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One Piece narrates the story of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Strawhat Pirates. Moving from one adventure to another, Luffy managed to gather many crewmates, until reaching the number of ten official members. Among the members is Sanji Vinsmoke, the cook of the crew. He only uses his legs to fight and usually challenges the third strongest combatant from the enemy's side.
Sanji aims to find the All Blue, a legendary place where all the seas join. He usually acts smart, but when in the presence of women, he loses all his usual coolness. Sanji is very chivalrous towards women, having sworn to himself that he would never injure a woman, even in a life-or-death situation. Despite having a noble purpose, sometimes, his behavior becomes rather annoying.
Sanji's best traits as a fighter are his Observation Haki and the speed and strength of his kicks. After awakening his family's genetic enhancements, Sanji increased his physical capabilities and unlocked the Ifrit Jambe, a more powerful level of his previous Diable Jambe. Follow this thread to see five One Piece characters Sanji can most likely beat and five more he would definitely lose against.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1061 and reflects the writer's personal views.
Five One Piece characters who Sanji would win against
1) Scratchman Apoo
Scratchman Apoo belongs to the Longarm Tribe. He is a member of the Eleven Supernovas of the Worst Generation. Apoo created an alliance with Kid and Killer, but he later bertrayed them and joined the Beasts Pirates. However, he was not truly loyal to Kaido and didn't think twice about leaving his side after the Yonko and his crew were defeated in the events of Wano Arc.
Apoo's fighting style reflects his opportunistic and treacherous nature. He is a cunning fighter who capitalizes on surprise attacks performed from a medium or long distance through the powers of the Sound-Sound fruit. Apoo also showed impressive endurance that allowed him to somehow survive some powerful attacks he received from his fellow Supernovas and the CP0 agents.
Apoo's Devil Fruit power allows him to release sound waves that can deliver various forms of physical damage. However, if the target manages to cover his ears in time, he becomes immune to his techniques. Sanji uses only his legs to fight, so he can cover his ears with his hands and attack Apoo at the same time. Sanji is likely to receive some damage at the beginning, but he will certainly win this fight.
2) Charlotte Perospero
Charlotte Perospero is Big Mom's eldest son and one of the most prominent members of Big Mom Pirates. He had eaten the Candy-Candy Fruit, which gifted him the ability to create and control candy. His Devil Fruit power is extremely versatile, allowing him to create anything out of candy and control it to bind his opponents, or even harden it to create constructs that can be used for attack or defense.
Given their equal feats against Neko and Inu in the Wano Arc, it is clear that Perospero is a fighter on par with Jack, or, at the very least, comparable to him. With Jack being a Commander-level character (even if in the lower range of this tier), it seems logical to assume that Perospero is at that level as well, despite not having the official rank of Sweet Commander in the Big Mom Pirates.
Perospero being about as strong as Jack is proof that he is weaker than Sanji. The latter was able to defeat Queen, who is Jack's superior in the hierarchy of the Beasts Pirates. Furthermore, it has been proven that intense heat being applied with force can cause Perospero's candy to shatter or melt away. As a result, his Devil Fruit power would be especially weak against Sanji's fire-strengthened kicks.
3) Jinbe
Jinbe is a former member of the Seven Warlords. He is the helmsman of the Strawhat Pirates and one of the top fighters in the crew. He is a powerful whale shark fish-man and is widely considered one of the strongest representatives of his race. Jinbe was able to fight on equal grounds with Portuguese D. Ace, and two years ago, he even participated in the Summit War of Marineford.
Jinbe is the greatest master of Fish-man Karate, a martial art that allows the user to manipulate any surrounding water source. His durability, physical strength, and Armament Haki are absolutely remarkable. He was able to survive attacks from Akainu and Big Mom, two of the most powerful characters in the One Piece series. After joining Strawhats, Jinbe also beat Who's Who, one of the Beast Pirates' Flying Six.
Recently, many One Piece fans have been arguing that Sanji, lacking the impressive feats of Jinbe, is weaker than him. This would make the fish-man the third strongest member of Strawhats in the cook's place. In most fans' opinion, Sanji would defeat Jinbe, but only after an extremely difficult fight. He would have to use his Ifrit Jambe, and put in his best effort to win against the former Warlord.
