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Kaido was one of the Four Emperors of the Sea and the man who was supposedly the strongest character in the world of One Piece. On top of being extremely powerful, Kaido is also indestructible — in all his life, very few people have ever managed to wound him.

However, that's not to say that Kaido has never lost. It is a known fact that Kaido has lost to his fellow Yonko and the Navy on multiple occasions, as well as being captured a total of 18 times. While Kaido might be the strongest in terms of raw strength, there are definitely several others who can beat him in a fight.

Updated on February 16, 2024 by Jennifer Roy: Since the last update, Monkey D. Luffy has only grown in power in the anime. This article has been edited to reflect this change and CBR's new formatting standards.

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Whitebeard Could Have Defeated Kaido in the Past

Whitebeard was one of the Yonko before the two-year time skip in the world of One Piece. Despite his old age, he was openly described as one of the strongest men in the world. When compared to his rivals, Whitebeard was on a different level, especially back during his younger days. Considering his incredible power and versatile combat abilities, it isn't a shock to know that Whitebeard could've defeated Kaido in the past, especially after the split of the Rocks crew. Kaido is undoubtedly impressive, but Whitebeard is simply better.

Garp and Roger Teamed Up to Take Down Rocks D. Xebec, Defeating Kaido as Well

Garp and Roger grinning widely

Garp and Roger were fierce rivals back in the day, known to have been at each other's throats all the time. However, during the God Valley incident, they have no choice but to team up in order to take down Rocks D. Xebec, the fearsome Captain of the Rocks Pirates. In doing so, they probably also clashed against Kaido, who, at the time, was serving as an apprentice on the Rocks Pirates' ship. Since Rocks was utterly decimated, it can be assumed that one of Kaido's defeats came at the hands of the Navy and the Roger Pirates alliance.

The Navy Likely Defeated Kaido During Kaido's Rise

A young Monkey D. Garp grinning during a One Piece flashback
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The Navy actively hunts down pirates and Kaido's 4,611,100,000 Belly bounty makes him a particularly prize catch. That said, going up against Kaido as a Yonko is something they wouldn't want to do now. However, the Navy unquestionably clashed against him while he was slowly rising to the position. During Kaido's introduction, readers/viewers were told that he'd lost to the Navy and been sentenced to death as well. And yet, he still managed to survive each time. While that is an incredible feat for anyone to pull off, it's clear that Kaido has been defeated by the Navy.

Big Mom Has Fought Kaido Before and Won

Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom, was one of the Yonko. She's an equal to Kaido in terms of combat prowess, as seen when the two clash at Onigashima. Big Mom is one of the strongest characters in the world of One Piece, and for her to have defeated Kaido is not a surprise. Once again, Kaido's introduction reveals that he's lost to fellow Yonko as well, which means that Big Mom has clashed with him before and been victorious. The chances of it being Shanks is highly unlikely since he only joined their ranks 6 years ago. All things considered, however, Kaido is just slightly stronger than Big Mom.

Monkey D. Garp Chased Down Many Pirates in His Past

Monkey D. Garp gritting his teeth with a city background
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As the Hero of the Marines, Garp serves as a Vice-Admiral in the organization. However, his power is no less than that of a Fleet Admiral. The reason behind him still being a Vice-Admiral is that it allows him a certain level of freedom. Garp is known to have chased Big Mom, Shiki, and even Roger before the Great Pirate Era. It is possible that he has clashed against Kaido on several occasions, as well. Since Garp has enough power to help defeat Xebec, fighting and defeating a young Kaido wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

Even in Defeat, Kozuki Oden Scored a Major Victory Against Kaido

Oden battles Kaido in the manga

Oden engaged Kaido in a massive battle in Wano Country's Udon region 20 years ago. Although Oden technically lost the battle, in essence, he defeated Kaido. Using his swords, Ame no Habakiri and Enma, he inflicted massive damage on Kaido, following which Oden nearly decapitated him. Kaido only won the battle because Oden was distracted by Kurozumi Higurashi and Kaido used the chance to give him a deadly blow, ending the fight for good. Even Kaido realized that he lost the fight, which is why he had Higurashi executed for her interference when the battle was over.

