Characters in one piece NEED to finally start dying. Deaths in One Piece have been so incredibly rare, but THEY really SHOULDN’T BE. And I think Oda has realized that in the final saga, it’s inevitable to have some truly shocking and impactful deaths of major characters that will shape the entire ending of One Piece.
And to satisfy my thirst for blood, I believe there are 7 major deaths in particular that have been heavily foreshadowed by Oda, including 2 straw hats, that would truly break the story. But before we get to the straw hats, let’s talk about… In chapter ONE Shanks leaps into the ocean and sacrifices his arm to save Luffy from the Lord of the Coast. Then, gives him his straw hat and pushes Luffy to become a great pirate.
In chapter 579, he shows up OUT OF NOWHERE to save both Koby and Luffy from Akainu’s wrath, BY STEPPING IN FRONT OF HIS ATTACK. Then goes on to challenge the world government to fight him if they have a problem. And then in Chapter 1055, he activates what can only be described as a WiFi Haki Drne Strike to FORCE Admiral Greenbull out of Wano, saving Yamato and Momonosuke.
But it’s not just the new era! Ever since Chapter 1, we’ve seen how intense Shanks gets when his friends are in danger. He crushes the mountain bandit for harassing Luffy, and in Chapter 1079, in what is clearly the coolest Shanks moment of the series thus far, HE DELETES Eustass Kidd for attacking his fleet and Elbaf.
Shanks is simply the kind of man who is being set up to sacrifice himself to save Luffy. He saved him at the start of his journey; he saved him at the halfway point in Marineford, and he is almost guaranteed to do it one last time during the FINAL war. He has a grand plan set out for Luffy and has done everything he can to push him to become the warrior of liberation.
Now, whether or not Luffy was SUPPOSED to get that fruit is a different question, because I still stand by the idea that Ace was supposed to eat the Gomu Gomu no Mi, but it doesn’t matter. Ever since Luffy ate his devil fruit, he has been on a series-long journey to reunite with Shanks. Narratively, the most fulfilling plot device would be Shanks seeing Luffy become the next Joyboy and putting his life on the line to save him from THE NEXT character on our list.
The man he has more history with than anyone. The man he told us gave him his scar in Chapter 434, and the man it SEEMS that he was talking to the Gorosei about in Chapter 907. Marshall D.
Teach, the dreaded Blackbeard himself, is number 6 on our list. And well, when you’re one of the primary villains of the series, I am nearly certain you HAVE to die. He has been set up as Luffy’s narrative foil for the ENTIRE series, ever since he was introduced in chapter 146.
A little English lesson for you all: a narrative foil is the term used by someone designed to contrast another character. This is typically a character who contrasts with the protagonist in order to emphasize certain traits the MC has. Perfect examples in anime and manga are Goku and Vegeta, or Midoriya and Shigaraki.
And in terms of One Piece, the greatest foil of them all is Blackbeard. From the moment we see him react completely differently to the taste of that cherry pie, I’ve known Blackbeard was going to die. Well, that might be a bit extreme, since it’s hard to imagine at that point Luffy would kill anyone, but you get the point.
But actually, I think that’s worth discussing. I still cannot imagine Luffy is going to intentionally kill Blackbeard. He doesn’t really murder people, unless you count Kaido, who I would argue was not murdered on purpose, if he is even dead.
No, Luffy is the kind of guy who crushes people's dreams INSTEAD of executing them. This was confirmed by Oda in SBS 14, during a question corner segment. Bandits, Arlong, and Doflamingo—these are all villains who Luffy has stepped to and CRUSHED, shattering their dreams.
Or, in the case of someone like Kaido who DREAMS of defeat, he helps them out with his fists. Luffy is a conqueror after all; its his job to conquer his enemies— not kill them. There’s actually a handful of conquerors on this list that might kick the bucket, including the straw hat captain himself.
But we’ll talk about all of them in a few minutes. For now, I want to focus on how Oda has been hinting at Blackbeard’s death for decades. This core dynamic actually has evidence predating the series.
It is rooted in the original pre-one piece series, Romance Dawn. The beta test version of this series has characters like Luffy and Shanks talking about two distinct types of pirates. Peace Mains, the good pirates who save and help people, like the Red Hair or Straw Hat Crews.
