That Midori Days cross-over just made me hate harder. Sorry. >.<;
Oooh~ Predictions, eh? Let's see…
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1. Mihawk vs Aokiji - Usually I'd say Mihawk, but there's been a lot of Aokiji love lately for some reason and with the Marine lovers coming out of the woodwork, he just might make it through.
2. Buggy vs Brook - Hard to pick. There's a lot of Buggy love but Brook is a Mugiwara and has had a lot of spotlight in the manga over the past year. Especially with his current antics and the music he's had put out, it'll be a hard battle for Buggy. Brook to win, but close.
3. Enel vs Laboon - Damn earlobe freak has a lot of fans.
4. Zoro vs Norland - As awesome as Norland is, he's unfortunate enough to go up against one of the big guns.
5. Doflamingo vs Kaku - Recent chapters have been kind to the Mingo, and while Kaku is well-liked, Mingo has had recent shine-time.
6. Kinemon vs Crocus - Poor flower doctor will probably be slaughtered by the current top pick for next nakama. Add in his recent antics that are pretty sweet and, well, Crocus has croaked.
7. X Drake vs Awesome Octopus - Drake has a lot of love and let's just admit it, dinosaurs beat octopods any day - he'll probably also have the Marine backers backing the ex-Rear Admiral. That said, this might be a close fight.
8. Tom vs Ivankov - A hard one to pick. Tom is beloved, but so too is Ivankov. I'll say Iva-chan with a close victory.
9. Tashigi vs Dr. Kureha - As much as Kureha is a cool old bird, Tashigi has had far more recent screen time and Smoker in her body, plus the fan service adds up. Also, the Marine lovers will have her back, as well as the Tashigi lovers who managed to pull her through the preliminaries.
10. Robin vs Otohime - Poor queen of the sea never stood a chance. Robin is just too well loved (and she deserves to be with her backstory) and too great a character to lose this early.
11. Blackbeard vs Magellan - As much as I hate to say it, Magellan has a lot of fans on these forums and he'll probably crush Blackbeard.
12. Garp vs Luffy - Another hard choice. Garp is also a well-loved character and will have the Marine Lovers backing, but against Luffy… it might not count. I'm pegging a Luffy win, but not by a large margin.
13. Franky vs Makino - Again, a hard match to pick, but as well-liked as Makino is, she'll probably be no match against the Cyborg Mugiwara, even with her crew of Barmaid Lovers.
14. Kuma vs Kizaru- I honestly have no idea how this will go. On the one hand, we have a well-liked Shichibukai who has had his moments, but on the other hand, the Marine Lovers will be out in force and Kizaru, while creepy, is an interesting and strong competitor. I'll back Kizaru for the win, but it will probably be a very close match.
15. Chopper vs Sabo - Why all the hard to pick matches? Sabo has a fanbase, but Chopper is all kinds of cute and a Mugiwara to boot. It'll probably depend a lot on what happens in the current manga and if Chopper gets more screen time before this bout occurs, but I'll pick him to win - he has that fantastic hat campaign to count on, after all.
16. Dragon vs Whitebeard - As much as I'd love to see Dragon win - and he does have a small fanbase around - the chances are slim. Whitebeard has had an incredible impact on the plot of the story and his strong character will be hard to beat - especially with as much campaign material as there will be.
17. Shanks vs Fisher Tiger - God, another hard one. Shanks has a pretty big fanbase and he is a beloved character, but Fisher Tiger did have a pretty kicking flashback, and recently. It'll definitely be a close match, and might be one that could draw. I'll pick Shanks for the win, but I won't count Fisher out.
18. Moriah vs Monkey & Doma - As much as I hate to say it, Moriah - for some God-forsaken reason - has a lot of fans and will probably wipe the floor with Monkey and Doma.
19. Harpy Monet vs Hannybal - Another match that may end in a draw. The result will depend a lot on what happens in the manga between now and the match. Monet is a pretty chill character but she is new and for some reason Hannybal has a large, dedicated following. This will probably be the ultimate version of Breasts vs Character. I'll tip Hannybal, but depending on what happens, it might flip.
20. Margarette vs Sanji - While Margarette has some dedicated fans, Sanji is a well loved Mugiwara and has a chance to do something in the current manga that will affect this match. I pick Sanji for the win, but there will be a battle for it.
