Summary
Eiichiro Oda has a very clever way of writing his world-renowned manga series,One Piece: Early on in a new story arc, he will introducetruly despicable villains who have performed acts so heinous that they make the audience immediately despise them. After enough tension is built, Monkey D. Luffy (or any other heroic characters) defeats these antagonists in the form of an incrediblysatisfying fight.
Few things inOne Piecefeel as good as witnessing a truly evil person getting what they deserve, especially if it’s by one of the many people they have personally affected by their actions. Since this solid formula always works, the entire series is filled to the brim with gratifying battles, and the following eight are the best examples.
8The Straw Hat Pirates Vs. PX-5 And PX-7
The Straw Hat Pirates met their limit point during the infamous Sabaody Archipelago Arc, where they faced aPacifista,cybernetically enhanced clones of Bartholomew Kuma that were created by Doctor Vegapunk. It took the combined efforts of the entire crew to defeat just one of them, and it left them very exhausted. To make things even worse, they later encountered the real Kuma, who defeated and separated the Straw Hat crew.
Flash-forward to the start of the post-time skip era, and some of the Straw Hat Pirates encountered two other Pacifista (PX-5 and PX-7 specifically) during their reunion at Sabaody Archipelago. But things were much different this time because they had all gotten way stronger during their two-year training. SeeingMonkey D. Luffyseamlessly dodge the laser beam of a Pacifista only to knock it out in just one punch was incredibly satisfying when considering how incredibly demanding it was for him to face just one before. On top of that,Roronoa ZoroandSanjialso destroyed another Pacifista with a single combined attack, which was equally amazing. This brief fight was enough proof that the Straw Hat Pirates were more than ready to set sail to the New World.
7Monkey D. Luffy Vs. Arlong
This Cruel Pirate Messed With Luffy’s New Friend
There’s no denying thatArlongwas one of the most detestable villains inOne Piece, as this ruthless Fish-Man pirate killed Nami’s mother, captured her village, forced her to make maps throughout most of her childhood and even betrayed her when she had gathered enough money to buy back her village’s freedom. Of course,Luffydidn’t know anything about that, but Arlong had made his new friend cry, and that was enough for him to make him pay.
The ensuing battle between them in Arlong Park was as satisfying as it was funny, because Luffy repeatedly mocked Arlong, which slowly but surely angered him more and more. This resulted in an incredible finishing move, in which the young pirate used his Battle Axe technique to both defeat Arlong and destroy the room where Nami was forced to work in for so many years, and it felt so good, both for the readers and for the characters.
6Monkey D. Luffy Vs. Donquixote Doflamingo
Gear Four Was The Perfect Transformation To Use Against This Evil Villain
It is no surpriseDonquixote Doflamingois often considered the best villain in all ofOne Piecebecause, despite his admittedly tragic past, he is still a cruel and ruthless pirate who has performed countless heinous acts, from killing his own brother in front of Law, to subjugating an entire country and turning its inhabitants into toys. Many people’s lives were ruined by Doflamingo and, thus, it was incredibly satisfying whenMonkey D. Luffyfinally faced him.
Their fight was very fun to witness, not only because it was great to see a villain as despicable as Doflamingo getting what he deserved, but also because it was the first time Luffy revealed his brand-new Gear Four, which certainly packed enough of a punch to send his opponent flying all the way through Dressrosa. The moment Doflamingo was defeated by Luffy’s King Kong Gun and the people he oppressed celebrated around him is still highly regarded as one of the most heartwarming scenes in the entire series, and for good reason.
5Kouzuki Hiyori And Denjiro Vs. Kurozumi Orochi
The Conclusion Of A Complex Revenge Plan, 20 Years In The Making
There are few people in the worldOne Piecewho are as cowardly and cruel asKurozumi Orochi, who betrayed the Kouzuki family (which led to the public execution of Oden) and began ruling over Wano solely because of his alliance with Kaido and the Beasts Pirates. Oden’s daughter,Hiyori, and one of his best friends,Denjiro, spent many years posing as an oiran and a yakuza boss respectively, waiting for the ideal moment to execute their revenge.
