The Yonko are the four most powerful pirates in the world of One Piece who are said to rule the New World. Known to have tremendous influence that is spread across several countries, the Yonko are an indomitable force that even the Navy is wary of.
Currently, their ranks are made up of Kaido, Big Mom, Shanks, and the latest addition to the lot, Marshall D. Teach. Strong as the Yonko are, they aren't unbeatable. In fact, the power system of the Yonko looks very much to be in jeopardy and several One Piece characters could replace them if they fell.
Updated April 4, 2022, by Rei Penber: One Piece's Yonko are known to be the strongest people on the seas with incredible powers up their sleeve. Although only four people can occupy the Yonko positions at a time, there are certainly more who have the potential to rise to their position based on their strength, military might, and even influence, among other things. As there is no shortage of powerful characters in One Piece, four more entries have been added to this list of characters who have the potential to become a Yonko. Note that this list is not ranked specifically by strength — there are a lot of factors that make someone Yonko material.
14 Douglas Bullet
Douglas Bullet was introduced to the fans in One Piece: Stampede. Once a member of the Roger Pirates, Bullet was known as the Demon Heir because it was said that he inherited Roger's strength. During his time with the Roger Pirates, he was just as strong as Silvers Rayleigh, the right-hand man of the Pirate King.
After leaving the crew, he got even stronger and then went on to awaken his Devil Fruit powers. Bullet may or may not be a canon character, however, his power was unquestionably close to the Yonko in One Piece.
13 Shiki
Shiki is one of the few pirates from Roger's era who is still alive. Back in the day, he commanded the largest armada on the Grand Line and was a rival to Gol D. Roger himself. In his prime, Shiki fought Garp and Sengoku at once, and still managed to destroy half of Marineford all on his own.
He even made an escape from Impel Down; however, his whereabouts haven't been known since. What fans do know that he is still alive somewhere, and if he returns to the story, he will certainly be in contention for the position of Yonko.
12 Kuzan
Kuzan, formerly known as Aokiji, is a former Admiral of the Navy. After losing his fight to Akainu, he left the Marines and now carries out his justice his own way. During the Dressrosa arc, it was mentioned that Kuzan is now a pirate, and that he has either allied with or has joined the Blackbeard Pirates.
Being a former Admiral, Kuzan certainly has the potential to rival One Piece's Yonko. Although he might not want it, he certainly does carry the potential to become a Yonko if he wants to.
11 Silvers Rayleigh
Also known as the Dark King, Rayleigh is the former First Mate of the Roger Pirates and an incredibly powerful pirate in his own right. He is a user of all the Haki types and his strength is considered to be legendary even by the likes of Garp.
Even in his old age, he was strong enough to completely stop Admiral Kizaru on Sabaody Archipelago, which is nothing short of impressive. Although he just wants to spend his days in peace, Rayleigh certainly does carry in him the power to become one of the Yonko if he wants to.
10 Buggy
Buggy might appear to be a strange addition to the ranks of the Yonko, given that he's quite weak, however, it wouldn't be a surprise if he were to take a position of similar power for himself in the future. Buggy is known to be like a brother to Shanks, which already raises his reputation a lot but more importantly, Buggy was on Pirate King Gol D. Roger's ship.
To the World Government, Buggy is a massive threat and he certainly could get elevated to the status of a Yonko on reputation alone.
9 Edward Weevil
The self-proclaimed son of Whitebeard, Edward Weevil is known to be a monstrously powerful character in the One Piece world. Coming to the scene after the Marineford War, Weevil has already destroyed several allies of the Whitebeard Pirates and according to Kizaru, his strength is like that of a young Whitebeard.
Weevil is easily among the strongest characters in the entire story and definitely has the potential to become a Yonko.
8 Marco The Phoenix
The former First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco is an extremely strong fighter who has proven himself against the likes of the Admirals and even multiple Yonko Commanders at once. The Gorosei considered him to be one of the very few men capable of stopping Blackbeard, putting his name in the same breath as the Yonko of the world.
Marco was already in the running for the position of a Yonko so there is no denying that he has the potential to become one.
7 Charlotte Katakuri
Charlotte Katakuri is the second son of Big Mom and the strongest Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates. Katakuri is immensely powerful and in his entire life, he has only lost one battle, which came against Monkey D. Luffy. Katakuri has incredibly powerful Haki and his control over the Mochi Mochi no Mi is extremely refined.
Katakuri also has Conqueror's Haki, which makes him someone worthy of being a King. If Big Mom were to fall, the Big Mom Pirates would be led by Katakuri and he would get the chance to compete for the position of a Yonko.
6 Yamato
The son of Kaido, Yamato is quite a powerful character whose strength is extremely impressive. Yamato possesses the power of the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami, which is a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit known to be extremely rare.
What's more, Yamato has the ability to infuse Conqueror's Haki into his attacks. She even held her own against Kaido for about half an hour, which is extremely impressive. Yamato certainly has what it takes to be a Yonko.
5 Dracule Mihawk
Known to be the World's Strongest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk is one of the most powerful pirates in the One Piece world. He wields the Kokuto Yoru in battle and is known to have dueled Shanks several times in the past.
Mihawk doesn't look like someone interested in being a Yonko, however, if he wanted to, he certainly could be in the running to become one, given that he possesses monstrous strength.
4 Boa Hancock
The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock is one of the most dangerous pirates in the One Piece world. She possesses the power of the Mero Mero no Mi which lets her turn anyone who lusts after her to stone. More importantly, some techniques allow her to turn even inanimate objects to stone with a mere touch, which is what makes her very dangerous.
Hancock possesses all three types of Haki, and her specialty is Conqueror's Haki, which means she is a potential user of Conqueror's Haki Infusion as well. Although her true power has never been seen, Hancock is certainly strong enough to be considered for this position.
3 Trafalgar Law
Also known as the Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law is a member of the Worst Generation and is an incredibly powerful pirate. With the Ope Ope no Mi, Law is able to create ROOMs within which everything, from the people to the terrain, is like a patient on his operating table.
Law is extremely powerful and his Devil Fruit Awakening allows him to compete with the likes of the Yonko. Although he isn't at that level yet, he certainly has the potential to be a Yonko.
2 Eustass Kid
Just like Trafalgar Law, Eustass Kid is a Worst Generation member who is strong enough to fight against Big Mom. Kid is the user of the Jiki Jiki no Mi which allows him to control magnetic forces at will.
Kid's awakening allows him to turn others into a magnet and crush them under metal scraps, which can prove to be fatal. Kid is also a user of all the Haki types, which means he has what it takes to be a Yonko.
1 Monkey D. Luffy
Luffy is one of the strongest pirates in the One Piece world, known to be skilled enough to fight even the Yonko on an even footing. He has the power of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, which has made him a rubber human. Although Luffy's Devil Fruit isn't all that special, the way he uses it makes him a force to be reckoned with.
Luffy is also a user of all the three Haki types and he's advanced all of them to the next level. In Wano Country, he was able to fight Kaido and will most likely take him down. He's already known as the Fifth Emperor of the Sea and his status among the strongest will be further solidified soon.