The world of One Piece is a fun and colorful one where Marine personnel can wear what’s essentially mouse cosplay without anyone batting an eye, but it’s also dangerous. While Luffy may associate being a pirate with freedom and joy — and we love him for it — not everyone sets sail with the same ideals. Combined with the power of devil fruits, the world of One Piece is one filled with extremely capable fighters, be they pirates, marines, or something else entirely.
In a world as dangerous as this one, you’ll need some kind of edge if you want to compete with the major players. While some in One Piece turn to devil fruits, some of the strongest characters in the series reach the top through sheer ambition and their ability with traditional weapons, like swords. While Dracule Mihawk and Zoro are some famous examples, there are many other incredibly strong swordsmen in One Piece.
While we wouldn’t rule out a ranking in the future once we see some more fights between a few of the most powerful swordsmen, ranking characters by power is difficult in a series like One Piece, as narrative generally trumps ability alone. That being said, here are 10 of the strongest swordsman in One Piece so far.
Honorable Mention: Trafalgar D. Water Law
When you think of swordsmen in One Piece, Law probably isn’t one of the first to come to mind, but when used in conjunction with the powers of his Op-Op fruit, he has the potential to be one of the strongest swordsmen in the world.
While defeating Big Mom with Kid was probably the coolest thing Law’s done so far, his most impressive feat as a swordsman was cutting Punk Hazard in half while using Room. Since using Room in such a large manner shortens Law’s lifespan, this technique isn’t one he can repeat too easily but it definitely merits some recognition.
10. Shimotsuki Ryuma
Ryuma is a samurai from Wano whose skills with the blade were so legendary he has been dubbed “the Sword God.” His abilities were so impressive that his reputation still keeps the World Government away from Wano even in the present day. With his blade Shusui, Ryuma was able to cut anything and even cut a dinosaur in half to protect a village.
While it’s unlikely we’ll see a Ryuma fight in his prime other than in flashback, Zoro did duel his zombie in Thriller Bark when it was animated by Brooks’ shadow. Even though only a shadow of his former self, Ryuma was a difficult opponent for Zoro which shows just how strong he must have been in life.
9. King
As Kaido’s right-hand man and one of the Beast Pirates, King is a formidable foe with incredible skills as a fighter. Not only is he just ridiculously strong, he has the ability to turn into a Pteranodon thanks to his devil fruit and the ability to control fire thanks to his Lunarian heritage.
By his own admission, King is not a swordsman but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a capable swordsman; he and Zoro go head to head and with his extra abilities giving him an added edge, King proves himself a nearly unbeatable opponent. Although not a swordsman, King is more than accomplished in the art to merit a mention on this list.
8. Shiryu
The former Head Jailer of Impel Down, Shiryu was imprisoned and sentenced to death for dealing out excessively cruel punishments to his prisoners. After helping the Blackbeard Pirates during the Marineford Arc, he joins the crew and eventually eats the Clear-Clear Fruit, thus gaining the power of invisibility.
Shiryu is said to be a skilled swordsman but other than murdering several of his former subordinates, we haven’t seen much of his abilities as of yet. Now that Shiryu has increased his strength with the Blackbeard Pirates, it’s likely he’ll be a tough enemy to beat in battles still to come.
7. Roroanoa Zoro
Zoro is Luffy’s right-hand man and one of the Straw Hat Crew’s main fighters with the goal of becoming the greatest swordsman in the world using his signature three sword style. After suffering a nearly fatal defeat at the hands of Dracule Mihawk, Zoro made a vow to never lose to an opponent again and achieve his dream. As of now, he’s not there yet but he’s getting pretty darn close!
Like Luffy, Zoro often fights opponents who initially seem out of his league before discovering a way to beat them and in the process, becomes an even more skilled swordsman. During his recent match against King, Zoro developed even stronger Conqueror’s Haki which he then infused into his swords to harm his opponent. Zoro will likely improve his skills during the Egghead Arc and get even closer to fulfilling his dream.
