10 Best One Piece Villains Ranked – Who’s the Strongest in the Anime and Manga?

10 Best One Piece Villains Ranked – Who’s the Strongest in the Anime and Manga?

Whether they’re causing trouble for a small village, competing with other pirates, or ruling over the innocent with brutality, we’re here to rank the top villains in One Piece today.

In One Piece, the characters are generally transparent. The Straw Hat crew and a significant portion of the other characters are portrayed as they appear, with only two story arcs featuring twists and betrayal.

Similarly, the antagonists also follow this pattern, making it easy to identify the antagonist for each arc and keeping the storyline of the anime straightforward.

Despite making friends everywhere they travel, the Straw Hats also attract the attention of incredibly powerful enemies who relentlessly target Luffy and his friends. These villains often oppress the innocent or cause harm to the Straw Hats, making their eventual defeat all the more satisfying.

10. Rob Lucci – One of the Best Characters in One Piece

Rob Lucci in One Piece
Eiichiro Oda/Toei Animation

Despite being the strongest member of the Marine’s secret assassin group “CP9”, Rob Lucci is known for his unwavering devotion to following orders and lack of conscience. This often results in brutal situations, such as his intense battle with Luffy in Enies Lobby, where the old Straw Hat barely manages to emerge victorious against the leopard-man.

The former secret agent has risen through the ranks to become a member of CP0, where he continues to cause chaos on Egghead Island while fighting against Gear 5 Luffy and now Zoro. Known as a ruthless killer, Rob Lucci has no qualms about carrying out his orders, whether it’s targeting a single individual or an entire army held hostage, leaving the opposition with no bargaining power.

Sir Crocodile

Sir Crocodile
Eiichiro Oda/Toei Animation

Upon entering the Grand Line, the Straw Hat crew quickly encounter the formidable Baroque Works, a mysterious criminal syndicate whose leader remains a well-guarded secret. It is known that revealing the identity of their boss is a death sentence, and it is not until Crocodile’s plan is set in motion that he finally reveals himself as the mastermind behind Baroque Works.

Crocodile had a grand plan to overthrow the kingdom of Arabasta in search of the hidden Ponyglyph, hoping to uncover the secrets of the ancient weapon “Pluton”. He instigated a misguided rebellion against the benevolent king, causing chaos and destruction. Despite initially overpowering Luffy and creating a dramatic turning point in One Piece, Crocodile’s ultimate weakness was exposed, leading to the downfall of one of the most memorable and influential villains in the series.

8. Donquixote Doflamingo

Doflamingo
Eiichiro Oda/Toei Animation

As the son of a Celestial Dragon, Doflamingo was born into a life of privilege and indulgence. However, when his father decides to renounce their family’s title and flee, their once-perfect world comes crashing down. The family is relentlessly pursued, resulting in the death of Doflamingo’s father and the separation from his brother. Fueled by anger and a desire to reclaim his status, Doflamingo turns to any means necessary, ultimately rising to power in the criminal underworld.

Doflamingo’s crew operates under the belief that they must always protect their own, even if it means resorting to brutal methods. Doflamingo himself is known as one of the most vicious characters in the world of One Piece, as evidenced by his manipulation of a king and his army to commit atrocities against the citizens of Dressrosa. Under his iron-fisted rule, he also betrayed and murdered his own brother for perceived disloyalty.

7. Admirals

Admirals in One Piece
Eiichiro Oda/Toei Animation

The Admirals, the most powerful military force within the Marines, are a formidable group to reckon with. They are among the strongest individuals in the series, on par with the Yonko in terms of strength. Their incredible abilities were on display during the Marineford War, where they proved to be the greatest obstacle for the Whitebeard Pirates.

After the time skip, Kuzan departed from the Marines, while Sakazuki was elevated to the role of Fleet Admiral. The vacancies left by Kuzan and Sakazuki were filled by Fujitora and Ryokugyu, respectively, with Kizaru maintaining his previous position. All members of this group, both old and new, are formidable adversaries for our heroes.

Sakazuki aka Akainu

Akainu in One Piece
Eiichiro Oda/Toei Animation

Akainu is notorious for his treatment of his own subordinates as expendable. Those who do not conform to his beliefs and commands are met with his fiery fury. It is important to note that Akainu is responsible for giving Luffy his X-shaped scar on his chest and for the death of his brother Ace during the Summit War at Marineford.

