Kaido owed much of his overwhelming power to his Uo Uo no Mi, a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that made him one of the strongest characters in One Piece.

HIGHLIGHTS

 The Yonko, like Kaido, possess unmatched power due to their status as the highest level of pirates in One Piece.
 Kaido’s strength comes from the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that grants him formidable abilities.
 The Uo Uo no Mi allows Kaido to transform into a Dragon form, control elements like wind and fire, and possess immense physical strength.

When the conversation of the strongest characters in One Piece comes in, the Emperors of the Seas, or Yonko, sit comfortably within it. Since this is the highest level that a pirate can reach, it is no surprise that those who do are extremely formidable characters with unmatched power. One of these Yonkos is the terrifying leader of the Beast Pirates; Kaido.

This imposing villain owes his notoriety to his immeasurable strength and terrifying powers, the latter of which were given to him by the legendary Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu. This fruit is one of the strongest in all of One Piece due to the powers that it grants its user, easily eclipsing anyone who isn’t at the level of the 4 Emperors, so let’s go over this Devil Fruit and see why it is so important to begin with.

Logia type Devil Fruits let the users control and manipulate natural elements, often being touted as some of the strongest fruits of them all.

Who Is Kaido?

First Appearance
One Piece, Episode 736, “Sending a Shock Wave – The Worst Generation Goes Into Action”

Debut Date
April 10, 2016

Story Arc
Dressrossa Arc

First mentioned after the Enies Lobby Arc by Garp, Kaido was officially shown in Dressrossa as the Governor-General of the notorious Beast Pirates and one of the 4 Emperors of the Sea who ruled over The New World. Starting as a child who was drafted into the Marines decades ago, Kaido would eventually escape from their service to begin a life in piracy, which ended up working out for him as he eventually became one of the most feared figures in all of One Piece.

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At one point in his youth, he befriended Edward Newgate, who then invited him to join the fabled Rocks Pirates crew. After the incident at God Valley, Kaido was given the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that gave him many fantastic powers, leading him to form his own powerful crew that he would use to eventually challenge the World Government.

The Uo Uo no Mi Is One Of The Strongest Devil Fruits

First Appearance
One Piece, Episode 912, “The Strongest Man – Shutenmaru, the Bandits Brigade Chief!”

Powers
Ability to transform into a Dragon and Beast-Human Hybrid, Ability to control wind, water, and fire

Being a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu already exists in a very limited tier of fruits that are the strongest ones of them all. It has a rather unique appearance as it is round and covered in blue scales that overlap one another, and each of these scales has the signature swirling pattern that is unique to Devil Fruits. There is also an artificial version of this fruit that looks similar to a regular apple.

Since it is a Zoan Type, its special abilities allow Kaido to transform into a Human-Beast Hybrid form and a complete Beast form. The main reason why this fruit is so legendary is because the transformation that it gives is that of a mythical Azure Dragon that lets Kaido to control the wind, lightning, and fire, which is very unlike most Zoan Type Devil Fruits. Along with this, he even has a hybrid form that, while not as massive and less powerful than his Beast Form, is still an incredibly dangerous transformation to go up against.

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Strengths of the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu

Most clearly, the biggest benefit that the fruit brings is the ability to change into either a Dragon or a Human-Dragon Hybrid, both of which are forms that greatly improve the physical capabilities of the user. When Kaido transforms completely, he grows to a colossal state, being far bigger than entire towns, and his increase in strength is proportionate to his size, as he can destroy entire cities with a mere swipe of his hands.

Despite the substantial increase in size, Kaido can still move about very quickly. His scales are incredibly durable as they were not only seen to tank damage from the strongest attacks of Luffy’s Gear 3, but even Busoshoku Haki proved ineffective against them.

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However, the main strength of this fruit is the fact that it gives Kaido many new powers, the most out of any Mythical Zoan fruit seen thus far in the series. Through the conjuration of Flame Clouds, Kaido can effectively fly and can even use these clouds to lift other things, such as entire islands. He can also manipulate fire-based attacks that can burn things far away from him, summon lightning strikes by roaring, and even use wind to attack, similar. All these things come together to make this one of the most powerful Devil Fruits in One Piece.

Weaknesses of the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu

The full transformation that this Devil Fruit gives is titanic, so it is very inconvenient for the user to use it in enclosed spaces due to it affecting their mobility. It is also extremely liable to cause collateral damage to the user’s allies, as such a massive body is very destructive by its nature, which is also why it may not be the best defensively. Even though the scales are incredibly durable, advanced-grade Busoshoku Haki can still get through them, which can be a problem due to the size of the body having many weak spots and openings.

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Some attacks can also hurt the insides of Kaido while he is in his Dragon form, particularly those that utilize soundwaves or the surgical techniques of the Ope Ope no Mi. While very specific, the flames of the Dragon form can be countered by those who can cut or manipulate fire, and the weaker Kaido gets, so do his Flame Clouds, and they disappear when he gets knocked out. Other than this, the standard weaknesses of all Devil Fruits apply to the Uo Uo no Mi as well.