One Piece Villains That Need Redemption Arcs

Key Takeaways

• Some One Piece villains have the potential for redemption, like Alvida and Foxy.
• Kaku stands out as the most likely Cipher Pol member to switch sides in the future.
• Characters like Senor Pink and Admiral Kizaru showed signs of changing allegiances.

One Piece has a lot of villainous characters, which makes sense for a series as extensive as this one, which has been going for over 27 years. But the most interesting part about these antagonists is what happened to them after Luffy and his crew defeated them. Some are still completely unredeemable, while others became unexpected allies to the Straw Hat Pirates in later arcs.

But what about everyone that’s stuck in-between? Because there is a fair share of One Piece characters that should definitely change sides someday, but it unfortunately hasn’t happened yet. So, the following 8 villains need to go through their own redemption arcs, and this should happen sooner rather than later.

8 Alvida

The First Villain That Luffy Ever Defeated

• First Appearance: Chapter 2 (Manga) Episode 1 (Anime)

One Piece has gotten more serious with time, which has also affected its many villains. As a result of this change in tone, many evil pirates from the early arcs have come back and have become allies to the Straw Hat Pirates, like Buggy, Hachi, Helmeppo and more. However, it is especially weird that the first ever villain that Monkey D. Luffy faced, Alvida, hasn’t changed her ways yet.

Even though she was obviously quite villainous from the get-go, Alvida is not really a major threat, and she doesn’t seem completely unredeemable, especially after she joined the lighthearted Buggy Pirates and remained with them throughout their subsequent expansions. Not only would it be interesting to see her fighting alongside Luffy one day, but to also see her reuniting with Koby, considering how much stronger he has gotten since their initial encounter.

7 Foxy

He Was Always More Of A Humorous Villain Anyway

• First Appearance: Chapter 305 (Manga) Episode 207 (Anime)

Foxy the Silver Fox was introduced as the main antagonist of the Long Ring Long Land Arc, a mostly comedic arc centered on a series of pirate games known as the Davy Back Fight. After Luffy defeated him, the Foxy Pirates completely disappeared from the story for many years, until very recently, when they made a cameo during the Egghead Arc.

Foxy may be greedy and mischievous, but he isn’t completely evil, nor has he ever felt like a major threat to the Straw Hat Pirates. Similarly to Buggy, he’s more of a funny villain, which means he’s much more likely to reappear as an ally to the good guys in a future arc. If Wapol, who’s a much more despicable character, can get a redemption arc, so can Foxy.

6 Kaku

The Nicest Cipher Pol Agent

• First Appearance: Chapter 323 (Manga) Episode 230 (Anime)

There’s no denying that Kaku is one of the most recognizable and beloved members of CP9. He gained this popularity not only due to his unique design and strange Devil Fruit, but also because he always seemed to be the only Cipher Pol agent who was relatively kind and who may actually want to abandon the organization someday.

Unlike his partner Rob Lucci, who is a ruthless and irredeemable assassin, Kaku feels like a character that has already begun his redemption arc many years ago: He admitted that he legitimately enjoyed his time posing as a shipwright at Galley-La Company, he later made a temporary alliance with Luffy and Zoro during the Egghead Arc, and he seemed to be on good terms with Stussy, who even set him free after her betrayal. Kaku doesn’t really belong in CP0 anymore, and he should definitely switch sides in the near future.

5 Gecko Moria

A Tragic Figure That Most Likely Wants To Take Revenge On Blackbeard

• First Appearance: Chapter 449 (Manga) Episode 343(Anime)

It’s easy to forget that the former Warlord of the Sea, Gecko Moria, has a tragic backstory that is supposed to make him a foil to Monkey D. Luffy. After Kaido killed his entire crew, he founded the Thriller Bark Pirates and, with the help of Doctor Hogback, prioritized the creation of mindless zombies that could be used as disposable fodder.er. However, despite his design, theme, and personality, Moria was shown to be quite fond of his remaining crewmates and basically treated them as family.

