Highlights
- In One Piece, not all Marines are good and not all Pirates are bad, leading to the existence of anti-heroes with morally gray motivations.
- Characters like Sir Crocodile, Buggy The Clown, and Dracule Mihawk have made significant impacts as anti-heroes in the series.
- From sacrificing themselves to saving lives, these characters like Ashura Doji and Capone Bege show that even villains can have honorable qualities.
In the world of One Piece, there’s a constant struggle between Marines and Pirates. While most civilians would picture the former as the good guys and the latter as the bad guys, the truth is that there are many corrupt Marines and many honorable Pirates. And that’s not even accounting for all the characters that are not part of either faction.
This leads to the existence of anti-heroes in One Piece, characters that have done plenty of good things but have morally gray motivations behind their actions. And in an extremely long series like this one, it’s only natural that there have been many anti-heroes who made a huge impact on the overall narrative.
1 Sir Crocodile
A Villain Who Saved The Day More Than Once
As the main antagonist of the Alabasta Saga, Sir Crocodile is not a good person. He manipulated the political climate of Alabasta, founded the criminal syndicate of Baroque Works, and even tried to kill Luffy more than once. However, he ended up being helpful during the Impel Down and Marineford arcs.
With his great ambition and powerful Devil Fruit, Crocodile helped Luffy escape from Impel Down. He later assisted the pirates during the War of Marineford and even used his sand powers to save Portgas D. Ace from being executed. Crocodile is a truly unpredictable character who will always do whatever he pleases.
2 Buggy The Clown
A Reluctant Ally Who Fails Upwards
Buggy the Clown was one of the first antagonists ever introduced in One Piece. The moment he appeared, his true nature was quite evident since he is greedy, egotistical, and won’t stop until he gets what he wants. But, as he had more appearances and slowly turned into a more comedic character, he became a valuable ally for Luffy.
Not only did Buggy also help Luffy get out of Impel Down, but he even saved his life during the War of Marineford. It was also revealed that he was part of the Roger Pirates, who were some of the most respectable crews in the world. Even if most of his good actions were done reluctantly, Buggy is not really a bad guy.
3 Dracule Mihawk
The Best Swordsman Is Also A Government Dog
From the beginning of the series, Dracule Mihawk is established as the best Swordsman in the entire world. To defeat him and take his place is Roronoa Zoro’s big objective, yet Mihawk accepts to train him during the timeskip. He even took down some evil pirate crews, like the Krieg Pirates.
However, Mihawk is also part of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, which means that he’s allied with the World Government, and he has to obey their orders, which is quite disappointing for such a strong figure. This is especially seen when Mihawk fought on the side of the Marines against the Whitebeard Pirates during the War of Marineford.
4 Magellan
A Prison Warden Trying To Do His Job
When he was first introduced, Magellan was seen as a terrifying authority. He was the chief warden of Impel Down, had an intimidating devil-like design, and even kept his prisoners in check thanks to his powerful Devil Fruit, the Doku Doku No Mi.
But what’s even most impressive about Magellan is how different he is from his coworkers, Hannyabal and Shiryu, since he refuses to kill his prisoners, he won’t tolerate anybody abusing their power and even refuses help from any Marine officer. It’s a shame that he lost his position to Hannyabal after he got depressed because he failed to stop so many people from escaping his prison.
5 Kuzan AKA Aokiji
The Embodiment Of Lazy Justice
Kuzan is the very first Admiral introduced in the series when he tries to apprehend Nico Robin with his terrifying ice powers. However, as the story unfolded, it was slowly revealed that he was way more honorable than most high-ranking Marines. Kuzan tried to save Robin’s life during the Ohara incident, and he later let her go because he wanted to honor his old friend, Jaguar D. Saul.
