20 Strongest One Piece Characters of All Time, Ranked

One Piece is home to more than a thousand characters created by the brilliant mind of Eiichiro Oda. Throughout its over-quarter-of-a-century run, the animanga series has introduced fans to numerous legendary characters who have the power to shake up the seas all on their own. The debate about the most powerful characters in One Piece is never-ending, so we thought why not add to it? So, here is our list of the 20 strongest characters of all time in One Piece.

Spoilers Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers about the powers and abilities of One Piece characters. So, make sure to catch up to the latest story arc before to avoid ruining your intended experience.

20. Shiki

• Debut: Anime Film: Strong World
• Devil Fruit: Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Float-Float Fruit)
• Haki: Unknown
• Bounty: Unknown

Yeah, we are starting our list with Shiki the Golden Lion, aka the Flying Pirate. Many write off Shiki from the all-time list, thinking he isn’t canon. However, he is indeed one and has several noteworthy achievements to his name. Before Luffy escaped Impel Down with the help of new friends, Shiki was mentioned as the first person to break out of this impenetrable prison.

Shiki was a former member of the Rocks Pirates alongside Whitebeard, Kaido, and more legends in One Piece. Like his former captain Rocks, he was a nemesis of Roger. Shiki reigned high in the seas with tremendous strength, skillful swordsmanship, and a great devil fruit power by his side. It took the combined efforts of Garp and Sengoku to defeat Shiki, and their epic battle left the Marineford obliterated at that time.

Shiki is also said to have commanded the biggest fleet of his time. Now, there is enough reason for why we have him on this list. But there is one more big reason as he is teased to return in the canon story in the ongoing Elbaf arc. Therefore, let’s see how Oda incorporates this classic and powerful character into the story.

19. Aokiji

• Debut: Anime Episode 225 and Manga Chapter 303
• Devil Fruit: Hie Hie no Mi (Ice-Ice Fruit)
• Haki: Armament and Observation
• Bounty: Under Consideration

Aokiji, aka Kuzan, who should have been leading the Marines as their Fleet Admiral is pushed back in life to become a member of the Blackbeard Pirates. Kuzan hasn’t always been so strong from the beginning, but he became a prodigy, thanks to his mentor Garp. He honed his strength and skills in tandem with the powers of the Hie Hie no Mi. It is one of the strongest logia devil fruits that simply eliminated the weakness of all other devil fruits, which was the sea.

Kuzan is also an expert in Haki, so you can see how the ex-admiral ticked everything off the charts in terms of powers. He came out of Marineford almost unscathed after battling against juggernauts like Whitebeard, Jozu, and others, and lost the 10-day battle against Akainu by an inch.

Aokiji has become one hell of a cold character, especially after going toe-to-toe against his mentor and winning on the Hachinosu island. Kuzan is confirmed to be a vital character in the final race to the One Piece treasure. Many believe he is a spy of the Sword organization and will soon betray his crew and Blackbeard.

18. Big Mom

• Debut: Anime Episode 571 and Manga Chapter 651
• Devil Fruit: Soru Soru no Mi (Soul-Soul Fruit)
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: 4,388,000,000 berries

Big Mom, aka Charlotte Linlin, has been a constant menace to everyone throughout the story. She was the first female pirate to become a Yonko, and thereby, she continued to surprise the fans and became the greatest female pirate of all time. Big Mom has always been a threat since she was a kid, as you know well about her incident with the Giants.

She was also a former member of the Rocks Pirates alongside Kaido and later put together her own crew, which was also one of the largest pirate crews we have ever seen. Linlin had a fearsome devil power with which she reduced the life spans of enemies and brought life to inanimate objects.

She was a master of haki capable of splitting heavens but her unstable mental state brought her end in the hands of Law and Kid. Still, she will always be remembered as a strong pirate to have ever set sail on these grand seas.

17. Sengoku

• Debut: Anime Episode 151 and Manga Chapter 234
• Devil Fruit: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu (Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddhaa)
• Haki: Unknown
• Bounty: Nil

Sengoku, the ex-fleet admiral of the Marines was considered to be one of the greatest characters to don the Marines uniform. During their era, he was right next to Monkey D. Garp, and Gol D. Roger, the pirate king, acknowledged him to be a worthy rival. With his Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu powers (one of the strongest mythical zoans), he was rightfully known as Sengoku the Buddha.

