipulating fire. A prime example would be Natsu's signature move, the Fire Dragon's Roar.
Boomstick: Where he literally shoots fire from his mouth!
Wiz: Or he can engulf his hand in flames for the devastating Fire Dragon's Iron Fist.
Boomstick: You know, we're gonna be saying fire a lot this episode.
Wiz: Yep! Natsu has well over two dozen different ways to incorporate fire into his martial arts, but his real strength comes from a move nobody ever really expects.
Boomstick: Ah, yeah... he eats fire!
Wiz: Like all mages in the Fairy Tail world, Natsu has a limited pool of magic, but consuming fire actually replenishes it. Not only that, he can consume different elemental magic as well, including lightning.
Boomstick: Talk about a shocking appetite. And because this is anime, eating lightning gives Natsu access to an all-new form: Lightning Fire Dragon. With this, Natsu's abilities are enhanced with electricity, giving him a brand new element of power.
Wiz: To increase his fire abilities, Natsu can enter Dragon Force. This greatly increases his Dragon Slayer Magic and physical prowess, bringing Natsu closer to the strength of a full-grown dragon.
Boomstick: He's even starting to look like a dragon now. You think that's an awful traumatic reminder when he looks at himself?
Wiz: But when his Dragon Slayer abilities aren't enough, Natsu enters his strongest mode yet: Fire Dragon King Mode. In this form, Natsu has access to techniques only the most powerful of dragons could wield, such as the Demolition Fist and the Fire Dragon King's Roar.
Boomstick: At his strongest, he could wipe out exactly 973 soldiers all at once and create massive explosions so big they could wipe out a whole town.
Wiz: Natsu's raw power is extraordinary, both magically and physically. He's strong enough to lift an enormous stone slab several times larger than himself. Comparing this stone to Natsu's height and compensating for the density of the stone, it's likely this block weighs about 135 tons.
Boomstick: Talk about never skipping arm day! He's also fast; he's fought in multiple battles where he moved faster than the eye can see, putting him well over 9,000 miles per hour.
Wiz: And when fighting opponents even faster than him, Natsu has used his keen observational skills and indomitable willpower to predict their moves and defeat them. He's pretty clever in battle, which is surprising given how headstrong and stubborn he can be.
Boomstick: Like any real fighter, Natsu prioritizes offense over defense, running in guns or... I guess arms blazing.
Wiz: Except this impulsive approach to fighting often leaves massive amounts of collateral damage in his wake. Remember how we mentioned his fire power could wipe out a whole town? Well, sometimes that's not completely intentional. In fact, this hasty attitude may be his greatest weakness.
Boomstick: Nah, his greatest weakness is how easily he gets motion sick. Put him on a moving car or boat and he'll be hurlin' in a matter of seconds. That flyin' cat followin' him around should start carrying vomit bags.
Wiz: Yeah, that's one of the stranger downsides of Dragon Slayer Magic. Natsu's dragon-like senses can overload his semicircular canals, creating a feeling similar to vertigo. But more importantly, Natsu has a bad habit of burning through his available magic rather quickly.
Boomstick: Yeah, but who cares? He can just chow down on some tasty flames or lightning to replenish his magic.
Wiz: Just one problem. Consuming any fire or lightning that Natsu has created himself will not replenish his reserves.
Boomstick: Huh. Oh well, Natsu's still a badass. He really is the Fairy Tail guild's trump card for whenever things go south. And he continues to fulfill his own dragon dad's wish of making the world a safer place. By setting it on fire!
----
Natsu: I think it's time to stop playing around. Let's get down to the real fight! I'm going to shatter you into a million pieces!
----
==Portgas D. Ace==
Wiz: Wealth, fame, power. Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates, obtained this and everything else the world had to offer.
Boomstick: And then he was brutally executed, leaving everyone to run off searching for the king's long lost treasure, the One Piece.
Wiz: However, unknown to most, Roger left behind an heir, albeit unborn.
Wiz: Terrified the Marines would execute Roger's son as well, the child's mother held her pregnancy for a total of 20 months. 20 months!
Boomstick: HOLY MOTHER OF HELL! How does that even happen?!
Wiz: Sheer inconceivable willpower. Though she died in childbirth, her last act was to give her newborn son his name: Portgas D. Ace.
Boomstick: Soon after, Ace was adopted by an old acquaintance of his father, Monkey D. Garp, and raised alongside Monkey D. Luffy and his childhood friend Sabo.
Wiz: Over time Ace, Luffy, and Sabo grew very close, considering themselves brothers and together forging a lifelong pact. They would forever live life as free as possible.
