One Piece: 15 Deaths That Rocked The Anime’s Foundation, Ranked

One Piece has its fair share of tragic deaths. Here are some of the deaths that affected the anime’s storyline significantly.

One Piece, written by Eiichiro Oda, is arguably one of the greatest manga and anime. The action-comedy series follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy with the lofty goals of finding pirates’ greatest treasure, the One Piece and becoming the esteemed Pirate King. One Piece takes viewers through fine moments, starring defeats of oppressors, villains, and more.

However, One Piece also has its fair share of dark moments, involving the deaths of central characters and much-loved individuals. Even though these deaths added depth to the plot, they still rocked the very foundation of the story. Here’s a list of 10 deaths that rocked One Piece foundation, even to date.

Updated on February 6, 2023, by Emedo Destiny: Death is a powerful tool in storytelling, and in One Piece, it has been used to shape the story and influence the characters and audience in a lasting way. From the death of Gol D. Roger to the loss of Whitebeard, these deaths have had an incredible impact on the series, and have left an indelible mark on the characters and viewers alike. These characters’ deaths have had a powerful role in the development of the One Piece story, each one impacting the series, and moving the audience, whether through shock or sorrow. From the heartbreaking moment when Ace died for Luffy to Pedro’s great sacrifice, here are the deaths that have rocked the foundation of One Piece.

15Fisher Tiger

Also called the Adventurer, Fisher Tiger founded and captained the Sun Pirates before his death. He was a Fish-Man and no stranger to discrimination due to his race. Once a slave himself, he was passionate about freeing slaves, irrespective of their race.

It was after one such mission that he was killed, returning a freed slave to her home. He was ambushed by Marines and he sustained damage to his body that could only be helped with a transfusion of human blood. Fisher Tiger refused the transfusion and died from loss of blood.

14Tom

Known as the greatest shipwright in the world of One Piece, Tom headed his company called Tom’s Workers, which had become quite renowned for its excellent craftsmanship. He also took Iceburg and Franky under his wing as their teacher, and though he could be harsh sometimes, he really cared for them. Unfortunately, his kindness and devotion to them would lead to his death.

In the 250th episode of the show, while trying to protect Iceburg and Franky from being framed by Spandam, Tom offered to take a previous sentence upon himself. This act of self-sacrifice, though noble, led to his execution.

13Mont Blanc Noland

Mont Blanc Noland was introduced to One Piece fans in episode 187 of the show, where Wyper tells the story of his old friend. Noland was an explorer passionate about adventures and who loved to tell people about stories of them. On one fateful expedition, he stumbled upon a fantastic discovery: Shandora, a city made of gold on the island of Jaya.

When he returned from his voyage, he told the king about what he found. Unfortunately, when he returned with the king, the golden city was gone from the island, leaving no trace of its former glory. This earned Noland the punishment of execution.

12Dr. Hiriluk

This quack doctor and former thief killed himself in a conspicuous way. He was fond of experimenting with concoctions and testing them on oblivious patients, leading to repercussions he had to run away from. He did this not out of malevolence but a genuine desire to offer help to those who needed it, but he usually failed to do so, earning him his reputation as a quack doctor.

In the 86th episode of the show, Hiriluk committed suicide by drinking a potion that caused him to explode, despite Chopper’s attempt to save him.

11Kozuki Toki

Kozuki Toki was Kozuki Oden’s wife, and a significant person as a result, until his death. She had the interesting ability to go forward into the future, but never to the past, as a result of eating the Toki Toki no Mi, a devil fruit that grants the power.

In the 975th episode of the show, the Oden castle was set on fire and Toki was shot down by a sniper at the city gate, after helping with the escape of the Nine Red Scabbards and Momonosuke by sending them into the future.

10Queen Otohime

Queen Otohime is among those noble characters who do not deserve a dishonorable death. Otohime was the Queen of the Ryugu Kingdom and the mother of Shirahoshi, an important side character in One Piece. Despite being part of the nobility, Queen Otohime was a down-to-earth and open-minded individual that advocated for the peaceful co-existence between the Fishmen and the Humans.

At several points in the series, she was even shown to have visited Marejois on behalf of her political activism to advocate for a co-existing relationship. Unfortunately, she was assassinated by her own fellow Fishman, Hody Jones – a crafty individual that framed Otohime’s death at the hands of a human pirate, worsening the already strained Human-Fishmen relationship Otohime worked hard to amend.

9Shimotsuki Yasuie

Shimotsuke Yasuie’s death was a shocking experience to witness in Wano Arc. In One Piece, Yasuie was depicted as a regular, carefree individual that informally led and cared for Ebisu Town’s citizens – a community of ever-smiling people – a product of the smiley fruit produced by Kaido. Later on, he was revealed to have been a strict man two decades earlier.

In One Piece‘s current timeline, Yasuie was portrayed as a crafty man, fooling Orochi and his subordinates into believing that he was Ushimitsu Kozo. Orochi bought Yasuie’s lie and executed him in the Flower Capital. Even when he was about to die, Yasuie still fooled Orochi again, twisting information about the Kozuki Family’s crest secret message, proving how much of a noble man he was.