He transformed into a giant Buddha and smacked everyone in his way with gigantic strength. But, we have only seen a demo of his powers to this date. Now that he has retired, I doubt we will ever see him back in action, but he sure needs to be a part of my list of strongest One Piece characters.

16. Kaido

• Debut: Anime Episode 736 and Manga Chapter 795
• Devil Fruit: Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu (Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon)
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: 4,611,100,000 berries

I totally understand if you are wondering why we have placed Kaido so low on this list. I’m equally perplexed, but we have some major characters that are stronger than Kaido. Moreover, his defeat in the story was influenced by various factors during the raid. Kaido was the epitome of ‘built different’ and befittingly known as the strongest creature in the world. There was also a popular saying among the inhabitants that if it was a one-on-one battle, always bet on Mr. Kaido.

As a former member of the Rocks Pirates, Kaido kept growing in power with his experience. He also had the powers of Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu which made him a nearly untouchable dragon. Kaido utilized the powers of his mythical zoan fruit and wreaked havoc throughout the seas to become the pirate with the highest bounty.

Taking a look back at the raid of Onigashima, Kaido annihilated everyone even when they came in groups and defeated Luffy multiple times. If it weren’t for Luffy’s Gear 5 form, he would have been the winner again. But he was right about the person who would be able to defeat him, and he would be Joy Boy. So, Kaido had to be nerfed for the need of the story and we won’t be ever forgetting this absolute powerhouse of a character.

15. Monkey D. Luffy

• Debut: Anime Episode 736 and Manga Chapter 795
• Devil Fruit: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika (Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika)
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: 3,000,000,000 berries

Luffy becoming the king of the pirates and eventually the most powerful One Piece character is inevitable. Everyone is well aware of this fact and our rubbery hero has made a big name for himself in the story. If you have been following him and the Straw Hat Pirates for a long time, his character growth speaks for itself. He has become a Yonko and is fast sailing towards attaining the One Piece.

Previously, when people thought Luffy only could grow to a certain level with his Gomu Gomu no Mi devil fruit, Oda surprised the fandom with an unexpected twist. Luffy was revealed to be the user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, a Mythical Zoan devil that transformed him into the sun god Nika. He has achieved the pinnacle of his powers and it is being only limited by his imagination.

After Gear 5’s introduction in the Wano Country arc (one of the best One Piece arcs), Luffy began to master it, as seen in the Egghead arc when he fought against Lucci and Admiral Kizaru. He has even managed to hold his ground against the demonic Five Elders, which is a massive feat.

It’s clear that Luffy is miles ahead of everyone with one of the strongest devil fruits in existence. He has started marching towards the top and will be sitting on the throne at the end of One Piece.

14. Marshall D. Teach

• Debut: Anime Episode 146 and Manga Chapter 223
• Devil Fruit: Yami Yami no Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit) and Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit)
• Haki: Armament and Observation
• Bounty: 3,996,000,000 berries

There was also one other character from the worst generation of pirates who quickly rose to glory, Blackbeard, the arch nemesis of Luffy. Who would’ve thought he would be Luffy’s final opponent during his introduction, right? However, Teach has been cunningly climbing up the power status throughout the story.

Everyone knows him as an anomaly as he is the only character to ever use two devil fruit powers at the same time. To top it off, both the Yami Yami no Mi and Gura Gura no Mi are world-ending powers that have ended up in the wrong hands. The fans speculate Blackbeard would gain his third devil fruit soon as he was always linked with three souls.

Whether he added one more devil fruit power or not, he had already become a terrifying antagonist who seemed to be one step ahead of everyone. He has armament and observation haki, and he will be getting his conquerors pretty soon. So, he is going to be the biggest hurdle for Luffy, next to Imu in One Piece.