Boomstick: And for Ace, that meant following in his father's footsteps. It was the pirate's life for him.
Wiz: Ace was a natural on the sea thanks to his incredible strength and combat aptitude. He quickly learned his way around the ocean, becoming the captain of his own ship in just a year's time, and eventually joining the ranks of the deadliest pirates around. He even claimed one of the world's most sought-after treasures: a Devil Fruit.
Boomstick: In the One Piece world, if you eat yourself a Devil Fruit, you get yourself a superpower. In Ace's case, he ate the Flame-Flame Fruit, which, guess what, granted him the power to create and control fire. But with new power comes a buttload of badass new ways to kill people. Get this, this guy's gun-hands are actually handguns.
Wiz: I mean, I guess that's accurate. That would be Ace's Fire Gun ability and it's just one of many attacks the Flame-Flame Fruit provides.
Boomstick: Man, I love my gun leg and all, but now I think I really need some gun hands to go along with it.
Wiz: Boomstick, sometimes I really... really wonder about where you came from.
Boomstick: The front door, like, every day. Come on, Wiz, pay attention.
Wiz: (groans) Anyway, these fire abilities are what earned him the nickname: "Fire Fist Ace".
Boomstick: Because he can turn his punch into blazing balls of red hot fire. Forget gun hands, get me some of that!
Wiz: Manipulating fire comes easy to Ace. He can conjure up enormous pillars of flames so intensely heated they can incinerate enemy projectiles, acting as a sort of fire shield.
Boomstick: He's also got some really weird names for his attacks, like Firefly, Fiery Doll, & St. Elmo's Fire. Man, when did Elmo become a saint?
Wiz: No, no, no. Actually, that's referencing weather phenomena where plasma appears to discharge atop a pointed object. Ace's version is... not like that at all; instead, he conjures up 2 javelins made of pure fire and hurdles them through enemies burning them inside and out.
Boomstick: Yeah, I'mma go with his version.
Wiz: Firefly and Fiery Doll is a combination attack where he creates several small balls of green plasma which surround a foe before detonating in a massive series of explosions.
Boomstick: He does have one attack with a really cool name though.
Wiz: Oh what's that?
Boomstick: ♫Cross Fire! You'll get caught up in the Cross Fire! CROSS FIRE!♫
Wiz: Of course.
Wiz: However, Ace's most powerful attack is undoubtedly his Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor.
Boomstick: Which is a pretty big name for what is essentially a fiery Spirit Bomb. BUT GOOD GOD! If you see that thing comin' your way, don't ever bother tryin' to run; you dead.
Wiz: There's even more. See, the Devil Fruit Ace discovered was of a rare breed: a Logia fruit. Because of this, Ace also gained the ability to transform his entire body into fire.
Boomstick: When he's in "Flame On mode", physical attacks pass right through him like he isn't even there. And if his fire body is somehow messed up,'''
Boomstick: like someone droppin' a giant candle snuffer on him, his true human body will be totally unaffected.
Wiz: Actually since receiving this power, Ace has only been badly hurt by other Logia users wielding an element with an inherit advantage over fire, such as magma or water.
Boomstick: Man, it's like he's invincible.
Wiz: In a way, but it's not an automatic defense. Ace must make the conscious decision to transform his body.
Boomstick: But thanks to his blindly quick reflexes, he's able to avoid almost any attack. He can even react quick enough to avoid a shot from a sniper.
Wiz: In this instance, he was reacting to the gunman in view. Assuming this gunman was professionally trained, Ace would've needed to react in about a quarter of a second.
Boomstick: But who needs speed when your Fire Fist can blow apart five ships all at once?'''
Wiz: Considering ships like these would likely be constructed of teak wood, to accomplish this Ace would need to hit each ship with a least 15,000 pounds of force per square inch.
Boomstick: So gettin' hit by Ace would be like gettin' hit with a wrecking ball. And when he throws more fire into the mix, he can wipe out an entire town.
Wiz: Ace's last extraordinary quality actually has little to do with fire at all. If there's anything he inherited from his mother, it's his insane willpower and endurance.
Boomstick: He once fought a Karate Fishman for five straight days. Man, with that endurance, he's gotta make some lucky lad or lady real happy someday. Or I guess he would have if he didn't... Oh hey, heads up. HUGE spoiler warning in 3, 2, 1: Yeah he's dead, like, totally dead.
