Are you wondering who will be the final villain in One Piece? As the manga draws to a close, we see the conclusion of many storylines and conflicts involving the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Luffy and their rivals. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the identity of Luffy’s ultimate antagonist, several potential candidates exist. As fans, we can only speculate on who the final villain of One Piece could be, and many possibilities could be equally plausible.
Who is the Final Villain of One Piece?
There is no official answer to who will be the final villain in One Piece. However, I believe that Blackbeard will be the final Villain of One Piece due to my knowledge of the series, previous events in the manga, statements given by Oda, and fan theories that connect with my own. Again, though, this is not the official answer, and more on my reasoning will be discussed below.
Is Laugh Tale the Final Arc?
During an interview with Team Detective Conan, Oda said One Piece would end once the One Piece treasure is found. While this statement is a bit vague, it seems that there will be no post-Laugh Tale arc making it the last arc in the series, which may help us determine who the final villain in One Piece will be.
Oda states, “I’ve always pictured what the final chapter of ‘ONE PIECE’ would be like, though from time to time, the situation surrounding it changes. It will still be over whenever the One Piece is found in the series, haha. Anyway, this next arc is the final one.”
Laugh Tale is an island located at the end of New World, where the One Piece treasure is. It was named Laugh Tale Island by Gol D. Roger after he discovered the One Piece treasure was left there by Joy Boy. We could see the final villain fight Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates at Laugh Tale Island to end the series. So then, with this in mind, who is the final villain in One Piece?
Related: One Piece Manga Release Date Schedule 2023: When You Can Expect New Chapters
Akainu
While we could see Akainu being a villain of One Piece, which he was during the Marineford War, he doesn’t seem to have the power to be the final villain. He isn’t powerful enough to take on Luffy one vs. one to make it a meaningful and impactful fight to end the series and he isn’t directly connected to the One Piece treasure. While a fight between Luffy and Akainu before others on this list would make sense as retribution for killing Ace during the Marineford War, we could see Sabo fighting Akainu instead.
Shanks
The one person that every fan agrees upon not being the final villain is Shanks. This is because Shanks is more of a rival than a villain, similar to the relationship between Roger and Whitebeard. Instead, we could see them fight in a sensei/student kind of dynamic as a way for Shanks to test Luffy’s growth and strength as a character throughout the series. However, there is a fan theory that Shanks realizes Luffy is the only one who can retrieve the One Piece treasure, so he may take advantage of their relationship, which could lead them to fight at the end of the series on Laugh Tale Island.
Blackbeard
There is a good chance that Luffy could face off against Blackbeard during the Laugh Tale arc as the final villain to see who gets the One Piece treasure. A common theme in manga series like One Piece is that the final villain is usually the protagonist’s personal villain, which in the case of Luffy is Blackbeard. However, fans are quick to point out that we see Imu scratch off Blackbeard’s name on his list of people he wants to kill (Luffy was on this list), which foreshadows Blackbeard going up against the World Government instead, meaning he could be the second to last villain in One Piece. In addition, Whitebeard mentioned that Blackbeard is not worthy of finding the One Piece treasure. Whether this was Whitebeard throwing shade or foreshadowing is yet to be seen.
Imu
Those who point to Imu being the final villain of One Piece do so because of what White Beard foreshadowed earlier: “Sengoku, you and the World Government fear the great war that will come to this world one day! I’m not interested in the treasure, but when it’s found, the whole world will be turned upside down! Someone will find it. That day will come.” This contradicts Oda’s statements that there won’t be content after the Laughing Tale arc, the great war against the World Government and Imu. In this case, we will see Blackbeard defeated before Laugh Tale, Luffy finding the One Piece treasure at Laughing Tale, and Imu being One Piece’s final villain.
Imu is the leader of the most evil entity, the supreme authority occupying the Empty Throne within the World Government. In the One Piece universe, and is responsible for the tremendous suffering. This means he could serve as the overall villain of One Piece but not the final villain and antagonist to Luffy. If this is the case, Imu would be defeated as the second to last villain before Luffy heads for the One Piece treasure on Laugh Tale Island and fights Blackbeard as the final villain for the One Piece treasure.
