Shonen protagonists come in many shapes and forms, but one thing is for sure: they are brave, heroic people who are ready to save the day. Some of them actually make it their job. Take the hero All Might as an example, of My Hero Academia fame. He is the Symbol of Peace, and with One For All and his limitless strength, he can vanquish any villain.
But what about the world of Fairy Tail, where martial arts and magic co-exist? Natsu Dragneel is the Fire Dragon slayer, and he is arguably the best at what he does. He may not be an official hero, but time and again, he risks his very life to fight for his beloved friends. Could he take on All Might and triumph in battle?
Natsu's Strengths
Natsu's primary element is fire and he can use it in a variety of ways. To begin with, he is immune to any opposing fire-based effect, and he can actually eat fire (aside from his own) to replenish his stamina and boost his magical power. There have also been times when Natsu ate the Dragon Slayer magic of another person, such as Laxus Dreyar, and created a fire/lightning fighting style that had devastating firepower.
Natsu can emit mighty blasts of flame from his mouth, or deliver fiery, draconic punches with his fists. His physical abilities are among the most advanced in the Fairy Tail world, and he has courage and grit to match, especially if his friends' lives are at stake. If that weren't enough, he is a demon book of his brother Zeref, known as E.N.D. In his demonic form, his powers are even greater, though he may lose control of himself in his rage. He also has a dragon-like form that similarly augments his power.
All Might's Strengths
All Might's physical strength, stamina, speed, agility and endurance are seemingly superhuman, and he's taken on the army-of-one villain All For One and defeated him twice. All Might can move in the blink of an eye, deliver punches that can shatter skyscrapers, avoid enemy attacks with ease, and most of all, he can deliver Smash attacks. Named after American states and cities (and sometimes the country itself), these Smashes deliver earth-shuddering power that can catapult even the mightiest foes high into the sky, or blast the terrain apart for kilometers around. In My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, All Might even delivered a unique punch called Nebraska Smash, which could create a powerful air vortex that could contain and destroy hundreds of aerial opponents.
All Might's main source of strength, aside from his own physique (and his training with Gran Torino) is his Quirk, One For All. It's a power-charging Quirk, and All Might is fueled by the legacy of each owner who came before. Finally, All Might has seemingly inexhaustible resolve and courage in the face of any odds, and he can draw upon strength out of nowhere when he must go past his limits. That's Plus Ultra, and no villain survives it.
Natsu's Weaknesses
Natsu's technique has a few minor (and rather specific) deficiencies. For one thing, he can't handle being aboard a moving vehicle, such as a train, car or airship, since he gets horribly airsick (like the other Dragon Slayers). Also, he is unable to eat his own fire to charge up, and if he can't find any fire on the battlefield, he must go without. His technique also has an intrinsic weakness to water magic, and his magic can get blown away by hostile wind effects, too. If Natsu is fighting for his own sake, or for no particular reason aside from receiving a challenge, he doesn't realize his full potential, since "fighting for my friends" is his primary motive. It's unlikely that someone like All Might would hold the other Fairy Tail wizards hostage before the battle.
All Might's Weaknesses
Up to a point in his career, All Might was seemingly without any weaknesses at all. But after surviving a scrape with the monstrous All For One, All Might suffered a serious injury that began to weaken him, and the time that he could spend in his muscle form became shorter and shorter. Fighting too hard in his muscle form will shorten its life span even more and it's possible for All Might to exhaust his power completely (as was the case when he fought All For One again). All Might's power is vast, but it has a time limit that can be further shortened.
All Might Vs. Natsu: Plus Ultra!
In a battle between the two, Natsu will quickly find himself on the defensive when fighting All Might, since his speed, power and endurance are all inferior to those of the Symbol of Peace. To be sporting, All Might will hold back at first and Natsu will use that opportunity to use his best moves, such as Lightning Fire Dragon mode. That, and E.N.D. form, will put the hurt on All Might, but even then, All Might can do more.
He may start to fall behind, but then he can go all out to break past his limits with a daring Plus Ultra, delivering a final Smash that will obliterate Natsu once and for all. Heroes like him will be as strong as they need to be to claim victory. That's the power of Plus Ultra.
