Top 20 Most Epic One Piece Moments Ever

Top 20 Epic Moments in One Piece

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Epic Moments in One Piece. For this list, we'll be looking at the moments in “One Piece” that had the biggest impact on fans and the series as a whole. Did we miss any “One Piece” moments so epic they left you speechless? Let us know in the comments below.

Compared to other races in the “One Piece” world, the Mink Tribe’s sense of loyalty is on a whole other level. After suffering defeat against “Jack the Drought,” the brutal All-Star and his goons ruthlessly torture the Mink’s in their search for Raizo, one of Kozuki Oden’s retainers. Despite his best efforts, Jack’s methods yield no results and he departs, leaving the Mink’s to their suffering. It isn’t until the Straw Hats and their samurai allies arrive that the Mink’s reveal a secret more shocking than even the strongest electro. The discovery that the Mink’s were actually protecting Raizo the entire time stuns the Straw Hats who are awestruck by the Mink’s willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of a single friend.

#19: Sanji Burns Queen

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He may not have become the human-weapon that his father wanted, but “Black Leg” Sanji has no problem unleashing his inner demon. Using his advanced scientific prowess to copy the abilities of Sanji’s brothers from Germa 66, “Queen the Plague '' proves quite the challenging opponent for him in more ways than one. However, having awakened his own latent Germa enhancements, Sanji puts his newfound physical abilities to good use, and develops a new technique that leaves Queen feeling one hell of a burn. By overcoming his personal demons and accepting his new abilities, Sanji proves his worth as one the “Wings” of the future Pirate King and sends Queen flying out of Onigashima in an unforgettable scene that is further enhanced by amazing animation.

#18: Luffy Rings the Light of Shandora

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The stakes could not have been higher for Luffy and his crew during the Skypiea arc’s final battle. With Enel’s ambitions threatening to send the Skypieans home crashing into the Blue Sea below, it all comes down to Luffy, Enel’s only natural enemy, to put a stop to the mad god’s plan. While their fight proves quite entertaining, it is the battle’s climax that makes this moment truly stand out. By channeling everything he’s got into one final all or nothing blow, Luffy proceeds to knock the divinity out of Enel and fulfills a promise by ringing the Golden Bell of Shandora for the first time in centuries, ushering in a new era of peace for Skypiea in the process.

#17: Luffy and Katakuri’s Clash of Wills

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Charlotte Katakuri is as deadly as they come, but even he knows better than to disrespect the warrior’s code. Despite being overwhelmed by Katakuri’s immense strength and foresight, Luffy slowly but surely manages to close the gap between them. Unfortunately, just as Luffy is making a breakthrough, his efforts are hindered by Katakuri’s scheming sister Flampe. Fortunately for Luffy, Katakuri’s pride refuses to accept Flambe’s interference and after giving her a well deserved scolding, he injures himself as atonement. As these two New World titans prepare to continue their epic showdown, they kick off the final round with an intense burst of Conqueror’s Haki that puts Flampe and her cronies in their place.

When you're aiming for a spot on the future Pirate King’s crew, standing up to an Emperor of the Sea pretty much comes with the job. After the Straw Hats reunite and save Sanji and his family from the Charlotte clan’s very own attempt at a red wedding, Jimbei announces his desire to leave Big Mom’s crew. Although Big Mom threatens to steal his soul, Jimbei fearlessly meets her challenge head on, proving himself immune to her normally lethal “Soul Pocus.” With Big Mom’s instant kill technique nullified, Jimbei takes the helm of his future and severs all ties with her in the most epic way possible.

Luffy’s no stranger to flexing his power against his enemies, but his opening move against the New Fish-Man Pirates has got to be one of his biggest flexes to date. After arriving in time to save the Ryugu Kingdom’s royal family and stop Hody Jones’ insane plans for vengeance, the latter tries to intimidate the Straw Hats into submission by unveiling his army of 100,000 fish-men. Just as Hody thinks he has the upper hand, Luffy unleashes a powerful burst of Conqueror’s Haki that instantly knocks out half his army without so much as lifting a finger and Hody’s reaction to this is beyond priceless.

