10 ‘One Piece’ Characters Fated To Die Before The Series End

Based on Eiichiro Oda‘s popular manga series, One Piece is an amazing anime series about a young pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, and his journey to becoming King of the Pirates, joined by his crew, the Strawhat Pirates. This epic series tackles dark themes and consequences under the guise of a lighthearted, silly show about friendship and achieving what your heart desires most. Every Strawhat has their own ambitions: Luffy wants to become King of the Pirates; Zoro wants to be the greatest swordsman; Nami wants to chart the seas; Sanji intends to find the All Blue; Usopp wants to die a great warrior of the sea, and so on.

With such lofty ambitions, big sacrifices must be made; a pirate’s life is not easy, and neither is the road to the top. Fans have already seen many deaths on this perilous journey, but the question still lingers on everyone’s minds: will one of the main Strawhats bite the dust to help their captain become King? Fans can already tell many One Piece characters are fated to die, and some will hurt more than others.

Jinbe

VA: Daniel Baugh

Jinbe is a former warlord of the sea and ex-member of the Sun Pirates, a crew made up of fishmen known for their strength. Needless to say, Jinbe made a pretty big name and reputation for himself as a notorious pirate but still bowed his head to Luffy when the time came. Jinbe sees something in Luffy; he believes in the young, spirited man and his ability to inspire and lead.

The fearsome Jinbe has openly stated that he’d give his life for Luffy to become King of the Pirates, a notion which he has proven time and time again to be true. Constantly putting his life on the line for the future generation of pirates, Jinbe is definitely first in line to die for Luffy’s cause.

Usopp

VA: Sonny Strait

Usopp is among the all-time great side characters in anime, but his fate seems bleak. Speculated by fans for many years now, Usopp will likely be one of the final big deaths of the series. Viewers don’t need to read between the lines for this one, as it has basically been explicitly stated multiple times in the series. After all, Usopp’s goal in life is to die a brave warrior of the sea, and the show will certainly oblige.

If the Strawhats are on their way to achieving their goals, this can only mean certain death for Usopp. And what greater way to give Luffy the final push he needs to truly become King of the Pirates? Many speculate that Usopp will give his life during the final battle, presumably against Black Beard, becoming a catalyst for Luffy to have a major power spike.

Marco the Phoenix

VA: Kyle Phillips

Marco, the right-hand man to the notorious Whitebeard, is one the most dangerous pirates to sail the seas. He wields a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit, the Tori Tori No Mi, which grants him the powers of a phoenix. Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruits are the rarest and strongest, granting the user complete control over their powers and bodies.

During the Marineford Arc, Whitebeard ordered Marco to protect Luffy at all costs, one of his final orders before dying. Now, in the Wano Arc, Marco has come at Luffy’s aid yet again in honor of their relationships with Whitebeard and Ace, Luffy’s sworn brother and Marco’s crewmate. Longtime fans know that Marco the Phoenix would put his life on the line for any brother of Ace, especially Luffy.

Silvers Rayleigh

VA: Bruce Carey

Silvers Rayleigh was the first commander of the Roger Pirates, led by the first King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, and one of Luffy’s major mentors. Fans first meet Rayleigh during the Return To Sabaody arc and again right after the Marineford arc. During the two-year time skip, Rayleigh trained Luffy in Haki, a way of utilizing spiritual energy in different ways. This training gave Luffy a huge power spike and helps him even now in the most recent chapters.

Rayleigh is one of the only people known to know about the “void century,” a period that the world government has wiped from history books for a yet unknown reason. It just so happens that the void century is what one of the Strawhats, Nico Robin, wants to know about. That, coupled with the fact that he is a mentor to Luffy, can only mean one thing in the One Piece world: a dramatic end.

