Loki from Elbaf exceeded expectations by being an intimidating figure with critical importance.
Big Mom lived up to her terrifying reputation as one of the Four Emperors with immense power.
Blackbeard proved to be one of the series’ biggest villains despite starting as an unassuming figure.
There are many reasons why Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece has consistently been one of the most popular and most important anime/manga series for over twenty-eight years, with one of the biggest ones being its excellent foreshadowing and deep world-building. After all, this story has often alluded to many seemingly important characters on multiple occasions, and they would all make their official introduction multiple chapters later.
All of these mentions built up a lot of hype and made fans eagerly await the eventual debuts of all these mysterious characters. Fortunately for them, most of these figures met their high expectations and ended up being as powerful, interesting, important, and impactful as they imagined. Many characters in One Piece have lived up to their respective hype, but the following are the absolute best examples of this phenomenon so far.
1
Loki
Ended Up Being Much More Intimidating Than He Initially Seemed
Debut: Chapter 1130 (Manga)
Not only was Elbaf as a whole an important location that was hinted at very early on in the series, but one of its most notorious residents, Prince Loki, was also mentioned many chapters/episodes before his official introduction. During the Whole Cake Island Arc, Charlotte Chiffon explained that her sister, Lola, rejected his marriage proposal, which caused political turmoil between Whole Cake Island and Elbaf.
When the Straw Hats finally reached Elbaf, some of them (and, by extension, the audience) met Loki firsthand, and it’s safe to say that he not only met expectations; he surpassed them. Chiffon’s exposition made Loki seem like a generic and arrogant prince-like character, but he’s actually an intimidating ancient giant who wields a powerful war hammer called Ragnir and was condemned for crimes he claims he didn’t commit. While the Elbaf Arc is currently still being serialized, he has already proven to be of crucial importance for its story, and Luffy has even invited him to join his crew.
2
Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom)
She Was Even Creepier And More Interesting Than Expected
Debut: Chapter 651 (Manga) Episode 571 (Anime)
The concept of the Four Emperors was introduced very early on in the series, giving fans many years to theorize and speculate on what each member of this group was going to look and act like. One of the most notorious ones, Big Mom, made her official debut at the very end of the Fish-Man Island Arc, but her appearance was mostly kept in the shadows.
This brief but crucial scene built her up as a terrifying giant, monstrous being, and she lived up to this reputation when she was finally reintroduced as the main villain of the Whole Cake Island Arc. Not only was Big Mom huge and creepy in appearance, but her immense power, her ruthless leadership, and her childlike mentality made her a truly dangerous villain, undeniably worthy of the title of Emperor.
3
Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard)
This Backstabbing Pirate Would Become One Of The Biggest Villains In The Series
Debut: Chapter 223 (Manga) Episode 146 (Anime)
The Blackbeard Pirates were first mentioned in the Drum Island Arc, where multiple characters alluded to their huge levels of power and violence. In the Arabasta Arc, it was even revealed that Portgas D. Ace was searching for their captain, Blackbeard, for some undisclosed reason. He would finally make his on-screen debut during the Jaya Arc, where he initially came off as surprisingly non-threatening. But Blackbeard is anything if not patient, and he slowly began making his move to achieve his ambitious goals.
It was eventually revealed that Ace was looking for him because he had killed one of their crewmates when he was part of the Whitebeard Pirates, just to steal the Yami Yami no Mi. After that, Blackbeard fought Ace himself, defeated him, surrendered him to the World Government to both earn the title of Warlord and kick-start a massive war between them and the Whitebeard Pirates, and killed Whitebeard himself to steal his own Devil Fruit. Blackbeard is now an Emperor and one of the most dangerous villains in the entire series, which is quite impressive for someone who was introduced as a random fan of cherry pie in a bar.
4
Edward Newgate (Whitebeard)
Immediately Proved Why He Was One Of The Most Powerful Pirates In The World
Debut: Chapter 234 (Manga) Episode 151 (Anime)
In the Arabasta Arc, Ace kept gushing about his captain/father figure, Whitebeard, and told Luffy that he should join his legendary crew. The famous pirate himself would finally appear on-screen multiple chapters/episodes later, and it was immediately evident why he had achieved such a prestigious reputation: he was a hulking giant with a crew of powerful pirates who respected him, not to mention that he was able to personally deal with Shanks, a fellow Emperor.
