One Piece has A LOT of characters. In fact, they have over 1000 named characters in the series. That’s like 1 character a chapter at this point. Today, I’ll focus on the best One Piece female characters because I think they deserve some spotlight over the big boys. Almost every affiliation is here, from princesses to Yonko, these are the 25 female characters from One Piece that left a lasting impression on the story and to the fans.
Note, this is not a who is the strongest. This is a collection of the character as a whole such as personality, writing, impact, etc. Anyway, lets jump to the first female character!
Breakdown of the Best One Piece Female Characters
20. Chimney
First Appearance: Water 7
Affiliation: Kokoro’s Granddaughter
Why she’s ranked here:
Chimney doesn’t do a lot during her time at Water 7 and Enies Lobby (some of the BEST Pre-Time Skip Arcs), but she and her little companion, Gombe, were ALWAYS hilarious whenever on screen. That big goofy grin on Chimney’s face is ingrained in my head. A little fact for you all out there, Chimney is actually a one-quarter mermaid which (makes sense if you stop and think about it). On top of that, she saved Monkey D. Luffy twice by spotting him being stuck between the buildings in Water 7 and then fishing him out of the water in Enies Lobby.
Even though her time in One Piece is short, everyone will remember her as that goofy little girl with whatever the heck Gonbe is. She was definitely a refreshing comedic side character and one that is very unique to all the other young female characters. It would have been cool to see if there could have been an expansion on her development, but Eiichiro Oda can’t help himself from creating a ton of characters. Chimney is a lowkey GOAT.
Best moment:
- Saving Monkey D. Luffy from drowning.
- Discovering a secret passage leading to Lucci.
- Hilariously mimicking everyone.
19. Big Mom
First Appearance: Fishman Island
Affiliation: Big Mom Pirates, The Charlotte Family, Rocks Pirates
Why she’s ranked here:
I’m not a big fan of villains in any show because morally, I just don’t agree with the actions they choose. However, I have to give credit where credit is due and put Big Mom, aka Charlotte Linlin, on the list, even if it is at 19. Her power, the Soul-Soul Fruit, is actually really cool and fits her bipolar feelings quite nicely. She has a more complex background compared to most characters on this list, but Big Mom, to me, was not THAT amazing of a character.
To me, Big Mom was handled incredibly badly whenever encountering the Straw Hats. She is supposed to be a Yonko, yet she can’t capture a handful of pirates that invaded her gigantic country. On top of that, the whole amnesia arc in Wano Country made the plot super awkward. It was as if she reverted alllllll the way back to when she was a kid and for what? Then, she gets bodied by Trafalgar Water D. Law and Eustass Kidd. Not a single win in her book. Unfortunately, there was always something a little missing from her.
Best moment:
- Driving out the Straw Hats.
- Defeating Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kidd individually.
- Created Zeus.
18. Rebecca
First Appearance: Dressrosa
Affiliation: Dressrosa, Corrida Colosseum
Why she’s ranked here:
Rebecca has one of the strongest backstories in Dressrosa, but compared to the other princesses she has less agency in the story. Not a lot stands out to me, but it is really cool to see her passivity in the Corrida Colosseum (it’s also cool to see her leader card can’t attack in the One Piece Trading Card Game). Not one person ever defeats Rebecca, yet she also never hurts anyone due to Kyros’s ideology. It’s odd to place her so low because she does have an interesting backstory with Kyros, but at times she was a bit bland.
She doesn’t accomplish much in the whole arc of Dressrosa. Yeah, she tries to help as much as she can, but with her fighting style, there isn’t much she can do. If anything, she made it harder for Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hats because she HAD to be protected. Even Nico Robin gets injured because of that task. In the end, it was touching to see her reunite with Kyros after the brutal leadership of Donquixote Doflamingo.
Best moment:
- Reuniting with her dad, Kyros.
- Shows passivity instead of violence to win.
