Warning: This article contains spoilers from the One Piece manga up to Chapter 1062, and the One Piece anime.
The sole surviving member of the lost race of Lunarians, who were once revered as gods, King is one of the most remarkable antagonists in the One Piece manga and anime. He is one of the Beast Pirates’ three All-Stars, alongside Queen and Jack, who play a pivotal role as primary antagonists during both the Zou Arc and the Wano Country Arc.
Despite their affiliation within the same team, Queen and King frequently engage in disputes, fueling speculation among One Piece fans that they may be considered rivals. It’s evident that their contrasting personalities cause their strained relationship, but the two are often put against each other regardless. While the duo have never fought against each other in the anime or manga, there’s substantial evidence to find out who would come out victorious if they had a face-off.
Is King stronger than Queen in One Piece?
King and Queen both hold esteemed positions as Kaido’s most trusted subordinates, overseeing the notorious Beasts Pirates alongside the third All-Star, Jack. While Queen formerly served as the de-facto ruler of the Udon region in Wano Country, King first met Kaido when he was still a boy and both were held captive on Punk Hazard as the World Government’s research subjects. He then became the first recruit for Kaido’s crew and ultimately, his right-hand man.
Queen prides himself on being a lively entertainer amongst the crew, while King embodies a more reserved and composed demeanor, rarely showing strong emotions. King has proved himself to be proactive and skilled at making important decisions under duress. In contrast, Queen has a propensity to lose his cool in the face of a pressing circumstance despite possessing an inflated ego.
The power hierarchy among the All-Stars can be likened to the rules of poker, making it easier to grasp. It draws parallels to the ranking of poker cards, where the “king” card holds greater value than the “queen” and “jack” cards. King is therefore considerably more powerful than his fellow All-Stars. Kaido gave him the alias “King” in place of his true name, Alber, to highlight his exceptional fighting skills.
King was also officially confirmed to be the second strongest man in Beast Pirates, right behind Kaido, in the color spread of One Piece manga chapter 1031, which showed the line-up of the “Number Twos.” It featured the second strongest individuals from several prominent crews, including Zoro for the Strawhats, Rayleigh for the Roger Pirates, and King for the Beasts Pirates, among others.
King vs. Queen’s strength in ‘One Piece’
King and Queen never had a chance to butt heads with each other, but the Beasts crew did have a face-off against Luffy’s Strawhats during the war on Onigashima. In the battle, Kaido was defeated by Luffy and King gave a strong fight to Strawhats’ second-in-command Zoro. The crew fights in One Piece happen between opponents of comparable strength. This means King was closer to Zoro’s strength, as opposed to Queen, who faced off against Sanji, a weaker opponent.
King’s remarkable durability was evident when he emerged unharmed from Zoro’s numerous attacks. Despite being a powerful Haki master and swordsman who managed to cut through Kaido’s dragon scales and severely wounded the Emperor, Zoro had to further enhance his destructive capabilities by unlocking Advanced Conqueror’s Haki to secure a victory against King. On the other hand, Queen lost against Sanji after the latter simply unlocked the genetic enhancements of his family.
Given that King carries Lunarian genes, he is physically much stronger and capable than Queen on all accounts. He can resist assaults that are exceedingly powerful without losing even a drop of blood, in contrast to Queen, who bled after being struck by Chopper, a fighter much inferior to Zoro. Queen’s fundamental fighting skills and Haki are subpar, and his cybernetic upgrades are the only things that make him dangerous.
To top it off, King can freely create and manipulate fire. Kaido and King’s strongest moves share huge similarities where both use a giant dragon of magma-like fire boosted with Haki. On the contrary, Queen’s most potent attack is Brachio Bomber, which necessitates that the target remain stationary while Queen sets up a trap, hence not being effective in the majority of conflicts.