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As One Piece’s Wano arc approaches its close, Kaido is taking centre stage through his fight against Luffy. The recently-released One Piece episode 1064 showcased various drunken fighting forms of Kaido as well as a softer side to the Yonko.
One of the most impressive moments Kaido has in episode 1064 is when Luffy admits to feeling Kaido’s haki getting stronger. With Conqueror’s Haki, and more specifically Advanced Conqueror’s Haki (ACoC), becoming more important by the episode, this is a significant development.
Yet it also begs the question: which One Piece characters can beat the freak of nature Kaido as he is right now, and which would have no chance whatsoever?
Disclaimer: The article was updated by Shubham Maity on June 9, 2023, at 2:15 a.m. EST to reflect the power ranking changes that came into effect as the story progressed further.
3 One Piece characters who can go toe-to-toe with Kaido and win (& 3 who will never be able to do that)
Three characters who can come out on top in their fights against Kaido
1) Luffy
As is unfolding before fans eyes week-to-week, Luffy is well on his way to beating Kaido to close out the Wano arc. This is essentially a foregone conclusion, with Luffy now damaging Kaido and keeping up with him during their fight.
It is no secret that Luffy is about to achieve his Gear 5 transformation in the next few episodes. Luffy's devil fruit is actually a legendary zoan fruit that can transform him into an avatar of the Sun God Nika. The knowledge of ACoC Haki and his new transformation will make Luffy arguably the strongest character in the series.
2) Big Mom
Kaido and Big Mom have known each other for decades, having both started out on the Rocks Pirates as rookies. The two were as incredibly powerful then as they are now and are on relatively equal ground based on their fight at Onigashima.
Being an ACoC Haki user who also holds the title of Yonko, it’s a fair assumption that Big Mom could defeat Kaido under the right circumstances and conditions.
3) Shanks
Shanks and Kaido have already clashed offscreen in previous One Piece arcs, although it was specified as not being a full-on battle. Nonetheless, Shanks was still strong enough to survive a skirmish with the strongest creature in the world.
Shanks is no Devil Fruit user and is presumed to be a master of ACoC Haki like Gold D Roger. He is considered the strongest character in the series because Shanks is the only one who has not properly shown his strength, which the world fears and respects.
Shanks, without a doubt, has everything necessary to go toe-to-toe with Kaido in a true fight and even win under the right circumstances.
3 One Piece characters who will never win against Kaido
1) Sanji
Until Sanji becomes an ACoC Haki user, he unfortunately, has almost no chance of defeating Kaido. Luffy wasn’t even able to meaningfully damage Kaido until unlocking his ACoC Haki, emphasis on meaningfully.
While Sanji’s most recent power-up is undoubtedly impressive and makes him a danger to his rival foils, it just isn’t enough to take down Kaido without ACoC Haki. Fans will agree that our cherished Black Leg needs a significant transformation to battle tougher foes in the future.
2) Trafalgar D. Water Law
While Law is currently backing Big Mom into a corner alongside Kidd, the fact remains that Law doesn’t even have standard Conqueror’s Haki (yet). While Law’s offensive tactics usually involve some sort of internal attack on the enemy, surely ACoC Haki would be needed to even get that far against Kaido.
As a result, Law's absence of ACoC Haki slightly undermines his assertion that he can defeat Kaido. However, Law is still one of the pivotal figures in the One Piece world, and since he has the letter D in his name, it's feasible that Law may undergo significant change in the future.
3) Katakuri
Like Law, Katakuri is an incredibly impressive fighter with an Awakened Devil Fruit and boasts all Haki types as well as Future Sight Observation Haki. While the Future Sight Observation Haki undoubtedly gives Katakuri an edge, his lack of ACoC Haki is also his Achilles' heel in this fight.
The emphasis put on ACoC Haki lately (especially versus Kaido) necessitates comparing characters harshly in this category, which is unfortunate for Katakuri.
In summation
As of right now, characters like Shanks and Luffy are the most powerful characters capable of defeating Kaido. However, One Piece is one of the longest-running shows that is constantly evolving and growing, so a change in the balance of power could occur at any time in the future, making it impossible to predict which character will be on top.
Be sure to follow for more anime updates and manga news as 2023 progresses.