13. Monkey D. Dragon

• Debut: Anime Episode 52 and Manga Chapter 100
• Devil Fruit: Unknown
• Haki: Unknown
• Bounty: Unknown

Monkey D. Dragon is the father of the protagonist, Luffy, and the son of the legendary Garp. He is the most wanted criminal on the planet. Although he was first introduced in chapter 100, even after a thousand chapters, we know very little about his character. That’s why the fans troll him as the strongest character who only kept looking in the east direction whenever he appeared.

Despite the trolls, I seriously believe Dragon will be revealed to have one of the most powerful devil fruits. Since he is the protagonist’s father, I’m sure he will be overpowered as you know how fathers get treated by Shonen mangakas. He has been associated with wind power and became a fearsomely reputed character. So, he is a stronger character, but we have to wait for the revelation.

12. Akainu

• Debut: Anime Episode 278 and Manga Chapter 397
• Devil Fruit: Magu Magu no Mi (Magma-Magma Fruit)
• Haki: Armament and Observation
• Bounty: Five Crowns

Sakazuki, popularly known as Akainu, stands tall as the strongest marine of his generation. As the current fleet admiral, we see him inside his office all the time, but let’s not forget the destruction he caused with his magma powers during the Marineford War arc. It should be noted that his fleet admiral’s Magma-Magma fruit is the second most powerful logia devil fruit.

This devil fruit exists for only one reason, which is destruction, and fittingly landed in the hands of this extremist. He smashed Whitebeard’s face, killed Ace (find out the episode in which Ace dies in the anime), and overwhelmed more pirates, such as Jinbe, Marco, and others, during the war.

As we have entered the final saga of One Piece, Akainu will be pushed to the battlefield where he will become a major threat again. So, let’s see if he can climb up any higher in this list and prove to be the strongest marine of all time.

11. Oden

• Debut: Anime Episode 910 and Manga Chapter 920
• Devil Fruit: None
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: Unknown

When talking about the legends of One Piece, we have to include Kozuki Oden on our list. He was the mightiest samurai we ever came across and got to be a member of both the legendary Roger and Whitebeard Pirates. Oden was formidable from a young age, as shown in the Wano tales, and only continued to grow stronger.

He was one of the non-devil fruit users, yet he cemented his name in the strongest of all time list with his swordsmanship and haki. He has clashed against legends like Roger and Whitebeard and stood his ground. If it weren’t for Kurozumi Higurashi’s distraction, Oden would have killed Kaido. He was the only character ever to give Kaido a scar.

Thus, Kaido, the strongest creature acknowledged his power and even called him a legend of this world when talking with Luffy. Even during his death, Oden’s incredible endurance and strength to save his friends was unmatched. Oden will always be honored in our hearts.

10. Silvers Rayleigh

• Debut: Anime Episode 8 and Manga Chapter 19
• Devil Fruit: None
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: Unknown

Silvers Rayleigh, infamously known as the Dark King, was the right-hand man of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger. Like his captain, Rayleigh was a titan among the other characters in this world. He wasn’t a devil fruit user, but he had a fearsome reputation everywhere he went.

Rayleigh was one of the mightiest swordsmen and when combined with his impeccable proficiency in all types of Haki, he was a force to be reckoned with. That is the reason why everyone dreaded the Dark King and even recently Blackbeard trembled upon seeing Rayleigh’s “color of supreme king.”

Even though Rayleigh said he couldn’t win against Blackbeard at his current age, let’s not forget how glorious he was in his prime.

9. Dracule Mihawk

• Debut: Anime Episode 23 and Manga Chapter 49
• Devil Fruit: None
• Haki: Armament and Observation
• Bounty: 3,590,000,000 berries

Dracule “Hawkeyes” Mihawk was established as the greatest swordsman in the One Piece world, even before the Great Pirate Era commenced. He has been reigning as the greatest swordsman and one of the strongest figures for a long time. His swordsmanship was unprecedented as seen when he was casually slicing through battleships and icebergs.

Indeed, he is the master of the blade, and his title Hawkeyes also conveys how great his observation haki skills are. He is also a proficient user of Armament haki and is yet to be confirmed to possess Conqueror’s haki. But it is intended he already has it and as the rival of Shanks, we expect him to be back on track in the final war.

