Any One Piece fan knows by now that Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus is far from being just a funny little comic about pirates. We’ve read about classism, genocide, slavery, tyranny, racism, and child labor — all while reading what many believe to be a silly little shounen.
As Oda introduced the many different races in the One Piece universe, he intentionally presented them with some sort of socio-political commentary. Arcs such as Fish-man Island and Sabaody Archipelago touch on topics like segregation and slavery, further expanding on some of the most commonly seen races in the story: Merfolk and Fish-men. Since then, more and more races and tribes have been introduced to the story.
We now know for certain that races have long been persecuted for their uniqueness by the likes of the World Government. For what ends, though, we couldn’t tell you for sure, but something definitely smells fishy. Pun intended. With that said, let’s explore all the known races in One Piece thus far.
Humans
Humans are, by default, the vast majority of the characters we meet in One Piece. They’re the rulers of the world, with the World Government being founded and operated by humans. Unlike what we may be led to believe, in the One Piece universe, humans are not necessarily tied to a small stature. They can be up to 26 feet tall (8 meters) and even have animalistic traits like horns or scales. Gigantic heads or other unusual features are also not uncommon traits among humans.
Giants
One of the first races introduced in the story is the Giants. Physically, they’re not much different from humans — aside from their enormous size. They are, by far, the largest and tallest sentient creatures in the story, with the smallest giant recorded in history being 12 meters tall. We’ve long known that the Giants’ home country is Elbaf, but there is more than one type of Giant. We have ancient giants, like Oars and Little Oars Jr., who are distinguished by their horns and unusual skin tone. Additionally, we have the Yeti Cool Brothers, who are likely from a different giant tribe as well.
Fish-men
Fishmen are, most likely, the One Piece race we’ve grown most accustomed to. As the name implies, Fish-men are hominids with traits reminiscent of aquatic creatures like sharks, whales, or even octopi. They often have unusual features like an extra arm, leg, or sharp teeth. They have both lungs and gills, allowing them to live on land and in the sea, as we’ve seen in Arlong Park. Generally, Fishmen are the conduit characters to the theme of race and by proxy, racism, in One Piece, and we even have Jinbe among our Straw Hats.
Tribes
Truthfully, if we were to name all the different tribes in One Piece, we’d never leave this article with a sane mind. For your sake and ours, we’ll just touch on some of the most important tribes we’ve encountered over the years. You may recall the Kuja Tribe, led by our very own Boa Hancock. Although they may look like humans in nearly every aspect, they have some key differences. The Kuja Tribe has an aptitude for learning Haki, they are inherently connected with snakes and are known for only giving birth to women.
The Mink Tribe are also characters we’ve grown accustomed to in Zou. They are essentially humanoids who possess features of mammal animals like rabbits, cats, or dogs. We also have the Three-Eyed Tribe, represented by Pudding in Whole Cake Island. We know for sure that she’s been persecuted for her powers and, most of all, her unusual appearance and third eye.
Merfolk
Merfolk also play an important role in One Piece. Unsurprisingly, merfolk are creatures that have the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. Much like Fishmen, merfolk are capable of living on land. However, mermen are not able to walk on two legs, whereas mermaids’ tails can split in half when they turn 30, allowing them to walk. We’ve met our fair share of mermaids, from Shirahoshi to Camie and Kokoro, and by now, the Straw Hats have long established a good relationship with the merfolk. Just don’t let Sanji catch sight of Mermaid Island again.
Skypieans
Also known as Sky People, Skypieans are a race of people that live on various islands clouds in the sky. They’re mostly reminiscent of humans, with one very obvious difference: they have small wings on their backs. Generally, Skypieans are a peaceful group, and throughout the Sky Island arc, we’ve met quite a few of the residents on the Angel Island, like Mochi and Gan Fall.
Moon People
Moon People are different from Skypieans in that these winged extraterrestrial creatures originated on the Moon and are considered an ancient civilization. They are the ancestors of Skypieans, Shandians, and Birkians. They were forced to migrate to the Sky Islands due to a lack of resources, settling and expanding there. They mostly resemble humans, but like Skypieans, they also have small wings on their backs. Generally, the Straw Hats didn’t interact with Moon People, but we know of their existence due to ancient drawings from the Skypiea arc.
Shandia
Much like the Moon People, the Shandia tribe was a group forced to relocate and adapt to the Sky Islands. However, unlike the Moon People, the Shandia tribe were actually forced out of Jaya and the Blue Sea, sent above by the Knock Up Stream. They have a strong history tied to Mont Blanc Noland, and have adopted many characteristics from the Skypieans, such as the usage of modern clothing. Physically, they also have wings, albeit much larger than those of the other Sky Island residents — aside from Birkans.
Birkans
Birkans are a race of people hailing from the sky island of Birka. Although we don’t know how many survivors remain after Enel decided to obliterate his homeland, we do know that the few survivors completely worshipped Enel. So much so, that details of their past customs are clouded by Enel’s presence and their devotion to him. Their appearance tends to resemble humans; however, they are known for their larger wings that point downwards, except for Enel, who has no wings whatsoever.
Dwarves
We met dwarves in One Piece already, and as you can imagine, they’re humanoids that are incredibly small, have fluffy tails, and pointy noses. They are so small that they would fit in the palm of an average-sized human. Up until now, the Straw Hats have only encountered the Tontatta tribe of dwarves near Dressrosa, but we’ve already become acquainted with their quirks. Dwarves have incredible strength for their size, capable of even damaging buildings, and they also have above-average speed.
Lunarians
Lunarians are a race that was believed to be extinct until we met King. He is the only member of this race believed to be alive, though Vegapunk has briefly mentioned that there are a few Lunarians left in the world, alluding to the possibility of more Lunarians existing aside from King. We know that they can generate and manipulate flames and that physically, they are known for their brown skin, silver-white hair, and large, dark wings. Their scarcity in numbers, likely due to persecution, is also one of the many reasons why Big Mom had an increasing interest in King.
Kinokobito
For the sake of accuracy, we’re adding Kinokobitos to the list, although no information is known about them other than their mushroom-shaped bodies and four-legged humanoid figures. We have only seen one example of this race — in Big Mom’s room, as part of her race collection.
Hybrids
Hybrids, as the name suggests, are composed of mixed-race individuals in the story, and we’ve met plenty of them. Big Mom’s offspring are often prime examples of hybrid characters, with many of her children being half mermaids, or half Snakeneck. We have also met Wotans, who are half Fish-Man and half giant, and Buccaneers, exemplified by Kuma, who are a near-extinct race stemming from a common ancestor, with some giant ancestry — making them an almost full-blooded race with semi-hybrid qualities.