conclusion

Season 1 of Reborn! and how it wraps up is especially important for the series, especially for Tsuna. The end of season one marks the beginning [for Tsuna] of being able to use the Dying Will Flame without the use of Reborn's special bullets. However, on the darker side of the good news and Tsuna's evolution, the end of season one marks something very painful for Mukuro. His defeat by a human that he thought so less of, and thought to had been an easy target... I imagine this damaged him deeply, though not admitting it in full by the next season (Varia).

The final battle with Mukuro was tough, long battle for Tsuna. This is his first time ever facing a threat larger than any of the challenges beforehand -- this was the ultimate challenge, in my opinion. Only because, to me (and i'm sure many fans will agree), Mukuro is not a character everyone could find ways to match in power. He has both power and intellect, tied with being clever. Heck, the strongest in the Vongola Family is in fact, Hibari Kyoya, and Mukuro dragged Hibari to his knees? That's a very big accomplishment, and for Tsuna to match that would seem virtually impossible. Mukuro has more than just his illusions - he has the acquired skills of the six paths and the Forbidden Bullet.

How does Tsuna actually come to conquer his first real challenge? When Leon (Reborn's chameleon partner) spits out a new weapon for Tsuna, half-way into the battle, the tide changes. For the first half of the battle, victory was all in Mukuro's favor -- with his possession bullet and Bianchi, Hibari and Gokudera laying there unconcious and pierced by Mukuro's trident, all of the said characters were subject to his possession. Mukuro ended up using all of Tsuna's frieds' bodies to break down Tsuna - Mukuro knew perfectly well how this would effect the Vongola, seeing as how "weak" he was. Since Mukuro doesn't feel any pain from the bodies he has in possession, he can easily move from one to another with ease. It shocks Tsuna when Mukuro calls out to Ken and Chikusa's bodies, using them to their full limit -- Ken and Chikusa are Mukuro's "friends" but Mukuro knows that this is the debt they are willing to pay for Mukuro saving their lives. Gokudera and Bianchi's bodies mid-way into the battle, begin to break down and the bloody wounds start opening.. it's certain that if Mukuro went any further, there would be some serious consequences involved with their lives.

Tsuna, at this point, after seeing his own friends get used and abused by Mukuro and even Mukuro's own comrades makes him boil down. Which is why... as long as Tsuna had the heart and Dying Will to save his friends from death, that's all Tsuna really needed to take down Mukuro. Equipped with gloves and a special bullet (soon after it was acquired, Reborn shot it to Tsuna), Tsuna's Dying Will flames are heated up and his own "aura" is much more powerful than Mukuro's black aura from the Fifth path (of Humans).

The end result turns up to be Tsuna purifying this black aura by thrashing Mukuro to the ground (in the face) with his own, burning, gloved hand. This was the end for Mukuro's grand design, as he was left unconcious to be dealt with by mafia law. He ended up being re-captured in the end, but not entirely changed by Tsuna (though the black aura was purified).