The 10 Best Fights in 'One Piece', Ranked (2025)

Every anime fan knows that fights are the best part of any battle shōnen, and while that may not be true with One Piece, with its focus on worldbuilding and massive story, it still boasts some of the craziest fights in anime. The over-the-top fights feature massive scale and broken physics, giving themselves a unique appeal capable of driving mass appeal and, ultimately, a staple of anime.

Despite One Piece's strengths lying in its interconnected story, worldbuilding, and diverse characters, the anime uses its wacky characters and bizarre power system to deliver some of the most creative fights. The matchup possibilities are endless with so many characters, giving fans fights they never thought would happen. These ten fights, in particular, embody what makes a good action sequence, from choreography, creativity, animation, stakes, emotion, hype, entertainment value, and the impact on the story.

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See Also

20 Best One Piece Anime Fights of All Time, RankedOne Piece: Fighting Path (Android)One Piece: The 30 Best Fights In The Series, Ranked10 Best One Piece Fight Scenes, Ranked

One Piece

TV-14

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

Super Power

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Cast

Mayumi Tanaka , Kazuya Nakai , Akemi Okamura , Kappei Yamaguchi , Hiroaki Hirata , Ikue Ôtani , Yuriko Yamaguchi , Kazuki Yao , Chō

Main Genre

Action

Seasons

20

Creator(s)

Eiichiro Oda

10 Monkey D. Garp vs. Kuzan

Episode 1115

Taking place in the most recent arc, Egghead, this fight has the strongest marine in One Piece face off against his old pupil-turned-pirate. After losing to Akainu, Kuzan leaves the Marines and found a new purpose with Blackbeard. With the Blackbeard pirates capturing Koby, Garp sets sail with a couple of other marines to infiltrate Fullalead and rescue Koby, that is, until he encounters Kuzan, and their fight ensues.

While the fight probably isn't over and has only gone on for a single episode, that was plenty enough time to display some of the best animation in the series. Fans have seen the overwhelming strength Garp is known for, but this is the first time it feels like he has really let loose, using his destructive attack, Galaxy Punch. With the emotional weight of the master fighting the fallen apprentice to save his new apprentice, everything about this quick fight was perfect.

9 Franky vs. Senor Pink

Episodes 664-715

Dressrosa is known for being a long arc, helping it make One Piece one of the longest anime, but this just means there are more fights to fill into that massive episode count. With Franky on his way to destroy the Toy Factory, he encounters Senor Pink guarding it, and what ensues is the most manly fight in One Piece. Franky doesn't receive many fights, a treatment many strawhats have been getting lately, which means fans should appreciate them whenever they happen.

Like many fights in One Piece, this one was spread throughout multiple episodes, which dampened the hype but didn't spread it thin. Before this fight began, no one would have predicted it would be one of the best fights in the series, but by the end, it had everyone shedding manly tears. Senor Pink's backstory was shockingly touching and helped add depth to the fight, as each character bonded after every hardboiled attack.

8 Vinsmoke Sanji vs. Jabra

Episodes 297-298

In the Enies Lobby arc, Robin is voluntarily kidnapped by the World Government to avoid causing trouble for her new crew. However, she underestimates their stubbornness, as the strawhats declare war to save her. In order to free her, they need to find the key to unlock her shackles; the problem is every member of CP9 has one, which leads to Sanji taking on one of the strongest members of CP9, Jabra.

Sanji's fight with Queen may have featured bigger attacks and better animation, but the Jabra fight gave Sanji his first major power-up and had more stakes. Diable Jambe is one of his most iconic moments, with the sheer display of strength and epicness amounting to one of the best moments in the arc. The fight may have been short, but it had everything fans could want from a Sanji fight, including hype moments and a three-course meal of powerful kicks.

7 Portgas D. Ace vs. Blackbeard

Episode 325

When Blackbeard murdered Thatch, one of Whitebeard's top commanders, Ace vowed to get revenge and hastily chased him. After years of searching, he finally tracked him down, delivering the fight of the century. Meanwhile, Blackbeard had his own schemes, planning to capture Luffy to become a Warlord. However, Ace fell right into his lap, giving him an even better gift for the Navy.

It's rare for fans to get fights between two third-party characters. Usually, they get to see a strawhat fighting a main villain in the respective arc. But Ace vs. Blackbeard was built up for a while, so when fans finally got it, it did not disappoint. The fight didn't feature spectacular animation or choreography, but the scale and importance behind it made the fight so good. Seeing these two characters use their devil fruits to the fullest was a spectacle and changed the course of One Piece forever.

6 Monkey D. Luffy vs. Charlotte Katakuri

Episodes 850-871

Invading Big Mom's territory, Whole Cake Island, to retrieve Sanji, the strawhats successfully do so and even get a copy of her road poneglyph. Despite getting what they came for, Katakuri won't let Luffy leave Scott free. Serving as the top commander in Big Mom's family and one of the strongest crews in One Piece, Katakuri proves to be Luffy's most formidable opponent, as he can do everything Luffy can but better.

It's no surprise Luffy gets the most fights in One Piece; he is the protagonist after all, and this fight shows that. He overcomes an obviously superior opponent using his battle IQ, unyielding personality, and constant striving to improve. Learning advanced observation during the battle, Luffy also brings out Gear 4 Snakeman, an ability that allows his arms to stretch at rapid speeds and change direction instantly. Pack all the unique aspects with some of One Piece's best animation, giving fans one of the most epic battles in anime.

