One Piece‘s world is one of the largest in anime and manga, and as such the series boasts many compelling people. In a world where pirates are ready to pillage, navy officers are ready to arrest and bandits are always on the prowl for victims, this prompted people to become as strong as possible to defend themselves.
Strength is everything in the dangerous world of One Piece. Characters who want to make a name for themselves need the power to do it. When pirates are ready to attack civilians or monsters roaming the sea, survival can only be guaranteed through fists and weapons. Here are the 10 strongest characters in One Piece.
Charlotte Katakuri is Tottoland’s Fearsome Sweet Commander
Debuted Chapter 860 & Episode 825
Of all the fearsome opponents Luffy has come across in the New World, Charlotte Katakuri is undoubtedly right up there along with Kaido and Doflamingo. Luffy’s fight against Katakuri was incredibly challenging and this was greatly due to Katakuri’s Future Sight which allowed him to see a few seconds into the future and foresee every one of Luffy’s attacks. Katakuri’s advanced Observation Haki is often underappreciated, and it is arguably a miracle Luffy was able to defeat him at all.
Katakuri also wields the power of the powerful Mochi-Mochi Fruit, which together with his Observation Haki and reflexes, makes it nearly impossible to land a hit on him. Awakended Devil Fruit users in One Piece are rare, making Katakuri all the more impressive. With Big Mom’s defeat, Katakuri is easily the top candidate to fill the void left behind and lead the Big Mom Pirates.
14Borsalino “Kizaru” is An Admiral With a Powerful Logia Devil Fruit
Debuted Chapter 504 & Episode 398
Admiral Kizaru is no doubt one of Luffy’s strongest enemies from before the time skip. In fact, Kizaru is the entire reason Luffy decided to get stronger over the time skip in the first place. the Straw Hats’ crushing defeat at Sabaody was greatly due to Kizaru’s presence, making him one of the most anticipated rematches in One Piece.
Kizaru’s strength stems from his devil fruit called the Glint-Glint Fruit, which gives his body the properties of light. As such, Kizaru can move at the speed of light itself, making it very difficult to defend against his laser-based attacks. That said, Kizaru is set to make an appearance in One Piece‘s Egghead Arc, which will finally prove how Gear Five’s abilities stand up to Luffy’s old foe.
13Kuzan “Aokiji” is One of Blackbeard’s Ten Titanic Captains
Debuted Chapter 303 & Episode 225
As a former admiral in the Navy alongside Akainu and Kizaru, Aokiji is undoubtedly one of the strongest characters in One Piece history. Aokiji’s strength is reflected in the fact that he competed with Akainu for the title of Fleet Admiral and left half of Punk Hazard frozen in the process.
Aokiji’s powerful devil fruit powers stemming from the Chilly-Chilly Fruit allow him to control and manipulate ice in a variety of ways. As a Logia, Kuzan can also turn his body into ice, but the truly frightening aspect of his devil fruit power is its range, which can easily freeze over large areas. Unsurprisingly, Aokiji also possesses the ability to use Armament and Observation Haki at an advanced level, making him a dreadful enemy the Straw Hats are sure to encounter again now that he has joined the Blackbeard Pirates as one of their ship captains.
12“Dark King” Silvers Rayleigh is The Right-Hand Man of the Former Pirate King
Debuted Chapter 19 & Episode 8
As Roger’s first mate, Rayleigh’s strength is all but given. Even though he may not possess a devil fruit like many of the other strong characters in One Piece, Rayleigh more than makes up for it with his powerful Haki. Having taught Luffy everything he knows about Haki, Rayleigh himself is a master of all three types of Haki which is quite a rare occurrence in One Piece.
Rayleigh’s Armament Haki in particular is incredibly powerful and was able to block an attack by Kizaru with relative ease at Marineford. His Observation Haki is also quite advanced and can instantly perceive every living thing across an entire island with no effort. Though he may be old and gray, Rayleigh is by no means a weak old man and still retains a lot of physical strength and vigor as seen from his ability to swim across the Calm Belt and fight Sea Kings with his bare hands.
11Sengoku is an Admiral With Control Over Three Types of Haki
Debuted Chapter 234 & Episode 151
Known as Sengoku The Buddha, he is the most senior official in the Navy as the Fleet Admiral. He is one of the members of the old generation who challenged Whitebeard, Roger, and Shiki in their prime. As an admiral, he possesses all three types of Haki, and his devil fruit powers are extraordinary.