This finally happened during the Raid on Onigashima, where Hiyori took advantage of Orochi’s perverted anticsto both allure and trap him with a seastone nail that nullified his Devil Fruit powers. Seeing her finally reveal her true identity while the evil Shogun begged for his life was very satisfying, but it was Denjiro who dealt the final blow, decapitating a burning Orochi and finally putting an end to his ruthless reign once and for all.
4Bartholomew Kuma Vs. Jaygarcia Saturn
It Resulted In The Most Satisfying Punch In The Entire Series
Bartholomew Kumahad a very tragic life, which was made even worse by the actions of SaintJaygarcia Saturn, since he was single-handedly responsible for most of the bad things that had occurred to him, like Ginny’s death, his separation from his daughter Bonney and the eventual loss of his humanity when he was turned into a full-fledged cyborg.
But, at some point, Kuma had enough, and he used the incredible powers of his Nikyu Nikyu no Mi to instantly travel to Egghead and save Bonney from Saturn’s attack. Needless to say, the scene in which Kuma protects his daughter was incredibly heartwarming, but it was followed up by an even better moment, in which he deals a devastating punch to the evil World Noble. Every single aspect of this punch in the manga made it look and feel extremely satisfying and, even though Kuma didn’t personally defeat Saturn himself, this sole attack was the beginning of the villain’s inevitable downfall.
3Monkey D. Luffy Vs. Sir Crocodile
Luffy Was Able To Take Down This Ruthless Warlord Of The Sea On His Third Try
The former Warlord of the Sea, known asSir Crocodileis incredibly important to the story because he was the first big antagonist thatLuffyand the Straw Hat Pirates took down and whose defeat had a huge impact on the world. After all,he had abused his position by deceiving the entire kingdom of Arabasta and tricking them into going into war for his own evil purposes, not to mention that he completely ruined the life of Princess Nefertari Vivi and her family.
Similarly to his encounter with Arlong, Luffy may not have had a full grasp of the whole situation, but he knew he had to take down Crocodile. Unfortunately for him, however, the Warlord of the Sea’s sand-based powers proved to be too much for the protagonist, and he eventually lost to him not once, but twice. Nevertheless, Luffy eventually fought Crocodile for the third and final time and was finally able to beat him. When taking all of that into account, it makes sense that the final scene in which he overpowers the villain with his Gomu Gomu no Storm whileNew World Symphonyplays in the background is highly regarded as one of the most rewarding moments in the entire series.
2Edward Newgate (Whitebeard) Vs. Sakazuki (Akainu)
A Relentless Flurry Of Powerful Attacks To Make Him Pay For Killing Ace
The death of Portgas D. Ace at the hands ofAdmiral Sakazuki(AKAAkainu) is, without a doubt, one of the most emotional and shocking moments in all ofOne Piece. And if that wasn’t enough, the evil Admiral immediately pursued and tried to kill Monkey D. Luffy, who was still paralyzed from the shock of losing his brother. Fortunately, however, Ace’s adoptive father,Whitebeardinterfered and gave Akainu the beating of a lifetime.
Witnessing Edward Newgate utilize the powerful abilities of his Gura Gura no Mi, combined with his innate strength and his gigantic weapon, to attack Akainu was extremely satisfying, especially because he relentlessly attacked the admiral without giving him even a second to think. The legendary pirate was clearly taking advantage of his rage to both avenge his son and take out the Marines’ most valuable soldiers but, unfortunately for both him and the audience, Akainu was able to escape his attack and only resumed his actions in the Paramount War after Whitebeard was killed by Blackbeard.
1Monkey D. Luffy Vs. Bellamy
Taking Down An Arrogant Pirate With Just One Punch
When it comes to satisfying moments inOne Piecethat fans enjoy to this day, there’s nothing that has topped the encounter betweenLuffyandBellamythe Hyena during the Jaya Arc. It was perfectly set up, with the new antagonist making fun of Luffy’s dream to travel to the Sky Islands and even beating him up because of it. But, of course, the protagonist knew better than to not waste his time with such a worthless pirate and decided not to retaliate.
But, when Bellamy and his crew attacked Mont Blanc Noland and stole his gold, Luffy decided to take action and confront them. An arrogant Bellamy underestimated him by proudly showcasing the abilities of his Bane Bane no Mi, but it wasn’t very effective because, without hesitation,Luffy immediately defeated Bellamy with just one single punch. With one simple action, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates proved that he was much stronger and smarter than his opponent.
