Warning: Contains manga spoilers for One Piece.
Besides its extensive worldbuilding, lovable main cast, and intriguing overarching story,One Pieceis also best known for itsone-of-a-kind character designs. While many ofOne Piece’s characters sport seriously weird designs, the series also contains quite a few well-thought-out ones that have stuck with fans for decades.
Character designcan completely make or break a series and can greatly influence the way a character is perceived. Oftentimes, the details of a character’s appearance can even reveal their past, personality, and psychology, making character design much more than simple aesthetics, and Eiichiro Oda never misses the mark in that regard. Be it flashy characters like Doflamingo or characters with surprising real-life inspirations like Dr. Vegapunk,One Pieceis full of characters with iconic designs, with the series' unique-looking cast being one of the top reasons to pick up the series.
10Nico Robin (as Miss All Sunday)
The Straw Hat With the Best Pre-Timeskip Design
While Straw Hats like Brook and Franky no doubt have striking appearances, Nico Robin easily takes the cake as the crew member with themost iconic design at the time of her introduction. From her sleek, signature bangs to her cowboy hat and matching boots, Robin’s unique wild-west fashion sense as Miss All Sunday makes her the most stylish Straw Hat as well as a favorite among cosplayers.
Besides being fashion-forward,Robin’s pre-time skip designmakes her immediately memorable and also adds to the intrigue surrounding her character during the Alabasta Arc right up until she eventually joins the Straw Hats.
9Perona
One Piece’s One and Only Gothic Lolita
Given the popularity of the lolita subculture in Japan, it only makes sense thatOne Piecehas to have at least one gothic lolita. That said, in Perona’s case, herappearance perfectly matches her abilitiesas well as her obsession with all things cute and creepy. Not to mention, Perona is first introduced on Thriller Bark, an island teeming with ghosts, zombies, shadows, talking skeletons, and even a gothic castle, making her fit right in with her surroundings.
Perona usually sports frilly clothing, with her most iconic look being her post-time skip outfit consisting of a black and white frilly, layered dress, complete with a parasol, huge long ringlets, and, of course, platform boots.
8Loki
Elbaph’s Most Intriguing Character Yet
Though only recently introduced in the manga, Loki already sportsone of the most striking designs inOne Piece, especially among all the Giants introduced so far. Also known as the “Accursed Prince” of Elbaph, Loki sports a long-horned helmet, unruly long hair, eyes covered with bandages, and a mischievous smile that makes him look fierce even while being bound in massive chains to the Treasure Tree Adam.
Loki was first mentioned during the Whole Cake Island Arc when it was revealed that Loki intended to marry Charlotte Lola. Though his silhouette seemed rather unimpressive back then, Loki’s design has far exceeded expectations, proving yet again how unreliable silhouettes can be inOne Piece.
7Donquixote Rosinante
An All-Time Fan Favorite Design
One Piece’s Dressrosa Arcbrought forth many interesting new characters, but one unexpectedly endearing character to come out of the arc was Donquixote Rosinante, whose design is yet anotherexcellent example of Oda’s eye for visual aesthetics and character design. True to his alias Corazón, which means heart, Rosinante primarily dons a pink heart-printed shirt with white pants and a dark feather coat with a red hood.
This interesting combination of clothing and his peculiar face tattoos oddly come together fairly well to give Rosinante a look unlike any other character inOne Piece.
6Crocodile
A Memorable Design With a Voice To Match
While newer opponents make Crocodile seem like a small fry now, the former Warlord was one of the first antagonists to make Luffy taste defeat inOne Pieceand remains a fan-favorite to this day, mostly due to his stylish design. As the leader of Baroque Works,Crocodile’s design has all the hallmarks of a classic crime boss or mafiosowith his slicked-back hair, tailored suit, extravagant rings, thick cigar, and fur-lined coat.
