Most Cinematic Fights In One Piece

Key Takeaways

• One Piece has awe-inspiring fight scenes, including Zoro vs. Mihawk and Luffy vs. Katakuri.
• Toei Animation elevates these battles with fluid animation, talented voice actors, and epic music.
• The battles in One Piece, like Zoro vs. King and Luffy vs. Kaido, redefined its characters and are surprisingly cinematic.

One Piece is famous for its wonderful sense of adventure and its hilarious comedic scenes, but there is a lot more to Eiichiro Oda’s legendary pirate adventure. One Piece is also home to some of the most awe-inspiring and incredible fight scenes in the entire action shōnen genre.

And if the original battles of the manga weren’t already epic enough, Toei Animation made them even better by adapting them with fluid animation, the work of talented voice actors, and beautiful background music. The One Piece anime has featured innumerable cinematic fights, so there is a lot to choose from, but the following are the best so far.

8 Roronoa Zoro vs. Dracule Mihawk

A Beautifully Choreographed Clash Between Two Strong Swordsmen

• Arc: Baratie Arc
• Episode:Episode of East Blue TV Special

The early encounter between Roronoa Zoro and Dracule Mihawk is one of the most iconic battles in the entire show and, while its original adaptation was quite solid, it got a complete overhaul in the 2017 TV Special, Episode of East Blue, which cemented it as one of the most epic clashes in the series.

The animation is more colorful and much more fluid, the pacing is a lot snappier and the choreography of the sword fighting is stellar since now the viewers can actually feel the impact of every single strike. On top of all that, Zoro’s eventual defeat feels a lot harsher but a lot more emotional as well. Sword fights in anime are always a joy to watch when they’re animated correctly, and this encounter is a perfect example.

7 Monkey D. Luffy vs. Sir Crocodile (Round 3)

The Satisfying Conclusion To A Long Battle, Set To An Epic Score

• Arc: Arabasta Arc
• Episodes: 123 to 126

Monkey D. Luffy had to face the villainous Sir Crocodile multiple times throughout the Arabasta Arc and, while they were all really solid encounters, their final bout ended up becoming one of the most legendary in the history of this anime. This is mainly because Crocodile himself was a truly despicable antagonist who came close to destroying Arabasta, which made viewers eager to see Luffy defeating him.

Their third and final encounter was filled with many twists and turns, and both fighters showcased some truly fascinating techniques, but the finisher is what took it to a whole new level. The final clash between Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Storm and Crocodile’s Desert la Spada features some impressive animation for its time, but the inclusion of Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony as the background music made this moment way more satisfying and cinematic than viewers were expecting.

6 Monkey D. Luffy vs. Charlotte Katakuri

A Long & Challenging Fight With A Worthwhile Conclusion

• Arc: Whole Cake Island Arc
• Episodes: 850 to 871

The animated adaptation of Luffy and Katakuri’s encounter at the end of the Whole Cake Island Arc is infamous for being exceedingly long when compared to the original manga, but this doesn’t mean that it’s bad. To this day, this is still considered by many to be the best fight in the entire One Piece anime, and for very good reasons.

After all, Luffy’s rubber abilities and Katakuri’s mochi powers look and feel wonderful when they’re animated, especially Luffy’s brand-new Snake-Man form. So, even if it’s dragged out, at least this battle is brimming with beautifully animated sequences through and through. And if it wasn’t already cinematic enough, the final clash between Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no King Cobra and Katakuri’s Buzz Cut Mochi remains one of the most breathtaking and intense moments in all of One Piece.

5 The Supernovas vs. Kaido & Big Mom

The Long-Awaited Climax Of The Wano Country Arc Defied All Expectations

• Arc: Wano Country Arc
• Episodes: 1015 to 1031

Toei Animation stepped up its animation game in the Wano Country Arc, especially during its third act, the Raid on Onigashima, which is chock-full of beautifully animated fights. The main event is no exception because an incredible battle began the moment Luffy, Zoro, Trafalgar Law, Eustass Kid, and Killer reached the roof to finally take down Kaido and Big Mom.

