One Piece has a plethora of badass characters and moments throughout the series, with everyone from Luffy to even Usopp having their own. Not every moment is created equal though, and some of these require the coldest determination imaginable to pull off. So, without getting lost like Zoro, time to rank the most badass moments in all of One Piece.
Warning that this article contains spoilers for One Piece through chapter 1092. The manga is available online from Viz and MangaPlus, so catch up before reading!
Franky Fights Kizaru
Everyone will talk about Luffy grabbing Kizaru through the roof of Egghead Island’s Upper Lab. The real champ in the fight though is Franky. This man has no fear, and faces down a Navy Admiral with absolute balls of steel. Which he probably has after Robin’s attack at Water 7. There’s no doubt that Franky would go charging into certain death to save his friends. It’s the most satisfying thing to see him try to nail Kizaru with a Radical Beam.
Does it work? Absolutely not. Is it still an extremely badass moment when it comes to the world of One Piece? Oh yeah, and it reinforces Franky as the supercharacter he really is.
Shanks Faces Down the King of the Coast
This moment of badassery happens in the very beginning, setting the bar really high from the very start. When Shanks faces down the King of the Coast to save Luffy, he ends up losing an arm. Despite his missing limb, Shanks stares down the King of the Coast, telling it in simpler terms to get lost. It does too, and gives the first look at Conqueror Haki all the way back in chapter one. It sets up Shanks as one of the most badass characters too. He’s capable of stopping most major fights with just his presence.
Shanks becomes one of the great Emperors of the Sea in the New World. He single-handedly ends the Battle of Marineford by showing up and stopping Akainu’s attack on Koby. The man literally pops up on the battlefield, says “The show’s over, everyone go home”. Then even the damn Navy listens to him! If that’s not one of the most badass characters in manga or anime, then who really is?
Brook Fights Big Mom
When this fight starts off Brook calls Big Mom “young lady”. If that is not the coldest thing that any fight has started with, then I don’t know what is. Brook might not defeat the Emperor, but goddamn if he didn’t hurt her emotionally with that ice-cold burn. He goes on to give her a damn good fight too, not necessarily doing much damage but accomplishing his mission.
Brook is defeated by Big Mom before being taken to sleep in her bed like a teddy bear. The fact he STILL gets the Poneglyph etchings, is amazing. He proves that he’s the Soul King, even over an Emperor with the Soul-Soul Fruit. Brook might not get too many serious moments to fight, but when he does he pulls everything out for a full-on battle.
Robin Turns Into a Demon
The Raid on Onigashima is insane, with fights happening left and right already before Orochi has Kanjuro blaze the place. Then Black Maria makes her appearance to fight Sanji and everyone knows that can’t happen, so he calls for Robin. Black Maria thinks that Robin is weak and Sanji is just throwing her at him to run away. She straight up mocks Robin, and gets really mean about it too before Robin shuts her down completely with a new move.
She embraces her reputation, the Demon Child of Ohara, and turns into a full-on demon. Armament Haki coats her entire form, while batlike wings, fangs, and claws protrude along with horns from her head. Robin has had some ridiculous power growth since the time skips. Now it’s amazing to see her get an attack that finally embraces her savage epithet. It’s a fine line she walks between her former, ruthless self and her current role as a crewmate of the Pirate King.
Luffy Destroys Arlong Park
Arlong Park has been a prison for Nami since she was a child. Worse, it’s the home of her mother Bellemere’s killer, Arlong. Nami is usually a more reserved person, taking charge rather than asking for help, but this is where she breaks. Betrayed by Arlong and gold taken by Nezumi, she goes into a spiral, stabbing at her arm to get rid of the Sawfish tattoo. Then Luffy steps in. All it takes is for her to ask “Luffy, help me.” and he goes to work.
The fight with Arlong is definitely a fierce one and Luffy doesn’t always look like he’s winning. Luffy is enraged at seeing the prison Nami has been kept in for so long, though. The chains on the desk and maps all over the walls, bloodstained from her hands is too much. He stretches his foot high through the roof of Arlong Park, bringing it smashing back down on the Fishman’s head. It also has the benefit of demolishing the entire building, completely destroying Nami’s prison so she can live her life free.
Whitebeard Stands In Death
Though he dies on the battlefield at Marineford, unfortunately after seeing his son Ace die, Whitebeard fights valiantly. Upon his final wounds, after having half of his head punched through by Akainu, bullets everywhere, and stabs all over his body, he declares one final thing. The One Piece is real, and he knows it exists from Roger. Then he takes his last breath, passing from the earth as the battlefield resounds in silence before Teach moves in to steal the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
The image of Whitebeard standing there, even in death, defiant to the World Government is a perfect summation of the character. From his start with the Rocks Pirates to his friendship with Roger, Whitebeard was a man who stood on his own with pride. The man who shook the heavens, now standing still in death, and proud of the life he lived.