4) Queen
Queen is a cyborg and scientist known as "The Plague" for his deadly viruses. A former member of MADS, one of the most advanced research teams in the One Piece world, Queen joined the Beasts Pirates and became one of the All-Stars of the crew. He is a sadistic but somewhat clumsy individual, who frequently hits himself with his attack and loses his composure, even during heated fights.
Queen modified his body with several high-tech mechanisms and weapons, such as laser beams, extendable limbs, and the peculiar powers of the Vinsmoke brothers. The Dragon-Dragon Fruit Model: Brachiosaurus grants him durability and physical strength. As a result, Queen is a Commander-level fighter, who ranks as the third strongest in the Beasts Pirates, below only Kaido and his right-hand man, King.
During their battle in the Wano Arc, Queen was able to overwhelm Sanji at first. However, the cyborg ended up outclassed and defeated when the latter awakened his genetic enhancements. On that issue, Sanji had put in his best effort to win, but, if they were to clash again, Queen would find himself quickly overpowered against the Strawhat Pirates' cook.
5) Donquixote Doflamingo
Doflamingo is a mighty but overconfident pirate. He was one of the most influential individuals in the New World, as a member of the Seven Warlords, the captain of Donquixote Pirates, and the illegitimate ruler of Dressrosa. After his loss at the hands of Luffy, he was stripped of his Warlord title and imprisoned in Impel Down.
Doflamingo was strong enough to overwhelm Trafalgar Law, and force Luffy into using his Gear 4. He is incredibly agile and resilient to pain and damage. Thanks to the power of the String-String Fruit, he can create and control strings, which allows him to fly and perform attacks at all ranges. These abilities make Doflamingo a versatile and dangerous Commander-level fighter.
During the Dressrosa Arc, Sanji tried to fight against Doflamingo, but he didn't stand a chance. After just a few exchange of blows, the Warlord easily defeated him and was about to take his life. However, currently, with Sanji's newfound powers, the outcome can be expected to differ greatly. Doflamingo's Devil Fruit power would somehow allow him to keep up, but there's little doubt he would eventually end up losing the fight.
Five One Piece characters who are too strong for Sanji
1) Magellan
Magellan is the vice-warden of Impel Down, the World Government's greatest prison. Formerly, he was ranked as the chief warden, but he demoted himself after there was a mass escape from the prison. Prior to that, Impel Down had gained a reputation for being impenetrable and inescapable. Such a reputation was mostly due to Magellan's dangerous powers, which no prisoner dared to challenge.
Having gained the powers of the Venom-Venom Fruit, which allows him to create and control the most threatening poison, Magellan is a deadly individual. He easily defeated Emporio Ivankov, a prominent member of the Revolutionary Army. Even former Warlords such as Crocodile and Jinbe feared Magellan. Overall, he was as strong as Shiryu of the Rain before the latter joined the Blackbeard Pirates.
Even after improving with his most recent power up, Sanji would likely lose against Magellan, whose Devil Fruit powers spell doom for most physical fighters and martial artists. Lacking long-range attacks or an advanced form of Haki, Sanji needs to hit his opponent directly. His kicks would seriously damage Magellan, but he would end up poisoning himself, which would be fatal for him.
2) King
King is the last surviving member of one of the Lunarians, a mysterious lost race whose members were hailed as gods able to survive everything. He is Kaido's right-hand man and his strongest and most loyal subordinate. King owns the powers of the an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit, which grants him pteranodon wings that are tough enough to block attacks that previously cut Kaido's dragon scales.
Thanks to his Lunarian powers, King can endure devastating strikes without receiving any kind of damage, or trade some of his durability for a noticeable increase in speed. He can also create and manipulate fire to perform destructive attacks at every range, an ability that earned him the moniker of "Wildfire." King's flames are akin to magma which, in the One Piece world, is much stronger than normal fire.
Sanji beat Queen, but that isn't enough to achieve the same result against King, who is far stronger than the latter. The Strawhat's enhanced physique, albeit tough in its own right, doesn't compare to the sturdy wings and almost invulnerable body of the Lunarian. To fight at King's level, Sanji would need to maintain his Ifrit Jambe the whole time, something he can't do yet. He would thus end up overpowered.
3) Roronoa Zoro
A member of the Eleven Supernovas, the mightiest rookie pirates, Zoro is a master swordsman who aims to become the World's Strongest, surpassing Dracule Mihawk. Being Luffy's right-hand man, Zoro usually acts as the crew's vice-captain. A testament to the connection between him and Luffy is the fact that these two are the only two in the Strawhat crew to share certain strength-related achievements.
