Warning: Spoilers Off applies to all "Moments" pages. There will be unmarked spoilers below. You Have Been Warned.
I....AM.....atomic!
Cid/Shadow
- Even before he got reincarnated, Minoru (Cid's original incarnation) was a badass as he confronts a couple of kidnappers, one of them being ex-military.
- Season 2 Bookends by having Shadow once more rescue Akane from the kidnappers who have now become cyborgs. Unlike before, he didn't need the crowbars, he only needs his fists to smash them to a pulp.
- Shadow vs Zenon.
- Shadow effortlessly parries all of Zenon's attacks all the while taking the time to deliver some sick burns. To say Zenon loses it is an understatement.
Shadow: You're not attacking, Future Rounds?Zenon: AAAHHHH!!!!- Before that, Shadow dodges the first strike by Zenon who bragged about being a core member of the cult. A bored Cid then quips, "So, where is this core member of the cult?".
- Then the fight ends with Shadow unleashing his Finishing Move, "I AM....atomic!".
- The anime makes this even more awesome. After Zenon turns into his One-Winged Angel form, Shadow's response is to discard his sword and just use Good Old Fisticuffs to beat the man down.
- Cid stealthily takes out the fake Shadow Garden one by one even while the school is under a Power Nullifier.
- Shadow takes down Lutheran and inflicts upon the evil man the same painful death he performed on Sherry's mother.
- Shadow battles Iris Midgar and Beatrix, two of the most accomplished Dark Knights in the world, and won.
- The anime takes it even further. Instead of the quick Curb-Stomp Battle that was in the Web Novel/Light Novel/Manga, it's a long fight that spans across the city. And if that wasn't better enough, Cid brings out the crowbars, his signature weapons from his past life.
- Prior to that, Shadow(posing as Mundane Mann) paralyzes Iris with fear just by throwing feints at her.
- When Iris calls out Shadow for fleeing, Shadow in response unleashes a massive torrent of magic that freezes the rain in its place. This is when Iris, Beatrix, and everyone finally realize that he's THE World's Strongest Man.
- Special points go to Beatrix. Not only she is able to keep up with Shadow but she is able to destroy his crowbars. Granted those were just ordinary tools and not his sword but it's still an impressive feat.
- Cid’s Badass Boast when Iris tells him there’s nowhere for him to run:Cid: Run away? Who’s running? Running where? WHY WOULD I RUN?!?!
- The last part includes a “blew out the speakers” distortion that was an inspired choice by the sound team.
- Anytime Shadow takes on Apocalyptic-level beings.
- Cid had fought the Mist Dragon who destroyed Alexandria and brought it to its knees, to which it accepted Cid and let out a sigh which was a poisonous magic-rich fog in the Abyss Woods protecting Alexandria, Midgar Kingdom's former capital and Shadow Garden's main headquarters.
- In a non-fighting example, Cid flat-out rejects Alexia on the spot because even if she turned out to have a softer side, it doesn't change the fact that she manipulated, disrespected and humiliated him throughout their fake-dating period. So Cid giving her a bit of karmic punishment feels cathartic.
- Masquerading as "Suzuki Hope", he easily manages to oust Eliza for sacrificing other students for the sake of her own survival and coldly tells her that not only is her family status useless, but not a single person would care if she were to perish in this incident.
- The best part about it is that Cid wasn't even faking his deductions about Eliza's treachery. He actually performed legit investigations on the bodies and logically concluded that Eliza was responsible for their deaths. A surprising amount of intelligence from a guy who not too long ago, wanted to cheat in his exams.
- Slaughtering the Thirteen Night Swords and their hundreds of hired men in a mere four days as Jack the Ripper. Given they are a direct foil to the Cult of Diabolos, this implies the only reason why the cult is still standing after all these years was Cid being blissfully unaware of their existence otherwise he would have wiped them out ages ago from jealousy.
Shadow Garden
- In just two years and using what little information Cid gave them, they managed to build a powerful organization to take on the Diabolos Cult.
- Delta. Nuff Said.
- Combined with hilarity, Gamma accidentally gets her BFS stuck into a pillar but uses her Super-Strength to lift it anyway and hurls it at fleeing cult members.
- Nu successfully infiltrates Cid's school and remains hidden from the fake Shadow Garden, including the Big Bad.
- Epsilon shows why she's best known for her magic control as she magically pulls back her slime breasts to her after they were chopped off by a bad guy who then got eviscerated in retribution. She then gives a Death Glare so intense that it shuts Alexia, Rose and Nelson up.
- Desperate to prove to Shadow her and Shadow Garden's worth, Alpha challenges him. Transforming herself into red mist, she slowly wears her master down all the while avoiding his attacks. She lost in the end but her newfound strength genuinely impresses Shadow.
- Major credit to Epsilon in the Web Novel. Despite having being severely wounded, she manages to evade the Diabolos Cult for an extended period of time; just long enough for Cid to come to her rescue. There's a reason why she's one of the Seven Shades
- 559 fends off and kills about a hundred cultists for THREE days and THREE nights.
- Both Beta and Epsilon work together to take on Mordred.
Other Characters
- Rose Oriana. She was just the strongest student in Midgar Academy but after being bestowed with Shadow's power, she makes literal mince meat out of the cult members.
- Annerose winning against a memory summon in the Goddess Trials. Even Cid himself is impressed and is the only one aside from him to have won against a summon.
- The anime gives one to Alexia. She's aware that Shadow is about to unleash his "I Am Atomic" but what does she do? She doesn't bother with it and just practices her sword. That's some balls she has, unlike Iris who immediately drops to her knees.
- Aurora takes over Claire's body and plows through all of the Blood Queen's attacks.
- She gets even more badass in the anime where she's able to recreate Shadow's "I Am Atomic", which leaves even Beta flabbergasted. Too bad Claire couldn't handle that strain otherwise Aurora could have defeated the vampire easily.
- Credit has to be given to King Oriana. Despite knowing he and his kingdom will suffer, he still chooses to stand up to the Cult of Diabolos to protect his daughter. Even after his death, he still has one trick left as a final "Screw You" to the cult which finally happens when Rose exposes the crimes of Perv Asshat, the man that brainwashed him into becoming the cult's puppet.
