Characters are the heart of a story, making them the most essential part in any show, includinganime. One of the longest-running and most prestigious anime series isOne Piece, which boasts thousands of episodes and a vast array of characters. While there are many important characters, some only appear or matter in a single arc, despite the story having over thirty arcs.
One Piecedoesn’t have the time to include every fan-favorite character, limiting them to one arc, but that doesn’t take fans' love away. This list will highlightthe greatestOne Piececharacters who only appeared or mattered in one arc. It will be based on their importance of said arc, relevance to the story, fan opinion, and general writing for the character. People like Bon Clay cannot be featured, since they played a significant role in two arcs, andonly anime characters will be present.
10Chouchou
Arc: Orange Town
When fans think of characters, they usually imagine humans with speaking roles. Still, sometimes animals can make an even bigger impact, and that is precisely what Chouchou did in the Orange Town arc. With Buggy ransacking the village, Chouchou is the courageous dog who defends his deceased owner’s pet shop amid the chaos.
Chouchou had a relatively minor role in Orange Town, but he made a significant impact on the hearts of fans. Hisemotional story moved fans to tears, and his stalwart attitude inspired them to root for him. There’s not much else Chouchou can do in the future ofOne Piece, but his one appearance was enough to make hima memorable character with iconic moments.
Arc: Arlong Park
One Piecehas a relatively slow start, which hinders fans' enjoyment of the series. However, the arc that changed the minds of many fans was Arlong Park, which highlighted the series' emotional depth, action, characters, and impact. Luffy, Nami, and Arlong were at the forefront, with Arlong serving as the titular villain after he forced Nami to collect money for him, only to break his promise of setting her village free.
While Arlong’s impact continues on Fishman Island, he is only truly significant and appears primarily in Arlong Park. There are many villains fans want to return, butArlong is long overdue for another appearance, as he provides interesting dynamics in theOne Pieceworld. His ruthlessness, ideals, and personal relevance made him one of thebest villains inOne Pieceand a fan favorite.
Arc: Skypiea
One of themost underratedarcs inOne Pieceis Skypiea, with many fans disliking it due to its presumed lack of relevance, but they are more than wrong, as it relates to the endgame plot immensely. One of the star characters was Wyper, the former leader of the Shandians, who led his people to reclaim their homeland and is now the leader of the God’s Guard, which protects the island.
Skypiea is a treasure trove of one-off characters, from Enel to Noland, Cricket, and Kalgara, but Wyper barely beats out the rest of them to make it on this list. He played a unique role, and one of many in Skypiea, highlighting this arc through hisunwavering presence and relevance to the story and themes. While there is no need for him to return, fans can’t help but want to see Wyper again.
7Charlotte Pudding
Arc: Whole Cake Island
When the Strawhats thought they could finally go to Wano, Big Mom captured Sanji and forced him to marry her daughter, Pudding. The crew must now invade the sugary island and rescue Sanji, but things get more complicated when the seemingly innocent Pudding is actually a hateful manipulator. However, Sanji made a heartwarming impression, giving her grey heart a bit more color.
Pudding had one of themost notable character arcs in the show, starting as a lovable girl and evolving into one of themost hated characters inOne Piece, before ultimately developing into a better person. She is wonderfully written and is vital to the Whole Cake Island arc, withfans almost wanting her and Sanji to get together. While that didn’t happen, there is still plenty of time for her to appear again.
6Bartolomeo
Arc: Dressrosa
Dressrosa introduced so many characters that it’s hard to remember them all, but everyone had Bartolomeo stuck in their mind because of his unique position in the story. The Colosseum offered a chance for fighters to earn one of themost powerful devil fruits inOne Piece, including Bartolomeo. After learning it was Luffy, he helped him and the crew throughout Dressrosa and in unseen moments in the future.