8. Shanks

• Debut: Anime Episode 4 and Manga Chapter 1
• Devil Fruit: None
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: 4,048,900,000 berries

Akagami Shanks, the captain of the Red Hair Pirates, is another phenomenon without having any devil fruit power. He served as an apprentice to the Roger Pirates and rose to be the true successor of the Pirate King. Despite his minimal screentime, Shanks had always set the screens on fire with his elite swordsmanship and supreme haki abilities.

He is currently the master of haki in One Piece. He is the only character to get the moniker of “Killer of Observation Haki” as he can use an advanced form of haki to cancel his enemy’s observation haki. We can talk about his powers all day because that is how powerful he is. But, can Shanks’ twin brother surpass him?

He is the strongest emperor of his time and has his eyes set on the One Piece. The recent episodes of the Egghead arc featured the epic showdown between Shanks and Kid (one of the favorite One Piece episodes of 2024) which showcased Shanks’ haki and sword skills at play. We will be seeing more of his powers shortly.

7. The Five Elders

• Debut: Anime Episode 151 and Manga Chapter 233
• Devil Fruits: Unknown
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: Unknown

For a long time, the Gorosei aka the Five Elders were comfortable in their seats inside the Pangaea castle in Mary Geoise. But once the final saga kicked off, they jumped out of their seats and revealed their true demonic powers to the world. We have always known that these five elders must be quite strong, as they were subordinates of Imu. But, little did we know each has devilish powers inspired by Japanese yokai.

Moreover, they were seen to possess unreal haki powers unlike we have ever seen before as their presence and sheer haki power were felt by everyone at Egghead. Together these five elders were more than capable of destroying an entire island. They were also confirmed to be immortal as St. Saturn was revealed to have existed for a long time.

Now that Saturn was killed by Imu, Figarland Garling has joined the gang which makes them even more powerful. They have made the God’s Knights fully operational in the story, and I’m keeping them here in this position until we learn more about each elders’ devil fruits.

6. Whitebeard

• Debut: Anime Episode 151 and Manga Chapter 234
• Devil Fruit: Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit)
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: 5,046,000,000 berries

It’s been a long time since Edward Newgate, popularly known as Whitebeard, remained active yet nobody can disagree that he was an indomitable entity in the One Piece world. Whitebeard with the powers of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit duly rivalled Gol D. Roger in their prime era. He was popularly called the “Strongest Man in the World” and had the second-highest bounty of all time.

It was said that the Gura Gura no Mi devil fruit’s power was capable of putting an end to the One Piece world, and the man utilized it ideally to become one of the strongest characters of One Piece.

In his prime, Whitebeard battled against Roger, Oden, and others, and when he wasn’t in his prime, he was so feared by the Marines that they had to summon everyone on duty to fight against this old man. I think this unbelievable fact was more than enough to prove Whitebeard’s monstrous power.

5. Monkey D. Garp

• Debut: Anime Episode 68 and Manga Chapter 92
• Devil Fruit: None
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: Three Crowns

Before Luffy’s father Dragon showcased his powers to the fans, his father Monkey D. Garp proved why he used to be the rival to the pirate king, Roger. No devil fruit powers or weapons, Garp always relied on his good old fists to teach a lesson to anyone with his hands. That was why he was popularly called “Garp the Fist.”

During the God Valley Incident, after teaming up with Roger and defeating Rocks, he also earned the title “Hero of the Marines,” which he is still to this day. Garp became the embodiment of raw power in One Piece. The fact that his achievements were made without a devil fruit power was a testament to how mighty he remains to this day.

Even past his prime, he clashed and caused big trouble for the members of the Blackbeard Pirates at Hachinosu including his ex-pupil Aokiji. This old man shouldn’t be taken lightly as he also survived the deadly attack by Kuzan.

Garp has already proved his worth and greatness but Oda keeping him alive essentially means there is one more chapter left to unleash his powers again. People who doubted him have been disproved already and will be disproven again and again.

4. Gol D. Roger

• Debut: Anime Episode 1 and Manga Chapter 1
• Devil Fruit: None
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: 5,564,800,000 berries

Remember when Kaido remarked that haki can transcend every power including devil fruits? Gol D. Roger was the perfect example of that, as mentioned by the strongest creature. Without having any devil fruit powers, Roger commanded the seas with his supreme haki powers alone and became the Pirate King. He still has the highest bounty of all time to his name, and I don’t think this record will be beaten anytime soon.

