Spanning over two decades and a thousand episodes, One Piece has no shortage of outstanding and memorable fights. Luffy’s adventures have taken him from the East Blue to Egghead Island and beyond, leaving no shortage of diverse opponents in between. His combative personality and ambitious goals result in more brawls than may be necessary for other crews.
A few battles have outshone the rest due to their difficulty, narrative significance, or how it helped the characters involved grow. Such encounters have quickly become fan favorites and ensure that the series will be immortalized well after its conclusion.
10 Kikunojo Faced Off Against Kanjuro
Kikunojo’s battle against Kanjuro was a highlight in the war for Onigashima. She’d spent so much time around him that she viewed him as an older sibling and tried to convince herself he was being manipulated somehow.
Time and again, Kanjuro exploited Kikunojo’s goodwil. Kikunojo had to realize the Kanjuro she knew never actually existed in order for her to wound the villain and save herself. It was a poignant moment of character growth that illustrated a valuable moral.
9 Luffy’s Body Gave Him An Advantage Against Eneru
At first, Eneru believed himself to be a god since his Logia fruit made him untouchable. Not even Skypiea’s four greatest champions could harm him, which suggested that victory was nearly assured. He intended to escape with Nami as his victim, only for Luffy’s daring intervention.
Given Luffy’s rubber body, Eneru’s electricity proved virtually useless against him. The fight was still entertaining, as Eneru creatively used observation Haki and a heated trident to keep the Straw Hat Captain on his toes.
8 The Straw Hats Worked Together Against Oars
Oars’ fight was the highlight of Thriller Bark. With Luffy momentarily incapacitated, the Straw Hats combined their strength in order to take the giant down. This was the first and only instance of such a unified attack barring their run-in with Kuma at Sabaody.
Throughout the battle, the Straw Hats’ assistance of one another illustrated that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. The only reason Oars’ fight could have been improved is if they actually defeated him, rather than relying on a shadow-enhanced Luffy to save the day yet again.
7 Rayleigh Held Off Kizaru At Sabaody
Rayleigh realized Luffy’s potential at Sabaody and did everything in his power to help him reach it. When the marines attacked in an attempt to avenge Charloss, Kizaru himself strived to hunt Luffy down.
When Rayleigh intervened, it was the first instance of an admiral’s power actually being challenged and made for a fantastic spectacle. Similarly, the subsequent banishment of the Straw Hats had significant narrative importance both for them and Kuma. It made them realize how weak they were in the grand scheme of the series and that training was necessary to continue their adventures.
6 Luffy’s Duel With Katakuri Was Honorable & Creative
Luffy’s duel against Katakuri was the most compelling fight in Whole Cake Island. Unlike the other Big Mom Pirates and even most of the series’ antagonists, Katakuri battled with a sense of honor and refused to benefit from any unfair advantages.
Additionally, the fight was extremely creative and unpredictable. For example, Luffy swallowed copious amounts of Katakuri’s mochi to free himself and even escaped through Brulee’s mirror to take a break. Meanwhile, Katakuri’s underlings set fire to the Thousand Sunny, which distracted the captain and made him worry about his friends.
5 Ace Held His Own Against Blackbeard
Since being introduced, Ace’s vendetta against Blackbeard was his primary motivation. He sought to avenge Thatch and prove that no one would cross the Whitebeard Pirates successfully. At the time, Ace was so powerful that Blackbeard called off his henchmen.
He knew that they’d be useless against him, and given the caliber of both combatants, such fears proved true. Their skirmish engulfed the entire island in flames and shadow, with Blackbeard only narrowly managing to subdue his upstart adversary through his Devil Fruit’s advantages.
4 Law & Kid Teamed Up Against Big Mom
Big Mom was a major opponent in the battle for Onigashima. Although taking the Tobi Roppo suggested that she wasn’t explicitly on Kaido’s side, she was more invested in defeating the Straw Hats’ rebellion.
After being separated from Kaido, Big Mom squared off against Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kid in a battle that tested both of their abilities to the extreme. The fight was memorable since it was among the few instances where a non-Straw Hat character defeated an opponent of major narrative significance. It helped to establish them as Luffy’s rivals rather than as generic allies of convenience.
3 Zoro’s Fight Against Mihawk Changed His Life
Zoro’s battle against Mihawk may have been extremely one-sided, but it defined the former’s path for the remainder of the series. Disgraced and humiliated, Zoro vowed never to lose again ever since that fateful encounter.
Although it was a promise Zoro wasn’t fully able to keep, it did push him to attain heights that would have been impossible for most ordinary people. For example, he wouldn’t have attempted to cut Daz Bonez at Alabasta if not for his drive to become the world’s strongest swordsman.
2 Luffy Couldn’t Move After Fighting Lucci
Luffy’s fight against Lucci was the climatic end to the Water Seven saga. Considering that the CP9 agent had defeated him effortlessly just days before, Luffy’s invention of gears two and three showed how far he was willing to go for the sake of his friends.
As the Buster Call raged around them, Luffy and Lucci fought until they were bloody and broken. Although Luffy prevailed, he struggled so much that he physically couldn’t move a muscle to save himself after. Luckily, their subsequent encounter at Egghand Island wasn’t as difficult for him.
1 The Fight Against Kaido Has Yet To Be Surpassed
The battle against Kaido was the series’ single most spectacular brawl to date. He fought against Zoro, Kid, Law, Yamato, all nine Scabbards, Momonosuke, and even Luffy himself on multiple occasions before finally being defeated.
Moreover, since the island of Onigashima floated toward the flower capital, the heroes had a strict timetable they needed in order to defeat him. In the end, not even learning advanced armament Haki was sufficient for overcoming Kaido; Luffy also had to unlock the ancient power of Gear Five.
