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Top 10 One Piece Characters Ranked by Fans
The list of Top 10 One Piece Characters Ranked by Fans, highlighting their background and origin, a brief explanation of their power, emotional traits, and why they are loved by the fan base is included in this article. One Piece is the second longest-running and top Shonen Anime based on manga sales. One Piece has captured the attention of anime fans worldwide since its debut in April 1999. Eiichiro Oda is the author of this legendary Shonen anime following the adventures of the protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his diverse crew as they set sail across the Grand Line in search of the legendary treasure One Piece.
Monkey D. Luffy
Debut Episode 1: “I’m Luffy! The Man Who Will Become the Pirate King!”
Background & Origin
Mugiwara No Luffy (Monkey D. Luffy) is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and the main protagonist of One Piece. His journey of becoming a pirate started when Luffy met Shanks in the Hamlet Village of the East Blue. Luffy was saved by his hero Shanks from a sea monster; while saving Luffy, Shanks lost his right arm in exchange. Later, Shanks entrusted his treasured Straw Hat to Luffy during his departure from the Hamlet Village and inspired Luffy to set sail to become the King of the Pirates and find the legendary treasure One Piece.
Although there are always mysteries surrounding Luffy’s mother and Oda, who has been very secretive about this topic, we know that Luffy is the grandson of The Hero of the Marine Monkey D. Garp, son of the head of the Revolutionary Army Monkey D. Dragon, also known as the World’s Worst Criminal, and sworn brother to Portgas D. Ace and Sabo.
Luffy is the first known character in One Piece to have eaten a devil fruit. It is a legendary Mythical Zoan-type devil fruit Hito-Hito No Mi Model: Nika (Sun God in Japanese Mythology), which is nonsensical. The World Government tried hiding its real name from the public and named it Gomu-Gomu No Mi (Rubber-Rubber Fruit), a Paramecia type. This devil fruit grants the ability to transfer from Gear 1 to Gear 5. In Gear 5, Luffy has the ever-smiling face, and freedom to manipulate the surroundings around him, along with his enemy, and create objects following his imagination. Additionally, Luffy has an intense will and complete mastery over all the forms of Haki.
“I don’t want to conquer anything. I just think the guy with the most freedom in this whole ocean… is the Pirate King!” – Luffy
Why do Fans Love Monkey D. Luffy?
Fans consider Monkey D. Luffy an ideal anime character. Luffy is carefree, goofy, and hilarious. We see him having fun and goofing around all the time. Luffy never gives up, even when the odds are stacked against him, showcasing his unbreakable will. Luffy is amazingly loyal to his friends and allies. Despite his fun-loving goofy nature, when it’s about protecting his friend’s smile, Luffy does not show mercy to his foes. Moreover, the tragic incident at the Sabaody Archipelago and Marineford adds an emotional depth to his ever-smiling character.
Luffy T-shirt for Fans
Roronoa Zoro
Debut Episode 1: “I’m Luffy! The Man Who Will Become the Pirate King!”
Background & Origin
Roronoa Zoro (Pirare Hunter) is the first crewmate of the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy met Zoro at a marine base in Shells Town, in the East Blue, where Zoro was tied up to the wooden logs for defying Captain Morgan and protecting a little girl from Helmeppo’s cruelty. Luffy saved him after knowing Zoro was a good guy. Zoro joined the crew as a swordsman and is now the vice-captain of the crew. Before joining the crew, Zoro was a feared bounty hunter earning him the title “Pirate Hunter”.
When Zoro was still a kid, Zoro promised his childhood friend, Kuina, that either of them would become the world’s greatest swordsman. After her death, Zoro dedicated his whole life to achieving that goal, and no one is stopping him from achieving that dream.
Zoro is a descendant of the Shimotsuki Clan from Wano Country, where his grandmother is Shimotsuki Furiko, a descendant of God of swordsmen Shimotsuki Ryuma. His grandfather’s name is Roronoa Pinzoro. Zoro is the son of Roronoa Arashi, who died in a battle with pirates, and Tera, the daughter of a Bandit who died due to illness. However, this information was not revealed in the original anime series but was provided by the author in a Q&A session in SBS Volume 105 Chapter 1062, Page 132.
