Every martial art style in One Piece, explained

Unarmed martial arts are a key component of One Piece’s combat system. Just like swordsmen and other weapon users, martial artists in the series can enhance their techniques through Haki applications, Devil Fruit abilities, a combination of both, or other unique talents, resulting in a wide variety of different fighting styles that blend real-world-inspired moves with whimsical superhuman powers.

Some One Piece martial artists rely on traditional stances and forms that can be immediately identified as part of a specific style, similar to real-life martial arts, while others rely on pure instinct, unleashing improvised attacks based on their creativity and gut feeling. Read on for a detailed analysis of all martial art types seen in One Piece so far, listed in alphabetical order.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1158.

All known martial arts in One Piece as of chapter 1158, a complete list

Black Leg Style

The Black Leg Style is the trademark fighting style of Sanji, the Straw Hat crew’s cook. Sanji developed this martial art style under the guidance of Zeff, who taught him to use only his legs in combat, as hands are too precious for a chef to risk ruining them in battle. In fact, the Black Leg Style focuses solely on kicking techniques, using hands only as support for acrobatic maneuvers.

Depending on the situation, Sanji employs the Black Leg Style to deliver continuous barrages of kicks or potent, highly precise strikes. Over time, Sanji improved the Black Leg Style’s power and effectiveness by learning Diable Jambe to ignite his legs and unleash flaming kicks, later upgraded to the even stronger Ifrit Jambe.

He also incorporated mobility-enhancing techniques, such as Sky Walk, which enables mid-air movement, and Blue Walk, which allows him to move underwater like a Fish-Man. The awakening of Sanji’s genetic exoskeleton further enhanced his basic Black Leg Style techniques, making them much stronger and faster than before.

Boxing

Some boxers in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Akin to real-life boxers, One Piece boxers throw powerful punches at their opponents while defending themselves by blocking or dodging incoming blows. Black Maria and Kelly Funk aren’t particularly skilled boxers, relying on various items to augment the damage inflicted by their attacks. Maria equips herself with brass knuckles, while Kelly wields spiked gauntlets.

Franky, the Straw Hat crew’s shipwright, performs boxing and wrestling moves with his bionically enhanced body. The power of his cyborg punches is particularly remarkable. As for Ideo of the Longarm Tribe, he exploits the length and extra joint granted by his peculiar physical structure to extend his arms out for additional reach. He can also compress his shoulders to increase the explosive force of his punches.

Elizabello is a particularly unique case, as he can unleash a single punch powerful enough to demolish a fortress or, reportedly, injure one of the Four Emperors, as long as he amasses energy for an entire hour before throwing the attack. Even without this special move, Elizabello remains a skilled boxer, capable of shattering stone with the shockwaves generated by his punches.

Devil Fruit-enhanced brawlers

Luffy in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

A number of One Piece characters are hand-to-hand fighters who complement their unarmed combat skills with a Devil Fruit’s unique power. Monkey D. Luffy fights like this, unbound by any set style. Akin to a street brawler, Luffy performs punches, kicks, grapples, throws, and all sorts of physical attacks, made more effective and unpredictable by his Devil Fruit ability.

Luffy ate the Human-Human Fruit Model: Nika, which grants his body rubber-like properties. This allows him to stretch, bounce, bend, twist, and inflate any part of his body, while also granting him immunity to lightning and to blunt attacks not imbued with Haki. Luffy can also use forms called “Gears” to enhance his physical attributes and versatility.

Gear 2 boosts the metabolic rate of Luffy’s body, making him faster and more powerful, while Gear 3 enables him to inflate his bones, increasing his brute force. Gear 4, on the other hand, covers Luffy’s body with Armament Haki while he retracts his limbs or skin to suddenly discharge them. This form comprises three variations, each of which maximizes a different aspect among offense, speed, and defense.

Upon awakening his Devil Fruit’s true nature with the Gear 5 transformation, Luffy became able to fight freely, following his imagination, turning him into a brawler with reality-shaping powers. Gear 5 massively enhanced all of Luffy’s physical attributes compared to his previous Gear forms, making his body cartoonishly malleable while simultaneously increasing its durability. It also allowed him to extend his body’s rubbery nature to the surrounding environment.

