The manga series One Piece was written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. In October 1999, television series with the same name was premiered. This anime is fan-favorite because of its detailed storyline and the amazingly written one piece characters.
It is still considered by many to be one of the best Shonen anime series of all time. Its world-building is impressive, with over 1000 episodes, yet people still eagerly await each new episode’s release, creating a strong fan base worldwide.
Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew set out on a treacherous journey searching for the mysterious treasure known as “One Piece,” which was left by Gold Roger, the famed pirate king in the Laugh Tale.
This journey is an emotional rollercoaster that will make you fall in love with the anime and introduce you to many intriguing and weird characters and places.
With a show as long as One Piece, it’s understandable that there are dozens of characters fans can grow to love or even hate.
The characters are all well-developed, and no two characters’ goals are the same. Even the antagonists are well-portrayed and, surprisingly, charming.
There are so many well-written characters of so many different kinds that it’s almost impossible to choose just a few.
Hence, Our list of the 20 best One Piece characters is based on our research and fan popularity.
Where to Watch One Piece: Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll
Best One Piece Characters Ranked (2023)
20 One Piece Characters Ranked By Likability
20. Carrot
Carrot is a cute Mink from the Inurashi Musketeer Squad.
She is an ally of the Straw Hat Pirates crew throughout the Four Emperors Saga, especially during the Whole Cake Island Arc, when she joined the Sanji Retrieval Team to save Sanji on Whole Cake Island and resumed with the squad to Wano Country.
Carrot appears to be a giddy and naive young lady, but she is fiercely protective of the Mokomo Dukedom and hostile toward strangers.
Like other minks, humans are referred to by her as “lesser minks”. Carrot is a unique and fascinating character who contributed immensely to making the plot of One Piece much more vibrant.
19. Vivi
Nefertari Vivi is the Arabasta Kingdom’s princess. She used to be a bounty hunter and is the daughter of Nefertari Cobra and Titi.
Vivi became a spy for the Straw Hat crew and has followed them ever since. As a princess, she is well-spoken, and she serves as the calm voice of reason until Robin joins the troupe.
She first appeared as a bounty hunter and was one of the key adversaries in the Reverse Mountain Arc.
Vivi and her pet super spot-billed duck Karoo joined the Straw Hats for most of the Arabasta Saga after revealing herself to be a spy plotting against Baroque Works during the Whisky Peak Arc.
She also has a crucial role in the Lively Arc.
18. Kaido
Kaido, Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates and father of Yamato, is known as the “Strongest Creature” worldwide.
With the power of his Devil Fruit, Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, he can turn into a gigantic mythical Dragon.
In addition to being a major antagonist in the Wano Country Arc, he also appears in the Yonko Saga in the One Piece series.
It wasn’t until shortly before Roger’s execution that Kaido became one of the world’s best pirates. With Edward Newgate Whitebeard and Big Mom, he and Shanks were included among the Four Emperors.
17. Smoker
As the name implies, Smoker is an avid smoker who is rarely seen without at least one cigar in his mouth.
He is the Commander of the G-5 Marine Base and a Marine officer. Unlike many other Marines in One Piece, he follows his notion of justice, which he eventually preaches to Tashigi.
He is a regular adversary of Luffy’s. Due to his crimes against Luffy in Loguetown, Smoker is the main antagonist in the Loguetown Arc and a minor antagonist throughout the Marineford Arc.
Smoker ate the Devil fruit, Moku Moku no Mi.
16. Charlotte Linlin
Big Mom, aka Charlotte Linlin, is a member of the four imperial emperors of the New World and the captain of the Big Mom Pirates.
Throughout her lifetime, Big mom has posed a major threat to the people around her due to her incredible powers. She grew up to be one of the strongest pirates, considered equal to Kaido.
The Soul-Soul Fruit she possesses has the power of stealing the soul of someone and giving it to someone else.
In her transformed state, she can unleash the full destructive power of the elements.
15. Kozuki Oden
Kozuki Oden was the daimyo of Kuri in Wano Country, and he was the son of Wano Country’s former Shogun, Kozuki Sukiyaki.
Before Kurozumi Orochi assassinated him 20 years ago, Kozuki Oden was the patriarch of the Kozuki Family. According to the Wano people of the period, Oden was the strongest samurai ever.
Oden’s charisma and unfathomable strength were appreciated by Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard, and Red-Hair Shanks.
As a proud Samurai, he possessed Ame no Habakiri and Enma, two of the series’ most powerful weapons.
