One Piece Day really brought out the big guns this year with announcements in anime, live-action, and even games! The Pirate Warriors 4 team announced not just a new DLC character, but NINE new characters! So, to get players back into the groove of the game before the DLC comes out, here are the best characters to play in One Piece Pirate Warriors 4!
Just a note, this will include past DLC characters, so some purchases may be required depending on the version played. That said, the DLC is totally worth the money and has some awesome characters from recent arcs. On with the list!
12. Portgaz D Ace
A speed-focused character, Ace is capable of dealing massive damage to a wide area, which makes him great for crowd control when everyone is closing in. The Flame Emperor move in his set and creates pillars of fire around him, which spin and suck up any enemies around. He’s an absolute menace to both crowds and enemy commanders no matter where the fight takes place.
His Full-Force Burst makes him even more deadly. His Logia powers of the Flame-Flame Fruit are completely released and he inflicts burn damage to all around him. In addition, it speeds him up, allowing more damage to be dealt even quicker as he dashes across the battlefield. If there’s any character that’s easy to pick up and play in Pirate Warriors 4, it’s Ace.
11. X Drake
Drake is a DLC character that was released in the second content pack focused on the Supernovas. The former Rear-Admiral of the Navy wields both a mace and saber while making great use of his speed-type fighting style. He’ll slash and bash through enemies while going full speed, and he’s one of the few characters with a Zoan power. Drake has the choice between two Full-Force Burst moves, one which ups his speed and attack while the other utilizes his Dinosaur Zoan.
The dinosaur form is fun to play as for a little while (it’s a dino rampage, what more could anyone want?) but his base form really shines. The issue with speed-type fighters is their limited focus and crowd control issues, but with Drake, his attacks open a wide area along with his special moves. His Full-Force Burst enhances this greatly, and gives him a bite more ferocious than his dino form. Too bad the hybrid beast mode wasn’t available too.
10. Nami
Everyone’s favorite cat burglar, Nami is a surprisingly effective fighter in the Pirate Warriors series, especially in the fourth entry. Her weather baton allows for amazing crowd control thanks to the various wind and lightning attacks, and there’s a big focus on drawing enemies in. Even better, she has a lot of longer-range attacks that cover a wide area. Her Full-Force Bursts and moves range from her initial powers of the Weather Egg all the way to assistance from Zeus.
Zeus doesn’t slack as Nami’s assistant either, and he shoots bolts of lightning down all over the battlefield. These bolts will also target whoever Nami is attacking, so it makes for an even greater damage boost. Her stamina can be upgraded massively too, which is a huge help for keeping everything under control.
9. Monkey D Luffy
Yes, Luffy is an obvious choice to play as with his incredible moveset and fighting range. Depending on his costume he can even change movesets, but it will change his use of Haki. It’s a cool feature though when Gear Two turns him from a power type to a speed type, and allows the player to mow through foes. He’s great for crowd fights and one-on-one no matter whether it’s on land or in the air.
When the Gear Four forms are unlocked through playing the story it opens up entirely different playstyles. Both Bounceman and Snakeman are available, with Bounceman turning Luffy into a sky type while Snakeman is a speed type. The forms even get new special moves when active, with moves like the Gum-Gum Kong Gun or Gum-Gum Python available.
8. Whitebeard
Whitebeard is a huge fighter and hits like it too. His regular attacks have a ginormous range with huge damage once a few upgrades are put in. His moveset’s drawback is that he’s a little slow (man’s old and sick, give him a break!) but his power makes up for it. Whitebeard’s special moves are some of the strongest for crowd control too, putting his Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers to work. He can incorporate these powers into his combos too, with wicked damage in a wide range.
7. Smoker
The Navy Vice-Admiral is a sky type thanks to his Logia-based abilities. He’s able to turn into full smoke form during his Full Force Burst attack, and will knock enemies into the air easily. This is Smoker’s best feature, because with his massive stamina pool and fast attacks, he can smoke out enemies in no time. His special moves are a little meh, but he makes up for it with good combos that draw foes in.
