Summary
Over two decades, Monkey D. Luffy and his friends have sailed the Grand Line, facing enemies of all shapes and sizes inOne Piece. Dastardly foes from all sorts of places have stood in the Straw Hat pirates' way and soon learn a valuable lesson about underestimating their plucky pirate leader. With such a vast ensemble, its no shock that the large troupe of antagonists
There’s a lot to choose from, as Luffy’s journey has brought him against fellow pirates, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Marines, Cipher Pol, and the lofty Four Emperors.
The best ofOne Piece’s villains arenot necessarilythe strongest that the Straw Hats have faced, but rather the most memorable and meaningful for Luffy and his friends to take down.
10Sir Crocodile of the Seven Warlords of the Sea
The Leader of Baroque Works
Crocodile was the first big enemy that the Straw Hats encountered on the Grand Line, and was the main antagonist of the Alabasta Saga. Leading the mercenary group Baroque Works, he planned to use a civil war to destabilize the kingdom of Alabasta and take the desert kingdom for himself, and reign supreme with his Sand-Sand fruit. More importantly,he was one of the first people to truly defeat Luffy in a battle– other foes had briefly had the advantage on the Straw hat, but Luffy had been soundly defeated by Crocodile.
But, Crocodile found Luffy coming at him again and again, giving chase to the Warlord and refusing to give up. By pushing Luffy further than any antagonist before him, Crocodile was just a taste of the sort of pirate the Straw Hats could run into on the Grand Line, serving as an important sign of the kind of challenges that lay ahead.
9Enel, ‘God’ of Skypiea
The Thunder Wielding Conqueror
The purported god of the Skypeia Islands, Enel was much like Crocodile in that he seemed like an undefeatable foe.His Rumble Rumble fruit allowed him to become lightning incarnate, eviscerating the Straw Hats and their allies with ease. But when it comes to Luffy, Enel soon realizes he’s met his mortal enemy, a man made of rubber that can’t simply be electrocuted.
The scene of Enel realizing this stands among the series' most iconic moments, and one of the most cathartic too, as Enel’s bravado breaks in the face of the Straw Hat pirate. The ensuing fight and conclusion to the arc also stand as one ofOne Piece’s most triumphant moments, as all of Skypiea hears the ringing bell that announces the god’s defeat. It’s more than enough to land Enel a spot among the top villains of the series.
8Charlotte Linlin, Big Mom of the Four Emperors
Tyrant Queen of Totto Land and Mother to Many
When Luffy first entered the ‘New World’ half of the Grand Line, he was quick to make an enemy of Big Mom of the Four Emperors. She rules over Totto Land, a purported country where everyone is ‘equal,’ though its residents are essentially extorted by her for their literal life forcethrough her Soul-Soul fruit. Linlin is greedy, powerful, and terrifying in action.
Part of what makes Big Mom such a great villain isn’t necessarily her fight with the protagonists, but rather how much depth she is given. She has an incredibly sad backstory that reveals why she became the tyrannical pirate she is today, from being abandoned by her parents, intended to be used by her adoptive mother, and getting exploited by a pirate who saw what she could do.Big Mom has a lot of depth to her villainy, and that’s a factor that gives her a spot among the best.
7Charlotte Katakuri of the Three Sweet Commanders
The Billion Berry Pirate Commander
Big Mom has a lot of children, having over eighty of them, and that’s not counting grandchildren. But one among them stands as the undisputed strongest - Charlotte Katakuri. When the Straw Hats wreck the wedding and attempted assassination of the Germa royal family, Katakuri is the opponent Luffy finds himself against. A master of advanced observation haki, Luffy once again faces an enemy that seems to be impossible to hit, as the Sweet Commander predicts every move thrown at him before his foe even moves.
But he’s used to that kind of thing by Whole Cake, and wants to defeat the powerful pirate rather than flee. The battle that goes down cements Katakuri as one of the most honorable pirates on the sea, eager to fight an opponent like Luffy. In the end, both he and Luffycome to respect each other’s tenacity and strength, with Katakuri finally falling to the Straw Hat’s powered up Gear 4 form. Katakuri represents the ideal opponent to clash against Luffy, and is one of the most memorable antagonists because of it.
6Kaido the Beast, the World’s Strongest Creature
The All Powerful Pirate Scourge of Wano
Kaido had been feared throughout the manga as one of the strongest pirates to ever live. His simple presence had been alluded to all the way from the Punk Hazard arc, but he doesn’t show up properly until the Straw Hats reach Wano, the country where he rules supreme. With his Fish-Fish fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, immense haki abilities, and incredible durability and stamina,Kaido definitely lives up to his title of the World’s Strongest Creature.
Unsurprisingly, it took the effort of not just Luffy, but many allies to finally take down this beast of the Four Emperors. From Zoro, Trafalgar Law, Captain Eustass Kid, his own child Yamato, and the many samurai whom he spurned. Even then,Luffy had to develop his powers further,awakening his devil fruit to unleashhis greatest power yet: Gear 5. Kaido deserves his place among the best villains for pushing Luffy to new heights of power, and finishing the saga of the Four Emperors with a bang.
5Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, Wielder of Absolute Justice
Formerly Akainu of the Marine Admirals
As Akainu, Sakazuki established himself as one of the marines with the heaviest sense of ‘justice.’ Few escape his justice-driven wrath, from evacuating civilians, deserting Marines, and, of course, pirates. No fan ofOne Piececan forget the role he played in the battle of Marineford,where he not only killed Luffy’s brother Portgaz D. Ace, but he mortally wounded Whitebeard of the Four Emperors as well.
Sakazuki stands as the definitive face of the marines now, leading them with as iron a fist as he had when he was just one of the Admirals. Stewing in anger as he watches the world of pirates spiral out of his control, his return to the battlefield might be among the most anticipated moments ofOne Pieceoverall,given how powerful he seemed in Marinefordand how Luffy had developed since that time. The cathartic vengeance for Ace’s death Luffy will dole out will undoubtedly stand among the series' best moments.
4Donquixote Doflamingo, ‘Joker’ of the Criminal Underworld
Heavenly Yaksha of the Seven Warlords of the Sea
Cocky, cruel, and confident – Donquixote Doflamingo had long been teased throughout the whole ofOne Piece, but only took central stage during the Dressrosa arc. While Crocodile only attempted to take over a kingdom, Doflamingo’s coup actually succeeds, and he sits as the king of Dressrosa,ruling an empire he keeps artificially happy while simultaneously oppressing the masses. Doflamingo isn’t the strongest villain Luffy has faced, but he did stand out as one of the most vile.
Even his backstory, while sympathetic, highlights how he had been this way as a child too. While he and his family were onceamong the Celestial Dragons, they cast off the title to embrace their humanity. But Doflamingo resented his father for this, as the civilians of the world hated them. Deprived of the lavish lifestyle he thought he deserved, he killed his father and spent his years striving to gain those privileges back. Donquixote Doflamingo is very evil, and he’s undoubtedly earned his spot among the best villains ofOne Piece.
3Rob Lucci, the ‘Massacre Weapon’ of Cipher Pol
Director and Leader of Cipher Pol Aigis Zero
One of the strongest agents of the clandestine Cipher Pol organization, Rob Lucci, took central stage as an antagonist in the Water 7 and Enies Lobby arcs. While he seems like an untouchable foe alongside his fellow agents, it’s his actions that drive the Straw Hats to get even stronger, with Luffy particularly developing Gear 2 and Gear 3 to keep up with their power. Ultimately,Luffy took down the Massacre Weapon and broke his perfect record.
Between their fight in Enies Lobby and Egghead Island, Lucci had gotten stronger – but it was never going to be enough to keep up with Gear 5.
But in a satisfying twist, Lucci later finds himself playing catchup with Luffy. Between their fight in Enies Lobby and Egghead Island, Lucci had gotten stronger – but it was never going to be enough to keep up with Gear 5. Seeing this cocky agent get knocked down a peg by the cartoonish violence Luffy can now dole out is cathartic as it comes, as the gap in power the two once had has been flipped on its head completely.
2Saint Jaygarcia Saturn of the Five Elders
Warrior God of Science and Defense
The Five Elders are the true top dogs inOne Piece, being the ones who have the most influence over both the Marines and their fellow Celestial Dragons. But none of them have distinguished themselves as monstrous as one among their ranks: Saint Jaygarcia Saturn. He takes a central role in the conflict in the Egghead Island arc, where his treatment of Bartholomew Kuma is laid bare in all its cruelty.
When he personally gets involved, preparing to kill Kuma’s daughter Bonney for daring to attack him, the cyborg Warlord returns to land a punch that obliterates half of the Elder’s body. While his regeneration means he doesn’t stay down for long, his ego might never recover from that bruising.One Piecevillains are always quite satisfying to see fall, andSaint Saturn’s total embarrassment from a man he’d written off as a subservient slaveis a moment that many will savor.
1Commodore Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teech
The Aspiring Conqueror of the World
Blackbeard is almost the definitiveOne Piecevillain. From the moment he appears in Jaya, it’s clear that there’s something different about Teech, even as he commends Luffy for having a dream. Blackbeard too has a dream, though,and that’s shaping up to be world domination. Blackbeard’s pulled many strings throughout the plot, from his orchestration of the War of Marineford to steal Whitebeard’s seat of power, recruiting some of the strongest pirates to his side from the depths of Impel Down, he’s established himself as a mastermind with little regard for any consequences of his actions.
What makes Blackbeard a great villain is the way he parallels Luffy. Where Luffy is increasingly associated with the sun, Blackbeard is darkness thanks to his possession of the Dark-Dark Fruit. Where the Straw Hat wants to bring freedom to all, Blackbeard’s just out for himself.Marshall D. Teech is basically Luffy if he lived selfishly and for himself alone, rather than changing the world around him for the better. This is what makes Blackbeard the definitive bestOne Piecevillain, and their epic battle will be one to savor as the manga comes to its end.
One Piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.