Of course, Whitebeard was still an old man hooked up to a life support system, but he never came off as weak or feeble. He was finally put to the test when he jumped into action during the Marineford Arc, where he fought against the forces of the World Government alongside his crew. With his massive size, excellent leadership, and powerful Devil Fruit (the Gura Gura no Mi), he defeated multiple marines, and only constant attacks from some of the world’s most powerful fighters were able to finally take him down. Despite his age and illness, this old man was always one of the strongest people in the entire world, up until the moment of his death.
5
The Five Elders
They Were More Than Just Politicians Sitting Down In An Office
Debut: Chapter 233 (Manga) Episode 151 (Anime)
The Jaya Arc introduced many key figures from the One Piece world, with one of the most notorious ones being the Five Elders. This group of elderly politicians is the highest authority of the World Government, and they’re the ones responsible for everything the Marines do. They would keep appearing in the story from time to time, sitting around in their office and giving orders to other people, which made it seem like they were not going to be involved in the main story, and that they lacked any battle abilities.
But many fans still theorized that the Five Elders were some of the strongest characters in the series, and after literal decades, they were finally proved right. It was recently revealed that the Five Elders are working for a mysterious monarch named Imu, and they can transform into powerful and invincible giant monsters with demonic powers. They are not just politicians; they’re literal monsters at the top of the world.
6
Gol D. Roger
He Was Definitely Worthy Of The Title Of Pirate King
Debut: Chapter 1 (Manga) Episode 1 (Anime)
Despite literally being the first character ever introduced in the story, fans still didn’t know much about Gol D. Roger for many decades. Yes, he was the Pirate King, and he was single-handedly responsible for kickstarting the Golden Age of Piracy, but most of his past, motivation, personality, and even appearance were shrouded in mystery. Random facts about him would be revealed from time to time, like his rivalry with Shiki or that both Shanks and Buggy were part of his crew, but fans wouldn’t get to fully know Roger until Oden’s flashback during the Wano Country Arc.
This flashback finally revealed a lot more about his personality, crew, and power level. Roger was much more interesting and charming than he may initially seem, and his relationship with the rest of his crew was surprisingly endearing, similar to Luffy’s relationship with the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. On top of that, he was incredibly powerful, as his mastery over Haki and impeccable swordsmanship skills allowed him to fight one-on-one against his rival, Whitebeard. After witnessing that flashback, fans quickly understood how and why Roger was able to reach Laugh Tale and become the Pirate King.
7
Doctor Vegapunk
The World’s Most Brilliant Scientific Mind Lived Up To That Title
Debut: Chapter 1066 (Manga) Episode 1096 (Anime)
There’s no character in One Piece that has built so much intrigue among fans as Doctor Vegapunk. After all, he was mentioned multiple times throughout the story, both before and after the time skip, where it was repeatedly stated that he was the most brilliant scientist in the world and that he was directly responsible for some of its most important technological advancements, like inanimate objects eating Devil Fruits, the Marine Seastone ship hulls, Pacifista Program, etc.
After so much buildup and speculation, Doctor Vegapunk was formally introduced during the Egghead Arc, and he looked like a young woman, which went against everything that fans were expecting him to look like. But, of course, this was just one of his six satellites, and his main body (also known as Stella) looked exactly as goofy and unique as everybody was expecting. On top of that, Vegapunk quickly proved how intelligent he was and also became a deep and complex character who, despite all the bad things he had done, wanted to fight against the World Government to give free energy to the entire world.
8
Kaido
He Actually Was The Strongest Creature In The World
Debut: Chapter 795 (Manga) Episode 736 (Anime)
Just like Big Mom, Kaido was first mentioned alongside the other Four Emperors very early on in the series, and from that point onward, the story kept building him up as a serious threat. Not only did both Caesar Clown and Doflamingo work for him and were clearly terrified of him, but Law even needed to ally with Luffy just to take him down. Kaido was finally introduced at the very end of the Dressrosa Arc, where the narrator called him the “Strongest Creature in the world” after he jumped off a Sky Island.
This was quite impressive, but Kaido wouldn’t prove that he was worthy of that title until his first battle with Monkey D. Luffy in the first act of the Wano Country Arc. Even though the protagonist was enraged because he believed his friends had been killed, and he used his powerful Gear 4 form, Kaido was able to defeat him very easily with his dragon transformation, immense physical strength, and mastery of Haki. After that fateful encounter, the captain of the Beasts Pirates kept seamlessly defeating many strong characters, especially during the Raid on Onigashima, where he took down the Nine Red Scabbards, Zoro, Kid, Law, Killer, Momonosuke, Yamato, and Luffy (two more times). For a moment, it felt like Kaido was invincible, and no One Piece fan can deny that waiting for his official introduction after so many years was 100% worth it.
