Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is one of the most popular works of fiction of all time. The story follows the journey of Luffy as he aims to become the King of the Pirates in the Great Age of Piracy. One Piece, being a battle shonen, is filled with tremendous fights that get the fans’ blood pumping. However, this series doesn’t follow the typical battle formula that common shonen do.
Instead, the fights often have great thematic importance attached to them. Sometimes, some fights can prove to be the caricatures of the overarching plot, and others see the many themes of the story portrayed beautifully.
8 Luffy Vs. Gecko Moria
Luffy Vs. Gecko Moria is a fight that not many fans are too fond of. This is a fight that followed the great battle against the CP9 in Enies Lobby and, by any metric, that was a tough act to follow. That said, the thematic value that this fight carried was immense. Luffy, as always, was at the center of it and this fight hammered home the fact that Luffy’s spirit is unbreakable.
Luffy is, in some ways, the one who is going to overturn the world in this Great Age of Piracy. He does this by never giving up and always getting back up. Despite Moria trying to crush him several times, Luffy, being rubber, gets back up every single time.
7 Luffy Vs. Arlong
Luffy versus Arlong is, quite possibly the most important fight in the early part of the story. While this is certainly not the most dangerous one that he took part in, it is the most important because this fight carries a lot of weight. After all, Arlong was someone who traumatized Nami throughout her childhood. Gathering all her courage, she asked Luffy for help and he was certainly not going to abandon someone he considers a friend.
Friendship is a massive theme in One Piece and the Straw Hat Pirates are a found family, after all. There was absolutely no way that Luffy would lose this fight against Arlong and it set the precedent for Luffy to help all of his friends in need which he has continued to live by to this day.
6 Sanji Vs. Bon Clay
Making friends in unlikely places is a big part of what One Piece is all about. Often, fans see Luffy and other members of the crew team up with people who were once thought to be despicable but turned out to be anything but that later on. Sanji versus Bon Clay is one such fight. By all means, Bon Clay should’ve been an insignificant character in the grand scheme of things. However, Oda managed to surprise every single fan by making a brilliant friendship bloom between him and Sanji.
It was he who sacrificed his life for the Straw Hat Pirates towards the end of the arc and he helped Luffy attempt to rescue Ace as well. This might not look like something too big at first, however, when considering the fact that Luffy has continued to turn enemies into allies throughout his journey, this is a pretty big fight with great thematic value to it.
5 Oden Vs. Kaido
Oden led his Scabbards into a war against Kaido on a fateful day 20 years ago. He was up against 10,000 pirates with a handful of men yet managed to strike fear into the Dragon Lord Kaido himself. Despite putting up quite a fight, Oden, due to unfortunate circumstances, ended up losing the battle and was thereafter sentenced to execution.
This fight barely covered a manga chapter despite it being made into a spectacle in the anime. However, its true beauty does not lie in the combat sequence or the paneling. The true beauty lies in the thematic value of Inherited Will. Oden died 20 years ago yet his will lived on and he was forever remembered by the people of Wano. It was Luffy who inherited his will and, 20 years later, freed Wano.
4 The Straw Hat Pirates Vs. CP9
In order to rescue a single member of the crew, Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates took up arms against the entirety of the World Government, which happened to have 170 countries, if not more, under their flag. Yet, Luffy did not hesitate at ordering Usopp to burn down the flag of the Government. Luffy and the crew made an enemy out of the entirety of the Government that day, all for a single member of the crew.
The fight against CP9 was one that lived up to expectations both combat-wise and depth-wise as well. The combat in these fights was nothing short of spectacular and, at the same time, the fight against the World Government was just a small show of what’s to come later on in the story, when the crew actually challenges the World Government and removes it from power.
3 Luffy Vs. Enel
It is no surprise to see Luffy dominating the list of fights with great thematic value in One Piece as he is the main character. After all, he is supposed to get the most important fights and his clash against Enel is similar. Enel was thought to be the God of Skypiea and Luffy was the only one who could oppose him.
As Nami put it, to Enel, Luffy was “God’s Natural Enemy.” Curiously, this is also what the people of D. have been referred to by Celestial Dragons all along. Luffy is the one who is going to remove them from power as he is their natural enemy. Back then, fans knew little about how important the theme of this fight would be later on. However, as the story unraveled its many mysteries, the thematic value of this fight has only grown.
2 Luffy Vs. Doflamingo
If Enel was a God, Doflamingo was someone who considered himself to be even higher. He carried the blood of the Celestial Dragons in his vein and considered himself to be above “filthy humans.” Dofamingo liked to control people and the destinies of everyone around him. Luffy, on the other hand, is the embodiment of freedom. Doflamingo and Luffy’s ideologies clash and they are polar opposites.
This fight is so much bigger than meets the eye at first glance. In the end, Luffy crushes Doflamingo and breaks his cage by flying over him, which he considered to be a great insult, given that he believed himself to be higher than anyone else. Yet, Doflamingo was knocked off his perch and the cage that he used to bind everyone broke down. Interestingly, Doflamingo has drawn several parallels to Imu, the King of the World, who is controlling the affairs of the entire world.
1 Luffy Vs. Kaido
Luffy’s fight against Kaido is, hands d own, the greatest fight in the entire story so far. From action to thematic value to dramatic rise of tension, this fight has it all. Kaido was the biggest obstacle in Luffy’s path and the real test for him to become one of the elite pirates and Luffy took it on with his whole chest. Not only did this fight deliver incredible action but it also had great underlying themes.
It is during this fight that Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit and was named Nika reborn and the Warrior of Liberation. At his core, Luffy has always been a free person and has always spread joy and laughter wherever he went. He has always liberated those facing oppression and freeing slaves is what he truly does best. One Piece is Luffy’s story and Luffy is a liberator through and through. Luffy versus Kaido sees him liberate a country facing brutal oppression for 20 years. One Piece will certainly end with the “Dawn” of the world and in this arc, Dawn was brought to the land of Wano. Without a doubt, Luffy versus Kaido carries tremendous thematic importance.