Zoro is an immensely strong character with incredible durability in battles. Zoro is a master swordsman with a unique three-sword technique known as Santoryu, where Zoro uses three swords, one in each hand and another in his mouth. Zoro is confirmed to have Advanced Conqueror Haki, Advanced Armament Haki, and Observation Haki. Wado Ichimonji, Yubashiri, Sandai Kitetsu, Shusui, and Enma are all named swords of Roronoa Zoro in the series. Enma, the sword Zoro recently wielded is known to cut the deepest of hell, which helped him earn the self-proclaimed title of The King Of The Hell.
“I will never lose again! Until the day I defeat him and become the world’s greatest swordsman, I will never be defeated again!” – Roronoa Zoro
Why Fans Love Roronoa Zoro?
Fans love Zoro because Zoro is a badass and cool, unlike Luffy. Zoro is extremely loyal to his captain and is even willing to sacrifice his dream of becoming the world’s strongest swordsman for the sake of his captain Luffy. His unbreakable will to aid Luffy and achieve his goal is often reflected through his actions in the series as we see him training relentlessly. Zoro has also provided us with epic battles and badass moments throughout the journey. Although we see him as a serious character, his duo with Sanji and his hilarious sense of direction add a comedic contrast to his character.
Roronoa Zoro T-shirt For Fans
Vinsmoke Sanji
Debut Episode 20: “King of the Busboys”
Background & Origin
Vinsmoke Sanji is the cook of Straw Hats Pirates. Sanji along with Zoro, are considered to be the two wings of our future pirate king Monkey D. Luffy. Sanji was born in the Germa Kingdom. Sanji was the third son of the Vinsmoke family, All his siblings were genetically modified to become cold and ruthless assassins. But unlike his siblings, Sanji was normal, hence Sanji was continuously bullied by his brothers and eventually ran from his family to North Blue with the aid of his sister. At North Blue, Sanji started working as a cook on a ship where Sanji met Red-Leg Zeff after a tragic incident. Finally, Red-Leg Zeff took him to the Baratie in the East Blue.
Sanji is the son of Vinsmoke Judge and Sora, who died due to the effects of a poisonous drug Sora took to counteract Judge’s genetic modifications on her children. Sanji is the brother of Vinsmoke Reiju, Vinsmoke Ichiji, Vinsmoke Niji, and Vinsmoke Yonji. But his true family is Owner Jeff (Red Leg Jeff) and the members of Baratie Restaurant.
Sanji is an extremely powerful kicker. His kicks are named after a French culinary term. Being a member of the Vinsmoke Family, Sanji received a raid suit during Whole Cake Island from Niji, who hid the capsule containing the raid suit inside Luffy’s straw hat. During Wano, while fighting Page One, Sanji used the raid suit to unlock the power of invisibility. After using it Sanji awakened an exoskeleton with enhanced strength, speed, and durability, abilities similar to his siblings. Now Sanji can endure more heat, converting his previously red flames to blue flames, and channel ultimate speed through which Sanji can vanish mid-air. Sanji is also considered a Supreme Observation Haki user surpassing even his captain Luffy.
“No matter what, I will protect the people I love. I’ll go to hell for them if I have to!” – Vinsmoke Sanji
Why Fans Love Vinsmoke Sanji?
Despite his perverted behavior, we fans love him for being an absolute gentleman and the way Sanji shows respect to all women, whether they are ugly or beautiful. Sanji is one of the most kindest character in the series. If it’s about protecting his crew, Sanji can also sacrifice himself as Sanji did after Dressrosa. Sanji and Zoro consistently fight and call out names to each other, this adds even more fun-loving element to the crew we love.
Portgas D. Ace
Debut Episode 91: “Farewell Drum Island! I’m Going Out to Sea!”
Background & Origin
Portgas D. Ace (Fire Fist Ace), was born in a small village in South Blue named Baterilla. To protect Ace from the Marines hunting for Gol D. Roger’s child, his mother carried him in her womb for 20 months. After his birth, Monkey D. Garp took him under his wing and left him in the mountains in the Goa Kingdom with mountain bandits where Ace met Sabo and Luffy and eventually formed a brotherly bond. At the age of 17, Ace sailed to the sea.
Ace was the captain of the Spade Pirates. On his journey to becoming a famous pirate, Ace faced the World’s Strongest Man Edward Newgate, where Ace lost the battle and had to abandon his pirate crew. After his defeat, Ace joined the Whitebeard Pirates and slowly rose to the position of Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Although Ace had immense strength, unbreakable will, and charisma, Ace met a tragic fate during the Marineford War, sacrificing his own life for his sworn brother Luffy. The death of Portgas D. Ace is one of The Most Heartbreaking Moments in One Piece history.
