This article contains spoilers for the One Piece manga.
The cook of the Straw Hat Pirates, Sanji is one of the most powerful pirates in the One Piece world. He's an incredibly reliable pirate, and one of the strongest under Luffy. Sanji is a part of the Monster Trio, and just as it is with the other two, Oda often gives him his fair share of exciting battles.
One Piece: 6 Characters From Rocks Era That Can Defeat Luffy
Luffy is strong, but he has yet to surpass these Rocks era legends in One Piece.
Over the last few years, Sanji has taken part in some very exciting fights, but there are many more still to come in the Final Saga, and these battles will see him surpass many top tiers in the world. His ceiling is still far above the likes of Gaban and Rayleigh.
Gaban
The Left Arm of the Pirate King
Scopper Gaban is one of the legendary Roger Pirates who claimed the One Piece. Gaban is known to be incredibly powerful. In fact, he claimed to be the second strongest of the crew, right after Roger. Nevertheless, it’s obvious that Gaban is the Sanji equivalent in the previous Pirate King crew.
Gaban showed a glimpse of his strength during the Elbaf arc when he was able to take down Sommers in one strike. Sanji will eventually reach his level and even surpass him.
Rayleigh
The Right Arm of the Pirate King
Rayleigh and Gaban were the two Wings of the late Pirate King Roger, and while Gaban claims to be the stronger of the two, Oda portrays them to be neck and neck. Since Sanji is bound to surpass Gaban, he will most definitely surpass Rayleigh as well at some point in the Final Saga of the story.
Kaido
A Former Yonko of the Sea
Until rather recently, Kaido was the biggest threat looming over the Straw Hat Pirates. As one of the Yonko, Kaido was strong, and it took Luffy awakening his Devil Fruit and tapping into Gear 5, along with gaining Conqueror's Haki Coating for him to finally be taken down.
While Kaido is a legend in strength, he too will eventually be surpassed by Luffy’s wings, which include Sanji. Kaido will be dwarfed compared to what’s to come in the final saga.
Kizaru
A Powerful Marine Admiral
Kizaru is one of the Marine Admirals and in the Final Saga, he definitely stood out in the story, in large part thanks to his overpowered devil fruit, the Pika Pika no Mi.
Kizaru has always been the most popular matchup for Sanji when it comes to the Marines, and for obvious reasons. The two are fast and use kick attacks. The two had a small encounter on Egghead, and Sanji should not be too far off from his level.
Dracule Mihawk
The World’s Strongest Swordsman
Mihawk is a legend in the One Piece world as he holds the impressive title of World’s Strongest Swordsman. Mihawk is definitely powerful and has been Zoro’s most hyped-up opponent since the start of One Piece.
One Piece: 10 Characters Whose Haki Is Stronger Than Luffy
Luffy still has a far way ahead when it comes to his haki mastery. These One Piece characters outclass him in terms of Haki.
Zoro and Sanji are always progressing equally, and just as Zoro will surpass Mihawk, Sanji will most definitely leave him in the dust as well. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Sanji’s peak is way higher than Mihawk's in the story of One Piece.
Kuzan
A Former Admiral Turned Blackbeard Pirate
Kuzan, formerly also known as Aokiji, was one of the strongest Marines in One Piece. He left the organization after losing to Akainu during their intense battle on Punk Hazard and now sails with the Blackbeard Pirates as their 10th Ship Captain.
By the end of One Piece, Sanji will have definitely surpassed all the Admirals in power, including Kuzan. In fact, the two might even fight due to Kuzan having kidnapped Pudding from Whole Cake Island.
Sora
A Mythical Individual
Sora is quite the mysterious figure in One Piece. They have become a myth in the One Piece world and have been used for Marine propaganda. However, the truth might be very different, and Sora might have been a fearsome fighter connected to Sanji's ancestors.
Sanji will definitely overcome even this legend, potentially from the Void Century, in power eventually.
Saint Mars
One of the Five Elders
The Five Elders pulled up on Egghead and proved that the Straw Hat Pirates, including Luffy, are still not strong enough to beat them. With them being one of the biggest challenges up ahead for the Straw Hats, they have to overcome them by getting Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, something Sanji will definitely soon unlock.
If Sanji were to fight any of the Gorosei, his best matchup would definitely be Saint Mars, who has an Itsumade Yokai.
One Piece Chapter 1163 will be out in two weeks. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on October 26. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1163 is October 26, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- 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.
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
