Bryant: When it comes to us humans, what is it that makes us the most deadly? Is it our weapons? Our skill? Our intellect?
Thea: Anyone could have those. The most deadly humans are the ones with a proper reason to kill. Cause it's one thing to die for someone. It's another thing to be willing to kill for them. Anyways, here's two kids who look like the opposite gender!
Bryant: Nagisa Shiota, the prodigy with an assassin's instinct.
Thea: And Tokaku Azuma, the assassin turned protector. He's Bryant Reese, and I'm Thea Price.
Bryant: And we're here to analyze these two blue-haired assassins to see who would win, a Death Battle!
Bryant: When we are born, the world has, expectations. Standards to which we are held, be it by our own family, or by the peers around us.
Thea: And in the case of poor Nagisa Shiota, he failed to meet people's expectations the moment he popped out of the womb!
Bryant: Hiromi Shiota was raised under strict parents. She never got to live a carefree life, unable to play with her hair or any toys, or even wear pretty dresses. Instead, she was forced to study all throughout her life. And despite spending her entire life studying to be as successful as she could possibly be, she failed. She failed to get into the college she wanted, and she failed to be hired at the company she strove to join.
Thea: So she went through a completely stuffy childhood for absolutely nothing. Kinda like Wiz with his English Major.
Bryant: Upset about wasting her life, Hiromi promised herself that she would raise her daughter to succeed where she did not, and to enjoy her life how she did not. Her daughter would get into the right schools, get the right jobs, all while enjoying the pleasures that she would not. She was determined to make sure her life would not go to waste in the end.
Thea: But, Nagisa was born with the male exclusive. Yet another way she lost at life. Hiromi definitely was happy to have a kid at all, but she wanted a daughter to make all of her hard work mean something. So she did what anyone would do. She got into bed with her husband again, and spun that gacha wheel again! Yeah, just kidding, she decided to force Nagisa to be her daughter instead.
Nagisa Shiota:
Age: 14-15
Height: 159 cm
Weight: 48 kg
Occupation: Student assassin
Favorite Food: Sushi
Codenamed Androgynous
Prefers to be called by his first name
Looks like a girl
Bryant: Nagisa, despite being a boy, was raised to be more like a girl than a son. He couldn't cut his hair, and constantly had to wear dresses. And should he step out of line, Hiromi would lose her temper. She was under the delusion that as his mother, she knew what was best for him, and for Nagisa to live a successful life, she had to keep a tight hold on him. His name could even translate to "Beach where the waves gather," a name with high expectations attached.
Thea: No, Nagisa is not trans. He was born a guy, and wanted to be recognized as a guy. That's literally his story. F*cking Twitter.
Bryant: At first, it would seem like Nagisa would find happiness in the form of his best friend, Karma Akabane. But Karma would end up leaving Nagisa alone in their second year. Karma was a delinquent, who realized that if Nagisa wanted, the smaller and weaker boy could easily kill him. This is because of a few habits and abilities Nagisa unconsciously gained growing up.
Thea: Nagisa learned how to hide his thoughts and intentions so that people can't tell what he was going to do, and he also learned how to observe people, gaining information to learn their tells and triggers, or observing their weaknesses and what made them tick. He even learned to hide his presence so that even the vigilant Karma couldn't notice him.
Bryant: But these weren't hostile behaviors. Far from it. It's actually proven that many people who grew up in abusive homes have a form of hypersensitivity which allows them to read people's emotions and expressions, and they learn to hide themselves in hopes of avoiding being detected by those who hurt them. Nagisa had developed protective measures to reduce the pain he would feel, emotionally and physically.
Thea: But, Karma didn't know that. So Nagisa was alone again, and this time with his grades dropping until he was dropped into Class 3-E, or the End Class. A class where students of Kunugigaoka who were considered failures were placed, in order to be bullied and mocked by students and teachers alike in order to motivate other students to be better. Dang.
Bryant: And then the moon blew up.
Thea: Oh come the f*ck on!
Bryant: However, it turned out that dropping to 3-E would be one of the best things to ever happen to Nagisa. A monster who would eventually be known as Korosensei showed up, claimed to be the one who destroyed the moon, and declared himself to be their new teacher. And Class 3-E was assigned the mission of killing him by the Ministry of Defense for 10 billion yen, or about 68 million dollars. Not easy, considering Korosensei could move at Mach 20 and was literally named with a pun that translates to "unkillable teacher."
Thea: Which sounds like another bad turn, but this ended up being pretty good for the entire class. Korosensei was actually a really good teacher who cared for the students. For the first time in his life, Nagisa had someone who genuinely looked at the real Nagisa, saw what he wanted, and accepted him!
Bryant: And so, Nagisa found his real home in the Assassination Classroom.
Abilities/Arsenal:
Stealth
Analysis
Firearms
Seduction and Negotiation
Knife-fighting and hand-to-hand combat
Emotion Reading
Knives
Stun Guns
M1911A1 Pistol
M4 Carbine
P.E. Uniform
Smoke Bombs and explosives
Techniques:
Clap Stunner, Flying Triangle Hold, Triangle Choke, Kiss of Death
Thea: Man, Japanese schools are so much cooler than American schools. Nagisa had three great teachers who were basically the parents he should've had. Like Irina Jelavic, or the sexy, Bitch-sensei! From her, Nagisa learned one of his deadliest techniques, the Kiss of Death! A kissing technique so deadly, he could knock out his Shonen Waifu, making her lose her murder boner and instead get-!
Bryant: Thea, they're in middle school.
Thea: … OH SH-!
[-We'll be back-]
Bryant: Err, sorry about that folks. Thea knocked over our recording equipment in her attempt at an exaggerated reaction.
Thea: Sorry.
Bryant: It's okay. From Irina, Nagisa did learn the art of seduction, but also negotiation, infiltration, foreign language, and acting. She was sort of his big sister, and though she was rough around the edges, she would serve to be the first proper female adult figure in Nagisa's life. In a similar vein, Tadaomi Karasuma would be a stand-offish and strict, but still loving, father figure of the group, filling in the void left by Nagisa's divorced father.
Thea: Karasuma was a military badass who taught Nagisa how to handle guns and explosives, along with parkour and hand-to-hand combat. He probably taught him Jieitaikatkutojutsu. For those who don't speak weeb, it's also called Self-Defense Forces Fighting, the standard martial art taught in the Japanese Military.
Bryant: This fighting-style relies heavily on throws, defensive movement, grabs, and grapples. Which honestly serves Nagisa well, as he's rather skinny and small compared to his friends. This makes him physically weak, making the fighting-style that focuses on the opponent's size and weight basically perfect for him.
Thea: But Nagisa is a natural assassin, so his strength lies in knife-fighting and stealth. Nagisa is actually one of the students with the most experience when it comes to using real weapons. He's used actual steel combat knives, and at least two stun guns.
Bryant: But Nagisa is by no means the only member of the Assassination Classroom. They all have their own specialities and unique traits that make them different from each other. Like Okuda, a chemistry genius, who's created poisons, smoke bombs, and drugs.
Thea: By herself, in middle school. Sounds, uh, sounds a bit dangerous. But not as dangerous as Takebayashi! Who's packing explosives strong enough to blast through solid steel walls! But what's a modern assassin without guns?