Ace was the son of the late King of Pirate Gol D. Roger, who died in execution in Loguetown, and Portgas D. Rouge, who died soon after giving birth to him. Ace was sworn brother of Sabo and Luffy, a member of the Dadan Bandits Family, and an honorary Grandson to Monkey D. Garp. Ace was born with a destiny Ace never chose, therefore Ace rejected his father’s legacy and sailed to sea to carve his path as a pirate where Ace found a true family under the legendary Whitebeard Pirate.
Ace was the wielder of Mera Mera No Mi (Flame Flame) devil fruit, a logia-type devil fruit granting the user the ability to control and turn their body into fire. Ace was also among the few characters who had Conquers Haki in the series. Moreover, Ace was stronger than Luffy before Ace was dead.
“Old man, everyone! Even though I was so useless… even though I carried the blood of a demon… you still loved me! Thank you so much!” – Portgas D. Ace
Why Fans Love Portgas D. Ace?
Fans love him for his cool and charismatic personality. Despite his carefree attitude at times, Ace was well-behaved in comparison to his brother Luffy. His love for his brother Luffy was immense. We saw him meeting Shanks to personally thank him for saving his brother Luffy. Ace also sacrificed his life trying to protect his brother from Akainu. This act of sacrifice secured his place in our hearts. His emotional last words, thanking his crewmates and Luffy for loving him despite his bad blood, still bring tears to the eyes of most One Piece fans.
Don Quixote Doflamingo
Debut Episode 151: “The 100,000,000 Man! The World’s Highest Authority and the Pirate Blackbeard”
Background & Origin
Don Quixote Doflamingo, (Heavenly Demon) is a manipulative, fearsome villain in the One Piece World. Doflamingo was once a Celestial Dragon but after his father renounced their privilege, Doflamingo had to abandon his noble status. This incident led to a tragic childhood where commoners persecuted him and his family. This experience twisted Doflamingo into a ruthless Warlord. Doflamingo rose to power as the King of Dressrosa, an underworld arms dealer where Doflamingo was known as Joker, and the leader of the Donquixote Pirates.
Doflamingo is the son of Donquixote Homing, previously a celestial dragon and elder brother of Donquixote Rosinante, a member of the Marine, as known as Corazon. Later Doflamingo formed the Donquixote Family, where Trebol, Diamante, Pica, Vergo, Baby 5, Buffalo, Lao G, Gladius, Señor Pink, Sugar, and Jora were the family’s adopted members.
Doflamingo owns Ito Ito No Mi (String String) devil fruit, which grants him the ability to create and control strings. Doflamingo also has complete mastery over his devil fruit ability and is the first known character in One Piece to awaken his devil fruit power. His Bird Cage ability embodied by his Armament Haki was too powerful even for an admiral to overpower it.
“Pirates are evil? The Marines are righteous? These terms have always changed throughout history! Kids who have never seen peace and kids who have never seen war have different values!” – Don Quixote Doflamingo
Why Fans Love Don Quixote Doflamingo?
We admire Doflamingo for his cool and charismatic personality. His sunglasses, flamboyant pink feather coat resembling a pink flamingo bird, and ruthless nature make him the most liked villain of One Piece. Though Doflamingo is a truly menacing antagonist, his tragic backstory as a kid adds depth to his character. His laughter is also amazingly unique and people go nuts after his laugh.
Doflamingo T-shirt For One Piece Fans
Information Table
Shanks
Debut Episode 4: “Luffy’s Past! The Red-Haired Shanks Appears”
Background & Origin
Shanks, aka Red-Haired Shanks, is among the most mysterious characters and one of The Four Emperors (Yonko) of the sea. Shanks is the captain of the Red Hair Pirates. Shanks, along with Buggy, was once an apprentice on Roger’s Pirate, making him among the few characters with direct ties to The Pirate King Gol D. Roger himself. Shanks went to the Hemlet village in East Blue where Shanks met Luffy and inspired Monkey D. Luffy to become a pirate, even giving him the iconic Straw Hat Shanks received from Gol D. Roger.
Shanks’ family background was unknown to anime fans up until recently in Chapter 1137 it was revealed that Shanks has a twin brother who is named Shamrock Figarland and Shamrock is the captain of God Knight and his father is Figarland Garling previous the captain of the God Knight now new member of Gorosei (Five Elders).
