One Piece is an anime that certainly has its share of strong and powerful characters. While we usually use Luffy for these comparisons, this one will be a little different. We know that Blackbeard is one of the biggest villains in the series and has an extremely powerful crew; one member of his crew is, among others, Kuzan, the former Marine admiral named Aokiji, who will be the first character in this comparison. On the other hand, Monkey D. Garp, Luffy's grandfather, is known as one of the most powerful Marines in all of history. In this article, we will compare Kuzan and Garp to see who would win in a fight.

Garp is stronger than Kuzan Aokiji, and thanks to this, he won a fight against him. Kuzan was one of the most powerful admirals in the Navy before resigning and joining Blackbeard's crew, but as their manga fight demonstrated, he is no stronger than Garp. Despite his Devil Fruit powers, Garp's brute strength and experience are enough to give Luffy's grandfather the victory.

The rest of this article will expand on the answer given above, as we'll compare Kuzan and Monkey D. Garp in more detail. Across several categories, you'll see who is stronger and why our answer is the way it is—that is, why Garp was able to defeat Kuzan when they actually fought each other.

Physical powers

Garp's fists are incredibly powerful. In fact, they are so powerful that one of his punches was able to injure Luffy and cause him to feel pain, and during the war, he managed to injure Marco in his Phoenix form with a single punch. This is because he is an expert user of haki. Furthermore, his nickname "Garp the Fist" is due to this quality, and he calls it "Fist of Love." He claimed to have crushed eight mountains while training to face Chinjao.

In addition to his legendary strength, Garp possesses extreme endurance and an absurdly high tolerance for pain, as demonstrated when Captain Morgan attacks him and can withstand Morgan's axe cut without issue or pain. This can be attributed to the fact that he was asleep during the incident (he also did not wake up). Gol D. Roger has stated that he and Garp nearly killed each other on several occasions. The fact that Garp can fight Gol D. Roger implies that he is one of the strongest characters in the series.

Kuzan's physical abilities are incredible, and he was able to effortlessly block the combined attacks of Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy simultaneously. His physical endurance is also very good, having managed to remain virtually unscathed after receiving a kick covered by Marco's armor's Ambition. Furthermore, even after being violently punched by Jaws and transformed into diamond, he only suffered a bodily injury. He also possesses incredible speed, having frozen Buggy and his followers who escaped Impel Down in mere moments.

Even during his encounter with Doflamingo, Kuzan managed to appear behind the pirate without the latter being able to notice him and freeze him before he could further harm Smoker. He also has very keen hearing, as he was able to pick up the underwater activity of the Whitebeard Pirates during the War for Supremacy. Kuzan also remained impassive to a punch from Luffy to the stomach and managed to sustain an uninterrupted battle with Akainu for ten days.

There is no doubt that Garp is physically stronger than Kuzan. In this aspect, Garp is a complete beast and he clearly wins this one without a doubt.

Points: Garp 1, Kuzan 0

Devil Fruit

Monkey D. Garp is one of the few characters who has such a high power level but doesn't possess any Devil Fruit powers. Monkey D. Garp has never eaten a Devil Fruit in his life, so ultimately, we have nothing more to say about this category, at least when it comes to Monkey D. Garp.

Kuzan possesses the Logia Hie Hie no Mi powers, which allow him to transform into ice, create an infinite amount of this substance, and manipulate it at will. In a matter of moments, he can create enough ice to cover a giant, a Sea King, or several square kilometers of ocean. He could also freeze the two tsunamis created by Whitebeard, despite their size exceeding that of Marineford's main building. In combat, he uses his powers to incapacitate or immobilize enemies, freezing their bodies simply by touching them.

Kuzan is also immune to cold and able to transform into his own element, becoming intangible to avoid most physical attacks. He is so adept at using this power that the climate permanently changes during a ten-day battle in Punk Hazard, transforming half the island into an ice-covered wasteland. Finally, by freezing the sea, he can travel from island to island, which he usually does by pedaling his bicycle.

Since Garp doesn't have a Devil Fruit and Kuzan does, we absolutely have to give this point to the former admiral. However, as the manga has shown, and it should be noted, Garp's brute strength was enough to neutralize Kuzan's advantage here.

Points: Garp 1, Kuzan 1

RIGHT

Garp can use Haki because he is a Vice Admiral. Garp can use Observation Haki. Dr. Fishbonen advised Koby to ask Garp for help mastering Observation Haki when he awakens it, stating that he has enough knowledge to help others. Garp has proven to be a very skilled user of Armament Haki, as evidenced by his multiple injuries to Luffy despite the latter's rubber body. Thirty years ago, he coated his fist in Haki, which allowed him to overpower and even crush Chinjao's Haki-enhanced drill head, demonstrating his superiority over an already quite strong Armament Haki user.

During the Marineford War, Kuzan used Armament Haki along with the other two admirals to block an attack from Whitebeard aimed at the gallows Ace was standing on. He is one of the few characters to have demonstrated the ability to use it to strike the target without direct physical contact, indicating his skill with it. He can also use Observation Haki, but his proficiency with it is unknown.

Both can use the same two Haki, but it is clear that Garp is more effective with them and his Armament Haki was significantly more powerful than Kuzan's, and that is why Garp wins this point.

Points: Garp 2, Kuzan 1

Weapons

So far, Garp has been seen throwing cannonballs (including a gigantic one). His fists could also be considered a weapon, but that's it as far as his weapon skills go.

Aokiji has no specific weapon other than an ice sword he creates using his Devil Fruit power by blowing on blades of grass. He spontaneously creates a similar sword and pierces Luffy's shoulder during the war at Marineford, and he can also create spears or tridents to throw at his opponents.

Garp doesn't really use weapons, and while Kuzan is certainly no Mihawk when it comes to his swordsmanship skills, he certainly surpasses Garp in that category.

Points: Garp 2, Kuzan 2

Monkey D. Garp vs. Kuzan: Who Won the Fight?

Finally reuniting after many years, Kuzan and Garp engaged in a fierce duel in the manga's most recent chapters. It was a truly astonishing fight between two very powerful characters. And even though the points weren't so clear-cut, the manga showed us that Garp is stronger than his former colleague.

Granted, Kuzan has a more versatile power set, especially due to his Devil Fruit powers. Still, Monkey D. Garp once again showed why he's one of the most powerful Marines in the series, as his raw strength—as the manga leaks suggest—was enough for him to overpower and defeat Kuzan. He likely didn't kill him, and fans are still debating what the leaks mean for Garp's fate after the battle, but it seems he'll be able to defeat Kuzan and save Koby, just as he planned from the beginning.