(NOTE: The guns used are BBs designed specifically for Korosensei. However, they're modeled after real guns, and at least three members of the class have proven that they can wield real weapons just as well. These include Nagisa using real knives despite only training with rubber ones, and the Snipers using real revolvers despite training with semi-auto BBs)
Thea: He's got the M1911A1, a reliable pistol which can fire 85 rounds a minute with an effective range of 50 meters. Next is his M4 Carbine, which fires 700-950 rounds a minute with an effective range of 500 meters. Not a bad line up if you ask me. Nagisa was even ranked second at Ambush Shots. But even if the original models were BBs, they were still dangerous. But don't worry. Nagisa's got protection.
Bryant: Specifically in the form of his P.E. Uniform. Made of a reinforced fiber, this custom-made military uniform was made by the Ministry of Defense, and can protect him from blunt force, electric shocks, high heat, and even blades. Despite its protective nature, it's lighter than a school jersey, with shoes that decrease footsteps and increase mobility, and has dyes which can camouflage the uniform. All while being seemingly undetectable by normal scent.
Thea: Students less stealthy than Nagisa were able to get the jump on Korosensei, who could smell individual scents from dozens of meters away! And after a few encounters with a couple other assassins, he picked up on a few extra tricks.
Bryant: Like the Clap Stunner. Inspired by the sumo technique Nekodamashi, Nagisa can destroy his opponent's focus with a loud stimulus, usually a clap, though any loud sound could work. This leaves his target open for a swift lethal strike, something that the precise Nagisa could take full advantage of. While originally needing to fulfill at least three conditions, Nagisa has since learned a more advanced version during an encounter with the Shinigami, a man who was supposedly the greatest assassin in the world.
Thea: The Shinigami used a version of the Clap Stunner that completely knocked Nagisa out with a round of applause! He did that by observing a person's mental consciousness. You know how sometimes you can tell what people are thinking just by looking at them? Well, by looking at someone's "wavelengths," the Shinigami can see when your consciousness reaches a high enough point for the Clap Stunner to deal the maximum effect. Sort of like hitting a weak point in someone's mind.
Bryant: Nagisa proved his natural talent by mastering this technique after being exposed to it only once. Not only did he gain access to this advanced Clap Stunner, he also learned to manipulate his own wavelengths to match others. He essentially uses another person's consciousness to disguise himself, and with this technique, he can rip a tag off of Jelavic's sweater without being noticed.
Thea: What's crazy is that his hand even touched her hair, she herself is a skilled assassin, and she was talking to two other people who were looking in his direction. None of them noticed.
Bryant: Nagisa learned well during his time with the Assassination Classroom, especially under Korosensei. Korosensei was his target to kill, but he also taught Nagisa and his classmates how to live. For example, he taught Okuda that it was important to possess conversational skills to succeed in assassination, but it also helped her develop into a more confident person, one who would eventually go on to invent a formula for artificial blood.
Thea: The Sniper Duo, everyone's OTP, were dragged down by the baggage of responsibilities and expectations. But Korosensei taught them that they didn't need to bear the weight of the world by themselves. A lesson that applied to assassination, and also to just being themselves.
Bryant: Nagisa learned much under Korosensei as well, but he needed a, special, touch. Nagisa had gained more in less than a year then he ever had in his entire life. That meant that he had a lot to lose. And when one has a lot to lose, they could break quite easily. Either becoming catatonic and despaired, or incredibly deadly forces of nature.
Thea: Nagisa was nice. Empathetic. And really, really patient. But when the psycho, Akira Takaoka, pushed that patience to its limit and made him think that half of his new family was doomed to die from a torturous death, oh boy. Nagisa got angry.
Bryant: In everything Nagisa did, there was something behind it. An energy that emanated death, and darkness. This was Nagisa's dark side, one cultivated after an entire childhood of suppressed negativity. This was his bloodlust. Something so potent, it emanated from everything he did, creating an illusion that he was actually a monster.
Thea: His bloodlust can make you hallucinate and make you see either a blood-soaked snake, or a freakin' gorgon! When Nagisa first fought Takaoka, the sadistic bastard collapsed and practically pissed himself in fear! Trained soldiers and assassins alike get terrified by his bloodlust. And when Takaoka came back and poisoned half of his class, Nagisa's bloodlust completely overwhelmed the blueberry!
Bryant: In this state, Nagisa only had one goal in mind. To kill Takaoka, and lose his humanity in the process. While he did manage to regain control, everyone witnessing this event unanimously agreed that in this bloodlusted condition, Nagisa was completely capable of killing Takaoka.
Thea: Even Korosensei, the guy who knew Nagisa better than anyone else and was always 10 steps ahead, thought that Takaoka was going to be put down!
Achievements:
Defeated Takaoka and Karma in one-on-one fights
Scored a quadruple kill in a paintball fight
Defeated an assassin with one clap
Jumped over a street
Survived Korosensei's Absolute Defense Form's explosion
Helped defeat mercenary groups in pitch darkness
Shrugged off brutal beatings
Drove people insane with his bloodlust
Bryant: Nagisa is capable of climbing a vertical cliff in less than half an hour, and can jump across the width of a street without a running start, which can be a distance of about 28 to 32 feet. The world record for a similar jump is only around a third that at a little over 11 feet.
Thea: Even if he's not that strong, he did get the drop on pretty much all of his teachers, and his bloodlust is strong enough to drive people insane! And he's defeated people with just a round of applause himself!
Bryant: Nagisa has also proven himself to be rather tough. In the earlier half of his training, Nagisa, while only in a pair of swimming trunks, took an explosion at near point-blank range. Said explosion, judging from the size and speed of the resulting waves, likely had an explosive yield of around 1.7 tons of TNT.
(NOTE: It was specifically stated by Korosensei that this was the result of energy displacement, aka an explosion, and one that Nagisa was in point-blank range of, and was completely fine after. Alternate methods of calculating this feat can raise the explosive yield significantly)
Thea: And Nagisa was in a pair of swimming trunks, and was completely fine, in the first season of the anime! By the second season, the kids were barely hurt from a tentacle strike that was worth over 2.2 tons of TNT! Sure it surprised them, but they didn't even need to get checked out at the hospital.
Bryant: And during a paintball match, Nagisa was able to perform what was arguably his best feat yet: Scoring a quadruple kill on his classmates. During this paintball civil war, Nagisa instantly speed-blitzed and eliminated his classmates with four individual and vertical slashes.
Thea: And all four reacted at once, and since two of them were facing away, we can probably scale this feat to their sense of touch. One of them was Ryoma Terasaka, who could catch a supersonic tentacle! He'd probably would've had to react in 0.006 seconds in terms of sight to do just that.
Bryant: Compare that to the fastest reaction by sight, 0.15 seconds, and taking the ratio to apply it to the fastest reaction by touch, 0.08 seconds, this would mean that Nagisa covered a distance of around 28 feet in less than 0.0032 seconds.
(NOTE: This is a general estimate based on the height of Terasaka, as well as taking into account that the tentacles are specifically known for being supersonic. A minimum speed of Mach 2.5 was used due to Itona being implied to be around half Korosensei's known speed, and being said to had been holding back against Terasaka during the feat)
Thea: So he's fast, tough, stealthy, and smart? He would've made a literal killing as a professional assassin!
Bryant: Even Nagisa believed that he would've, despite his abysmal self-esteem. However, this was not the life Korosensei wanted for Nagisa, and it wasn't the life that Nagisa wanted at the end either. But it was the only life that he thought that he could live, as he didn't think that there was anything else that he was worth being. Throughout Nagisa's life, he never had the ability to control his destiny. He was simply a puppet for his mother to control. To Nagisa, the only choices he had in life was to kill, or let his spirit die.