A master of Armament Haki and Conqueror Haki, Zoro is an outstanding fighter who unleashes his power through his three swords, performing destructive and lethal attacks. During the Wano Arc, he was able to block the Emperors' combined attack and wound Kaido, leaving him with a scar. Later, he defeated King, Kaido's right-hand man. Objectively, Zoro has always been a fair amount stronger than Sanji.
With Zoro even being able to unleash the Advanced Conqueror Haki, a game-changing power that, according to Kaido, is the signature ability of the strongest ones, the gap between the two only increased. With his much inferior Haki, Sanji can't realistically compete. To close any debate, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda recently confirmed that Zoro is the undesputed second strongest among the Strawhats.
4) Kaido
Kaido is the captain of the Beasts Pirates and a former Yonko. He was hailed as the World's Strongest Creature. He made Wano Country his property, driving back Oden and the Red Scabbards who tried to stop him. A merciless individual, he only respects other individuals of exceptional strength. Excelling in toughness, endurance, stamina, speed, and strength, Kaido's physical prowess is supreme.
Kaido is one of the very few people able to use the Advanced Conqueror Haki, a rare ability that he himself described as the power of the strongest ones. He ate a Mythological Zoan Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into a fully fledged dragon, or into a dragon and human hybrid. During the the Wano Arc, Kaido proved himself to be one of the strongest One Piece characters.
Kaido single-handedly fought and dominated characters much stronger than Sanji, such as the Yamato, Zoro, and Luffy. He was overpowered only after Luffy gained the Awakening of the Nika-Nika Fruit. With the immense strength that Kaido has shown, there's nothing Sanji can do to even pose the slightest threat to him. If he tried to fight Kaido, he would be immediately overpowered.
5) Monkey D. Luffy
Monkey D. Luffy is the founder and captain of Strawhat Pirates. He aims to find the One Piece and become the King of Pirates. Throughout the entire One Piece series, he has faced every sort of challenge, fighting against Warlords, Marines, and pirates of all kinds. In the Wano Arc, after defeating Kaido in a fierce battle, Luffy achieved the status of Emperor, establishing himself as a top dog.
Luffy ate a Mythological Zoan Devil Fruit, the Human-Human, Model: Nika, which grants his body rubber-like properties and allows him to use Gear transformations to enhance his speed, strength, and versatility. Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit to achieve a stage called Gear 5 that gifted him unbelievable powers. He can also use the advanced versions of Observation, Armament, and Conqueror Haki.
Despite being a very strong fighter in his own right, Sanji has zero chance of winning against his captain. Not only do Luffy's Devil Fruit powers allow him a noticeable advantage, but he also wields an immensely superior Haki, meaning that he can easily overpower Sanji. Luffy would most likely win the fight rather easily even if he didn't put his all in, due to the massive gap between him and his cook.
Final thoughts
After unlocking his genetic enhancements, Sanji greatly improved, becoming a powerful Commander-level fighter. However, he still has limits. For example, he not only lacks the all-powerful Conqueror Haki, but even his Armament Haki pales if compared with the level of the best. Sanji is also unable to perform long-range attacks, always needing to physically touch his opponent to damage him.
At the moment, Sanji is presumably the third strongest member of the Strawhats. He definitely ranks below Luffy, the captain, and Zoro, the former's right-hand man and the officially confirmed most powerful man in the crew right after him. A discussion has sparked up among One Piece fans regarding who is stronger between Sanji and the former Warlord Jinbe, who just joined the Strawhat Pirates.
Regardless of who is currently more powerful among the two, Sanji, who is very young and has just unlocked a new power up, appears to have more potential than Jinbe, who is already an experienced pirate who has possibly peaked already.
At the moment, Sanji is more powerful than most Commander-level characters. However, he still isn't strong enough to fight against opponents at the level of the Yonko's right-hand men such as Marco, King, and Katakuri, let alone warriors on a level higher than even them.
With the One Piece series nearing its end, the Strawhat Pirates are about to enter the decisive phase of their adventure, facing even greater challenges that will force them to surpass their limits and improve even further. As a result, Sanji will become stronger and solidify his position as the third strongest individual in the Strawhat crew. One Piece fans wonder who will be Sanji's next opponent to fight.
