Characters Who Won’t Return In One Piece

The narrative structure of One Piece ensures a lot of characters are put into scenarios where they can come back into the story, even after a lengthy absence. That being said, even with the opportunities this structure provides, there are a handful of characters we will likely not see more of, due to various circumstances. The exact reasons behind each character vary, with most of them only being united in that the narrative seems to have, for better or for worse, left them behind without an easy way to return. These characters have likely already made their last, if not one of their last appearances in the series.

7 Nero

Probably Dead

Nero was a member of Cipher Pol 9 (CP9) who knew only four of the six Rokushiki techniques, being unlearned in Tekkai and Shigan. Despite being a cut below most of his counterparts, he was capable of holding back Franky for a decent bit of time. Nonetheless, his own relative inexperience led him to be expelled after repeated failures. He was wounded by Rob Lucci and tossed into the ocean during a storm known as the Aqua Laguna.

There is yet to be any official confirmation that Nero was killed off, leaving open the slim possibility that he could’ve, somehow, survived the storm. Yet even if this was the case, it still wouldn’t translate to further appearances. This is because Nero is fundamentally too unimportant of a character to definitively declare dead. Perhaps he may reconvene at the end of the series, alongside other characters who aren’t killed off, but given his immoral nature, likely death, and relative unimportance, there is little to properly thrust him back into the series.

6 Hody Jones

Rapidly Aged

Hody Jones is one of the first serious villains in the Post-Timeskip era of One Piece. He is the captain of the new Fish-Man Pirates, and a blind adherent to Arlong’s ideals, knowing nothing of the humans he claims to hate so deeply. He attempts to take over Fish-Man Island by force, which he would use as a springboard to enact an unclear plan to take over the world. Yet for all his talk, him and his crew proved themselves incapable of taking on even the top-ranked soldiers of Fish-Man Island without some form of support.

To this end, they continually consumed energy steroids, which would temporarily enhance their strength physically. Although this led to premature aging, it did give them further strength. However, these steroids not only didn’t prevent their defeat, but also eventually aged them beyond the point they could fight. Hody notably ate the most steroids, and appeared to suffer even more than his peers. They were all imprisoned for their crimes.

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Considering the fact of their rapid aging and the greater story’s decreased focus on Fish-Man supremacist groups, there seems little reason for Hody and his crew to properly return.

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3 Enel

Man On the Moon

For all the significant lore revealed during the Skypiea arc, one cannot ignore that it takes place in a wholly different terrain than the established blue seas seen during most of the story. This fact can be seen through characters with little investment in the goings-on below, one of which is Enel. This self-proclaimed “God” seems largely content with his takeover, only frustrated by his inability to discover the Fairy Vearth, a legend told by the Birkan people.

After his loss against Luffy and more importantly, his loss of power in Skypiea, he instead refocused his efforts on finding the Fairy Vearth. As it turns out, this was, in fact, the moon. Enel eventually encountered automata on the moon, who were there to avenge their creator, who died due to an explosion aliens caused on the moon. Upset said aliens were desecrating the Fairy Vearth, he knocked them out himself. After using his electric powers to revive the defeated automata, he discovers an army of them underground, as well as evidence connecting the sky-dwelling races, and decides to rule the moon.

When one considers his seeming satisfaction with this goal and the apparent lack of people negatively affected by it, Enel seems unlikely to return, unless his lunar base somehow comes into play.

2 Jozu

In Hiding

Jozu was a prominent member of the Whitebeard Pirates, being one of its 16 Division Commanders (specifically leading the 3rd Division.) His Devil Fruit allowed him to transform his body into a near-indestructible diamond, at the cost of mobility. Him being properly placed could prevent even a powerful slash from Dracule Mihawk, the world’s strongest swordsman, from doing any damage.

However, the death of both his captain, Whitebeard, and crewmate, Ace, during the Summit War seemed as though it spelled out the end for the Whitebeard Pirates. This was expanded upon during the Payback War, where the crew’s remnants lost to the Blackbeard Pirates. Since then, they have gone into hiding, with the locations of most members being unclear at present.

It is not impossible Jozu could return, especially if what ever happened to the other surviving crew members becomes something more focused on, yet there seems little opening for that at present. For the moment, it can be assumed that he is in hiding, although where exactly is unclear.

1 Gaimon

Guarding the Island of Rare Animals

Gaimon is a man who fell into a treasure chest, and is allegedly One Piece author, Eiichiro Oda’s favorite character. This fact, along with his hair which had grown out since, had given him an odd yet endearing appearance. He fascinated Luffy enough to the point where the captain requested he joins the Straw Hat Pirates. Gaimon refuses, having become attached to the rare animals on the island and feeling an obligation to protect them.

He has since developed a rapport with fellow future Emperor, Buggy, when he was briefly on the island himself. A seemingly more permanent resident is Sarfunkel, a woman stuck in a barrel in a similar way to his own predicament. The two appear romantically involved, due to her affectionately feeding him. The pair were two of many seen listening to Vegapunk’s message, but this could possibly be their final appearance. Factors limiting Gaimon’s involvement aside from his desire to stay on the island include his limited relevance and low combat ability.