With well over 970 episodes, One Piece anime has an abundance of insanely powerful characters and beautiful plotlines. Not to mention, each new character seems leagues stronger than the last.
Just when you think you have got the ultimate list, Oda makes you scratch your head again. I mean I went on and on about how Shanks is much stronger than Kaido. Boy, was I wrong! Did you see Kaido’s latest feats? He is an absolute beast.
So, I decided to do what any sane person obsessed with a series for two decades would do. I watched it again and made this list of who I think to be the top 10 strongest characters in the One Piece anime. From Marinesto Warlords and infamous pirate captains, I have got a rollercoaster for you today!
Ps…One of the things I love about One Piece is the epithets that Oda sensei gives to his characters. So, I wouldn’t pass any chance to name these characters in the coolest way possible.
10“The Dark King” Silvers Rayleigh
The former right hand of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, has quite the reputation himself. Also known as the Dark King, Rayleigh might not have a devil fruit but was able to keep up with Admiral Kizaru despite not being in his prime. His Advanced Armament Haki more than compensates for his lack of a devil fruit.
Rayleigh’s definitely not a grandpa to be underestimated, having fought aside legends like Whitebeard, Garp, Shiki, Kong, and Sengoku during the reign of Roger. During his prime, he manhandled Marco with a single finger.
If you don’t know he is, Marco is the former first division commander of Whitebeard Pirates and one of the strongest mythical zoan devil fruit users in One Piece! Rayleigh’s accomplishments during the Sabaody arc and countless rumors about the Dark King’s prowess earn him the tenth spot on this list.
9Former Admiral “Aokiji” Kuzan
Kuzan’s entry to the One Piece world is probably the funniest of all. How often do you see a character just strolling around the world on his bike peddling on top of frozen oceans?
When a character has the potential to change the literal topography of an entire island while fighting, needless to say, they belong in the top-tier. Aokiji’s ten-day-long fight with Akainu on Punk Hazard is one of his most remarkable feats. He might’ve lost, but the fight is one of the longest in the series.
Aokiji’s devil fruit, the Hie Hie no Mi, gives him terrifying control over ice that’s capable of freezing the ocean in a blink. Aokiji even casually froze Doflamingo at one point– who then decided not even to fight him.
As a former Admiral who was nominated for the position of Fleet Admiral, Aokiji is easily among the strongest. However, he did lose his leg and now uses his devil fruit to create a prosthesis which is a possible liability.
8Marine Admiral Issho “Fujitora”
Frankly, the only reason Fujitora isn’t ranked higher is that we haven’t seen much of him. What we have seen, though, is thoroughly impressive.
Issho’s devil fruit, the Zushi Zushi no Mi, makes other devil fruits look like toys in comparison. With the power of gravity control in his arsenal, Fujitora has accomplished some of the craziest feats. During his fight against Law, he summoned a meteor from space; against Zoro, he sent the swordsman deep underground with just a single clash of their swords; he lifted all the rubble in Dressrosa without breaking a sweat and also took on Kaido’s top commander Jack.
Not to forget, Fujitora didn’t even take the fight against Sabo seriously. With a devil fruit so destructive that it could destroy the world, it’s no mystery why Doflamingo called Fujitora and Green Bull true beasts.
7Marine Admiral Borsalino “Kizaru”
Coming in at seventh, we have the fastest man in One Piece! Borsalino, better known as Kizaru, is the only remaining Admiral from the original trio after Aokiji’s departure and Akainu’s promotion to Fleet Admiral.
The Pika Pika no Mi gives Kizaru the ability to manipulate light and even turn his body into light itself, making him inhumanely fast. Kizaru has taken on the likes of Whitebeard (who couldn’t even hit him!) and Rayleigh, who could only stop him by using Haki.
He was held down Whitebeard’s Murakumogiri with a single foot– a feat that would’ve required immense physical strength. Moreover, he easily defeated all the Supernovas on Sabaody. Despite his laid-back attitude, it isn’t a stretch to say Kizaru is easily one of the most dangerous marines.
6“Hawk Eyes” Dracule Mihawk
The title of the world’s strongest swordsman isn’t one to be taken lightly. Besides his impressive swordsmanship, Mihawk also is one of the most advanced Observation Haki and Armament Haki wielders. Mihawk easily outclasses the likes of Rayleigh, Shiryu, and the swordsmen from Wano, who are considered S-class swordsmen in the One Piece world.
Having been Shanks’ rival at one point, Mihawk sparred with Shanks on equal terms multiple times before the latter lost his arm. This feat alone is enough to ensure Mihawk’s spot among the best of the best.
5Fleet Admiral Sakazuki “Akainu”
Akainu is currently at his peak after defeating another top-tier marine, Aokiji, during the time skip and earning his position as Fleet Admiral.
By far, his greatest feat was going up against Whitebeard, the ‘Strongest Man In The World,’ one on one. Akainu withstood the old captain’s quake attack like it was nothing and even inflicted some severe damage on Whitebeard by blowing off half of his head.
