The Most Powerful Scott Pilgrim Characters Ranked
It's been a busy few years for Scott Pilgrim, between the announcement of a new anime adaption of Bryan Lee O'Malley's celebrated comics (via The Hollywood Reporter) and the film's 10-year anniversary. The comic series and film both follow the titular Scott Pilgrim, a loser 20-something who finds himself navigating the Toronto indie music scene and battling Ramona Flowers' seven evil exes. The "Scott Pilgrim" comics, published by Oni Press, became an award-winning phenomenon through their impeccable comedic timing, pop culture homages, and hyper-stylized action. Edgar Wright's 2010 film adaptation, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," was a box-office bomb, but it also swiftly established itself as a cult classic.
The movie features an original ending, as well as a number of small differences that set it apart from the comic series. Yet Wright's film still stands out as one of the best comic book movies ever made. "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" oozes substance and style, featuring fight scenes that are still in a league of their own and a dynamite cast. It also creates a potent sense of danger as Scott (Michael Cera) fights his way through Ramona's evil exes. Which character reigns supreme? We're here to answer that question. These are the most powerful "Scott Pilgrim" characters, ranked.
10. Matthew Patel
Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha), Ramona's pirate-ish ex-boyfriend from their middle school days, is the first evil ex introduced in both the comics and the film. Matthew is the weakest of the villainous group: He's defeated with minimal effort once Scott understands that he must fight. But Matthew also serves as a perfect representation of the "Scott Pilgrim" universe, blending unexplained supernatural powers with musical flair and a memorable aesthetic. He's also a great introduction to the League of Evil Exes, though he doesn't manage to present much of a credible threat on his own.
Matthew lacks strength, landing most of his major hits on Scott due to his surprise and confusion. Once Scott begins to fight back, Matthew has to shift tactics and employ gimmicky powers, like summoning "demon hipster chicks." Their attacks deal damage to the surrounding environment and some of the background characters, but are easily blocked by Scott. Matthew is swiftly dispatched with a hit from a cymbal and a follow-up KO punch. Following the video game homages of the source material, he explodes into a collection of coins. Sadly, the amount is less than the cost of bus fare — another indicator of this ex's lacking power.
9. The Katayanagi twins
The penultimate exes of "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" are the Katayanagi twins, Kyle (Shota Saito) and Ken (Keita Saito), who also happen to be the musical act Scott and his band Sex Bob-Omb face in the second round of the battle of the bands. They compete in an amp-to-amp contest, with the twins playing electronic music against Sex Bob-Omb's indie rock. As musicians, the Katayanagi twins put Scott on the ropes through overwhelming musical power. But eventually, Scott and his bandmates manage to channel their rage and push the twins back.
Like Matthew Patel, the Katayanagi twins are lacking in physical prowess. They don't engage Scott in hand-to-hand combat at all, letting their music speak for them instead in the form of a giant dragon construct. They're potentially superior musicians to Scott and the rest of Sex Bob-Omb, but that doesn't turn out to be enough when it comes to a fight. Raw talent can't compare to strong motivation and anger, which ends up defeating the twins and the dragon in the form of a massive ape. The Katayanagis' lack of versatility and motivation beyond winning the battle of the bands makes them less powerful, especially compared to some of the more driven and adaptive evil exes.
8. Roxy Richter
If the Katayanagi twins highlight Scott's musical strengths and weaknesses, then Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman) brings out his insecurities. Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) brushes off her relationship with Roxy as an experimental phase, which Roxy takes major offense to. The pigtailed ninja also manages to attack the couple just as their relationship has started to hit the rocks. Scott initially refuses to fight Roxy due to her gender, claiming that he's unable to hit a girl. This brings out Scott's childish personality, and makes him look ridiculous as Ramona is forced to puppet his arms as Roxy advances.
Roxy's proficiency with a razor belt and hand-to-hand combat makes her a formidable fighter. Even with Ramona pulling out her own sledgehammer and controlling his body, Scott still struggles to fight Roxy off. He is only able to defeat her thanks to Ramona's knowledge of her Achilles' heel — which is actually her Achilles' back-of-the-knee. When touched there, she immediately crumbles. It's only with Scott and Ramona working in sync that Roxy can be defeated, and only through utilizing a glaring weakness not dependent on either Scott or Ramona's combat abilities.
7. Lucas Lee
One of the best elements of "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is its pitch-perfect casting, ranging from Michael Cera's Scott to minor characters like snarky Julie (Aubrey Plaza) and witty Wallace (Kieran Culkin). The film's various villains are played by especially impressive actors — in fact, more than one of them has gone on to play a big-budget superhero. None is more famous or more played against type than Chris Evans. Here, the man we all know and love as Captain America plays an ultra-macho jerk of an actor named Lucas Lee. Lucas is basically the embodiment of Spike TV, complete with brawny muscles and a gravelly voice.
Lucas dominates Scott in a one-on-one fight, easily knocking him across their arena. He's so sure of his strength and power, in fact, that he outsources the fight to his stunt doubles as he goes off to get a cup of coffee. Even when Scott defeats them all, Lucas isn't worried. Like many of the other exes, Lucas' defeat does not come from Scott beating him in a straight fight, but from a clever trick. Scott mocks his legendary skateboard skills, egging him into completing an unsafe grind when he reminds him there are female fans in the fight's audience. Lucas is unable to complete the rail grind due to intense speed, and explodes into coins.
