Let’s be real for a second. We all knew Eustass "Captain" Kid was punching above his weight class. But nobody—literally nobody—expected the shanks vs kid episode to end as fast as it did. One second Kid is charging up his massive railgun, looking like a legitimate threat, and the next? He’s basically deleted from the story.
It was brutal. It was sudden. Honestly, it was a little bit traumatizing for the Kid fans who spent years arguing he was Luffy’s true rival.
What Episode Does Shanks Fight Kid?
If you're looking to witness the carnage, you need to fire up Episode 1112, titled "Clash! Shanks vs. Eustass Kid." It aired in July 2024, and the internet hasn't really been the same since. This isn't just a "fight" in the traditional sense. It's more like a professional athlete showing up to a toddler's birthday party and dunking so hard the hoop breaks.
The animation by Toei for this specific moment was peak. They didn't just adapt the manga; they elevated it with these visceral, red-tinted impact frames that made you feel every ounce of Haki being thrown around.
The Lead-Up to the Slaughter
The Victoria Punk (Kid's ship) pulls up to the coast of Elbaf. Kid is feeling himself. He just helped take down Big Mom in Wano, his bounty is at a staggering 3 billion berries, and he thinks he's ready for the throne. He’s arrogant. That’s always been his thing. He starts charging "Damned Punk," aiming to wipe out Shanks' fleet of "weak" subordinates.
And that was his biggest mistake.
The "Divine Departure" That Changed Everything
Shanks isn't like Kaido or Big Mom. He doesn't "tank" hits for fun. He doesn't play with his food. When Shanks sees a threat, he ends it.
In the shanks vs kid episode, we see the most advanced use of Future Sight Observation Haki to date. Shanks sees a vision of the future where Kid’s railgun absolutely obliterates his friends. The look on Shanks' face shifts from "chilling with a drink" to "you are about to meet your maker" in a fraction of a second.
He leaps. He doesn't just run; he clears the distance between the shore and the ship in a single bound.
Then comes the move: Kamusari, or Divine Departure.
- The Origin: This is the same move Gol D. Roger used against Kozuki Oden.
- The Impact: It didn't just break Kid’s railgun. It tore through his defense, knocked out Killer (who tried to help), and left the entire crew in a state of absolute shock.
- The Result: One hit. That’s it. The fight lasted roughly ten seconds of screen time.
Why Did Kid Lose So Badly?
A lot of people complained that the power scaling felt off. They said, "How can someone who took hits from Big Mom get one-shotted?"
The answer is actually pretty simple if you look at the nuance. Kid is a tank, but he’s a physical tank. He relies on scrap metal and raw durability. Shanks is a Haki specialist. According to the One Piece "4 Billion" volume and various databooks, Shanks is known as the "Killer of Observation Haki." He can literally prevent his opponents from seeing the future while he sees ten seconds ahead.
Kid was caught mid-attack. He had zero defensive Haki up because he didn't even see Shanks coming. It was the ultimate "sucker punch" from the strongest man on the sea.
The Giants Finish the Job
If the Divine Departure wasn't enough of a middle finger, Dorry and Brogy—the giants from Little Garden—stepped in. They used "Hakoku Sovereignty" to snap the Victoria Punk in half. The Kid Pirates, as a crew, were effectively erased from the race for the One Piece in a single afternoon.
Is Eustass Kid Actually Dead?
Probably not. This is Oda we're talking about. People survive falling from sky islands and being blown up by nukes. However, his status as a top-tier pirate is dead. His ship is gone. His Poneglyph rubbings are gone. His pride is definitely gone.
The shanks vs kid episode served a very specific narrative purpose: it cleared the board. We are in the "Endgame" now. There’s no room for the "almost-top-tiers" anymore. You’re either a Yonko, or you’re out of the way.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re going back to rewatch this, pay close attention to the sound design when Shanks launches himself. The "silence" before the impact is terrifying.
- Check the Haki lightning: Notice the difference between the black lightning we saw in Wano and the sheer density of the streaks during Shanks' attack.
- The Fleet's reaction: It highlights that Shanks protects people who are "weak," which is a direct contrast to how Kid treats people.
- The parallels: Compare this to Luffy’s first encounter with Kaido. It’s a reality check.
The reality is that shanks vs kid episode was a Masterclass in "showing, not telling." We’ve been told Shanks is powerful for 25 years. This was the first time we truly saw why even the World Government is scared of him.
If you want to keep up with how the world reacts to this (because trust me, the news spreads fast in the next few episodes), keep an eye on the transition to the Garp vs. Kuzan stuff. The power ceiling just got raised, and everyone else is just trying to breathe in the thin air.
👉 See also: The Day the Music Died: Why That 1959 Plane Crash Still Haunts Rock and Roll
Next time you’re debating power levels, just remember: it took Big Mom dozens of hits to almost beat Kid. It took Shanks one. That’s the gap.
Go back and watch the episode on Crunchyroll or Netflix—it’s worth the 20 minutes just for those final three minutes of pure, unadulterated Haki flex. The "Red-Haired" era isn't coming; it's already here.