Roger was invincible in his days and only very few characters had the power to challenge him. He battled against Whitebeard, Oden, Garp, and many others, all in their prime. He had a renowned sword, Ace, which was one of the strongest swords we have ever seen.

Roger was a juggernaut in One Piece history and his greatness will continue to be unprecedented among pirates (as well as fans) for ages to come.

3. Rocks D. Xebec

• Debut: Anime Episode 958 and Manga Chapter 957
• Devil Fruit: Unknown
• Haki: Unknown
• Bounty: Unknown

Before you come at me with pitchforks, let me explain why I have placed Rocks above Roger and Garp on our list. Rocks D. Xebec was an infamous pirate before Roger took over as the pirate king. Thus, before Whitebeard or Garp, Rocks was known to be the first and main rival of Roger during their days. Rock’s power and complete history are yet to be revealed in the story.

However, certain facts indicate that he was a way overpowered character in One Piece. First, Roger and Garp had to work together to take down Rocks during the God Valley Incident which proved he was significantly more powerful than them at that time.

Next, he was the captain of the crew that included legends like Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, Shiki, etc (most of whom you have seen on this list). To be a captain of such prodigies, he must have been an icon. Rocks was an intellectually powerful person as well. We have to wait for the day when the veteran pirate’s entire history will be unveiled to the world, and we shall know the magnitude of his powers.

2. Imu

• Debut: Anime Episode 885 and Manga Chapter 906
• Devil Fruit: Unknown
• Haki: Unknown
• Bounty: Unknown

Who would have thought there was a secret ruler of the World Government all along in One Piece? Nerona Imu was introduced late in the story, yet they were absolutely overpowered as the supreme leader. They instantly leaped to be known as the strongest characters of all time until Joy Boy was introduced to the fandom. Even though we have seen Imu in action a few times, the character and their powers remain as mysterious as ever.

As the supreme leader of the One Piece world, Imu controls every great power, including the God’s Knights, Marines, Seraphims, Ancient Weapons, etc. But what made them truly terrifying was their immortality and demonic powers. They were seen transforming into a giant demon during Sabo’s interception like the rest of the Five Elders.

When Saturn failed his mission at Egghead, Imu killed him telepathically despite being hundreds of miles away. It is speculated that Imu shares these devil powers with the rest of the Gorosei. Nerona Imu will be the penultimate or even the final boss for Luffy in One Piece. However, before that, we are eager to learn their backstory.

1. Joy Boy

• Debut: Anime Episode TBD and Manga Chapter 1115
• Devil Fruit: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika (Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika)
• Haki: Conqueror’s, Armament and Observation
• Bounty: Unknown

We didn’t know anything about Joy Boy for a long time until Dr. Vegapunk shed some light on this legend recently. He was the first ever pirate to set sail on the seas!

Joy Boy was so powerful in his time that twenty kingdoms who feared him had to join together and defeat him. He was also confirmed to be the previous user of Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika before Luffy and that explained why Zunesha and Emet misunderstood Luffy to be Joy Boy.

The recently revealed silhouette of Joy Boy confirmed he had awakened his powers and utilized Gear 5 in battle. But what’s more special than that was his godly haki powers unlike we have ever seen before. Joy Boy possessed advanced forms of haki to the point he could store his conqueror’s haki as a knot inside Emet. When unleashed it knocked the Marines, restored the Elders to their normal forms, and even made Imu tremble in fear (though they were at Mary Geoise).

The first pirate from the Great Kingdom is the strongest character we’ve ever known in One Piece. It will take a long time for Luffy to reach this level, and before that, we all want to witness his complete Nika powers in the story.

Well, these are our top picks for the strongest One Piece characters of all time. I know that several characters, such as the members of Straw Hat Pirates, Red Hair Pirates, and the God’s Knights, are missing. However, we are keeping them out of our list for now as we don’t have enough information about their powers to make a conclusive decision about their ranking. In the meantime, let us know who you think is the strongest One Piece character in the comments below.