Some Devil Fruit-amped brawlers in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Sabo, the new wielder of the Flame-Flame Fruit, integrated his newfound fiery powers into his martial arts style, the Ryusoken, i.e., Dragon Claw Fist. His signature move consists of coating his fingers with Armament Haki and igniting them with his Logia’s ravaging flames to blast the target away with a burst of fire that combines concussive force and heat.

The experienced assassin and martial artist Daz Bones, once Crocodile’s most powerful subordinate within Baroque Works with the codename Mr. 1, uses the Dice-Dice Fruit to perform a variety of lethal techniques in close combat, essentially becoming a full-fledged living weapon. Owing to this Devil Fruit, Daz can turn any part of his body into sharp blades made of insanely tough steel.

This allows him to withstand most enemy attacks unscathed while accessing a variety of unpredictable slashing techniques, as any body part can be turned into a razor-sharp blade. Daz can turn his limbs into blades to make his hand chops and kicks absolutely lethal. He can even make the blades rotate like saws or drills that shred anything they touch, with such force that anything surrounding the intended target will be crushed as well.

The Tremor-Tremor Fruit, which allows the user to create vibrations devastating enough to generate earthquakes and tsunamis, is a formidable asset for any close-combat fighter. Originally wielded by Edward Newgate “Whitebeard,” its power was stolen by Marshall D. Teach “Blackbeard,” who now commands it. Focusing this Devil Fruit power in one’s hand, the user can brutally maul the target via the concentrated power of an earthquake.

Other Devil Fruit-amped brawlers in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Smoker typically uses his Smoker-Smoker Fruit to strike his opponents with blows of solidified smoke. He can also turn his body into smoke to propel himself at high speed towards his enemies, flanking them. Similarly, Admiral Kizaru uses the Glint-Glint Fruit to complement his hand-to-hand combat, moving and attacking at the speed of light, which allows him to add weight and momentum to his strikes.

Sakazuki “Akainu,” the current Fleet Admiral, can burn and melt anything in his path with his punches imbued in the Mag-Mag Fruit’s devouring heat. Kuzan, once known as Admiral Aokiji, sometimes employs his Ice-Ice Fruit to harden his fist before delivering a punch.

Jozu often targets his enemies with powerful tackles, slamming them with his forearm transformed into tough diamond thanks to the Twinkle-Twinkle Fruit. The Strong-Strong Fruit bolsters Jesus Burgess’s already impressive physical strength to unreal levels, complementing his wrestling techniques. As for Bellamy’s Spring-Spring Fruit, it allows the former pirate to transform parts of his body into springs to launch himself at high speed in order to strike opponents with increased momentum.

Needless to say, most Zoan users, depending on their specific animal transformation, gain a massive increase in physical attributes, which is particularly useful for their close-combat skills. For example, the Bird-Bird Model: Phoenix grants Marco not just regenerative powers but also sharp talons to attack and wings to fly. Likewise, the Leopard-Leopard Fruit only boosts Rob Lucci’s swift and lethal Rokushiki martial arts.

Diable Jambe

At one point in the story, Sanji learned to ignite his legs by spinning at high speeds. When entering this state, called Diable Jambe, Sanji could perform all his previous Black Leg Style kicking techniques but with increased attacking power plus the ability to burn his targets.

During his two-year training on Momoiro Island, Sanji mastered Diable Jambe, as he learned to activate it without needing to spin around to create friction to heat up his legs, instead igniting them at will. He also learned to ignite his entire body with a move called Hell Memories and combined Diable Jambe with his newfound Sky Walk and Blue Walk abilities.

When Sanji awakened his genetic traits during the Onigashima Raid, he gained a tough exoskeleton that rendered his previous Diable Jambe techniques incomparably stronger than before.

Electro

The Minks, a tribe of furry mammals living on the island of Zou, possess an innate ability called Electro, which allows them to discharge electric shocks at a target. All Minks are natural-born warriors, blessed with inherent agility and physical strength, so the power of Electro complements their hand-to-hand skills.

