One of the aspects of One Piece that makes it a lot more special than its Shonen counterparts is its extraordinary set of villains. Be it the goofy Buggy or the deadly Kaidu, you can find different kinds of villains in this pirate universe. We have met a lot of villains in the 34 story arcs of One Piece over the last two decades. Even after years, many villains have stood the test of time and are recognized as the best villains in One Piece. If you are looking for a One Piece villain tier list, we have got you covered.
Spoilers Warning:
This article contains heavy spoilers about the various antagonists from One Piece. Make sure to catch up to the latest story arc before to avoid ruining your intended experience.
Before you meet the major antagonists of One Piece, remember that we haven’t just ranked them based on their powers but also their personality and role in the story. With that said, let’s begin:
15. Bellamy
- Debut: Anime Episode 146, Manga Chapter 222
Despite only having a very short screen time during the Sky Island saga, Bellamy proved to be one of the most egotistical villains Luffy encountered in One Piece. He was so full of himself and played his part well in the events of the Jaya arc. Within a short time, he made sure to enrage fans by punching Luffy. However, Luffy returned the favor, and it was worth watching him getting floored in one hit.
Bellamy was next seen in the Dressrosa arc and fulfilled his role quite well. But the OG Bellamy was indeed perfect for getting on the nerves of the fans in the pre-time skip era of One Piece.
14. Buggy the Clown
- Debut: Anime Episode 4, Manga Chapter 9
Buggy the Clown is one of the earliest villains in the One Piece series. Yes, he was maddening at first but menacing as well. Over time, he turned out to be a comical villain who also happened to grow on fans. We have not seen any other character possess such luck in the story.
The flamboyant clown always manages to get us laughing and is a fascinating character. Now, Buggy has become an emperor and a vital member in the final race to get One Piece. Now, Buggy the Clown may not be the best of the best villains, but he is a unique kind of antagonist who deserves to be mentioned here.
13. Magellan
- Debut: Anime Episode 425, Manga Chapter 528
Magellan, the ex-chief Warden of the Impel Down prison, was an absolute nightmare of a villain in One Piece. He was an incorruptible guardian of Impel Down, but Oda did him dirty by making him spend almost half of his day in a room due to consuming poisoned foods daily.
Despite this funny characterization, Magellan was a terrifying One Piece villain, primarily because of his Doku Doku no Mi (Venom-Venom Fruit) devil fruit powers. To be honest, there was no hope of Luffy winning a fight against him at that point in the story.
He made the prison break out of Impel Down a living hell by defeating Luffy. Magellan continued to be one of the underrated and fearsome villains.
12. Arlong
- Debut: Anime Episode 31, Manga Chapter 69
Out of all the villains in the initial arcs of One Piece, Arlong proved he was the real deal when it came to showing off his villainy. Arlong was outright an extortionist and racist despite being a member of the Sun Pirates. He took over Nami’s hometown, Conomi Island, by force and made it his kingdom.
He killed Nami’s mother Belle-mere without any second thought and made the villagers pump out money for him. Arlong also had a distinct and intimidating character design. As a Fishman, he had great strength and acted as a tough challenge for Luffy in his initial pirate days. Altogether, he was the best villain of the East Blue Saga in One Piece.
11. Imu
- Debut: Anime Episode 885, Manga Chapter 906
The very existence of a final villain in One Piece, Imu, was perfectly hidden under wraps by Oda for a long time. Imu-sama made their debut way later in the story and their introduction itself was more than enough to put them in our list of best villains to date.
Imu is the hidden supreme ruler of this planet, but there are a lot more things we have yet to learn about them. Since their introduction, Imu continues to be shrouded in mystery, yet the sequences where they were involved, such as the destruction of the Lulusia Kingdom, killing Saturn, and more, paint them as the most horrifying characters. However, we are keeping them low on our list until their character is completely revealed in the story.
10. Big Mom
- Debut: Anime Episode 146, Manga Chapter 222
Charlotte Linlin, popularly known as Big Mom, was an embodiment of gluttony and terror until her defeat in the Wano Country arc. In case you don’t remember, Big Mom has been a monstrous entity ever since she was a kid. She was the perfect case for innocence gone wrong as she was raised in the wrong hands, which led to her becoming a catastrophe in the series.
Big Mom was extremely selfish and wanted the world to act as per her wishes. Hence, the lives of people around her were met with disasters. For example, she ate Mother Carmel, which gave her the Soru Soru no Mi devil fruit powers, and implied that she must have eaten other kids as well.
This was one of the darkest moments in One Piece for many. Big Mom was an extremely annoying, strong, and pure villainess.
9. Rob Lucci
- Debut: Anime Episode 230, Manga Chapter 323
The CP9 organization was a perfect choice as the antagonists of the Water 7 and Enies Lobby arc. They acted as allies, but in truth, they were undercover and revealed their true colors later in the story. However, Rob Lucci always stood out as the best villain due to his brutal characterization.
Lucci is a ruthless character who would go to any lengths to eliminate those who stood against the World Government. In fact, he is a sadist who enjoys mercilessly killing and punishing people. His thirst for blood is unquenchable, but Luffy puts him in his place.
Lucci is a well-executed psychopathic villain but will always remain a minion compared to Luffy in the story.
8. Enel
- Debut: Anime Episode 167, Manga Chapter 254
You might have already heard the never-ending complaints about the Skypiea arc from various fans. But Enel was the linchpin of the Skypiea arc who kept us entertained until the end. He was the first godly character we came across in the animanga series. His overconfidence and arrogance might have originated when he got the mighty powers of Goro Goro no Mi.
