One Piece has a diverse world of races and nations within the world, most sharing a lot of similar traits to humans. Some though are incredibly distinguishable, and even despised by those in power. Every race in One Piece has a story, and some are more tragic than others.
This will contain some light spoilers for One Piece through Chapter 1095. The manga is available on MangaPlus and Viz, so catch up there before reading here!
15. Humans
The most prevalent species throughout the Grand Line and the world at large, humans make up most of the population. They come in all shapes and sizes in One Piece though, ranging from the size of smaller children like Chimney to massive foes like Whitebeard or Big Mom. One Piece is really just insanely diverse when it comes to the humans it showcases, and they come in incredible varieties when it comes to ethnicities as well as looks. The people of Arabasta typically have darker skin, whereas Drum Island Natives are incredibly pale thanks to being a Winter Island.
That said, there’s an extreme spectrum to how durable the humans in One Piece are. Some are absolute monsters like Luffy and Zoro that can take insane damage while healing in strange ways. Others like Nami are relatively fragile in comparison, and then there’s also Brook, who is all bones!
14. Celestial Dragons
This is more for the sake of story purposes, but Celestial Dragons consider themselves to be a totally different race than those around them. They distinguish themselves as above others, actual gods among men, yet they’re some of the most disgustingly useless people alive. It’s like the Monopoly Man was given a license to kill while being as big of an asshole as possible. Despite all that, there are a few Celestial Dragons that are on the side of good when it comes to humanity.
Others are monsters, unfortunately, like the Gorosei. They have no humanity to them, wiping out anyone at a moment’s notice while believing it’s all for the good of everyone. So they say, anyway, but they’re definitely nothing more than regular humans with a god complex to rival a hybrid of Kanye West and Elon Musk.
13. Fishmen
The sea dwellers of One Piece are some of the strongest in the modern world, but they’re incredibly feared throughout most of the world. This is all thanks to the World Government of course, who have made Fishmen out to be savages beyond any sort of moral standing for almost eight hundred years now. Despite this, most Fishmen are actually incredibly friendly people just like everyday humans. Many only want to see the surface world for themselves, but unfortunately due to the fear surrounding them, can’t step from the waves.
Their time is coming though, as Luffy has made promises to them to finish what Joyboy started in the Void Century. The Fishmen are going to return to the surface, and experience life in the sun alongside humans when the World Government is eventually brought down. This is great, because many of them are currently taken as slaves by the Celestial Dragons, with Mermaids especially prized for their beauty. Of course, they only put them on display in a big tube, making them live their lives there with nothing else. That’s one of the more mundane punishments that the Celestial Dragons inflict, unfortunately.
12. Lunarians
One of the most mysterious tribes, all but extinct except for King, who is the last surviving Lunarian. They formerly lived atop the Grand Line, with wings that hold a blazing flame between them. This flame is something they also use in battle, gaining massive defensive strength when it’s minimized. When they allow the flame to flare out though, it gives them incredible speed and strength. This allows King to fly through the air rapidly during his fight with Zoro.
Lunarians are an incredibly valuable race to the World Government, who are the ones that likely wiped them out in the first place. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Red Line at Marijoa was one of the first Native Hunting Competitions, and the Lunarians were destroyed by Imu or the Gorosei. Now the World Government has used their DNA as the basis for the Seraphim clone project.
11. Long-Arm Tribe
The Long Arm Tribe are a little strange, as they look mostly like regular humans. Oh, except their arms have two elbows in them instead of just one. This allows them both incredible flexibility and reach, as evidenced when Scratchmen Apoo fights during Wano. Especially when it comes to his Devil Fruit, which uses music to fight, having more limber movement is an advantage. Not much is known about the Long Arm Tribe, but they live in the Grand Line, on Sword Mountain.
The Long-Arm Tribe are also the ones that take Brook on as the Soul King after Sabaody Archipelago. They definitely got their money out of him too, running Brook all along the Grand Line while making him perform. Though they aren’t very happy when he runs away two years later. It seems they still hold a major grudge against him to this day.
10. Long-Leg Tribe
The Long-Leg Tribe is on the opposite spectrum of the Long-Arm Tribe. They have two different knee joints as opposed to the ones humans have, and it makes them exceptionally tall. Best exemplified in Blue Gilly, a Long-Leg Tribe member joins Straw Hat Fleet after fighting in Dressrosa alongside Luffy. However, the better example of what this tribe can do is Charlotte Smoothie, daughter of Charlotte Linlin aka Big Mom.
She’s one of the most powerful fighters in the New World, and one of three commanders in her mother’s army. Along with her Devil Fruit, she brings pride to the merging of the Long-Leg Tribe and Big Mom Pirates. She’s not only one of the toughest fighters, but also one of the most fawned over by One Piece fans.
9. Buccaneers
These are the newest races to come into play in the world of One Piece, with the only confirmed living member as Bartholomew Kuma of the Revolutionaries and Warlords. He’s incredibly powerful, with increased durability, strength, and stamina that make him a threat to the World Government. The Buccaneer race isn’t in their good graces apparently, and the World Government says that they were traitors to them long ago.
There’s no confirmation on what that crime was yet, but it’s likely something to do with helping Joyboy. The Buccaneers definitely haven’t put themselves in the good graces of Imu or the Gorosei though, and even as strong as they are, they can die easily. Still, it’s a testament to their resiliency and Kuma’s incredible will that he survives the time as a slave on Marijoa not once, but twice.