17. Kalifa
First Appearance: Water 7
Affiliation: Galley-La Company, CP9, CP0
Why she’s ranked here:
Kalifa is one of my favorite female antagonists in the whole show. She is a calculating, cold diva who don’t need a man. First introduced as Iceburg’s secretary at Galley-La Company, Kalifa shows to be quite intelligent and at times a little quirky with her gag. After the CP9 reveals themselves, she retains most of her identity as before but just a bit more badass. After receiving a Paramecia Devil Fruit called the Bubble-Bubble Fruit, she comes face to face with Nami, who challenges her new skills.
Even with her new Devil Fruit and her mastery in the Six Powers, Kalifa does not get the job done. Honestly, Kalifa should have won that but Nami definitely ate the Plot-Plot Fruit to help her. She doesn’t really do much in the show, and less so as a CP0 agent, but her personality wins it over some other characters.
Best moment:
- Beating up Vinsmoke Sanji during Enies Lobby arc.
- Eating the Bubble-Bubble Fruit.
16. Camie
First Appearance: Sabaody Archipelago
Affiliation: Takoyaki 8, Fish-Man Island, Mermaid Cafe
Why she’s ranked here:
Camie is pretty hilarious. Her reaction to literally anything is absolutely ridiculous, and I love it. Honestly, she fits the Straw Hat crew much better than Carrot and Rebecca. She just can’t fight. I guess neither can Rebecca… Anyway, she honestly doesn’t really do much other than just be pretty funny, BUT she was the catalyst to the events of Sabaody Archipelago (that actually made it harder on the Straw Hats…). On top of that, there was a bit more exposition that helped understand the Fishmen a bit more, and she got Hatchan accepted as a friend for Luffy and the crew.
Oda had a chance to improve her character more in after the Time-Skip, but he didn’t do much. We learned a bit more of her waitress job at Fish-Man Island, and she did serve as the guide for the Straw Hats. However, there wasn’t much more after that. Camie is just a top-level friend for the Straw Hats. Overall, she’s just dope. I hope to see more of her goofy character.
Best moment:
- Catalyst for Admiral Kizaru and Pacifistas to arrive on Sabaody.
- Mended the relationships between Hatchan and the Straw Hats.
15. Carrot
First Appearance: Zou
Affiliation: Mokomo Dukedom, Mink Tribe
Why she’s ranked here:
I never found Carrot to be a character that I really enjoyed. I know a lot of fans probably have her much higher than where I am placing her, but she never stuck out to me. When she first snuck onto the Thousand Sunny enroute to Whole Cake Island, it got a bit exciting, I won’t lie. Pedro, another Mink character, was an awesome addition, so I thought Carrot would be too. Honestly, she’s more of a neutral character in my eyes. I know many were waiting for her to become a Straw Hat, but not me.
My favorite moment of hers has to be when she goes into Sulong form twice. Her revenge she got on Perospero was very satisfying. I will never forgive the him or Big Mom for what they did to Pedro. Unfortunately, she’s just missing depth to her character because she just feels too much of a side character at this point. It feels like she should be more than just fun. I doubt she will come back, but who knows.
Best Moments:
- Sneaking onto the Thousand Sunny to help the Straw Hats rescue Vinsmoke Sanji.
- Going into Sulong Form to defeat Perospero.
14. Charlotte Pudding
First Appearance: Whole Cake Island
Affiliation: Charlotte Family, Big Mom Pirates
Why she’s ranked here:
When Pudding is first introduced, we all thought she was going to be this sweet, innocent and helpful girl. Until we quickly find out she wasn’t any of that, just an actress. It makes sense considering her mom is Big Mom of the Big Mom Pirates. During the events at Whole Cake Island, Big Mom and Vinsmoke Judge force Vinsmoke Sanji into a political marriage with Pudding to connect the Vinsmokes and the Charlottes.
