The Yonko, also known as the Four Emperors of the Sea, are the four most powerful pirates in the One Piece world. They rule over the second half of the Grand Line, known as the New World, like Kings. They face nobody but each other as opposition.
These pirates are incredibly capable and have thousands of people under their command, along with several allies. The power of the Yonko is such that only a few pirates in the story can match them, with even fewer being able to defeat them. Yet despite their strength, a select few pirates can rival them to some extent.
Updated on June 4, 2022, by Rei Penber: The Yonko are four of the strongest pirates in the One Piece world and only a few can even hope to stand the chance against them in combat. With the rise of the Worst Generation, however, more capable pirates are flooding the New World.
During the Onigashima arc, fans saw some mighty pirates rise to a level where they could challenge their supremacy. While this list already includes 10 of the strongest characters who can rival the Yonko, we've decided to expand upon it further and add a few more of their likes.
14 Edward Weevil Is Like Young Whitebeard
Edward Weevil is one of the former Shichibukai, who were stripped of their title following the events of the Reverie. He's an incredibly dangerous pirate who stepped up after the Paramount War. Weevil has already taken down several allies of Whitebeard, an extremely impressive feat.
Although his true strength hasn't been revealed so far, Borsalino compared Edward Weevil's strength to that of a younger Whitebeard. With strength like that, he can definitely put up a fight against the Yonko.
13 Eustass Kid
Eustass Kid is one of the strongest pirates to sail the seas currently. Although he wasn't as prominent a figure before the Wano Country arc, he's certainly become much more important during it. The arc saw Kid play a huge role in defeating Yonko Big Mom by teaming up with Trafalgar Law.
Using his Jiki Jiki no Mi power and its awakening, Kid was able to do quite significant damage to Big Mom and eventually send her down crashing. Although he isn't as strong as Luffy yet, he will get stronger with time.
12 Trafalgar Law
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Just like Kid, Trafalgar Law also ended up playing a huge role in the fight against Big Mom. Law took his Ope Ope no Mi powers to the next level during this fight and finally showed off his awakening. Using the newly awakened powers, he was able to crush Big Mom from the inside and even make her cough up blood.
Without him, defeating Big Mom would've been impossible. Just like Kid, Law isn't on the same level as the Yonko, however, he can certainly rival them and will get even stronger with time.
11 Kuzan Matched Sakazuki In A Fight For 10 Days
Kuzan is a former Marine Admiral and a current ally of the Blackbeard Pirates. Being an Admiral, Kuzan is extremely powerful. His Hie Hie no Mi devil fruit power allows him to become ice and produce it at will.
After the Paramount War, Kuzan fought Sakazuki on Punk Hazard and used his powers to change the climate of half of the island permanently. The battle was said to be extremely close, meaning Kuzan is comparable to Sakazuki in power and thus capable of fighting the Yonko.
10 Boa Hancock Is A Fearsome Pirate Captain
The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, is one of the most powerful pirates in the One Piece world. Just like Weevil, she is a former Shichibukai. Hancock possesses the power of the Mero Mero no Mi, with which she can petrify anyone. She is also one of the few characters who possess all three types of Haki, and being a Kuja, she specializes in Haki usage.
According to Sengoku, Boa Hancock is a very powerful woman. She took down an army of Pacifistas and Sentomaru without breaking a sweat in Marineford. Even when the Navy set out to capture her, Hancock was confident in her abilities to counter them.
9 Dracule Mihawk Is The World's Strongest Swordsman
Dracule Mihawk is one of the strongest pirates in the One Piece world. Known to have been a rival of Shanks before he became a Yonko, Mihawk possesses tremendous skill as a swordsman.
He has the power to use two Haki types, and his skill with them is quite refined. Mihawk proved his skill in Marineford, and just like Hancock, didn't care about the Marines hunting him down. He doesn't seem to fear anyone, and thus is surely capable of rivaling the Yonko.
