One Piece is infamous for being an extensively long story, and, naturally, it has featured hundreds of different battles in which powerful characters got to showcase their fantastical abilities. Needless to say, most of these fights are considered the best ones, not only in this series, but in the entire anime/manga industry.
Everybody remembers legendary matches that changed the course of the story forever — like Luffy vs. Rob Lucci or Zoro vs. Mihawk — but, what about the lesser known ones? After all, One Piece has featured a large number of other fights with high stakes, interesting powers and incredible choreography that are criminally underrated by the fan base. Of course, there are a lot of solid examples to choose from, but the following eight are the most notorious ones so far.
Nico Robin Vs. Yama
Robin’s First Solo Fight Proved She Was Worthy Of Being A Straw Hat
- Duration: Chapters 263 to 265 (Manga) Episode 174 (Anime)
- Arc: Skypiea Arc
- Winner: Nico Robin
Nico Robin is a very popular character that sadly never gets to star in many one-on-one battles, which is why her clash against Black Maria in the Wano Country Arc is dearly beloved by many. However, fans often forget that, many years before that, she also fought Yama – the commander of Enel’s Divine Soldiers – entirely by herself in the Skypiea Arc.
The battle started when Yama destroyed a bunch of ancient ruins, which immediately angered Robin, something that doesn’t happen on-screen very often. While the Birkan commander wielded his Ten-Fold Axe quite efficiently and actually managed to physically harm his opponent, he was no match for the recently-recruited archeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates, who used the versatile abilities of her Hana Hana no Mi to outsmart and even torture him to make him pay for what he did. It’s a brief fight, but it cemented Robin as a valuable member of the crew.
Usopp Vs. Chew
A Fun Showcase Of Usopp’s Tactical Genius
- Duration: Chapters 83 to 88 (Manga), Episodes 38 to 40 (Anime)
- Arc: Arlong Park Arc
- Winner: Usopp
Usopp’s battles are always very fun and interesting to watch, since he can’t rely on raw strength (like Luffy, Zoro or Sanji) and instead has to outsmart his opponents with his lies and his gadgets. Most fans have fond memories of his encounters against the likes of Perona or Sugar, but his very first solo battle against Chew in the Arlong Park Arc deserves more love.
Usopp was completely out of his element in this encounter, as Chew is a fast and strong Fish-Man that can shoot water bullets from his mouth. Because of this, seeing the sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates overcoming his fears, deceiving his opponent on more than one occasion and even finishing him off by pummeling him with a hammer was nothing short of inspiring. This fight is so good that even the One Piece live-action show on Netflix adapted it quite faithfully.
Franky Vs. Fukuro
One Of The Weirdest Comedic Fights In The Entire Series
- Duration: Chapters 400 to 406 (Manga), Episodes 285 to 289 (Anime)
- Arc: Enies Lobby Arc
- Winner: Franky
The Enies Lobby Arc is filled to the brim with multiple fan favorite battles – like Luffy vs. Rob Lucci or Zoro vs. Kaku – so it’s easy to forget that some of its less important encounters are also extremely entertaining, and Franky’s clash against Fukuro is the most notorious example.
At this point in the story, it was becoming more and more evident that Franky was going to be the new member of the Straw Hat Pirates, so he had to prove how strong and efficient he truly was, and he certainly did not disappoint. With his cyborg body and his unpredictable weapons, he was able to match the CP9 agent’s strength and durability. Overall, this is one of the weirdest and yet funniest battles in the series, not only because Fukuro himself is a very bizarre character, but also because Franky stops the fight to ask Chopper for more cola, which leads to a hilarious comedic routine between the two.
Killer Vs. Basil Hawkins
An Intense Clash Between Two Underrated Secondary Characters
- Duration: Chapters 1011 to 1029 (Manga), Episodes 1028 to 1054 (Anime)
- Arc: Wano Country Arc
- Winner: Killer
Killer and Basil Hawkins are two of the most underrated members of the Worst Generation, as they both have unique designs and interesting abilities. Fortunately, they got to fight each other in order to prove who’s stronger in the middle of the Wano Country Arc, an arc that is full of action in every single corner, so their fight was overshadowed by many other similar ones that took place before and after it.
Killer is to Kid what Zoro is to Luffy, meaning that he’s extremely loyal to his captain. Hawkins took advantage of their close relationship by using the cruel powers of his Wara Wara no Mi to redirect any damage to Kid’s body. This left Killer in an emotional conundrum until he finally realized something important: Kid is missing his left arm, whereas Hawkins isn’t. The final scene of Killer completely obliterating Hawkins’ left arm in order to defeat him is extremely satisfying and undoubtedly cemented this battle as one of the most brilliantly written ones in the series.