In regard to close combat, Electro can be channeled through a certain body part to shock anything they touch. As a result, opponents suffer electric burns and other injuries, allowing the Mink fighter to easily get the advantage. When a Mink enters their Sulong transformation, they constantly emit electricity from their bodies, further enhancing their Electro ability.

Fish-Man Jujutsu

Fish-Man Jujutsu is a unique martial art practiced by Fish-Men alongside the more common Fish-Man Karate. This style revolves around the skillful manipulation of water or other liquids to perform specific techniques aimed at overwhelming the opponent.

Users like Hody Jones, the main villain of Fish-Man Island Saga, and Jinbe, the former Warlord who joined the Straw Hat Pirates as their helmsman, can shape water as if it were a tangible material, akin to a cloth, which they use to overpower the intended target.

Fish-Man Karate

Fish-Men, humanoids with the features of water-breathing creatures, have the natural ability to manipulate surrounding water, a skill they maximize when using Fish-Man Karate. This fearsome martial art is incredibly dangerous underwater, where a Fish-Man’s combat attributes increase exponentially, but remains deadly on land.

In fact, skilled Fish-Men can manipulate moisture in the air to hit targets without the need for physical contact. They can even control the water inside the enemy’s body. On average, a Fish-Man is ten times stronger than a human, which makes their attacks quite devastating.

In the hands of a Fish-Man Karate master, even a small splash of water can become a deadly weapon. While this martial art is designed to suit Fish-Men, particularly in their natural aquatic environment, humans can potentially learn to perform some Fish-Man Karate techniques, as seen with Nico Robin and Koala.

Free-style fighters

Monkey D. Garp in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

In One Piece, many brawlers don’t rely on a specific martial art style but simply use their bodies to fight in close combat, employing techniques as they see fit. They perform all sorts of moves, including punches, kicks, grapples, throws, and more. Of course, the best brawlers can use Observation Haki to increase their perception and Armament Haki to harden their strikes, making them stronger.

The franchise’s main protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, is perhaps the best example of a free-style fighter, though his Devil Fruit power places him in a distinct category. Luffy’s grandfather, the legendary “Marine Hero” Monkey D. Garp, didn’t eat a Devil Fruit. Garp doesn’t follow a specific martial art, as he typically performs punches combined with throws and grapples.

He possesses immense physical strength from his strenuous training and can further enhance his fists with the advanced versions of Armament and Conqueror’s Haki for devastating blows. Garp can easily crush entire mountains with his hands alone, his monstrous punching power coupled with formidable Haki earning him the epithet of “Garp the Fist.”

Hasshoken

Hasshoken is a martial art that allows the user to produce and control vibrations, creating concentric shockwaves. The notorious pirate Don Chinjao was able to generate shockwaves with his grotesque yet surprisingly tough drill-shaped head. Focusing his strength and Armament Haki, Chinjao performed a headbutt with enough power to split an enormous ice mass, known as the “Ice Continent,” in half.

Chinjao’s grandson, Sai, is another specialist of the Hasshoken style, allegedly surpassing even his grandfather. As testament to his prowess, Sai was able to bend Chinjao’s Haki-coated pointy head with one of his vibration-enhanced kicks during an unexpected confrontation between grandfather and grandson.

Ifrit Jambe

During the Onigashima Raid, Sanji awakened his family’s genetic traits, gaining bodily enhancements similar to those of the other Vinsmokes, including a highly durable exoskeleton. By combining this exoskeleton with his Armament Haki, Sanji enables his legs to withstand flames far hotter than previously possible.

This led to the development of Ifrit Jambe, a much stronger variant of his Diable Jambe. When in this enhanced state, Sanji’s legs produce blue flames that generate blazes similar to electric sparks. Ifrit Jambe significantly strengthens all of Sanji’s prior kicking techniques.