6. Roronoa Zoro
Zoro is a little tricky to get the hang of, because he does massive damage in huge strikes, but he also has low defense. His huge life pool makes up for it but moving into critical health can sneak up very quickly. That said, with some upgrades put into the stat, and a few upgrades to strength, Zoro becomes the King of Hell when facing enemies down.
The biggest trick to Zoro is utilizing his charged combo finales. Some characters require button taps to power up combo finales like Ace, but those like Zoro and Luffy need the strong attack button to be held down. If Zoro can charge these combo finishers to their full extent, they’re able to cut entire paths through the battle ahead.
5. Kikunojo
Another DLC character, Kikunojo is a speed type with a fun twist added to her Full Force Burst. A lot of her special moves other than the big flashy finishers aren’t much to write home about, but it’s combos and speed where she shines. Her speed is already high and almost double when in her burst mode, but that’s not the only ability that gives it an edge.
While Kikunojo is flashing through waves of enemies with her demon mask on, the enemies are frozen by her slashes. She becomes the legendary Kikunojo of the Falling Snow, and is able to absolutely wipe entire crowds within just seconds at higher levels.
4. Trafalgar D Law
Law is one of the most fun technique-type characters to play as with his Op-Op Fruit abilities. A majority of his regular moves and specials involve the use of his ROOM ability, but there are also those that make use of his swordsman ability. Something really cool is that his Full Force Burst greatly extends the radius of his ROOM ability. It can quickly help to clear out any enemies if players find themselves surrounded.
His special moves stand out thanks to the ridiculousness of them. One sees Law switching out enemy heads with lit bombs, while another uses his ROOM to extend a shock with his sword. He’s a fun, clever character to play as when used strategically. Plus his special skill, Doctor’s Wisdom, is great for all characters as it gradually heals over time.
3. Charlotte Katakuri
Katakuri has advantages out the ass for his battles. For one, he’s a massive fighter that towers above others on the battlefield. Two, despite his size, he’s a speed type which lets him clean up huge crowds in quick succession. Then there’s the addition of his Devil Fruit Awakening through the Full Force Burst powerup.
His Devil Fruit Awakening allows Katakuri to turn the environment around him into mochi, which means he can deal damage in a huge area. In addition, he gets two mochi rings that float near him and attack when he does. Katakuri is seriously one of the strongest, speediest fighters in the series.
2. Kuzan
Kuzan is the ultimate technique fighter thanks to his Chilly-Chilly Fruit powers. When he’s up against crowds, he can blast the surroundings with ice that not only does massive damage, but freeze all enemies for a time. This just allows players to follow up with even more attacks and zip through crowds. His Full Force Burst maximizes the effect too, giving his regular ice attacks a greater coverage area.
1. Marco
He’s probably the most obnoxious character to unlock in the game, but he’s worth it. Unfortunately, the manga wasn’t close enough to his parts in Onigashima yet. He got great new moves there, but Pirate Warriors 4 came out way before then. He’s still a fantastic character, and makes great use of his Bird-Bird Fruit: Phoenix Model when he reaches higher stats. He’s also a sky-type fighter, so his mobility is off the charts.
His Full Force Burst allows him to utilize his hybrid Phoenix-Human form, which means zipping around the battlefield through enemies. He’s ridiculously fast and has wide areas of attack thanks to his wings. His best trait though is healing abilities, which can be an absolute lifesaver when overwhelmed. It’s not likely to happen considering his crowd-control abilities though.
Where to Play One Piece Pirate Warriors 4
So, those are the best characters to play as. That’s likely to change soon though, as nine more DLC characters are on the way! Check them out as they drop, with Onigashima Raid Luffy as the first character to release. His new movesets will include Gum-Gum Red Roc and Gear Five! Check out One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 on Steam, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Playstation, and Switch!
