Although nearly every aspect of Soul Eater is beloved--aside from perhaps how the anime adaptation handled its ending--one of its highest points by far has to be its combat. From one of the very first scenes, Maka is seen expertly twirling her scythe and taking down a larger-than-life enemy, and those stakes are followed up on throughout the show with brilliantly fluid animation to match.
Most fights within the series play out in an incredibly satisfying way, with the victor typically being who one would expect- and the victories the heroes earn usually feel deserved. However, not all fights within anime are created equal, so some fight endings don't feel particularly fair. Of course, this isn't to say that any fight mentioned here was written poorly, as they typically add more to the story than if they would've played out in a different manner.
10 SHOULD'VE WON: Stein's First Underground Fight Against Medusa, Where She Survived A Killing Blow Via Magic
During Stein and Medusa's big underground clash, the two were pretty evenly matched in terms of skill. Anytime it seemed like Medusa had some new and unbeatable trick up her sleeve, Stein would use a display of expertise of his own to get out of it.
It would make sense, then, that after Medusa's final close-up attack, Stein was able to land the finishing blow that put her down once-and-for-all. She was able to escape by last-second transferring her soul into one of her snake familiars, which seems like an out-of-nowhere power that was only given to her for plot armor.
9 SHOULD'VE LOST: Maka & Soul's Fight Against Blair, Who Only Lost Because Of Soul's Deception
Maka and Soul's first big challenge was against Blair, while they were trying to collect their Witch's soul to turn Soul into a Death Scythe. They're seen trying to coordinate quite a few attacks against her, and each and every one fails relatively quickly, as they're just no match for her.
They manage to win the fight in the end, only after Soul pretends to leave Maka for Blair so he can position himself by her side for an easy one-hit knockout strike. It was a clever idea on his part, but it is disappointing that someone so powerful was taken down so cheaply.
8 SHOULD'VE WON: Stein's Fight Against Crona, Who Only Gets Away Because Of Medusa's Interference
When Maka originally challenges Crona, she's overwhelmed fairly quickly, and Soul takes a near-fatal wound in order for her to escape the fight at all. She's only saved because Stein and Spirit show up to help out and subdue the demon sword.
They end up doing far more than that, and Stein actually overpowers Crona and it's looking like they'll be defeated for good. The only reason this doesn't happen is Medusa steps in to attack and allow Crona to get away, and it's interesting to think how differently things would've gone if their first appearance had also been their last.
7 SHOULD'VE LOST: The Group Training Exercise Against Professor Stein, Where They Won Because Of Soul's Willingness To Self-Sacrifice
Early on, Maka and Black Star's teams are pitted against Professor Stein, and it's pretty quickly evident that they're completely out of their league. The second Maka sees how overwhelming Stein's soul is, she knows they're outmatched, and he wipes the floor with them--all while in his computer chair the entire time, no less.
They only "win" because Stein passes them due to Soul's willingness to sacrifice himself to protect Maka. If he had been a real villain, at least Soul would have ended up dead there, if not all four of them.
6 SHOULD'VE WON: Black Star's Assassination Attempt On Al Capone's Group, Which Failed Because Of His Loudmouth Tendencies
When viewers are first introduced to Black Star and Tsubaki, they're seconds away from an assassination attempt on the in-universe version of Al Capone. Unfortunately for Tsubaki, her partner crashed in and landed smack-dab on the middle of their meeting table, completely ripping away the element of surprise.
They were shot at near-instantly and had to make a quick retreat. With fans having seen how deadly Black Star is when he actually pauses long enough to use his true assassin techniques, this introduction is disappointing to say the least.
5 SHOULD'VE LOST: Black Star's First Fight Against Mifune, Where A Surprise Attack Only Work Because He Underestimated Black Star
In Black Star and Tsubaki's introduction episode, they go against Mifune, an incredibly talented swordsman and bodyguard of the young Witch Angela. Mifune is obviously far beyond their skill level and only uses the back of the blade during the fight to add further insult to injury.
Black Star was only able to land a direct hit with his soul wavelength because Mifune underestimated him and only saw his opponent as a child. Fans actually do see how things work out when he approaches Black Star like an equal, as Black Star loses their next two fights in the anime.
4 SHOULD'VE WON: Kid's Battle Against Crona, Where Kid Only Lets Him Get Away Because Of His Symmetry Obsession
Maka isn't the only student who faces off against Crona, as Kid also has an encounter with them aboard the ghost ship Nidhogg. Kid is able to attack Crona rather relentlessly, due to his long-distance advantage allowing him to negate Crona's Black Blood.
However, when Crona slices the ship in half in a completely non-symmetrical manner, Kid is too distracted to chase after them and allows them to get away. Of course, if Kid had defeated Crona here, fans wouldn't have gotten the brilliant Maka VS. Crona final fight, so all's well that ends well.
3 SHOULD'VE LOST: Tsubaki's Fight Against Masamune, Whose Victory Is Only Possible Due To Black Star's Support
When Tsubaki and Black Star are assigned to hunt down the Demon Sword, they're shocked to find that it's actually Tsubaki's older brother, Masamune. Typically she'd fight alongside her meister, but it ended up being a one-on-one between her and her siblings' souls from inside the sword itself.
Tsubaki is quickly outmatched, but she manages to get a newfound wave of courage after Black Star calls out to her from reality. While it's sweet and definitely showcases how strong their relationship is, it's also an out-of-the-blue victory that isn't realistically written.
2 SHOULD'VE WON: Lord Death's First Fight Against Asura, Who Was Outmatched Due To Not Having A Weapon
When the Kishin sleeping deep beneath the academy is finally awakened once again, Lord Death tries at first to stop him before he can leave the city's limits. Since the shinigami's soul was tied to the city itself, both of them knew that he couldn't follow, and then Asura would be much harder to stop.
There were no other Death Scythes around besides Spirit Albarn, who was still underground with Stein, and Lord Death couldn't hold his own without a weapon, allowing Asura to get away. It is this direct event that leads him to summon a handful of Death Scythes to the academy, making sure at least one would be around at all times in case of emergency.
1 SHOULD'VE LOST: Maka's Fight Against Giriko, Where She Is Only Saved Because Of Crona's Intervening
Immediately after the events of the Kishin re-awakening, Maka and Crona are sent to investigate an incident involving a berserk golem in a small village. While there, they also encounter Giriko, who quickly overpowers Maka and nearly kills her before Crona steps in to shield her from the blow.
In the manga, Maka's fight against Giriko is much darker. She almost gives in to her feelings of hopelessness and lets Giriko assault her, but Soul kicks him out of the way in time and helps her re-establish her self-worth. In both versions, she technically should have lost the fight, but it's a huge relief that her allies were there for her.
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