Ever since Akainu took on the alias of Sakazuki, he has not been frequently seen. However, we are aware that his rise to the position of Fleet Admiral of the Marines was met with resistance from the morally-conscious Admiral, Aokiji. This resulted in a fierce battle that left Punk Hazard in turmoil and Aokiji missing part of his leg. The Marines have only become more ruthless towards pirates since the time-skip, indicating that Sakazuki’s leadership style is extremely aggressive.

Big Mom

Big Mom in One Piece
Eiichiro Oda/Toei Animation

Big Mom, or Charlotte Linlin, desires nothing more than a large family and the freedom to be oneself without facing judgement.

As she sought to form an alliance with Kaidou, Big Mom reunites with one of her former fellow Rocks pirates. She brings chaos to Wano, experiencing a period of memory loss and engaging in battles against Kaidou’s forces before being defeated by Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kid. However, Big Mom finds herself surrounded by formidable villains, making the situation much more challenging and the villains themselves more malicious.

4. Kaidou

Kaido
Eiichiro Oda/Toei Animation

Kaidou’s belief in the superiority of the strong drives him to despise weakness and align himself with Kurozumi Orochi in a plot to conquer the kingdom of Wano. In his rule over Wano, Kaidou shows utter contempt for the people, using them as expendable pawns in his quest for power. He even goes so far as to create artificial Devil Fruits known as “SMILE”to further his own agenda. This cruel and heartless behavior follows the death of the valiant Kozuki Oden and the destruction of the once peaceful land.

Despite his involvement in the grand scheme, Kaidou’s ultimate goal is to find a worthy opponent who can defeat him. It is revealed that he is a depressed drunk who does not hold much regard for the infrastructure he has created outside of his crew. He even admits that his main motivation for taking over Wano was to increase his crew’s strength and destroy the island, until Luffy’s Gear 5 proves to be a formidable challenge and liberates the island from Kaidou’s grasp.

3. The Five Elders (Gorosei)

An image of Gorosei in One Piece human form
Crunchyroll

Despite being aware of their existence for quite some time, the Five Elders, also known as the Gorosei, have never been prominently featured in the story until the Final Saga of One Piece. However, they take on the role of the main antagonist in the Egghead Arc, showcasing their powers for the first time and presenting the Straw Hats with their most challenging obstacle yet.

Every Elder has the ability to shapeshift into a colossal creature, although it is unconfirmed whether this ability is derived from Devil Fruits. Saturn possesses the power to transform into a Gyuki, a monstrous ox-spider hybrid. Similarly, Mars can become the Itsumade, a fearsome bird-snake demon. Warcury and Ju Peter have the capability to morph into a gigantic boar and worm respectively. However, the most intriguing transformation belongs to Nusjuro, who can turn into a skeletal horse demon known as the Bakotsu.

2. Blackbeard aka Marshall D. Teach

Blackbeard in One Piece
Eiichiro Oda/Toei Animation

Blackbeard’s actions have solidified his place as one of the greatest villains. From nearly befriending Luffy to ultimately betraying him and handing over his brother Ace to the Marines, breaking into Impel Down, and killing Whitebeard to steal his abilities, Blackbeard’s treachery knows no bounds. And now, he continues to wreak havoc by stealing the abilities of fellow Devil Fruit users, often causing their demise in the process. Despite his despicable actions, Blackbeard remains a formidable and notorious figure in the world of One Piece.

Despite their similarities in terms of their adventurous outlook and belief in dreams, Blackbeard and Luffy have distinct differences when it comes to their representation of piracy. While Luffy embodies the positive and carefree aspects of piracy, Blackbeard embodies the harsh and brutal reality of the pirate world. Blackbeard’s latest heinous act includes the annihilation of Trafalgar Law’s Heart pirates, who are now believed to be held captive by the infamous pirate.

1. The nose

Imu in One Piece
Eiichiro Oda/Toei Animation

Despite the World Government’s intention to prevent a single entity from ruling the world, Imu’s sudden appearance and takeover of the throne has disrupted this balance. Imu’s demand for answers from Nefertari Cobra regarding the enigmatic “Will of D”highlights the injustice imposed by one person’s perspective. Imu’s presence symbolizes the danger of a single individual wielding too much power and control over the world.

As of now, their death toll is among the most devastating in One Piece, having wiped out the entire Lulusia kingdom and assassinated King Cobra. The role that Imu will play in the overall plot of One Piece remains to be seen, but based on what we’ve witnessed, they are undoubtedly one of the most formidable villains in the series, as known only by Eiichiro Oda.

Our selection for the top villains in One Piece includes the following.

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