Luffy kickstarted everything with his Gomu Gomu no Red Roc, which is the star of one of the most cinematic moments of the entire show since he immediately proved that the two Emperors of the Sea could be damaged with just one devastating blow. All the other characters did not disappoint, since this entire fight is a collection of powerful combatants with crazy abilities using some of their most effective attacks against each other: from the glorious return of Zoro’s Ashura to Kaido and Big Mom’s combined attack, Hakai, this is a breathtaking spectacle that feels like it was made for a feature film, and not a weekly TV show.

4 Sanji vs. Queen

Sanji’s Most Complex Fight Has Detailed Choreography

• Arc: Wano Country Arc
• Episodes: 1045 to 1061

Sanji’s battles must be really fun but challenging to animate since his strong kicks and graceful fighting style always look amazing on-screen. But they were brought to a whole new level when he had to fight Queen the Plague in the Raid on Onigashima. This was an inherently emotionally draining encounter for the chef, seeing as Queen kept mentioning his abusive family and asking him to use the Raid Suit over and over.

The impeccable voice acting and the intense soundtrack made this fight even more intense, but it all truly comes down to the animation, which was downright incredible, especially after Sanji unlocked his brand-new Ifrit Jambe technique. The entire battle was excellent, but the final sequence of Sanji kicking Queen was as satisfying as it was mind-blowing, and it was the perfect demonstration of Sanji’s full power and his honorable personality.

3 Roronoa Zoro vs. King

An Outstanding Spectacle Of Colorful Attacks And Over-The-Top Techniques

• Arc: Wano Country Arc
• Episodes: 1045 to 1063

Similarly to Sanji vs. Queen, the encounter between Zoro and Kaido’s second-in-command, King, was an extremely memorable fight that re-defined Zoro’s entire character. This is basically the complete opposite of his duel with Mihawk since, while that fight was more grounded and realistic, this one is over-the-top and cinematic in all the best ways.

Zoro’s advanced sword fighting techniques, combined with King’s Lunarian powers and Pteranodon Devil Fruit, made this fight look unbelievable, as it’s made up of a volley of blazing fireballs, bizarre techniques, and colorful Haki attacks. Furthermore, the final sequence of Zoro clashing against King went viral when it first aired, as it contains some of the most impressive and detailed animations in the entire series, and very few scenes have surpassed it ever since.

2 Monkey D. Luffy vs. Kaido

A Fun Love Letter To The Medium Of Animation

• Arc: Wano Country Arc
• Episodes: 1027 to 1076

The climactic battle between Luffy and Kaido at the very end of the Wano Country Arc was already quite epic and entertaining in and of itself, not to mention that it featured multiple expertly animated sequences. But everything changed the moment Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit and unlocked his Gear 5 form.

Gear 5 is a cartoony and hilarious love letter to the medium of animation, so, to reflect that, Toei Animation made sure to make Luffy move and attack as comically and over the top as possible, which worked well. However, despite how fun this fight ended up becoming, it never stopped having high stakes. As a result, Luffy’s final Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun that managed to take down Kaido was both extremely satisfying and awe-inspiring, especially since it was the much-awaited conclusion to one of the longest conflicts in One Piece.

1 Monkey D. Garp vs. Kuzan (Aokiji)

An Emotional Battle That Looked Like Something Straight From A Movie

• Arc: Egghead Arc
• Episodes: 1115 and 1121

Fortunately, Toei Animation didn’t stop making fights in One Piece look and feel as great as possible after the end of the Wano Country Arc. And while Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates have already taken part in some standout encounters set within Egghead, Monkey D. Garp and Kuzan’s encounter in Hachinosu is undoubtedly the most impressive battle of the arc so far.

The moment Garp landed his magnificent Galaxy Impact on Hachinosu was already enough to cement this as one of the best action set-pieces in the entire anime, but Toei Animation elevated his actual fight against Kuzan even further, thanks to its fluid animation and some surprisingly cinematic flashbacks that made audiences feel the emotional stakes of their battle. At the end of the day, Garp vs. Kuzan was so mind-blowing that it felt like a sequence from a high-budget animated movie. Here’s hoping that every future battle looks as good as it, or maybe even better.