After that, he went on to take on all the Whitebeard commanders, and not even Marco and Vista could put a dent in him even with Haki. Akainu’s devil fruit, the Magu Magu no Mi, has the most offensive power in the One Piece universe by far. The marine will likely reappear during the final war, where his true strength will be tested.
Fun Fact: Oda once mentioned in an interview that if Akainu were the protagonist, One Piece would have wrapped up in one year! I suppose that proves how strong he is!
4Charlotte Linlin aka “Big Mom”
The terrifying and soul-stealing Charlotte Linlin aka Big Mom, wields the power of the devil fruit called the Soru Soru no Mi, which allows her to manipulate souls.
She can pretty much take down anybody with one shot using her devil fruit powers. Her strength was mighty enough to effortlessly take down Kaido’s commander Queen without using Haki or her devil fruit powers.
She weirlds three weapons: Prometheus, Napoleon, and the new thundercloud Hera, further add to her strength. Besides her overall offensive strength, Big Mom has incredible durability. She’s an absolute tank!
We haven’t seen her hurt even once, which speaks for itself. Her skin is almost as tough as Kaido’s scales even without Armament Haki– Brook failed even to pierce her skin. Moreover, she unflinchingly blocked Luffy’s gear fourth Kong Gun– an attack that obliterated Doflamingo.
3“Blackbeard” Marshall D. Teach
Teach is the only character to possess the power of two devil fruits after stealing the Gura Gura no Mi from Whitebeard using some unknown method. The Yami Yami no Mi is the strongest known logia devil fruit, while the Gura Gura no Mi is the most destructive paramecia type. Moreover, he can even nullify other devil fruit powers!
Since the time skip, Blackbeard has had time to train using the two devil fruits, so we can count on him being much stronger the next time he comes around. Teach relies on his devil fruits a lot but still had considerable physical strength. However, he hasn’t shown any haki abilities yet.
So there’s no saying how he’d take on characters like Shanks or Mihawk who don’t have devil fruit powers to nullify and whose advanced levels of Haki could evade his attacks.
That being said, Blackbeard did manage to wound Shanks before he even had a devil fruit which has to be worth something. He also defeated Ace, a Yonko commander at the time, in just a short fight. Blackbeard not only tanked Ace’s strongest attacks but also almost snapped Ace’s neck with one punch.
2“Red-Haired” Shanks
As the captain of the Red-Hair Pirates and not to mention a Yonko, Shanks’ place on the list is well earned. Shanks might not have a devil fruit, but he does possess all three forms of Haki– most notably, Conqueror’s Haki, which was strong enough to damage Whitebeard’s ship.
Shanks sparred with Mihawk and was on par with the ‘World’s Strongest Swordsman’ until he lost his arm. However, losing his arm didn’t make him weaker in the slightest. In fact, Shanks went on to become Yonko after losing his arm.
And that’s not all – Shanks is also well-respected among the upper echelon of pirates. By simply arriving at Marineford, Shanks was able to bring the war to a halt single-handedly.
1Kaido of the Beasts
Kaido of the Beasts, a yonko, is the strongest character in One Piece world. He is literally known as “the strongest creature” on Earth. He has the mythical zoan Uo Uo no Mi that lets him turn into a mythical dragon and his grasp of Haki Is tremendous.
It’s no mystery why he has the highest bounty of all the Yonko. The King of the Beasts is also rumored to be immortal after he walked away from a 10,000-meter fall unscathed. Moreover, when put under a guillotine, the blade itself shattered.
Kaido is likely in his prime at the moment, and the fight against Luffy is sure to be epic. Especially since the first time Luffy fought Kaido, his gear fourth attack didn’t even scratch the Yonko who swatted him away with one hit. After all, if it’s 1v1, always bet on Kaido.
Honorable Mentions
The One Piece universe is obviously full of insanely powerful characters, but not all of them could make the cut to the top ten simply because not much is known about them.
Rocks D. Xebec
Rocks D. Xebec, the leader of the Rock Pirates, was once the Pirate King’s biggest rival. He had the strongest of the strongest like Kaido, Whitebeard, and Big Mom as his crew and posed a serious threat to the Marines.
Im sama
Not much is known about Im’s physical prowess, but evidently, he holds considerable political power. The Gorosei knelt before him as he sat on the Empty Throne, so it’s possible he controls the core of the World Government itself. Surely he must be strong for the Gorosei to respect him.
Ryokugyu
The Marine Admiral Ryokugyu, also known as Green Bull, was referred to as a ‘true beast’ by Doflamingo. Seeing as though he shares the nickname with Fujitora, it’s safe to assume he might be just as strong. He shares the same laid-back attitude as Aokiji but can take his duties seriously when needed.
Monkey D. Dragon
Dragon, father to Luffy and son to Garp, is the leader of the Revolutionary Army and the most wanted man in the One Piece Universe. It isn’t clear whether his high bounty is due to his strength or rebelliousness, or some secret he holds against the government.
However, assuming Sabo, his second in command, was trained by him and was strong enough to take on an Admiral, Dragon must surely be a force to be reckoned with. Based on his bloodline, portrayal, and the fact that Oda is saving him for the end of the series, Dragon’s strength could rival, if not surpass, the Yonko.
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