One Piece has an incredible diversity of characters. Fans can find all sorts of individuals in the story, which makes it difficult to just pick a single favorite. Many One Piece characters had insane debuts, only for them to not live up to the hype generated.

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There were other characters who seemed underwhelming but went on to achieve great things. These overachievers stole the spotlight for various reasons. Most of these overachievers were initially deemed failures, and fans never expected them to do anything impressive. So they went on to shock the audience in one way or another.

6 Blackbeard

Managed To Become A Yonko In Next To No Time

Blackbeard is the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates and a part of the Yonko, making him one of the most powerful characters in the series. Blackbeard's first appearance was interesting, but it was nothing eye-catching. No one expected him to reach that level in such a short period of time.

Blackbeard has been on the rise ever since he captured Portgas D. Ace. Blackbeard became a Yonko by beating the Whitebeard Pirates, and he has made the place his own. Blackbeard has two Devil Fruits, an insanely powerful crew, and a lot of knowledge about the world. For this reason, it is almost impossible to take down Blackbeard in combat.

5 Koby

Became A Hero For The Marines

Koby met Luffy before the latter had formed the Straw Hat Pirates. At the time, Koby was a part of Alvida's crew. He had mistakenly ended up on their ship and was kept as a cabin boy. Koby never came off as an individual who would be able to achieve something great in his life. However, Garp's training completely transformed him.

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Koby became physically stronger, and he learned to use Rokushiki. He also learned how to use Haki efficiently. The fruits of his training were evident in the Egghead arc, where he destroyed Avalo Pizarro's massive arm with a Haki-enhanced attack. In the future, his strength is only going to improve further.

4 Eustass Kid

Earned A Surprise Victory Against A Yonko

Eustass Kid was the captain of the Kid Pirates. He was a member of the Worst Generation, so everyone expected a lot from him. Kid had the power of the Jiki Jiki no Mi, which gave him the power to control magnetic forces. He could easily disarm a person who was carrying a metal weapon.

Kid's power helped him solidify his reputation as one of the most notorious pirates in the world. He even managed to injure one of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders. But in the Wano Country arc, it became clear that Kid could not compete against a Yonko on his own. So, when he managed to take down Big Mom, it was a big surprise. He received help from Trafalgar Law in the battle, but logically, he couldn't have done it.

3 Buggy

Fooled The Entire World

Buggy was one of the earliest villains in One Piece. At the time of his introduction, Buggy came off as a dangerous individual, but soon it became evident that it was nothing more than a hoax. Most fans assumed that Buggy was never going to have any kind of major influence on the story. However, they were proven wrong.

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Buggy managed to become a Shichibukai because of his ties to the Roger Pirates and Shanks. Both the World Government and the Marines were tricked into believing that Buggy could be a possible threat. After the abolition of the Shichibukai system, Buggy was made a Yonko. Almost the entire world believes that Buggy is extremely powerful, but they couldn't be more wrong. Given what people expected of him, it is obvious that Buggy is an overachiever.

2 Usopp

Slowly Has Let Go Of His Cowardice

Despite being the sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates, Usopp is rather weak. But it hasn't stopped him from contributing to the crew's success. Usopp has helped the crew several times, but his involvement in the Dressrosa arc stands out the most. In the arc, Usopp was able to take down Sugar.

Anyone touched by Sugar would instantly turn into a toy, and she sought to use this by attacking Luffy and Law. Just when she was about to touch the unsuspecting Luffy and Law, Usopp used his sniping skills to knock out Sugar and save his friends. Usopp has been repeatedly treated as an underdog, but it is time that people start respecting him more.

1 Monkey D. Luffy

Has Overcome Odds Multiple Times

Monkey D. Luffy is the main protagonist of One Piece. When he was just a kid, Luffy decided that he was going to become the King of the Pirates. After setting sail, Luffy made a note to remind everyone that he was going to achieve his goal. Most of the people who heard about his ambition shrugged it off as a joke.

However, Luffy has managed to prove them wrong multiple times. When everyone thought Luffy wouldn't beat Kaido, the former clawed back from death's door to win. Then again, in the Egghead arc, Luffy managed to overwhelm both Jaygarcia Saturn and Kizaru at the same time. While the fans knew that Luffy was destined for great things, even they wouldn't have expected Luffy to pummel an Admiral and one of the Gorosei at the same time.

One Piece (1999)

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Fantasy

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Studio

Toei Animation

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Netflix , Hulu

See at Hulu