Koby’s Incredible Honesty Impact
This is a recent event in the manga, as Koby is kidnapped by Blackbeard’s forces and a rescue mission mounted by SWORD. There’s so much happening in the breakout as Koby tries to free other prisoners and SWORD keeps Blackbeard’s crew busy. Eventually, when Avalo Pizzaro threatens to crush the escaping ship, it comes down to Koby and Garp’s belief in his training. While there haven’t been many chances to see Koby fight in the manga up until this, it’s one hell of a show from the former cabin boy on Alvida’s ship.
Koby knocks Pizarro’s entire arm off, cracking it into the ocean where Prince Grus diverts it from the ship. Garp is proud as hell of Koby, and holds off the Blackbeard Pirates while his protege escapes with the rescued prisoners. it’s one of Koby’s standout moments, and he’s already a hero from the Rocky Port Incident so this makes him even more awesome.
Sabo Saves Cobra
The Reverie really went to hell this year, and Sabo says so himself. When Nefertari Cobra requests to speak to the Gorosei about a letter he found in their archives, it sets off their alarms. Things aren’t going well with covering up the Void Century lately, and the Gorosei are more than ready to kill anyone that butts into their business. Cobra is already ill, so it’s not going to be hard to kill him, and that’s exactly what the Gorosei immediately tries to do when he mentions Nefertari Lily and Imu. It earns him an audience with the immortals themselves.
Lucky for Cobra, Sabo is in Marijoa at the same time on a Revolutionary mission and saves him, surprising the King of Arabasta. Sabo mentions that he didn’t expect to find hell at the top of the Red Line, but that Cobra isn’t his enemy. Rather, it’s the monsters surrounding them at the moment. He manages to save Cobra for a brief time, but eventually, the ruler convinces Sabo he’ll die anyway and to leave him, giving a dire warning to deliver to Vivi and Luffy. The secret that the Nefertari family holds is the Will of D.
Jimbei Doesn’t Fear Big Mom
During the time of the original Four Emperors, Whitebeard took Fishman Island as one of his territories for protection. When he dies, however, it opens Fishman Island to possible attack by foes World Government or otherwise. Jimbei was also a Warlord of the Sea before the Marineford War with the condition of Fishman Island not being attacked. That goes out the window though, so he has to instead take his Sun Pirates in an understood agreement and join Big Mom’s many fleets of pirates. Though after the Fishman Island arc, he pledges to join the Straw Hats, he has to go back to Fishman Island and do things honorably.
Big Mom isn’t cool with people leaving her crew though, and demands that they pay with portions of their life dictated by a wheel. Jimbei turns it down at the time, but when the wedding happens it comes time to finally face her. Jimbei stares her down unflinching, and the Emperor is unable to extract his soul due to his unwavering determination. It’s badass and sets Jimbei up as another massive strength for the Straw Hats.
“Nothing Happened”
Two words anyone can quote at an anime convention and every One Piece fan around immediately knows the scene. After the match-up on Thriller Bark leaves Luffy exhausted, Bartholomew Kuma comes for his head and fights Zoro over it. He’s impressed by the swordsman though, and gives him a choice as he extracts Luffy’s pain with his Paw-Paw Fruit. Zoro can take all of Luffy’s pain, which will likely kill him, or Kuma will kill Luffy and bring the Navy his head. Zoro doesn’t even hesitate to save his captain, shoving both hands into the bubble of violence and exhaustion.
When the other Straw Hats awaken the next morning they find Zoro standing guard over them. He’s bloody, bruised, and broken, but still standing with arms crossed in defiance. When the others ask what happened, his simple reply is one of the most badass moments ever. “Nothing happened” and everyone moves on. Sanji doesn’t question him further, but acknowledges he would have helped. Robin mentions that she was awake to see it all, but that she won’t tell anyone which reassures Zoro. It’s just one of many moments that reinforce his sheer cosmic awesomeness.
“Shoot Down That Flag”
The big moment of Enies Lobby, is when Luffy and the Straw Hats stand on a wall opposing CP9 who have Robin captured. Luffy tells Robin he wants to hear it from her that she’s done, or to tell him that she wants to live. Of course, after all she’s been through, Robin makes the declaration that she wants to live after all and it gives Luffy his immediate next move. Usopp is standing to one side of him waiting to go, though dressed up as Sniper King, and Luffy doesn’t even bother looking at him, instead keeping his eyes locked on Spandam and Robin.
“Shoot down that flag” is met with “Roger” from Usopp, and in one swift Fire Star, he shoots down the World Government flag. It burns to ashes as everyone stares on in amazement while Franky just grins. Robin is crying, Spandam is sh*tting his pants, and the Straw Hats are about to kick ass. It’s the most badass thing in the world to take a crew of five people, plus Franky after a brief tussle, and have them declare war on worldwide fascists. It really just takes the award for being the heart of One Piece, showing that freedom and life are available to all those willing to ask.
One Piece is going to have no shortage of badass moments in the final saga, and it’s already had a few in the Egghead Island arc! Oda is always coming up with new ways to impress fans, whether it be with short confrontations, standing up to powerful foes, or just a single line of dialogue. Luffy and the Straw Hats are going to continue their path of badassery through the Grand Line, and free others while they’re at it.