#14: Roronoa Zoro's Sacrifice at Thriller Bark

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The Straw Hats' captain hogs many of the truly epic moments, but that’s not to say the rest of the crew doesn’t have their moments to shine. Permitting the former bounty hunter is not providing directions, Roronoa Zoro can be relied upon in nearly any situation. With the Straw Hats knocked out by Kuma and the battle against Gecko Moria leaving Luffy on the verge of death, Zoro sacrifices his own body in exchange for the captain's freedom and life. Once the Straw Hats regain consciousness, Sanji – the only member aware of Zoro's sacrifice – finds the swordsman bloodied from head to toe. When asked "what happened," Zoro only has this to say.

How can a single punch be this satisfying? The Celestial Dragons are descendants of the Kings responsible for establishing the World Government and are basically treated as gods. Regardless of status or occupation, everyone must respect these nobles or face the consequences. Luffy elected to face the consequences. During an auction, a particularly disgusting Celestial Dragon shoots Hatchan and plans to adopt the fish-man as a slave. Luffy's punch leads to grave ramification for the Straw Hats, but this moment embodies the pirate captain's refusal to bow down to the powers that be.

Whether Luffy’s strong enough to face them or not, it takes kintama of solid steel to stand up to the three Marine Admirals. With his brother’s life on the line, Luffy bravely challenges the three Marine powerhouses even though he has no way of actually harming them. However, even against such overwhelming odds, Luffy refuses to back down against these all mighty Logia and charges forward with all eyes on him. While his attack barely slows the Admirals down, his intervention does provide the Whitebeard pirates with an opportunity to make an unexpected comeback, renewing their efforts to save Ace. Sure, he may not have won the battle, but Luffy’s reckless bravery still managed to turn the tide of war to his allies favor.

Along with seemingly lasting forever, the Battle of Marineford contains dozens of epic and heartbreaking moments. By the end, Luffy is left a comatose mess as the Straw Hats helplessly read about the War's conclusion from thousands of miles away. In an attempt to deliver a message to the crew, Luffy audaciously breaks into Marineford and rings the sacred Ox Bell for sixteen times while paparazzi capture the scene for everyone to see. Along with letting the Straw Hats know they have two years to train, this moment beckons the dawn of a new era, after the Battle of Marineford left many key players out of commission.

You know shit’s about to go down when Luffy reveals a new gear technique. The Dressrosa arc sees the lovable pirate going up against the detestable Doflamingo, one of the Royal Seven Warriors of the Sea. For most of the arc, Doflamingo has the stretchy hero beat in terms of speed and viciousness; then, Luffy transforms into a bouncing behemoth with tribal tattoos. Gear Fourth's design is somehow simultaneously awesome and silly, but the moment Luffy turns the tables and wipes away Doflamingo's arrogant smile deserves a standing ovation.

"One Piece" is not exactly lacking in thrilling fights – in fact, this entry happens right after a pretty awesome one – however, most of the truly epic moments are character driven. Following a grueling contest against Big Mom's powerful son, Charlotte Katakuri, Luffy takes his fedora hat and covers the unconscious Commander's wider-than-normal mouth. Constantly bullied as a child, Katakuri keeps his mouth masked to avoid ridicule. Besides showcasing Luffy's classy and respectful nature, this simple act of covering Katakuri's mouth illustrates why so many powerful people flock around the Straw Hats's captain.

Timing is everything, and Shanks knows how to make an entrance. With the Battle of Marineford already won by the Marines, any further fighting only serves to waste lives. Coby – a weak soldier with no devil fruit powers – takes a stand against Admiral Akainu's warped notion of justice to try and stop the bloodshed. Just as Coby seems set to be turned into ash, Shanks arrives out of nowhere to block Akainu's punch and effectively bring the war to an end. While so much heartbreak could have been avoided if Shanks showed up a few minutes earlier, it is better late than never.