Wiz: Like many Logia users, Ace grew cocky in his ability to avoid being hit. In fact, he practically forgot what pain even felt like. And so, despite all of Ace's fantastic feats, his most impressive was when for once, he chose to take a hit, sacrificing himself to save his brother, Luffy.
Boomstick: Damn. Would you do that for me, Wiz?
Wiz: Hmm oh... oh sure, of course.
Boomstick: You're a goddamn liar!
----
Ace: I can't allow that. I'll take care of this on my own!
Ace hops down and sails away.
----
==Prelude==
==Death Battle==
In a seaside village, Portgas D. Ace leaps out of a store with a large chicken leg in his hand.
Restaurant Owner: Hey you! Thief! Come back here!
Ace continues running into the middle of a town as a mysterious figure on the rooftops notices him.
The shadowy figure leaps in the middle of the town as Ace stops and turns around to see him. The dust brushes aside to reveal Natsu Dragneel.
Natsu: Give that back! Or you'll have to deal with me!
By the time Natsu's done threatening him, Ace has already eaten the meat.
Ace: Nah...
He tosses the bone up in the air and swallows it with a grin on his face.
Natsu: That's it! I'm gonna mess you up!
Natsu leaps forward with a flaming fist which Ace blocks. Ace counters with his own flaming punches. Natsu tries to kick Ace, but the pirate leaps high in the air to avoid it.
Ace: Crossfire!
Ace launches a flame in the shape of a cross at his opponent.
Natsu: Fire Dragon Sword Horn!
Natsu avoids the attack and charges through Ace, taking down the building behind him after he phases through Ace's flaming body. He emerges from the rubble of the house.
Natsu: Wait, are you seriously MADE of fire?
Ace smirks as he launches his next attack.
Ace: Sun Flare!
Natsu dodges the fire beam as he jumps onto another rooftop.
Natsu: Time to turn up the heat!
Natsu enters Fire Dragon King Mode, drastically increasing his power.
Natsu: Fire Dragon King's Roar!
Natsu launches a massive flame attack at Ace, who is surprised and unable to avoid it. Natsu leaps down as the flames surround the two combatants, showing them as silhouettes. Ace counters Natsu's punches before the Fire Dragon pushes Fire Fist Ace back. Natsu tries shooting multiple fireballs at Ace, who blocks them and fires back with his Fire Gun. Natsu leaps high in the air to avoid it.
Natsu: Fire Dragon King's Demolition Fist!
Ace prepares his own flaming punch and leaps up to clash with Natsu.
Ace: Fire Fist!
The two cause an explosion that sends them back to the ground exhausted.
Ace: Not bad, hotshot. But you can't even touch me! Firefly!
Ace surrounds his opponent with multiple light green orbs, overwhelming Natsu.
Natsu: Oh no...
Ace puts on his hat confidently and activates his attack.
Ace: Fiery Doll...
The orbs start exploding over Natsu, but the Fire Dragon manages to stop the attack by inhaling in the fire, causing Ace to lose his hat. Ace exits his intangible form to avoid getting sucked in.
Ace: Wait, are you seriously EATING fire?
As Natsu continues inhaling the attack, Ace prepares his ultimate attack, the Flame Emperor.
Ace: Try eating this!
After Ace launches the giant, flaming ball, Natsu stops inhaling and charges through the Flame Emperor without a scratch on him. He punches Ace, who negates the attack with his intangibility. Ace smirks in response.
Ace: Like I said, you can't touch me.
Natsu: I'm not trying to! Lightning Dragon Fire Mode!
Natsu's electric attack activates, impaling Ace's chest.
Natsu: LIGHTNING FIRE DRAGON ROAR!
The attack increases and envelops Ace in the lightning fire roar, Ace screams in pain as he is incinerated. Afterward, Natsu is on top of a roof in the burning town.
Natsu: Phew, all's well that ends well! Hahahahaha!
Natsu is seen getting kicked out of a restaurant, likely for contributing to the town's destruction, and lands face first onto the ground. Meanwhile, a wanted poster of Ace detaches from a wall and burns away.
==Results==
Boomstick: Ew... that's a burn if I ever saw one.
Wiz: This battle was anything but clear cut. Natsu held the advantage in speed and strength, and Ace trumped him in endurance and defense. Still, neither held an advantage so much that the other couldn't keep up.
Boomstick: Both were mostly immune to each other's fire attacks. Because fire is Ace's only real weapon, this means he really didn't have anything that could kill Natsu. Natsu is definitely strong enough to put Ace down, but with Ace's intangible fire form, Natsu couldn't even touch him. So, sounds like a stalemate.
