Admiral Kizaru was set up to be a significant antagonist for One Piece's Egghead Arc. Besides being one of the Navy's highest-ranking officers, he was someone the Straw Hat Pirates were badly beaten by on a previous leg of their journey. Many fans assumed his overwhelming presence in the story would lead him to be the final antagonist of the arc. Thus when Monkey D. Luffy squared off against him in Chapter 1091, "Sentomaru," everyone was in it for the long haul. This would be the fight that would show whether Luffy was as strong as the papers made him out to be or if he still had a little ways to go to truly earn his Emperor status.
The hype surrounding this fight made it surprising when it ended only three chapters later. In Chapter 1094, "The Five Elders, Godhead of Science and Defense, St. Jaygarcia Saturn," Luffy defeated Kizaru and the eponymous Saturn introduced himself as the arc's true final antagonist. Regardless, Kizaru was the one with more setup between the two; nobody was even sure whether Saturn was a fighter until about ten chapters ago. For how long Kizaru was developed as an antagonist the Straw Hats needed to overcome, it's curious how unceremoniously he was beaten. At the same time, it lines up with everything readers have been led to believe about One Piece's power dynamic. Perhaps more will come out of Kizaru in the future to make up for what happened in this chapter.
How Was Luffy vs Kizaru Expected to Go?
It would make the most narrative sense for Luffy to win here. The Straw Hats' history with the Admiral was one of humiliating defeat. Therefore, Luffy, now "100 times stronger" than he was back then, was obligated to win this fight to show how far he and his crew had come. What fans wanted to know was how challenging the battle would be. There were various interpretations of how this fight was supposed to go. Most of them centered around the assumption that Kizaru would be the final antagonist of the Egghead Arc. This assumption was firmly maintained even when it was confirmed Saturn would also be coming to the Future Island since nobody knew how strong he was. As with most final battles, Luffy vs Kizaru was expected to take many chapters to reach its conclusion.
Even if Luffy had the upper hand in strength, Kizaru's light-speed movements and battle expertise would make him difficult to bring down. That said, Luffy had two important perks going into this battle. For one, he recently became an Emperor in name and power. Throughout One Piece, Emperors have always had the upper hand against Admirals, although the latter could at least put up a decent fight. However, since Luffy only recently gained this status, his ability to live up to the title remained uncertain, as did his chances against an Admiral. A similar statement could be made about Gear Five. This form was strong enough to help Luffy beat Kaido in a contest of strength, but it's also difficult to say whether he's mastered it – he still gets exhausted using it, after all. Additionally, where Kaido was willing to tank Luffy's most damaging attacks, Kizaru would likely dodge them with his light-speed movement. Therefore, Luffy's ability to win with this form would depend on his ability to adapt to his opponent.
Did Luffy vs Kizaru Go As Expected?
In light of all the expectations of Kizaru being the Egghead Arc's final boss, the duration of this fight was surprising. The battle started at the end of Chapter 1091 and ended in the middle of Chapter 1094. That's four chapters at most, which is small compared to the "final battles" that preceded it. The latter chapter also confirmed Saturn would be the final boss of the arc. Unless someone else more important comes along, confronting Saturn should make for the extensive final battle befitting those that precede it.
As for Luffy vs Kizaru, it was as expected, albeit truncated. Gear Five was enough to beat the Admiral and prove the Emperor's title was deserved. However, the battle also came down to the wire as Luffy used up the last remaining seconds of his transformation. If he returns to fighting shape to battle Saturn (which he will have to), it should mean he didn't need anywhere near everything he had to win this confrontation.
Luffy's reservation of strength can be further proven by the moves he didn't use. At this point in the series, Luffy's best attack is his Gum-Gum Bajrang Gun, a punch big enough to destroy a small island. However, he only needed his Gum-Gum Star gun to finish off Kizaru. As impressive and fresh as this attack is, it's unlikely to pack enough firepower to be called Luffy's new ultimate move. Kizaru's light speed wasn't the deciding factor fans thought it would be. While he was fast enough to block Gear Four Snakeman, his speed turned into a non-issue once Luffy Entered Gear Five. Whether Kizaru's response time was slow or Gear Five was fast, everything balanced out.
Besides light speed being a non-issue, there were other places fans assumed Kizaru would do better. He was expected to display the advanced techniques as other antagonists – future-sight, Conqueror's Haki, Devil Fruit Awakening, etc. He had some new moves, but none showed what made him worthy of becoming one of the Marines' highest-ranked officers.
Is Kizaru's Role on Egghead Over?
There's also no telling what happened to Kizaru after Luffy punched him. All Chapter 1094 showed was him crashing into a building as Luffy deflated. Since Luffy can't fight him anymore, it would make the most sense for this to mark the end of their battle. However, saying Kizaru will stay down for the rest of the arc may be presumptuous.
There's still plenty of time before the Straw Hats make it off of Egghead. They'll likely need to at least beat Saturn, Lucci, and the nine Vice Admirals to secure their getaway. What's more, Luffy may have to get back up so he can help his friends battle Saturn. If he can regain his strength and keep fighting before the arc concludes, the same should apply to the Admiral. This is to say little of others who were presumably finished and got back up like Lucci and Sentomaru.
Regardless, if Kizaru is down for the count, he did what he needed to. He showed how far Luffy and his crew have come on their voyage while still maintaining his credibility as an antagonist. Even if he's done now, he can always come back as an antagonist in a later arc and cause trouble there.