On the opposite end, you have the evil pirates, who plunder and murder the Morganeers. Pirates like Crocodile, Doflamingo, and, of course, Blackbeard would fit this mold. Now, even though these terms aren’t used in the main series, the concept clearly manifests in the series.
Oda has hinted at this fated rivalry BEFORE the series even came out. So the real question is: who’s going to kill Blackbeard? Well, there are two perfect options.
So let’s talk about the first one, the marines. Teach is a former warlord, infamous pirate, and a man who time and time again has caused problems for the World Government. He kidnapped both Koby and Garp; he has the former admiral Kuzan working for him—tainting the marines good name—and ACTIVELY is spreading the will of the worst pirate in history, Rocks D.
Xebec. By literally naming his ship the Sabre of Xebec and claiming his former territory as his own. The world government has EVERY REASON TO MURDER THIS MAN.
Plus, if we are going off of his inspiration, this would be the correct answer. The real pirate, Blackbeard, was hunted and killed by a British Naval Lieutenant named Robert Maynard. He was shot at least five times and stabbed over twenty times, eventually having his head hung on the mast of their navy ship.
This aspect of his real life story is what probably inspired the cruel death of Whitebeard at the hands of Blackbeard, And I think it’s setting up another PERFECT twist of fate if Blackbeard dies the same way. But instead of standing proud, he’d crumble to his knees like the weak-willed, spineless coward he is. Speaking of which, I actually think the more likely idea is that once Luffy crushes his dreams, proving to the world that he is nothing but a joke, his crew will ACTUALLY turn on him.
This idea might be hinted at in chapter 1081, when Blackbeard tells Aokiji that the only thing pirates need is an alignment of interests to be on a crew. And well, once Teach CANNOT enable the interests of characters like Pizaro, Laffitte, or Catarina Devon, he might be dead in the water. Now we’ve talked about two of the fiercest pirates in the series, and while we definitely have more pirates to talk about, there’s some Marines that are set up to kick the bucket as well.
The first of which I was JUST talking about. Former Admiral Aokiji and the Titanic Captain Kuzan, you’re number 5 on my list. Here is the deal.
Kuzan, this ice-cold fellow? He’s seen some stuff. The genocide of an island, and thousands die in a battle at Marineford.
And you know what? Most of it hasn’t been sitting well with him. Early in his career, he defied direct orders and saved the lives of Nico Robin and Jaguar D.
Saul. Despite this, we know he’s been consumed by guilt for what happened in Ohara. He had been watching over her for years and only finally stopped when Robin told him that she had finally found a home and family with the Straw Hats.
We also found out that, yet again, he couldn’t kill a former ally. In chapter 1126, it was confirmed that he didn’t, or in his words, “couldn’t” kill Vice-Admiral Garp. Conveniently, he ended up doing the exact same thing to Saul.
Now whether or not that was more guilt or he’s secretly still a marine working for S. W. O.
R. D. , it doesn’t matter.
This man DOES NOT kill. And that’s something that I think is going to GET him killed. If he betrays Blackbeard, that man is going to MURDER him.
And if he actually is a pirate? Admiral Greenbull or Akainu aren’t going to let him make it out of the final saga alive. Most importantly though, he has the chance to complete his arc once and for all, making up for all of the mistakes in his past.
Kuzan COULD go out saving one, two, or maybe even three characters. Nico Robin is the most obvious one, as he could give his own life to let her live a peaceful and happy one in the new era. But he also has shown hints of care and respect towards Luffy and Koby, most likely connected to his relationship to Garp.
Kuzan may end up putting his life on the line to secure Koby’s future as a marine admiral, much like Garp did on Hachinosu. Or, if he IS fully a pirate, he could do the same for Luffy, hedging his bets on the Warrior of Liberation fixing the broken system he used to be a part of. He did let him live after freezing him after all, something he only does for the homies.
You can tell everyone it’s because you owed his Grandpa, but I feel like you’re just a big softy inside of that ice cold exterior. Also. despite it being non-canon, this idea was actually teased in Film Z, where Kuzan helps Luffy and the Straw Hats find the main villain, a former marine admiral gone rogue.
