One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 changed up the Pirate Warriors formula a little bit with the introduction of character types. Out of the four, Speed-type characters deserve some of the most hype with their ability to quickly take out enemies on the battlefield. These characters are able to blitz through foes, taking on large crowds and juggling them with combos. So, which Speed type characters are the best to use in One Piece Pirate Warriors 4?
Fair warning this will contain spoilers for One Piece up to the end of the Wano arc. Read ahead with caution!
What are Speed Types in Pirate Warriors 4?
The Speed Types name is a little self-explanatory, but these are characters that focus on insane speed to take down enemies. Their dashes consume much less stamina than other classes, and Full-Force Bursts often double the already ridiculous speed. While they take a little bit of a different approach than the other types, it’s not much of a learning curve. These characters dash in, do massive damage, and dash back out before anyone can retaliate. Some of them end up more powerful than others, but these are the best of them.
Note that all of these are based on the character at the max level. Most characters will still play great, but some Speed types are a little lacking in Strength upon first use. It’s best to focus on leveling Strength in tandem with Defense or Health.
We ranked 8 of The Best Speed Type Characters in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 BELOW!
8. X Drake
How isn’t it fun to play as a big-ass dinosaur in a game about pirates fighting? X Drake is awesome for his Full-Force Burst alone, but he really excels as a Speed type. X Drake Zoan dinosaur form turns him into a Power type while in it, but he also has another burst that allows for a boost in Speed without the transformation. It’s Drake’s fast, solid attacks and proficiency as an airborne fighter that make him great, and for a type usually focused on zipping through the battlefield, he has an incredibly wide attack area.
Drake is a DLC character though, and will cost some money. He’s worth it though, and a blast to play as in the Treasure Log mode of the game. It could be awesome to get a new Full-Force Burst for him in the next Pirate Warriors that features his Hybrid Zoan form. Until then, Drake is a great character for clearing missions quickly and cleanly, with a few added dino rampages in between.
7. Kikunojo
Wano’s Demon of the Falling Snow, Kikunojo made her name as a samurai before Oden’s time as Daimyo. She developed her signature style, which imbues frost into her blade, and makes for a KILLER Speed type to play. She’s already very quick in regular gameplay, especially when the Speed stat is at max. A lot of her special abilities have a freezing effect on enemies, locking them in place too before she slices them to ribbons. Her combos aren’t the flashiest, but she does have some decent moves for crowd control that offset her lack of combos. It’s her Full-Force Burst that sets Kikunojo apart in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4.
When she enters Burst, she dons the old demon mask she wore before Oden found her. With this, her speed increases greatly, but her attacks also gain a frost effect with every hit. Kikunojos speed and ability make her extra dangerous, able to zip around a battlefield, freezing all she cuts. This gives an opportunity to rush through massive crowds at once and freeze them, all before catching them in one of Kiku’s flashy finishing moves.
6. Carrot
Oh, Carrot. The poor Rabbit Mink had so much going for her in the original Wano arc of Pirate Warriors 4, but unfortunately, she got nowhere near the spotlight. She does kick ass in the game though. Carrot is one of the best Speed-type characters, partially thanks to her quick movement. Her Full-Force Bursts have two different abilities. One takes on Carrot’s Sulong form, which has a major buff to offense and speed. The second activates her Shock abilities, and increases her speed. The shocks will paralyze enemies they hit, and keep them in place while Carrot pummels them.
She’s a solid Speed type though, with a good amount of combos to string together and bring on big numbers. Her Sulong form is fun as hell to play as too, as Carrot rips through crowds of enemies so gracefully it’s scary. Many of her special moves make use of her Sulong form as well, or her electric powers. Carrot is probably one of the best introductions to Speed-type characters in One Piece Pirate Warriors 4.
5. Charlotte Cracker
Another DLC character, but he still had more to go off of than his sister Smoothie did. Cracker has the bonus power of his Biscuit-Biscuit Fruit, which lets him create dozens of lookalikes and fake soldiers. It also helps him to create a defensive armor, but most of his attacks focus around speed and overwhelming numbers. Cracker is great for zipping between enemies, especially with his Burst ability that summons Biscuit clones.
