The long-fought conflict between Luffy and Kaido was ultimately resolved in One Piece episode 1076. The battle was the high point of One Piece’s Wano Arc. Before their last combat in Onigashima, the two clashed several times, and each time Luffy suffered a crushing defeat. While Luffy did defeat Kaido, many fans believe that Luffy is not yet as powerful as Kaido. However, if you look at the full fight as it progressed in both the manga and the anime, you could argue that Kaido was stronger.
Luffy’s devil fruit awakening enabled him to defeat Kaido, who was regarded as the “Strongest Creature in the World.” However, there are many things to consider about the fight between Kaido and Luffy, and looking at all the facts and information it only proves that Gear 5 Luffy may still not be the strongest character in One Piece.
Kaido vs Luffy in One Piece
Kaido, the King of Beasts and the World’s Strongest Creature was a force of nature. During their encounter, Kaido proved to be an impenetrable barrier to Luffy, defeating him three times before Luffy eventually won. When Luffy first encountered Kaido, the King of Beasts defeated him in one strike. Luffy managed to land some powerful punches the second time, but he was still vanquished. Luffy was knocked unconscious for the third time after failing to overcome Kaido the first two times. Luffy was able to properly match Kaido’s motions after awakening his devil fruit.
After fighting so many battles, Kaido was distracted, attacked, weary, and repeatedly strained his powers during the combat, therefore it was no wonder he lost. Even in Gear 5, Luffy would have lost to Kaido in one-on-one combat if he was at his peak.
Kaido Fought Many Characters Before Luffy
Following Kaido’s defeat, a lot of fans question if Luffy has actually overcome Kaido or if his success is merely a matter of chance. Some may believe that Kaido battled a lot of people before battling Luffy, which was an unjustified fight. Kaido reached the last battle with Luffy after defeating the Red Scabbards, five pirates from the Worst Generation, and his daughter Yamato, all of whom were formidable opponents who depleted his strength. As if all of these battles and ambushes weren’t enough, Kaido was also using his cloud skills to assist the entire Onigashima throughout the conflict.
Even after Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit and acquired Gear 5, Kaido fought him on equal footing and only lost in the last, huge battle. This proves that Luffy’s Gear 5 may not be the strongest character in the series and if there is a fair battle between the two, the circumstances would be completely different.