5 Monkey D. Luffy vs. Usopp

Episode 236

When the Going Merry takes significant damage through the straw hats escapades, it is finally time to get a new ship. Unfortunately, this doesn't go down well with Usopp as he has more of a connection to the boat than anyone else, with him being the primary caretaker and it being a present from his friend. This results in a mutiny, as Usopp challenges Luffy. If he wins, they keep the ship; if Luffy wins, they move on.

While the fight wasn't close, it was closer than many would imagine, with Usopp using his clever ingenuity to damage Luffy far beyond what fans initially thought. But what makes this one of the best fights in One Piece is its tragic nature, with this being the first major dispute between the crew. It added new weight to the anime, creating a serious environment no fan would expect from the series. The high stakes and building tension in this unexpected development are some of the reasons why Water 7/Enies Lobby is the best arc in One Piece.

4 Roronoa Zoro vs. King

Episodes 1046-1062

Wano Kuni is the most recent One Piece arc to conclude; it is also the longest, meaning fans should expect many incredible fights. With the Strawhats successfully on Wano to fight Kaido and topple his and Orochi's tyrannical rule of the country, the battle on Onigashima is the final stand. One such fight is Zoro vs. King, the right-hand man to their respective captains, meaning it would be one heck of a fight.

There isn't any emotional weight or specific storytelling purpose to the fight; simply, Zoro needs a fight, and King is the strongest opponent outside the emperors. But sometimes, that's all a good fight needs, considering Zoro vs. King is the highest-rated One Piece episode on IMDb. With King being invulnerable at certain moments, this fight pushed Zoro to his furthest, showcasing his battle IQ and insane power, ultimately delivering fans with the best animation in One Piece.

3 Strawhats vs. Oars

Episodes 372-373

When the Strawhats suddenly encountered the giant menacing ship of Thriller Bark, they went on a detour to retrieve their newfound friend's shadow, Brook. This expedition proved more challenging, as one of the Seven Warlords resided on this island. To make matters worse, he revived the infamous giant pirate Oars and infused him with Luffy's shadow. It is up to the combined efforts of all the Strawhats to defeat the hulking menace and return Luffy's shadow.

The Oars fight was the first time in One Piece that fans got to witness a team-up with every Strawhat member, which is so important because of the anime's themes. The fight was extremely entertaining and comedic, but it also displayed their excellent teamwork, creativity, and battle IQ, such as Usopp launching Brook or Franky building a staircase mid-fight. With solid choreography and great insight into the crew, the Strawhats vs. Oars fight is one of the many reasons One Piece is the greatest long-running shōnen anime.

2 Monkey D. Luffy vs. Kaido

Episodes 1015-1077

The Wano Kuni arc successfully ended the plan Luffy and Law created back in Punk Hazard. After destroying the SMILE production and toppling Doflamingo's weapon empire, the last part of the plan was to defeat Kaido and gain notoriety. With the Strawhats, Samurai, Minks, and other pirate crews helping take down the Kaido empire, the final battle between Luffy and Kaido would determine the fate of the One Piece world.

Despite a surprising amount of polarizing opinions from fans because they dislike the goofy and over-the-top form of Gear 5, this fight is perhaps the most creative in all of anime. The fight beautifully escalates, setting up the confrontation since the beginning of Wano. This fight had incredible moments, like Gear 5's introduction, Luffy uppercutting Kaido in his base form, and his epic finishing move. However, the reason why this is one of the greatest fights in One Piece is because of Gear 5 and the stunning animation that came with it, creating pure entertainment and hype with some emotional weight by freeing Wano from oppression. The fight is goofy and cartoonish, but it embodies the themes of One Piece and adds many innovative attacks, such as swinging off lightning, using the ground as a trampoline, and simply embarrassing Kaido in Looney Tunes fashion.

1 Monkey D. Luffy vs. Rob Lucci

Episodes 294-309

After the World Government takes their recent addition to the crew away, Luffy and the Strawhats make it their mission to bring her home. But, with CP9 in the way, each member has to take down one of the strong agents. It's only natural for Luffy to take on the strongest, who happens to be Rob Lucci, a wielder of the Neko Neko no Mi Leopard model, giving him the ability to turn into a Leopard, which provides him with enhanced speed, strength, and durability.

While fans debate about the best fight in One Piece, few would argue that this was a bad fight. However, it claws its way to the top of this list because of its emotional weight and meaning. Luffy is fighting against the oppressive regime that Lucci represents, but mainly the person keeping Robin locked away. But also, add in the Usopp storyline and have him show up during the last act of the fight, encouraging Luffy and giving him the strength to push on. It adds so much emotional depth to the battle that no other fight in the series has matched, making Enies Lobby one of the best arcs in anime history. The back-and-forth brawl between the characters was absolutely enthralling, with unique attacks, outstanding choreography, and creative use of each of their powers. Combine this with the grand finale of the epic jet, Gatling and Merry save Luffy one last time, culminating in one of the greatest fights in anime. With excitement, emotion, solid animation, and high stakes, Luffy vs. Lucci proves One Piece is a great action anime.

Keep Reading: The 10 Most Epic Anime Battles, Ranked