Elbaph's belief in two Nikas may explain Kaido's dream of being Joy Boy in One Piece

Modified Feb 09, 2025 04:30 GMT

One Piece introduced the concept of two Nika personas, however, even the mural doesn't give a hard-and-fast answer about the real one. As these beliefs emerged from the loosely translated Harley Texts, everyone could have a singular belief in this regard. However, the beliefs of an outsider might be of key interest in this case who believed in the same concept of two Nika personalities.

A younger Kaido might have visited Elbaph Island in the past and learned about the concept of 'two Nikas.' As he spent his entire life witnessing the tyranny of the World Government, he dreamt of becoming JoyBoy, the liberator (or the good side of Nika). However, as he couldn't see this becoming a reality, he instead became the 'evil' Nika, awaiting the arrival of JoyBoy, or the 'good Nika.'

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the One Piece manga series and has the author's opinion.

One Piece: Exploring Kaido's dream and why he chose to become a tyrant

Kaido as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Kaido, also referred to as the Strongest Creature, was the central antagonist of One Piece's Wano Arc. He was also one of the Emperors of the Sea, which made his title more obvious. His main arsenal in battle was his Haki and mythical devil fruit powers (Fish-Fish fruit, Model: Azure Dragon). Kaido was also the dictator who controlled the Wano Kingdom at his fingertips.

However, despite being such a powerhouse, he was defeated by Luffy. The battle between these two was no doubt one of the best ones in the series but Kaido's moves in this battle hinted that he might be related to Elbaph Island. As stated in One Piece's Elbaph Arc, there exists a race called Ancient Giants who have horns and Kaido fits such a description. However, the series doesn't state him as such.

Kaido's Ragnarok attack (Image via Toei Animation)

One move Kaido used against Gear 5 Luffy during their final showdown was Kosanze Ragnaraku (Conquered Three Worlds, Ragnarok). This move had direct connections with the Norse Mythology (with the Ragnarok being the end of the world), tying it to the Elbaph Island's theme. Plus, the 'three worlds' also paralleling the 'three realms of Elbaph.'

Given these similarities, did Kaido visit Elbaph in the past? More importantly, does his definition of 'JoyBoy' also come from the beliefs of Elbaph? As fans already know, JoyBoy might be another moniker for Nika and the Elbaph giants believe on this mythical personality are divided into either a liberator or a destroyer.

A young Kaido as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

So, given that Kaido believed in the same dual concept, why did he choose to become a destroyer? Since he was born, Kaido saw the ugly face of the society where the World Government controlled everything. So, to strive for equality, he might have aimed to become Joyboy (the liberator side of Nika). However, being impatient, he could never become the liberator.

That's when he might have heard about the saying that Nika would arrive to liberate slaves whenever they were in danger. So, this could be when Kaido became the 'destroyer' to pave the way for the 'liberator' to arrive and this was when Luffy arrived before him.

Analysis and final thoughts

Just because the theory is highly speculative, take it with a big grain of salt. The theory heavily hints that Kaido decided to just 'trust the process' by enslaving an entire nation and that might be too far-fetched, given the context.

However, the amazing thing about it is how every point in it is backed by canon information. So, while the theory might be unrealistic (debatably), it might have some chances of being true.

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Edited by Tiasha