In the world of One Piece, there are plenty of strong characters. Whether they have strong Devil Fruit abilities, Haki, or transformations, these characters are pretty strong and take on other strong characters. However, while some characters continue to unlock new power levels, others fall behind. These characters eventually get nerfed, to where they just aren’t as strong as their first appearance. Whether the nerfing was long overdue or is considered to be a sore spot, here are some of the most nerfed characters in One Piece.
7. Crocodile
As one of the first enemies Luffy had faced, he was easily one of the most dangerous. Using his strength, savagery, and power, he was able to hand Luffy three defeats. Luffy was only able to hold his own whenever he discovered that Crocodile had a weakness to water, but even then their final fight was full of questionable decisions on the Warlord’s part. It was clear that Crocodile wasn’t going all out.
While he would get a chance to become an ally of Luffy’s in later arcs, and would get some very impressive fights, he wasn’t nearly as strong as his first appearance would suggest. It is a shame, because there is a lot that can be done with his character.
6. Big Mom
As a Yonko of the sea, Big Mom is very very powerful. Her first appearance struck fear into everyone’s hearts as she showed off her power and abilities. But the Whole Cake Island Arc really made her a threat. Despite going on a hunger or anger-fueled rampage most of the time, or otherwise being unconscious, she was still a massive threat to the Straw Hats.
However, during the Wano Arc, she was seen to be a lot less strong. Eventually she faces defeat by Kid and Law. While the battle is interesting to watch and Big Mom does pull out some very impressive moves, many fans think that she is unfairly in place to lose to the two pirates. In a real fight, she likely would have come out on top.
5. Tashigi
Her story arc as a female swordswoman seeking to prove her father wrong is very interesting. Tashigi is also an excellent companion to Smoker, and a cool foil to Zoro. The biggest problem is that we almost never see her do anything on screen besides lose. While this might not be a nerf in the traditional sense, it is annoying.
She often gets into battles and holds her own, but either loses due to the plot needing the fight to end, or she needs to be saved by Zoro. Her biggest victories and moments come off screen, and we never get to see them. Which is a real shame.
4. Smoker
While Smoker is in place as an actual component Marine admiral who was a sometime ally of the Straw Hats, he was still able to command a presence and hold his own in a fight. He was a very interesting character who showed the audience a different side to the Marines. However, he has started to meet defeat more and more often.
After the timeskip, he faces defeat by Law and has his heart removed. Then he takes a beating by Vergo. Finally, he loses one final time to Doflamingo, having to seek aid again. For such an interesting character with some cool powers, he has been nerfed. The nerfing makes his previous victories go up in smoke.
3. Kid
There’s nothing more powerful than defeating a powerful person, and Eustass Kid managed to defeat Big Mom. True, he had some help from Law, but the battle was one that he desperately fought and had won. While some fans wondered if Big Mom faces a good nerfing during that battle, others know that Kid is in trouble during his next fight.
Kid and his pirates encountered Shanks at Elbaf and proceeded to attempt to fight him. However, Shanks saw that Kid’s powerful attack would lead to massive destruction as well as hundreds dead. Unwilling to let this come to pass, he used his Kamusari to knock Kid out with one blow. While it might be a testament to Shanks’s strength, it was still a little odd to see Kid taken down in one hit like that.
2. Gran Tesoro
The primary antagonist of the film: One Piece Film Gold, Gran Tesoro is easily one of the richest and most powerful characters in One Piece. He is able to control and manipulate gold with his Gol-Gol Fruit, as well as the actions of people coated in his gold dust. When his plans were eventually unraveled by the Straw Hats, he decided to fight them. In a giant golden statue that proved to be a very impressive target.
For all the power Gran Tesoro had at his literal fingertips, it was a bit disappointing to see his lack of use of it during the final battle. Building a giant statue just wasn’t up to the standards of his previous displays of power. While the story might explain some of his reckless actions away, it still was disappointing and led to a final battle that could have been much more.
1. The Pacifista
Finally, in their first appearance it took all the Straw Hats just to hold their own against one. However, once they were mass produced, the powers of the Pacifista took a nosedive. While it still required very powerful attacks and characters to damage them, more and more people could take down these massive cyborg machines. Post timeskip Luffy was able to demolish one all on his own, though this was likely done to show how strong he had become.
The Pacifista are still a powerful force in their own right. However, they just aren’t as unstoppable as they were in their first appearance where both they and Kuma played such an important role in the story. That hasn’t stopped a lot of characters from using them though, so they might still get a power up in time for the Final Saga!
