Summary
Monkey D. Luffyis the iconic protagonist of the shonen action seriesOne Piece, so it makes a lot of sense that he is one of the most powerful characters in his own fictional universe, especially because he keeps getting stronger and stronger in each new story arc. Nevertheless, thisdoesn’t necessarily mean that he has won every single fighthe was involved in.
A surprising number of prominentfigures inOne Piecehave overpowered Luffyand defeated him in combat (sometimes even more than once), which is quite impressive when considering how incredibly powerful he has gotten over the years. While, of course, he always manages to win the inevitable rematch, it’s almost impossible to believe that the following characters have gained the upper hand in their fights againstOne Piece’s protagonist.
8Smoker
Defeated Luffy In Loguetown
While nowadays mostfans criticizeSmokerfor his lackluster performance in the Punk Hazard Arc, it is important to remember that he was written as an imposing obstacle to Luffy and his crew back when he was first introduced. His powerful Logia Devil Fruit, the Moku Moku no Mi, combined with his impressive jitte skills and his strict personality, made him come off as a huge threat to the Straw Hat Pirates.
Smoker not only managed to outpace Luffy with his smoke-based powers, but he was also able to overpower both him and Sanji without any real issue. If it wasn’t for Dragon’s sudden arrival, part of the crew would have gotten captured by the Marines as early as the Loguetown Arc. Sadly, Smoker doesn’t feel anywhere near as strong now, but most fans are hoping he’ll get a proper redemption in a future story arc.
7Caesar Clown
Defeated Luffy In Punk Hazard
Luffy had gotten incredibly strong during the two-year time skip, so the story needed to introduce a threatening villain who could actually stand a chance against him, even if it was via unconventional methods. That’s exactly whyCaesar Clownwas introduced as the main antagonist of the Punk Hazard Arc.
Caesar may not be as powerful as other prominentOne Piecevillains, buthis brilliant but unhinged mindand his Logia Devil Fruit, the Gasu Gasu no Mi, proved to be a lethal combination, especially for a character as straight-forward and simple-minded as Luffy. Caesar quickly overpowered him with his poisonous gas in their first encounter, but, fortunately, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates managed to take him down in their eventual rematch.
6Sir Crocodile
Defeated Luffy In Arabasta (Twice!)
Sir Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the leader of Baroque Works, was thefirst truly big villain that Monkey D. Luffy facedon his journey, and to have him come off as threatening and powerful, author Eiichiro Oda made him overpower the protagonist on two different occasions in the same story arc.
Luffy struggled to fight Logia Devil Fruit users early on in the series, so he didn’t really have a way to land a hit, let alone damage Crocodile during their first encounter, which concluded with the Warlord of the Sea stabbing him through the chest with a hook. Their second fight didn’t go much better for Luffy, even though he realized he could hit Crocodile if he covered his body with water. He finally managed to defeat the evil pirate in their third and final match, however, which was also extremely challenging for him.
5Magellan
Defeated Luffy In Impel Down
Luffy almost always defeats the main antagonist of a story arc, no matter what. But there have been a few surprising exceptions, withMagellanbeing one of the most infamous examples. As the chief warden of the Impel Down prisonduring the Impel Down Arc, he was obviously the main antagonist of the arc, and he immediately proved to be a major threat to all the other characters involved.
Magellan’s Devil Fruit, the Doku Doku no Mi, allows him to generate and control enormous amounts of poison. With this deadly power, he was able to overpower and intoxicate Luffy, who could have easily died right there if it wasn’t for the actions of Bon Clay. While the protagonist was able to properly confront Magellan for a second time at the end of the arc (mainly thanks to Mr. 3’s wax powers), their rematch ended in a draw. Furthermore, it would be really satisfying to see Luffy defeat Magellan in a future arc, especially if he decides to go back to Impel Down someday.
4Rob Lucci
Defeated Luffy In Water 7
The Water 7 Arc was a dark and unfortunate time for the Straw Hat Pirates; they discovered that the Going Merry could not travel any further, Nico Robin abruptly abandoned the crew, and they later had to confront Cipher Pol 9, a secret government organization of deadly assassins. Every single one of them proved to be a formidable opponent, but the strongest one was definitely their leader:Rob Lucci.
Not only did he showcasea flawless mastery over the six main Rokushiki techniques, but he was also able to turn into a giant humanoid leopard, thanks to his Devil Fruit, the Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard. These two abilities were enough for him to overpower and defeat Luffy during their initial encounter, but it’s important to keep in mind that he was also quite shocked to find out that some of the friendly shipwrights from the Galley-La Company were actually undercover CP9 agents. This revelation caught Luffy by surprise, which allowed Lucci to quickly dispose of him.
3Kuzan (Admiral Aokiji)
Defeated Luffy In Long Ring Long Land
The threat of the three Marine Admirals was slowly but efficiently established throughout the first story arcs of the series, and all that buildup finally paid off when the Straw Hat Pirates encounteredAdmiral Aokijiat the very end of the Long Ring Long Land Arc. At first, they were all misled by his carefree attitude, buthe quickly proved how powerful and dangerous he actually was.
Kuzan used the impressive cryokinetic abilities of the Hie Hie no Mi to overpower and immobilize the entire crew, and he was even able to completely freeze both Robin and Luffy. Kuzan let the young pirate captain live just because he had previously taken down Crocodile, but this encounter changed Luffy forever and is the main reason he was inspired to get stronger during the Water 7 and Enies Lobby arcs.
2Borsalino (Admiral Kizaru)
Defeated Luffy In The Sabaody Archipelago
The moment Luffy punched Saint Charlos in the face is still highly regarded as the most satisfying scene in the entire series, but there’s no denying that the main character’s reckless actions nearly ruined his piracy career and almost got his entire crew killed. The Marines sentAdmiral Kizaruto deal with that problem, and he immediately overpowered all the Straw Hat Pirates.
Despite his lazy and calm personality, Borsalino proved to be quite a dangerous threat to the crew, mainly due to the immense power of the Pika Pika no Mi, which allowed him to unleash destructive attacks and move at literal light speed while also being completely immune to physical harm from people who can’t use Haki. His encounter with the Straw Hats was almost a massacre, as none of them could even land a hit on the Admiral (not even Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji). To make matters worse, they were already exhausted from their fight against a Pacifista earlier in the arc. If it wasn’t for Bartholomew Kuma’s selfless actions,the Straw Hat Pirates would never have made it out of Sabaody Archipelago alive. Fortunately, Luffy was able to go toe-to-toe with Borsalino more than two years later.
1Kaido
Defeated Luffy In Wano (Thrice)
Kaido, the captain of the Beasts Pirates and one of the Four Emperors, was known around the world as the “Strongest Creature,” so he was obviously going to be quite a huge obstacle for Luffy and his crew. Nevertheless, he may have underestimated the absurd strength of this evil pirate, because Kaido overpowered and defeated Luffy not once, not twice, but three different times during the Wano Country Arc.
During their initial encounter in the Kuri region, Luffy couldn’t even pierce through Kaido’s tough defenses; this foe was able to knock him out with a single Thunder Bagua. They fought again on the rooftop of Onigashima, and, despite the main character’s immense growth and his new Advanced Supreme King Haki, the Strongest Creature was able to overpower him off-screen and throw his body into the ocean. Kaido eventually defeated Luffy a third time, mainly due to the abrupt actions of Guernika from CP0, but he would most likely have won the encounter anyway. It wasn’t untilLuffy awakened his Devil Fruitand unleashed the over-the-top powers of his new Gear 5 form upon the evil pirate that he was finally able to take him down and save the country of Wano.