I can see it now, Blackbeard captures Nico Robin, holding her up and is ready to cut her down on Laughtale. When suddenly, an Ice spike pierces through him. Kuzan lunges in to save her, taking a fatal blow as he pushes her away from Blackbeard.
A beautiful sacrifice that comes full circle, as he tells her to keep on living. Now even though that is a heartwarming moment, Kuzan isn’t the only world government member destined to sacrfice himself. No, there’s one more that I want to talk about today: His mentor, the hero of the marines, Monkey D.
Garp. He’s also someone with INCREDIBLE ties to the number 1 entry on our list, but for now I want to talk about how he’s absolutely going to die. I, among many others, was mildly disappointed when Garp didn’t end up sacrificing himself for Koby on Hachinosu.
To be fair, he tried to. But since it was against Kuzan, I think the vast majority realized he probably wouldn’t die. That was kind of the whole point about my last segment.
SO! We are in luck! The confirmation of him being alive just means that he’s bound to meet his maker in the final war.
Now some of you are asking, “Manu, why do you THINK he’s going to die? ” and that, my dear viewer, is a great question. It all has to do with one fateful chapter.
It’s chapter 574: Portgas D. Ace Dies. We see the tragic ripple effect of Akainu killing Ace and see how it completely dismantles several characters.
The whitebeard pirates, Luffy, and most importantly for my point, Monkey D. Garp. He is ENRAGED, nearly crushing Akainu with what I assume was about to be a Galaxy Impact.
We then see how Garp is STRUGGLING to cope with letting Ace die in chapter 590, and it’s especially highlighted when Dadan drills into him for Ace’s death. It’s a soul-crushing moment that truly makes you feel awful for Garp, who failed to keep his promise to Roger but, more importantly, failed to protect the child he raised. This regret clearly drove him to focus on and care about Koby more, going so far as to risk his life to free him from Hachinosu.
This all is pointing towards a third and possible final moment, where he finally gets over himself and saves his grandson. We’ve seen that his care for Luffy is higher than his concern for the marines- as he’s let him escape countless times, and even flopped at Marineford letting Luffy go and save Ace. So with all of the news about Imu, the Gorosei, and the ancient weapons being revealed by Vegapunk, Garp can finally warrant putting his family first.
Whether it’s stopping Blackbeard from crushing Luffy or pulling a King Cobra of Alabasta by jumping in front of Imu’s darkness arrow: I am pretty sure Garp the Hero is finally going to fall. With only three characters left, we still have to get to the absolutely story-breaking Straw Hat deaths. But before we figure out which crew members are at death's door, I need to talk about the supreme ruler of the world, Luffy's final villain, Imu.
Coming in at number 3, I think it’s clear that Imu HAS to die. There is no way, shape, or form that anyone in their right mind should just forgive and forget this villain. And while yes, Luffy is NOT in his right mind, the dude is weird as hell, even such a goofy and weird dude like Mugiwara no Luffy can LOCK IN when the time comes.
And Imu, your time is DEFINITELY coming. Just like Doflamingo, Charloz, or Arlong, before you, we’ve seen what happens when you step to Luffy’s friends and family, Luffy is going to step on you. .
. Or punch you, or maybe step on you again, The point is Luffy doesn’t forgive truly vile acts, and vile acts are the only thing Imu does. Like… ordering a buster call on Ohara, ruining Nico Robin’s life!
Or killing his crewmate, Vivi’s, dad! Of coursde we can’t forget the part where you wiped a small nation off the map while you tried to kill Sabo, his BROTHER. We saw what lengths Luffy went to in Marineford to save Ace; imagine what he’s going to do when he finds out Imu is after Sabo?
! It sounds like there is a Bajrang gun with your name written all over it, Imu. But in all actuality, the most important reason Imu will die is because he isn’t subscribed the the Ohara Patreon.
With premium art assets, extra bonus content, and early chapter reviews, Imu would have had EVERY resource necessary to defeat Luffy. So don’t make the same mistake he did, and go do that! And well, the BIG reason is that Imu needs to die so that Luffy can bring the new dawn.
He needs to complete Joyboy’s quest. Imu has been set up as his number one opposition for completing the GOAL OF THE SERIES. Luffy himself might not care all that much about it, but the world NEEDS Luffy to kill Imu.