Thea: Hell, when we watched the first episode, Nagisa's first assassination attempt was jumping onto Korosensei with a grenade around his neck. He wasn't suicidal, but he didn't think his life was worth much either. But Korosensei didn't believe that, and he saw something different.
Bryant: When Korosensei saw Naisa, he saw a victim of their caretaker's arrogance, whose future was in jeopardy as a result. Korosensei encouraged Nagisa to look his mother in the eye and make her see him. To truly value who he was as a person, and the potential that lived inside of him.
Thea: Nagisa now had the power to choose, and it was all thanks to Korosensei, literally the best guy in his entire life. When someone is that important to you, how can you kill them? Nagisa ended up deciding to abandon his mission and instead focus on trying to save Korosensei, even if it meant having to fight his friends to have his way. He even had to fight Karma, which wasn't going to be easy since he was stronger, smarter, and had way more combat skill.
Bryant: But despite Karma being Nagisa's superior in just about every way, Nagisa was the one to come out on top. Because while Karma might've had strength and skill, Nagisa had something he wanted to protect. But even then, Nagisa's chance at control was ripped away when the Ministry of Defense chose to kill Korosensei using a super weapon. Korosensei was doomed to die at the hands of spite, and people who didn't know him.
Thea: Nagisa and his friends knew that Korosensei was going to die. Korosensei gave Nagisa so much. A new family that cared about him. A chance to have that with his real family, by helping his parents learn to be better. It was all a gift from Korosensei, and Nagisa had to kill him.
Bryant: But in the end, this assassination was the greatest gift Nagisa could give Korosensei. This entire time, Korosensei used assassination as a way of teaching his students to be the best they could be. For them to kill the unkillable, it meant that his time was well spent, and that they had reached their full potential, Korosensei's end goal. To Korosensei, the greatest gift Nagisa could've given him was his assassination. The definitive proof of their growth.
Thea: 7 years later, and Nagisa was still using his lessons to their fullest. Instead of being an assassin that ruthlessly took lives like how he thought he would be, Nagisa ended up choosing to be a teacher instead!
Bryant: Nagisa may still be small, but he's deadly, and his talent would lead the next generation. He might as well stand 10 feet tall, as the next generation of Korosensei.
(Nagisa Shiota) "Examined from another angle, your faults and weaknesses can be weapons."
Bryant: What determines our lot in life? What is it that would decide who we are? For many, it's the legacy that they're expected to uphold and live by.
Thea: And for Tokaku Azuma, that was exactly the kind of life that she ended up living by. Cause this girl ain't your average girl. She was, an assassin!
Bryant: Tokaku was born of the Azuma clan, an ancient, but dying family of assassins. It was a life that her mother did not want for her, so upon dying at childbirth, she asked her sister, Tokaku's aunt, to take Tokaku away so that she could live a normal life. But her grandmother ended up killing her aunt and took Tokaku for herself.
Thea: Yeah, her grandma was kind of a bitch. If killing her daughter wasn't enough, she even called Auntie Azuma the shame of the village, just for wanting to give her niece a good childhood. Grandma of the year folks.
Bryant: Sounds like TikTok users.
Thea: Ha ha! After excommunicating her own daughter, right in front of the child Tokaku who was probably only four, Grandma Azuma dropped Tokaku off at Yama Fukaki Village to be raised and trained in assassination.
Bryant: A couple years later, Tokaku was enrolled in Academy 17, where she further enhanced her assassin training. She soared to be one of the best in class, portraying acrobatic skills and impressive accuracy. And after all of this, she was certainly skilled enough to be the lone heiress of the Azuma Clan, and the class representative.
Tokaku Azuma:
Age: 15
Height: 160 cm
Weight: 41 kg
Occupation: Student assassin
Favorite Food: Curry
Sole member of the Azuma Clan
Prefers to be called by her last name
Acts like a boy
Thea: And after her training, Tokaku was selected to be the Academy's representative for the Black Class of Myoujou Academy. No, the class isn't filled with black people but they do have a dark history. Every student, except for one, was an assassin! And Tokaku had a mission to kill the target before anyone else.
Bryant: Said target was the sole member of the Black Class who wasn't an assassin. Haru Ichinose. Haru was a normal girl, who simply wanted to be friends with her new classmates. Unfortunately for Haru, she was a victim in a sick game.
Thea: People wanted to see if she was fit to be a, Primer? What the hell is that?
Bryant: Haru, like Tokaku, was a member of an ancient clan. Should she survive having 12 hunters gunning for her head, she would be deemed worthy of being the head of the clan. It's actually a tradition for the clan, and this one had been set up by Yuri Meichi, a previous Primer and Haru's own blood, someone who went through the exact same thing.
Thea: Got it. But 12 hunters wasn't going to be easy to survive. Especially since the winner of the game was going to have their wish granted, whatever it was. Wishes like having your criminal record cleared, having some people you don't like dead, or ensuring that your family is taken care of for the rest of their lives. That kind of prize was definitely good motivation.
Bryant: But it's worth noting that Tokaku didn't really have a wish. She was raised and groomed to be a heartless killer, and that was all that really mattered. Even her name was an indicator of how little she valued her own life. While the name could be translated to mean "Something that's impossible," Tokaku viewed it to mean "something that shouldn't even exist." To Tokaku, the only thing that mattered in her life was the mission. Not her own beliefs, not her own desires, and not even her own life.
Thea: But to Tokaku's surprise, something weird happened. When she first met Haru, something happened that Tokaku never knew was possible for her. Tokaku, fell in love. Woof! And they're in the same dorm, so-
Bryant: Middle schoolers.
Thea: Oh-!
[-We'll be back-]
Bryant: Okay, that one is coming out of your paycheck.
Thea: Sorry.
Bryant: For the first time in Tokaku's life, she had something that was truly worth living for. And seeing how scared Haru was when her life was in danger, Tokaku decided to fight for it. After all, few are stronger than the one who has something to fight for. And so, the class dynamic changed. It was no longer one target and twelve hunters, but eleven hunters, one target, and one guardian.
Thea: It wasn't easy though. Not only are all of her classmates assassins in their own rights, they're all unique in their own ways! Kouko Kaminaga was an assassin that specialized in explosives. Hitsugi Kirigaya was small and good with poisons. And Suzu Shuto was a sadist who was good with traps.
Bryant: The opposite side was ruthless, all with their own beliefs and desires. To fight them all, Tokaku had to be just as ruthless.
Abilities/Arsenal:
Enhanced Senses
Analysis
Marksmanship
Parkour
Hand-to-hand combat
Knife skills
Weapon adaptability
Combat Knives
Shoe Stun Gun
Katana
Heckler & Koch USP Compact
Taurus Raging Bull
FN P90
Thea: If there was one good thing about her crappy childhood of being made into an assassin, it was that Tokaku was one hell of a fighter. She's pretty superhuman, trained in martial arts. We don't really know what specific martial art she knows, but she probably learned a form of ninjutsu. No it's not just because she's an assassin.
Bryant: Well, kind of. Remember, the Azuma clan is a clan of assassins from ancient times. And ninjutsu is the common discipline taught to Japan's most famous assassins, the ninja, from ancient times. While it's probably a modern version, Tokaku does generally fit the bill for most forms of Ninjutsu combat.
Thea: Aka she has some of it so we're giving her all of it.
