Why Shanks Is Stronger Than Kaido

When it comes to the mighty Pirates of One Piece, the Four Emperors are certainly the ones at the top. Simply put, these are the four brightest of pirates who rule the New World like Kings. Their authority is such that even the World Government doesn’t dare to intervene directly in their matters, which paints quite a picture of how mighty they truly are. The Yonko are not just powerful individuals. They are also leaders of very capable crews, and at the same time, have countless allies, which, at their full strength, can go to war even with the Marines.

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On top of that, the Yonko are rulers of massive territories, and that is what makes them the most powerful and dangerous pirates in the One Piece world. When it comes to all the Yonko in the story, fans know that there is one that stands out most when it comes to strength, and that person is Kaido. Kaido has openly been labeled to be the strongest pirate in One Piece on many occasions, but, there might be one person even stronger than him, and that person is none other than Shanks.

The Problem With The Statements That Call Kaido The Strongest

• Kaido Himself Has 5 Elites In His Mind Capable Of Fighting Him
• Shanks Was Always Biding His Time

Kaido has been called the strongest on many occasions in One Piece. When he was first introduced properly to the fans in One Piece chapter 795, titled Suicide, it was clear that Kaido was a monstrous being the likes of which could only be matched by a select few individuals. In fact, the Narrator himself, or, in other words, Oda clearly meant to say that on land, air, and sea, Kaido was generally known to be the strongest creature alive. Of course, being called the strongest creature implies that Kaido was the mightiest.

There was absolutely no one capable of matching Kaido if the statement is to be taken as a fact. It cannot be denied that this statement holds some weight, at the very least. Oda has himself hyped up Kaido to be the strongest on many occasions. Even other Yonko that exist in the One Piece world have implied the Kaido is a ferocious beast. For instance, Big Mom clearly stated that Kaido cannot be beaten at all. Similarly, Kaido was seemingly invincible up until the Wano arc in the story, with only a handful having ever gone on to match him. The World Government themselves feared Kaido so much that his alliance with Big Mom sent shivers down their spine.

Other pirates in the One Piece world have also gone on to call Kaido the strongest pirate alive, and both Kid and Killer agree with this statement as well. The general consensus is that Kaido is a monstrously powerful pirate, the likes of which cannot be beaten by anyone in 1v1 combat. This is, once again, backed up by Oda, who states in his manga that the people of all the One Piece world believe in a one-on-one battle, it is always better to run from Kaido because he is always going to be the victor. Clearly, there are many statements that suggest Kaido to be the strongest. But, that certainly doesn’t mean that Kaido cannot be bested.

For one, when an author sets up the villain to be the strongest, more often than not, it is a plot device that later comes into play when that said character is surpassed. For instance, Kaido never having been beaten in a 1v1 battle simply meant that Luffy was going to be the first one to beat him in one. The statement existed for Luffy to break it, and that is precisely what he did, even though he did have help in the initial parts of the fight.

Another problem that arises with Kaido being labeled as the strongest is the fact that there are certain characters in the One Piece world who have not openly shown their strength yet. They have reserved their strength for a certain cause, and are only going to reveal it in due time when the time is right.

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For instance, the character of Shanks is one that fans know is hiding his true strength and it is clear that he hasn’t been openly fighting and showing off his capabilities for one reason or another. Shanks only started getting serious after the fall of Kaido and declared his quest for the One Piece.

Why Shanks Is A Special Case

Shanks Is The Successor To Roger And The Strongest Pirate

The strongest Yonko in One Piece right now is, undoubtedly, Shanks. Even before the fall of Kaido, the strongest Yonko might as well have been Shanks. The problem that arises with Shanks is the fact that he has never truly been serious in the quest for the One Piece. As such, tales of Shanks being the mightiest pirate alive will most definitely not spread. Similarly, even the Government considered Shanks to be a rather calm pirate who doesn’t Jump into danger head first, or cause things that spell trouble for them. Similarly, even to other pirates, Shanks never seemed like someone thirsty for blood, or was aggressive in any way. Shanks was only truly dangerous when his friends were harmed, and so far, that has been consistent in his portrayal.

But, that is precisely why Oda could have used it as a perfect cover for hiding Shanks as the strongest pirate. For one, Kaido himself considers five Pirates to be elite and on a completely different level. These five Pirates are Roger, Whitebeard, Rocks, Oden, and Shanks. The fact that Shanks is among these mighty men is proof of the fact that Kaido considers him to be a pirate with the highest strength that even he likely cannot best. After all, all the other characters that Kaido fought could potentially have beaten him. Then, one also has to consider the fact that the portrayal between Kaido’s strength and that of Shanks is worlds apart. For one reason or another, Oda has shown Shanks to be a monstrously powerful pirate, likely even more than Kaido. For instance, Kaido and Big Mom both fought against the Worst Generation on the rooftop of Onigashima and failed to beat them.

Some of Kaido’s strongest strikes, such as Thunder Bagua, failed to put down the likes of Law, or Luffy once he got stronger. But, on the other hand, a single strike from Shanks took down not just Kid, but along with him, Killer as well. These were the same pirates who had no problem tanking blows from Kaido and Big Mom, but against Shanks, they simply fell flat in a single blow. Clearly, there is a portrayal of Shanks being on a completely different level here, and it once again goes on to back the fact that Shanks was only biding his time and has only now gotten serious.

Regardless of what fans believe, Shanks and Kaido are two pirates that are comparable in terms of strength. Kaido was a monster in combat and had his own advantages in battle. For instance, Kaido had tremendous durability, and at the same time, endurance as well. He also likely had higher stamina than Shanks, which shouldn’t be a surprise, given that he has a Zoan devil fruit. On top of that, Kaido’s physical strength, and just about every other physical aspect, should have been higher than that of Shanks. But, there is one aspect that Shanks excels in, and that is Haki. In Kaido’s own words, Haki conquers all, which means that Shanks, with his level of Haki, should potentially go on to defeat Kaido.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1137, is set to be January 26, 2025.

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Number of Episodes

1122