I love it when you can really read the language of a fight scene. That's often what makes the greats, but sometimes, a very minor fight scene can say so much about the characters involved. I'm rewatching season 2 of OPLA and the fight between Mr. 11 and Tashigi just jumped out at me with its clear and concise language.
Going into it we know exactly two things about Mr. 11: He is a skilled swordsman, and he has zero respect for his sword itself. All he cares about is his own personal style. That shows in how he fights. He fights in a one-handed style, with his other hand free for balance or to hold his hat. This allows him to attack at the limit of his range which, given his height, gives him an insane reach advantage. He's also extremely swift and agile, adding little flourish like pirouetting away from an attack. He seems pretty strong too, or at least significantly stronger than Tashigi, as when he goes on the offensive, every clash knocks her back a step. However, his style isn't entirely matched with his sword. His thrusts are more at home with a rapier than a katana, a sign that he sees swords as interchangeable.
We know that Tashigi is obsessed with her swords, hearing them "sing" to her (objectum hello). She also resembles Kuina, which is meant to bring to mind what Zoro's friend said about how men are stronger, faster, and have greater reach than women. Mr. 11 fits that to a T, completely outclassing Tashigi physically. She tends to keep both hands on her blade anyway, but she NEEDS both hands to even parry one of his attacks.
In the first exchange, she goes on the offensive, which he blocks handily. Once he realizes his physical superiority, he starts adding in more flash to his style, dodging instead of parrying and going on the offensive. It forces her back to the wall, where he thinks he's won.
But he overextends himself. Tashigi steps within his reach, negating one of his biggest advantages. She disables his sword arm by grabbing his wrist and doesn't let go even as she goes for pommel strikes and joint locks. He was completely unprepared for this, expecting a sword fight not a close-in brawl, and she easily pins him to the ground.
What we see here is a woman who CAN win, even against a man who is both skilled and physically superior, because she just plain cares more. She's not flashy, she uses a katana like a katana, and she knows better than to overextend herself just to monolog, and she knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he does NOT deserve that sword.
The fight scene is less than a minute and consists of only two beats, but it says SO MUCH about both characters.
