One Piece has introduced a selection of mighty villains in each of its arcs and sagas. Some sagas also have multiple villains, whom the Straw Hats had to battle. Some of them were defeated beyond recognition or ended up dead, but others have been biding their time.
There are lots of villains from the past arcs of One Piece who have a huge possibility of returning in the final saga of the story. This list counts every One Piece villain who might return in the last leg of the story. The characters have been ranked from least to most likely to return in One Piece‘s finale.
15. Magellan
Devil Fruit: Doku Doku no Mi
Magellan, the former vice warden of Impel Down, was replaced by Hannyabal after his failure to stop the mass breakout. Since then, he has made a few appearances in the manga. In the Final Saga, he was seen talking to Doflamingo about his thoughts on the future of the world during Vegapunk’s broadcast.
Magellan is still in Impel Down and has not been removed from duty. However, in the finale of One Piece, he might return to show the world the might of his poison.
14. Caesar Clown
Devil Fruit: Gasu Gasu no Mi
Caesar Clown was the villain during the Punk Hazard arc. Despite being weak, he had an important role as the mad scientist who contributed to the creation of the SMILE devil fruits. The last we know of him is that he escaped to the Germa Kingdom.
He wanted to establish NEO MADS with Vinsmoke Judge. Due to his efforts with his experiments, he might return in the Final Saga of One Piece.
13. Gecko Moria
Devil Fruit: Kage Kage no Mi
Gecko Moria, the main antagonist of the Thriller Bark saga, had stolen the shadows of Brook and the other Straw Hats. The Straw Hats brought him down in the same arc, but he managed to escape. He also took part in the Marineford war. Later, he was also defeated by Donquixote Doflamingo and Blackbeard.
Perona rescued the villain with Koby’s help, but this might not be the last time fans see the character. Moria might return in the Final Saga, but his allegiance is hard to predict.
12. Charlotte Perospero
Devil Fruit: Pero Pero no Mi
Perospero, the eldest child of the Charlotte Family and an antagonist of the Whole Cake Island arc, was also seen in the Wano Country arc. Neko mamushi defeated him in the Wano Country arc. Fans have deemed him to be highly likely to return in One Piece because of his uncertain defeat at Wano.
He might play a big role soon in the ongoing turmoil of the New World. Perospero might decide to choose sides in the finale.
11. Charlotte Linlin/Big Mom
Devil Fruit: Soru Soru no Mi
Big Mom was the main antagonist of the Whole Cake Island arc in One Piece. She was defeated by Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law. Even though she was thrown into a volcano, fans doubt if she is dead yet. In fact, Eiichiro Oda has not confirmed Big Mom’s dead or alive status.
She could have been rescued, or she might have had enough energy left to save herself. She is a monster when it comes to physical prowess, so there is a good chance she is alive and might make an appearance in the final saga, more monstrous than ever. If she does end up returning, she will try to exact revenge against Kid and Law.
10. Kaido
Devil Fruit: Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu
Kaido, dubbed the world’s strongest creature, was defeated by Luffy and an alliance of other main characters during the Wano Country arc of One Piece. He was no longer included amongst the new listing of the Four Emperors, but this alone isn’t enough to know if Kaido is dead yet.
He plummeted into Wano’s magma chamber right after Big Mom. While both emperors might have been caught in the following explosion, there is no confirmation of Kaido’s death. He might have been reserved to bring back into the finale later. With Kaido’s monstrous strength, Luffy could barely defeat him, and Kaido’s return might turn the tide in the final arc.
9. Ryokugyu
Devil Fruit: Mori Mori no Mi
Aramaki or Ryokugyu is the current Admiral after Kuzan’s resignation. He appeared briefly during the Wano Country arc, in which he was warned by Shanks to leave the new era of pirates alone. The admiral did not want to fight someone as powerful as Shanks and decided to leave at the time.
However, Ryokugyu is bound to hold a grudge after this, and although he has not appeared in the story yet, he is bound to at some point. As an admiral, he will participate in the final war against the pirates. His plant-based powers might be a huge help to the World Government, but he is considerably weaker than the likes of Shanks.
8. Kizaru
Devil Fruit: Pika Pika no Mi
Kizaru has always been a despicable villain in One Piece. He was first mentioned by Nico Robin, and he was a secondary antagonist during the Sabaody Archipelago and Marineford arc. He has already made his appearance in the Egghead arc and stabbed Vegapunk despite both of them being close acquaintances.
