Top 10 One Piece Swordsmen

#10: Kin’emon

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The samurai of Wano Country are renowned for their skills with the blade, and Kin’emon is no exception. The leader of the famous Kozuki clan retainers, the Nine Red Scabbards, Kin’emon may have eaten a Devil Fruit, but its powers are purely, and literally, cosmetic. While he can come across as a buffoon, and many of his biggest triumphs occur due to luck, Kin’emon is still a skilled tactician and a powerful swordsman. His Foxfire style lets him generate and cut through fire. Additionally, his Haki is strong enough to stab his swords through the scales of Kaido, the nearly invincible Emperor.

The Whitebeard Pirates were one of the strongest crews to sail the New World, and their strongest swordsman was Vista of the Flower Swords. Along with his trademark mustache and top hat, Vista wields a pair of sabers in battle. In his youth, he helped his crew in battles against foes like the legendary Roger Pirates. More recently, Vista has clashed with Dracule Mihawk, the man currently acknowledged as the strongest swordsman in the world. While we haven’t seen much of Vista’s swordsmanship, what we have seen certainly impresses!

Once the head jailer of the hellish prison Impel Down, Shiryu was imprisoned there himself - for excessive violence, which is really saying something! While he has gained Devil Fruit powers recently, they only let him turn invisible, and he’s plenty strong without them. Shiryu is said to be on equal footing with Magellan, Impel Down’s monstrously powerful Warden. His swordsmanship is so blinding fast he’s able to cut his foes down in an instant. While the full scope of his abilities remains as unseen as he can be, as one of the Blackbeard Pirates, Shiryu is sure to be one of the strongest swordsmen around, come the series’ endgame.

Not every great swordsman in “One Piece” is still alive. Shimotsuki Ryuma was a Wano samurai from hundreds of years ago, renowned as the God of the Sword. His feats while still alive include killing a dragon, and his Haki was potent enough to turn his blade Shusui permanently black. Even Ryuma’s zombie animated by Gecko Moria proves a powerful opponent. His revived corpse gives Zoro a quick, yet incredible battle that topples a tower. Although his true strength in his prime remains largely unseen, Ryuma’s legendary clout in Wano and post-mortem battles are enough to mark him as a spectacular swordsman.

Speaking of samurai, perhaps the strongest and most renowned of them all was Kozuki Oden. The late head of the Kozuki clan was larger than life in personality and in deeds. He sliced a giant boar in half - and somehow didn’t kill it! He held onto a chain behind a ship for 3 days! He fought Roger and Whitebeard and lived to tell the tale! And perhaps most impressive of all, Oden gave Kaido a permanent scar and nearly killed him! The man was so hotblooded, that he withstood being boiled alive for an hour! A man among men.

#5: Roronoa Zoro

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Arguably the second strongest crewmember in the Straw Hat Pirates, Roronoa Zoro is an absolute beast! Along with ludicrous physical strength and endurance, Zoro wields 3 swords in battle, which he uses to deadly effect in a variety of ways. He can slash massive objects, like entire ships or enormous stone titans, from a distance or up close. Zoro has imitated Kin’emon’s foxfire style successfully, and even matched Oden’s ability to wound Kaido! Most impressive of all, Zoro has managed to block a combo attack from Kaido and Big Mom - a feat not even the rest of our entries can claim! He’s not the strongest swordsman in the world yet, but Zoro is closing in on his dream.

From the right-hand man of the next Pirate King, we turn to the first mate of the original one! “Dark King” Silvers Rayleigh may be a senior citizen, but he still makes people tremble at the mention of his name. Well-versed in every form of Haki, Rayleigh can knock out a room of guards with a look and take on a Marine Admiral like Kizaru, who’s made of light, and come away unscathed! He can even throw bullets as fast as a gun! Oh yeah - and he’s pretty handy with a sword too. The fact that Rayleigh performs all these incredible things at an advanced age is even more impressive! We’ve only seen a little of Rayleigh in his prime, and it’s astounding!

The pirate currently acknowledged as the world’s strongest swordsman is, no surprise, “quite good” with a blade. Dracule “Hawk Eyes” Mihawk is the pinnacle for which many swordsmen, Zoro included, strive for. Mihawk picks apart Zoro in their first meeting and gives him a scar to remember. The ex-warlord slices through a massive ice tsunami during the Summit War - by accident! But perhaps the biggest testament to Mihawk’s immense strength is that he has fought against Vista, Zoro, and other powerful opponents like fellow ex-Warlord Crocodile, not to mention numerous duels with one of the Four Emperors, and never been visibly injured! But who could be stronger than the “strongest” swordsman?

Not only is Shanks the strongest living swordsman, he’s also one of the strongest men in the world! Shanks dueled Mihawk many times, and while Mihawk may have claimed the title of the strongest swordsman, he never definitively defeated Shanks. Even losing an arm (and his dominant one at that!), hasn’t prevented Shanks from being considered one of the Four Emperors. He could clash evenly with Whitebeard, splitting the sky. And his Haki is on another level entirely, making the Whitebeard Pirates and even Marine Admirals sweat bullets! We may not have seen Shanks go all out yet, but when his very presence brings a war to a halt, that certainly says plenty about how powerful he is!

#1: Gol D. Roger

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C’mon - you had to see this coming. The Pirate King himself was a swordsman, and a monstrously powerful one at that! The late Gol D. Roger is one of the strongest men to sail the seas. You’d have to be to conquer the Grand Line as he did. He regularly fought against monsters like Garp and Whitebeard, the latter of whom could create earthquakes with the swing of his arm! Roger flung Oden across half an island with one hand! And he even took down a mysterious legend like Rocks D. Xebec, albeit with Garp’s help. Roger has been the “gold” standard for strength in “One Piece” practically since its beginning, and seeing him in action never disappoints!