In One Piece, Yonko (also known as the Four Emperors) are a group of four pirate captains who are considered the most powerful in the world. At the moment, Luffy, Buggy, Shanks, and Blackbeard are the four Yonko, and Kaido, Big Mom, and Whitebeard are the previous generation of Yonko.
The original lineup consisted of Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Shanks. Due to Whitebeard’s death and the defeat of Kaido and Big Mom, Luffy, Buggy, and Blackbeard were added as replacements. The Yonko are considered to be extremely powerful pirates individually and have some of the highest bounties in the world.
Buggy the Star Clown
Buggy isn’t just the weakest Yonko in the entire history of One Piece; he is also the silliest. He might be powerful, but his biggest strength is his luck, as he manages to be at the right place at the right time. He has never won against a powerful enemy like Kaido or Big Mom. Instead, he got chosen as a Yonko because he was mistakenly announced as the leader of the Cross Guild.
Buggy has failed so many times, and funnily enough, his failures have somehow given him greater status. He is one of the very first villains that Luffy has defeated, and since then, Buggy has become a recurring character in One Piece.
Nonetheless, he isn’t completely powerless. He ate the Bara Bara no Mi Devil Fruit, which lets him split his body and control each piece individually. He also wields knives, which he can use to strike people from afar. He also uses cannonballs, which can demolish rows of buildings.
Charlotte Linlin/Big Mom
It’s hilarious that the Yonko who is the least powerful after Buggy is Big Mom, a character who can smash Buggy to hell and back an infinite number of times. Big Mom is a former member of the Four Emperors, as she was defeated by Eustass Kid and Law. She is the captain of the Big Mom Pirates and the queen of Totto Land.
Big Mom ate the Soru Soru no Mi, which allows her to steal the souls of others. She can implant the stolen souls in various inanimate objects that then serve her. She is the most powerful female pirate in One Piece, and her strength could equal that of Kaido. She possesses superhuman physical strength and can single-handedly wreak havoc and sink battleships without even putting in effort.
She is also extremely durable, and no weapon can pierce her skin. Her stamina and endurance are admirable, and she is also agile despite her size. She can also emit an ultrasonic scream, which can send anything around her flying, and people can faint from it. She can also use all three types of Haki and has mastered their advanced forms.
Marshall D. Teach/Blackbeard
Blackbeard might not have been as powerful before, but as the series progressed, so did his strength. He is also the only person to wield two Devil Fruits at once. He ate the Yami Yami no Mi Devil Fruit, which allows him to create, control, and transform his body into darkness. This darkness can also absorb anything, like a blackhole, not even light can escape it.
The most frightening power of his Devil Fruit is that it allows him to not only nullify but also absorb the powers of other Devil Fruits. He stole the Gura Gura no Mi Devil Fruit from Whitebeard, and the combined power of both Devil Fruits is terrifying. He can now reduce anything to nothing and also cause earthquakes. He can also absorb more than one Devil Fruit, but has been unsuccessful in acquiring other powers so far.
It is hard to rank Blackbeard because his powers mostly remain in the shadows. However, he can use both Observation and Armament Haki.
Kaido of the Beasts
Kaido, also known as the world’s strongest creature, is the captain of the Beasts Pirates. After the God Valley Incident, he formed his own pirate crew and built it to challenge the World Government and change the world. He then occupied Wano and Onigashima for nearly three decades. After being defeated by Luffy, he lost his position as a Yonko.
Kaido is a legendary figure for his supreme physical prowess, even without his Devil Fruit. He has a near-indestructible body and had a reputation that he could not die; of course, that was before facing Luffy. Despite his size, he is extremely fast and has high endurance.
His Uo Uo no Mi Devil Fruit allows him to transform into an Azure Dragon. His full beast form is so massive that it is half the size of a small town. The transformation also provides him with massive boosts. He can create Flame Clouds, which can even lift an entire island out of the sea. He can breathe flames, and his Bolo Breath is a deadly ability. He can also use all three forms of Haki and could even use their advanced applications.
Monkey D. Luffy
Luffy, the protagonist of the show, has grown tremendously over the course of the years. He began as a nameless rubbery kid and has become a powerful pirate recognised by the strongest in the world. As a pirate, he has actively opposed several tyrannical regimes and has helped establish peace and prosperity in various islands and countries. He not only escaped Enies Lobby but also the impregnable Impel Down.
He has already defeated several Warlords in combat and has created a loyal crew named the Straw Hat Pirates. He became one of the Four Emperors after defeating Kaido and is a formidable opponent in combat due to his never-give-up attitude and creative and unpredictable techniques.
Apart from his strength, durability, and endurance, he has the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika Devil Fruit, which allows him to not only have the properties of rubber but also become an incarnation of Nika. He also possesses all three types of Haki.
Red-Haired Shanks
Shanks is the captain of the Red Hair Pirates and is immensely powerful despite not having a Devil Fruit and losing an arm to a Sea Emperor. He used to be an apprentice in the Roger’s crew and is an extremely important character in the series. He is an excellent swordsman, being an equal to Mihawk once, and his immense mastery over Haki makes him a terrifying force.
By using his Supreme King Haki, he can knock down thousands of people at once. He can also use its advanced application and was able to defeat both Eustass Kid and Killer with a single Haki-infused attack. In fact, he can even prevent others from seeing into the future. He can also use Armament and Observation Haki and uses a sword named Gryphon in combat.
Edward Newgate/Whitebeard
Whitebeard was known as the strongest man in the world, and even at his old age, he was a terrifying power. At Marineford, he engaged in combat against Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu on even terms despite his severe ailments. In fact, the World Government was ready to use the entire Marine force just to stop Whitebeard.
He had the Gura Gura no Mi Devil Fruit that allowed him to generate earthquakes and shockwaves. These shockwaves could create cracks in the air itself. His power was enough to shake, rupture, and tilt the landscape itself. He could use all three types of Haki, and his clash against Shanks caused the heavens to be split in two. He also wielded a gigantic naginata, which is one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades.
Here is a table with all the Yonkos in One Piece, their respective crews, and bounties:
Which Yonko do you think is the most powerful in One Piece? Do you think Luffy will end up as the most powerful one? Let us know in the comments below.
One Piece anime is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll.