This was not only further exemplified by Perona’s constant loyalty to her captain, but also at the moment in which Gecko Moria invaded Hachinosu just to search for Absalom, and he was demonstrably enraged when Blackbeard revealed that his crew had killed him in order to steal his Devil Fruit. It was later confirmed that Moria escaped his imprisonment with the help of Perona and Koby, so, considering that the Straw Hat Pirates will inevitably face the Blackbeard Pirates very soon, he may try to establish an alliance with Luffy’s crew in order to avenge his fallen comrade. To add more fuel to the fire, the World Government is currently using a Seraphim clone based off of Moria’s likeness.

4 Magellan

He Is Way Too Honorable For The World Government

• First Appearance: Chapter 528 (Manga) Episode 425 (Anime)

The Impel Down Arc introduced audiences to Magellan, the then chief warden of the titular prison who wielded the dangerous poisonous abilities of the Doku Doku no Mi. But, despite his intimidating design and strong Devil Fruit, Magellan was shown to be a surprisingly honorable warden who didn’t want to mindlessly kill prisoners and who condemned Shiryu for abusing his power.

He unfortunately lost everything after Luffy and other prisoners managed to escape from Impel Down, since he stepped down from his position and became vice warden instead. On top of that, he recently made a cameo in which he appeared to be worried about the great flood that threatens the One Piece world (and which the World Government was hiding from the public). There was always something about Magellan that made it feel like he might change sides someday, and this may happen very soon.

3 Senor Pink

His Tragic Backstory Resonated With Most Fans

• First Appearance: Chapter 702 (Manga) Episode 632 (Anime)

Senor Pink is one of the most fascinating One Piece characters and a true example of Eiichiro Oda’s excellent writing abilities. He was introduced as a disrespectful and gross pirate but, after his hard-boiled fight with Franky and the flashback that presented his heartbreakingly tragic backstory, he became one of the most popular minor villains in the series.

It’s important to point out that Senor Pink is guilty of the fate of his wife, Russian, but he is completely aware of this, so he is most likely seeking atonement after Franky defeated him and the Donquixote Pirates were disbanded. After all, he promised him that they would have a drink together someday. In the Egghead Arc, it was revealed that the World Government has used his Lineage Factor in order to duplicate his Devil Fruit, so, if more Impel Down prisoners are freed in the near future, Senor Pink may end up fighting alongside everybody’s favorite hard-boiled cyborg.

2 Page One And Ulti

The Goofiest Members Of The Beasts Pirates Don’t Know Any Better

• First Appearance (Page One): Chapter 929 (Manga) Episode 923 (Anime)
• First Appearance (Ulti): Chapter 977 (Manga) Episode 982 (Anime)

Almost every main antagonistic crew in the series featured one or two less serious characters that were turned into allies in later arcs, like Hachi from the Arlong Pirates or Baby 5 from the Donquixote Pirates. Based off of this formula, many fans believe that Page One and his older sister, Ulti, are the members of the Beasts Pirates who are the most likely to get a redemption arc in the near future.

Of course, Page One and Ulti are quite strong and posed a major threat to Nami and Usopp during the Raid on Onigashima, but they are nowhere near as despicable as some of their other crewmates, not to mention that they were used for humorous scenes quite often. On top of that, Oda later revealed that Kaido adopted them when they were very young, which means that being part of a villainous pirate crew is the only life they ever knew. They still have a chance to improve themselves someday, and Ulti, who was shown to be much more aggresive than her brother, especially needs this redemption.

1 Admiral Kizaru (Borsalino)

He’s Growing More And More Impatient With The World Government

• First Appearance: Chapter 504 (Manga) Episode 398 (Anime)

Ever since he was introduced, Admiral Kizaru (real name: Borsalino) seemed to be blindly following orders and was perceived as a loyal character that would never go against the word of the Marines or the World Government. However, this has seemingly changed during Egghead Arc, in a recent – but still very captivating – development.

After being forced to help kill one of his best friends, Doctor Vegapunk, and commanded to destroy the island on which he forged so many friendships, Kizaru completely snapped back at Sakazuki, proving that he may be starting to grow weary of his superiors. Interestingly enough, Oda also confirmed that Borsalino was the person who gave Luffy all that food while he was trying to recharge, so he may have already begun his redemption arc off-screen.