Sengoku takes his name from the Sengoku, or Warring States, period in Japanese history.
Sengoku’s Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha allows him to transform into a Buddha, with all physical stats maxing out. A single punch broke the execution platform and sent the members of Blackbeard’s crew flying. The shockwave from his blows deals severe damage. As the Fleet Admiral, he is a brilliant tactician and leads the world’s navy members.
10Monkey D. Luffy is One of the World’s Strongest Pirates
Debuted Chapter 1 & Episode 1
The 19-year-old Emperor Of the Sea is the youngest on this list and has the highest potential and talent. He managed to defeat the world’s strongest animal, Kaido, even though he needed some help along the way. With him awakening his devil fruit and being able to transform into Gear 5, it’s only a matter of time until he fully masters it and increases its endurance.
He has earned the respect and fear of the most powerful characters, such as Shanks and Kaido. With his battle experience and proficiency in Haki only increasing, Luffy is on his way to becoming one of the strongest pirates in One Piece‘s massive world. Despite Luffy’s strength in One Piece, he still has a lot of growing to do before he’s ready to take on some of the series’ most powerful characters.
9 Dracule Mihawk is The Greatest Swordsman Sailing the Seas
Debuted Chapter 49 & Episode 23
Known as the strongest swordsman, Mihawk is a lone wolf and manages to become a Warlord despite having no crew. Many journey far and wide to challenge him, including Zoro, and they’ve all lost. He doesn’t have devil fruit powers, as his sword skills and Haki are more than enough to defend himself.
With one slash of his huge cross-shaped sword, Mihawk managed to cut a huge iceberg in half and destroy a huge ship. With his incredible agility, observant eyes that gave him the nickname Hawk-eye, and mastery of Haki, he came to be known as Shanks’ rival, who is an Emperor of the Sea. Currently Mihawk, Crocodile, and Buggy are a team in One Piece, and though the latter two members are powerful in their own right, there’s no doubt that it’s Mihawk who is the real muscle of this powerful pirate team.
8 Sakazuki “Akainu” is a Powerful Adversary With a Unique Devil Fruit
Debuted Chapter 397 & Episode 278
The current Fleet Admiral of the Navy, Sakazuki is as twisted as he is powerful. His devil fruit gave him the scary power of becoming lava. Although he was no match for an angry Whitebeard, he dealt serious damage to him and contributed to his death.
Akainu’s endurance is off the charts, as he battled Aokiji for ten days straight on Punk Hazard and came out on top. His body is extremely strong, withstanding two consecutive full power punches imbued with both Haki and devil fruit powers from Whitebeard and still getting up to fight. Given that his Devil Fruit power is heat-based, Akainu might also be Luffy’s ultimate enemy, with his magma able to seriously wound the Straw Hat Captain no matter how far he stretches.
7Charlotte Linlin “Big Mom” is a Former Rocks Pirate and Emperor of the Sea
Debuted Chapter 651 & Episode 571
Charlotte Linlin, better known as Big Mom, is easily one of the most frightening people to go up against in the world of One Piece with devil fruit powers capable of sending a chill down anybody’s spine. Big Mom not only wields all three forms of Haki but also possesses the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit, which allows her to manipulate the soul of any living thing that is afraid of her.
Big Mom’s most deadly power is the ability to take away years from one’s lifespan, even to the point of instantly killing them. Big Mom is also incredibly durable, freakishly strong, and quite agile, which made her practically unkillable. While all three forms of her Haki are quite advanced, Big Mom’s Armament Haki is surely her specialty. That said, Big Mom’s Conqueror’s Haki has even split the skies like many other powerful users of the variant.
6 Kaido is The Biggest Threat the Straw Hats Have Directly Faced… So Far
Debuted Chapter 795 & Episode 736
Known as the King Of Beasts, Kaido has tried to take his own life multiple times, but his body was just too tough. Nothing could damage him, and it took Luffy in his Gear 5 and many other powerful foes while he was holding up an island to defeat him.
Kaido is an unstoppable force even without using his devil fruit powers or Haki. Cities can be leveled with an attack in his dragon form and his size, strength, and speed are out of this world. Part of what makes Kaido so intimidating too is that, for all his power, he never even awakened his devil fruit. If he had, then even Luffy’s Gear 5 probably wouldn’t have been enough to stop him. As the best villain in One Piece, he deserves a high rank among the series’ most powerful characters.