8 Silvers Rayleigh Is Still A Powerful Fighter
Rayleigh was once the second-in-command of the Roger Pirates, and in his prime, he was certainly among the very best in the world. Right now, Rayleigh is old, meaning he has weakened considerably; however, he's still a capable fighter.
Silvers Rayleigh has the ability to use all the three Haki types; however, he's only displayed the usage of advanced Armament Haki. On Sabaody, Rayleigh was able to stop Borsalino without too much trouble, which goes to show that he can do the same against a Yonko.
7 Kozuki Oden
Quite possibly the greatest Samurai of Wano Country, Kozuki Oden was a tremendously skilled fighter who even the likes of Kaido acknowledged in battle. Oden was a user of all three Haki types and possessed tremendous control over Ryuo and even the advanced form of Conqueror's Haki using which he scarred Kaido.
With his might, he could clash with both Whitebeard and Roger and later, in his prime, nearly kill Kaido. Without a doubt, Oden was certainly a rival for any of One Piece'sYonko, as implied by Kaido himself.
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6 Shiki Was Roger's Rival At One Point
Also known as the Golden Lion, Shiki is an infamous pirate in the world of One Piece. He's the first person who is known to have broken out of Impel Down, which signifies how powerful he truly is.
Although Shiki is old and has lost both his legs, he's still menacing no matter what. His Fuwa Fuwa no Mi powers make him difficult to take on in battle. In his prime, Shiki was able to take on both Garp and Sengoku at once, and destroy half of Marineford while he was at it. A Yonko would hardly be any trouble for him.
5 Monkey D. Luffy Is Stronger Than Ever
One Piece's protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, has grown incredibly powerful over the years. His usage of the Gomu Gomu no Mi devil fruit is excellent, but what's truly frightening about him is his Haki. Luffy is a user of all the Haki types and, surprisingly, has mastered all of them to the highest degree.
In Wano Country, Luffy was able to match Kaido in battle and even injure him severely. By the end of the arc, Luffy will most likely have defeated Kaido, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has grown stronger than the Yonko himself.
4 Sakazuki Is The Fleet Admiral Of The Marines
Sakazuki, formerly known as Admiral Akainu, is one of the strongest characters in the story. He possesses the power of Magu Magu no Mi, a Logia-type devil fruit that is said to have offensive power of the highest order.
Sakazuki defeated Kuzan on Punk Hazard, meaning his skill exceeds that of Kuzan. What's more, he is a capable Haki user and can use two advanced Haki types with ease. Sakazuki is a force to be reckoned with, and even the Yonko should fear his power.
3 Sengoku Could Rival Gol D. Roger In A Fight
Sengoku is the former Fleet Admiral of the Marines and one of the strongest ever to be counted among their ranks. During his time as an Admiral, he was a worthy opponent for the pirate Gol D. Roger, one of the most feared on the seas.
Sengoku possesses a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that allows him to turn into a Buddha and attack using shockwaves. To date, he is the only Marine with the power to use all the three Haki types. Undoubtedly, with these abilities, he is capable of rivaling the Yonko.
2 Monkey D. Garp, The Hero Of The Marines
Garp is one of the most powerful fighters in the One Piece world. Along with Roger, he fought Rocks and defeated him in battle, which shows how powerful he was back in the day. He is also known to be the only Marine who could corner Gol D. Roger. Roger himself acknowledged Garp's skill on several occasions.
Garp possesses two types of Haki and is especially known for his Armament Haki. There are few fighters in the story that he couldn't take on. Without a doubt, he can rival any Yonko in One Piece.
1 Rocks D. Xebec
Perhaps one of the strongest pirates in the world of One Piece, Rocks D. Xebec ruled the seas all alone nearly 40 years before the current timeline. With the Rocks Pirates, he wreaked havoc on the seas, and not even the Government could stop him.
He was said to be the most formidable rival of Roger, even more so than Whitebeard. Rocks ended up losing to the combined effort of Garp and Roger, however, he was certainly someone capable of taking on the strongest Yonko and even defeating them.​