Bryant: Ninjutsu-
Thea: *shoves him out of the way* Ninjutsu is a fighting-style philosophy that revolves around several disciplines. It usually involves guerilla warfare, insurgency tactics, and espionage. Which fits considering that when Tokaku first arrived, she immediately began scanning the area for information that could be useful. In terms of the specifics, it teaches taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, kenjutsu, sojutsu, and bojutsu.
Bryant: Ow… Shurikenjutsu is the art which revolves around throwing weapons, like Tokaku's signature knives. Not only can she use these as melee weapons, she can also throw them with enough accuracy to land them both in the same arm. And like anyone who uses throwing knives, she carries multiple on hand.
Thea: Sojutsu and bojutsu are both polearm combat, and kenjutsu is all about Japanese sword-fighting, like with Tokaku's deadly katana. Most people say that you can't cut through a person's limbs with a katana in real life, but Tokaku's sword is specifically designed to do just that!
(NOTE: Taijutsu is a vague term referring to a method of using the body for unarmed combat, but it generally pulls attributes from aikido, judo, karate, and more. The four most common forms of martial arts used by ninjas were aikido, iaido, judo, and karate. As Tokaku is skilled with a katana and an expert at hand-to-hand combat, this serves as some evidence for her being trained in Ninjutsu.)
Bryant: She has more unique weapons, like how her shoe has a stun gun inside of it, and one powerful enough to knock people out. She's also used various guns, from the powerful Taurus Raging Bull revolver-
Thea: A six to seven shot revolver that can be used for hunting large animals like the Cape Buffalos!
Bryant: And the FN P90 submachine gun.
Thea: A small beauty with a rate of fire of 1,100 rounds a minute and a maximum range of 1,800 meters to fire its 50 round magazine.
(NOTE: These guns do not naturally belong to Tokaku. However, there's no evidence arguing that she does not at least have access to these, as the weapons vault that she obtained them from was not locked away. In exchange, she'll be limited to only the guns that she herself used)
Thea: But her preferred gun is her Heckler & Koch USP Compact, a semi-automatic pistol with up to 15 rounds and a range of 100 meters. And if she doesn't have her guns, she's better with throwing knives anyways. But she is way better at close-ranged martial art or knife combat.
(NOTE: It has been stated and shown that Tokaku is better with throwing knives more than guns. However, she has been able to shoot accurately, like when she was able to shoot down a chandelier while also being under cover)
Bryant: Tokaku can be described as superhuman when it comes to her physical abilities. She has an acute sense of smell, being able to detect a person's true nature from their scent, as well as observing individual smells, giving her a level of smell similar to that of a bloodhound. She can even detect hidden rooms with her sense of smell.
Thea: Tokaku is also stupid strong. She's capable of overpowering most of her fellow assassins, and keeping up with the more superhuman ones. She prefers to take her opponents head-on, taking them out powerfully and quickly. Tokaku's also capable of making several observations with just a look. She's capable of adapting to most weapons, and she's great at martial arts, using them to attack and retaliate.
(NOTE: It's worth noting that Tokaku has not actually killed before, and had trouble aiming for vital areas or attempting fatal wounds. However, she has overcome this mental weakness, allowing her to fight at her best without restraint. She's said in both the anime and the manga that she's capable of killing. We're also removing morals that hold characters back from killing)
Bryant: Tokaku proved her fighting prowess on several occasions.
Achievements:
Broke Isuke Inukai's neck
Speed-blitzed Haruki
Defeated an illusionary copy of herself
Endured being strangled
Survived dropping several floors
Survived a chandelier thrown at her
Dodged bullets
Disarmed a bomb
Bryant: In her determination to always defend the girl she loved, Tokaku has broken noses with a single strike, countered headlocks, and sent people flying with a kick.
Thea: She's fast enough to counter surprise attacks and defend against pretty much any projectile attacks. Not much of a surprise, considering that she's fast enough to dodge bullets from a short distance away.
Bryant: In this instance, Tokaku was dodging a shot from a Bond Arms Defender fired by Isuke Inukai. Said models could have a muzzle velocity of up to 1,250 feet per second, or around 850 miles per hour. Assuming this was fired from only 15 feet away, she would've had to react within 8 milliseconds.
(NOTE: The distance of 15 feet is a general estimate, as there is no clear distance between the two parties that can be seen)
Thea: But hold on, Bryant. Tokaku did that after falling out of a building and being unconscious. We can see that she's tired in the manga. And on top of that, we have another speed feat: Tokaku speed-blitzing Haruki! How high can that go?
Bryant: Well, we could go under the assumption Haruki has a peak human reaction. However, considering what you said earlier about Tokaku's physical state, as well as Isuke's reaction to this feat and how she seems more annoyed than surprised, we can assume that this can potentially be the baseline in the class. Especially as other assassins have dodged bullets as well.
Thea: In the manga, Tokaku's attacks could even be twice as long as she's tall. Which means she'd be able to cover a distance of 36 feet in just under 8 milliseconds!
(NOTE: The distance of 36 feet is a general estimate based on the scene in the manga, and taking into account that Haruki was still able to react to some of Tokaku's attacks while still generally being overwhelmed)
Bryant: Tokaku is tough enough to tank a chandelier thrown at her like a frisbee, falling down several stories into a bush, and shrug off being strangled before throwing her opponent over her head.
Thea: And remember how she dodged a bullet from Isuke Inukai? Right after she did that, she grabbed the bitch and snapped her neck, at least in the manga! That's a feat worth 1,000 pounds of force. In other news, we're probably on the FBI's watch list for searching that up. In the anime, she choked Isuke out with just one hand.
Bryant: And while she's not as strong as the likes of Sumireko Hanabusa, she's strong enough to contend with her and fight off her army of robotic puppets. This is impressive considering that Sumeriko is strong enough to fragment a concrete wall with a punch and crush a gun into shards due to her cybernetic enhancements. Sumeriko was even able to slightly shrug off an explosion from numerous grenades simultaneously. One single grenade could potentially have the explosive power of around 276 thousand joules.
Thea: That's like getting hit by 170 Mike Tysons at once, and there were 10 of them! And Sumeriko took the explosion off point-blank to the face, and was fine! Haru is a lot weaker than Tokaku, and she was still able to kick the cybernetic arm apart!
(NOTE: There are also other feats of superhuman strength in the manga, like how one can obliterate a doorway with a single swing from a sledgehammer)
Bryant: One by one, Tokaku fought her way through the assassins in the class. Assassins with far more experience than her. Assassins who started out as serial killers. And more. And while she didn't always win on her own, especially due to her lack of actual experience, she won nonetheless, especially as Haru eventually began to help out in some battles.
Thea: Their relationship wasn't some one-sided obsession from Tokaku's side. Haru was really happy that she wasn't going to have to fight her assassins off by herself, and as their relationship grew, she started to love Tokaku the same way that Tokaku loved her. And it was more than just because Tokaku protected her.
Bryant: Throughout Haru's life, she was targeted by many killers, gaining many scars all over her body, and lost her parents and brothers right in front of her as they gave their lives to protect her. It's why she was so determined to survive this situation, or any attempts on her life. Not just because of her survival instinct, but to make her family's deaths mean something. For Tokaku to be protecting Haru without dying, it meant that Haru would finally be able to live with a proper connection to someone without fear of losing them.
Thea: And for Tokaku, she was finally fighting for something that she chose. Even when she was a baby, she was just a tool, a weapon, a killer, all carrying out the will of someone else. But now, she was fighting for something she actually cared about. Something that actually meant something to her.
