Since One Piece is a relatively goofy and lighthearted anime/manga, the storylines of multiple important characters ended on a positive note. Unfortunately, however, this can’t be said about everyone in this long-running series, because many other characters have had surprisingly tragic endings instead, despite actually being kind and/or honorable people.
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Regardless of whether they are pirates, marines, or civilians, many key figures have fallen victim to this brutal writing choice that perfectly conveys how dark and unfair this fictional world can be. Needless to say, a lot of One Piece characters deserved better endings, but the following eight are the most notorious examples so far.
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Mont Blanc Noland And Kalgara
Two Best Friends Who Never Got To See Each Other Again
- Debut: Chapter 286 (Manga) Episode 187 (Anime)
The story of Mont Blanc Noland and Kalgara is the heart and soul of the highly underrated Skypiea Arc: two men from entirely different backgrounds and cultures forged an unlikely but unbreakable friendship, but, due to an unfortunate coincidence, they ended up being separated and were never able to reunite before their demise.
After a Knock Up Stream ended up splitting Jaya in half and leaving the Shandians stranded in Skypiea, Kalgara and Noland were never able to see each other again and eventually died without knowing what happened to each other. To make things even worse, Noland was branded a liar due to the sudden disappearance of Shandora and was publicly executed. All in all, this is a really tragic ending for two lovable characters who shared a really endearing friendship.
Nico Olvia (And The Rest Of The Ohara Scholars)
She Was Trying To Unveil The Secrets Of The World
- Debut: Chapter 392 (Manga) Episode 275 (Anime)
Nico Olvia had to abandon Nico Robin to pursue her archaeological endeavors without putting her young daughter in danger. Unfortunately, however, shortly after she was able to go back to Ohara and reunite with Robin, she was brutally murdered alongside all the other scholars. Their “crime”? Researching the Void Century.
One Piece never shied away from showcasing how corrupt the World Government can be, but the Ohara Incident proved how truly irredeemable they are. A bunch of archaeologists were just trying to find out what happened during the Void Century, and in response, a Buster Call was used to destroy their entire country and kill everybody in it, including innocent civilians who had nothing to do with them. Olvia deserved to live a peaceful life with her daughter instead of being forced to constantly run away from the authorities just because she was researching a taboo subject.
The Rumbar Pirates
They Just Wanted To Play Music With Laboon
- Debut: Chapter 103 (Manga) Episode 63 (Anime)
Not every pirate crew in One Piece is as benevolent and heroic as the Straw Hat Pirates, but, based on what was shown via Brook’s flashback sequence, it’s safe to say that The Rumbar Pirates were actually quite friendly. After all, they spent most of their time together sailing the seas while playing music and singing songs without a care in the world.
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On top of that, they also befriended a young island whale, named him Laboon, and promised him that they’d reunite once again someday. Sadly, the Rumbar Pirates were never able to fulfill said promise, as they were eventually attacked by an enemy pirate crew who wielded weapons covered in poison, thus making Brook and his crewmates die slowly and agonizingly. Of course, they made the most of their final minutes in the world by cheerfully playing music and singing together again, but witnessing a crew of lovable pirates perishing like that is undeniably heartbreaking.
Portgas D. Ace
Sacrificed Himself To Protect His Younger Brother
- Debut: Chapter 154 (Manga) Episode 91 (Anime)
Portgas D. Ace possessed every element to become one of the greatest pirates in the world and maybe even become the new Pirate King at some point: he was the biological son of Gol D. Roger, he was the adoptive son of Whitebeard, and he had eaten a powerful Logia-type Devil Fruit known as the Mera Mera no Mi. However, after being double-crossed and defeated by Blackbeard, the World Government captured him, which caused a massive war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates.
In reality, Ace almost got out of the Paramount War of Marineford alive, but Admiral Akainu taunted him and tried to attack Monkey D. Luffy, prompting him to sacrifice himself to save his younger brother’s life. Yes, Ace was not a perfect human, but he was still a powerful and honorable pirate who would have most likely done great things in the One Piece world if his life hadn’t been cut short so early. The only silver lining in his story is that his emotional sacrifice at least inspired Luffy to get stronger so he can become the new Pirate King someday.
