One Piece Final Saga: Sanji’s Biggest Power Upgrades and Top Benchmarks
As the Straw Hat Pirates push deeper through the One Piece New World, Sanji—the Cook of the Straw Hat Pirates and the crew’s expert fighter—has kept leveling up. He’s always been highly efficient in combat, but the stakes have only grown tougher, particularly with the story entering its Final Saga.
In the most recent stretch, the Straw Hats have climbed to the same tier as an Emperor-level crew. That shift forces Luffy’s fighters to grow right alongside him, meaning names like Sanji and Zoro can’t stay the same. For Sanji, that has meant pushing past multiple powerful pirates, leaving select elites behind in the process.
5 Vinsmoke Siblings
The Vinsmoke Siblings are Sanji’s blood relatives, and they were introduced during the Whole Cake Island Arc. That arc made it clear just how dangerous these brothers and their family background could be, emphasizing that they function like living weapons—so destructive, in fact, that they could bring down entire countries on their own.
On paper, the Vinsmoke Siblings had almost everything Sanji lacked: an exoskeleton, a temperament described as cold, and a body built to handle nearly anyone. The one major gap on their side was just as important—emotions and genuine freedom of choice.
The Vinsmoke Siblings were formidable, and during Whole Cake Island some of them—like Niji and Ichiji—were arguably in a position to outmatch Sanji. But in the Final Saga, the situation has flipped. Sanji has already surpassed every one of them, reaching strength levels that weren’t seen from him before.
4 Donquixote Doflamingo
Donquixote Doflamingo is the captain of the Donquixote Pirates, and he’s presented as a truly overwhelming force. Fans encountered him extensively during the Dressrosa Saga of One Piece, where he also served as a major obstacle for Luffy to overcome.
Sanji, though, got his own run-in with him when the two crossed paths not long after the Green Bit area. At that time, Doflamingo was able to dominate Sanji completely, even while recognizing Sanji’s raw power. Overall, Sanji was still far behind Doflamingo back then. Now, in the Final Saga, Sanji has grown strong enough to beat him with ease—without even needing to go all out.
3 King
King the Wildfire—real name Alber—is one of the Three All Stars of the Beast Pirates. With the highest bounty among them and the Beast Pirates’ merit-based hierarchy, King was widely believed to be the strongest subordinate connected to Kaido. He’s also incredibly hard to deal with, and his fight against Zoro showed that he wasn’t someone you could simply walk through.
Sanji fought King multiple times, and each time he managed to hold his ground. That consistency suggested that, at least initially, there may not have been a huge gap in either power or skill between the two.
Then Sanji awakened and unleashed his hidden abilities, pushing him to a tier that goes well beyond King. At present, Sanji has more than enough to defeat King in battle without needing to expend everything he has.
Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, has officially set up the “perfect” Devil Fruit for Roronoa Zoro.
2 Charlotte Katakuri
Charlotte Katakuri is the most powerful of the Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates. He’s known as an exceptionally dangerous pirate thanks to a power that allows him to see the future itself. In terms of how Observation Haki is used, Katakuri sits above Sanji. Still, when it comes to overall performance as a fighter, Sanji ends up outclassing him across the board in direct combat.
After Sanji awakened his latent abilities, he reached a level well beyond even other Yonko First Commanders. Only a small number of people can challenge him—and beat him. Katakuri is not among that small group. A matchup between Sanji and Katakuri would be especially satisfying for fans, since both excel at Observation Haki and make it a central part of their fighting style.
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1 Marco
Marco is known as the former First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. He’s an extremely powerful pirate, and his strength has even been recognized by the Five Elders. During the Paramount War, Marco demonstrated that he could stand up against Marine Admirals and still keep pressure on them.
Marco is formidable, and his Phoenix Devil Fruit gives him the ability to recover from virtually any injury, provided he still has enough stamina. It’s arguable who is stronger between Marco and Sanji, since both bring impressive durability to the table. However, Sanji’s toughness and recovery rate are also described as extremely high, and his damage output is portrayed as far beyond what Marco can bring.
On top of that, the fact that Sanji was able to destroy even Kizaru’s light and leave him stunned—something Marco couldn’t accomplish—serves as a strong sign that Sanji is the more impressive fighter overall.
One Piece is available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
