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The strong characters in One Piece can sometimes be considered weak for absurd reasons.
Portrayal goes a long way in a shonen anime series. Whenever a character is downplayed, it means their feats are disregarded.
Some people believe that powerful characters also need to look powerful. Any moment of weakness will make them subject to criticism. The One Piece community is no different in this regard.
Note: This article contains manga spoilers up to One Piece Chapter 1059 and reflects the opinions of the writer.
Smoker, Big Mom, and 6 other One Piece characters that get downplayed a lot
1) Monkey D. Luffy
Believe it or not, Luffy's feats are sometimes downplayed in the One Piece community. It's not uncommon for some fans to say he should've lost his matches to Katakuri and Kaido. The protagonist has always been the underdog, but that doesn't mean he isn't strong enough to win battles.
Detractors may argue that Luffy always has to rely on help. However, keep in mind that he also rarely fights villains at 100%. He often has to go through several minions before he reaches them.
For instance, before Luffy met Katakuri in Whole Cake Island, he was forced to fight Cracker for several hours. The Straw Hat also fought an army and starved himself not long afterwards since he only wanted Sanji to feed him.
Luffy only looks weak so that the author can raise the stakes.
2) Jack the Drought
Jack is the first One Piece character shown with a billion berry bounty. Naturally, he is the perfect measuring stick for a fighter's strength. The All-Star is the fourth strongest member of the Beasts Pirates.
Unfortunately, Eiichiro Oda often uses Jack as a hype tool. During the Zou arc, he was instantly taken out by the swing of Zunesha's trunk. He also got beat up very badly by the Minks in the Onigashima Raid.
One Piece fans often joke about Jack the "Letdown" and his lack of named attacks. However, he has never gotten a proper showcase of what he's truly capable of.
Fans should remember Kaido's words about Jack. He once said that Jack isn't weak, but his enemies are too strong.
3) Smoker
Smoker is a dedicated Marine who chases down pirates on a regular basis. He was also far more dangerous before the One Piece timeskip. Logia users were practically untouchable in the early days. Keep in mind that Haki wasn't fully developed back then.
Sadly, ever since the two-year timeskip, Smoker has taken far too many losses, particularly in the Punk Hazard arc. Law and Doflamingo barely had any trouble dealing with his powers.
It's hard to believe that Smoker made Luffy run away several times in the One Piece series. His portrayal in the early days is very different from later on.
Smoker went from being a legitimate rival to not even being on the radar.
4) Vinsmoke Sanji
The Zoro versus Sanji rivalry is highly contentious for both sides. While it's played for laughs in the One Piece series, many people take it far too seriously.
Many Zoro fans can be a little overzealous in their hatred towards Sanji. It's not uncommon for some people to dismiss his feats.
Sanji recently upgraded his moveset with his genetic modifications. He can also use Ifrit Jambe, which gives him the power of blue flames. Even then, his detractors still clown on him for not being as strong as Zoro, as if that's supposed to be a major insult.
What also doesn't help is the new Straw Hat bounties after Wano. Jinbe is worth 1,100,000,000 berries, while Sanji is slightly lower at 1,032,000,000.
5) Eustass Kid
One Piece power scalers may have heard the term "Eustass Mid" before. Some people are completely dead set on Haki being the be-all and end-all. Unfortunately, Kid suffers from a lack of notable Haki feats. He relies on the Jiki Jiki no Mi to create electromagnetic fields.
Despite his significant contributions in defeating Big Mom in Wano, Kid was completely overshadowed by Trafalgar Law. This has been a recurring theme in the series. Most people believe that Law is far more creative with his powers.
However, this shouldn't take away from Kid's threat level. He still shares a 3,000,000,000 bounty with Luffy and Law.
Kid is not very flashy in his fighting style, but he can still deal major damage. He wouldn't be so downplayed if he just used Haki more often.
6) Issho - Fujitora
Admirals have been regularly dismissed by Yonko fans. Whether it's Kizaru being "scared" of Benn Beckman or Akainu getting "destroyed" by Whitebeard, too many fans overlook the context of those scenes.
Admirals will always be a major powerhouse in the One Piece series. Case in point, Fujitora can summon meteors with the Zushi Zushi no Mi. The blind swordsman can literally control gravitational forces. However, he is still downplayed for not bringing down Sabo in the Dressrosa arc.
The reality is that Fujitora wasn't taking himself that seriously. He is clearly holding back his destructive powers since his attacks would otherwise result in major casualties.
One Piece fans need to stop putting Fujitora on the level of mere Yonko commanders. He is far above that station.
7) Charlotte Linlin - Big Mom
Big Mom may be a Yonko, but she is also played for comedic relief. Big Mom doesn't take herself nearly as seriously as Kaido or Whitebeard. Sadly, her goofy design and childish personality make people underestimate her.
The so-called "Big Meme" often looks weak in situations, whether it's Jinbe blocking her attack in Whole Cake Island or Franky running her over in Wano Country. Keep in mind that she was never seriously injured in these instances. However, that doesn't stop certain One Piece fans from downplaying her.
Big Mom is someone who can fight Kaido for multiple days without breaking a sweat. The problem is that people expect Yonko to always look strong. She is not weak for letting down her guard against the Straw Hats.
8) Marshall D. Teach - Blackbeard
Blackbeard is the villainous counterpart to Luffy in the One Piece series. He often makes foolish decisions that lead to his downfall. For example, he made the mistake of going up against Magellan during the Impel Down arc. Of course, some fans conveniently forgot that he got his win back off-screen.
People like to clown on Blackbeard for never using Haki. It was even commonly speculated that he only relied on Devil Fruit powers. One Piece Chapter 1059 makes it clear that is not the case.
Blackbeard can easily defend himself with Busoshoku Haki. He survived a direct attack from the Seraphim, whose cutting power was strong enough to slice through mountains.
Rayleigh even admitted that Blackbeard could defeat him by this point in the One Piece series.
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