One Piece has plenty of female characters that tend to feel inadequately used when compared to their importance based on what is known or how often they are shown. While it can be argued that some are merely teased for later usage for the time being (such as Catarina Devon or Momousagi), others who have long been established within the main narrative feel as though they received less exposure when compared to their stated importance.

Goru Goru no Mi and Mini Mini no Mi in action

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By Kenneth Rasmussen

Sometimes, this is simply shown in the relatively limited amount of screen time for their supposed importance. A potential factor could be the current arc simply not requiring their presence despite repeated appearances throughout. Others, with their previously established abilities, seem to either betray expectations or simply just not have them expanded upon. Whatever the reason behind their limited exposure, these female characters are underutilized in One Piece.

1 Alvida

Iron Mace

Has not been seen in combat since Loguetown, despite continued appearances.

Alvida is the earliest antagonist within the main story, who was defeated by Luffy with little fanfare thanks to the powers of his Gomu Gomu no Mi. Since then, Alvida had consumed a Devil Fruit of her own, the Sube Sube no Mi, which made attacks slide effortlessly off her body. Despite having a fairly impressive showing of this power in Loguetown, Alvida has had little combat since then, even in moments when her frequent ally, Buggy, is shown.

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By Kenneth Rasmussen

This seems to coincide with the minimal appearances of Buggy's greater crew, with Buggy tending to be the sole focal point in most recent iterations. Alvida's own showing of power within the context of Cross Guild, the newest organization under Buggy (albeit with him as a false leader), remains to be seen.

2 Tashigi

G-5 Captain

Has had limited appearances since Punk Hazard, possibly as a result of the marines not being as involved in the current story.

Tashigi is a member of the navy who has had a complicated history with the Straw Hat Pirates. Her resemblance to Zoro's deceased childhood friend and dueling partner, Kuina, has put him off from facing her. Alongside her superior, Smoker, she is characterized as a marine who questions the navy's doctrine and will occasionally side with the Straw Hat Pirates against a greater threat. Despite her clumsiness (and relative lack of skill with the sword compared to Zoro), she is established as a capable leader who has worked to improve her skill with the blade.

Save for a recent appearance during the Egghead Arc, Tashigi has all but disappeared from the central narrative. This may largely coincide with the fact that the territories the Straw Hat Pirates are currently visiting have no government affiliation. Her appearances tend to signal a marine presence and are, accordingly, often in government-affiliated territories. This means if the Straw Hat Pirates do visit another government territory, her subsequent appearance is at the very least plausible.

3 Boa Hancock

Pirate Empress

Sidelined for the moment, even compared to most other warlords during post-timeskip.

Boa Hancock is the ruler of Amazon Lily, often considered the most beautiful woman in the world. She established herself as an ally of Monkey D. Luffy after he showed a courteous side to her, allowing her to conceal her slave brand from her fellow residents. She is characterized as an especially powerful figure, capable of turning roughly any man smitten with her into stone, thanks to her Mero Mero no Mi.

She has developed an obsessive crush on Luffy and has recently seemed to consider leaving Amazon Lily to court him. Her designation as both a warlord and supporting character has left her feeling largely irrelevant within the current story. That being said, like her fellow dormant ex-warlords, it feels as though she's merely in preparation for what should be a more significant comeback in the future. It is possible the extent of her power limits the number of scenarios she can appear in, as she often seems to bulldoze the competition.

4 Charlotte Smoothie

Minister Of Juice

Used sparingly compared to fellow Sweet Commanders.

Charlotte Smoothie is an especially significant character within the power structure of the Big Mom Pirates. She is a member of the Three Sweet Commanders, the highest ranked and most powerful of Big Mom's officers. She shares this role with her elder half-brothers, Katakuri and Cracker, both of whom have fought Luffy directly in combat. Smoothie has an especially daunting power, known as the Shibo Shibo no Mi, which can wring out liquid from any given target. This can be used to wring life out of living beings, which can be turned into juice in the process. Additionally, Smoothie can use this liquid to enhance the size of herself or her weapons.

For someone with such a potent power and high profile, Smoothie's actual combat is somewhat abbreviated, especially compared to her brothers, with whom she theoretically shares equal importance. Cracker had a notable battle against Luffy and Nami, where his bottomless biscuits ended up being turned soggy by Nami and eaten by Luffy, until they were able to defeat Cracker. Katakuri had a lengthy fight against Luffy in which they ended up parting with mutual respect after a long, intense battle. Smoothie's only direct battle of note was a less protracted fight against Reiju, with a few non-canon filler battles affixed to the anime. While there are certain Charlottes with even less usage than Smoothie, her own relative authority should've come with a few more scenes to better assert her power among the crew.

5 Nico Robin

Devil Child

Appears often enough, but it feels as though her abilities could be better or more varied, especially considering her intellect and training.

Nico Robin was a member of the scholars of Ohara, a group whose work led to a buster call that ended up wiping out the island and most of its inhabitants. Because of her involvement, Robin was a criminal before the age of 10, having to frequently relocate due to benefactors continually threatening to turn her into the government. She secured a long-term working relationship with Crocodile, who wanted to take over Alabasta. Robin became Miss All-Sunday, his second-in-command, who often served as liaison between him and his lower-ranked subordinates.

Brook (alive) and a younger Laboon; Shiki holding Nami while pointing

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However, she ended up breaking from Crocodile (due to concern about him potentially acquiring an Ancient Weapon), and she attempted to kill him — and herself. However, she failed at both endeavors, in part due to being saved by Luffy. From there, she voluntarily joined the Straw Hat Pirates and ended up cementing her membership after a brief break from the crew around the time she was apprehended.

That said, for all Robin's agility and intellect, she still feels somewhat limited compared to her counterparts. She has not been confirmed to know any form of Haki (being one of four Straw Hats with this distinction) despite having an apparent knowledge of it, and she tends not to fight on her own as often, usually acting as a support character. This is all somewhat disappointing for a character with an implied background in assassination, who spent the timeskip affiliated with the Revolutionary Army, even learning some fish-man karate from Koala. For as knowledgeable and skillful as Robin is, her apparently not being able to perform or learn certain abilities feels like a manner in which she is underused.

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Release Date: October 20, 1999
Network: Fuji TV
Directors: Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Writers: Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
Franchise(s): One Piece