Every race in One Piece, explained

One Piece is renowned for its vibrant worldbuilding, especially with the numerous unique islands with their own climate and culture. Living on these islands are the series’ numerous races. We’re given a sneak peek of how many races there are in One Piece during the Sabaody Archipelago — from the Human Auctioning House’s pricelist.

During the Straw Hat Pirates’ adventures, however, we get to see that the said pricelist is far from comprehensive. There are in fact several rare species not included in it. As such, I’ve taken the liberty to list down and explain all known species that live in the world of One Piece.

Humans

Let’s start with the most obvious one — humans. Other than consisting of the vast majority of the population, humans have no particular advantage over the other races. Even so, humans have made a significant impact on the world.

Just like the real world, humanity is scattered all over the world in One Piece. They’ve established groups, countries, and kingdoms that distinguish themselves from the others. The Celestial Dragons, who proclaimed themselves as rulers of the world, and the Kuja are two of the most famous groups in the series.

Fish-Men and Merfolk

Fish-Men and Merfolk are aquatic races with the ability to breathe underwater. Fish-Men have more humanoid appearances with fish-like features, while Merfolk possess the lower bodies of fish and the upper bodies of humans. Some notable Fish-Men are the Straw Hat Pirates’ Jimbei and the shipwright Tom, while some famous Merfolk are Princess Shirahoshi and her father King Neptune.

Fish-Men are said to be ten times stronger than humans, and their strength further increases underwater. They can also learn to manipulate water, which is an important component of their self-made martial arts Fish-Man Karate. In addition, different Fish-Men may also possess different traits depending on their species. For instance, Arlong, being a sawshark Fish-Man, can repeatedly regenerate his teeth.

Giants

Giants are exactly what their name implies — giant humanoid beings. Giants possess immense strength and long lifespans. Most of them live in the mysterious land of Elbaph. Similar to humans, there are also a variety of Giants. First are the Ancient Giants, who possess demon-like features and stand a few times taller than normal giants. Oars and Little Oars Jr. belong to this category. Another one is the unknown giant tribe that the Yeti Cool Brothers belong to.

In addition, there is also the Wotan — the hybrid between Giants and Fish-Men. While not as gargantuan as the Giants, the Wotans are still humongous compared to the average Fish-Man. They also inherit the unique traits of their aquatic species. However, the only known Wotan in the franchise is Foxy Pirates’ Big Pan.

Dwarves

Dwarves are tiny, fairy-like beings sporting big, fluffy tails. Dressrosa’s Tontatta Tribe is the only known Dwarf colony at present.

Despite their minute physique, Dwarves are incredibly strong and swift. They can easily overpower and outspeed the average human. In fact, the Tontattas played a crucial role in pushing back Doflamingo’s deadly Bird Cage. Dwarves are also known for their honesty and naivety, which sometimes leads them into trouble. Doflamingo uses their naivety to manipulate them into doing slave work and keep them from revolting.

Mink Tribe

The Minks are anthropomorphic animals that live on the island of Zou. They possess the ability to generate electro, a form of electricity, and are formidable warriors. The Minks can turn into their powerful Sulong forms during a full moon, though they may go berserk if they have yet to master it. Some key characters from this race are Carrot, Inuarashi, and Nekomamushi.

Sky Island Residents

The Sky Island Residents are three races of winged humanoids who migrated from the Moon due to the scarcity of resources. They closely resemble humans but have small, non-functional wings. There are, however, some exceptions. For example, Enel has drums instead of wings on his back. A difference between Sky Island Residents and humans is uniformity. Sky Island Residents are more uniform in body size and proportion.

Lunarians

The Lunarians are a nearly extinct race with the ability to produce and manipulate flames. Their telling features are their black wings, dark skin, white hair, and the burning flame on their backs. Lunarians also possess durable bodies. They can nullify any damage as long as the flames on their backs keep raging on. While their defenses plummet once the flame is extinguished, they gain a boost in speed in exchange.

The Lunarians are said to have once lived on the Red Line. King, the second-in-command of the Beast Pirates, is the only known remaining Lunarian. While not necessarily Lunarians, Vegapunk used King’s genes to create the Seraphim.

Longarms, Longlegs, and Snakenecks

The Longarms have two elbow joints in each arm, giving them extended reach and unique combat abilities. Conversely, the Longlegs have extraordinarily long legs, providing them with powerful kicks and enhanced agility. Scratchmen Apoo and Blue Gilly are representatives of these tribes, respectively.

In addition, Longlimb Humans is a hybrid race created by interbreeding between Longarm and Longleg Tribes. It comes as no surprise that the Longlimbs have both elongated arms and legs.

Similarly, the Snakenecks have an elongated body part — their necks. Unfortunately, not much is known about this race.

Three-Eye Tribe

The Three-Eye Tribe has a third eye on their forehead, which grants them unique abilities when fully awakened. Charlotte Pudding, Big Mom’s daughter, is the only known character from this race. Her third eye gives her the power to hear the Voice of All Things and read Poneglyphs.

Kinokobito

The Kinokobito are mushroom-like humanoids. At present, however, nothing is known about this race. We are only aware that they exist since one of them is part of Big Mom’s disturbing collection.

Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are a powerful and rare race, known for their immense size and extraordinary physical strength. They possess giant-like proportions, though still inferior in size compared to actual Giants. Only two characters are known to belong to this race: Bartholomew Kuma and his father. Tragically, however, they are believed to be the last of their kind. With Kuma’s tragedy, the Buccaneers may have already gone extinct.