Technically speaking, there's no way to raise your stats high enough in the current build to beat him by force. There is a way to win the encounter, though.
Oh really? Which sprites were odd? That's something to fix. Spoiler: You're supposed to beat the fight through pacifism. If you deal no damage Ares won't fight back.
That would be great! Sometimes the actual build of the game has errors like that, which I can't see as easily in unity. Hope it's been a fun experience!
