Although it is not a martial arts anime like Dragon Ball, One Piece brilliantly combines its adventures with the fights we’ve seen over the years. The series has provided us with some great fights over its two-decade run and while some of them were epic from the fighting point of view, others were important for the plot or were simply very emotional. In this article, we have picked 20 fights from the One Piece anime series and we have decided to rank them for you based on their overall epicness and importance. You’re going to get some basic information on each of the fights as well.
20. Luffy vs. Arlong
Outcome: Luffy wins
Luffy had difficulty against Arlong’s quick and deadly attacks, his teeth, and his sword Kiribachi. The fight then switched to the room where Nami had been forced to work making maps for years. Arlong cynically confessed how Nami had been recruited into his crew and how she served as her most important tool.
Luffy, angered by all the pain and suffering that Arlong caused Nami, managed to turn the fight in his favor: he broke Arlong’s nose and destroyed the maps. Luffy used his full force Gomu Gomu no Ono attack. Arlong tried to defeat Luffy once and for all with his Shark on Tooth attack but the stomp reached him first.
The stomp he delivered to Arlong had enough force to destroy the floor they were fighting on and everyone below them, destroying Arlong Park in the process and with that, putting an end to Arlong’s tyranny.
19. Zoro vs. Mihawk
Outcome: Mihawk wins
While the Straw Hat Pirates were on the Baratie, Zoro immediately challenged him. Mihawk was able to block Zoro’s three swords with the tip of his necklace sword, eventually stabbing him in the chest with it. Mihawk was so impressed with Zoro’s spirit that he granted him a one-on-one with the Black Sword.
Zoro then performed his best technique, Sanzen Sekai, but Mihawk completely overpowered him and broke two of his three swords in the process (all except the Wadō Ichimonji). Zoro, admitting total defeat for him, allowed himself to be cut down by Mihawk to the face, like a true swordsman. Mihawk accepted this offer and opened a massive diagonal cut across Zoro’s entire chest, but held back long enough to allow Zoro to live.
Luffy had already taken out the Sea Warrior, unsuccessfully, when Zoro tearfully yelled at him, proclaiming that no matter what, he will never lose again. Afterward, Mihawk told Zoro his full name and offered him a challenge.
18. Sanji vs. Jabra
Outcome: Sanji wins
During the beginning of the fight and after several interruptions, they started a real kick fight and also a very lopsided one as at some points in this Sanji seemed to have the upper hand and at other times Jabra was the one with the upper hand in the fight. Jabra, seeing Sanji’s strength, would give him the key and tell him that he only gave it to him because he said that Robin was his younger sister, although Sanji did not believe him.
Sanji would grab the key and instead of continuing the fight, he ran away to escape something that Jabra didn’t like, which is why he went after him although Sanji would soon return to the fight kicking him in the mouth. Jabra would use Tekkai Kempo to fight back, however, Sanji managed to put the fight on his side, dealing Jabra several blows that he was not able to dodge until, at the moment, Jabra managed to react by attacking Sanji, managing to throw him to the back floors to prepare another attack.
Sanji warned him not to claim victory and that he would soon test his true power by attacking Jabra with the Diable Jambe. Jabra refused to lose the fight and soon attempted another attack on Sanji, after which Sanji attacked with another Diable Jambe which was enough to defeat Jabra.
17. Luffy vs. Doflamingo
Outcome: Luffy wins
The fight then escalates, and Doflamingo witnesses Luffy’s Gear Fourth activating. But he does not foresee the extent of this technique and is manhandled, to the point of being crushed and sent flying into the scenery. But that is not enough, as Doflamingo quickly recovers. Seeing Luffy suffer from the effects of Gear Fourth, Doflamingo smiles upon seeing him and steps forward, despite the opposition of the Gladiators who have come to help Luffy buy time while he recharges his Haki.
He will also be held back by them, and will quickly get angry about this, not being able to reach Luffy. Doflamingo continues to search for Luffy, but comes across Viola, who wants to kill Doflamingo to put an end to this. Under the frightened eyes of Rebecca who attends the scene, she sees her aunt being massacred by Doflamingo.
The latter also uses his power to manipulate Rebecca and makes her put herself in a position to kill Viola. He sneers in front of this scene, under the tears of despair of the two young women. But he will be stopped by Luffy, just when Rebecca was about to kill her aunt against her will. Doflamingo is surprised to see Luffy, but laughs because he sees that even though he has regained his Haki, he is still weakened.