Bryant: Unfortunately, it wasn't as clear as either of them thought. The truth behind the constant attempts on Haru's life all stemmed from her secret ability, one that Tokaku had no idea about.
Thea: Turns out, Haru being named a Primer Candidate wasn't just her being a member of a specific clan. She actually had a specific "Primer" ability, also known as the Queen Bee ability.
(NOTE: The term "Primer" is a reference to the primer pheromone, a pheromone unique to a queen bee, which works at a physiological level, affecting the development and behavior of the worker bees, hence why it's called the Queen Bee ability)
Bryant: In the hierarchy of a beehive, worker bees and drone bees are loyal to a fault. The Queen Bee is constantly protected by her children, who would literally fight to the death for the sake of their queen. Who were literally born to serve the Queen and die. Haru was born with a similar ability to avoid death. The reason why Tokaku fell in love with Haru at first sight was because of this very ability. It manipulated Tokaku's mind, turning her into a "Worker Bee," someone who would live and die for Haru. And it's the same reason why she was so ruthless when it came to protecting her.
Thea: That, was an issue. If the love Tokaku had for Haru was all because of the Queen Bee ability, that meant that it never really existed in the first place. That she was still just a tool for murder and death. She was fighting for something that wasn't even real! And that… she couldn't handle that.
Bryant: In a tragic twist, Tokaku ended up being Haru's final hunter, betraying Haru and attempting to kill her herself. But this wasn't an act of hatred, or anger. At least, not as much as it could've been. The Queen Bee ability manipulated Tokaku into becoming Haru's loyal bodyguard. It was the reason why Tokaku decided to risk her life for Haru despite only knowing her for a day. If it was a perfect manipulation, then Tokaku wouldn't have any semblance of control, which would mean that she couldn't kill Haru.
Thea: If Tokaku managed to actually try killing Haru and land a fatal blow on her, it meant that she wasn't completely under the Queen Bee's control. That their relationship wasn't just the result of some control that Haru had over her. So the Black Class ended, with Tokaku performing the final assassination attempt on Haru.
Bryant: Be it her stabbing Haru in the anime or shooting her in the manga, Tokaku succeeded genuinely trying to kill the girl that she spent the entire story trying to protect. Ironically, this was proof that her love, their relationship, was real. That all of her struggles, all of her pain, and all of her efforts were for something that truly did matter. Fortunately, Haru managed to just barely survive. Not because of Tokaku's hesitance, but because of her luck.
Thea: Aka, plot armor! She just, happens to have ribs that are covered in titanium! What?! But I guess I can't complain too much since it meant that the OTP survived.
(NOTE: The anime and manga have different versions of this event. In the anime, Tokaku failed to kill Haru because of the titanium ribs, and thus lost like the other assassins. In the manga, Tokaku won due to landing a fatal shot, but Haru survived thanks to advanced medicine courtesy of the Myoujou Academy granting Tokaku's wish to be with her)
Bryant: Either way, because of her luck, Tokaku and Haru were able to have a proper happy ending together, with full faith that what they viewed as precious to them was genuine.
Thea: They moved on, and they moved on together. Haru with someone who she loved who wasn't dead, and Tokaku with someone who didn't see her as just a weapon. They left it all behind, and lived happily ever after. After everything Tokaku has been through, this devil of the Azuma clan finally found the answer to her riddle.
(Tokaku Azuma) "It's not twelve assassins. It's eleven assassins and one guardian."
Bryant: Alright, the combatants are set. Let's end this debate once and for all!
Thea: It's time for a DEATH BATTLE!
The dark clouds of the night and the heavy downpour of rain seemed to block any form of light. The streets of Japan were only illuminated by street lights. Lights which are rather limited in how much they can light up the area due to the rain. As such, one would be forgiven for being unable to see a small figure running down the street, running with a rifle strapped to their back. Though it would be hard to ignore a large armored van driving after them with its powerful headlights. The small hooded figure glanced over their shoulder before ducking into an alleyway. The van stopped in front and armored personnel jumped out and ran down the alley. A blue-haired figure climbed out of the van and narrowed their eyes.
Despite the soldiers' pursuit, they lost track of the small figure. Unbeknownst to them, they had run to a nearby abandoned school building. They easily scaled the wall and flipped down to the ground before sprinting to the building. They picked the lock and slipped inside. Once inside, Nagisa pulled off his hood and let out a sigh of relief. He walked through the hallways, pulling out a small USB from his pocket.
"Alright, now I can break this thing without any worries," he said. Lightning flashed outside, illuminating the halls. Nagisa was silent before closing his fist around the USB and lowering it. He raised his eyes up.
"...Can I help you?" he asked quietly. Behind him, someone stepped out of the shadows, dressed in a school uniform with a katana on their back.
"I suggest you return that. I've only been brought in to retrieve it. You have the opportunity to walk away," Tokaku said with crossed arms.
"I wish it was that simple," Nagisa said as he slowly turned around while slipping the USB into his pocket. "But I believe that there were enough antimatter experiments to last a few lifetimes."
"You don't want this fight. It will very much be the last choice you will ever make," Tokaku warned.
"You're right. I don't want it. But I think we can both agree that there are some things worth fighting for," Nagisa replied. The two studied each other before their hands flew to their waists and pulled out a pistol each.
FIGHT!
Two gunshots rang out as the assassins fired at once. Nagisa quickly ducked under Tokaku's bullet while Tokaku simply leaned out of the way of Nagisa's. The two continued firing at each other as they ran to the side before ducking behind opposing sides of the lockers. They were quick to reload, but Tokaku was fluent in her movements, reloading while also ducking back out. Nagisa poked his head out after his reloading, only to pull his head back as Tokaku fired. She emptied her magazine before dashing forwards. Nagisa spun out to shoot, only for Tokaku's foot to crash into his chest, knocking him against another row of lockers.
Tokaku reared back and punched, only for Nagisa to duck to the side, letting Tokaku's punch dent the lockers. She spun on a foot to kick Nagisa, who managed to block before throwing his own kick. Tokaku caught it on her side, prompting Nagisa's eyes to widen before he was thrown over her head with a yell.
"Ugh!" he grunted as he landed painfully. He threw himself to the side as Tokaku tried to punch again, shattering the floor tiles. She looked up at Nagisa as he rolled to a knees, hands in a defensive stance. The two watched each other carefully, before Tokaku lunged forwards with a flying knee that forced Nagisa to his feet, even as he blocked. Tokaku caught a retaliating fist before landing a hook across Nagisa's face, sending him spinning through the air before landing on the floor again. She pulled out her pistol and shot at him in one breath, but Nagisa had already rolled out of the way. She grunted in annoyance as Nagisa got to his feet again.
"You're fast," she admitted.
"So are you," Nagisa said. He entered his stance again as Tokaku holstered her pistol. The two circled each other slightly.
"Neither of us showed what we're really capable of. There's no guarantee that we'll stay this lucky. Let's just walk away, please," Nagisa asked quietly.
"Neither of us has a real choice. We can't walk away," Tokaku said coldly, though with a hint of regret. Nagisa sighed, before suddenly reaching for his belt. Tokaku dashed forwards and caught Nagisa's attempt to hit her with a stun gun. He looked at her in surprise before she headbutted him, causing him to drop the taser. She tried to land a hook, but Nagisa ducked under and uppercutted Tokaku before landing his own hook. She grunted slightly before being tackled by Nagisa.
