Summary
- Characters like Oden and Big Mom live up to their hype with impressive skills and reputations.
- Crocodile's cunning and power as a Shichibukai match his evil reputation in Alabasta.
- Jinbe and Vegapunk exceed expectations with their abilities and intelligence when revealed in the story.
By the time Luffy officially kicks off his journey as a pirate, there had already been countless prominent individuals who had made a name for themselves in the world of One Piece. Anyone who has read or watched One Piece will know that Oda loves teasing and mentioning a character before revealing them much later down the road, though whether they manage to live up to their weighty reputation is another matter entirely.
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Thankfully, most of the hyped-up characters make an incredible first impression when they finally step out of the shadows, proving to Luffy and the gang why their name has become so well-known far and wide. With that being said, these pirates, revolutionaries, and marines listed below are among the biggest examples of characters who, despite having a prolific reputation to live up to, managed to do just that. Before jumping in, this list will contain minor spoilers up to the Eggman Island arc.
This list contains spoilers!
6 Oden
Wano's Hero Makes A Big Impression When He's Revealed In A Flashback
- First Appearance: Episode 910
It's not long after Luffy and the crew set foot in Wano that they start hearing legends about a mythical-like figure known as Kouzuki Oden. With how much people speak of his achievements and contributions to Wano, it's fair to say this guy had pretty big expectations weighing on him, but it soon becomes clear why he has become such a renowned figure among his countrymen.
As shown in his lengthy flashback, Oden strives to open Wano's borders, leading him on an epic journey where he sails the seas with not only Whitebeard, but eventually Roger, who would be his captain when he finally reaches the One Piece. Oden's skills as a swordsman also cannot be understated, especially considering he was the only person strong enough to leave a lasting scar on Kaido before Zoro eventually did many years later.
5 Big Mom
The Terrifying Yonko Proved Worthy Of Her Infamous Reputation
- First Appearance: Episode 571
Big Mom is first introduced near the end of the Fishman Island where she berates Luffy for stealing her sweets. Pekoms, who works as one of Big Mom's lackeys, explains to the Straw Hats just how dangerous the giant Yonko truly is, assuring the Straw Hat captain that he's made a grave mistake by getting on her bad side.
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However, when Luffy is forced to trespass Big Mom's Whole Cake Island in order to save Sanji, he quickly realizes why the former Rocks pirate is feared by even the strongest of warriors. Alongside her Devil Fruit ability, which allows her to extract people's souls, Big Mom also possesses a tremendous mastery of Haki, making her a lethal hand-to-hand fighter. This isn't even mentioning her homies, who will always help her out in a tricky fight.
4 Crocodile
Alabasta's Evil Ruler Is Just As Devious As He Was Made Out To Be
- First Appearance: Episode 76
Many fans consider Alabasta to be the first big story arc in the series, considering its length and high-stakes, with the villain being at the center of this country's oncoming civil war being Crocodile. Vivi talks about Crocodile a lot before the crew finally arrive at Alabasta, making it clear that he's not somebody that Luffy can just knock out with a single punch.
In classic Luffy fashion, the pirate seems less than concerned about Crocodile's dangerous reputation as a Shichibukai, which inevitably leads to him getting beaten numerous times by the sand-wielding warlord of the sea. Crocodile had always held a reputation as a skilled strategist leading up to his reveal, which turns out to be true, considering how easily he's able to trap the Straw Hats and manipulate them without even needing to lift a finger.
3 Jinbe
Jinbe Is Mentioned Very Early On In The Story As An Immensely Powerful Fishman
- First Appearance: Episode 430
Despite not showing up until the Marineford War, not long before the timeskip, Jinbe is first mentioned as early as chapter 69 of the manga, where he is described as an extremely powerful Fishman who is more than capable of wreaking havoc anywhere he goes. Though it did make it seem like Jinbe was more villainous than he actually is, it still got people excited to see this world-famous Shichibukai for themselves, and it's fair to say he didn't disappoint.
During the war, Jinbe would pull off some incredible feats, including managing to hold off an attack from the ferocious Akainu to save Luffy's life. Jinbe was only teased very briefly, but still did a good job meeting the expectations that were set on him due to his infamous reputation across the world.
2 Vegapunk
People Knew Vegapunk Was Intelligent, But Nobody Could Have Expected Just How Wicked Smart He Truly Is
- First Appearance: Episode 1090
Vegapunk is one of those characters who is mentioned constantly throughout the series, but isn't actually revealed in the flesh until the Egghead Island arc, which is past the 1000-episode mark. Thanks to information granted by Franky and the fact that Vegapunk was said to be building something that could replace the Shichibukai, it was clear this guy was clever, but it's honestly quite staggering just how smart this quirky scientist truly is.
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When the Straw Hats meet him, Vegapunk is residing on Egghead Island where he has constructed multiple versions of himself which can collect data and information to store in his memory bank. In fact, he would even become too smart for his own good after learning more about Ohara, resulting in him becoming a target of the Marines.
1 Kaido
The Strongest Being In Land, Sea, And Air Proves To Luffy Why He's Earned Such A Title
- First Appearance: Episode 739
Kaido acts as a kind of boogeyman for much of the story before he appears as the main villain in the Wano arc. Before reaching the island of samurai, the Straw Hats had already learned about the ferociously powerful Yonko known as Kaido from the likes of Kin'emon, Doflamingo, and even Big Mom, who referred to him as a "monster".
When he dropped from a Sky Island to mark his debut in the series, fans were given a very brief glimpse at his overwhelming presence and power, but it's not until Wano that he shows why he has become such an infamous pirate. Being able to hold off multiple members of the Worst Generation, alongside knocking Luffy out more than a few times, ensured that Kaido came across as strong enough to justify the amount of immense hype leading up to his inevitable meeting with the Straw Hats.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
- Writers
- Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
- Franchise(s)
- One Piece
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
