5 Biggest differences between Scott Pilgrim anime & movie

❘ Updated: 2023-11-17T11:24:13

Scott and Ramona in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off anime

Netflix

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off successfully expanded Bryan O’Malley’s universe in ways fans likely never expected. Within the first season of the anime, the storyline makes a big deviation from the 2010 movie and includes new storylines that leave you stunned.

The 2010 movie, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, was the live-action adaptation of the graphic novels. Michael Cera starred as Scott Pilgrim as he falls in love with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). There’s a problem when he learns that he must defeat her superpower-gifted exes to date her.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’s synopsis follows the same storyline of Scott wanting to date Ramona. But you will find that quickly into the anime, the showrunners took creative control and gave Scott and the characters even juicier, bizarre, and dynamic storylines.

Compared to the 2010 movie, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off truly does expand the universe like never seen before on the small and silver screen. Warning: Major spoilers ahead!

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and dies in his first battle during

That’s right. After Scott’s first battle versus Matthew Patel, he seemingly vanishes into thin air and is presumed dead.

The first episode of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is almost exactly to Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Scott dreams of Ramona in an alternate dimension, practices with his band, and is dating Knives. At a party, he comes face to face with Ramona, and the same style of convo from the movie occurs. It’s followed by Scott becoming enamored with her and ordering something to get her to deliver it.

A key difference is that at the same time, Patel and Gideon are watching their romance unfold from a secret lair. Soon, Sex Bob-Omb has their show and Scott runs into trouble when Knives arrives, when he had already invited Ramona.

The real deviation from the 2010 movie happens when Patel arrives to fight Scott as Ramona’s first evil ex. In the movie, Scott harnesses some inherent power and defeats Patel. This is also when he learns about the rule to date Ramona.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off deviates from this storyline entirely. Instead, Patel “defeats” Scott and all that’s left of him are some coins. In the following episodes, Scott is presumed dead. Envy Addams also makes her grand entrance at his funeral. By the end of Episode 2, Ramona realizes while in the other dimension that Scott isn’t dead.

The movie within the anime

After Scott’s supposed death, Young Neil has an epiphany moment and develops an entire movie screenplay. The movie is a word for word of what happened in the 2010 movie.

In a comical turn of events, Ramona goes to visit a movie set in Episode 3. It’s there that she learns Young Neil developed a movie called “Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Life.” To make matters even more bizarre, the person playing Ramona Flowers is Envy Addams. And in the role of Scott happens to be Ramona’s other evil ex, Lucas Lee.

But what makes the entire scenario comical in comparison is that Young Neil’s movie is what happens in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. He created an entire movie story where Scott wins the battle against Patel. It also includes the real character of Lucas Lee and his battle with Scott.

The movie also has Knives playing herself, leading to an on-set romance with Lee.

Wallace has a fling with Todd Ingram

One of the biggest differences from the 2010 movies is that in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Todd falls in love with Wallace while on set.

Lucas Lee ends up having to step down from playing Scott in the movie and is replaced by Todd. Like the original graphic novels and movie, Todd and Envy Addams are an item and in The Clash at Demonhead. Already being together, it made sense for Todd to star opposite Envy in the Young Neil’s movie.

But there’s a problem when they get too heavily invested in their kissing scenes, ruining the look the director is going for. Wallace has a suggestion. And so in the next take, the director tells Todd to look into Wallace’s eyes. Due to his charm, Todd falls for it and they have a meaningful kiss.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off has Ramona’s evil ex and Envy’s boyfriend fall in love with Wallace. They have multiple rendezvous in his trailer, and Todd gets a tattoo of Wallace. But Wallace breaks the news to him that it was an on-set fling, nothing more.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off has him meet Scott from the future

The biggest twist in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is learning why Scott isn’t dead and where he went. It revealed that his future self portalled him away during the battle with Patel to save him from marrying Ramona.

By Episode 5, Ramona believes Envy or Todd is responsible for Scott’s disappearance. In footage of the fight with Patel, Ramona realizes that a green portal opened which was similar to Todd’s. But Todd swears he had nothing to do with it. She then believes the Twins were responsible with the help of a super vegan robot.

While telling the others, Knives reveals that Young Neil didn’t write the movie screenplay. It was written 14 years into the future. Magically, Scott appears unharmed in front of Ramona. Turns out that the twins did portal him but at the request of his future self.

It’s revealed that what happens in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World did happen to him, and he married Ramona. But it ultimately ended in divorce and a lot of problems. In return, future Scott takes Wallace’s idea of time travel too literally and asks the Twins for help to stop his younger self from dating her. Older Ramona was the one who wrote the screenplay of what happened between them to give to Young Neil. Hoping for young Scott to know if Older Scott erased their story.

Later on in the finale, Scott gathers all the evil exes at a musical for the movie hoping to defeat them to be with Ramona. Scott realizes none of them want to fight for her. In a twist, a bomb goes off and they are moved to another dimension and meet Much Older Scott. He’s been training to stop Scott and Ramona for good. But by the end, both present and future Ramona become Super Ramona to choose Scott.

The League of Evil Exes has a few changes

Unlike Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The League of Evil Exes in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is in shambles and led by Patel after booting out Gideon.

In the 2010 movie, the League knows the rules of needing to defeat Ramona’s new boyfriend. But the anime has them join together at meetings and plan what to do with Scott. The major difference is between Patel and Gideon. Gideon is the supposed leader and record producer. But as Gideon loses his authority in the League, Patel takes over and sits in the high chair.

Also, Patel takes Gideon’s life away; his money, fame, and everything else. He soon turns to Julie Powers for help and support. Ultimately, the anime has the League not be a big deal and not have that much power. It’s far more focused on the time-travel story between Ramona and Scott.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is available to stream on Netflix.

Read more of Dexerto’s TV & Movies news here, and of the anime’s official soundtrack here.