His special attacks do leave something to be desired, mostly just basic use of his biscuit powers. That said, he makes up for it with the ridiculous reach he has for a Speed-type character. It’s only rivaled by his brother, the infamous Katakuri. Cracker is still a fun investment as a DLC character, and provides a quick way to earn some coins or Berries for leveling characters.
4. Brook
Brook is just flat-out fun to play as The Soul King zips through enemies, slicing and slashing through crowds before they realize it. As far as Speed types in One Piece Pirate Warriors 4, Brook is probably one of the fastest too, which makes sense since he’s all bones! His Full-Force Burst allows him to fly around the battlefield almost, and his special moves invoke his music to lull enemies to sleep. There are other moves that involve his Soul-Soul Fruit powers as well, expelling Brook’s spirit to freeze enemies.
Before using Brook invest in leveling his Strength stats a bit. Brook doesn’t hit very hard at first, but he makes up for it with his speed and nimble moveset. The Straw Hat Pirates’ resident Musician dances through crowds of enemies with surprising grace, and they’ll all fall after he passes by.
3. Sabo
To be honest, Sabo didn’t have quite enough development by the time One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 came out. That said, he does have a pretty fun playstyle that utilizes his Full-Force Burst Flame-Flame Fruit. When he activates the power, all of his moves gain a burn effect that continuously damages enemies. Sabo is fast too, and channels the flames through his pipe for deadly effect as he incinerates enemies he flies by. There’s no mercy when he pays tribute to his brother Ace either, with his own deadly version of the Fire Fist move that made him so famous.
Hopefully, by the time a fifth game rolls around, there can be a full-fledged Flame Emperor Sabo. The abilities he shows off in the latest chapters are wild. Especially when considering it’s barely a month and a half since Dressrosa. Considering how fast he’s making progress with the Flame-Flame Fruit, it’s likely Sabo will be an even fiercer fighter in the next installment. For now, though, his specials and combos chain quickly, and scorch the battlefield clean.
2. Ace
Although Sabo didn’t have a lot to work with, Ace has heaps of history in the Pirate Warriors franchise to work from. He’s a fast fighter, with a dash that invokes flames, and his specials, especially Ultimate Attacks, can turn every enemy on screen to dust in seconds. Ace also has a fun little quirk up his sleeve- he’s overpowered as f*ck to the point of being broken. It’s great once he’s max level to just tear through crowds after activating his Flame-Flame Fruit Burst. Ace becomes fire, and his speed practically triples while he flies through the battlefield.
He’s stupidly fast and strong at the same time, with hits able to take out special characters in less than a minute if done right. His Flame Emperor move is insanely devastating to all types of foes, and the Fire Fist earns its name for a damn good reason. If there’s any need to rush through a battle or make a few million Berries with some quick battles, throw in Ace equipped with Cat Burglar and Bounty Hunter. Enter the battle, kick-ass, get Berries, and repeat the cycle as long as needed. It’s foolproof.
1. Katakuri
Only one character is more stupidly overpowered than Ace when it comes to Speed types, and the entire roster. Katakuri is the BEST Speed type in One Piece Pirate Warriors 4. The son of Big Mom has incredible strength, and it’s a dead asset with his massive size. This combo gives him the longest reach of any Speed type. He’s ferocious, and his special moves range from rapidly firing mochi bullets around him to turning his body into a Mochi wheel to rip through enemies.
Where Katakuri shines as a Speed type is his Full-Force Burst. These summon four donuts that float around him, mimicking and syncing with his regular attacks. He gets a massive speed and reach buff in the process too. The real perk is the donut portals which emit Haki-coated attacks that even mimic special moves. He’s so stupidly strong that Katakuri can wipe battlefields out in mere minutes. Katakuri is probably the best character to play as for just blowing off steam after a long day. Sit back, mash buttons, and he’ll take out however many enemies he needs to.
That’s all for the best Speed type characters in One Piece Pirate Warriors 4! Check out our other guides for the best of each type in the game, including Power, Technique, and Sky types! Also check out our predictions for the new DLC characters in Pirate Warriors 4, starting with Onigashima Raid Luffy with Gear Five!
One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 is available to buy on Steam, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