Shanks is known for his incredible mastery over all forms of Haki. His conqueror Haki can knock multiple foes at a time and even make the admirals tremble from a distance. It is even said that Shanks can see multiple minutes into the future, which provides him with the ability to prevent the worst-case scenario. Shanks also wields Gryphon which is one among The 12 Supreme Grade Blades in One Piece verse.
“You can spill drinks on me, even spit on me. I’ll laugh it off. But… if you hurt my friends, I won’t forgive you.” – Shanks
Why do Fans Love Shanks?
Fans love Shanks because Shanks the mentor of Luffy, saved him, and inspired him to go on a journey to claim the legendary treasure of One Piece. According to fans, Shanks is among the strongest characters of all time and Shanks is even considered to be the strongest Yonko. Shanks is mysterious, respected, and feared at the same time, with him being able to stop the Marineford war with just his presence. Fans also love him for his laid-back and carefree attitude, similar to Luffy and his overpowered Haki.
Trafalgar D. Water Law
Debut Episode 392: “Shichibukai! Trafalgar Law”
Background & Origin
Trafalgar D. Water Law is an intriguing character with a heart-wrenching backstory that can make One Piece fans cry their heart out. Born in Flevance, a country in the North Blue, the whole country suffered from Amber Lead Syndrome, caused by prolonged exposure to Amber Lead (a rare white mineral). Fearing that Amber Lead Syndrome was contagious, the military of the neighboring county exterminated the entire population of the Flevance. The only known person to survive that incident was Trafalgar D. Water Law. Formerly a Warlord, a member of the worst generation of pirates, Law is also the captain of the Heart Pirates. Law is better known as the “Surgeon of Death” due to his devil fruit ability.
Law is the son of Trafalgar D. Water Tera and the elder brother of Trafalgar D. Water Lami. Although his father’s name is unknown to us, after the Flevance incident, Law found another fatherly figure in Don Quixote Rosinante, also the brother of Don Quixote Doflamingo.
Law possesses one of the most broken devil fruits in the series, Ope Ope no Mi (Op-Op Fruit), a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit granting him the ability to manipulate objects within a certain area. In his recent battle with Big Mom, Law was able to awaken his devil fruit ability, upgrading his ROOM ability to KROOM, granting him the ability to create a small floating “ROOM” around his sword, instead of a large area, allowing him to ignore external defenses of his enemy.
“I don’t care about justice. I care about revenge!” – Trafalgar D. Water Law
Why Fans Love Trafalgar D. Water Law?
We cherish Trafalgar D. Water Law for his painful backstory, powerful ability, and cool and mysterious demeanor. Law is intelligent and a tactical genius, which is the reason why he is independent and one of the most competent characters. Despite his calm and serious persona, his interaction with the Straw Hat Pirate after Punk Hazard brought out both a funnier and sarcastic side that we enjoy.
Charlotte Katakuri
Debut Episode 833: “Returning the Sake Cup! The Manly Jinbe Declares His Departure”
Background & Origin
Charlotte Katakuri is among the three sweet commanders of Big Mom Pirates. Katakuri is also the right-hand man of Big Mom. When Katakuri was a kid, Katakuri was constantly trolled by others for his deformity but Katakuri did not care. Only when the kids injured Brulee for being the sister of Katakuri, did Katakuri cover his mouth and attack the children. His love and protective nature towards his siblings made him an ideal brother and inspired him to become a perfect warrior. Katakuri loves eating donuts and we see him eating donuts even while Katakuri fighting Luffy.
Though his father is unknown, his mother was a former Yonko Big Mom. Katakuri is the second son of Big Mom after Perospero. Katakuri has 45 brothers and 39 sisters. Perospero, Compote, Daifuku, Oven, Mondée, Amande, Hachée, Effilée, Cracker, Smoothie, Pudding, Cracker, Biscuit, Brûlée and 70 others.
Katakuri is the second-strongest member of Big Mom Pirates. Katakuri has eaten a Special Paramecia-type Devil Fruit called Mochi Mochi No Mi (Dough Dough) which grants him the ability to control mochi. His dedication to protecting his siblings was immense hence Katakuri trained extremely hard and even awakened his devil fruit ability. Katakuri has also mastered his Observation Haki, which allowed him to look a few seconds into the future. During Whole Cake Island his Armament Haki was stronger than our main character Monkey D. Luffy. Katakuri is also among the few characters who can use Conqueror Haki.
“I don’t care about what the world thinks of me. As long as I protect my family, that’s enough.” – Charlotte Katakuri
Why Fans Love Charlotte Katakuri?
