One Piece: 7 Characters Who Can Defeat The Five Elders, Ranked (2024)

The Five Elders are the highest authoritative figures within the World Government after Imu. In order to keep Imu's identity a secret, the Five Elders have gone to great lengths. They have murdered people whom they suspected of snooping around.

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For a long time, fans have speculated whether the Five Elders have any fighting experience, and the recent developments in the One Piece manga prove that they are very likely elite fighters. While their exact abilities remain unknown, the Five Elders showed that they could put Sabo on the back foot. This proves that there are only a few One Piece characters who can challenge the Five Elders.

7 Monkey D. Luffy

Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and one of the Four Emperors of the Sea. His growth from the beginning of the series until now has been nothing short of phenomenal. The World Government treats Luffy as a major threat, and it has made many unsuccessful attempts to eliminate him.

Luffy possesses the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit that allows him to turn his body into rubber. Luffy is able to extend his rubbery properties to his surroundings in Gear 5th. Even without his Devil Fruit, Luffy has access to all three types of Haki and their advanced variants. With such an impressive arsenal, Luffy is definitely a prime candidate to defeat the Five Elders.

6 Shanks

Shanks is considered by many fans to be the strongest character in One Piece. He was the youngest pirate to be named an Emperor until Luffy's eventual induction. While Shanks is an easygoing person, it doesn't take him long to switch to his fearsome side.

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Shanks is a master of Haki, and he has accomplished great feats with it. He was able to stop Kaido from interfering with the Summit War, a feat that only a few individuals can replicate. Shanks managed to scare Ryokugyu with a burst of Haoshoku Haki, despite being far away from the Admiral's location. There is no doubt that Shanks can take down the Five Elders.

5 Blackbeard

Blackbeard has been hyped as the endgame villain for One Piece for quite some time. He has all the attributes required to become the greatest shonen villain. Blackbeard is a smart individual who planned his every move immaculately. He became an Emperor with the minimum effort.

Blackbeard possesses the Gura Gura no Mi and the Yami Yami no Mi, two of the strongest Devil Fruits in the entire series. With these powers, Blackbeard can fight any character on an equal footing, including any one of the Five Elders.

4 Akainu

Akainu is the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines. He was promoted to the position after he took down Aokiji in a fight at Punk Hazard. Akainu possesses the Magu Magu no Mi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit that gives him the power to create and control magma at will. Akainu made his debut in the Marineford arc, where he took the entire fanbase by storm.

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Akainu is a very serious individual who only cares about carrying out justice. He has fought the likes of Whitebeard, Marco, and Vista and still managed to survive. After the time skip, Akainu has grown even stronger, and he can compete with the Emperors and the Five Elders.

3 Imu

Imu is the true sovereign of the world. They sit on the Empty Throne, a secret protected by the World Government. Imu supplants the Five Elders in terms of authority; after all, they were seen bowing to the enigmatic individual. Unsurprisingly, there is barely any information available about Imu and their powers. But it is very likely that they have an incredibly overpowered Devil Fruit.

Considering Imu sits at the very top of the World Government, there is hardly any doubt that they are extremely powerful. There is a possibility that Imu even has access to Uranus, which they used to destroy the Lulusia Kingdom.

2 Monkey D. Dragon

Monkey D. Dragon is the leader of the Revolutionary Army. He founded the organization several months after the Ohara Massacre. Dragon is a major threat to the World Government, and for that reason, he has been called the "Worst Criminal in the World." Dragon and the rest of the Revolutionary Army have successfully liberated many nations from the rule of tyrannical kings, and they will continue to do so.

Given the fact that Dragon has so many powerful characters under his command, he is likely stronger than all of them. Dragon may have a Devil Fruit, but there are no clues regarding what it might be.

1 Dracule Mihawk

Dracule Mihawk has a strong case for having the best introduction in the series. He emerged out of nowhere in a coffin-shaped ship and nonchalantly deflected the bullets fired at him. Mihawk then proceeded to humble Zoro and show the difference in their power levels.

Mihawk wields the all-black blade, Yoru, which is a Saijo O-Wazamono grade sword. A single slash from Mihawk's blade was strong enough to cut a giant iceberg. He is also proficient at using Haki, as he managed to teach Zoro how to use it. Mihawk used to be rivals with the Shanks, and their battles were deemed legendary. All these things prove that Mihawk has a good chance of defeating the Five Elders.

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