Kawa & Denjiro were stated as the 3 strongest samurai under Oden i think
And the dukes currently merk Kin
Currently :
Ashura / Kawa / Dukes / Izo / Kiku / Raizou & Kanjurou
Flashback
Ashura / Denjiro / Kawa / Dukes / Raizou / Kiku / Kanjurou
No man, this was NEVER stated!
Kinemon simply mentioned "Kawamatsu and Denjiro" in the same breathe as Asura Douji simply because they are THE 3 MISSING Retainers. That's all.
So, they were already 6 on total, and 3 retainers are missing, and generally, he talked about the last 3 who were as strong as 100 men.
But it wasn't simply his way of saying "the 3 top strongest"
So, it's all really up to speculation for now. Asura Douji is the only one who's been getting MOST of the hype among them, which is why most put him at 1
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I think Kinemon could be as strong as Asura Doji, if not even stronger, if he ever learned how to utilize his DF for combat purposes. as of now, he just uses his powers for parlor tricks and occasionally for utility. But his powers are so under-utilized that I often forget he even has DF abiliities in the first place.
But I can just imagine him using his powers to summon powerful armor.
I certainly think Kinemon was the 2nd strongest during the flashback!
However, I think Oda eluded into the idea that "Kinemon stayed the same" with time travel, while Asura and Inuarashi teased him about him being same level and they had 20 years of getting stronger.
Also, I believe we can see that with small details like, Kinemon clashing with Asura Douji in Flashback when they were training, while, in present time, when Kinemon wanted to convince Asura Douji, he wasn't clashing with him by himself, rather he let that job for Inuarashi, as Inu is someone who is far stronger than the past.
And again, if it wasn't for the 20 years jump, I think Kinemon could have possibily been 2nd or even surpassed Asura based on how important he is among the retainers. It's just, he didn't have 20 years to get stronger. While, Asura and Inu mocked him for it. It's just an opinion though
However, Oda might allow Kinemon to GROW during this upcoming battle, and transcend his level and strength to be that much strong, So he maybe will unlock some shit to reach their level, who knows. But we can all agree that He's sooo important compared to others.