One Piece prides itself on many things, but since its debut in 1997, one thing has continued to define the series: its unique character designs. Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates rarely come across boring or uninteresting characters, which helps keep their adventures exciting and original no matter what corner of the seas they choose to visit.
While many of the individuals that appear in One Piece are frightening, there are an equal number of silly character designs that are intended to amuse and entertain audiences. Despite these characters' relatively serious roles in the narrative, their unusual appearances almost always takes the edge off the whatever situation they find themselves in.
Updated on September 18, 2023 by Kennedy King: The One Piece narrative may be inching closer to its final saga, but that doesn't mean the long-running shonen is any less silly than it used to be. With each passing arc, new characters are introduced, many of whom sport hilariously unexpected character designs.
15 Lassoo
First introduced during the Alabasta Saga, Lassoo is arguably the most unique animal — or gun, depending on your perspective — in all of One Piece. The odd being was created by feeding a gun the Mutt-Mutt Fruit, Model: Dachshund, transforming it into a living half-dog, half-gun hybrid.
Even by One Piece standards, Lassoo's character design resembles something out of a fever dream. The dog-gun's incongruent halves are a hilarious gimmick, and of all the characters seen in the Alabasta Saga, none are sillier than it — even its baseball-inspired companion, Mr. 4.
14 Wanze
In the eyes of most One Piece fans, the Enies Lobby Arc ranks among the best arcs in the entire series. Its serious tone and dire circumstances make the Straw Hat Pirate's rescue of Nico Robin absolutely thrilling; however, despite its serious nature, the sequence begins with the introduction of the goofiest member of Cipher Pol, Wanze.
Wanze works as a cook for CP7, which is what likely inspired his infamous fighting style, Ramen Kenpo. The technique sees the chef don a suit of armor made entirely from ramen, giving him an appearance more akin to a filler character than a member of the World Government's most secretive branch.
13 Queen
The Wano Country Arc has introduced a huge cast of character, but none are more intimidating than Kaido and his crew of Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, the Beast Pirates. Their ranks are filled with dangerous pirates, including the scientifically-enhanced All-Star known as Queen.
At over 20 feet tall, Queen is an enormous character. However, because of his rotund appearance, Fu Manchu facial hair, and ability to transform into a dinosaur, his presence is more comedic than intimidating. Add in his propensity to break out into song-and-dance, and Queen is potentially the goofiest-looking character in the Wano Country Arc.
12 Duval
When Sanji receives his first bounty during the Enies Lobby Arc, he's mortified to discover that the picture on his wanted poster looks nothing like him. The goofy-looking drawing on the poster frustrates Sanji for several arcs, until he eventually meets someone who looks just like the picture seen on his poster — Duval.
Duval's character design is completely inspired by Sanji, resembling the Straw Hat Pirate if he were drawn in a rudimentary art style. Although his face is eventually rearranged by one of Sanji's kicks, it's still obvious that the leader of the Flying Fish Riders' sole purpose is to provide some comedic relief.
11 Scratchmen Apoo
The Supernovas are the brightest up-and-coming rookie pirates in One Piece, and of all their members, none have a sillier character design than Scratchmen Apoo. The member of the Longarm Tribe plies his craft as a DJ during his spare time, using various parts of his body to produce music.
Apoo's entire body is composed of different music instruments (including his piano key-themed teeth), which presumably helps him maximize the effect of his Devil Fruit, the Tone-Tone Fruit. However, regardless of its practicality, Apoo's character design is without a doubt one of the silliest in the series.
10 Tamago
Tamago was a member of the Big Mom Pirates and a man with an unusually shaped body. His legs are drastically longer than his paunchy torso, with arms that appear unnecessarily short by comparison.
Additionally, Tamago wears a cracked eggshell around his waist as a result of his Devil Fruit. After the fight against Pedro, Tamago evolved into a fully-fledged chicken man. While it helped to clarify the purpose of the shattered eggshell, it did little to ameliorate his ridiculous appearance or the respect he hoped to command from his subordinates.
9 Shinobu
Despite Shinobu's claims to be a kunoichi, her appearance suggests otherwise. The years have not been kind to her, as she has fallen out of shape ever since initially pledging herself to Oden's cause.
