The Blackbeard Pirates, despite all their transparency and vulnerability, still come off as one of the greatest threats to the One Piece world.

Normally with One Piece villains, there’s a great deal of mystery surrounding them and audiences don’t know much about them until it comes time for the protagonists to fight them. Often, a great deal will be said about them ahead how powerful they are. This is a common rule not just for One Piece, but for shonen battle manga in general.

The Blackbeard Pirates are abnormal in these regards. A lot has been established about them ahead of whatever confrontation they’ll have with the Straw Hat Pirates, and not all of it makes them look particularly powerful. This could be part of the unique role they play in the overarching narrative and adds a new brand of mystery to their future.

How Much Do Fans Know About the Blackbeard Pirates?

Traditionally, the more a villain is built up, the harder it is to imagine beating them. It becomes clear what an integral part they are to the lore of the story and what a major upset to the narrative it would be if something were to happen to them. At the same time, a lot about the villains is kept secret so audiences have something to look forward to. In the case of One Piece, audiences might not even know who the Straw Hats’ primary match-ups are until the arc is almost over, as was the case with Katakuri or the Tobiroppo; this can work for or against the villains depending on how it’s handled.

However, what’s unusual about the Blackbeard Pirates is how much has been established about them. The audience now knows the names and personalities of every major crew member. Not only that but a lot of these things were established as soon as they were introduced as far back as the Jaya Arc. Not much is left to the imagination of the audience.

Furthermore, as of Chapter 1080, “The Hero of Legend,” all but one of the Blackbeard Pirates’ Devil Fruit powers have been revealed. This removes almost any sense of mystery from these characters save for a few unknown facts regarding the precise nature of their powers, like how Blackbeard can transfer Devil Fruits or have two powers at once. As far as seeing what these pirates can do in a fight, nearly everything has been laid out on the table.

The most perplexing thing about building up the Blackbeard Pirates, however, is how often they’ve been shown getting beaten. All of them have been seen suffering heavy losses in one form or another, including their leader Blackbeard. If Oda wanted to build these people up as some of the Straw Hats’ greatest enemies who would be tough opponents in the Final Saga, this was an odd way to go about it.

Why Do the Blackbeard Pirates Still Come Off as a Legitimate Threat?

Despite all this transparency and vulnerability, the question of how the Straw Hats will deal with the Blackbeard Pirates is just as relevant as it would be with any other enemy. Blackbeard and his crew are collectively meant to serve as a narrative foil to the Straw Hats; the hardships they face are all part of their climb to the top, though they use more contemptible means to get there. By playing this distinct role, the Blackbeard Pirates are built up as antagonists by their failures as well as their successes. There’s also some merit to learning so much about the Blackbeard Pirates ahead of time. Again, the more that’s known about an antagonist, the harder it is to imagine them being removed as an obstacle. Their apparent staying power has increased to the point where some fans believe Blackbeard will the series’ final villain.

In these regards, the Blackbeard Pirates succeed as menacing antagonists precisely because they’re not built up as these powerful and mysterious enemies. They’re instead working their way into that role so that when the Straw Hats finally face them, they feel just as challenging as any enemy they’ve faced before if not more so. Whether they’re the final antagonists of the series or not, they’ve been thoroughly set up as difficult foes to deal with.

Src: cbr.com