One of the Four Emperors of the Sea, Kaido is an incredibly powerful pirate described to be the strongest creature in the world ofOne Piece. He’s the main antagonist of the Wano Country arc and also the biggest enemy thatLuffy and the Straw Hat Pirateshave faced to date. Mentioned first by Garp during his visit to Luffy in the post-Enies Lobby arc, Kaido has only gone on to establish himself as a bigger figure in theOne Pieceworld.
Kaido’s debut shortly after the fall of Donquixote Doflamingo was quite shocking as the man was introduced while attempting suicide by jumping from Balloon Terminal, a sky island 10,000 meters above the sea. Described to have a body that is almost indestructible, Kaido managed to survive the fall with only a minor headache, and his obsession with death was revealed to the fans. There is no denying that Kaido, being a major villain with little redeeming qualities, could very well die inthe Wano Country arc, however, there is also a big chance that it won’t come to that.
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Deaths In One Piece
It should be no surprise to anyOne Piecefan that Eiichiro Oda isn’t a fan of killing characters off. While characters have died inOne Piece, it is only when the need is absolute that Oda kills. Characters often die in flashbacks because it is necessary to kill them off to show how their death shapes certain individuals. For instance, Kuina’s death solidified Zoro’s obsession with becoming the greatest swordsman and keeping his promise. The fall of Ohara shaped Robin to be the person that she is today, and even those of the Wano Country became determined to die for Kozuki Oden after learning the truth about him moments before his death. Oda makes use of character deaths in flashbacks in a brilliant manner and emphasizes why and precisely how it affects a person.
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In the main timeline, fans are very familiar with the fact that Oda chooses not to kill. So far, very few major characters have died inOne Piece, however, those who have died have shaped the story in a major way, with Whitebeard and Ace’s death being prime examples of it. When it comes to villains such as Kaido himself, Oda is of the belief that killing them is beside the point when they’ve already lost, and he addresses this in Volume 4, SBS.
Q: Why doesn’t Luffy ever kill his enemies? I reread all the manga and he didn’t kill Mohji, and he didn’t kill Helmeppo or Captain Morgan, although Morgan was done in by Zolo. Why is that?
A: Good question. First of all, Captain Morgan is still alive. He was captured by his former men and thrown in the brig. The reason Luffy doesn’t kill is this: in his era, men live by their beliefs and risk their lives to defend them. Luffy shatters the beliefs of his enemies by defeating them. For them to suffer defeat and to have their beliefs destroyed is as bad as death. Killing their bodies is beside the point. I feel that, as pirates, Luffy and his enemies care more about victory and defeat than they care about their lives.
Kaido’s Obsession And Dream
Just likeany other villain, Kaido is eviland he’s certainly done things that could see him pay with his life. After all, the Samurai of Wano want to behead him and Kid wants to take his head too. But, this isn’t the first time a villain is wanted dead. Doflamingo is the prime example of a horrible human being who, if killed off, wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow. Yet, Oda chose not to kill him off either. As already established, killing isn’t Oda’s style at all. He doesn’t like to kill off his villains, and he probably never will.
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Coming over to Kaido’s dream, not everything is known about his motivations right now. Judging from what he knows, Kaido might very well have wanted to become the next Joy Boy, however, it seems as if he’s realized he’s not the man who will inherit the title. At the same time, fans do know that Kaido is obsessed with death. This is likely rooted in his time with the Rocks Pirates, where he lived life under Captain Rocks D. Xebec. Kaido believes that only by dying can a person attain true perfection, meaning not just any death will do; Kaido wants to die in a grand manner, similar tohow Roger and Whitebeard did it. In fact, Kaido almost looks up to them for dying the way they did and tries his best to emulate that.
Roger’s death immortalized him, and started the Great Pirate Era and Whitebeard’s death announced the existence of the One Piece to the world and ushered a new age. Rocks, on the other hand, while strong was forgotten, perhaps because the God Valley Incident was covered up, and thus nobody knows of his death, or even his existence now. To Kaido, the perfect death would mean he will be remembered for ages to come, which is certainly what he wants.
It is quite interesting to notice that Oda and Luffy go out of their way to ensure that the villains never get what they want. If Kaido wants to attain perfection by dying in a grand manner at the hands of someone who surpasses him, Luffy certainly wouldn’t just grant him his dream. After all, dying at the hands of Luffy, the next Joy Boy, would be an honor for him, knowing his personality. It makes more sense for Luffy to crush him completely but leave him alive. Kaido will likely be imprisoned or incapacitated in some way or form which could ensure that he is eventually forgotten, making it the worst-case scenario for him, and granting Luffy a total victory over him in every way possible.