As we now know, Pudding was faking her interest in Sanji. But, she slowly falls for him overtime even after he finds out about her true third eye appearance. Gaining newfound confidence, she decides to help Sanji and the others escape from Whole Cake Island. It was quite sad to see her use her Memo-Memo Fruit to erasa Sanji’s memory of her. She knew he would not leave her behind with the Charlotte Family, so she decided this was the way to force him to escape alive. Overall, a great redemption story for Charlotte Pudding.
Best moment:
- Choosing to be forgotten to save Sanji’s life.
- Helped bake a cake to stop Big Mom’s rampage in Whole Cake Island.
13. Dr. Kureha
First Appearance: Drum Island
Affiliation: Sakura Kingdom
Why she’s ranked here:
I really like Kureha’s personality. She literally does not care to show her true self to anyone, and I find that pretty badass. Her biggest character moment came when Dr. Hiriluk came to his end. She adopts Chopper, and teaches him how to be a doctor. Additionally, she saves Nami’s life by curing her disease, known as the Five-Day Disease, during the events on Drum Island. Plus, she lore drops a bit on Gol D. Roger, explaining how some people have the “Will of D.”
She may have a tough outside appearance, but we know she has a big heart deep down. I mean, she also helped out during the Revery Arc too. I have a feeling there’s WAY more to her character than we know, and I think we’ll see more of her in the final saga of One Piece.
Best Moments:
- Saving Nami from a life threatening disease called the Five-Day Disease.
- Adopting Tony Tony Chopper and teaching him how to become a doctor.
- Dropping lore exposition on Gol D. Roger’s real name.
12. Kokoro
First Appearance: Water 7
Affiliation: Tom’s Workers, Water 7 Stationmaster
Why she’s ranked here:
I don’t know what it is about Kokoro, but she is pretty darn cool. She is the most carefree character in the entire show besides Kizaru. Plus, her granddaughter Chimney, who is also on this list, takes after Kokoro too well (except for the drinking). At first, you don’t think Kokoro will have much to do with the story. But for some reason, she just drops information during Water 7 like nothing. Like why would she have all this knowledge? Oda has the ability to churn out masterful characters like nothing. Almost every character during the Water 7 Saga was pure class.
During her time with the Straw Hats, she guides them several times, flies a Sea Train, called The Rocketman, into the World Government, and she saves the Straw Hats from drowning because she’s also a mermaid. She kept hitting me with surprises, and I was all for it. I really miss the characters from Water 7, especially Kokoro. It was sad not seeing her in Fish-Man Island.
Best Moments:
- Commandeering the Rocketman to Enies Lobby.
- Saving the Straw Hats from drowning using her real identity as a mermaid to swim them to safety.
11. Kurozumi Tama
First Appearance: Wano Country
Affiliation: Kurozumi Family, Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance
Why she’s ranked here:
Kurozumi Tama is a little girl that Monkey D. Luffy meets at the beginning of Wano and plays a pretty major role during that entire arc. She embodies the spirit of Luffy rather well as she is very brave but also extremely careless. She may not be a strong character physically, but she is capable of taming all sorts of beasts with her Millet-Millet fruit. Her paramecia devil fruit allows her to create special dumplings from her cheeks to feed any animal, causing them to be loyal and obedient to Tama.
Tama brought her A game in Wano. First, she saves Luffy and feeds her the rest of her food. Then, she used her relationship with the amnesic Big Mom to save Luffy from Udon. Finally, she used her Devil Fruit powers to get all the gifters on the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance. She single-handedly gained hundreds of supporters from the Gifters, people with the SMILE fruits, because of the Kibi-Kibi no mi. Overall, she’s a very brave girl who gives her all for her friends.
Best Moments:
10. Koala
First Appearance: Fish-Man Island
Affiliation: Sun Pirates, Revolutionary Army
Why she’s ranked here:
I really hope Koala gets more time in One Piece. Her first introduction during Fisher Tiger’s backstory was an interesting one. When we first met adult Koala, I had NO CLUE she was on board with Fisher Tiger years ago. I recently rewatched and was like OMG that is Koala. Anyways, it was nice to see her background and her motive to become a Revolutionary. She felt awful about the oppression of the Fish-Man and wanted to change that, especially after what her village did to Fisher Tiger.