#7: Zoro Vows to Become King of Hell

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With Luffy and Kaido engaging in an epic clash to decide the fate of Wano, it only makes sense that the battle between their first mates would be just as intense. As Zoro’s battle against King, a member of the Lunarian race, reaches its final climax, the two hold nothing back and give their all in an explosive clash of power. Despite already pushing himself far beyond his limits, Zoro digs down deep to unleash his conqueror’s potential, allowing him to hack and slash his way through a literal firestorm with some of the most intense, jaw-dropping visuals that the anime has produced to date.

During a brief stop in Mock Town; Luffy, Zoro, and Nami get into an altercation with the cynical Bellamy, an ardent believer that the era of pirates following their dreams is over and openly ridicules the Straw Hats for trusting in the existence of the rumored Sky Island. After the encounter, a strange man approaches the heroes and dismisses Bellamy's declaration as being absolute rubbish, stating a man's dreams will never end. The pirate even wishes Luffy luck in finding Sky Island. The fact such a great speech is delivered by one of the anime’s most detestable villains only enhances the moment.

The people at Toei Animation did such an amazing job adapting the series' 1,000th chapter, they sent the entire fandom into an uproar. Fueled by the hopes and dreams of his allies, Luffy’s will burns brighter than ever before as he finally begins his long-awaited rematch against Kaido. As the battle kicks off, Luffy takes the dragon king of Onigashima by surprise with a giant Ryuo-infused fist to the face. A moment which is further immortalized thanks to the brilliant animation and film quality visuals courtesy of director Megumi Ishitani. Now standing on the same stage as the two Emperors, Luffy kicks off the ironically named “Roof Piece” battle and boldly calls out his signature catch phrase in an epic declaration of war.

#4: The Straw Hats Walk to Arlong Park

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"Arlong Park" is arguably the first major arc to properly test Luffy and the newly formed Straw Hat Pirates. Finally accepting that Arlong never planned to sell back her village, Nami breaks down and begs Luffy for help, who had been waiting to hear those exact words. After the captain leaves his hat with Nami, the rest of the crew march towards Arlong Park as a unit. While the Straw Hat Pirates form the second Zoro accepts Luffy's invitation to join his crew, one could say this moment in "Arlong Park" marks the moment when the pirates become a family.

Does a whole episode count? If Edward Newgate is involved, anything less is simply not enough to contain all of the legendary captain's awesomeness. Even while on the verge of dying, Whitebeard manages to overwhelm Blackbeard in a fight and alters the course of history by confirming the existence of Gol D. Roger's One Piece treasure. Only after suffering more than 400 wounds does the pirate finally surrender to the grim reaper, although Whitebeard remains standing even in death. As the final kicker, Whitebeard's back is shown to be clear of wounds, confirming the pirate never once ran away from a battle.

Only a fool actively declares war against the World Government. As it so happens, the Straw Hat Pirates are rarely accused of being especially bright. Captured by the Marines and set to be taken to the gallows, a dejected Robin reveals that merely being associated with her is the same as having the whole world as an enemy. After listening to the prisoner's story, the Straw Hats retaliate by burning the World Government's flag and presenting Robin with a reason to live. No matter the odds, the Straw Hats always have each other's backs.

It took more than two decades for “One Piece” to finally reach this epic and unforgettable milestone. After being pushed to the literal brink of death during his fight with Kaido, Luffy makes an unexpected comeback thanks to the power of his newly awakened Devil Fruit. With his Devil Fruit’s true nature finally unleashed, Luffy kicks things into Fifth Gear and goes full blown Nika against Kaido. With his new powers granting him the freedom to do whatever he pleases, Luffy manipulates his environment, along with Kaido himself, and thrashes his opponent’s scaly hide with attacks straight out of a gag manga. With the “Drums of Liberation" beating at full blast, Luffy uses the world’s most ridiculous power to put an end to Kaido’s reign of tyranny once and for all.