Oden is a pivotal protagonist in the Wano Arc, and if Orochi and Kaido hadn’t killed him, he would have been the Shogun of the country.
14. Usopp
Usopp is the Straw Hat Pirates’ sniper. He is the fourth member of the straw hat crew and the third to join since the end of the Syrup Village Arc.
He might not be the most robust, but he is always there to help other crew members with his creativeness and resourcefulness and has defeated stronger opponents like miss merry Christmas with his intellect.
Even though he is usually a doormat and tells tall tales, Usopp strives to be a brave warrior of the sea like his father and works hard every day to live up to his father’s expectations.
Usopp was dubbed as the “liar” of the Straw Hat when he first appeared since the “uso” in his name signifies “lying” or “falsehood.”
13. Jinbe
Jinbe, also known as the first son of the sea, is a whale shark Fishman and a famous practitioner of Fishman Karate.
He desires to accomplish the dying wish of his previous commander, Fisher Tiger, for human-fisherman cooperation and equality and start a new age.
Knight of the sea is a helmsman of the straw hats and was the 9th member to join.
Despite being a Fish-Man, a species that typically does not associate with humans, Jimbei is a member of Straw Hats’ and a tough fighter. He can control a ship like his own body.
He was once a member of the Seven Warlords and is recognized as one of the most powerful one piece characters.
12. Tony Tony Chopper
Tony Tony Chopper is the Straw Hats doctor. Chopper is a reindeer who ate the Devil Fruit Hito Hito no Mi, allowing him to transform into a human or human hybrid.
Even if you are not a One Piece fan, you are probably familiar with this character, who is famous for being extremely cute.
Chopper wishes to be a doctor who can cure any illness, and he travels the world to pursue this aim.
After spending much of his youth on Drum Island, he joined Luffy in his quest to find the treasure. He has played a significant role in Punk Hazard Arc.
As a member of the Straw Hats, Chopper is probably one of the most prominent One Piece characters in the One Piece manga.
11. Shanks
Shanks is a legendary and powerful pirate who is the captain of the Red-Haired Pirate Crew and one of the Four Emperors in the second half of the Grand Line.
His most striking trait is his fiery red hair, which gave him the moniker “Red-Haired Shanks.”
He is also Monkey D. Luffy’s childhood hero and former member of Gol D. Roger’s Crew. Despite his benign and benevolent attitude and never appearing in true combat until he began a battle with Whitebeard, most of the characters hold him in high regard.
10. Sabo
Sabo is the Revolutionary Army’s Chief of Staff, and he is known as the organization’s “No. 2” in terms of command, trailing only Dragon.
In addition, he is Ace and Luffy’s adoptive brother. Sabo is crucial to both the growth of Luffy’s character and the larger plot of One Piece. Following his demise, Luffy felt infuriated with the Celestial Dragon.
Sabo, like Ace and Luffy, aspires to be a pirate and leave the Gray Terminal. He wields the Flame-Flame Fruit’s flame power and the Dragon Claw Fist skill with his Haki.
09. Franky
Franky is the Straw Hat’s shipwright and one of the main characters in One Piece. He is a 36-year-old cyborg from Water 7 and the commander of the Franky Family, a shipwrecking gang.
Franky also built the Thousand Sunny. He is also a skilled shipwright who added several new techs to the new ship, unlike Going merry.
To conceal his true identity as Cutty Flam from South Blue, he chose the alias Franky.
He was an enemy of the Straw Hats with his Franky Family crew at first, but they became allies, and he joined Luffy’s crew to accomplish his dream of creating a world-travelling dream ship.
Because he is a cyborg, Franky’s strength is boundless.
However, his lovable personality has made him so popular all around the world. He’s energetic and amusing, but he has a terrible past.
08. Trafalgar D Water Law
Water Law is a north blue pirate who also happens to be a doctor and the captain of the Heart Pirates. He is one of the “Worst Generation,” a group of twelve pirates, and goes by the title “Surgeon of Death”.
He ate the Op-Op no Mi Devil Fruit, which gave him the ability to cut and reattach anything as well as move and electrocute people’s personalities from one body to another.
After the time leap, he became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, but his status got revoked when he joined the Straw Hat Pirates.
Law wants to find the One Piece while discovering more about Will of D’s motivation like many other pirate crews.
07. Boa Hanock
Boa Hancock had been a Shichibukai member and is also known as Amazon Lily’s “Snake Princess” and the Pirate Empress of Amazon Lily.
She was the only female member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea until they parted and is now the captain of the Kuja Pirates.