Monkey D. Garp

VA: Brian Mathis

Monkey D. Garp is a world-renowned marine in One Piece who has gone toe-to-toe with the likes of Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard. His son, Monkey D. Dragon, is the leader of the revolutionary army, and his grandson is none other than Monkey D. Luffy himself. Garp raised Luffy alongside his sworn brothers, Portgas D. Ace and Sabo. He always tried to keep them on the straight and narrow, hoping to turn them into great marines. Alas, that’s not how it happened.

Fans saw during the Marineford arc that, even though his grandsons turned into criminals, Garp still cared and would do anything for them. When Ace was executed, Garp struggled between morality and fatherhood. Garp’s final redemption will surely come by sacrificing his life for Luffy, cementing his place as one of One Piece’s most layered and fascinating characters.

Sabo

VAs: Vic Mignogna, Johnny Yong Bosch

Sabo is second in command of the revolutionary army, right hand to Monkey D. Dragon and sworn brother of Luffy and Ace. Thought to have died at a young age, Sabo was taken in by Dragon and was trained by the revolutionaries he was raised by. He later helped Luffy recover Ace’s regrown Devil Fruit, eventually eating it himself to gain Ace’s powers.

Sabo has been known to show up when Luffy and the Strawhats need to get out of trouble. He will not stand to lose another brother and would do anything to protect Luffy. Sabo’s journey points to the ultimate sacrifice, and his death would be another meaningful blow to Luffy.

Blackbeard

VAs: Cole Brown, Chris Rager

Blackbeard is a Whitebeard Pirate’s defector who left to form his own crew. Blackbeard is the one who struck the final blow to Whitebeard during Marineford while taking Whitebeard’s powers for his own. He is also the only Devil Fruit user to be known to be able to wield more than one power at a time,

Fans have suspected that Blackbeard is being set up to be the final villain of the beloved One Piece anime. As he is well on his way to being one of the strongest pirates ever and also seeks to be King of the Pirates, Luffy will have to confront him soon. And in the final battle, Blackbeard will surely fall, securing his slot as the best villain in the show.

Kaidou

VA: David Sobolov

Kaidou is captain of the Beast Pirates and wields the Uo Uo No Mi Devil Fruit, which allows him to turn into a giant dragon. Like Marco, Kaidou has a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit, making him extremely powerful. The only ones said to be on Kaidou’s level are Whitebeard, Big Mom, Shanks, and Gol D. Roger.

Currently, Kaidou is in alliance with Big Mom and fighting Luffy on Wano. For Luffy to become King, he must take down the big guns, meaning he will need to defeat Kaidou. Like most villains, Kaidou’s ultimate fate will surely be death, and fans wouldn’t want it any other way.

Big Mom

VA: Pam Dougherty

Big Mom has been a threat to the Strawhat Pirates ever since the Wholecake Island arc. The Strawhats have crossed this monster’s path more than once, causing her to chase them across the seas all the way to Wano. Big Mom wields the Soru Soru No Mi, which allows her control over souls.

The Strawhats are currently in a war with Big Mom and Kaidou. Luffy must defeat these two tyrants to claim his place as King of the Pirates. Big Mom is a straightforward villain and a dangerous one at that. In the final fight against Luffy, Big Mom will perish; there’s no other way to finish her arc, and a less extreme ending might be slightly unsatisfying.

Shanks

VA: Brandon Potter

“Red-Haired” Shanks is a major pirate in One Piece who is among the most dangerous captains of the seas – and he got there without needing a Devil Fruit! He was the inspiration for Luffy to become a pirate and was a member of the Roger Pirates. Shanks gave his arm to save Luffy from a giant sea monster and bandits when Luffy was a child.

Shanks is one of the only persons alive who knows where the One Piece is, and fans speculate he is perhaps guarding the treasure. Thus, Shanks will either be Luffy’s final battle or the final sacrifice for Luffy to reach his goals. Either way, death seems to be the natural conclusion to his arc, giving a bittersweet ending to Luffy’s journey.

NEXT: The Main Characters in Netflix’s ‘One Piece,’ Ranked by Likability