Who is the strongest pirate on the Grand Line? It may not even be a pirate, as we’ll be ranking the strongest characters in One Piece.
The characters of One Piece often bring such smiles and intrigue to the audience – but we tend to forget how powerful these pirates can be, even more so when we start to look outside of the Straw Hat Pirates towards the marines and villains of the series.
What defines strength in One Piece varies, so we’ll be considering not only the most extraordinary feats of strength we’ve seen in the series but also the proposed power of characters we know little about and their impact on the story.
Now more than ever, with the final saga kicking off, prominent name characters may finally get their chance to shine. Fair warning: this article contains spoilers from the One Piece anime and manga!
Ranking the strongest characters in One Piece
Who is the strongest in all the high seas of One Piece is a heavy question, mainly because we’ve seen imposing characters that we know could pack a punch but have yet to display their fighting prowess properly. But it takes more than strength to rule the seas.
10. Dracule Mihawk
The world’s greatest swordsman needs the strength and technique to back up that title, and ever since his introduction, Mihawk has proved it at every encounter. From his first fight against Zoro to the Marineford War, Mihawk has displayed incredible swordsmanship that our three swords-wielding friend will need to surpass to reach his dream.
Mihawk is one of the few characters who doesn’t name his attacks; he’s too cool for that. Though his title as a warlord has been revoked, and he’s now hanging out with Buggy’s crew, Mihawk is far from running and hiding. He’s a calm soul who doesn’t seek conflict, but if a fight starts, he’s the one finishing it with his enormous black sword, Yoru.
9. Akainu
Akainu has been a full-blown menace since he was introduced, putting up a brutal fight against Whitebeard, causing a major death in One Piece, and giving Luffy his X-shaped scar on his chest. The former Admiral is a follower of “Absolute Justice,” where nothing can deny the law even when it’s wrong.
Though he now sits in the Fleet Admiral chair, but is still one of the strongest and best villains in One Piece. Just ask Aokiji who lost to him after fighting for seven days and seven nights. Akainu will almost certainly clash with the Straw Hats again; maybe Luffy will get revenge for his brother.
8. Big Mom
Big Mom, aka Charlotte Linlin, has made an impression since the Straw Hats set off for the New World in the Fish-man Island Arc with a threat directed at her. The crew experiences her wrath firsthand during the Whole Cake Island Arc, where she tries to steal Sanji from the crew.
Ruling over a kingdom where she literally takes years off of your life so you can live to serve under her another day and sporting a soul-stealing Devil Fruit ability where, as long as you fear her, she can manipulate souls into whatever force she desires. There’s plenty to fear when Big Mom stands before you.
7. Kaido
Until his defeat at Luffy’s Gear 5, Kaido was a force of nature that just wouldn’t go down. His dragon powers and sheer strength alone earns him a title as one of the Four Emperors, but it’s his methods of ruling over his crew and Wano that really show off how powerful and menacing this beast is.
Kaido makes an impact as soon as he appears in Wano, which he rules with an iron fist, by defeating Luffy in just one attack and imprisoning him. We’ve never seen this cruel approach firsthand before, further showing how much of a monster Kaido is until we finally see that satisfying beatdown Luffy gives him.
6. Monkey D. Dragon
Dragon works from the shadows as leader of the Revolutionary Army and doesn’t show off his powers. This gives us minimal reference as to how powerful he is, but we do receive a brief glimpse when he helps Luffy escape the clutches of Smoker in Loguetown.
What gives Dragon his edge is his end goal of overthrowing the World Government; formerly a marine, he lost faith in the system and swore to bring it all down after witnessing the aftermath of the Ohara incident with Dr. Vegapunk; you’ll need to be powerful to even think about declaring that.
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5. Monkey D. Luffy
One Piece’s main man cannot be left out of the running for the strongest character. Luffy’s rubber abilities always catch people off guard before they’re delivered a solid smackdown, though it’s not just his Devil Fruit power that earns Luffy a high rank.
Luffy has a natural tendency to make allies wherever he goes, so the tide and the forces of good can always turn in his favor. If there’s one thing he can’t stand, it’s injustice restricting people’s freedom. Now with Gear 5 unlocked, Luffy can do virtually whatever he desires during a fight and have a great time doing it.
4. Shanks
Shanks has a lot of wins under his belts for moments that define his strength, him staring down the sea beast that took his arm, we find out he kept Kaido from entering the Summit War, and his mere presence at Marineford ended the war.
On top of that, a single threat made Admiral Ryokugyu retreat from Wano, and most recently he puts down Kid with a single attack when he comes looking for a rematch.
Though Shanks maintains many suspicious background activities, including talking with the Gorosei at one point, he firmly believes in the next generation of pirates.
3. Blackbeard
Blackbeard is one of the most prominent antagonists in One Piece and lives in infamy for bringing Ace to the Marines. However, he and Luffy share many views regarding dreams and the idealism of piracy. Blackbeard represents the evil side of the lifestyle, compared to Luffy’s freedom-loving perspective.
Blackbeard is the one who gave Shanks his iconic scar; the exact terms and reason behind this fight are still unknown, but for him to leave a mark on Shanks even before getting Blackbeard’s Devil Fruit should indicate how much of a powerful threat he is.
Blackbeard possesses the ability to steal, transfer to others, and, most notably, use more than one devil fruit ability; since he’s stolen Whitebeard’s ability to cause earthquakes, Blackbeard has become one of the strongest entities in the world.
2. Gorosei
The Gorosei had been a mystery for a long time until Egghead Arc finally brought them into the spotlight. A group of five, they are publicly the highest authority in the world. But in reality, they serve the mysterious Imu, and will do anything to hide the truth of the Void Century.
Being the status, it’s always been known that they’re very powerful. But it isn’t until the middle of the Egghead Arc that we get an idea about their fearsome power. Every one of the Gorosei is a Mythical Zoan user and are so strong that it takes Dorry and Brogy helping Luffy to just survive the wrath of just one member.
1. Imu
We know strikingly little about the main antagonist of the final saga, Imu. Still, they’ve made their impact by ordering the destruction of the Lulusia kingdom like it was nothing with a weapon of mass destruction at their fingertips and wiping the floor with Sabo during his attempt to save Vivi’s father from Imu’s wrath.
A plot 800 years in the works, hinting at immortality, sitting on the would-be empty throne ruling the world from secret, having those who hold the most powerful seats in the World Government obey your every whim without question, Imu as they mysteriously want the Straw Hat’s old friend Vivi dead. Hopefully, we’ll find out how this situation unravels as the Egghead Island arc continues.
Those are our picks for the strongest characters in One Piece. For more anime, check out our rankings of the best fights in One Piece, the most emotional moments, and the saddest character backstories in the series. You can also find out who has the highest bounty in One Piece.