6. Fujitora
Issho, known better by his alias Fujitora, is a Marine Admiral which already makes him one of the strongest characters in One Piece. Fujitora has the powers of the Press-Press Fruit which gives him the ability to manipulate gravity and call forth meteors to use on his opponents. By simply swinging his sword, Fujitora can use this power and decimate entire cities if he so chooses. Having a strong devil fruit already gives Fujitora an edge but when combined with his skilled swordsmanship, he is a force to be reckoned with.
Even without using the powers of the Press-Press Fruit, Fujitora has shown he’s a talented swordsman and is able to use Observation Haki despite being blind to block and counter any attack with ease. While we haven’t seen him go full out, he was able to easily outpace Sabo without breaking a sweat when the two were engaged in battle. A fight where Fujitora uses his sword and his devil fruit at their peak would be a sight to see.
5. Kozuki Oden
As one of Wano’s strongest samurai, Oden was a skilled warrior who was able to sail along with Gol D. Roger in his prime. When Oden returned from his travels, he was strong enough to nearly defeat Kaido and gave him a scar during their fight. If not for interference, Oden would likely have beat Kaido and saved Wano from years of his rule.
Oden had his own signature two sword style and was already an accomplished swordsman at a young age, skillfully slicing the Mountain God so cleanly in half that it was able to be put back together still alive. Combined the rare ability to use all three types of Haki, Oden was truly a swordsman on another level.
4. Vista
Vista, the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates Fifth Division, is known to be the strongest swordsman among the Whitebeard Pirates. He is an experienced fighter and has been a part of the crew since the days Roger still sailed the sea. Like many on this list, Vista is hailed as an incredibly gifted swordsman even though we’ve only seen glimpses of his true skill.
During the Marineford Arc, Vista is able to fight his way through the upper echelons of the Marines without sustaining any noticeable injuries. Even more impressively, Vista has been able to hold his own against Mihawk, which shows he’s at a comparable level in skill.
3. Silvers Rayleigh
As expected of Roger’s First Mate, Rayleigh is an incredibly strong pirate. When he’s first introduced, Rayleigh is described as being 100 times stronger than Luffy and his fellow members of the Worst Generation, a claim backed by even Marine Admirals hesitating to engage him in battle.
Even now in his old age, Rayleigh is able to use his mastery over every type of Haki in conjunction with his sword skills to keep up with Admiral Kizaru in battle. If he was able to match someone of that rank now, Rayleigh abilities likely far surpassed those of Admirals’ when he was in his prime.
2. Shanks
Shanks is one of the Four Emperors of the sea and has been shown to be an incredibly powerful pirate in the few scenes where he demonstrates his skills. Even after losing his arm, Shanks was able to reach a bounty of over 4 billion berries, the highest of any Emperor, all without the help of a Devil Fruit.
Before losing his arm, Mihawk considered Shanks his biggest rival, which shows how capable of a swordsman Shanks must be. Even now, Shanks is shown to be skilled with the blade and is able to coat his sword with Armament Haki strong enough to block Akainu’s magma; Shanks’ skill with Haki has been described as near legendary and when combining that with his swordsmanship, he’s definitely one of the most skilled sword users in One Piece.
1. Dracule Mihawk
It goes without saying that Mihawk is the strongest swordsman in One Piece in the current era. Mihawk’s reputation alone is enough to strike fear into most of his opponents before he even draws a blade. Mihawk wields Yoru, one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades, and as a testament of his skill, was able to blacken the blade using Armament Haki. Mihawk reserves Yoru for opponents he respects or those he deems a threat, otherwise using Kogatana, a small blade he wears around his neck.
As the current greatest swordsman in the world, Mihawk is Zoro’s biggest rival to overcome and the two have developed an interesting relationship over the years as Mihawk becomes Zoro’s mentor during the time skip. Mihawk hasn’t done much in the series post-time skip, but any match between him and another high level pirate is sure to shake the New World.