I’m sure you think your actions are justified and brave, but I disagree. Unlike our number 2 entry, the soon-to-be brave warrior of the sea, God Usopp. I can think of no other way for a man like him to go out.
We learned all the way back in chapter 100 that Usopp’s dream is to become a brave warrior of the sea. And over the years, we’ve seen him really grow into the mold, and in the process he’s befriended a BUNCH of giants. Some of you know where I’m going with this, because it’s a somewhat popular theory.
I truly believe that Usopp could, and probably should, die as a sacrifice for the crew against Imu. If this happens, he would ABSOLUTELY go down in history as a brave warrior of the sea and have the chance to fulfill all of his lies. These moments of prophecy he accidentally weaves into existence have so many chances to happen if he becomes the leader of an army.
Maybe a fleet of. . .
8000 giant warrior pirates that are led to their glorious deaths by Usopp! ? That was the lie he told at the beginning of the series afterall!
We know the Giants of Elbaf are heavily based on Vikings and Norse mythology, and with that being the case, they absolutely are going to want to go to Valhalla. Valhalla is essentially Nordic Warrior Heaven, where only the bravest and strongest soldiers who die a glorious death in battle can go. With this in mind, I believe the best way for Usopp to truly prove he’s a brave warrior of the sea is to make it to that Viking Heaven.
Maybe Brook can go visit him and confirm it with his soul fruit powers; that would be nice! Oda really needs to let this dude’s story come full circle. Let him become the hero of the greatest tale told for ages.
He’d really end up being God Usopp, the legendary version of himself that exists in the stories he used to tell Kaya. Imagine Brook or Nami going back to the village and getting to sit down and tell Kaya all of his adventures. It would be such a somber and beautiful way to wrap up his arc—so you better do it, Oda!
And you also better let Luffy die! That’s right, the number one spot on this list belongs to none other than the sun god himself, Monkey D. Luffy.
Let me lay it out for you. By the end of the series, Luffy will have fulfilled his dreams: becoming the pirate king and whatever secret dream he shares with Roger that Oda won’t tell us. But more importantly, Oda has also made it clear that Luffy has been burning the candle at both ends with all of his powers.
Gear 2nd burns through his lifespan, Ivankov’s hormone boost came with a very specific reduction to his lifespan, and Gear 5 FIRST activated while he was on death's door and constantly puts him into that old man on the verge of dying state. All of these things, and the fact that Luffy’s greatest parallel in the story is Roger, a man who mysteriously died of a disease shortly after reaching Laughtale, is pointing towards Luffy’s inevitable death. However, that’s probably a good thing!
There won’t be anything left for him to do. He’ll have achieved everything, and he can properly be the warrior of liberation that brings the new dawn. It’s just that this dawn is going to be far more similar to how Roger kicked off the next great Pirate Era.
Maybe Koby will execute him, or the world will celebrate the glorious death of the Sun God! Now I do hear you, “Manu Law can just use the immortality surgery to keep him alive! ” And while yes, on paper, that is a possibility, let’s look at the trends here.
One: Do you really think Law would sacrifice himself for Luffy? Probably not; he’d most likely just take a few more risks, but his loyalty isn’t that of a crew member. Two: do you think Luffy would EVER let someone die for him?
Not in a million years; if anyone were to sacrifice themselves for him like that, he would lose it. Which is ironic, because a lot of my points have been about potential sacrifices, but that’s for people with true, deep, emotional ties to Luffy. People who even he would have to acknowledge are making the right play, or would become the PERFECT martyr to push Luffy past the finish line to defeat Imu.
Which is something that he absolutely is going to need a push for. Gear 5 may be powerful, but it just comes with too many drawbacks and isn’t even strong enough to actually defeat a single Gorosei! How is he going to defeat Imu and bring the new dawn if he can’t even body a few old men?
No, Luffy definitely needs a power-up. A final form to truly embody the sun god and live up to his title of Warrior of Liberation. What Luffy needs is Gear 6, and you can find out all about it in this video right here.
Maybe he becomes the sun itself? Or is he actually a fallen angel with Lunarian powers! ?
I guess you’ll have to find out.