I like her interactions with Sabo, but I feel like there is more to her story that is left unpacked. She is a very sweet girl and clearly cares about those around her, but I want a bit more. Her time with the Sun Pirates left me wanting just a bit more from her. It would be really cool to see her interact with Jinbe after all these years. The fact Koala knows Fish-Man Karate now will definitely put a smile on his face.
Best Moments:
- Joining the Sun Pirates and losing her previous judgements on the Fish-Man.
9. Makino
First Appearance: Romance Dawn
Affiliation: Foosha Village
Why she’s ranked here:
Makino is underrated. I may be wrong, but she is just a straight-up homie. All of her interactions with Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace, and Sabo were so wholesome, and I would be super upset if anything bad ever happens to her. Her care for practically everyone goes above even Chopper’s pretty much.
She hasn’t had many moments and most of them are her just being a very kind lady. For some reason, I just put her up here because of her care for the boys. Even now, she still worries about the Luffy and Sabo (RIP ACE). She just tugs at my heart a bit with her wholesome personality. She’s definitely a GOATed character.
8. Princess Shirahoshi
First Appearance: Fish-Man Island
Affiliation: Neptune Family, Ryugu Kingdom
Why she’s ranked here:
I previously had the opinion that Shirahoshi kind of sucked, but my perspective on her has changed a bit. Yes, she cries a lot, but then I though about it. She spent a decent chunk of her life infantilized inside that room for years. Heck, I would be crying too. If this were Kingdom Hearts, she would be THE princess of light for how pure her intentions are. Even after being in there for so long, she still goes out with Monkey D. Luffy and tries her best to stop Hody Jones and Vanderdecken. Also, DID I MENTION SHE IS POSEIDON? ONE OF THE THREE ANCIENT WEAPONS IN ONE PIECE.
Anyway, Shirahoshi might be naive, but she has the right intentions most of the time. I like Shirahoshi because she reminds us to not hold onto any resentment. She is such a gentle and strong mermaid, and her potential to become a leader is up there (speaking of Leader, she is another favorite leader of mine in the One Piece Card Game. She got me 2nd place). Without a doubt, Shirahoshi is going to be a pivotal character in the Final Saga for sure.
Best Moments:
- Calling the Sea Kings to save Fish-Man Island.
7. Jewelry Bonney
First Appearance: Sabaody Archipelago
Affiliation: Bonney Pirates, Supernovas
Why she’s ranked here:
Jewelry Bonney, one of the 11 Supernovas introduced during Sabaody Archipelago, FINALLY got her story recently in Egghead Island. It was finally her turn to be in the spotlight. For the longest time, the speculation on her character was all over the place. The most popular theory was that she is secretly an old lady by the name of Queen Conney (I know, weird times). At the time it made sense, she had access to the Age-Age fruit which allowed her to manipulate the ages of herself and others.
Truth is, she was just a scared little girl who was cursed with the Sapphire Scale disease, which made it impossible for her to be in the sunlight. But, her father, Bartholomew Kuma, was able to save her. In exchange for Vegapunk’s help, he gave his body to the World Government to research the ultimate weapon, Pacifistas.
During her time as a pirate, she has helped the Straw Hats quite a few times. Back on Sabaody, she even deescalated Roronoa Zoro’s encounter with Saint Charlos, a World Noble. Without her, Saint Charlos would have called an Navy Admiral instantly. She also help Luffy at the end of Egghead Island to fight off the Navy by using her Distorted Future ability. This granted her powers similar to Gear 5 for a brief period. Also, she was strong-willed enough to learn about Kuma’s devastating background even though she was only 12 years old. I won’t be surprised if Bonney breaks into the top 20 One Piece character poll from 2026.