He engages in the fight against Luffy, and even dominates the latter at first, without the latter being able to make a single gesture. But Joker will eventually be beaten by Luffy, the latter having beaten him in one hit as promised. He collapses in the underground port, unconscious. The Marines cover him with Granit Marin to stop him.
16. Senor Pink vs. Franky
Outcome: Franky wins
The battle between Senor Pink and Franky turned into a contest of wills. After taking a direct hit from Franky’s strong hammer, Franky hit him with another duplex. After Franky told the dwarfs that out of respect for his rival he would not dodge any of his attacks, Senor Pink challenged him to endure a baby buster. The attack, although it left Franky very badly injured, failed as he failed to defeat the “Cyborg”, causing Senor Pink to accept defeat, apologizing to Doflamingo for failing him.
Then Franky gets up by putting a Franky iron boxing on the officer, defeating him. As he was being beaten he began to remember his wife and son. When he fell to the ground the tears came to his eyes and Franky wiped them away before leaving telling him that one day they would meet again and that he would tell him the story of Russian over drinks.
15. Nami vs. Miss Doublefinger
Outcome: Nami wins
Nami regroups the bubbles she has created into a small cloud, but Zala lunges back into the assault, propelling Nami backwards. Desperately, Nami continues to feed the created cloud with more bubbles of hot and cold air, causing it to increase in size. Before Zala can land a killing blow on her opponent, she emits a static bubble with her weapon, causing the created cloud to emit a powerful beam that hits the tenacious Baroque Works agent. Enraged, Zala charges at Nami again, only to miss again as she hits another mirage.
Nami readies her ultimate move, but before he can launch it, Zala lunges at her, causing her foot to get implanted against the spikes formed by her opponent. Nami overcomes the pain thinking about how much Vivi has been through, and launches her ultimate attack, Tornado Tempo, against Zala; initially this move seems harmless as some toy birds come out of the gun, but this move gains power as these birds coil around the blue-haired girl’s body and fire her with tremendous force through several houses, knocking her out.
14. Nico Robin vs. Black Maria
Outcome: Nico Robin wins
Black Maria tried to confuse her opponents with illusory mist, but Robin and Brook managed to see through the trick, so the tobiroppo started violently hitting the place with her fiery weapon, causing the whole place to go up in flames. Brook was able to stop this by freezing Wanyudo, much to Black Maria’s annoyance. Black Maria immediately began to taunt Robin and Sanji, her taunts being denied by the archaeologist.
After that she was surprised to see a giant clone of her opponent, but laughed to see that for the time being she had only created an easier and more comfortable target for herself. Taking advantage of her situation, Black Maria started hitting Robin repeatedly while she continued to insult her until Robin destroyed the roof of the place with one of her techniques. Surprised by this, she began to get scared with Robin’s technique, being caught by it and defeated when the new clone of her opponent broke her neck.
13. Zoro vs. King
Outcome: Zoro wins
Noticing King speeding up again, Zoro reacted quickly by using his Yakkodori technique to slice through King’s now vulnerable body in an instant, just as the latter was kicking him in the face. When Zoro pointed out how King had begun to block his attacks and no longer seemed so impregnable, King proclaimed that a human could never stand against his kind and if anything, King would simply remember Zoro as a decent swordsman, Zoro denied this. and said that he would personally make sure that King would remember him if King managed to survive him.
King then created an even larger flame dragon towards Zoro. The latter unhesitatingly jumped on the attack proclaiming that if he dies “he will be the King of Hell” and, using a powerful attack with his Santoryu, split the dragon apart while sending a concentrated slashing wave towards King, damaging him squarely in the chest, severing part of King’s right wing and destroying his sword.
12. Nine Red Scabbards vs. Kaidō
Outcome: Kaidō wins
After Momonosuke refused to lie, Kaidō was shocked when the Nine Red Scabbards arrived and attacked him. After the attack, he remembered Oden and fell in the middle of the stage, screaming in pain. While talking to the Scabbards, Kaidō tried to discourage them by saying that his allies would betray them. After hearing Luffy’s declaration of war, Kaidō transformed into his dragon form and flew to the ceiling of the skull with the Red Scabbards hanging from him.
Upon reaching the top, he was left facing the latter and the minks of the Mokomo Dukedom. Kaidō tried to attack them with a Bolo Breath, but Kin’emon slashed through it, dealing damage again. He then attacked them with lightning, but they dodged it, each hitting him in turn. The Sea Emperor was confused as to how his attacks could hurt him.