Wiz: Very nearly. Luckily for Natsu, he had an Ace in the hole.
Boomstick: Hey, nice one!
Wiz: Oh, thanks! Natsu has had far more combat training than Ace and is known for using his superior senses to study his opponents and take advantage of their vulnerabilities.
----
Jackal: My curses can change anyone stupid enough to touch me into a living bomb! No matter what I try, this human just consumes my curses! He might even be stronger than he was when this fight started!
----
Wiz: When Ace realized Natsu could eat fire, he had to become more liberal with his true physical form to avoid being consumed. And this is what Natsu was counting on.
Boomstick: Being faster than the eye can track, Natsu was more than quick enough to get a good hit in up close.
Wiz: A perfect opportunity to use a fast, deadly elemental weapon that Ace's body wasn't immune to: Lightning.
Boomstick: It's not like Natsu was gonna run out of magic or anything, I mean there's freaking fire everywhere!
Wiz: As his speed, strength, martial arts, and versatility surpassed Ace, all Natsu needed was one good shot and he made it happen.
Boomstick: In the end, Natsu was too hot for Ace to handle.
We cut to the "Winner" card.
Wiz: The winner is Natsu Dragneel.
==Trivia==
===Production===
*The core connections between Natsu and Ace are that they are both pyrokinetic anime heroes who gained their powers from supernatural sources (Magic and a Devil Fruit, respectively). In addition:
**Both have notable tattoos that display their allegiances to a group (a Fairy Tail guild mark and a Whitebeard Pirates tattoo, respectively) which were under the compassionate leadership of an old man (Makarov Dreyar and Edward Newgate, respectively).
**Both are relatives to someone infamous (Natsu is Zeref's brother and Ace is Gol D. Rogers' son) and were adopted by someone powerful (Igneel and Garp, respectively), which gave them an adoptive brother (Ignia and Monkey D. Luffy, respectively).
**Both have a rather mundane weakness caused by their powers (Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic gives him motion sickness whenever he is on a moving object and Ace's Devil Fruit powers make him unable to swim).
*On January 19th, 2024, part of Natsu's analysis from the beginning up to the gag of the transition card closing over early had to be muted due to being content ID'ed by YouTube.
===Easter Eggs===
*In Ace's analysis, Boomstick brings up Ace's Cross Fire techniquie by singing the song from this commercial for the 1971 Crossfire board game.
*The location of the fight appears to be the same seaside village featured in Zoro VS Erza, the last Fairy Tail VS One Piece episode. 
*When Natsu inhales Ace's fire, Kirby's inhale sound effect is used.
===Errors===
*Ace's render being flipped in the thumbnail means the two smiley accessories on his hat are on the wrong sides.
*Natsu is said to move "well over 9,000 miles per hour" for moving faster than eyesight, likely going off Zoro's own faster than eyesight feat from the prior One Piece VS Fairy Tail-themed episode hitting around 9,000 miles per hour. However, Zoro's speed was calculated because of the specific feat he did while moving faster than the eye could track, while Natsu's analysis treats moving FTE in general as being at that speed without giving any specific feats done during it.
===Other===
*This is the second Anime-themed episode, after Zoro VS Erza, and with the next 19 being Lucario VS Renamon, Naruto VS Ichigo, Jotaro VS Kenshiro, Roshi VS Jiraiya, Sasuke VS Hiei, Mob VS Tatsumaki, All Might VS Might Guy, Gray VS Esdeath, Beerus VS Sailor Galaxia, Sanji VS Rock Lee, DIO VS Alucard, Madara VS Aizen, Tanjiro VS Jonathan Joestar, Deku VS Asta, Gogeta VS Vegito, Killua VS Misaka, Gojo VS Makima, Mahito VS Shigaraki, and Ash VS Yugi.
*This is the second Hitotsubashi VS Kodansha-themed episode, after Zoro VS Erza, and with the next two being Beerus VS Sailor Galaxia and Blake VS Mikasa.
**This is the second One Piece VS Fairy Tail-themed episode, after Zoro VS Erza.
***This is the first time a Fairy Tail character wins.
Category:Death Battles
Category:Season 4 Episodes
Category:One Piece episodes
Category:Fairy Tail episodes
Category:Animated Sprite battles
Category:Fights animated by Luis
Category:Fights with voice actors
Category:'Protagonists' themed Death Battles
Category:'Heroes' themed Death Battles
Category:'Anime' themed Death Battles
Category:'Fairy Tail VS One Piece' themed Death Battles
Category:'Element' themed Death Battles
Category:'2000s' themed Death Battles