6. Todd Ingram
There are plenty of recurring traits among the evil exes that link them to Scott. One example can be found in Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh), the bassist for The Clash at Demonhead, a band headlined by Scott's ex, Envy Adams (Brie Larson). Todd is something of a heightened version of Scott: just as immature and talented, but with more superpowers. Todd seemingly plays the bass better than Scott, is more famous than Scott, and is endowed with greater supernatural abilities than anything Scott has. But Todd's ego has grown in proportion to these skills, along with a cocky attitude and overall smugness.
That smugness originates from what is, perhaps, the most absurd element of the "Scott Pilgrim" universe: Todd has psychic powers due to being a vegan. Those who eschew animal products gain additional access to their brainpower, apparently, which endows them with both telepathy and telekinesis. Todd demonstrates these powers by reading Scott's mind and throwing him around like a ragdoll. Ultimately, Scott is able to defeat Todd by tricking him into drinking half-and-half. Sensing dairy consumption, the Vegan Police appear to strip Todd of his powers. Only then, after Todd is returned to mortal status, can Scott knock out this ex and claim his coins.
5. Knives Chau
Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) is one of the more innocuous characters in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World." A high school student, she starts out as Scott's new girlfriend. Over the course of the film, as Scott cheats on her, breaks up with her, and drags her into evil ex-related drama, Knives develops an edge. In the film's climax, she reveals herself to be a competent fighter. As Scott attempts to confront Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman), Knives appears from the shadows to fight Ramona. Knives is knocked out of the fight by Gideon, but she enters the fray once more after Scott's death and resurrection, and assists in defeating the final evil ex.
Knives has blind rage and the element of surprise going for her, but even after those advantages wear off, she's still able to hold her own against more experienced fighters. As proven during her fight with Roxy earlier in the film, Ramona is no slouch when it comes to combat. Seeing Knives match her in skill with little previous indication of fighting ability is a testament to Knives' resolve, reflexes, and zeal. Her abilities become even more impressive when she fights Gideon alongside Scott, a performance that acts as a showcase for the film's excellent blend of characterization and action. The fact that our first glimpse of this comes from her performance at a "Dance Dance Revolution" console makes it even better.
4. Gideon Graves
Gideon Graves is the big bad of both the comic series and the film. A disgusting, possessive ex-boyfriend, he is capable of literally controlling Ramona through a fancy bit of technology. He also has serious martial talents with his sword, but even that pales in comparison to his most powerful tool: money. Gideon forces Sex Bomb-Omb to sell out, controls the indie music scene, and funds the League of Evil Exes.
In the climax of the film, after the other exes have been defeated, Gideon tries to get Scott to give up on Ramona and join the League. It's wasted breath, and he's quickly forced to battle Scott. Gideon can easily hold off Scott at the beginning of their fight, and even goes so far as to kill Scott (if only temporarily). In Scott's second life, Gideon manages to fight Scott, Knives, and Ramona at the same time, showing off his skill and power like it's nothing. It isn't until Scott self-actualizes and grows past his toxic tendencies that he defeats Gideon — but even then, the villain makes it a struggle for Scott to win.
3. Ramona Flowers
Ramona is introduced as a mysterious delivery girl Scott instantly falls for. She always seems to be a little divorced from not only the audience's reality, but also the internal reality of the universe: Ramona can travel through the subconscious, and has a bottomless bag that contains a massive hammer. Around the midpoint of the film, she reveals herself as a competent fighter when she helps Scott fight Roxy, rather than just watching Scott battle her exes on the sidelines. Ramona puts Roxy on the ropes, swinging her huge weapon with little effort. It's only under her direction that Scott finally defeats the blonde ninja.
With a combination of raw strength, strategy, and dexterity, Ramona runs rings around her enemies. Even when she's under Gideon's control in the film's climax, she exerts that power. She makes deflecting Knives' attacks look easy, and is also able to deal a devastating blow to Gideon once his brainwashing is broken. When Ramona jumps into the fray, she is not to be trifled with.
2. Scott Pilgrim
Scott Pilgrim is an okay bass player and an all-around subpar human being. He's whiny, indecisive, and acts like a teenager. But when he comes up against the evil exes, he confronts his flaws. He has Roxy's immaturity, Gideon's possessiveness, and Todd and Lucas' ego. Battling these exes and all they represent makes Scott stronger than them, and allows him to take ownership of his wrongdoing.
Along with all that self-awareness, Scott has the drive and fighting skills of a protagonist straight out of a shonen manga. His combat prowess grows ever more sharp as he makes his way through the film's fights. He also shows off his smarts by out-thinking both Lucas and Todd, proving he's a more intelligent fighter than he'd previously let on. The final fight of the film, in which Scott fights Gideon post-resurrection, is a crystallization of his drive and growth. He works with Knives after admitting he wronged her, apologizes to Kim Pine for his selfishness, and declares that he's fighting Gideon not because he wants to win Ramona, but for the sake of his own self-respect.
1. Nega-Scott
Nega-Scott is the secret boss who appears at the very end of the film. An accumulation of Scott's darkest impulses, insecurities, and emotional hang-ups, it can be assumed that he also has all of Scott's skills. Those skills are impressive: Recall the fact that Scott, crippled by fear and selfishness, is able to defeat all but one of the evil exes. That raw strength, plus the self-actualized Scott's fighting skills from the final battle with Gideon, likely add up to a seriously huge threat.
In the comics, Nega-Scott is indeed a formidable foe Scott has to defeat to reach his point of actualization. This is one of the hardest fights Scott has to survive. The film deviates from that, however: The two Scotts resolve their issues off-screen, seemingly with no actual combat, and bond over their respective issues. What makes Nega-Scott such a powerful figure in the film is his implicit strength, and the way his presentation lets the audience imagine what he can do.