Queen Otohime And Fisher Tiger
Wanted To Stop The Rampant Discrimination Of Their People
- Debut: Chapter 621 (Manga) Episode 539 (Anime)
- Debut: Chapter 521 (Manga) Episode 145 (Anime)
Queen Otohime and Fisher Tiger were basically two sides of the same coin, as they both spent their entire lives fighting for the union between humans and Fish-Men/Merfolk, they just had completely different approaches to it: Otohime was a benevolent monarch who tried to use her words to change people’s minds, whereas Fisher Tiger was a strong explorer/pirate who fought Marines and freed slaves across the seas.
Both of them were crucial in the fight against discrimination against their people, which is why their deaths were equally unfair and tragic. Otohime was assassinated by Hody Jones just to instigate more tension between humans and Fish-Men/Merfolk, while Fisher Tiger was killed in combat by marines right after he returned a former slave girl to her hometown. It’s safe to say that, if both of these important political figures were still alive, the One Piece world would be a better place right now.
Shimotsuki Yasuie
Gave His Life For The Future Of His Country
- Debut: Chapter 929 (Manga) Episode 916 (Anime)
Kurozumi Orochi's ruthless regime ruined the lives of everybody in Wano, but the citizens of Ebisu Town had it particularly bad. Not only did they suffer rampant poverty and a severe lack of food and water, but they were also given leftover SMILE fruits to eat, which forced them to live with a constant smile on their face, incapable of expressing any other emotion.
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The daimyo of Hakumai, Shimotsuki Yasuie, tried to improve the lives of the Ebisu citizens by encouraging them to live a happy life where they can always laugh about their troubles and even adopting a young girl named Toko. However, he ended up giving his life to mislead Orochi into thinking he was the one behind the upcoming rebellion (instead of the Nine Red Scabbards). As a result, he was crucified and gunned down in front of his followers, who, due to their condition, could only laugh in response. Yasuie was a good man who one day risked it all for the future of his country, and, fortunately, his contribution ended up being crucial in the mission to take down both Orochi and Kaido.
Ginny
She Should Have Lived A Peaceful Life Alongside Kuma And Bonney
- Debut: Chapter 1095 (Manga) Episode 1125 (Anime)
Out of all the tragic deaths in One Piece, Ginny’s is definitely the most heartbreaking one. After playing a crucial role in the God Valley Incident, she and the love of her life, Bartholomew Kuma, decided to join the Revolutionary Army to fight against the World Government. They were slowly making progress and changing the world for the better until the fateful day on which Ginny was captured by a Celestial Dragon.
This cheerful and brave young woman was turned into a slave and the test subject for Jaygarcia Saturn’s experiments, which were also the eventual cause of her death. She was let go right before dying, which gave her enough time to go to Sorbet Kingdom and leave her newborn daughter, Bonney, there so Kuma could take care of her as a father. This is a really tragic story, and, in another life, Ginny, Kuma, and Bonney would have lived together as a happy family, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
Harald
He Just Wanted What Was Best For His Country
- Debut: Chapter 1136 (Manga)
Elbaph’s King Harald was inspired by his lover, Ida, to try and improve the negative reputation of their country and forge alliances with other nations. Unfortunately for him, Imu and the Five Elders used those good intentions to their advantage to manipulate him. After all, Imu knew that if they were able to seize control of the giant warriors of Elbaph, the World Government's forces would be downright unstoppable.
After the death of his old friend, Rocks D. Xebec, Harald was tricked by the World Government into becoming a Knight of God and accepting a covenant between him and Imu. Thanks to this demonic contract, the supreme ruler was able to take control of him one day, and his first son, Loki, was forced to kill him in response. Similar to Otohime or Yasuie, Harald just wanted to improve the lives of his people, and he was forced to pay an unfair price in response. Fortunately, his legacy lives on within the citizens of Elbaph, especially in his two sons, JakrLoki.
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
- Number of Episodes
- 1122
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.72
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
