Summary
With episode 1076 ofOne Piece, the long-fought battle between Luffy and Kaido has finally come to an end. During their battle, Kaido proved an insurmountable wall to Luffy, as he defeated the latter three times before he (Luffy) finally prevailed. While Luffy did indeed defeat Kaido, many fans speculate that Luffy is not yet as strong as Kaido, as Kaido fought various battles against the Akazaya Nine, the Worst Generation, Luffy, and Yamato before Luffy could take him down.
Moreover, as seen in theOne Piecemanga, Luffy’s new bounty is not up to Kaido’s even after defeating him, showing that the World Government does not perceive Luffy as a threat equal to or greater than Kaido.
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The King Of Beasts Serves As Luffy’s Toughest Adversary Yet
AfterLuffy and Law took down Doflamingo, their battle against Kaido was set in stone. While they both became stronger, they severely underestimated the true strength of the pirates who had reigned asEmperors of the Seafor years past. Before Wano, Luffy’s toughest battle had been against Katakuri, the first commander of the Big Mom pirates. To defeat Katakuri, Luffy had to learn to properly utilize observation haki, whose mastery allows him to effectively see a few seconds into the future. While defeating Katakuri was no small task, Luffy overcame his adversary and prevailed. However, going from defeatinga Yonko commander like Katakurito fighting an actual Yonko like Kaido was too much of a jump in terms of difficulty. This proved to be true, as Luffy was defeated in one strike when he first faced Kaido.
With one strike, the man who defeated Charlotte Katakuri was rendered unconscious and unable to move. This showed the big difference between Yonko commanders and the Yonko themselves. While facing Kaido, Luffy had to develop a ton of skills to just barely be able to keep up with the King of Beasts. This showed that Kaido was no pushover and that he was the toughest opponent Luffy had ever faced up to that point.
Gear 5 Has Taken Luffy’s Abilities To New Heights
The first time Luffy confronted Kaido, he was defeated in one strike by the King of Beasts. This showed the immense power difference between them, and many wondered how Luffy would grow to defeat Kaido in a short while. After training with Boss Hyogoro, Luffy learned how to wield Ryuo,a form of hakithat destroys its targets from within. After using Ryuo in his battle against Kaido, Luffy managed to get in some solid punches, but he was still defeated. Later on, Luffy’s battle instincts kicked in, and he learned how to wield advanced conquerors' haki after observing Kaido doing the same. Despite learning advanced conqueror’s haki, Kaido called out Luffy, saying his use of the technique still left a lot to be desired. Once again, Luffy was unable to defeat Kaido, and he was knocked unconscious once more. This happeneduntil Luffy awakened his devil fruit. With Gear Fifth, Luffy’s abilities took on a whole other level, and Kaido even questioned his identity and the nature of his devil fruit. With Gear Fifth, Luffy finally managed to give the King of Beasts a run for his money as he busted new moves, such as turning his surroundings to rubber, running on air, and wielding lightning.
Is Gear 5 Luffy Stronger Than Kaido?
After Kaido’s defeat at Luffy’s hands, many fans wonder whether or not Luffy has truly surpassed the King of Beasts or if his victory is only a matter of circumstance due to the combined effort of theNinja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance. While Luffy’s victory was, in fact, the culmination of the efforts of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance, Luffy truly surpassed Kaido in their battle. While many fans may mention that Kaido had been injured by the Akazaya Nine, Yamato, and other members of the Worst Generation apart from Luffy, it is also important to note that Luffy was defeated three times. And with each defeat, he was closer to death.
Moreover, even after awakening his devil fruit and transforming into his Gear Fifth form, Luffy’s injuries were carried on as he briefly relapsed when he (Luffy) mentioned that he was close to death before he awakened his devil fruit. Luffy’s injuries and fatigue before transforming were carried on even after he transformed. This shows that he was even more severely injured than Kaido while they fought for the final time. And so, with his awakening, Luffy did indeed surpass Kaido.
