10 Major One Piece Villains Who First Appeared as Nobodies, Ranked

When it comes to One Piece, the villains play a very important role in shaping the story, whether it be through becoming a major rival or playing an overarching antagonist. However, when we took a closer look, some of the villains in the anime made some of the blandest first impressions.

That being said, this list explores such villains of the series who became major antagonists later, but absolute nobodies first. Here are some of the major One Piece villains who first appeared as nobodies, ranked by how big their later roles were and how mediocre and uneventful their introduction was.

TITLE	One Piece
CREATOR	Eiichiro Oda
RELEASE DATE	October 20, 1999
IMDb RATING (As of May 15, 2026)	9/10
MAL RATINGS (As of May 15, 2026)	8.73/10
WHERE TO WATCH	Crunchyroll

10 Hody Jones Felt Like Just Another Random Fish-Man in One Piece

They say first impressions leave a lasting mark; however, that was not the case with Hody Jones. Hody first seemed like just another random Fish-Man extremist lurking in the background of Fish-Man Island – nothing even close to that could hint at him as a major antagonist of the arc.

Unlike iconic villains before him, he lacked charisma and grand hype initially – but he became one of the most hated villains of the series, especially because of his motivation to become a villain – none. Nothing life-altering or personal tragedy happened with Hody; he just woke up one day and chose violence.

9 Spandam Was an Incompetent and Annoying Nobody at the Start

When we talk about incompetence, the character of Spandam is one of the most appropriate examples we could give from One Piece. He looked incompetent, cowardly, and annoying from the start – and that is exactly what infuriated the fans more after his positional reveal.

Despite being an annoying nobody, Spandam wielded terrifying political authority through the World Government. He was the main pushing force behind the Enies Lobby Arc and the capture of Nico Robin. Currently, he serves under CP0, despite still being utterly undeserving.

8 Kanjuro Looked Like One of The Most Harmless Samurai From Wano

Well, if we dial back to the first time we saw him, Kanjuro was nothing more than a member of the Nine Red Scabbards and a comedic samurai character from Wano Country. His bad drawings became a running joke, and nobody viewed him as threatening. He seemed completely harmless and cracked jokes often – until he betrayed Kin’emon and the others.

He was exposed as the traitor working against the Kozuki family, the family that they were supposed to protect. The reveal completely recontextualized years of scenes and made him one of the most shocking hidden villains in One Piece.

7 Crocodile’s Initially Looked Like a Distant Political Hero

Sir Crocodile has always been a fan-favorite villain in the series, from defeating Luffy twice to eventually helping him in the Marineford War. However, his first impression in the series screamed far from “major villain” – Alabasta citizens adored him as their protector, and even readers initially saw him through that public image.

The reveal that he was secretly orchestrating the kingdom’s collapse turned him into one of the series’ major antagonists, and rightfully so. Before the reveal, he looked nothing more than a random political figure who led the kingdom of Alabasta.

6 Kaido Was a Suicidal Drunk Who Came Crashing Down From the Sky

If we take you back to the very first time Kaido appeared in the series, not a single one of you would believe that this was one of the strongest creatures in the One Piece series. Before his official reveal, Kaido mostly existed as a name tied to rumors and shadows. But still, the first real glimpse we got was not of a glorious emperor, but a suicidal drunk crashing from the sky.

His entrance completely lacked the flair of an Emperor of the Sea, and he could barely stand properly. That bizarre introduction hid the reality that he was arguably the strongest creature alive – later becoming the main antagonist of Wano and pushing Luffy to unleash his iconic Gear 5 transformation.

5 Kuro Looked Like a Harmless Butler in One Piece

This one is a straight-up blast from the past: how many of you remember Captain Kuro, the main antagonist of the Syrup Village Arc? Even though time wore down his presence in the series, he himself did not make a great first impression as a villain. He disguised himself as the harmless butler Klahadore in Syrup Village, acting like a nobody servant.

Underneath the guise lay one of the East Blue’s most intelligent pirates. Even if we compared him with some of the current villains in the series, Kuro relied on manipulation and patience, which made his reveal surprisingly effective early in the series.

4 Rob Lucci Debuted as a Simple Shipwright at the Galley-La Company

Rob Lucci is a recurring antagonist of the One Piece anime series – appearing over and over again, from the Water 7 Arc to the Egghead Island Arc. However, if we talk about first impressions, no one in their right mind would have guessed he would become a major villain in the series, after being presented as a quiet shipwright from Galley-La Company, barely standing out.

The CP9 reveal changed everything – Lucci instantly transformed into one of the most dangerous assassins the Straw Hats had ever faced, delivering one of Luffy’s most brutal fights in the series.

3 Buggy Looked Like the Official Jester of the Series in Orange Town

Once a clown, always a clown: that’s what our initial impression was when we saw Buggy the Star Clown at Orange Town. Even though he is still one of the funniest One Piece characters, he is far from being a simple jester and comic relief in the series, as many of us had initially thought.

Even though it is hard to swallow, Buggy is currently one of the Emperors of the Sea; how and why only Oda knows. Buggy is still one of the most controversial characters when it comes to one question: even though he is a Yonko, is he still just a comic relief, or will he do something drastic in the future?

2 Doflamingo First Appeared as Just Another Smug Warlord

Doflamingo technically appeared early as just another smug Warlord sitting in meetings and laughing in the background. At first, he felt more like flavor text for the World Government than a central threat – until years later, the Dressrosa Arc happened. It showed he wasn’t just another smug character implemented to tick our anger; he was a major threat.

Dressrosa revealed him as one of the most influential monsters in the entire world: an underground kingpin, Celestial Dragon, arms dealer, and manipulator tied to Kaido himself. Only a handful of villains have transformed from a “background annoyance” to a significant main villain.

1 Marshall D. Teach Appeared as a Loud and Messy Random Pirate in Jaya

When Marshall D. Teach first appeared in the Jaya Arc, he felt like a loud, messy pirate rambling about dreams in a random bar – nothing hinting that he would become a future Yonko and one of the overall strongest characters in the series. There was nothing visually intimidating about him compared to monsters like Crocodile or Enel – but that was exactly the big setup Oda had in mind.

Teach slowly revealed himself as the man responsible for Ace’s downfall, the rise of the Paramount War, and eventually one of the Yonko. Not only that, he even took Whitebeard’s Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit), becoming the only pirate to wield two Devil Fruit powers at once. Blackbeard is no joke, and definitely nothing like that loud and annoying pirate from Jaya we once saw.

RANKING	VILLAINS	DEBUT EPISODE
1	Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard)	Episode 146
2	Donquixote Doflamingo	Episode 151
3	Buggy the Star Clown	Episode 4
4	Rob Lucci	Episode 230
5	Captain Kuro	Episode 9
6	Kaido	Episode 739
7	Sir Crocodile	Episode 76
8	Kanjuro Kurozumi	Episode 691
9	Spandam	Episode 249
10	Hody Jones	Episode 527

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The One Piece anime series is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.