The self-proclaimed god of thunder (who looked like Eminem with a bandana) was a merciless person with a God complex. He was self-centered and didn’t care about massacring or punishing anyone to accomplish his goals. Luckily, Luffy had rubbery powers and thwarted the plans of this narcissist. Despite everything, Enel was a fan-favorite villain to the point fans are hoping for his return to the series soon.
7. Kaido
- Debut: Anime Episode 736, Manga Chapter 795
Ever since his iconic introduction, we had been vying to meet Kaido in the second half of One Piece, and it was totally worth it. Kaido was renowned as the strongest creature in this world, and he lived up to his title as seen in the Wano Country arc, one of the best One Piece arcs. He was a force to be reckoned with and the character who made Luffy taste defeat multiple times.
Kaido was a ruthless tyrant who did things to his liking, but despite all that, the fandom still loved his character. When it came to battles, he was an honorable and virtuous man as he apologized to Luffy for what Guernika did earlier. Kaido is one of the most memorable and respected villains in One Piece.
6. Akainu
- Debut: Anime Episode 278, Manga Chapter 397
Do I need to remind you of the repugnant acts committed by Akainu in the name of absolute justice? No, right? They automatically make him one of the best villains (for the worst reasons) in One Piece. This hot-headed fleet admiral was a menace to this world, and Oda befittingly gave him the power of the Magu Magu no Mi fruit to become the epitome of destruction.
Akainu was an extremist and was always ready to commit heinous acts to uphold his ideals and the meaning of Marines. His monstrosity was shown when he ordered the destruction of the refugee ship during the Ohara incident or when he killed Ace and almost killed his comrade, Koby.
It’s been a while since we have seen Akainu in action, but he has already become one of the most hated villains of One Piece.
5. St. Jaygarcia Saturn
- Debut: Anime Episode 151, Manga Chapter 233
The Gorosei, aka the Five Elders, were always teased to be one of the final opponents of the Straw Hat Pirates. As the final saga commenced with the Egghead arc, Oda radiated the spotlight on St. Saturn. After learning more about him, we wished we hadn’t heard anything about him as Saturn was an extremely wicked character who committed numerous grievous crimes against Bonney and Kuma’s family.
As fans might be aware, he always referred to other humans as insects and considered them inferior beings to Celestial Dragons. He was kidnapping the humans and conducting inhumane experiments as he did with Ginny and even Bonney.
He then exploited Kuma and turned him into a weapon. There were no limits to him as the pawn of Imu and he became one of the darkest villains in One Piece series’s history.
4. Charlotte Katakuri
- Debut: Anime Episode 825, Manga Chapter 860
There are no other villains on this list who managed to seize the hearts of the fans as Katakuri did. He was loved by the fans like he was a main character, and he was the most honorable villain that Luffy clashed against.
Katakuri had never known defeat his whole life until he met Luffy and always fought on fairgrounds. That is what made him an admirable villain among One Piece fans, and they wanted him to stand alongside Luffy someday. Katakuri stands out as one of the most unique and respectable characters, and we hope to see him as an ally to the Straw Hats in the final war.
3. Crocodile
- Debut: Anime Episode 76, Manga Chapter 126
“Hisashiburi dana, Mugiwara” is a popular phrase among the One Piece community. It was said by none other than the remarkable villain, Sir Crocodile. He was an ambitious pirate, and well, everything was a business to him. Despite Crocodile being a scheming and baleful character, fans fell in love with his persona.
He was the main antagonist of the Arabasta saga and continues to remain a long-standing villain after many years. He served as Luffy’s ally during the Marineford war and, now that he is with the Cross Guild, we can’t wait to see him in the final saga of One Piece.
2. Blackbeard
- Debut: Anime Episode 146, Manga Chapter 223
Marshall D. Teach, better known as Blackbeard, stands out as one of the most masterfully crafted villains of all time by Eiichiro Oda. One Piece is a series about pirates, right?
There is no other character who plays dirty similar to how pirates are supposed to act. For example, he killed his crewmate to get Yami Yami no Mi, handed over Ace to the World Government, etc. He is cunning, manipulative, overpowered, and has all the qualities of a perfect villain, making him the ideal archnemesis of Luffy.
While Luffy has become the Warrior of Liberation, Blackbeard is shaping up to be the symbol of destruction in the story. He started as a minor villain and people never thought a character like him would essentially become the final opponent to Luffy.
Up until now, he has played all his cards right and is scheming behind all our backs to achieve his goal of getting to the One Piece before our protagonist. Blackbeard is a masterminded villain who will pose the biggest challenge to Luffy in the endgame. He will surpass Doffy to become the best villain in the story.
1. Donquixote Doflamingo
- Debut: Anime Episode 151, Manga Chapter 233
Many years have passed, however, Donquixote Doflamingo still reigns supreme as the best villain that One Piece has ever produced. By far, he was the most well-written villain who was adored by the fans despite his actions. One could point out the situations in his life that made him this way, but he was a fearsome sadist who did whatever seemed right to him.
Doffy was a prideful person who firmly believed that powerful people could do whatever they liked to do. We have not seen any other character who is as charismatic, powerful, and has the aura of a real villain. Doflamingo had and did everything an ideal antagonist needed to do, which made him the best One Piece villain of all time.
Ranking the villains from One Piece isn’t easy as it seems to be as Oda has managed to deliver a successful villain one after another over the years. Stay tuned for more additions to our list in the future. In the meantime, who is your favorite villain in One Piece? Let us know in the comments below.
Donquixote Doflamingo is loved by the fans as the best villain of One Piece.
Imu is the most evil character in One Piece as they used an ancient power to wipe out an entire island with thousands of people alive on it.
St. Charlos, Akainu, The Five Elders, and many more are the most hated villains in One Piece right now.
Source: Beebom
