Ever since his introduction in One Piece, Sanji gave us several spectacular fights, but these are surely some of his best ones.
One Piece, with over a thousand episodes released, is one of the biggest anime in history. The captivating series is known for its expansive world, diverse cast, and epic battle scenes. Sanji, the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates, is known as one of the more interesting members of the cast, with a unique fighting style and questionable personality.
His leg-based martial arts techniques make for some of the most memorable fight scenes in the show. His quirky personality, witty banter, and punch-me-if-you-can face make any fight scene starring him a treat to watch.
10Blueno: An Omen of Things to Come
Blueno is a member of the CP9 that comes to take Robin away from the Straw Hats pirates. He is shown as an unscalable wall with impenetrable defense at the start of the show. Although Sanji loses the fight, his techniques manage to make Blueno stumble and act as the precursor of some of the most iconic moves he develops later in the series.
Blueno vs. Sanji occurs in episode 262 of the anime and sets up the basic concept of Armament Haki (in the form of Tekkai), one of the main superpowers in the One Piece Universe. Because of its role in setting up future fights and setting up one of the coolest powers in the entire show, this battle is quite memorable.
9Satori: A Blooming Fighting Style
The Skypiea Island arc is one of the best in the series. It takes place in a city in the sky, which is an interesting enough concept on its own. But when combined with the gadgets known as Dials (which act as substitutes for modern-day appliances in many cases), Skypiea makes its mark in the history of One Piece.
Therefore, it is no surprise that Satori’s fight against Luffy and Sanji (Episode 163) was very interesting, integrating new concepts like the Impact Dial and Mantra, the Skypiea version of Observation Haki. Sanji is unable to defeat Satori at first, but with Luffy holding down the priest, he manages to take him down using a Concasse.
8Vergo: The Superior Defense
In episode 681 of the anime, Sanji faces one of his toughest foes, Vergo. While the fight isn’t long and ends quite abruptly, the small exchange between the two is neck to neck. The back-and-forth barrage of kicks is an entertaining spectacle that isn’t shown often in the anime.
Vergo is an armament Haki user who can enhance his own body, as well as external objects, to an incredible degree. Using this skill, he is easily able to brush off Sanji’s attacks. The epicness of the minor altercation is undeniable. Sadly, we cannot see a rematch between the two, as Vergo was killed by his own boss shortly after.
7Jabra: The Demon Emerges
The third most powerful CP9 member, Jabra, paved the path for Sanji’s rise to fame. His defeat (Episode 298) at the hand of the Straw Hat cook led to the infamous moniker of “Black Leg” based on the new technique that Sanji shows off, Diablo Jambe. Sanji uses the friction generated from spinning to create a flaming leg, which he then uses to penetrate the iron defenses of the CP9 member.
The use of different Rokushiki, like the finger gun and the iron body, makes this fight stand out from the ones before. It introduces a way for normal humans to stand toe to toe with superhumans who’ve eaten Devil fruits.
6Wadatsumi: A Showcase
The Wadatsumi fight on its own wasn’t anything to write home about. It was a run-of-the-mill whooping by Sanji and Jinbei to an otherwise unassuming minor villain. However, what makes this fight so memorable is the timing. Coming off the two-year time skip, this fight, in episode 563, is the first time we see Sanji let loose and use one of the skills he learned during his time at Momoiro Island.
He flies up into the air using Geppo and finishes off Wadatsumi with an iconic kick. The strength of emotions from seeing one of your favorite characters return better than ever is hard to capture in words.
5Bon Clay: A Fellow Kick Fighter
Spinning top, meet spinning top. Bon Clay’s eclectic personality, memorable costume design, and iconic dialogues make him one of the best characters in One Piece. First appearing as an executive under Crocodile, one of the seven warlords of the sea, the character’s leg-based fighting style makes him a perfect match-up against Sanji.
The two go toe to toe, or leg to leg in this case, with one another. Whether you like Sanji’s character or not, the combination of the weird dialogue, fun fight choreography, and personable character dynamics is sure to draw you into the battle.
4Luffy: An Unyielding Captain
Yes, Luffy fights Sanji in episode 808, and no, it isn’t as cool as you might think. Fans have always speculated about how the Straw Hats would measure up against one another. A serious fight between the members is, of course, unlikely to happen, but fans can dream about the epic scale of such a fight.
However, the first time a serious heavy hitter like Sanji fought Luffy, it didn’t go as any of our fanfictions predicted. A one-sided, emotionally charged, raw, and heart-wrenching beatdown delivered by Sanji as his captain refused to back down, give up, or fight back was hard to watch but incredibly inspiring as well. Nami, the heart of the crew, pleading with Sanji to stop while this all was happening didn’t make it any easier.
3Page One: Prejudice
Page One is an ancient Zoan Devil fruit user who can transform into a full or hybrid Spinosaurus if he so desires. He acts as one of the major antagonists in the Wano Country arc as the strongest Tobi Roppo and fights Sanji. This fight forces Sanji to discard his prejudice and make use of his Raid Suit, which he had previously vowed never to use.
This gives Sanji another power-up that allows him the boost he needs to stand up to bigger players like King later in the arc. It also shows character growth as he overcomes his deep-set biases and does everything he can to save his friends.
2King And Queen: Tag Team
One of the biggest stakes fights in the series so far, Zoro and Sanji’s standoff against King and Queen starting in episode 1046 is a spectacle of stunning animation, impeccable choreography, and awe-inspiring visuals. This fight is a clash of rivals. Zoro against King and Sanji against Queen.
The synergy of the two Straw Hats against two of the toughest opponents they’ve faced so far makes for a great and interesting fight sequence. The flames of Sanji’s hate for Queen are further stoked as the All-Star continues to attribute his abilities to his blood family rather than his own merit, making for a more interesting fight sequence.
1Judge Vinsmoke: Cutting Ties
Arguably one of the most impactful scenes for Sanji’s character — saving his father and then cutting ties with him. It gives his character closure and marks the end of his arc.
Although this isn’t a fight in the traditional sense, it is an emotional conflict of the highest degree. The effect it has on him as well as the audience makes it Sanji’s best “fight.”
