Top 10 Biggest Differences in Scott Pilgrim Anime

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the ways this Netflix Scott Pilgrim Anime radically changed the source material.

Let’s get this one out the way ASAP. The first episode drew us in with the near perfect adaptation of the comic series that fans had wanted for years. But for better or worse, that’s not what we got. Things veer off course dramatically when, during the fight with the first evil ex Matt Patel, Scott abruptly combusts into coins. As anyone will tell you, this does not happen in the comics or movie, and Patel is dispatched quickly. So yeah the title of ‘Takes Off’ actually has a different meaning than we originally thought. The only explanation the cast can come up with is that he died and the following episode gives us a long, drawn out funeral scene. Of course we later find out Scott didn’t die, but we’ll save that for another entry.

While not present in the original comics, in the movie adaptation when Scott approaches Ramona for the first time, he picks the topic of Pac-Man as the icebreaker. It’s a now iconic scene that many would expect to be replicated in the anime adaptation, but that didn’t end up being the case. Instead, Scott drops some Sonic trivia to get Ramona’s attention. In fact, this isn’t the only time Sonic is referenced in the show as he’s mentioned a couple of times, including in the final battle. This is very clearly because Universal was involved in the production, and so making one of their hottest franchises the focus instead seems like a no-brainer.

The result of the Scott vs. Matt fight leads to the latter getting quite the ego. After all he did defeat the strongest guy in Toronto. As such, he thinks its time he got his due recompense, and challenges Gideon Graves for the throne as the leader of the League of Evil Exes. It’s one hell of a fight, and way more than we’d expect from who was once thought of as the weakest in the league. And then the unthinkable happens: Patel actually wins. And convincingly so. This makes him the new boss and, in effect, remarkably rich. Aspirations of becoming a stage actor do get in the way of his new role later down the line though.

As any fan will tell you, the whole reason Scott and Ramona met in the first place was because of her occupation as an Amazon delivery gal. Her tendency to use the subspace highway in his head to warp to delivery points is the catalyst of his initial infatuation. Well, she still does that in this series, but instead of working for Amazon she works for Netflix instead. Understandable - why acknowledge one of your biggest streaming rivals? Either way, later on she seems to have dropped her Netflix job entirely to become a stunt woman instead.
Either way, later on she seems to have dropped her Netflix job entirely to become a stunt woman instead.

Knives’ part in the series is significantly shrunk in this new adaptation. There’s no big showdown between her and Ramona in the Toronto congress library, no getting the highlights punched out of her hair, and certainly no Mr. Chau. Instead, after initially being distraught over Scott’s death, she picks up his bass guitar and gets strumming. That’s when she finds her calling as a musician and joins the band as a guitarist and later piano player.
Yes, that means Young Neil doesn’t join the band like he does in the Movie. Instead, he’s awfully busy directing a movie based on the original Scott Pilgrim timeline.

Love and romance is one of the key components of the Scott Pilgrim story, but surprisingly some of the most memorable ones are switched around. Remember Stephen Stills’ on-and-off girlfriend with the potty mouth, Julie? Well as it turns out she has a long history with Gideon Graves which leads to the two dating and living together after his fall from grace. Perhaps the most bizarre mix-up is that of Todd Ingram, who instead of cheating on Envy Adams with Lynette instead hooks up with… Wallace Wells. It’s a wild affair that eventually leads to Todd having a total obsession with Scott’s roommate.
Lastly, there also seems to be a hint of a potential future between Kim and Lucas in the epilogue…

Yup, you heard it right. The G-Man isn’t the man you think he is, he’s actually quite pathetic. After losing the company and his chair as the leader of the league, Julie finds him crestfallen and reveals his real name was Gordon Goose. He was actually the biggest dweeb in school. The show also does this sort of odd thing where it implies him watching anime is lame… even though this is an anime? I don’t know, maybe we’re reading too much into it.
He’s not the only one who’s portrayed as a loser though, as for some reason Lucas Lee is also on the receiving end of some rather cruel character assassination. He gets kicked out of Hollywood and suffers one humiliation after the next.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing for a lot of Scott Pilgrim fans is that this show doesn’t have any of the Evil Ex fights from the source material outside of a brief encounter with Matthew Patel. In fact, there’s not much fighting at all as once Scott disappears and Gideon loses his position, the league pretty much falls apart. When they’re not being complete goofballs, the exes are surprisingly nice to the other characters. Most shocking of all, they actually help out in the final battle and even cheer on Scott and Ramona when they kiss in the finale. Guess they were just misunderstood.

While Ramona’s story is crucial in the original comic, the primary focus is on Scott as he takes down evil exes, grows as a person, and realizes he’s a bit of a jerk. But with Scott gone, that leaves room for a new lead character. Perhaps this show should’ve been called “Ramona Flowers” instead, since the title character is only really present for about 3 of the 8 episodes. The rest is Ramona starring in a murder mystery where she reconciles with each of her exes along the way. Scott doesn’t even win the final battle, as it’s up to Ramona to save the day by fusing with herself.

Ok, we had a lot of guesses for who kidnapped Scott but “Scott from the future” was certainly not the answer we were going with. We learn that after the events of the original story, Scott and Ramona get married…and then have a major falling out. This shatters Scott’s soul far worse than his breakup with Envy, leading him to think of ways he can avoid this heartbreak. His answer is traveling back to the past, staging his own death, and making it so he and Ramona never get together. When his first attempt fails, he turns to more extreme methods by getting HUGE and attempting to break them up by force. He’s not exactly the Scott Pilgrim we know and love but he is voiced by Will Forte, so there’s that.

So what did you think of the Scott Pilgrim anime? Did you love it or were you disappointed? Let us know in those comments below.