"Guh!" she grunted again before wrapping her arms around Nagisa's chest and throwing him over her again. He landed on his feet and quickly spun to lash out at her head with a foot. Tokaku blocked without even turning before spinning to kick Nagisa in the chest. He gritted his teeth before grabbing her leg and forcing her down onto the ground. She slammed into the tiles with another grunt before flipping and kicking Nagisa's face, sending him stumbling away.
She spun to her feet and attacked with another kick, only for Nagisa to dodge under and throw a counter-punch. Tokaku grabbed his fist mid-motion and pulled him in for a brutal counter to the cheek, knocking some spit from his lips. Nagisa groaned as he staggered back, vulnerable for Tokaku to grab him by the back of his uniform and throw him down the hall, knocking the air out of him. He moaned before slowly rolling over to get up. Tokaku dashed forwards and lashed out with a kick. Suddenly, a snake curled around her leg and lunged for her neck. Her eyes widened in shock, only for the snake to disappear, replaced by Nagisa's fist connecting with her chin. She was knocked back as Nagisa spun around and ran away. Tokaku grunted as she wiped some blood from her lip before running after him.
'She's too strong, and she clearly had more training than me. I don't have too good of a chance of winning if I stay fighting head-on,' Nagisa thought as he did a sharp turn into another hallway. Tokaku crouched near the corner, pistol at the ready.
'He's fast, and has surprises. I have to try to end the fight quickly, before he has a chance to use any more of them,' she thought as she jumped from behind the corner and aimed her gun. Nagisa was gone, making her click her tongue in annoyance. She slowly walked down the hall, gun up.
SLAP!
Tokaku immediately spun and fired a shot at the sound, only to blink at the sight of a rubber knife on the ground. A hand suddenly closed around her wrist, and an elbow struck her nose. Tokaku, in pain, let go of her pistol, letting Nagisa throw it down the hall. Tokaku swung wildly at the boy, who ducked under it and dashed behind her. She spun around, only for Nagisa to jump up behind her and kick her side. She gritted her teeth before spinning and punching as fast as a bullet, but Nagisa was already gone.
"What is this?!" she hissed as she rubbed her side. She glared around at the empty hall before running down the hall. She turned the corner to see her own pistol flying towards her. She quickly caught the weapon, only for Nagisa's hand to grab her ankle and yank her foot from under her, causing her to slam into the floor. She rolled over and kicked him away before flipping to her feet. She quickly brought her hands up to catch his flying elbow and threw him up, only for Nagisa to flip and plant his feet on the ceiling. His hands gripped hers and he pulled her close to receive a knee to the chin, knocking her clean off her feet. She landed with a gasp before rolling to her feet. Nagisa was gone again.
"Tricky bastard," she growled. Her eyes darted around as she slowly made her way down the hall, a knife held up in front of her.
"... Where are you?" she muttered. Her eyes moved around, scanning the area. Behind her, Nagisa stood silently, his eyes seeming to glow in the dark. He silently ran up to her and jumped up, bringing his foot back to aim for her head. But unknown to him, Tokaku's eyes were on the blade of her knife, and saw him.
"There you are!" Tokaku spun and caught the kick mid-air. Nagisa's eyes widened before he was slammed onto the ground, knocking the air out of him. He lashed out with a pair of kicks and knocked Tokaku's knife out of her hand, only for Tokaku to catch the second and swing him against the wall, cracking it slightly. She pulled him up to punch him between the eyes before slamming a knee into his stomach. Nagisa coughed from the impact as he stumbled back. Tokaku repeatedly punched him, eventually causing blood to spill from his lip. She grabbed him by the bangs and pulled him in for another punch before spinning him around and wrapping her arm around his throat. Nagisa gritted his teeth as he pulled against her arm, trying to get her to loosen her grip.
The two growled before Nagisa released his grip. Tokaku's arm immediately began crushing his neck, but she spasmed violently as Nagisa's second stun gun jammed into her side and electrocuted her. She shook as she released him and tried to punch him, only for Nagisa to duck under it and tackle Tokaku, wrapping his arm around her neck and forcing her arm up. He kicked out her leg and let out a yell as he slammed her down, winding her. His triangle choke caused Tokaku to gasp for air as she repeatedly punched his side. She gritted her teeth and kicked her shoe off, throwing it into the air before catching it and jamming her own taser into Nagisa. But to her shock, nothing happened.
'What?!' she thought. Nagisa's grip became tighter, making her wheeze. Tokaku gritted her teeth before yanking out her revolver and aiming it at Nagisa's head.
'Shit!' He immediately recognized the bloodlust before releasing Tokaku and pushing himself up, barely enough to dodge the shot. Tokaku grabbed his face and shoved it back into her foot, knocking his brain around in his skull before grabbing him and throwing him away. Nagisa slid across the tiles before bumping into the wall.
"Can you stop throwing me?" he groaned. Tokaku's response was to shoot at him again, only for Nagisa to jump out of the way. He lunged forwards before dashing to the side to dodge another shot. He spun and kicked the Taurus out of Tokaku's hand, but she lunged herself and slammed him against the window nearby. She pulled out a knife and tried to stab Nagisa, only for the boy to redirect it up and headbutt her. The knife embedded itself into the window as the two were separated.
Tokaku and Nagisa both reached for their waists as soon as they caught their balance. Nagisa threw something down as Tokaku threw another knife at him, but the knife only pierced the sudden smokescreen. Tokaku growled while taking her sword off her back. She drew the katana before discarding the sheath and held it at a stance. Inside the smoke, Nagisa eyed the sharp sword cautiously before slowly trying to walk around her.
'This time, I'll aim for where her neck meets her head,' he thought with his taser at the ready. Tokaku looked around, before suddenly jumping up and kicking the knife in the window. The glass shattered, letting a breeze in. The smoke cleared slightly enough for Tokaku to find the surprised Nagisa. She landed and kicked her sheath at Nagisa, who barely dodged. His opponent lunged to swing her sword fast enough to graze him as he jumped back. Nagisa jumped back repeatedly as Tokaku swung her katana ruthlessly as she chased him.
"Woah!" Nagisa said as he ducked another swing. He tried to zap Tokaku, but she kicked his thigh and back-handed his taser out of his hand before trying to stab Nagisa. Sparks flew as he defended with his rifle before slamming the butt of it against her forearm as it blocked her face. Nagisa kicked off Tokaku to jump down the hall before spinning and firing his rifle repeatedly. Tokaku jumped down another hall before pulling out her submachine gun and firing recklessly at Nagisa, who ducked into a classroom.
"This is not going well," he said. He grabbed a handle on his calf and, after hesitating, drew his own knife.
'Gotta get in close, and try to end it with one single stab. Aim for her spine where her back meets her hips,' he thought while pulling out a rectangular object.
'Be ready,' Tokaku told herself while aiming her gun at the door. Suddenly the back entrance was flung open as something darted out. Tokaku spun and fired at it, only for it to be Nagisa's rifle. She growled before spinning towards the other entrance.
BOOM!
An explosion ripped apart the wall, sending Tokaku flying back without her gun. She rolled to her feet with her katana in hand as smoke pooled around her.
'Now!' Nagisa thought as he lunged out from the smoke, knife in hand. But to his shock, Tokaku was already turned around. She swung her katana, and blood sprayed the ceiling. Nagisa cried out in pain as he flew back, red fluid spraying from where his eye used to be. Tokaku lunged forwards and stabbed him through the bottom of his uniform, earning another cry of pain. She grimaced slightly before pulling the katana out, letting more blood spill as Nagisa collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach and letting out blood-curdling cries.
