Highlights

  • Tragic characters in One Piece like Brook, Nico Robin, and Ace face incredible hardships and loss, but are ultimately saved by the Straw Hat Pirates.
  • Kozuki Oden led a brilliant life but was betrayed, boiled alive, and died to save his people, entrusting his job to his loyal vassals.
  • Donquixote Rosinante sacrificed his life for his brother Law, who survived a genocide and avenged him, making Law one of the most tragic characters in One Piece.

Oda is a masterful writer and, over the years, he's written some of the most incredible characters that bring forth various emotions in his readers. One Piece has some of the most incredible characters and, with the bulk of the focus on the Straw Hat Pirates, the fans are often treated to some of the most humorous, and, at the same time, romantic adventures in the story.

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However, at the same time, there are characters in One Piece that are simply tragic. These characters are put through incredible hardships and while some of them end up finding solace, others simply perish to their terrible fates.

7 Brook

Fate: Saved By Luffy

Brook Crying Tears Of Joy

Brook is another tragic character who was once a part of the jolly Rumbar Pirates. This pirate crew loved to sing and share their love for piracy through their songs. Unfortunately, they ended up losing their captain to a deadly disease. Brook became the Captain of the pirate crew, however, they were attacked by an enemy ship which led to the mass poisoning of the group and one by one, they started dying.

Thanks to his Devil Fruit, Brook was brought back to life, however, he was lost in the Florian Triangle, where he stayed for 50 years all alone, with nothing but solitude at his side. Eventually, Brook was saved by the Straw Hat Pirates and ended up joining them.

6 Nico Robin

Fate: Saved By Luffy

nico demon child robin

Robin is another tragic character who has faced quite a lot ever since she was a child. Nico Robin was raised by her uncle's family and it was clear that she was looked down upon from the very beginning. With no one to take care of her, Robin invested herself in studies and she became the youngest archaeologist at the age of eight.

Robin ended up losing everything when Ohara was attacked by the World Government for the crime of studying ancient history. She lost her mother, along with every single person she cared about on, that day. To make things worse, a bounty was placed on her head, which meant that wherever she went, she was to be turned in to the government. Robin spent her entire life running away from the Government until, eventually, she was saved by the Straw Hat Pirates.

5 Ace

Fate: Killed In The Paramount War

One Piece Portgas D. Ace dies with a smile on his face

When it comes to tragic characters in One Piece, Ace certainly is among the very best. Ace was born as the son of the Pirate King, Roger. From his very birth, he questioned his own existence because his father was said to have the blood of the demons, which Ace believed that he carried as well.

According to Ace, he did not know if being alive for him was good or bad and this is something that he found the answer to at the very end of his life. Ace lived a blazing life. Just like a flame, he came out of nowhere and shone brightly, before dying out in front of the eyes of the fans. In the Paramount War, Ace met his end after he sacrificed his life to save Luffy.

4 Kozuki Oden

Fate: Boiled Alive In Wano

kozuki oden is surrounded by flames

Oden is a tragic hero in One Piece who is also one of Oda's very best-written characters. This individual led a brilliant life, being born into royalty in the land of Wano, however, being disowned at a very young age. Oden made his own name and rose from absolutely nothing. He gained the respect of those around him and gained popularity.

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He was quite a charmer and a character who even managed to charm the likes of Whitebeard and Roger. He discovered the true history of the world and, eventually, went back home to lead his people, only to find the likes of Orochi and Kaido having taken over his land. To save his people, Oden struggled alone for 5 years without even telling a single soul about the misery that he had to endure. To make things worse, he was boiled alive for 60 minutes in order to save his underlings. Oden ended up dying after being boiled, however, not before he ended up entrusting his job to his powerful vassals.

3 Donquixote Rosinante

Fate: Shot Dead By Doflamingo

Rosinante Death One Piece

Rosinante is another tragic character in One Piece. Born as a Celestial Dragon, he was taken to the surface by his father who made his and his brother's life absolutely miserable. After the death of their mother, his father, Homing, was shot by Doflamingo. The two ended up becoming pirates.

Rosinante was found by Sengoku and became a member of the Marines, unbeknownst to Doflamingo. He was always spying on his brother, however, things took quite a turn when he first saw Law. Rosinante couldn't ignore his plight and ended up leaving on a rescue mission to save him from the White Lead Disease. In the end, he ended up sacrificing his life for Law and when his treason was discovered, Doflamingo shot him to death.

2 Trafalgar Law

Fate: Rescued By Rosinante

Counter Shock

When it comes to tragic One Piece characters, Law certainly makes the list as well. Having been born in Flevance, he was fated to meet a very terrible end. He ended up contracting the White Lead Disease and even though this disease wasn't contagious, the neighboring countries closed their doors and an extermination was carried out.

This genocide of people of people was traumatic for Law. In fact, he survived by hiding under the pile of bodies and made it across the borders to a neighboring country where Doflamingo ended up finding him. He was saved by Rosinante, however, this very savior was killed once again in front of his eyes, leaving him alone. Law has, since then, avenged Rosinante and become an incredibly powerful pirate, however, his story is certainly one of the most tragic in One Piece.

1 Bartholomew Kuma And Ginny

Fate: Both Turned Into Slaves, Ginny Killed

Ginny death kuma one piece 1098

Kuma and Ginny are certainly among the most tragicOne Piece characters. Both Kuma and Ginny were made slaves at a very young age. Kuma was put in chains immediately after being born, while Ginny was made a slave at the age of 9. Both of them managed to escape from slavery 38 years ago, during the God Valley Incident.

They then started living in the Sorbet Kingdom, where they rose from nothing and ended up joining the Revolutionary Army. Their lives started getting better, until they didn't. Ginny ended up being recaptured by the Celestial Dragons and was made a slave once again. She was forcibly wed to one of them and was made to carry his child. Ginny ended up contracting Sapphire Scale and died because of this illness. Kuma raised Ginny's child, Bonney, as his own, and ended up sacrificing his own life for her. He willingly became a slave of the Celestial Dragons and was called the invincible slave for long. He lost all of his conscience, along with his memories, along the way and now, his fate hangs in balance.

One Piece-9
One Piece (1999)

One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.

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