21. Satori vs Shackey - Who's Satori again? And how did he get here? Shackey has a lot of fans and the Barmaid Alliance backing her. So yeah, Shackey for the win.
22. Rayleigh vs Jimbei - Another hard pick. Jimbei has had a lot of chance to shine but a lot of people just don't like him for some reason. Not that he hasn't got his fans. Then again, Rayleigh is one of the cool old guys and did train Luffy for a while, so it's a toss-up to pick a sure winner between the two. I'll call a draw, because I honestly can't pick one over the other for the win.
23. Crocodile vs Bepo - At first I thought Bepo would cream Crocodile but from what I've been hearing it's more likely to be the other way around. I know there's a lot of love for the pudgy polar bear, but there's still a lot of love for Sir Crocodile floating around too. These forums love their pimps, don't they? Crocodile for the win.
24. Faux Strawhats vs Bon Clay - Not the easiest pick, though it might seem to be. There's some love out there for the Fakers but Bon Clay has got the power of sacrifice on his side. As well as being very well loved. So, Okama Way for the win.
25. Arlong vs Roger - Another hard one between a great villain who hasn't seen much screen time since East Blue and the man who started it all. What makes it harder is the fact that Arlong did have some screen time in the Fishman Island flashback, but whether that's enough to get him past Roger is another thing. Then again, he does seem to have quite a few fans and he was one hell of a villain… Oh, alright, Arlong for the win.
26. Bellemere vs Inazuma - Gah, hard! Inazuma does have a small following and is usually lumped in with the Ivankov lovers, but Bellemere does get Mother of the Forever award and she might get the Marine backing seeing as she's an ex-Marine. A close fight, but I'll pick Bellemere for the win.
27. Smoker vs Benn Beckman - One of the hardest for me to personally pick and I know a lot of people who like Beckman are also fond of Smoker, so there will be a lot of conflict. That said, Smoker has had a lot more screen time and especially lately, so however much my heart tells me to 'say it isn't so' I have to pick Smoker as the winner-to-be of this battle. But it should be close because the campaigns will be heated.
28. Mr. 3 vs Ace - As loved as Mr 3 is, Ace has a large fanbase and they will probably rain hell on the poor wax-man. Mr. 3's chances of winning will probably melt away, especially when people are still reeling from Ace's death. You know any fight with Ace in it will be a hard one for at least a while to come.
29. Dr. Hiluluk vs Calgara - Oooh, tough choice. Both are Kings of the Flashback. The good Doctor has a strong base of fans and is the main character of one of the saddest scenes in One Piece. Calgara might not have as many fans, but he also has a very touching story and is well-liked too. Sadly, one of these fine fellows will have to lose and I think it'll be Calgara.
30. Nami vs Hattori - The matchup of the century between Bird and bird. This will be a grudge-match between the Bird fanatics and the Nami consortium and it's hard to know who will win. Hattori fans will probably be campaigning in force, but Nami is a force to be reckoned with and has taken down many a strong opponent. She's a well-established character who is well-loved and has the chance to become even more-so during these next few weeks, while Hattori is running on fan-love and the few scenes he was in. Don't discount fan-love, but I think Nami's side will just squeeze a win in, though Nia will put up one hell of a fight and it'll be very close.
31. Eustass vs Law - Dear God, another hard one. Both are well-loved characters, have cool powers and a strong fanbase behind them. Sadly, not much has been seen of Eustass, but a lot has been seen of Law and probably more will be seen of him before this match, so I'm going to have to go with Law for a win in this match… unless he does something completely moronic in the next few chapters of the manga, like kill Kinemon or something.
32. Usopp vs Hancock - Another tough one. Hancock has a lot - a LOT - of fans. Usopp also has quite a few and has seen a lot of character growth in the manga. Whether this means he'll win this match is another thing. It's another Breasts vs Character match and I think there's a chance Usopp might win this one, especially if he keeps up the work he's been doing in the manga lately and shows off some more awesome skills.
One of the main things that decides matches is campaigns, yes, but also what the characters do in the manga. The current arc allows a lot of these match-ups to go either way depending on what happens in the next few weeks of the manga. Matches could be lost or won because of this, so it'll definitely be interesting to see just how the manga affects the matches - especially any that fall on the day/night the manga comes out.
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