After Raizo redirected the Bolo Breath at the pirate himself, four of the Red Scabbards; Ashura, Kin’emon, Denjiro and Inuarashi, replicated Oden’s Nitoryu stance and hit Kaidō’s scar with the same attack that Oden himself dealt twenty years ago. While recovering from that attack, Kaidō commented that they reminded them of Oden but the Red Scabbards didn’t have the same strength as him.
He then responded with a roar that caused a sharp draft of air to sever Kikunojo’s left arm. After Kin’emon cauterized Kikunojo’s wound, Kaidō returned to his normal form praising the samurai’s determination. Continuing the battle, Kaidō gained the upper hand and began to put the Red Scabbards in serious trouble. After defeating them, the Emperor of the Sea wrapped the entirety of Onigashima Island with his Homuragumo causing it to begin to float.
11. Portgas D. Ace vs. Blackbeard
Outcome: Blackbeard wins
Before they can go capture him, Ace shows up and sets out to fight Teach to avenge Thatch. Teach tries to recruit Ace, but Ace rejects him and they start a battle that destroys most of the town. Blackbeard reveals the powers of his Devil Fruit and that, indeed, he killed Thatch to obtain it, but assuring that rather than steal the fruit, the fruit had chosen him.
It is revealed that Teach’s Devil fruit is the Yami Yami no Mi, which although it does not behave like other abilities of other consumers still is of the Logia type, since Blackbeard can take hits without needing to use Haki or a sea stone, because he receives the pain twice more suffered than the rest.
But, on the contrary, his darkness may receive the pain, but it can absorb it. This fruit turns your body into darkness. Finally the two collide with the powers of their respective fruits, leaving the outcome of the battle open, however it was said that the outcome of that battle would trigger a great event to come.
10. Whitebeard vs. Akainu
Outcome: Whitebeard wins
When Akainu kills Ace, a furious Whitebeard attacks the admiral, and he manages to destroy half of his face (in the anime only part of the mustache) although Whitebeard is unfazed by this attack; and he lashes out furiously at the admiral who can barely do anything against Whitebeard’s powerful blows.
In one of these attacks, Whitebeard destroys the island by dividing it in two, with the Marines in one half and the pirates in the other, to make it easier for them to escape. While the rest of his “sons” flee, Whitebeard fights valiantly against the navy all alone (proving his honesty and bravery). At that time, to everyone’s surprise, Blackbeard appears with his crew, proclaiming that he is there to see how Whitebeard dies.
9. Sanji vs. Luffy
Outcome: Sanji wins
Realizing he was serious, Luffy prepares to confront him when Sanji rushes towards him. He launches an attack directly into Luffy’s face, sending him flying away and knocking out a tooth. Luffy quickly recovers and lands on his feet much to Sanji’s amazement. His friend asks him if he is ready to fight but Luffy refuses to use his Haki and decides to fight his friend anyway. Sanji accepts this fight and orders Luffy to disappear from his sight.
But the Straw Hat refuses and earns him another kick in the face. Again, Luffy quickly recovers from this attack and gets back to his feet. As Luffy gets back up, Sanji has a flashback and remembers when Luffy asked him to join his crew.
Despite the beatings he was receiving, Luffy stays on his feet under Nami’s horrified eyes. Sanji orders the Straw Hat to leave but Luffy replies, his face bloody, that he will never leave without him. Seeing that he had a tough opponent in front of him who didn’t want to listen to reason, Sanji then jumped very high in the air to prepare his final attack. Sanji then lands on Luffy’s skull with a “Crush” which knocks out the Straw Hat.
8. Sanji vs. Queen
Outcome: Sanji wins
After calling out to Zoro, Sanji seemingly turned invisible, which Queen mistook for more science from Judge, and then hit the All-Star with Hell Memories. Queen was knocked through several walls, but quickly returned to Sanji.
Queen then demonstrated the abilities that she had replicated from Germa’s technology, such as firing lasers from her eyes and electrifying his body. Queen had saved these abilities to use against Sanji in a Raid Suit as she wanted to show Judge that he considered himself the top scientist. Queen extended her mechanical arm, grabbed Sanji and spun him around, slamming him into the walls.
Irritated by the repeated comparisons to his family, Sanji destroyed Queen’s mechanical arm and kicked Queen in the stomach again, bringing him to his knees. Queen then turned invisible and was shocked when Sanji disappeared in a high speed motion.