Further, Shinobu's bright pink ensemble is counterproductive to espionage since it makes her stand out even more than an average fighter. Her pigtails are wildly inappropriate for a woman of her age, and her head is much larger than most other characters'. In the end, Shinobu's silly appearance is reflected through the insecurity she has about aging and the nature of her Devil Fruit.
8 Weevil
Weevil's claim to be Whitebeard's son is dubious at best. While the man shares his "father's" iconic mustache, blond hair, and relatively robust musculature, his oafish and despondent features make it difficult to take him seriously. Moreover, Weevil's build closer resembles a wall of mass rather than an ordinary person, which suggests that something may be wrong with him.
Some fans speculate that Weevil is a failed clone spawned from Whitebeard's DNA. It would explain his deformities, vague resemblance to Whitebeard, and why the World Government was quick to appoint him as Warlord regardless of his fairly low intelligence.
7 Gecko Moria
Despite being a Warlord, Gecko Moria's appearance was less than menacing. In addition to his bowling pin-shaped body, bright checkered pantaloons diminished his gothic aesthetic and completely clashed with everything else he wore.
Moreover, Moria's receding hairline and cartoonish bib give the appearance of an overgrown baby rather than a villain who commands respect. Ironically, Moria's aesthetic is still appropriate given that he was one of the easiest antagonists for the Straw Hats to defeat. Were it not for Oars, his downfall would have come faster than any other Warlord.
6 Ivankov
Ivankov's body is one of the most unusual in the entire series. Its most striking feature is how their head is the same size as their entire torso. Usually, this could be perceived as an artistic oversight. However, it actually has relevance in the way they combat enemies.
Sometimes, Ivankov uses hormones to increase the size of their head further and strike enemies with a "Death Wink." It is easily the silliest and most impractical attack in the Revolutionary Army's arsenal yet nonetheless proves effective enough for Monkey D. Dragon to appoint them to a position of prominence.
5 Wadatsumi
Wadatsumi was once a member of the New Fish-Man Pirates. Despite his giant stature and equally prodigious strength, the creature's mannerisms resemble a child throwing a tantrum rather than a legitimate threat to be reckoned with.
Between numerous missing teeth, baby-like eyes, a thin beard, and a body completely devoid of musculature, Wadatsumi simultaneously appears much older and younger than he actually is. Should he have been born much smaller, no one would take him as a serious threat on account of his low intelligence and lack of any practical combat skills.
4 Kokoro
Kokoro is an old mermaid who was once Tom's partner. There are already a few visually unnerving aspects of her character, such as the size of her lips in contrast to her mouth and unusually sharp teeth.
During the Enies Lobby arc, she swam underwater, donning her classic mermaid outfit while saving the heroes. However, given how many years it'd been since she'd last been in action, her rescue was almost as visually comical as it was necessary. Nonetheless, Kokoro clearly didn't tarnish Sanji's perception of what a mermaid was based on his excitement to see more at Fish-Man Island.
3 Briscola
The Beast Pirates who received Devil Fruits were known as "Gifters." However, since many of them were artificially conceived, the result was less intimidating than typical Zoans. Briscola was a stunning example of how underwhelming average Beast Pirates were to behold in a fight.
Despite a somewhat standard appearance, Briscola's left arm had been converted into the upper torso of a raging primate. Not only was this completely impractical to actually use, but Briscola also didn't have the strength to make the most of it. In the end, he was the silliest among Kaido's already ridiculous army.
2 Pound
Pound was among Big Mom's legions of scorned lovers. While the Emperor had a history of abandoning her love affairs, forgetting about him in particular was understandable. Pound's ridiculous pink hair was tied up in a sickly green bow, which made him look weak and unthreatening.
Pound's ruffled collar strongly resembled a clown's, and his head was so large that Luffy and Nami initially thought he was a giant if the rest of his body had been proportional. Pound may ultimately be a good person, but his appearance made it difficult to take him seriously.
1 Fukurou
Out of the entire CP9 agency, Fukurou was the least menacing. His torso was significantly larger than his arms or legs, making them look stringy and impractical by comparison. Moreover, the man's unkempt appearance foreboded a lack of professionalism that he repeatedly lived up to throughout the Enies Lobby arc.
Fukurou's most ridiculous trait is his zipper mouth. Its origins were never explained, with its sole purpose seemingly to stop him from sharing vital information with his enemies. Unfortunately for Lucci, Fukurou's zipper does not have much practical purpose since he reopens it every time he wishes to speak.