Jao Kun Do

As a member of the Longleg Tribe, Blue Gilly uses his lower limbs to practice Jao Kun Do, a martial arts style focused on employing the legs as whips to strike the enemy. At close range, Blue Gilly’s leg movements are so quick and erratic that the opponent can hardly predict where his next kick will come from. His attacks aren’t weak either, packing the same power as a steel whip.

Jio-Ken

Jio-Ken is a bizarre yet effective martial art that wielders use to store the muscle power from their youth to use in their old age, therefore bypassing any limitation and weakness from senescence. When using Jio-Ken, Lao G restores the physical vitality from his youth. His muscles enlarge, increasing his strength and speed dramatically as his fists and kicks become deadly weapons.

Kung Fu

During the two-year training in anticipation of the New World, Tony Tony Chopper learned to access his various forms without needing Rumble Balls and even developed a brand-new transformation called Kung Fu Point.

When using this form, Chopper’s body adopts a compact, square structure, with short yet muscular limbs. Kung Fu Point seemingly blends the advantageous features of Arm Point and Jumping Point, enabling Chopper to perform flawless martial art techniques and acrobatic maneuvers inspired by real-life kung fu.

Merman Combat

Merman Combat is a martial art style practiced by Merfolk, humanoid aquatic beings akin to Fish-Men. This fighting style enables users to manipulate water, similar to Fish-Man Jujutsu. Practitioners can grasp water with their hands as if it were solid and tangible, shaping it into projectiles or powerful torrents to hurl at the target.

Newkama Kenpo

Newkama Kenpo is a unique variant of Okama Kenpo used by Emporio Ivankov, the ruler of Kamabakka Kingdom and self-proclaimed “greatest okama.” This bizarre martial art allows Ivankov to generate massive blasts of compressed air simply by winking. Known as Death Wink, this bizarre yet powerful technique is Ivankov’s signature move.

Death Wink is versatile, functioning as both a close-combat and a long-range attack. When using their Horm-Horm Fruit to enlarge their through special hormones, Ivankov can perform Hell Wink, an enhanced version of Death Wink with greater range and power.

Other Newkama Kenpo techniques include acrobatic maneuvers, rapid barrages of stabbing hand strikes, and the Galaxy Wink, where Ivankov performs several Death Wink attacks while moving their head around at high speeds, as if several heads were winking at the target simultaneously.

No Sword Style

The No Sword Style is a peculiar form of unarmed combat demonstrated by Roronoa Zoro. A shift from Zoro’s usual swordsmanship, this martial art allows the green-haired pirate to channel his physical strength in order to generate shockwaves and whirlwind-like forces, inflicting blunt trauma on opponents and sending them flying.

While the No Sword Style is not nearly as effective as Zoro’s actual swordsmanship, it highlights his well-rounded combat prowess, proving he remains a highly capable fighter even without his signature weapons. With Zoro’s outstanding muscle strength and ability to coat himself in Conqueror’s Haki, the “Pirate Hunter” could achieve impressive results with this martial art style if he chose to.

Okama Kenpo

A martial arts style blending dangerous kicks with ballet-inspired movements, Okama Kenpo was primarily showcased by Bentham, a former Baroque Works member with the codename Mr. 2. During his fight with Sanji, Bentham matched the cook’s Black Leg Style with a combination of kicking techniques and acrobatic maneuvers based on ballet dancing.

Bentham demonstrated several powerful kicks for offense, along with the ability to cross long distances quickly and even sprint up vertical walls.

Ramen Kenpo

Ramen Kenpo is a bizarre martial art practiced by Wanze, a low-ranking World Government agent, enabling him to use ramen in combat. Wanze can swallow large amounts of flour and expel it out in the form of hard noodles capable of piercing a target. Additionally, he uses roller skates to generate friction, igniting a surface, and then delivers a flaming kick with the blazing skates.

Wanze’s best Ramen Kenpo technique involves producing a large quantity of noodles from his nose, then shaping them into a large armor for him to wear. The noodle armor is surprisingly tough, allowing Wanze to defend himself from incoming attacks and amplify the force of his own strikes, including punches, body slams, and more.