When O-Some went out to retrieve her mouse, Chuji, Queen decided to attack her again in retaliation for all the times she had rejected him. However, Sanji realizes that he was the one who attacked the courtesan and stopped Queen with a series of new Ifrit Jambe kicks, ending with Bœuf Burst, which sent Queen flying out of the dome.
7. Luffy vs. Crocodile
Outcome: Luffy wins (after two of Crocodile’s wins)
Since these two One Piece legends fought three times, we’re going to chronicle only their last clash, so you know it all ended. Luffy ran towards Crocodile and gave him a direct punch in the face. Crocodile was surprised at this since Luffy was no longer carrying water. He finally figured out that what allowed Luffy to hit him was the blood from his wounds.
Realizing he was facing someone he should no longer underestimate, he removed the top part of his hook, revealing a poisonous weapon. Luffy fought it off and got the upper hand but eventually got hit by the hook and was poisoned. However, his determination to defeat Crocodile easily overcame this, much to the latter’s frustration.
As the battle continued, Luffy kicked Crocodile into the air. While doing so, Luffy was blasted with one of Crocodile’s powerful techniques. Luffy however resisted the attack and prepared to fight back. Using a series of moves, Luffy propelled himself towards Crocodile to deliver the final blow. As a last resort, Crocodile tried to stop Luffy by turning his hand into blades of sand.
That didn’t stop Luffy from punching through the sand with his bare fists and unleashing a flurry of blows at his opponent. Luffy attacked Crocodile with such force that he penetrated a layer of pure bedrock and sent Crocodile flying. After being defeated, Crocodile’s Devil Fruit effect that prevented rain was broken and Alabasta’s rain returned.
6. Zoro vs. Mr. 1
Outcome: Zoro wins
After exchanging several blows, Mr. 1 revealed himself to be the user of the Supa Supa no Mi and they immediately started fighting while Miss Doublefinger took care of Nami. With a body as hard as steel, Mr. 1 was able to withstand Zoro’s thrusts and techniques with ease. Despite this, Mr. 1 recognized his rival’s fighting ability and, when the time came, began to continuously wound him with his multiple slashing and tearing techniques.
To the agent’s surprise, his opponent stood up again and again, resisting his powerful attacks with his body at the limit of his ability. At the height of the match, Mr. 1 decided to finish Zoro off once and for all. However, at that very moment, his opponent was able to cut through his metal body; vertically traversing his body in a deep gash. Completely defeated, Mr. 1 admitted defeat to him and fell unconscious.
5. Zoro vs. Kaku
Outcome: Zoro wins
When Nami gave them the keys to open the handcuffs, Kaku and Zoro finally faced each other one on one, both starting an intense combat of techniques. In the middle of the fight Kaku mentions Robin and this makes Zoro angry and gives Kaku the impression that he saw Zoro as a Kishin (demon god) with 3 heads and 6 arms, Kaku prepares to use his most powerful technique when Zoro executes the Kiki Kyuu Tou Ryuu Ashura, and defeats Kaku.
Finally Zoro tells him that he has a message from one of the foremen that “he’s fired” and then Kaku, defeated by Zoro and lying on the ground, remembers Water 7 and Paulie visibly moved and says that a murderer cannot do another job, then finally he takes the key out of his pocket and hands it to Zoro; Kaku faints and Zoro tells him that he’s sorry.
4. Luffy vs. Katakuri
Outcome: Luffy Wins
Luffy collides with Charlotte Katakuri in the mirror world after pinning him and dragging him there to protect his friends. After escaping from that dimension to regain his strength, Luffy decides to return to it in order to defeat Katakuri in order to become stronger and overcome him.
When Luffy is hit by Katakuri due to Flambé’s intrusion, he does not attribute any blame to his opponent stating that in a duel between pirates there is no such thing as “playing dirty” and that instead it was his mistake not being able to dodge it. When Katakuri apologizes to him for the actions of his sister and states that he no longer considers him inferior to him, Luffy thanks him reiterating that however it is he who will win the fight.
After winning the fight, Luffy shows that he has respect for his opponent by covering Katakuri’s mouth with his second hat, who since he was a child he decided to cover to never show his weaknesses again.
3. Luffy vs. Lucci
Outcome: Luffy wins
During the later part of the Enies Lobby Arc, Luffy continues his fight against Lucci outside on the Navy warship. After using his Gear 3 for about a minute, Luffy becomes tiny and is forced to go into hiding.
