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Discover the seven characters whose actions will define One Piece’s Final Saga, including Luffy, Blackbeard, and Shanks, shaping the endgame.
As One Piece gears up for its highly anticipated Final Saga, Eiichiro Oda turns the spotlight on a chosen few characters who will determine the climax of this generation-spanning epic. No longer limited to the journey of a single protagonist, the story now unfolds on multiple fronts, each led by characters with immense power over the world's destiny.
These are the seven point-of-view (POV) characters that will chart the final leg of One Piece’s mythic journey:
Straw Hat Pirates’ captain and the awakened ‘Sun God’ Nika, Luffy has grown beyond being merely a pirate searching for treasure, he’s become a symbol of freedom for all the world. With his Gear 5 upgrade, he’s not only changing the rules of battle but even the very mythos of the One Piece universe.
Being one of the Four Emperors, Luffy’s moves can bring centuries-old structures to collapse and reinterpret what freedom truly is.
Few characters embody the dark mirror to Luffy more so than Blackbeard. With two of the deadliest Devil Fruits in existence and actively pursuing the remaining Road Poneglyphs, Teach is at the center of the ultimate conflict. Cruel and ambitious, his schemes put him at odds with all the other factions as he advances his violent vision for the future of piracy.
For years, Shanks has been a mysterious presence, admired, intimidating, and impossible to read. But in his recent maneuvers to take on One Piece, he’s finally moving toward center stage in the world of this story. The old ally of Gol D Roger, and the inspirer of Luffy’s odyssey, is no longer satisfied to watch from the sidelines simply. Though still shrouded in motives, his efforts make huge waves
Buggy’s rise to Emperor-level status may have felt like a joke, but it’s now impossible to overlook his influence. With the unlikely position of leader of the Cross Guild, and on the roster with giants like Mihawk and Crocodile, Buggy exerts influence far greater than himself. In a story where image and alliances matter as much as brute force, Buggy brings a radical new variable to the throne’s race.
The world’s greatest scientist, Vegapunk, has emerged as a key figure by revealing long-buried secrets regarding the Void Century, Devil Fruits, and ancient tech. Now on the run from the World Government, Vegapunk’s survival and the secrets he holds may be the key to breaking centuries of global domination. With information that may spark a revolution, he is the brain behind the rebellion.
For the majority of the series, the World Government appeared to be leaderless. But Imu, who sits in the allegedly vacant Empty Throne, has turned out to be the series’ most mysterious villain. Their ability to destroy entire islands and control global events makes them the very epicenter of the Final Saga’s struggle. Imu isn’t merely a threat to Luffy; they’re a threat to history, to truth, and to free will itself.
Sabo is Luffy’s sworn brother and second-in-command in the Revolutionary Army. Sabo has entered new prominence after the reverberatory events at Reverie. Accused of murder by King Cobra and holding in his hands dire information about Imu and the Five Elders, Sabo is now positioned at the focal point of the global revolution. His vision, based on justice and insurrection, is a stark contrast to the anarchic ambitions of Blackbeard and the totalitarian rule of Imu.
As each of these characters holds a special position on the world chessboard, Oda’s last arc will be a layered tale of war, freedom, and legacy. The narrative is not about who becomes the first to get the One Piece anymore; it’s about who gets to have the say in what kind of world it will create.
With the series’ countdown already underway, the attention has expanded, and the voices of importance are no longer limited to the Straw Hat members. It is One Piece at its most ambitious, and it is these voices guiding it towards the conclusion.
