The Four Emperors (Yonko) of One Piece are among the most powerful characters in the entire franchise, and also among the most intriguing. Their team hasn't changed much over the years, and they are considered a formidable force by virtually everyone, rivaling other major players. In this article, we'll compare one of the emperors, Edward Newgate, aka Whitebeard, with his former ally and rival, the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, to determine who is the stronger of the two.

Gol D. Roger would win in a fight against Whitebeard. Although Whitebeard was one of the most powerful characters in the series, Gol D. Roger was the Pirate King in One Piece. He was definitely stronger than Whitebeard, and although their three-day confrontation in the series ended with them drinking and talking, objectively speaking, Gol D. Roger is the stronger character.

The rest of this article will expand on the answer given above, as we'll compare Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard in more detail. Across several categories, you'll see who is the stronger of the two and why our answer is the way it is—that is, why Whitebeard would ultimately lose to Gol D. Roger, according to our analysis.

Physical powers

Before his death, Roger was nicknamed "The Pirate King" due to his nearly unattainable fighting power. Only two people have been able to rival Roger in combat: Vice Admiral Garp, who possesses tremendous strength even in his old age and cornered him several times before surrendering, and his rival Edward Newgate, who possessed the power of the Gura Gura no Mi and was dubbed "The World's Strongest Man" after Roger's death.

Another person he was known to have as an opponent was Rocks D. Xebec, who was even more of a threat than his former servant Whitebeard and required the combined efforts of Roger and Monkey D. Garp to overthrow. His ability to compete with Shiki, who was at the time in command of the largest pirate fleet and single-handedly defeating the armies of several nations, is another illustration of his power. Even though he was very ill, he had no difficulty overcoming the strength of Kozuki Oden.

Whitebeard was known as the strongest man in the world. He had been the strongest for over twenty years, and despite his aging, his physical strength was still far superior to that of a giant. He also possessed immense endurance, allowing him to survive Squard's stabbing, struck by Akainu, who used the same weapon Ace used to kill him, a Kizaru bolt, and countless gunshots, cannonballs, and sword strikes from the Marines while he was still able to defeat the admiral. At his peak, he could take on Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, in a hand-to-hand fight lasting three days and three nights.

Despite his failing health, Whitebeard was still considered the strongest and most dangerous pirate in the world, which raises the question of how powerful he was at his peak. He could move at considerable speeds, having managed to sneak up on Akainu, who only noticed when some soldiers warned him to look behind him. The fact that he launched a surprise attack on the admiral, who had very keen hearing, shows that Whitebeard could be incredibly stealthy, despite his gigantic size.

And while Roger was definitely strong, compared to Whitebeard's physique, he's significantly weaker. There's really nothing we can do except give Whitebeard the points in this category.

Points: Gol D. Roger 0, Whitebeard 1

Devil Fruit

Gol D. Roger is a very powerful character. He is known as one of the most powerful characters in the series. Now, Roger's powers and exploits certainly warrant the conclusion that he consumed a Devil Fruit, but is that really true? It isn't—namely, Gol D. Roger hasn't eaten a Devil Fruit. This makes him one of the very few extremely powerful characters who hasn't actually consumed a Devil Fruit; most other powerful characters have their Devil Fruits to thank for their individual reputations.

Whitebeard gained the ability to slice through the air and anything in his attack path after consuming the Gura Gura no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. Then, by being able to grasp the air with his fingers and slice through very large areas of land and sea, he could cause them to shudder and trigger earthquakes and tsunamis. By combining it with his Bisento, he could also use this ability to perform slashing attacks. He can also resist Aokiji's freezing with his noisy tremors. Furthermore, the Sabaody Archipelago experienced tsunamis thanks to Blackbeard, who never mastered the fruit's powers and abilities after stealing Whitebeard's powers.

This one is also pretty clear, like the category analyzed above. Roger didn't have a Devil Fruit, while Whitebeard did, and a very powerful one at that. In this regard, Whitebeard clearly wins points in this category.

Points: Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard 2

RIGHT

Roger could use all three types of Haki. Roger could use Kenbunshoku Haki, but its level of use is unknown. Roger was able to use Busoshoku Haki to a high degree, being able to harden his sword and collide with Whitebeard's Murakumogiri, one of the twelve Saijo O Wazamono. His mastery was such that he could even use the advanced version of himself to collide with Edward Newgate with his medium-range weapons.

One of the few people who could use Haoshoku Haki was Roger. Twenty-six years ago, when he and Whitebeard clashed, it caused lightning and wind to strike, something unique to the collision of two people using this Haki. The same battle also demonstrated Roger's ability to imbue his sword with this particular Haki, which caused a black flash to emanate from the blade itself.

All three varieties of Haki were expertly mastered by Whitebeard. His highly developed mastery of Observation Haki is shown in flashbacks with Ace, where Whitebeard easily managed to defeat him while he dozed off. Additionally, it appears he was able to integrate his Armament Haki into his Bisento, giving him the ability to demolish ships or even small settlements. Whitebeard frequently used his Armament Haki against admirals. Whitebeard was using Conqueror's Haki at the time of the Battle of Marineford, according to Fossa. When Newgate and Gol D. Roger clashed while traveling together, they used it.

Even though both of them had impressive skills with their Haki, we just have to give the points to Roger here because he was the Pirate King and since he didn't have a Devil Fruit, his Haki had to be extremely powerful for him to be the Pirate King.

Point: Gol D. Roger 1, Whitebeard 2

Weapons

As evidenced by his single-attack victory over the renowned warrior Kozuki Oden, Roger was a remarkably skilled swordsman. He was also able to match the strength of Whitebeard's Murakumogiri, causing a massive shockwave that shook Moby Dick and the entire island.

Edward Newgate's favorite weapon was his Bisento, a massive Japanese halberd, which he used constantly and called Murakumogiri. Murakumogiri was an exceptionally large weapon that matched Whitebeard's height of nearly five meters. By concentrating his Haki into his Bisento, Whitebeard could send dozens of opponents flying with a single blow. The Bisento is a completely frightening weapon on its own, but when combined with Whitebeard's enormous strength and fighting skills, it is nearly lethal to anyone. As proof, it allowed him to go toe-to-toe with Shanks's sword, which caused an atmospheric-like tear in the sky during their exchange of blows.

And while Whitebeard was an expert with his weapon, Gol D. Roger was undoubtedly a better swordsman, especially since he could combine his Haki with his weapons. That's why we're giving Roger the last point.

Points: Gol D. Roger 2, Whitebeard 2

Gol D. Roger vs. Whitebeard: Who Would Win?

And now, let's move on to the most important and interesting section of our article: the analysis. Here, we'll take what we've discovered about these two characters and analyze how all these facts would help them (or not) in their fight against each other. Let's continue.

Although the points show no difference between them, we must take into account that Gol D. Roger was the true pirate king of the series, and based on this, we had to declare him the winner of this clash. Of course, Whitebeard was extremely strong, but from an objective point of view, if he had been stronger than Roger, he probably would have defeated him in their clash. Since he didn't, Roger is the winner here.