The 20 Strongest One Piece Characters (So Far), Ranked

This article contains spoilers for the One Piece manga.

The ever-expanding world of One Piece has introduced shōnen fans to a staggeringly massive cast of cool characters and powerful fighters, with the show regularly upping the ante with new Devil Fruits, the Haki combat system, and more. At first, the power levels were tame as Luffy assembled his pirate crew in the East Blue. By the time Luffy toured the islands of the Grand Line and beheld the New World, however, he had some serious competition.

By now, One Piece’s strongest characters are beings of incomprehensible power and influence, including people who could practically upend the entire world order if they unleashed their full power. Between heroes and villains, One Piece features some true powerhouses like Shanks and Whitebeard, whose abilities mark them as living legends with no equal on any battlefield. Newer pirates like Zoro, Sanji and Luffy have similarly displayed incredible amounts of power, with immeasurable potential they have yet to fulfill completely.

Updated on May 18, 2026 by Harley Whisenhunt: One Piece is bigger than ever as it sails into the second half of 2026, with the Straw Hat Pirates’ adventures in Elbaph reaching a brand-new high with each passing release. Accordingly, this list has been updated to reflect the series’ most up-to-date information and CBR’s current style guide.

Jewelry Bonney Can Literally Become Anyone

Jewelry Bonney is the youngest pirate captain in One Piece, not to mention one of the founding members of the Worst Generation. Bonney’s relationship with her father, Kuma, was finally salvaged in the Egghead Arc, which also underscored her unquestionable strength. Even without her curiously overpowered Devil Fruit, Bonney’s Haki skills are top-notch, especially when it comes to Armament Haki.

In terms of the Age-Age Fruit, however, fans initially believed that Bonney could only change the ages of any person, including herself. This alone was quite impressive, especially her Near Death Experience technique that temporarily reduces the target to a skeleton and causes them horrible trauma. However, it seems that Bonney can also “age herself” into anything she can imagine, whether her vision is logically possible. Bonney’s transformation into the Sun God Nika gave her an appearance like Luffy in Gear 5, in addition to his various abilities. However, others have further honed their martial prowess, so Bonney is listed at the bottom of the list.

Kozuki Oden Was a One-Man Army With Haki Mastery

Even if Kozuki Oden the samurai only appeared in some flashback sequences, fans still saw enough of him to mark him as one of the strongest One Piece characters seen in action. The story did imply that Oden and Gol D. Roger were roughly on par, but fans have seen more of Oden’s fighting. Kozuki Oden could dominate any battlefield back home in Wano, even by himself, making him a one-man army with near-peerless skill and strength.

Oden also commanded all three major types of Haki, a rare and impressive feat, and his swordplay was almost divine in its power. Unfortunately, Oden’s career came to a tragic end when his enemies caught up to him, boiling Oden alive while that noble samurai held up a wooden plank to spare his friends the same fate. In the process of being boiled in oil, however, Oden still managed to save his Nine Red Scabbards and inspire the people of Wano.

Gunko Manmayer Is Powerful Enough To Be a Holy Knight

As one of God’s Knights, fans can assume Gunko’s power right off the bat. More than that, she is entrusted with a pivotal mission: restoring Giants to their warrior roots, rather than their scholarly pursuits. During her introduction, Gunko makes it clear that she has no problem with inflicting pain upon others, as she and Shamrock torture a chained-up Loki when he refuses their demand that he join the God’s Knights.

However, Gunko isn’t just skilled at torturing those who can’t fight back. With the power of her Aro Aro no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, Gunko can make arrows that she can use in a variety of direct ways, including directly attacking her enemies, restraining opponents, and enhancing the power of her physical attack by wrapping arrows around her limbs or increasing the speed of her movements. Moreover, she can take flight by standing on one of the arrows. Altogether, Gunko is a fearsome opponent with a versatile Devil Fruit that makes her even more dangerous.

Vinsmoke Sanji Is the Best Kicker in One Piece

Based on his battlefield exploits and general abilities, the Straw Hat cook Vinsmoke Sanji isn’t quite as strongest as One Piece‘s strongest characters to properly appear in the anime. Still, just being in the upper echelon of fighters at all is a huge honor, considering how expansive that world’s roster of fighters is. Sanji was once considered a failure by his overbearing patriarch, Vinsmoke Judge, but the son has since defeated the father.

Sanji has also eclipsed his brothers and sister as a Vinsmoke fighter, dominating any battle with the ferocious kicks of his unique Black Leg style. Sanji’s Diable Jambe move is one of the best in his diverse arsenal, dealing searing-hot blows that can break through almost any defense. Sanji is also quite adept at Haki, though that’s really just par for the course among One Piece‘s top fighters. More importantly, Sanji won’t stop getting stronger until he finds the All Blue.

Roronoa Zoro Will Become the World’s #1 Swordsman

Zoro and Sanji are fierce rivals, as countless scenes have shown, but fans can tell which of those Straw Hats is the stronger one. By a narrow but undeniable margin, Roronoa Zoro is the more powerful of the two. Zoro also stands as the first crewmate Luffy ever recruited for the Straw Hats, and has since become an official right-hand man. During that time, Zoro has been ceaselessly honing his swordsmanship and achieving greater heights.

