Why Sasagawa Ryohei is considered the 'weakest' of the Vongola Decimo Guardians || A META ANALYSIS
===Spoiler Warning to the Manga of KHR.===This is the only warning you'll be getting.
First, a clarification because this came out of nowhere -- Yes, Ryohei is considered the 'weakest' of the Guardians by both Dino and Reborn, at the start of the Varia arc. This is backed by him being ranked the 5th Strongest in Namimori Middle, preceding Kusakabe (Hibari's 2nd-in-command). It is only after training with Colonello that he gains a semblance of power reliable enough to protect the familiga, besides just being 'really good at punching'. Simply put, at the level required in the series, Ryohei's set of skills - that being a really good boxer - isn't enough to qualify for a powerful guardian.
In that regard, he's even outdone by Lambo, at 5-years old, thanks to his arsenal and 10-year jump potential. How is that possible?
-- To tackle this question, we need to consider what makes a character 'strong' in Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Simple physical strength is of course a factor, but it's hardly the only one; in fact, it's one of the least accounted-for factors. This is backed by the Maximum Cannon being literally the strongest one-hit move among the Decimo Guardians, probably outdoing even Tsuna's 20% X-Burner. So, we have a character who's physically capable of outputting more raw power than his boss in one hit, yet he's still considered the weakest. This is because, the conclusion I have arrived at is: In KHR, a character's 'power' isn't dictated by their strength, but by their effectiveness.
For a simple example -- I-Pin's Mahjong Mega Bomb is possibly the one single strongest nuke in the show. But it takes it 10 whole counts until it blasts off, in which I-Pin is stationary. Is this effective? Not at all. As displayed numerous times throughout the daily life arc, it's perfectly plausible to avoid and nullify all damage from the blast by stepping out of range in time, or just throwing I-Pin away. Sure, it's a gag move, but it exists and we must take it into account. By contrast, we have the Levi Volta. I'm going to be honest, this is one of the least interesting moves in the series to me. It's never even used again after Hayato dispatches Levi. However, we can't ignore its effectiveness. Levi Volta is a sure-hit lightning strike condensed into one spot. Unless you're someone like Hayato who just so happens to have a way to counter, or Lambo who's got immunity, this is a clearcut one-shot. It's even been said that Levi himself isn't impressive, but this move alone is what put him in the Varia Officers rank. Let me repeat that: This move, alone, made him a Varia Officer. This is how effective the Levi Volta is in what it does, without getting into more specifics.
In short, a character's power is dictated by their techniques' effectiveness and skill, as shown in two examples. This is why Hibari for that matter, who's simply strong, hardy and great at fighting, is as stupidly powerful as he is: he's simply that effective. Notice that Hibari does not have nuke-level attacks, or even building-level attacks. All he has is two Tonfa, and his skill brought him to the same level as Dino -- who also doesn't have big bombastic moves.
Back to the subject at hand -- what about Ryohei makes him 'less effective' than the rest of the Guardians?
Not to throw shade at Ryohei at all; despite being labeled the weakest, that becomes arguable once he learns to utilize the Maximum Cannon (and subsequent moves). But, he's still considered on the weaker side, and consistently doesn't win in his fights despite great showcase of strength. Ryohei's boxing skill is also immensely good; blocking isn't a big thing in boxing, fighters mostly using dodging to nullify attacks and open their opponents. In that sense, Ryohei managed to dodge a majority of the damage Koyo attempted to land, while still getting deliberately grazed to charge his Sunlight Bangle. This takes inhuman amount of skill, which Ryohei is able to showcase, albeit with a Cambio Forma. Safe to say, he's easily one of the world's greatest boxers-- in sheer skill alone. He's also the well-reliable Sun Guardian, as shown 10-years later.
But Boxing in general is not a great choice for martial arts. While popular, it is subpar, as judged by several real-life martial arts experts. Him sticking to Boxing exclusively makes him incredibly good at what he does, but limits him in that sense too. Moreover, there is one common denominator for many characters in the series -- and that's, the use of Weapons.
Reborn is the most classic hitman in the series, modeled after the stereotype of Italian mafia. Therefore, he's a weapons expert. But it doesn't stop there: Gokudera using dynamite, Yamamoto learning swordsmanship, Hibari's tonfa -- even Tsuna uses a weapon: while the gloves by themselves aren't 'weapons', the ability they bestow definitely is. How do you expect to throw hands with a guy that shoots fire??
In the weapons department, Ryohei only has his fists. And that already places him at a disadvantageous point. While he's on-paper extremely skilled at what he does, his skill level is compromised by virtue of lack of weapon in the series.
To make a quick run-down of the other pure-martial artists in the series for comparison (almost all of which Ryohei outdoes), we have:
I-Pin and Fon, who use Gyoza Kenpo, a form of martial arts incorporating garlic to disrupt the enemy's nerves.
Joshima Ken, while not a 'martial artist', he is equipped with his fangs to grant him animal abilities and traits.
Lancia, who has a giant steel ball.
Lussuria, who not only has insanely quick movement, but also a metal knee - which by itself is a weapon.
Zakuro, technically, who just becomes a T-Rex and attacks with heat and Storm Flames anyway.
All of these guys have something extra going on for them besides just raw power. Ryohei doesn't have that. Ryohei relies solely on his skills as a boxer, and the principle taught to him by Colonello, to channel the power of his cells. Maximum Cannon is essentially a technique, but it's still just raw strength -- and, it's not even that reliable; requiring a very long recharge time to even utilize at maximum strength. His fighting style subtly changes to suit the Sun Flames' attributes eventually, but in the end it's still a principle that actively requires Ryohei risk himself, oftentimes gravely.
The other reason I feel that is relevant, is the author's emphasis on the Sun Flame being 'not as strong' as the rest of the flames. At least, not by itself.
The maximum healing capacity of the Sun Flames is demonstrated in Daisy, which can regenerate instantly like a lizard. I personally was amazed that this is what they pulled, only to later have my impression thwarted in accounts of the other Millefiore Guardians having even more extreme applications to their Flames. Basically, Daisy is presented to us as the first opponent fought against, because - to be inferred narratively - they are the weakest of the Six Funeral Wreaths. And it just so happens that Ryohei also has this flame, albeit with a different, much more self-destructive tendency. It's worth noting, in terms of effectiveness - Daisy outclasses Ryohei by a landslide, too (in my personal analysis, Daisy is the epitome of Sun Flames effectiveness).
Sun Flames, either through its healing properties, attribution to Irie Shoichi or Gokudera's use, is narratively told to be 'the support flame'. Which means, it's hard-pressed to find any attacks that encompass pure Sun Flame energy. In fact -- Ryohei is literally the only character in the series to even do that.
Ryohei definitely received the short end of the stick, but by no means is he actually 'weak'. As a potential Hitman he's definitely the least efficient among the Guardians, that's for sure. But that's mostly because of the series' focus and variety in its power system.
That said -- KHR is a series with normal humans. Remember that there's not a single person in all of KHR (except Daisy and his stupid hacks) that can tank a Maximum Cannon. So in terms of raw physicality, Ryohei is at the top of the series' list. Does that help him in fights? ...Unfortunately, not so much.
I find it interesting that the strongest Guardian, is actually the weakest; as 'power' is established to be 'effectiveness', and not strength.
That is all for this analysis, You're all incredible.
Especially if you actually read all of that like, holy shit.
I wrote a lot, huh.