Despite his fierce exterior, we all love Katakuri for his dedication to protecting his siblings at all costs. Katakuri does not discriminate against their siblings based on their looks or appearance. His code of honor is also well respected by fans. We saw him injuring himself in battle with Luffy when his sister Charlotte Flampe intervened. Katakuri is a brilliant tactician who relies mostly on his future sight rather than his brute strength.
Dracule Mihawk
Debut Episode 23: “Protect Baratie! The Great Pirate, Zeff!”
Background & Origin
Dracule Mihawk formally known as Marine Hunter is a rival to Shanks and mentor to Zoro. Mihawk was also a member of Shichibukai, the seven Warlords of the Sea. We first saw him in Baratie where Mihawk was hunting Don Krieg just for fun. Mihawk cut down 49 out of 50 ships of Don Krieg when they encountered each other in the Grandline. Mihawk used to live in Kuraigana Island up until recently Mihawk had to leave Kuraigana Island because the Marine abandoned Shichibukai and started chasing them. Now Mihawk is a member of Cross Guild alongside Buggy and Crocodile where they put bounties on Marine and hunt them.
His origin and lineage are still unknown to us.
Dracule Mihawk holds the title of The World’s Greatest Swordsman. Though much of his abilities are still unknown to us, him being the rival of Shanks reflects how powerful Mihawk is. Mihawk holds Yoru which is among The 12 Supreme Grade Swords.
“A swordsman’s strength is judged not only by his blade but also by his heart.” – Dracule Mihawk
Why Fans Love Dracule Mihawk?
We all love Mihawk because Mihawk is overwhelmingly powerful. Whenever we get glimpses of him throughout the series, no matter the situation we see him surprisingly cool and calm. Though Mihawk is among the strongest, Mihawk is not arrogant as we saw him admiring Roronoa Zoro at the beginning of the series for being an absolute warrior and taking a direct slash from his sword in his chest rather than his back. We also love him for his mysterious and lone-wolf kind of persona.
Niko Robin
Debut Episode 37: “Deliver Princess Vivi! The Luffy Pirates Set Sail!”
Background & Origin
Nico Robin (Demon Child) was born on the island of Ohara. Ohara was a land of scholars studying the Void Century. Robin was interested in archaeologist from a young age. Robin is the only person alive in One Piece who can read Poneglyphs. Poneglyphs is an ancient stone containing information on lost history. When the World Government found that scholars in Ohara were studying ancient history, they found it threatening. Hence, Buster Call was ordered by the World Government on Ohara, destroying the whole island. Nico Robin was the sole survivor of that incident with the help of Jaguar D. Saul a Vice Admiral of Marine.
After fleeing, Robin was named “Demon Child” and given a bounty of 79 Million Berries at the age of 8. Later, Robin allied with Crocodile as a member of Baroque Works in Alabasta as “Miss All Sunday”. Finally, Robin joined Straw Hat Pirates where Robin found her true family who Robin could trust and rely on. Despite her tragic past, now we see her smiling throughout the journey with the crew.
Robin is the daughter of Nico Olvia. Olvia was an archaeologist from Ohara uncovering ancient history but died in Buster Call. Though we don’t know about her father, Robin had a fatherly figure in Professor Clover who also died in Buster Call. Robin also had a true friend in Jaguar D. Saul who was thought to be dead but in the recent manga on Elbaf, we can see her being united with him. Moreover, her true home is where Straw Hat pirates are.
Nico Robin has eaten Hana Hana no Mi (Flower Flower). It is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that grants her to create and control multiple copies of her body parts. After the post time skip Robin was even able to fly and create her entire body. Recently in Wano, we also saw her using Armament Haki learned from Sabo while using her ability “Demonio Fleur” where Robin actually looked like a demon. While training with the Revolutionary Army, Kaola also taught her Fishman Karate.
“I don’t care if I live or die. But I want to see the world’s true history!” – Niko Robin
Why do Fans Love Niko Robin?
We all love Robin for her ability to combine serious conversation with humor. We often see her scaring her crewmates Nami and Ussop with her weird thoughts. Though Robin was introduced as an antagonist in the beginning, after finding out her truth viewers had a sense of sympathy for her. Her “I Want to Live” dialogue during Enes Lobby still touches our hearts. After being separated from the crew after Sabaody Archipelago, Robin even tries to further enhance her strength for the sake of Luffy which reflects her loyalty.