Best Moments:
- Pretending Roronoa Zoro got shot to deescalate his clash with Saint Charlos, a World Noble.
- Guiding the Straw Hats during the Egghead Island Arc.
- Channeling the power of Nika by using her Distorted Future ability.
6. Vinsmoke Reiju
First Appearance: Whole Cake Island
Affiliation: Vinsmoke Family, Germa Kingdom
Why she’s ranked here:
Reiju is one of the best female character One Piece has had after the time skip. Her introduction was pretty notable. During the initial moments of Whole Cake Island, the divided Straw Hats had no chef. So, Luffy decided to cook up a delicious bowl of slop. In the end, Luffy poisons himself and Reiju ultimately sucks the venom out. Soon after, she reveals she is Sanji’s sister. Later on in the arc, we see that she is the only one from the Vinsmoke Family to actually care about Sanji. She even actively helped him when they were kids. And again, she puts her life on the line to help him flee the wedding between him and Charlotte Pudding, Big Mom’s daughter.
Sadly, her story is quite tragic considering she doesn’t even want to be alive after so much trauma. What Judge has done to Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, Sanji, and Yonji is insane. While only Reiju and Sanji felt the disgust of their true selves, they still tried their hardest to be on the good side of humanity. Overall, she is a very complex and compelling character, and I hope to see her more later in the series.
Best Moments:
- Saving Sanji and being one of the only supportive person in his childhood.
- Sucking the venom out of Luffy which saves his life.
5. Curly Dadan
First Appearance: Post-Enies Lobby
Affiliation: Dadan Family
Why she’s ranked here:
Who the hell can’t like Curly Dadan? Yeah, she might seem tough and scary, but as it turns out, she is the one of the best moms of One Piece. At first, Dadan wanted nothing to do with Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace, and Sabo, but overtime, she warmed up to them and treated them with love and care. Her time with the boys was extremely wholesome. That’s why it was so devastating to see her reaction to Ace’s death.
And honestly? Those blows she dealt to Monkey D. Garp? Garp deserved them 100%. He may be hurting too, but it felt as though Dadan took it much harder. Dadan might not be super integral to the plot, but she was there for the boys at a pivotal time in their lives. Dadan is the MOAT (Mom of all time).
Best Moments:
- Punching Garp and making him realize he didn’t save Portgas D. Ace.
- Raising Luffy, Ace and at times Sabo and teaching them about the real world.
4. Nefertari Vivi
First Appearance: Reverse Mountain
Affiliation: Straw Hat Pirates, Baroque Works, Alabasta Kingdom
Why she’s ranked here:
Vivi is one of the first female characters that Oda decides to make an antagonist turn protagonist. From my recollection, he really only does it for female characters (I recollected my recollection and there are plenty of male characters that swap sides too). Still, Vivi is a really awesome character, and she is the only Straw Hat member to not be with the crew.
It’s honestly so interesting how Eiichiro Oda came up with her becoming a princess on a whim. She was supposed to be a villain! If you rewatch the show, you can see the drastic switch up from the early days in the Alabasta Saga where she was a bit more spunky and had more attitude. Now, she is a mature and kind princess who will most likely be the next ruler of Alabasta after what happened with King Nefertari Cobra.
She turned her entire character around so quickly, and she has become one of the most beloved in all of One Piece. There is still time for her to top the leaderboard here depending on what happens in the Final Saga. PS, I am so upset she and Karoo couldn’t stay longer with the Straw Hats.
Best Moments:
- Stopping the Battle of Alabasta between the royal army and the rebels.
- Saying goodbye to the Straw Hats with the iconic “X” symbol on their arms.