While his unique design and powerful Devil Fruit are enough to make him noteworthy, his distinct role and personality set him apart from every character in the show. Having a fanboy for the main character isa unique premise that they executed perfectly. Bartolomeo was a major character in Dressrosa and is one of the founders of the Strawhat Grand Alliance, so while he only mattered in one arc so far,he is sure to appear again.
5Dorry and Brogy
Arc: Little Garden
This list will likely become outdated in the future, as some of these characters are expected to return, including Dorry and Brogy, who have alreadymade their return in theOne Piecemanga. However, they haven’t appeared again in the anime yet, and they are too beloved not to be on this list. These two giants first appeared in Little Garden and have been fighting for 100 years after a disagreement.
While Egghead has been terrific, fans have something to look forward to in the next arc, as Dorry and Brogy will return. However, they have only appeared in one arc of the anime so far. These jolly behemoths werethe highlight of Little Gardenand helpedmove the story forward while also expanding the lore, making them an essential part of the overall narrative.
4Charlotte Katakuri
While Pudding was a great character in Whole Cake Island, her brother, Charlotte Katakuri, was everyone’s favorite part in the arc. Since Luffy wasn’t strong enough to fight Big Mom, the story needed a different powerful character, who happened to be Katakuri. Despite an honorable brawl, Katakuri lost, but is still alive and made a good impression on Luffy for future reference.
Katakuri is one of themost beloved villains inOne Piecefor several reasons, including his distinctive character design, engaging personality, pivotal role in the story, and entertaining battles. He will likely reappear in the future, but Whole Cake Island is undoubtedly his biggest role in the story, and that isn’t a bad thing, as he provided one of thebest fights inOne Piece.
3Donquixote Rosinante (Corazon)
Everyone remembers Donquixote Doflamingo, arguably the best villain inOne Piece, but his brother, Donquixote Rosinante, also known as Corazon, also made a memorable impact. In Trafalgar Law’s backstory, Corazon was a former high-ranking gang member who helped Law escape from Doflamingo and heal his disease. Unfortunately, Doflamingo killed him after learning he was working for the Marines and betraying him.
Dressrosa was one of thebest arcs inOne Piecefor many reasons, and Law’s backstory was a big part. Corazon carried this section of the story heavily with his endearing personality and connection to Law and Doflamingo. Despite not being alive, fans can stillfeel Corazon’s impact through Dressrosa, as seen in Law and Doflamingo. He is a fan-favorite character who helped create one of the most compelling backstories inOne Piece.
Arc: Wano
Like Skypiea, Wano is a treasure trove of one-off characters, such as Oden, Momonosuke, Kiku, and Yamato. However, this list will only include one, since Wano is the most recent anime arc to conclude, meaning many of these characters will likely return. However, Yamato takes the top spot. As the child of Kaido, she was inspired by Oden to fight for the country’s peace, helping the alliance take down her father.
Yamato was the most relevant new character in Wano, to the point wherefans thought she would join the Straw Hats. While that didn’t happen, she was still one of the best parts of Wano. Fans loved her infectious personality, powerful abilities, and role in the story. Yamato wasa big help and bright spot on Wano, one ofthe best arcs in anime, and fans hope one day she will join the crew for future adventures.
Arc: Baratie
The pre-time-skip is full of forgettable characters, as it has been so long since they were relevant to the story, but no one will forget Zeff, Sanji’s father figure and cooking instructor. After saving Sanji’s life, Zeff reformed himself and opened a restaurant where they would cook together. Sanji would eventually leave, but Zeff would fully support the decision, even if it didn’t seem like it.
While characters like Yamato and Katakuri are more memorable due to their recent appearances, Zeff is atestament to excellent character writing and memorability, as fans still love him decades after his first introduction. He may appear as a cameo here and there, butZeff only mattered in Baratie, where fans saw his tough and soft sides. He is part of a heartwarming backstory and is a lovable character with a great personality.One Pieceis one ofthe best anime series of all time, thanks in part to characters like Zeff.