Killing Vegapunk has mentally affected Kizaru, and it was the first time that he admitted his wounds were deep and even rebuffed Akainu for his lack of sensitivity. Fans can only hope Kizaru comes around to see the evil of the World Government by the finale.
7. Akainu
Devil Fruit: Magu Magu no Mi
Akainu is a character that every One Piece fan has come to hate. He killed Ace and brought Luffy to the brink of destruction at the loss of his brother. He is an extremely powerful Fleet Admiral of the Marines and has an extreme but twisted sense of justice.
He is absolute while following his orders and has already appeared in the story’s final saga. He angrily contacted Kizaru, who was at Egghead, and the latter accused him of being insensitive. Given his hatred of pirates and unfinished business with Luffy, Akainu is bound to return in the finale. Fans hope that Luffy is able to exact revenge on Akainu after what happened to Ace.
6. Charlotte Katakuri
Devil Fruit: Mochi Mochi no Mi
Katakuri is one of the Three Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates. He was one of the antagonists in the Whole Cake Island arc and became a reluctant ally of the Red Hair and Straw Hat Pirates in the One Piece Film: Red. He did appear briefly in the Egghead Arc of One Piece, where he and his siblings were seen listening to Vegapunk’s worldwide broadcast.
With Katakuri’s respect for Luffy, he might actually return as an ally to the Straw Hat Pirates. He has power over the Big Mom Pirates now, which means whichever side he allies with will have a huge advantage. He might be willing to help the Straw Hats eventually.
5. Rob Lucci
Debil Fruit: Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard
Rob Lucci is a recurring villain in One Piece and has already made his debut in the Final Saga of One Piece. He has been defeated time and again, but he still manages to return with renewed vigor.
In the Egghead arc, he could not hold back the Straw Hats yet again. Lucci and Kaku escaped from Egghead and are simply biding their time to return again so that they can defeat the Straw Hats once and for all.
4. Donquixote Doflamingo
Devil Fruit: Ito Ito no Mi
Doflamingo became the King of Dressrosa and ruled the country tyrannically till he was defeated by Luffy and stripped of his Warlord position. He was later locked up at Impel Down and took part in the Marineford arc, where he sided with the Marines.
However, he is currently imprisoned, and the last time fans saw him was when he suggested that the rise in sea water would be bad. Given how he has threatened to reveal Mary Geoise’s secret treasure, his knowledge might become crucial in the finale.
3. Enel
Devil Fruit: Goro Goro no Mi
If there were a popularity poll for which One Piece villain might return in the final saga, Enel would win the most votes. He might have been defeated in the Skypiea arc but is far from dead. In fact, he regained consciousness soon after the battle with Luffy and ended up going to the Fairy Vearth, or the Moon.
Since then, Enel’s journey has been covered in bits and pieces in the One Piece cover pages. In fact, he has acquired abundant land and plenty of followers and established a new empire on the moon. It would be fascinating to see Enel flying down from the Moon to rejoin the battle with an army of automata.
2. Crocodile
Devil Fruit: Suna Suna no Mi
Crocodile was defeated by Luffy in the Arabasta arc, but the World Government worked hard to falsify the entire incident. The One Piece villain ended up at Impel Down, from where Luffy freed him along with Jinbe. Since then, he has made an appearance plenty of times.
However, indirectly, he has already made an appearance in the final saga of the story. He is now the co-leader of the Cross Guild alongside Dracule Mihawk. With Luffy having rescued him from the World Government, Crocodile might become an ally in the final saga.
1. King
Devil Fruit: Ryu Ryu no Mi: Pteranodon
King is one of the three All-Stars of the Beast Pirates and was also Kaido’s right hand before the villain was defeated. He is a member of the near-extinct lunarian race, which means he might be relevant to the ending of the story.
After being defeated by the Straw Hats and subdued by Ryokugyu, King woke up during the Egghead arc. He was still injured and bandaged in an unknown location, but he recalled his own experience as a lunarian, indicating he knows how rare races were persecuted. He has a major role to play as someone who holds an important secret against the World Government.
Which character has the highest probability of returning to One Piece? Do you think some of the villains on this list do not have a chance to be featured in the finale? Let us know in the comments below.
One Piece anime is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll, and the manga is available to read on Viz Media.
