One Piece: Is Dr. Vegapunk a Villain? His Role Explained!

One Piece’s new narrative arc is just starting, and while the protagonists have yet to reach the location of the infamous Dr. Vegapunk, the scientist has already become a topic of debate. in this article, we have decided to discuss Dr. Vegapunk and his overall role in the story. One of the most brilliant minds in the whole series, Vegapunk has been a controversial figure due to his ties with the World Government and his experiments. But is he really a villain? In anticipation of this revelation in the upcoming Egghead arc, we have decided to discuss this hot topic and reveal whether Dr. Vegapunk is truly a villain in One Piece or not!

Vegapunk is not a villain in One Piece, but he is far from being a hero as well…

In order to properly explain Vegapunk’s role in the story, we actually have to tell you about how he became an employee of the World Government in the first place since his ties with the Marines are the most controversial aspect of his story.

Vegapunk was born in Future Country Baldimore on Karakuri Island. More than twenty years before the story begins, he ate the Nomi Nomi no Mi, and his head began to increase in size as he memorized information. During his youth, he transformed his house into a laboratory in which he carried out numerous experiments. He later collaborated with an outlaw research group known as MADS (working with Vinsmoke Judge, Caesar Clown, Queen, and Buckingham Stussy), winning the Ibel Peace Prize after inventing the GP flower. With other scientists, he also studied hereditary genetic factors, managing to create Stussy, the first clone in history, which Vegapunk claimed was a great step toward world peace.

However, the World Government deemed it dangerous, so it arrested the scientists and then made them work for its purposes. For at least twenty years before the beginning of the narrative, Vegapunk thus began to collaborate with the Marines, working in Punk Hazard’s research base. And that is how his association with the World Government began, and, as fans will know, this is the most controversial aspect of his story.

Most people who are directly associated with the World Government (with Punk Hazard being an especially odious place to work in) are considered to be villains in One Piece. For many years, it has been thought that Vegapunk was a true villain, yet someone who was not that powerful to be on the battlefield. He had been mentioned as the cause of many controversial moments and events in the history of One Piece, and fans rightfully thought that Vegapunk was a villain.

But, the Egghead Arc will finally reveal more about the mad scientist and confirm that he is not really a villain. Vegapunk might be employed by the Marines, but he never really worked with them voluntarily, nor was he loyal to their cause; he was loyal to them because he was forced to work for them, but aside from that basic loyalty, he did not care much about them. So, no, we cannot really say that he is a villain.

On the other hand, he is not a hero either. Namely, if you remember the members of MADS, you’ll see the likes of Judge, Caesar, and even Queen there. And while some of them had villainous arcs, they weren’t really true villains like the Five Elders or Akainu. So, Vegapunk is as much of a villain as Judge… he is not really hero, as he is selfish and has his own (often controversial) goals in mind, but he is not an evil character – so no, we can definitely confirm that Vegapunk is not a villain

Why Did the World Government Send the CP0 to Kill Vegapunk?

And if you don’t believe us, we can add another fact to the tally. Namely, although Vegapunk was an employee of the Marines, they didn’t really respect him all that much – he was useful, and they wanted to keep him, but he was disposable if needed. This is why, when Vegapunk began researching the Void Century, which is the World Government’s biggest and darkest secret, they decided to eliminate him and sent the CP0 after him. Will they succeed? The Egghead Arc will reveal it all, so no spoilers here!

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!