8. Long Ring Long Land
This is one of the stranger ones, because all of Long Ring Long Land appears as somewhat human until things get a little weird further in. Then everything becomes long, just like the theme of the island. The residents make note that everything there is free to grow as they like, but that still doesn’t explain just how the people of Long Ring Long Land become so strangely long. Not to mention the weird animals on the island. Perhaps it could be something to do with how the island was formed in the past.
7. Giants
One of the first races to be introduced in the Grand Line, Giants have been on the planet for centuries by the time One Piece starts. They’re incredibly powerful, with massive strength and stamina backing them up alongside weapons as big as they are. The Giants have their home near the end of the New World, on an island known as Elbaph. This is coincidentally where Shanks, Emperor of the Sea, has his home base.
Fitting, seeing as Giants are considered some of the bravest warriors to sail the seas. Their lives are incredibly long, with Dorry and Broggy both being upwards of two centuries old. There’s even a giant in the Straw Hat Grand Fleet! Hajrudin joins them in Dressrosa, and he’s a former crew member of Dorry and Broggy’s!
6. Skypieans
The Skypiean people are still a huge mystery, with no clue as to how the Sky islands themselves are made or got there! They have small wings, though they seem to be impractical when it comes to actually flying. Unfortunately for the Sky Islanders, they’re just as prone to falling as us, these features doing nothing to mitigate that. There are some other advantages though, as they’re incredibly used to the higher, less oxygen-rich climate. This helps them become even stronger down below.
Skypieans also hold to a much different style of technology than the Grand Line as a whole. They still use dials mainly, which are ancient to the Straw Hat Pirates, who have no idea what they are. Some infamous Skypieans, like Urouge, also have strange goals in mind when it comes to their presence in the Grand Line.
5. Shandians
At this point in the story the Shandians are no longer just Shandians. Instead, they’ve intermixed with the Skypiean people so much they’re similar. They still hold a place as somewhat natives though, since they live in the Upper Yard of Skypiea. They constantly fight here, where part of Jaya landed centuries ago. This gives them noticeably different features, like darker skin and usually they wear various tribal tattoos.
The Shandians for the most part are alike with humans or Skypieans though, but with a fierce fighting spirit. Wyper is incredibly strong, though he hasn’t shown up since the Skypiea saga, and makes a huge ally against Enel. Most importantly, the Shandian people are some of the first found that worship Nika, the Sun God that will bring liberation and dancing wherever he goes.
4. Moon People
This might be a surprise for a lot of people, but One Piece does have aliens confirmed in the series. They’re only seen in a cover story about Enel’s journey after his defeat, where he actually gets to Unlimited Varse. That’s what he calls it, but really it’s just the moon, which contains a huge abandoned city. Some small moon people look after it, along with plenty of robots to back them up.
Nobody quite knows what their point is in the story so far or if they really do have one. They have to play in at some point, right? There are so many possibilities layered into the early parts of One Piece that anything can happen, even the little moonmen coming down to the Grand Line!
3. Oni
Another race with mystery around it still, as the only Oni so far to be seen are Kaido and Yamato. They’re both incredibly powerful, and Kaido is massive with huge horns atop his head. It’s these horns that actually distinguish the Oni people, and also give Yamato his red horns that make him stand out. The power of the Oni race also gives incredible strength and defensive capabilities, allowing Yamato and Kaido to swing their massive Bagua weapons as if they were nothing.
The entire race is mysterious though. There’s no telling if they’re descendants of a much stronger race or just abnormalities unknown yet. The World Government hasn’t mentioned them outside of Kaido, but that has to be one reason they were studying him. If they take genes from Lunarians like King, there’s no way they won’t do the same to another species.
2. Oars
While Oars has been dead a long time, he has a descendant in the Whitebeard Pirates, Little Oars. Little Oars dies during the battle of Marineford, but he’s a tough fighter, giving his all to save Ace. Oars and his people are massive, supposedly extinct now with the death of Little Oars. They also somewhat resemble the Oni race like Kaido. They’re just much, much larger and more fearsome in battle, which is a really high bar to begin with.
Whether they’re an older form of Oni or an ancient precursor to the race, they were incredibly strong. Oars got the name of ‘Continent Puller’ for being so large and mighty. He’s still just as deadly when Moria resurrects his decomposing body. For a hunk of rotting flesh, Oars is able to do massive damage around Thriller Bark.
1. Joyboy’s Race
Still one of the greatest mysteries, and nobody is quite sure if they were giants or another race entirely. One of Joyboy’s greatest allies was Zunesha, and he was said to ride the giant elephant around. Then there’s the massive Straw Hat that Imu was seen within Marijoa, much bigger than one that could even fit a giant. What were Joyboy’s people, and why were they so incredibly massive? Another mystery that’s going to have to wait for an answer, unfortunately, but the Final Saga is slowly peeling away layers.
Every race in One Piece so far just gives a small piece to the rich history the world contains. Whether they end up as Pirates, Marine, or Revolutionary, everyone has something to accomplish. It’s going to take a lot of these races working in harmony to get anywhere though, especially if they want to take down the World Government of One Piece!
