20 Strongest One Piece Characters

One Piece‘s world and map aren’t the only things that have broadened their scope over the last few decades. Luffy has continued to grow stronger and stronger with every new arc, which in turn means every new opponent he faces continues to do the same as well. As such, One Piece’s power scaling has come a very long way since the humble East Blue.

From fighting an evil clown terrorizing a small town to taking down a centuries-old demon secretly ruling the world, One Piece’s story and stakes have escalated to sky-high levels in very classic shonen fashion. And, as a result, One Piece now boasts numerous powerful characters, both enemies and allies alike. There are many, like Joyboy, who could be the strongest beings in the entire series, but One Piece has yet to reveal their full skill set properly. Luckily, there are countless others with tangible feats and demonstrated power and skill that immediately distinguish them as One Piece’s strongest.

20

Akainu

First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 397 & Episode 278

The current Fleet Admiral of the Navy, Sakazuki, is as twisted as he is powerful. His devil fruit gives 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.

19

Dracule Mihawk

First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 49 & Episode 23

Known as One Piece‘s strongest swordsman, Mihawk is a lone wolf who managed 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 his mastery of haki, he came to be known as Shanks’ rival, who is an Emperor of the Sea. Currently, Mihawk, Crocodile, and Buggy are leading the Cross Guild, 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.

18

King

First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 925 & Episode 918

King “The Conflagration,” real name Alber, is one of the All-Stars of the Beast Pirates and Kaido’s second-in-command. Kaido freed King from imprisonment when they were both being experimented on at Punk Hazard, and ever since then, King has been Kaido’s most loyal confidant and the one who most supported Kaido’s quest to become the Pirate King.

King’s mastery of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Pteranodon, gives him a lot of versatility with his attacks, but the biggest source of King’s strength comes from his being a Lunarian, a secret race of winged people with powerful fire abilities and immense speed and durability. Zoro only barely defeated King in their fight, and the fact that King’s Lunarian lineage factor was used as the basis for the powerful Seraphim only further cements his status as an incredibly powerful fighter.

17

Sanji

First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 43 & Episode 20

Sanji is the chef of the Straw Hat Pirates and the last person to join the crew before they entered the Grand Line. Before coming to work at the Baratie, Sanji was the outcast of the Vinsmoke family, a notorious group of warmongering mercenaries from the North Blue, and it wasn’t until the Whole Cake Island arc that Sanji was forced to confront them with help from Luffy.

Sanji fights using powerful kicks further strengthened by Armament Haki and, most recently, his cybernetic enhancements courtesy of his father, which even let him set his legs on fire to further increase his power and set his opponents ablaze. Sanji’s biggest and most recent feat of strength is defeating Queen, one of the strongest members of the Beast Pirates, and there was no better way of solidifying his place within the “Monster Trio” of the Straw Hat Pirates.

16

Roronoa Zoro

First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 3 & Episode 2

Along with Luffy, Zoro has considerably increased his skills and power after setting out to sea only a few years ago in One Piece‘s timeline. Before he met his future captain in Shells Town, Zoro was already one of the most renowned and feared swordsmen in the entire East Blue. Still, as Mihawk demonstrated to him during the Baratie Arc, he still had a way to go before he’d earn the title of the World’s Greatest Swordsman.

Zoro has a habit of pulling off unbelievable feats of strength, like cutting through solid steel and cleaving the Enies Lobby tower in two, and that was before he endured intense training during One Piece‘s time skip. During his time in Dressrosa and Wano, Zoro cut apart the mountain-sized Pica and deflected Kaido and Big Mom’s combo attack, Ocean Sovereignty, which might be the most vigorous attack in the series yet.

Fans would be devastated if Zoro’s rematch against Mihawk did not happen because it would show Zoro undoubtedly surpassing his previous feats yet again. And on Elbaf, Zoro is set to surpass his limits once again by finally mastering Conqueror’s Haki in his fight against the Holy Knights.

15

The Holy Knights

First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 1136 & Episode 1166

The Holy Knights are One Piece’s newest group of antagonists who have only just made their debut in the Elbaf Arc. This legion, which directly presides over the World Nobles, also possesses a contract with Imu in the form of the Depths Covenant. While they may not enjoy the immortality that the Five Elders do as part of the Abyssal Covenant, the Holy Knights of God are still blessed with advanced regeneration that makes them quite tiresome opponents for those unfamiliar with infusing their attacks with Conqueror’s Haki.

In fact, the Holy Knights are pretty much unbeatable without Conqueror’s Haki. In addition to this, the Holy Knights also possess fearsome devil fruit abilities, be it Gunko’s Arrow-Arrow powers, St. Sommers’ piercing thorns, or St. Killingham’s broken ability to materialize nightmares and dreams. Even those without a devil fruit, like Shamrock, possess powerful devil fruit-infused weapons. The Holy Knights’ abilities can also be buffed by Imu’s Omen, which also grants them access to their family’s weapon.

14

Scopper Gaban

First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 1139 & Episode 1169

After nearly fourteen years of being missing in action and fans constantly asking about his whereabouts, Scopper Gaban, Roger’s left-hand man, finally made his modern-day debut on Elbaf. Much like Rayleigh, Gaban completely lives up to his reputation as the “Mountain Eater” anda former member of the Roger Pirates with his overwhelming strength.

Gaban has mastered all three forms of haki, with his Observation Haki in particular being so advanced that he was able to sense the Straw Hats approaching Elbaf even when they were still miles away from the shore. Even though he may not be in his prime anymore, Gaban was still able to go up against Imu and the Holy Knights, wielding his twin axes in a most fearsome manner.

13

Silvers Rayleigh

First Appearance: One Piece 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 advanced Observation Haki can instantly perceive every living thing across an entire island with no effort. Rayleigh 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. However, he is not immune to the effects of age and even suggests that he no longer has the strength to defeat newer-generation powerhouses like Blackbeard.

12

Monkey D. Garp

First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 92 & Episode 68

Garp is a Vice Admiral but could’ve easily been a Fleet Admiral if he hadn’t refused the multiple offers to be promoted. He frequently fought Gold D. Roger and the latter 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 prove that the mysterious fruits aren’t the only way or the best way to truly obtain strength. He dramatically proved this point when he arrived at Blackbeard’s base to rescue Koby, making quite the entrance with one of One Piece‘s strongest attacks that the anime has adapted so far.

11

Blackbeard

First Appearance: One Piece 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 in a plan that finished off the strongest Emperor of the Sea. His pursuit of strength propelled him to monstrous levels.

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 freeing the oppressed. 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.