That kind of reminds me of an entry that someone wrote on TV Tropes (not sure if it's still up anymore) about One Piece actually being a subtle deconstruction of Shonen tropes. The big toughest-hero-versus-toughest-villain fight here doesn't actually accomplish anything in and of itself; all it does is neutralize both parties while the secondary characters are the ones actually saving the day.
Also, I think that Zoro vs. Kaku was always my least favorite of the Enies Lobby fights. Maybe I'm just used to Zoro having the most serious fights in any given arc (vs. Hachi, vs. Mr. 1, etc.), so the endless stream of jokes really rubbed me the wrong way. There was also no real dramatic tension - did anyone actually think that Zoro was going to lose? He doesn't even have a handicap, like Nami, Chopper, or Franky did. Even Sanji was facing tougher odds, with Jyabura's whole "Tekkai Kenpo" schtick.
The Asura power-up that Zoro whipped out at the last moment just bugged the crap out of me. It's like Oda went "Okay, everyone else got a shiny new power-up, and we don't want Zoro getting left out!" and just threw in the first thing he could think of. There seems to be no real effort involved in it, nor any particular advantage, and if I remember correctly, it never shows up again.
Everyone else's power-ups got at least one line of explanation (except maybe Sanji's, but his is rooted in basic physics so it arguably needs no explanation), and more importantly, gave them an explicit advantage. Zoro's, lacking both, just looks inorganic and weak.
Also, I think that Zoro vs. Kaku was always my least favorite of the Enies Lobby fights.
Heh, and it's probably my favorite fight, for the same reason - I like the silly. But I can see why it wouldn't appeal to someone who likes the serious fights.
I didn't realize this was the first time he had used Asura, but you're right. The wiki says it has been used on two other occasions.
FWIW, I think he needed Asura to beat Kaku. The giraffe jokes undermine the degree of threat Kaku presents, but he is a strong enough fighter to hold Zoro at bay for a good amount of time.
Also, I think that Zoro vs. Kaku was always my least favorite of the Enies Lobby fights. Maybe I'm just used to Zoro having the most serious fights in any given arc (vs. Hachi, vs. Mr. 1, etc.), so the endless stream of jokes really rubbed me the wrong way. There was also no real dramatic tension - did anyone actually think that Zoro was going to lose? He doesn't even have a handicap, like Nami, Chopper, or Franky did. Even Sanji was facing tougher odds, with Jyabura's whole "Tekkai Kenpo" schtick.
The Asura power-up that Zoro whipped out at the last moment just bugged the crap out of me. It's like Oda went "Okay, everyone else got a shiny new power-up, and we don't want Zoro getting left out!" and just threw in the first thing he could think of. There seems to be no real effort involved in it, nor any particular advantage, and if I remember correctly, it never shows up again.
Everyone else's power-ups got at least one line of explanation (except maybe Sanji's, but his is rooted in basic physics so it arguably needs no explanation), and more importantly, gave them an explicit advantage. Zoro's, lacking both, just looks inorganic and weak.
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Heh, and it's probably my favorite fight, for the same reason - I like the silly. But I can see why it wouldn't appeal to someone who likes the serious fights.
I didn't realize this was the first time he had used Asura, but you're right. The wiki says it has been used on two other occasions.
FWIW, I think he needed Asura to beat Kaku. The giraffe jokes undermine the degree of threat Kaku presents, but he is a strong enough fighter to hold Zoro at bay for a good amount of time.
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I know what you mean, but this still makes me laugh since we're talking about a guy spinning so fast his leg turns red-hot.
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