"... This isn't what I want. I'll put you out of your misery," Tokaku said as she raised her katana.
!
Nagisa's cries suddenly stopped. The abrupt silence caught Tokaku off-guard, and she immediately stepped back a few feet, holding her katana in front of her. The room seemed to become darker as Nagisa's shuddering breath was heard. But it was, unnatural. As if instead of the breath of a hurt assassin, it was the rattling of a tail. Tokaku's eyes widened as a serpent rose from the shadowy ground, hissing lowly.
'A-a monster?!' she thought as her hands shook. The serpent suddenly lunged forwards, and Tokaku grunted as she felt pain in her shoulder. The serpent faded away to reveal Nagisa, eye wide and filled with bloodlust, and his knife buried in her shoulder. Nagisa snarled and slashed her rapidly, leaving several red cuts all over her uniform. Tokaku stumbled back as Nagisa tackled her again before twisting and throwing her against the window, cracking it. She gritted her teeth before ducking under a punch that broke the glass. She kicked Nagisa away and rolled to her feet. She gritted her teeth as she focused her attention on her wounds. The pain helped her see through the bloodlust.
'It's just a trick of the mind. Focus!' she thought. Nagisa dashed forwards again and threw a kick that Tokaku intercepted with her own. The two repeatedly parried and clashed each other's attacks before Tokaku struck Nagisa twice and made him stagger back. She gut-punched him before uppercutting him and sending him flying back again. He landed before quickly bouncing back with a snarl. Tokaku parried the knife strike and counter-punched him, causing his head to snap back, but Nagisa brought his head back to slam it into her face, breaking her nose. She grunted as she stumbled back and blocked another knife strike. She grabbed his arm and threw him down in a lock, but Nagisa twisted them around to lock her. She growled and kneed him in the stomach, raising him up enough to escape. Nagisa stayed bent over, winded, before Tokaku kicked him in the ribs. He grunted but grabbed her leg and forced her to slam onto the ground.
"Guh!" she grunted before rolling away from his attempt to punch her. She leapt into the dark hallway nearby with Nagisa quickly giving chase. He panted heavily as more blood stained the ground, and slowly walked through the halls.
THUD!
Nagisa immediately spun around to the sound, only to see a single shoe on the ground. He whirled around again as he sensed bloodlust, and blocked Tokaku's drop-kick that still managed to knock him over. The two spun back to their feet and clashed again before Nagisa redirected a punch and tried to counter, only for Tokaku to catch it and throw him out of the hall. He rolled to his feet and blocked a kick before swiping with his knife, but Tokaku parried with her own knife and shoulder-bashed him. Nagisa grunted as he slammed into another window and glanced back at it, now cracked.
Tokaku charged to tackle him, but Nagisa suddenly threw his uniform into her face. She stumbled, blinded, before being tackled by Nagisa. He gritted his teeth and yelled as he twisted himself around and slammed them both into the window, shattering it. Tokaku's eyes widened when she realized they were falling down, and quickly kicked Nagisa and his uniform away. She hurled a knife that Nagisa parried before the two slammed into the ground, creating a splash of mud and a small cloud of dirt. When it cleared, the two were on the muddy ground, groaning. Tokaku spat out some blood and wiped her mouth as she used the school wall to stand up. Nagisa breathed heavily as he got up from his uniform and stood on shaking knees.
'Focus, Nagisa. Don't lose yourself!' he thought. Nagisa stood up straight, his bloodlust showing in his eye. Tokaku glared back as she slowly stumbled away from the wall. She pulled out several more knives as Nagisa pulled out a second knife, and held it in a reverse grip. The two stared each other down, before charging.
Nagisa lunged, but Tokaku parried the stab, sending Nagisa stumbling into the mud. He rolled to the side as Tokaku tried to stab him and kicked her knife away. She grunted and stumbled back as she felt something clicking in her. Nagisa slowly got up, panting. The two slowly approached and lunged with their knives. Nagisa stabbed Tokaku in the shoulder, but she gritted her teeth and tossed her knife to her other hand to stab him in the stomach. Nagisa gritted his teeth as they separated, knives in each other's body. Tokaku growled and suddenly roared, surprising Nagisa, before she reared back and punched him full on, knocking him down. She fell onto him and began punching him repeatedly. Nagisa covered his face with his arms as the blows rained down on him before she grabbed his arm and pulled it away to punch him. Nagisa yelled and grabbed the knife in her shoulder, making her flinch away enough for him to slam his fists into her chest, knocking her off. He rolled over slowly and pushed himself up as Tokaku got to her feet.
'I'll end this!' she thought as she forced herself to raise a leg up, positioning the axe kick over his neck. She swung it down fiercely, but Nagisa suddenly shoved himself up. His shoulder crunched as the blow slammed into it, but Nagisa still swung his hands upwards.
CLAP!
Tokaku heard the sound echo throughout her entire body as she choked and stumbled back. She didn't know what had just happened, but her vision was fading, fast. She tried to force her body straight, but she slipped and collapsed onto her back. Nagisa surged forwards while yanking the knife out of his stomach. He raised it up with both hands and yelled as he brought it down. Tokaku tried to catch it, but her arms wouldn't move. Her head slammed into the ground, the blade buried deep into her eye, unmoving.
"Ha… ha… ha…" Nagisa panted, all of his weight on the knife. He grunted as he tried to move, but collapsed on top of Tokaku's body. He painfully rolled over, breathing heavily. A thought occurred to him, and he reached into his pocket. To his surprise, he pulled out a broken USB. He eyed it with his remaining eye before letting it fall to the mud next to him as his hand dropped.
"Sorry, Korosensei. I didn't keep my promise," he muttered as he slipped off into unconsciousness, the corpse next to him as the last thing he saw.
KO!
Thea: Whelp. I guess S.S. Haruku sank. Our bad!
Bryant: Both Nagisa and Tokaku have proven themselves to be deadly assassins, with their own strengths and weaknesses. But when you break it down and look at this side by side, you can see the clear advantage that Nagisa had.
Thea: Assassins without the right tool kit are dead in the water. At first, you'd think that Tokaku would have an edge when it came to their arsenal. A katana designed to cut off limbs vs regular combat knives, a taser that could knock people out, three different guns vs two guns, and throwing knives for both close and long-ranged combat. You'd think that Tokaku would be able to stay ahead both in melee and at a range.
(NOTE: It's always difficult to compare intellect, given that it doesn't have a physical form or physical yield. Neither displayed especially impressive feats of analysis, but both are able to recognize weaknesses and traits, as well as a person's tells. It's safest to say that they're as smart as each other)
Bryant: But Nagisa's own arsenal could keep up. For example, Nagisa's stun guns were just as powerful, and likely easier to use due to being in his hand as opposed to his shoe. But more importantly, his P.E. Uniform simply countered much of Tokaku's kit.
Thea: Blunt force, electricity, and blades. All three are protected from this special cloth. Both aren't expert snipers, but Tokaku does have great accuracy with her knives. But those knives aren't going to help too much at a range with this uniform protecting Nagisa. It does have limits, but there's no proof that Tokaku could brute force her way through those limits.