Rokushiki

Rokushiki is a formidable martial art comprising six unique techniques, each focusing on a distinct aspect of physical perfection, plus a secret seventh move. It’s primarily used by World Government agents from Cipher Pol organizations and Marine officers from the Navy, though Monkey D. Luffy and Sanji of the Straw Hat Pirates have mimicked some Rokushiki techniques of their interest.

After rigorous training to surpass their physical limits, Rokushiki practitioners unlock six superhuman abilities: hardening the body to increase durability, using fingers as weapons to pierce the target’s flesh like bullets, running at extraordinary speeds, moving in mid-air by kicking the air itself, bending the body to dodge incoming attacks, and generating blades of compressed air through high-speed kicks.

Several Rokushiki users have developed their own variants of these six techniques, which underscores this martial art’s versatility. While most Rokushiki wielders specialize in one technique, Rob Lucci has mastered all of them. He can even perform Rokuogan, the devastating secret seventh technique. This move strikes the enemy with a powerful shockwave, inflicting severe internal injuries.

Combining his honed Armament Haki, Rokushiki mastery, and Awakened Zoan Devil Fruit, Lucci stands as a genuine killing machine, with impressive speed, strength, and stamina, as well as a repertoire of lethal moves. Other notable Rokushiki users include Kaku, Stussy, and Who’s Who, as well as Koby, who has achieved remarkable Rokushiki mastery after his training under Garp’s tutelage.

Ryusoken

The Ryusoken, i.e., Dragon Claw Fist, is a martial art style that Sabo learned after joining the Revolutionary Army. It emphasizes crushing the enemy through one’s fingers held in a claw-like position. Over the years, Sabo has honed and mastered this martial art, which enabled him to shatter steel weapons and armor with his bare hands.

Sabo’s proficiency in Armament Haki enhances his Ryusoken techniques, turning his fingers into fearsome tools to dismantle his opponents. As he now wields the Flame-Flame Fruit, Sabo can combine the Ryusoken’s devastating grip with the intense heat and power of his Logia-generated fire to crush and scorch enemies simultaneously.

Seimei Kikan

Seimei Kikan, also known as Life Return, is a technique used by martial arts masters to gain complete control over all their bodily functions and body parts, including those typically beyond conscious control. For example, Kumadori can command his hair to lengthen and wrap around a target, binding them, or reshape his hair into multiple “hands” to rapidly strike an opponent, similar to the Finger Pistol technique.

Rob Lucci typically uses Seimei Kikan to manipulate his muscle mass, making his Awakened form and human-leopard hybrid form thinner and more agile or bulkier and stronger, depending on the situation’s needs. Combining Seimei Kikan with Kami-e, Lucci becomes so nimble that it’s nearly impossible to land a hit on him.

Sumo

Sumo moves in One Piece revolve around open-palm strikes powered by the user’s massive weight and brute force. Sentomaru, the man who served Dr. Vegapunk as his bodyguard until the epilogue of the Egghead Incident, typically fights in a traditional sumo stance, yet he is faster than his size and build would suggest.

Beyond his superhuman physical strength, Sentomaru can project his Armament Haki outward via sumo-style open-palm thrusts, a technique that allows him to harm enemies even without physically touching them. He also adopts a sumo stance to create Armament Haki barriers to defend himself from incoming attacks.

Kawamatsu, one of the Red Scabbards, primarily relies on his swordsmanship but is also a formidable sumo wrestler, known as Wano’s strongest, surpassing Urashima.

Tontatta Combat

In the One Piece world, dwarves are humanoids small enough to fit in the palm of a normal-sized human’s hand, yet in possession of surprising agility and physical strength. The Tontatta Tribe, a colony of dwarves from Green Bit who recently joined the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, practice their own special martial art called “Tontatta Combat.”

This close-range fighting style involves dwarves performing full-body rotations, such as flips and spins, to deliver physical blows with their tails. They can also wield weapons, often lances scaled to their size. Leo, the leader of the newly formed Tontatta Pirates, combines this distinctive martial art with the powers of the Stitch-Stitch Fruit, a Devil Fruit that allows him to bind enemies before striking them.