Once found he becomes easy prey for Lucci. This form annoys Lucci as he decides to corner Luffy and give him the final blow; he gains momentum and begins to run while preparing his attack, when his leg, injured from the attack in Gear 3 earlier, forces him to stop. Once back to normal, Luffy continues his fight against Lucci.
The soldiers start attacking the crew as Luffy tries to finish off Lucci. The captain of the Straw Hat Crew is about to lose, at which point Sniperking takes off his mask and calls Luffy, yelling at him that if his captain can’t beat Lucci no one can beat him. It is at the end of his tether that the Straw Hat will find the will to get up, activate his Gear 2 and try once again to put the CP9 assassin out of the race.
Wanting to end it once and for all, Lucci will use his most powerful technique against Luffy, but in the face of his determination and the encouragement of his friends, it will not prove as effective as he hoped. Rob Lucci is finally beaten by Luffy, although he collapses on the ground, immobilized by an abuse of the use of Gear 2, just after beating him.
2. Luffy vs. Usopp
Outcome: Luffy wins
As promised Usopp returns to the meeting place at 10 p.m. for the duel with Luffy. Luffy tells him not to have any regrets no matter the outcome. Usopp replies that, unlike former enemies, he is well aware of what Luffy is capable of, and is ready to defeat him. He asks Luffy to come with everything he has.
When Luffy comes at him with a Gomu Gomu no Pistol, Usopp uses his Ketchup arsenal to pretend to spit blood. This stops Luffy in his tracks out of concern. Usopp laughs at him for taking pity on his enemies, and blinds him with a dial, then Usopp uses his slingshot, and bombards his former captain with rotten eggs. Luffy asks Usopp to take their clash seriously.
Usopp tells Luffy that he won’t give him a chance for revenge, and swings shurikens at him, pulling them into chains, forcing Luffy to back up to dodge. He is in a smoke zone. Usopp says the smoke is coming from the Breath Dial; he couldn’t smell it because of the rotten eggs. Usopp fires an explosive ball setting off a huge explosion that throws the ship back to shore. For a moment, Luffy stares at the field and thinks back to times he met Usopp.
When Luffy tries to use a Gomu Gomu no Bazooka, Usopp counters him with a dial impact which absorbs the carry of Luffy’s blows and turns him against him, but injures his arm in the recoil. This was Usopp’s last shot. Out of idea, he stays there and uses the Gomu Gomu no Bullet to hit his chest, knocking him out and winning the duel.
1. Luffy vs. Kaidō
Outcome: Luffy wins
Now, these two have fought over and over until Luffy finally won. Since recapping all of their battles would be too long, we’re just going to bring you the gist of their final epic clash in which Luffy finally won. Luffy used a Gomu Gomu no Kaminari to launch the lightning at Kaidō, but Kaidō dodged it and hit Luffy from the side, sending him flying far away again.
Luffy used another lightning bolt to propel himself back to attack Kaidō, but Kaidō quickly dodged the attack and hit Luffy on the head. As he did so, he told Luffy that having a strong Devil Fruit is not enough to conquer the seas; Roger himself didn’t have one and yet he became the Pirate King and Kaidō said that those obstacles can only be overcome with Haki, as he hit Luffy with a Daiitoku Raimei Hakke, throwing him into the air again.
However, Luffy grabbed Kaidō as he was passing through the storm clouds and Kaidō tried to throw Luffy off him, first hitting his arm with the Hassaikai and then changing into his full dragon form to hit him with a Tatsumaki Kaifu and a Boron Breath. His efforts were futile, as Luffy not only held on, but inflated his other fist to a massive size to finish off Kaidō.
Seeing Luffy’s gigantic fist, Kaidō decided to engage him as he engulfed himself in fire, eventually causing Luffy to let go of him, a move Kaidō said was the right move. He told Luffy that Oden was burned to death, and since then, the people of Wano Country desperately clung to the hope that his “savior” would come. He also told Luffy that his fist would never hit him because his fire would vaporize him and he faced Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Gattling Gun with his Shoryu: Kaen Hakke.
As they battled it out, Kaidō praised Luffy for coming this far, but he believed that he couldn’t change the world. However, he asked him what kind of world Luffy wanted to create and Luffy replied that he wanted to make a world where his friends could eat whatever they wanted, as his fist pierced through Kaidō’s attack and punched him so hard in the face that made him fall to the ground in front of the Flower Capital, apparently knocked out.
