Summary
The story of the originalScott Pilgrimcomic from 2004 is easy to follow. Scott is a seemingly ordinary guy who meets and falls in love with a new girl in town, Ramona Flowers. Before they can date, Ramona breaks the news that Scott has to face seven of her Evil Exes, which Scott doesn’t take seriously until one tracks him down, and then all of the rest follow.
That’s what the new Netflix animeScott Pilgrim Takes Off, is about, too, right? Yes and no, but to say anything more in the intro would be a spoiler. So, let’s get straight to these seven Evil Exes and rank their power in the anime before any beans are spilled.
6Todd Ingram
Evil Ex Number 3
Todd Ingram isa powerful psychicbecause he is a vegan. Apparently, in this universe, people can get psychic powers if they decide fruits and vegetables are the way to go, which is a fun fact. Todd kicks butt in the comic, movie, and video game. However, he doesn’t show much of his badass self in this anime.
He’s a more pathetic character who is way too into himself and also his new love of Wallace Wells. When Wallace tells him their on-set romance was just a fling, Todd falls apart and starts to eat bucket after bucket of poutine. It’s funny to see Todd be characterized in this way, which is a change. The only real action scene he has is in the finale, and his contribution is minimal.
5Kyle & Ken Katayanagi
Evil Ex Numbers 5/6
Kyle & Ken Katayanagi are twins who never fought for themselves in any of the versions ofScott Pilgrim. They used technology in some way,from giant robotsto a digital dragon at a DJ show. Strength doesn’t necessarily have to be physical, though, as the two have proven time and time again that their brains are powerful muscles.
In this anime, they don’t flex their digital prowess in fights except for the finale like Todd. They do, however,invent time travel, which is a huge win for their braintrust that is crucial to the plot ofScott Pilgrim Takes Off. Without them, there would be no anime.
4Roxy Richter
Evil Ex Number 4
Roxy Richter is Ramona’s only female ex-lover. She’s more bitter than anyone else in the group and has a lot of rage issues. Unlike Todd and the Katayanagi Twins, Roxy does keep her immense power in the anime from the comic. She bursts into the scene in episode four, looking for a fight with Ramona at a video store.
Her sword cuts through that rental establishment like it was made out of butter. If Ramona wasn’t skilled with her hammer, she would have died for sure. The fight is a fun one as it goes through a myriad of movies, from Westerns to samurai flicks. Don’t mess witha female ninjais the lesson here.
3Gideon Graves/Gordon Goose
Evil Ex Number 7
Gideon Graves was the final boss in all adaptations except this one. He goes down as the leader of the League of Evil Exes in episode two. After winning his fight against Scott Pilgrim, Matthew Patel challenges Gideon to a duel to claim all he is worth. While Gideon puts on a good show with swordplay and inventive tech, he ultimately loses to Matthew.
He becomes almost as pathetic as Todd, except it seems like it is all for show. Maybe Gideon really did change after he became Gordon Goose again, or maybe it was all some big elaborate plan. The way the anime leaves makes it seem like he was holding back. Hopefully, these details can be answered if there is a season two.
2Lucas Lee
Evil Ex Number 2
Lucas Lee is Ramona’s second lost love, but he recovered well from the experience. He became a triple threat as he was in action movies, he wasan accomplished skateboarder, and, of course, he had lots of money on top of his good looks. It seemed like nothing could touch him until he was eventually fired from the industry.
Besides his strength in wealth, before that fell through, fans got to see Lucas in action like no other Evil Ex before. In episode four, Lucas took on the paparazzi in one of the most visually stunning battle sequences inScott Pilgrim Takes Off. The animation was dazzling as he used his fists and skateboarding skills to one-up his stalkers. Like Captain America,who Chris Evansalso famously played, Lucas Lee could have done that all day.
1Matthew Patel
Evil Ex Number 1
Matthew Patel was Ramona’s first boyfriend and was sort of like the tutorial for Scott in the other versions. A first boss in most games,except for Soulslikes, is typically a walk in the park. They are there for training purposes and not much else, and that’s exactly what Matthew was before this latest adaptation.
However, as mentioned earlier, Matthew wins his battle against Scott in a brief fight inScott Pilgrim Takes Off. He then uses that confidence to usurp Gideon and becomes the leader of multiple corporations as well as the leader of the League of Evil Exes. It’s a unique twist to make the least powerful Evil Ex now the most powerful through more ways than one. From industrial wealth to possessing mystic powers like growing multiple arms, Matthew is a straight-up powerhouse.