In the Amazon Lily Arc, Boa is a redeemed main antagonist who falls in love with the main protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy.
Fans fell in love with Boa Hancock after her backstory was unveiled. She is one of the best waifu among the female One Piece characters.
06. Nico Robin
Nico Robin, also known as the “Devil Child” and the “Light of the Revolution,” is the straw hat archaeologist. Unlike other straw hats crew members, Robin asked to join the group instead of waiting for Luffy’s invite.
Nico Robin has several aliases, including the Devil Child and the Revolutionary Light. She is the only survivor of the West Blue Island Ohara’s destruction.
Her objective is to discover the Rio Poneglyph, which holds the history of the world, notably the Void Century. She started as a stoic and cold person.
Nico, however, eventually opened up to the Straw Hat Pirates’ crew. She has the power of Devil Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) and knows Fishman Karate.
05. Nami
Nami, often known as “Cat Burglar,” is a key member of the Straw Hats and their navigator.
She was introduced as a pickpocket who knew a lot about cartography, meteorology, and navigation. She is the crew’s brains in many ways.
Nami used to be a member of the Arlong Pirates until joining the Straw Hats to rob them and reclaim her village from Arlong.
She did, however, join the Straw Hats officially after they revolted against Arlong and defeated him. Her goal is to create a map of the entire world.
04. Vinsmoke Sanji
Sanji, often known as “Black Leg,” is a member of Straw hats and the chef of the ship Thousand Sunny.
He was born in the North Blue and nurtured in the Vinsmoke family by his father, Germa Kingdom ruler Vinsmoke Judge, and mother, Vinsmoke Sora.
Sanji is among the top three in the crew (monster trio); he is an all-arounder who possesses both strength and wisdom. Ever since his days as a cook on an East Blue pirate restaurant ship, he has been with the crew.
Sanji is a typical benign and chivalrous character and is known for his unique fighting style.
Despite his fixation on beautiful women, he is fairly respectful, which is unusual for female obsessed males.
03. Portgas D. Ace
Ace was the renowned pirate king Gol D Roger’s son. He ate the Mera Mera no Mi fruit, which gave him command over the fire, and he was even invited to join the Seven Sea Warlords.
He was the 2nd commander of Whitebeard pirates and a friend of Emperor Shanks. Ace was always calm and composed, and practically everyone he encountered liked him.
Ace was a witty character, but he also had a well-written backstory and a past that surprised many fans.
Unfortunately, he died while protecting Luffy from the marines, but we fans will remember him forever.
02. Roronoa Zoro
Roronoa Zoro is Luffy’s right-hand man and second in charge. After being saved by Captain Morgan from execution at the marine base by Luffy, he becomes the first member to join Monkey D.
Luffy’s pirate crew. He is not the best with directions as he got lost in his own ship.
As a master of Three Sword Style, a swordsmanship style he created during his youth studying in Shimotsuki Village. Zoro is the Straw Hats’ strongest swordsman, along with Luffy and Sanji.
He was a disciple of Dracule Mihawk and regarded him as his most deadly adversary.
Zoro is one of the most significant of the one-piece characters and plays a big role in the show.
He is also a member of the “Worst Generation,” a group of twelve pirates known for their daring exploits against the World Government and the large sums of money placed on their heads.
He spent his life honing his sword skills, finally becoming the world’s greatest swordsman.
01. Monkey D. Luffy
Our main character is the most popular in the series for obvious reasons. Monkey D. Luffy(a young pirate), sometimes known as “Straw Hat” Luffy or simply “Straw Hat,” is the protagonist of the manga and anime series One Piece.
Since he was a child, he had aspired to be a pirate, inspired by his idol “Red-Haired” Shanks. At the age of 17, Luffy sets sail from the East Blue Sea to the Grand Line, searching for the mythical treasure One Piece.
He is the legendary and fearsome Straw Hats’ founder and captain and one of their most skilled combatants.
He focuses his power by flexing his Devil Fruit Gomu Gomu no Mi, allowing him to launch a range of attacks. Gum-Gum Pistol is his signature attack, in which he slingshots fists at opponents from a distance.
Luffy’s “bounty,” which is used to assess the threat he poses to the World Government, gradually increases throughout the manga and is currently ฿ 1,500,000,000.
Although Luffy is not the most intelligent character in “One Piece,” he is a fervent believer in right and wrong.
He holds the Gum-Gum devil fruit powers, which turn his limbs into rubber. When in a battle, he transforms from a happy to even aggressive character.