5Marshall D. Teach is a Truly Monstrous Enemy
Debuted Chapter 223 & Episode 146
A member of the Worst Generation, Emperor of the Sea and a Warlord, Blackbeard did the impossible by wielding two devil fruits at once. His thirst for power and strength is incredible – killing his own crew member, capturing Ace, and stealing Whitebeard’s powers, which killed him. His pursuit of strength propelled him to monstrous levels.
Despite his villainy and being wanted by the World Government, Blackbeard actually had the series’ lowest bounty at 0 before the Time Skip.
With One Piece nearing its end, Teach will play a key role as one of One Piece’s final villains, as Luffy’s brother and adoptive father were killed by him. Blackbeard has been set up as Luffy’s ideological opposite in many ways, with the villain using piracy as an excuse to further his own selfish goals, as opposed to Luffy, who is constantly looking to help people out. With Blackbeard’s ability to wield two Devil Fruits, it will truly be a blowout when he and Luffy finally get their long-awaited true fight.
4 Monkey D. Garp is a Humble Admiral with Vicious Strength
Debuted Chapter 92 & Episode 68
Garp is a vice admiral but could’ve easily been a fleet admiral if he hadn’t refused the offer to be promoted to an admiral. He frequently fought Gold D. Roger and Roger even said that they almost killed each other many times. Together with Sengoku, they were at the forefront of the fight against the pirates in their younger years. He earned the respect of Roger and even raised his son Ace together with Luffy at Roger’s request.
A master of Haki and the strength of a superhuman, Garp is one of the strongest and barely anybody could go toe to toe with him in his prime. Though devil fruits might give out some of One Piece’s flashiest powers, Garp and others like him are proof that the mysterious fruits aren’t the only way, or even the best way, to truly obtain strength.
3 Shanks is The Mysterious, Legendary Pirate Who Inspired Luffy
Debuted Chapter 1 & Episode 4
Shanks is one of the few characters who has yet to use his full powers, so the fact that he’s so high up on this list despite that says more than enough about his strength. He has sailed with Roger since he was an infant, and has been on the battlefield most of his life. He is one of the few characters on this list without devil fruit powers, but he does not need that.
Shanks’ mastery of Haki is arguably the best, and he is a powerful swordsman. He managed to get the Navy and Blackbeard Pirates to back off and ended the Marineford War without fighting. There is a popular fan theory that it will be Shanks who will be Luffy’s final obstacle to becoming King of the Pirates. This theory looks even more plausible given the evidence that Shanks is a Celestial Dragon. If that is the case, then Luffy will have one incredible challenge ahead of him.
2 Edward ‘Whitebeard’ Newgate is One of the Bravest Pirates in the World
Debuted Chapter 234 & Episode 151
Whitebeard, even with a deadly illness and old age, was still able to take on the most powerful enemies in the One Piece universe, which makes him in his prime that much scarier. His devil fruit is extremely catastrophic. He can cause an earthquake and imbue it with his fist or weapon to deal fatal damage. Though that devil fruit power is now in the hands of Blackbeard, Whitebeard’s time with the fruit undoubtedly gave him a greater mastery of it, leading to him easily ranking among the series’ strongest characters.
It took 267 sword slashes, 152 gunshots, 46 canon shots, and two holes in his chest from Akainu’s punches to kill an old and dying man. He rivaled Roger in strength and was his biggest competitor for the title of King Of Pirates. He died standing and with no scars on his back as he never ran away from an enemy.
1 Gol D. Roger Was Nearly Unstoppable
Debuted Chapter 1 & Episode 1
The King Of Pirates was considered unstoppable and had the highest bounty ever with 5 billion berries. He had the loyalty of some of the most powerful men in One Piece, such as Kozuki Oden, Silver Rayleigh, and Shanks. He only died because he gave himself up to the Navy and ignited the pirate epidemic after declaring that his treasure was still somewhere out there.
Using just his body, sword, and Haki, he managed to change the world and his influence is felt decades later. Fans got a glimpse of his ridiculous strength when he fought Whitebeard during the Wano Arc. Given that his death is what sets the events of One Piece into motion, fans still don’t have a full picture of just how powerful Gol was. If everything that’s been hinted about him is true though, then Gol may well have been One Piece’s strongest character.
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