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Adding to his intimidating persona is the signature scar across his face and his hook hand, which he savagely uses to make quick work of Luffy at their first confrontation. Everything about Crocodile oozes confidence, with Ryūzaburō Ōtomo’s deep voice making him all the more iconic.
5St. Ethan Baron V. Nusjuro
The Coolest Transformation of the Five Elders
Mysterious as they may be, appearance-wise, the Five Elders have simply been a group of boring old-looking men for the longest time. That is, until the Egghead Arc revealed theFive Elders' monstrous transformations, each just as unique and powerful in their own right. That said, Saint Nusjuro’s transformation is easily the coolest of the lot, with his yokai form modeled after the Bakotsu,a flaming, skeletal horse.
Thr Egghead Arc also gave fans a glimpse of Saint Nusjuro’s chilling powers and his terrifying skill with a sword, setting him up as Zoro’s endgame opponent with one fell swoop of the Labophase.
4Dr. Vegapunk (Stella)
A Design With a “Genius” Real-Life Inspiration
Up until the Egghead Arc, Dr. Vegapunk was one of the most enigmatic characters inOne Piece,with countless theories surrounding his character, especially his appearance. Safe to say, Dr. Vegapunk’s big reveal more than satisfied expectations with his design being wackier than anyone could have ever imagined.
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As if his elongated head from his MADS days wasn’t weird enough, Dr. Vegapunk sports an apple-top antenna when the Straw Hats encounter him in the present day, which isa clever nod to Isaac Newton. That said, thereal inspiration for Vegapunk’s characteris Albert Einstein, with whom Vegapunk’s character draws interesting parallels with regard to his moral dilemma surrounding the Mother Flame.
3Dracule Mihawk
The Best Looking Warlord inOne Piece
Despite being one of the earliest characters introduced in the series, Mihawk’s design remains one of the most iconic looks in the series and the fact that little has changed about his appearance in the last two decades proves Oda simply nailed it right from the start. As the first-ever Warlord of the Sea introduced inOne Piece,Mihawk leaves quite a strong impression on viewers and his massive black sword Yoru is only half the reason.
From his iconic sideburns that only he could pull off, to his plumed hat and his dramatic long coat, Mihawk’s look can best be described asrelaxed yet oozing with elegance and stylethat is entirely his own. Interstingly, elements of Mihawk’s early design seem to be modeled after a Spanish swordsman, though the latter half of the series does lean more into his gothic, vampirish side, especially with his move to Rusukaina.
2Charlotte Katakuri
A Tough Exterior That Belies His True, Donut-Loving Nature
Of all the opponents Luffy has faced to date, Charlotte Katakuri remains one of the most well-respected due to his sense of fair play and justice. Katakuri’s well-written character is also reflected strongly in hiswell-thought-out design which is surprisingly deceptive. As the second son and the sibling that everyone looks up to, Katakuri is forced to keep up a facade of perfection with his spiked and studded clothing representing this tough outer persona.
The same can be said of his feathered scarf, which serves not only to add to his fierce appearance but also to hide his biggest weakness and insecurity, his mouth. Meanwhile, Katakuri’s dedication to his family is beautifully represented by his family name sprawled on the back of his leather vest.
1Donquixote Doflamingo
One Piece’s Most Charismatic Villain
Without a doubt, one of the best, most memorable designs inOne Piecebelongs to Donquixote Doflamingo, the charismatic antagonist of the Dressrosa Arc. Doflamingo’s flamingopink feather coat and tinted sunglasses are all but synonymous with his character, with his flamboyant style and his tall stature making him immediately stand out amongOne Piece’s expansive cast.
While adding to his charisma, Doflamingo’s extravagant style forms a sharp contrast to other antagonists inOne Piece,who are generally more overtly intimidating. That said, Doflamingo’s suave suits and flashy feather coats also hide just how dangerous and manipulative he can be, making his character design meaningful beyond visual aesthetics.
One Pieceis available on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
One Piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.