Monkey D. Luffy's Gear 5 Proves He Is Stronger Than Kaido

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Luffy vs Kaido takes place in Episode 915. This battle rages during the Wano Country arc's First Act, where the One Piece protagonist recklessly launches into battle. Luffy is obviously very powerful, but attacking Kaido without any strategy doesn't work as well as he hopes. In fact, even using Gear Fourth is no match for Kaido's Hassaikai.

Interestingly enough, Luffy and Kaido get their rematch, where the outcome is the exact opposite. Kaido's Shoryu: Kaen Hakke and Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun seem evenly matched until the young hero finally manages to drive Kaido into Wano's magma chamber. In Kaido and Luffy's final battle, Luffy awakens Gear 5, which infuses him with the power of the sun god Nika and allows him to bend reality. In Episode 1076, Luffy defeats Kaido in one of the anime's best fights, proving once and for all that Luffy is stronger than Kaido.

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Dracule Mihawk Is the Greatest Swordsman, But Kaido Would Still Win

Dracule Mihawk smirking grimly in One Piece
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The World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk served as one of the Royal Shichibukai at one point in the story. After the abolition of the system, he's now living life as a normal pirate. Mihawk is incredibly powerful and the fact that he's conquered the throne of the swordsmen proves that. However, defeating Kaido is a completely different challenge for Mihawk. Kaido is a Yonko, and they're all monsters that Mihawk will inevitably struggle against. While he does have a history of fighting Shanks, their duel happened at least 13 years ago and only 6–7 years after that did Shanks become a Yonko. Mihawk defeating any Yonko is extremely unlikely.

King Failed to Defeat Kaido in the Past

King after consuming the Pteranodon Fruit with fire in the background

Although King is currently Kaido's right-hand man, this most definitely wasn't always the case. After the split of Rocks, Kaido is said to have started gathering crewmates by displaying the full range of his strength. Knowing Kaido, he proves his overpowering might by breaking the wills of others and forcing them to follow him. King must have also gone through this trial before becoming Kaido's subordinate. Despite his exceptional talents at Fire manipulation and Haki, King clearly failed to defeat Kaido in direct combat. As such, King would have had no choice but to join Kaido's crew.

Kaido Defeated Gecko Moria and Killed His Pirates

Kaido and Gecko Moria used to be ferocious rivals over two decades ago. As the captain of the Thriller Bark Pirates, Moria is a notoriously powerful combatant, especially with the Kage Kage no Mi Devil Fruit at his disposal. Although he can easily defeat various characters in One Piece, Moria never stood a chance against Kaido. The battle in Wano Country is arguably damaging for both sides, but the Beasts Pirates deal a devastating blow to the Thriller Bark Pirates. Kaido ultimately vanquishes Gecko Moria by destroying his entire crew, explaining the latter's hatred for Kaido. They are yet to have a rematch, but it's unlikely that Moria will win.

The cast of One Piece run together
One Piece

Created by Eiichiro Oda, the One Piece franchise explores the adventures of pirate Luffy D. Monkey and his crew, the Straw Hats. Since the manga first debuted in 1997, One Piece has been adapted into an ongoing anime that has seen multiple movies. Most recently it was adapted into a live-action series by Netflix.

Created by
Eiichiro Oda
First TV Show
One Piece
First Episode Air Date
October 20, 1999
Cast
Mayumi Tanaka , Kazuya Nakai , Colleen Clinkenbeard , Christopher Sabat , Kerry Williams , Kappei Yamaguchi , Sonny Strait , Hiroaki Hirata , Eric Valette , Ikue Ootani
Latest TV Show
Netflix's One Piece