Roronoa Zoro once vowed to become the world’s top swordsman to honor Kuina’s memory, and by now, he is definitely almost there. Zoro’s speed, strength, swordplay, and certainly his endurance are nearly peerless as he uses his trademark three-sword style, making him capable of defeating the elite minions of the Four Emperors. He is also highly adept at Haki, having recently unlocked the Conqueror’s variant, though Zoro would call himself a swordsman first and a Haki user second.

Sabo Has Shown an Impressive Fighting Ability

Introduced after Ace’s death in the Marineford arc, Sabo is already a prominent member of the Revolutionary Army. Through the events in Dressrosa and the Levely arc, Sabo reveals his fighting skills. Dangerous even before obtaining the Meri Meri no Mi, Sabo became even more dangerous afterward by enhancing his attacks with literal firepower. Additionally, the Devil Fruit is a Logia-type, which makes Sabo impervious to any attacks that Haki doesn’t back.

Unlike many other Devil Fruit users, though, Sabo doesn’t entirely depend on its power, likely because he had been fighting for a long while before obtaining one. Thus, Sabo has an impressively effective fighting technique that, combined with his Devil Fruit, has allowed him to take down significant opponents, such as Jesus Burgess. It is also because of his remarkable strength that Sabo was able to successfully infiltrate Mariejois, free Kuma, and gain incredibly valuable information.

Shamrock Figarland Is an Incredibly Fearsome Opponent

Revealed to be Shanks’ brother, it is no surprise that Shamrock Figarland is an extremely capable combatant. As the commander of the God’s Knights, Shamrock undoubtedly has a lot of power, which he confirms upon his arrival in Elbaph. His Haki was powerful enough to gain notice from Scopper Gaban, who also noted the unusual nature of it. This recognition is enough to indicate his abnormal strength.

Although he didn’t do much when it came to physical combat after arriving in Elbaph, leaving Gunko to do the physical work, Shamrock carried an intimidating air. He only further enhanced this demeanor when he unsheathed his sword, which ate a Devil Fruit. Moreover, the Devil Fruit was Awakened, a fact which made even the powerful Loki uneasy. As the wielder of such a weapon, Shamrock is much more than a mere passable fighter himself.

Kuzan Is One of Blackbeard’s Strongest Crewmembers

As the former Admiral Aokiji and current member of Blackbeard’s crew, Kuzan has strength in spades. Though he lost to Akainu during their fight for the rank of Fleet Admiral, it is clear that the battle was intense, with Akainu receiving significant scarring. Moreover, Kuzan has displayed commendable control over his Devil Fruit, freezing large swaths of the ocean with seemingly minimal effort. Similarly, he can freeze his opponents solid, a feat that he terrified the Straw Hats with shortly after they met.’

After joining the Blackbeard Pirates, Kuzan had an intense fight against Vice Admiral Garp, demonstrating both of their abilities. Though Kuzan only defeated Garp with help, this battle made it clear that Kuzan is a very skilled combatant. Additionally, he adeptly uses Observation and Armament Haki further to bolster both his attacks and his defensive maneuvers. His many years of experience as an Admiral also give him great battle instincts.

Fleet Admiral Akainu Delivers Magnificent Magma Punches

Among all the officers of the villainous World Government, none is more fearsome than Admiral Akainu, also known as Sakazuki, who ate the Mag-Mag Fruit to become a near-unstoppable lava warrior. He is near the apex of Logia-type Devil Fruit users, able to turn himself into blistering magma to deal overwhelming lava punches. One Piece viewers saw that for themselves when Akainu dealt a fatal punch to Portgas D. Ace at Marineford.

Off-screen, Akainu also battled the at-the-time Admiral Aokiji on Punk Hazard, a bitter elemental clash that Akainu won. Now, the seemingly unbeatable Akainu still stands as a major obstacle in Luffy’s dream to become pirate king and roam the seas in peace. If Akainu has any real limits or weaknesses, it’s that he has rather few tricks or special techniques with his Mag-Mag Fruit, limiting his battlefield creativity. Luffy still has to avenge Ace’s murder, potentially leading to an epic showdown with Akainu.

Blackbeard Wields Two of the Strongest Devil Fruits

Even when he first appeared, Captain Blackbeard/Marshall D. Teach was quite formidable with his power of the Dark-Dark Fruit. With it, he could reduce anything to nothingness and even negate other Devil Fruits with a touch, allowing him to capture Ace and give him to the Marines. After somehow stealing Whitebeard’s own fruit, however, Blackbeard has become a One Piece powerhouse unlike any other.

By wielding both the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, along with his skillful use of Armament and Observation Haki, Blackbeard has become nearly untouchable in battle. He is one of Luffy’s greatest remaining threats, even in the light of Gear 5’s awakening, and if he weren’t such a coward, he’d be one of the franchise’s biggest one-on-one threats.