6 One Piece Characters Who Never Reached Their Full Potential
The world of One Piece feels endless, a grand ocean packed with pirates, marines, legends, and chaos at every turn. Each island introduces characters with unique abilities, bold personalities, and moments that spark instant excitement.
Some make a powerful entrance, deliver a burst of brilliance, then drift away before the story can fully explore what they are capable of. That is where the mix of wonder and frustration begins.
In a story this vast, not every character gets the spotlight needed to truly shine. Some leave behind a trail of untapped potential that keeps fans guessing long after their appearance ends.
What could they have achieved with more time? What battles, alliances, or growth were waiting just beyond the next arc?
Fans often revisit these characters, debating their hidden strength, replaying key moments, and imagining alternate paths where they take center stage. That sense of possibility keeps the conversation alive and fuels endless theories.
Which characters left the biggest mark in the shortest time, and what could they have become with a little more time in the spotlight?
1. Portgas D. Ace
Fire in his veins, destiny in his blood, and a name that carried the weight of pirate royalty. Ace held the Mera Mera no Mi, a Devil Fruit giving him full command over fire, and he used it beautifully.
As Luffy’s adopted older brother and the biological son of the legendary Gol D. Roger, expectations around him were enormous.
His passing at Marineford shocked the entire fandom to its core. He was only beginning to understand his lineage and identity.
How far could he have gone? Fans still argue about it passionately, years after the arc ended.
2. Kuina
She was faster, sharper, and more technically gifted than nearly every kid in her dojo, including a young Roronoa Zoro. Kuina had already beaten Zoro 2000 times before he could even catch his breath.
Her dream of becoming the world’s greatest swordsman was not just talk, it was written in every precise swing of her blade.
A tragic accident cut short a story barely started. Zoro carried her dream forward, but it always belonged to both of them.
How dominant could Kuina have become? Just saying, the answer probably would have rewritten swordsmanship history in the One Piece world entirely.
3. Basil Hawkins
Cool, calculating, and genuinely creepy in the best possible way, Hawkins entered the series as one of the most intriguing members of the Worst Generation. His Straw-Straw Fruit lets him redirect damage to straw figures linked to others, essentially making him nearly non-destroyable under the right conditions.
His tarot card readings added a mysterious, almost supernatural edge to every scene.
However, after a brief alliance arc, his role shrunk dramatically. A character so layered and tactically gifted deserved a bigger stage.
If the story had leaned harder into his abilities, Hawkins could have been a genuinely terrifying antagonist.
4. Jack the Drought
Any villain nicknamed “the Drought” is not someone you invite to a garden party. Jack earned that title by leveling entire landscapes without blinking.
His Zou arc entrance was genuinely terrifying, and his Mammoth Zoan form made him look nearly unstoppable. He held his own against the Minks for five straight days, which is an absurd display of endurance.
Sadly, the story kept sidelining him after strong introductions. He lost key battles fast and never received meaningful development.
A character built so physically imposing deserved far more narrative investment. Jack had monster-tier potential, but the story never fully cashed in on it.
5. Charlotte Smoothie
Standing as one of the Three Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates, Smoothie holds one of the highest bounties among female characters in the entire series. Her Shibo Shibo no Mi allows her to literally wring liquids out of living creatures, which sounds absolutely horrifying in the best anime villain way possible.
Despite all of it, she barely fought anyone meaningful during the Whole Cake Island arc. Fans waited for a real moment, and it never came.
A Sweet Commander doing almost nothing during a major arc is a storytelling decision that still stings. Smoothie deserved so much better screen time.
6. Gecko Moria
Once a fierce pirate captain who challenged Kaido directly and actually survived, Moria had a backstory built for greatness. His Kage Kage no Mi, which controls shadows and creates zombie armies, is genuinely one of the most creative Devil Fruits in the series.
At full strength, he commanded an entire island of unliving soldiers.
Bitterness and obsession hollowed him out over time. Rather than rebuilding after his devastating loss, he chased revenge and shortcuts.
His arc at Thriller Bark showed flashes of what he once was. If the story had explored his tragic fall more deeply, Moria could have been a truly unforgettable villain.