Zoro Vs. Rob Lucci
It Was Already Great In The Manga, But It Was Even Better In The Anime
- Duration: Chapters 1091 to 1100 (Manga) Episodes 1028 to 1144 (Anime)
- Arc: Egghead Arc
- Winner: Roronoa Zoro
The fight between Roronoa Zoro and Rob Lucci in the Egghead Arc is often dismissed by fans as “filler” and is severely overshadowed by the incredible clash between Luffy and the Five Elders. However, this is actually a great battle that properly showcases the immense strength, skill and growth of the two characters involved.
Seeing Zoro fighting Rob Lucci, someone who was formerly the main antagonist of an entire arc that only Luffy could defeat, was a brilliant way of showcasing how far he had come, not to mention that the CP0 agent had also awakened his Devil Fruit, meaning that he was much more powerful than ever before. This fight was already quite solid in the original manga, but the outstanding animation and impeccable cinematography of Toei Animation’s animated adaptation elevated it to a whole new level.
Luffy Vs. Blueno
The Exciting Debut Of Luffy’s Gear 2 Form
- Duration: Chapters 382 to 388 (Manga), Episodes 269 to 273 (Anime)
- Arc: Enies Lobby Arc
- Winner: Monkey D. Luffy
Most people remember the fight between Luffy and Blueno because it features the introduction of Gear 2, the protagonist’s first true power-up in the entire series. While this is obviously a very important and memorable moment, fans don’t really talk about the rest of the fight, even though it’s also quite exciting in and of itself.
Luffy activating Gear 2 not only looks cool, but it’s also very satisfying because Blueno teases him by saying he’s going to dodge his attack, only to immediately be sent flying by the Straw Hat’s potent Jet Pistol. Despite the unexpected power-up of his opponent, Blueno himself was quite a formidable opponent who utilized the powers of his Doa Doa no Mi in clever and inventive ways, before he eventually succumbed to his injuries and suddenly fell unconscious in front of Luffy.
Luffy And Nami Vs. Charlotte Cracker
An Unexpected Team-Up Between The Captain And His Navigator
- Duration: Chapters 836 to 843 (Manga), Episodes 797 to 806 (Anime)
- Arc: Whole Cake Island Arc
- Winner: Monkey D. Luffy And Nami
The fight between Luffy and Charlotte Katakuri was the main event of the Whole Cake Island Arc, but some people forget that the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates fought another Charlotte sibling before that, and it was quite a tricky battle for him. Charlotte Cracker is a surprisingly powerful opponent who, with the powers of his Bisu Bisu no Mi, can summon giant biscuit soldiers with armor so durable that they can even withstand attacks from Luffy’s Gear 4 form (which he had recently used to take down Donquixote Doflamingo).
The mission to save Sanji on Whole Cake Island was the Straw Hats' first adventure in the territory of an Emperor, and the captain's fight against Cracker was undeniable proof that these New World pirates were on an entirely different level. This eventually became a battle of resistance, as Cracker could easily summon more soldiers by clapping his hands, until Nami decided to use her Clima-Tact to summon rain that softened the soldiers’ biscuit armor and, thus, allowed Luffy to consume them. This was a surprisingly brilliant moment for a character that very rarely gets to shine in battles, and it led to the creation of Luffy’s massive Tankman form, which he used to finally take down Cracker once and for all.
Sanji Vs. Wanze
The Most Creative Sanji Fight In The Series
- Duration: Chapters 369 to 372 (Manga), Episodes 258 to 261 (Anime)
- Arc: Water 7 Arc
- Winner: Sanji
Despite being a professional chef and the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates, Sanji’s battles very rarely revolve around food. This is exactly why his fight against Wanze (CP7’s strange cook) aboard the Sea Train is so clever and funny, even if it’s often overshadowed by his encounter with Jabra in Enies Lobby. For starters, Wanze utilizes a weird fighting style called Ramen Kenpo, in which he kneads dough in his own mouth to create ramen noodles that he can manipulate in battle.
This goes completely against Sanji’s philosophy of never wasting food, meaning that these two chefs have completely contrasting personalities and worldviews. The fight itself is as bizarre as it is entertaining, with the biggest standout being Sanji’s choice to use two large knives as swords, something that he never did ever again in the story because he intentionally fights without using his hands. This underrated battle was also the debut of Sanji’s hilarious ability to change his opponent’s faces by repeatedly kicking them in the face, which he used to make Wanze temporarily look more handsome.
One Piece
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
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.
- Number of Episodes
- 1122
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.72
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