Bryant: On the other hand, Tokaku clearly had the strength advantage. She's displayed superhuman strength on numerous occasions while Nagisa hasn't shown too much more than a normal human's. Her ability to match Sumeriko's cybernetic enhancements, even for a little, was more impressive than Nagisa.
Thea: If you want a more one to one comparison, both can restrain enemies with chokeholds, but Tokaku broke out of being strangled, while Nagisa was used for a funny moment. So strength goes to Tokaku. And so does skill!
Bryant: Nagisa has proven himself to be a skilled assassin, but his year of training in Self-Defense Forces Fighting didn't quite stand up to Tokaku training for her entire life. And while Nagisa specializes in grapples and locks, Tokaku has proven herself to be able to counter such techniques, and she has a bigger variety of immediately applicable skills. With all this in mind, it's likely that she would be able to exploit the P.E. Uniform's openings to aim for Nagisa's vulnerable spots, or simply break his neck, especially up close in her range.
(NOTE: Their pain tolerance is likely on similar levels, as both had endured heavy damage and were still able to overcome enemies right afterwards, and go on without needing to get serious medical help. Tokaku was able to keep fighting after being pushed off a window to fall several stories, and Nagisa endured a full beating from a bloodlusted Takaoka when the physically superior Maehara was nearly unable to move from a single strike from a less fit and more casual Takaoka)
Thea: But Nagisa had plenty of his own advantages. While Tokaku had more skill, Nagisa had a better skill set. Specifically his advantage in stealth and ambush.
Bryant: Tokaku may have the ability to distinguish between individual scents, but Korosensei has displayed similar feats on a grander scale, and students less stealthy than Nagisa wearing their P.E. Uniforms were able to catch him by surprise. Nagisa was able to do so even during a front-on confrontation at the beginning of the series. Tokaku was highly skilled and strong, but Nagisa had caught several people like her off-guard on several occasions, something made easier with the Clap Stunner.
(NOTE: The Clap Stunner has failed twice, once with Shinigami and once with Karma. However, both knew about the technique, and Shinigami countered it by using his more advanced version first, and Karma had a plan to counter its effects. As no equivalent of such a technique exists in Tokaku's world, there's no reason to say that she would be able to counter it at all)
Thea: And Tokaku couldn't do that as easily to Nagisa. And not just because we haven't seen as many stealth feats from her. Nagisa's ability to see wavelengths and sense bloodlust means that he'd be able to keep ahead of Tokaku by sensing her intent.
Bryant: Meanwhile, there's no real proof that Tokaku would be able to overcome his bloodlust. Enemies more experienced and cold-blooded than Tokaku like Takaoka and Karasuma have been affected by his bloodlust before, making it more difficult for Tokaku to fight at her best.
(NOTE: Tokaku had far more training, but little assassination experience. Both their stories take place within a single school year, but the Black Class ended much sooner than the Assassination Classroom. And while Tokaku fought a bigger variety of foes, none of them had anything like Nagisa's more unique abilities, while Nagisa has fought enemies stronger and more skilled than him several times. Karasuma and Korosensei's reactions to his bloodlusted state also heavily implies that a fully bloodlusted Nagisa can overcome such odds straight-on)
Thea: But they also have pretty different ways of fighting. Tokaku is more like a brawler or a bodyguard, going head-to-head with her enemies. Even in her training in both the anime and the manga, she's more focused on head-on practices. Nagisa also fought head-on in most of his fights, but he prefers using stealth, strategy, and cunning to wait for that specific opening for a killing blow, like with his quadruple kill, or against Takaoka. Hell, it's why his best technique is the Clap Stunner.
Bryant: So one of the biggest factors of this fight is whether or not they control the field of battle to play into their specialities. Something which would be quite difficult for both, as both have proven themselves to be capable of countering each other's methods. Like how Tokaku has defeated cunning enemies who relied more on strategy and openings like Isuke, or how Nagisa has defeated stronger and more skilled enemies like Karma.
(NOTE: People have argued that Nagisa didn't beat Karma since Karma chose to drop his knife during their fight. However, Karma only had the option to do so due to landing near the knife by sheer luck. If they had landed even a couple inches away, Karma wouldn't have even gotten the option to choose. And Nagisa was very clearly able to catch Karma off-guard even when Karma had full knowledge of his abilities)
Thea: But between Nagisa's smoke bombs and the Uniform's camouflage, Nagisa had the means he needed to nudge the fight to be more his style, letting him exploit enemies and catch Tokaku off-guard, or taking advantage of her openings.
Bryant: Or he could've simply outsped her to land the killing blow first. Both have shown themselves to be able to blitz their respective classmates in terms of striking speed, with Nagisa covering a distance of 28 feet in 3.2 milliseconds and Tokaku covering a distance of 36 feet in 8 milliseconds. Despite Tokaku covering more distance than Nagisa, Nagisa's feat was still more impressive.
Thea: Tokaku covering a distance of 36 feet in 8 milliseconds means that she was attacking at 4,500 miles per hour. That's fast! Just under 4 times the speed of sound at Mach 3.998.
Bryant: Certainly impressive, but for Nagisa to be able to cover a distance of 28 feet in 3.2 milliseconds, he'd have to move at around 8 times the speed of sound at Mach 7.776. Making him almost twice as fast as Tokaku.
Thea: He's probably a little faster than that too. Haruki was still able to just barely react to Tokaku's attacks, while Nagisa completely overwhelmed his targets. So while both could potentially deal with each other's specialities, Nagisa's ability to set up a situation where he could use his skill set and his greater speed means that he takes the edge, and brings the fight to a close.
(NOTE: Tokaku scaling to Sumeriko would mean she could also tank an explosion from 10 grenades at once, or an explosive yield of 2.76 million joules of energy. However, the 1.7 tons of TNT explosion that Nagisa survived translates to 7.11 billion joules of energy. And while Sumeriko likely upscales by a decent amount due to easily surviving it, she was still hurt by the explosion, while Nagisa was in better condition after taking the Reaper's 2.2 tons of TNT attack)
Bryant: All this adds to the core difference between them when it comes to being an assassin. While they're similar in various ways, Tokaku was forced into a life of assassination and combat, but was never really meant to be a killer. Despite being trained to kill her entire life, she couldn't force herself to do so until her battle with Isuke, and even after that, she was at her most comfortable with Haru in a happy life.
Thea: Nagisa on the other hand was at his most comfortable when he was an assassin! When he held a real knife for the first time, he was completely in his element, unafraid of the chance he'd kill, despite people thinking otherwise. The main reason why he doesn't kill isn't because he's afraid or unable to, but it's because he was taught not to kill. Basically, one was forced to be an assassin, but was meant for a better life, while the other was born an assassin, but chose a better life. So when it came time to end the fight, one of them was more suited to do it.
Bryant: Both Nagisa and Tokaku were deadly opponents, and Tokaku's skill and strength likely would've given her the win in some scenarios. However, Nagisa's greater arsenal, speed, and assassin style was just enough to give him the win.
Thea: Nagisa just took Tokaku to class, and ended her Riddle.
(NOTE: Don't expect good puns)
Bryant: The winner is Nagisa Shiota.
NEXT TIME ON DEATH BATTLE!
A green-haired teen in a green jumpsuit was reading a comic book on a bench. A teen girl in a red uniform walks up to him and talks to him excitedly while pulling out her own comic book. They talk before things seem to get aggressive. Suddenly, the girl grins and stands up to take a battle stance as the boy does the same. They lunge forwards and clash fists.
IZUKU MIDORIYA!
VS
KAMALA KHAN!