3. Boa Hancock
First Appearance: Amazon Lily
Affiliation: Kuja Pirates, Seven Warlords of the Sea
Why she’s ranked here:
Hancock was out for blood when she first saw Monkey D. Luffy. Understandably so. Now, she is the most badass female character in the entire show. Her strength is up there as one of the strongest female characters of all time. Also, her dedication to Luffy is on another level. I mean, she barely just met the guy and is helping him break into Impel Down, the world’s most secure prison. Without her, Luffy would have had absolutely no chance in storming the underwater hellhole. On top of that, during the War at Marineford, she secretly helps him defeat some Marines and Pacifistas.
Now, we haven’t seen much of her lately. All we know is that she successfully stopped the Marines and Blackbeard Pirates from raiding Amazon Lily. Hopefully down the line, she becomes relevant to the story again. She is THIS close to being my favorite female character in One Piece (come on Oda, give the people what they want).
Best Moments:
- Helping Monkey D. Luffy infiltrate Impel Down.
- Fighting alongside Luffy and the Whitebeard Pirates in Marineford.
2. Nico Robin
First Appearance: Whiskey Peak
Affiliation: Straw Hat Pirates, Baroque Works, Ohara Archaeologists
Why she’s ranked here:
Choosing the top 4 female characters in One Piece is very tough. They are all exceptional, but they just have one big thing in common. EVERY SINGLE ONE has a sort of evil side to them and then later they become an ally to the Straw Hats in some way. I placed Robin at 2 simply because joining the Straw Hats was her only option to keep going. Deep down, she only joined to use them like she used the other crews she tagged along with. However, we later learn more about her complex background.
During the events of the Water 7 Saga, Oda reveals the backstory of Nico Robin. In truth, the World Government was after her because she was the last descendant of Ohara, an island where they learned the ancient tongue written on Poneglyphs. On these indestucble stones was the knowledge of the Void Century, a period that vanished from the history books. Her hidden past and crew hopping all made sense now. She was forced to hide and not trust anyone. Thankfully, Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates gave her the will to live and travel with them. Since then, she has fully redeemed herself, and now, she is one of the greatest characters in the show.
Best Moments:
- Deciphering the Poneglpyhs on islands like Alabasta, Skypeia, Wano Country, etc.
- Declaring her wish to live and travel with the Straw Hat Pirates.
- Destroying Spandam and getting her revenge during the large battle at Enies Lobby.
1. Nami Is the Best One Piece Female Character
First Appearance: Orange Town
Affiliation: Straw Hat Pirates, Arlong Pirtates
Why she’s ranked here:
Oda with a QUADRUPLE back-to-back-to-back (to-back?) bad girl turned good. Again, Nami was written to have this sly side of her. She literally steals the Going Merry, making herself some sort of villain (plus she WAS part of the Arlong Pirates). However, learning why she did what she did makes it quite wholesome and tragic. In order to free everyone’s enslavement from Arlong Park, she made a deal to buy Cocoyasi Village, her home island, from Arlong. Everyone from the village thought she betrayed them, but they had no clue the amount of weight she had on her shoulders. In the end, it was Monkey D. Luffy and friends who helped her. It was a touching moment and a big lesson for Nami to accept the helps of others.
Now, I may not like her personality the most, but she does a lot in the show. She is basically the second main character of the show because she influences the story in many different points. For that alone, she has to be top 5. Also, without her, the Straw Hats aren’t even making it out of the East Blue. We could be here all day from her fights to her genius plans, but we all know that Nami is the best female character in One Piece.
Best Moments:
- Saving enough berry to save Cocoyasi Village and asking Monkey D. Luffy to help her.
- Stealing Zeus from Big Mom and using his powers against her during Whole Cake Island.
- Slapping Sanji after his antics of leaving the Straw Hat crew.
Until Next Time
What do you guys think of the list? It was a tough time going back to recall certain things about these best female characters in One Piece, but it was a fun one. I’m sure there are a few characters here that you might have wanted. Let me know what I missed. Please take a look at my MVP of Every One Piece Arc and the Worst One Piece Arcs!
Thank you guys for reading, and stay sexy my friends.