8Bell-mère

The Death of Bell-mère occurred within the first few arcs of One Piece: The Arlong Park Arc. Bell-mère was the single adoptive mother of Nami and Nojiko. Despite barely having enough for herself, Bellmere did her best to raise her two children in a happy home in Cocoyasi Village. However, the moment Arlong Pirates invaded the Island, everything changed. After Arlong found Bell-mère’s home, she tried to protect herself and her daughters, being a former Marine Soldier.

Arlong demanded a fee from Bellmere to let everyone in her family stay alive. Unfortunately, Bell-mère just had enough money to cover her two daughters. So, Arlong shot Bell-mère after she declared that the money was for her kids. However, just before she died, she told her daughters, “I love you,” making her departure even more painful.

7Pedro

Pedro was a Jaguar Mink that was part of Nekomamushi’s squad. One Piece first introduced Pedro to viewers in Zou Arc. After the whole saga, Pedro agreed to venture into Cake Island with Carrot, a fellow member of the Mink Tribe and the Straw Hats. Throughout the Cake Island Arc, Pedro, alongside the Straw Hats, encountered dangerous and sometimes near-death situations.

In these events, it was clear that Pedro was willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of the Straw Hats. Later on, just before the Straw Hats could leave Big Mom’s territory, Pedro had to sacrifice himself for them to escape while dying a noble death.

6Donquioxte Rosinante

Rosinante may not share a direct connection to the Straw Hats, One Piece‘s main characters, but his death was saddening and significant to the One Piece Franchise. Rosinante was the brother of Doflamingo, a notorious former warlord that bore a grudge toward his parents for renouncing their nobility.

Despite his relationship with his brother, Rosinante worked undercover for the Marine to spy on Doflamingo. At the same time, he also raised Trafalgar Law, saving him from a deadly disease by feeding him the Ope Ope no Mi Fruit. After Doflamingo discovered Rosinate’s betrayal, he killed him, but not before Rosinante allowed the weeping Trafalgar to escape from Doflamingo.

5Kozuki Oden

Kozuki Oden’s demise is one of the recent deaths in One Piece within the Wano Arc. Oden was a really powerful Samurai that always wanted to explore the world beyond the stifling Land of Wano. Luckily, the opportunity surfaced, and Oden abandoned his duty as the Daimyo of Kuri and embarked on adventures and encountered remarkable discoveries such as finding Laugh Tale with notable pirates such as Whitebeard and Gol D. Roger.

However, after returning to Wano, he discovered that Kaido had taken over his country. Oden tried to defeat Kaido but failed and was executed by being shot and dipped in burning oil. However, before he died, he told his retainers to open up Wano to the world.

4Whitebeard

Whitebeard, who was also referred to as “Edward Newgate,” was among the greatest old-gen pirates in One Piece, posing a bounty of five billion berries. This great Pirate crashed into Marineford, where Portgas D. Ace was about to be executed to save him. However, after a series of unprecedented events, Ace died to save Luffy.

Even after Ace’s death, Whitebeard stayed behind to allow his “sons,” who were his subordinate pirates, to escape. Whitebeard single-handedly battled the entire Navy, but the treacherous Blackbeard D. Teach killed him. Before Whitebeard died, he confirmed the existence of the One Piece, revving up pirates globally and shaking the entire world.

3Merry

The Going Merry was the Straw Hats’ first ship, and the ship helped them journey through the Grand Line. Even though they encountered perilous circumstances, Merry helped the Straw Hats escape many times. Despite being loved by the Straw Hats, she couldn’t only last for so long since there was no “Franky” at this point in the show.

The absence of s shipwright caused the ship’s damage to pile up until she could no longer sail. Still, at Water 7, Merry tried her best to make her final sail to Enies Lobby. Later on, Merry was put to rest by the Straw Hats.

2Gol D. Roger

Even though Gol D. Roger was already dead before One Piece’s current timeline, his death was a basis for the pirate movement and the hunt for the One Piece. Undoubtedly, Gol D. Roger is the greatest Pirate in anime. His 5.5 billion berries being the highest to ever exist in the show is proof of this fact.

Gol D. Roger was one of the few pirates to find the One Piece. Surprisingly, after discovering this great treasure, he surrendered to the Navy for an execution. But not before he wreaked havoc in the world again, announcing the existence of his greatest treasure, the One Piece, which rocked the world even to date.

1Portgas D. Ace

Ace’s death shocked viewers worldwide. Portgas D. Ace was the son of Gol D. Roger, a beloved central member of Whitebeard’s Crew, the Spade Pirates’ Captain, and most of all, the brother of Luffy. Ace’s capture was at the epicenter of Marineford Arc, and it was the main catalyst for the Paramount War.

The Whitebeard Pirates and the Straw Hats trooped in to save Ace in this sensational war. After going through difficult phases, Luffy managed to save Ace. However, his victory was short-lived since Ace saved Luffy by taking a deathly blow from Akainu, which killed him. Ace’s death was a traumatizing experience for Luffy; however, it only hardened his resolve to become the next Pirate King.