This article contains spoilers for One Piece.
One Piece is more than just battles. It carries an incredible cast of characters and an exciting story. That said, battles are still a big part of it and that's what excites most fans. Luffy is the main character who always takes on all the biggest battles of the series, and his fights are always the most anticipated ones. Naturally, some fights are more anticipated than others, and fans can’t wait to see him fight the likes of Imu, or Blackbeard in the Final Saga of One Piece.
One Piece: 7 Strongest Pirates Before The Rocks Era
The Rocks era was great, but there are many powerful pirates from before that in One Piece.
Blackbeard
A Yonko of the Sea With Two Devil Fruits
Blackbeard is one of One Piece’s central antagonists, and many believe he might even be the final antagonist instead of someone like Imu. Either way, fans are really excited to see the day Luffy and Blackbeard go all out against each other. Blackbeard carries a lot of intrigue, being the descendant of the legendary pirate Davy D. Jones and having a special body. Luffy vs. Blackbeard will definitely be the most incredible Devil Fruit-focused battle in the story.
Gunko
Elbaf’s Main Antagonist
The main antagonist of the ongoing arc, Elbaf, has already been revealed, and it’s none other than Gunko, but with a catch. Gunko, one of the Holy Knights, is quite special compared to the rest. She is known to be personally connected to Imu, and the latter has taken over her body and transformed her into One Piece’s most fearsome villain yet.
Imu is able to channel their powers through her and is causing quite a lot of chaos on Elbaf. Gunko-Imu has already defeated a Yonko-level threat in the form of Dorry and Brogy, and even turned them against the rest. Luffy has to face Gunko this arc, and it’s a highly anticipated battle for fans, with many believing Luffy might even lose.
Imu
The Secret Sovereign of the World
While Imu is already showcasing their powers through Gunko, this is likely a heavily nerfed version of them. Imu, in their true form, is probably on a whole other level. As things stand now, Imu is likely to be the final antagonist of One Piece.
One Piece: Every Known Giant With A Devil Fruit Power
Giants are powerful, but only a few have been confirmed Devil Fruit users in One Piece.
Luffy and Imu’s final battle is definitely the most anticipated battle in all of One Piece and one that will determine the fate of the world. Whereas Joy Boy lost before him, Luffy will finally emerge victorious in the final saga.
Akainu
The Fleet Admiral of the Marines
Akainu is the prime One Piece antagonist who has impacted Luffy directly. During the Marineford war, Akainu, who was a Marine Admiral at the moment, killed Luffy’s brother, Portgas D. Ace, in front of his own eyes. Luffy’s trauma from this was immeasurable, and fans know that revenge is definitely in place.
Fans want to see Luffy face off against the now Fleet Admiral Sakazuki and avenge his deceased brother. This battle could either be given to Luffy by Oda, or perhaps even Sabo. Both angles would be interesting to see unfolding.
Five Elders
The World Government’s Most Powerful Group
Luffy has already faced off against the Five Elders, also known as the Gorosei, and not too long ago. During the Egghead arc of One Piece, the Five Elders were all summoned, and while Luffy wasn’t exactly struggling against them, he couldn’t even cause a single dent.
It’s clear that, at the moment, Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki is too weak to bypass immortality. This should change before the end of Elbaf as he learns to take down the Holy Knights and Imu’s other soldiers. A rematch between Luffy and the Five Elders will then be a measuring stick to showcase how much he has grown.
Shanks
The Red Haired Yonko
Shanks and Luffy bear no ill will to each other. After all, Shanks saved Luffy as a child and, on top of that, he gave Luffy his Straw Hat. Luffy became a pirate thanks to him, but the two of them have to face off someday. Luffy has to show Shanks just how strong he has become and prove that he's surpassed him.
Right now, Shanks is the strongest Yonko and the greatest Haki user in the series. This has to change, and Luffy has to beat him. The Final Saga holds much for these two once the time comes.
One Piece Chapter 1162 will be out next week. 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 12. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1162 is October 12, 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
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