But Kuzan’s sense of justice is quite twisted and unpredictable. After losing the position of Fleet Admiral to Akainu, he quit the Marines. This would be quite respectable – seeing as Sakazuki himself is a corrupt leader – if it wasn’t for the fact that he joined the evil Blackbeard Pirates. Kuzan was last seen fighting Garp, and it’s currently unknown if he truly believes in Blackbeard or if he’s actually spying on his crew from the inside.
6 Ashura Doji
The Proof Of Kozuki Oden’s Influence
When Kozuki Oden first met Ashura Doji, he was one of the most violent and ruthless criminals in the region of Kuri. But after an entire day of fighting, Oden defeated him, which resulted in Ashura Doji becoming one of his retainers. The future daimyo had shown him that there was more to life than just crime and violence and that he could use his strength for good.
Despite his dark past, Ashura Doji remained a loyal follower of Oden for many years. Even after his master’s death, and even after he had lost all hope, he kept protecting his home with unorthodox methods by using the Yakuza and the bandits to keep Kuri under control. Ashura Doji ended up sacrificing himself to protect his fellow retainers. This was the final proof of how much Oden had changed this once-violent criminal.
7 Capone “Gang” Bege
A Mafia Boss And A Family Man
There’s a reason that Capone “Gang” Bege was named and designed after real-life mafia bosses like Al Capone. Bege was a mafia boss who later turned into a pirate and became one of the most infamous figures of the New Generation, as he targeted and defeated other powerful pirate captains to establish his dominance. Later, he would even ally himself with the Big Mom Pirates and even kidnap Sanji.
But the Whole Island arc revealed an entirely new side of Capone Bege. After marrying Charlotte Chiffon and having a child with her, it’s shown that Bege is actually a good father and husband, and he cares about his subordinates as if they were also part of his family. He even joined the Big Mom Pirates to conspire against and try to kill Big Mom, someone who’s arguably a bigger threat to the world than he ever was.
8 Dr. Vegapunk
He’s Responsible For Every Scientific Advancement In The World, Both Good And Bad
The name of Dr. Vegapunk has been mentioned several times throughout the series since he’s the lead scientist of the World Government. This means that Vegapunk is responsible for every single scientific advancement in the One Piece world, from objects that can “eat” Devil Fruits, to powerful weapons like the Pacifistas or the Seraphims.
When the Straw Hat Pirates met Vegapunk during the Egghead arc, it was revealed that he was a man of science who accepted to work for the Government to get more funding for his research. While he regrets working for them and even tries to atone for his actions, it doesn’t change the fact that many people were negatively affected by his inventions, just because of his greed and his ego.
9 Killer
He’s Literally Known As The “Massacre Soldier”
Killer and Kid used to be violent gang members who ruled over an entire island. They later turned into pirates and gained even more infamy because of their ruthless tendencies, which led to countless civilian casualties. Armed with his dual rotating scythes and arrogant personality, Killer slowly gained the title of the “Massacre Soldier.”
But after many trials and tribulations in the New World, it is revealed that Killer is quite honorable in his own way. He respects Kid like a brother and won’t tolerate betrayal. He fought alongside the Straw Hat Pirates in the Raid on Onigashima and even defeated the traitorous Basil Hawkins.
10 Eustass “Captain” Kid
A Powerful Ally Who Does Things His Own Way
As previously mentioned, the Kid Pirates are infamous for being ruthless and violent, and their captain is no exception. Eustass Kid is competitive, ambitious, and relentless, characteristics that were actually of great help in the battle against Kaido and Big Mom. Kid even managed to temporarily ally with Luffy and Law to take down the two Emperors of the Sea.
Despite his initial behavior, there’s no doubt that Kid was a powerful and valuable ally in the war against Kaido and Big Mom. Nevertheless, the moment he left Wano, he returned to seeing Luffy and Law as his rivals and began seeking the One Piece once again. Because of this, he ended up attacking The Red Hair Pirates and was not hesitant to attack their fleet unprovoked, although Shanks stopped him. Eustass Kid contributed to a good cause because of his selfish motivations, he’s the very definition of what it means to be an anti-hero.
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