Five Most Memorable One Piece Battles

If you are looking for a good fight, then it is time you turned your eyes to One Piece. You know, so long as you aren’t the one planning to throw punches; Hitting TVs is not something we’d recommend.

But, if you are wanting to watch some good fights, then you should definitely take a look at the long-running anime. One Piece has collected more than 700 episodes since it mades its debut, and the anime shows no signs of stopping. The shonen series has already housed dozens of high-profiles battle arcs which pits Captain Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew against a host of unsavory villains. And, now, ComicBook.com is looking back at some of the anime’s most memorable conflicts.

Whitebeard v Akainu

One Piece fans, brace yourselves; This first entry might bring you to tears. After all, our list does kick off with the truly epic battle between the pirate captain Whitebeard and the Marine Akainu.

The showdown, which is also referred to as ‘Whitebeard’s Silent Rage,’ is one of the more tragic battles of One Piece. The pirate lord is prompted to battle the tough Marine after Akainu mercilessly kills his second-in-command Ace in front of poor Luffy. Having snapped, Whitebeard went into battle ready to kill Akainu despite his injuries, and the pirate fought admirably despite his handicaps. While the battle ended with Whitebeard’s fall, fans watched with teary eyes as the aging pirate withstood gunfire and explosives to avenge his comrade.

Luffyv Usopp

There are plenty of emotional battles in One Piece, but few will make fans openly sob like Luffy v Usopp did. The heart-wrenching battle saw the two good friends duke it out rather sloppily, but they did so to defend their pirate honor.

The whole ordeal was started when Captain Luffy and his Straw-Hat crew were forced to abandon their ship, Going Merry. The precious boat could no longer ferry with aggressive bunch, but Usopp could not stand to see the beloved ship sink. As such, he challenged Luffy to a battle for Going Merry, and the crew member landed some stunners on Luffy before the captain ultimately brought Usopp to his wobbling knees.

Zoro v Mr. 1

Oh, Alabasta! The story might be from the earlier days of One Piece, but fans have not forgotten how potent its battle scenes were. And, of course, Zoro’s beef with Mr. 1 remains one of the anime’s most notable fights despite its age.

Forced to face-off against Daz Bones, Zoro quickly realized that he’d met his match when it came to swordsmanship. After all, his opponent literally had blades attached to his body; How could Daz Bones not be good? During the fight, fans were left on-edge as they knew Zoro could not best the baddie, but somehow the Straw-Hat pirate came through. And, when he did, he delivered one seriously badass line about being able to cut even diamond after the bloody beatdown.

Luffy v Crocodile

One Piece is home to a slew of unforgivable villains, but Crocodile ranks up with even the most foul pirates. As a major player in the Alabasta storyline, the slick-haired pirate is one of the anime’s longest-running threats to Luffy and the whole pirate world. However, skeezy man was finally brought to his knees thanks to One Piece’s unilateral hero.

The final showdown between Luffy and Crocodile lasted for three rounds, and it is a miracle the former made it through the first two. However, when the last round came about, Luffy showed just what made him so terrifying. And, once he had unlocked his full potential, Crocodile realized he had finally been outclassed.

Luffy v Lucci

If there’s one fight every One Piece fan knows, it is the climatic encounter between Luffy and Rob Lucci. The intense showdown is brutally enough to make viewers flinch, and Luffy’s will to never give up makes him become a punching bag by the end of the Enies Lobby finale.

Lucci was a beast before his final battle with Luffy started, but his Zoan form only made him more formidable. Gifted with untold strength, Lucci was a heel from the start, and Luffy struggled to keep up. The pirate had to even reveal his Gear Third form to have a chance, and Luffy still gets his butt kicked thoroughly. Focused more on sheer will than technique, the fight between Lucci and Luffy ends because of sheer exhaustion. And, of course, Usopp’s final, tearful rallying cry is more than enough to get Luffy back on his feet to KO his opponent before time runs out.