Despite One Piece being a series that has spanned 25 years and introduced over a thousand distinctive characters, it has not been possible to give equal focus and development to each one. It is especially disheartening when important characters, who have played significant roles and continue to be essential in the journey towards finding the next Pirate King, are disregarded.
Ace, for example, is a character who numerous One Piece fans feel warrants more recognition. To address this, Oda dedicated a light novel to the character. However, this method cannot be consistently implemented for every character who has the potential to be a significant part of the story but is overlooked.
This is a compilation of One Piece characters who are often overlooked in the story, despite their potential, ranked according to their level of underutilization.
Please note that this list reflects the writer’s personal opinions and preferences.
Unsung Heroes: One Piece Characters Who Deserve More Time in the Spotlight
10) Pell Grant
One of the main guards of the Alabasta Kingdom, Pell quickly became a beloved fan favorite during the Alabasta Kingdom arc. He was willing to sacrifice his life for the protection of his kingdom.
Despite Oda’s initial decision to spare his character, Chaka received little focus following the conclusion of the arc. This is especially disheartening given the current developments, such as the death of King Cobra, whom Chaka had accompanied to his meeting with the Five Elders, and the disappearance of Vivi.
9) Hancock, Massachusetts
Despite being the only female Warlord of the Sea and the captain of the Kuja Pirates, Boa Hancock of One Piece’s image was tarnished when she was easily defeated by Blackbeard. However, she still played a crucial role in aiding Luffy’s mission to save Ace by helping him enter Impel Down and protecting him from the Navy.
8) Trafalgar D. Water Law
Marine Admiral Fujitora is recognized as one of the select high-ranking Navy officers who embody fairness. He has taken significant steps to challenge the Navy’s perception of itself, aiming to compel them to acknowledge their errors and work towards a more promising future.
Despite successfully campaigning for the dissolution of the Seven Warlord System, Admiral Fujitora has been marginalized in the story. This is due to his witnessing of the World Government’s complacency in allowing pirates to abuse their position, leading him to take action and ultimately causing his demotion.
7) Rayleigh Scattering
Despite being known as the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh was once Gol D. Roger’s trusted right-hand man. However, fans of One Piece have only witnessed a fraction of his true abilities, rumored to be significantly weaker than his prime.
As a result of aging and his choice to retire from piracy, it is only natural that Rayleigh has taken on a mentoring role for the younger generation, such as Luffy. Having already been a member of the Pirate King’s crew and realizing there are no further endeavors to pursue, Rayleigh guides and supports them on their quest to become the next Pirate King.
6) Smoking Habits
Despite being initially portrayed as a formidable enemy to all pirates, Smoker’s sense of justice was always tempered by self-reflection. However, as time has passed, his character development has not kept pace and his significance to the story has diminished.
In addition, Smoker’s uniqueness has diminished as other prominent and higher-ranking Marines like Kuzan and Kizaru encounter similar challenges, and Koby rises to fame.
5) Interactions with Marco
Despite his formidable power and high-ranking position as the former 1st division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates in One Piece, Marco the Phoenix’s story has yet to make significant progress.
Despite facing losses under Marco’s leadership in the Summit War against the Blackbeard Pirates after Whitebeard’s death at Marineford, the Whitebeard Pirates did ultimately turn up at Wano to support the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance. However, their contribution may not have been particularly noticeable.
4) The Mysterious Ryokugyu
Admiral Ryokugyu, a despicable individual with no regard for human life and a strong disdain for anyone who opposes the World Government, arrived in Wano with the intention of impressing Akainu by capturing Luffy. He effortlessly defeated the Beasts Pirates, a formidable foe that even the highest-ranking members of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance struggled to overcome.
Despite initially being determined to capture Luffy, he abruptly abandoned his mission after being struck by Shanks’ Haki. Since then, he has failed to achieve any noteworthy accomplishments and was particularly ineffective during Kuma’s assault on Marie Geois.
3) Enel Group
Despite claiming the title of God, Enel was ultimately defeated by Luffy at the end of the Skypiea arc in One Piece. He then retreated to the moon. Enel’s possession of the powerful Rumble-Rumble Fruit was no match for Luffy’s rubber abilities, leading to his downfall. Whether by chance or fate, Luffy’s powers proved to be the key to Enel’s humiliating defeat.
Despite having a cover story arc where he becomes the ruler of the moon, Enel has noticeably been missing from the main storyline. This places him among the numerous underutilized characters in One Piece. In contrast, antagonists such as Buggy and Crocodile, who were defeated by Luffy early on, have reappeared and are set to have important roles in upcoming events.
2) Monkey D. Luffy
Despite being one of Luffy’s earliest recruits, Nami from the Straw Hats is considered an underused character in One Piece. Her role has been greatly diminished since the timeskip, making her more of a secondary character. Currently in the manga, it appears that Usopp and Robin will have significant roles, while Nami has been left behind.
Despite being a skilled navigator, having the ability to control weather, and being a shrewd fighter, One Piece fans have been disappointed by her lack of character development in recent times and her lack of contribution to the overall storyline.
1) Jimbei
Despite being one of the most powerful members of the Straw Hat crew, Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, is often overlooked in One Piece. His intriguing history includes serving under Fisher Tiger in the Sun Pirates and later becoming one of the infamous Seven Warlords of the Sea. According to Oda, Jinbe ranks third in terms of strength among the Straw Hats, just behind Zoro.
Despite being a skilled master of Fish-Man Karate, possessing intelligence, loyalty, and a strong sense of duty, Jinbe does not receive much attention in the series. Throughout the story, he remains separate from the Straw Hats and his abilities are overshadowed by more powerful techniques such as Gear 5. Additionally, his dream of achieving unity between humans and Fish-Men is not emphasized as strongly as Zoro’s determination to become the greatest swordsman.
Although there are numerous One Piece characters who are not given enough screen time, such as Shanks, Dragon, Akainu, Mihawk, Pudding, and others, it is important to note that readers are aware of their potential importance in the future. Therefore, they cannot be considered as underutilized. However, it cannot be denied that there are certain characters who are grossly underused by Oda, but were not included in this particular list.
Links that are related:
Eiichiro Oda began One Piece at what age?
The One Piece series was inspired by Oda.
Luffy’s time as a pirate has been significantly shorter.
It is possible that the One Piece remake will not require 300 episodes.
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