One piece is an unusual case despite being the most popular and essential Shonen Jump manga and anime franchise around. It focuses on a tight-knit crew of pirates in pursuit of their individual dreams, including making their captain the Pirate King, One piece feels tailor-made for a swaggering romance, despite its creator’s supposed rejection of such tropes.
But even Eiichiro Oda is not powerful or influential enough to surpass the power of the vast fan community, with One piece romantic ships numerous enough to outlast the Marine fleet. There are some iconic ships among the crew, sure, but some of the most strangely wholesome come from unexpected places, with these 10 romances between One piece best.
10 Franky x Robin
A fan deal with lots of chemistry
Although Oda is strictly against romance within the Straw Hats, that doesn’t stop some of them from having mature romantic chemistry and Franky and Robin are a prime example of this. Of all Robin ships One pieceFranky and Robin, often called Frobin, are arguably the most popular among fans, and it’s not hard to see why.
Franky and Robin have many interesting interactions, such as on Sabaody when Franky apparently tries to impress Robin, calling her attractive and a great archaeologist. Franky also diligently protected Robin in Enies Hall, even heroically shielding her from Marine fire.
The two often team up whenever the crew splits up to explore or fight and Oda often depicts the two together in color plates and illustrations, leading fans to think of them as a sort of old married couple.
9 Zoro x Hiyori
A bond born during trials
Zoro and Princess Hiyori is one of the most popular ships One piece fans are expecting it to become official. Even though Zoro has shown no interest in a romantic relationship, it is undeniable that Hiyori was attracted to him after he demonstrated his abilities as a warrior and helped her in her difficult times.
Hiyori kindly took care of Zoro when he was seriously injured after saving her and willingly gave him the sword she received from her father, showing him her trust in him. Since she’s not part of the Straw Hats, Hiyori might be the most likely match for Zoro at the end of the series.
8 Sanji x Pudding
A classic affair between enemies and lovers
Although Sanji and Charlotte Pudding were put in a true arranged marriage, few, both in-universe and outside, actually thought there was anything to the coupling. The lack of feelings between Pudding and Sanji was seemingly confirmed when Pudding revealed his true intentions.
In a grand plot to usurp the Vinsmoke family, Sanji was just a pawn in the ruthless hands of the Charlotte family who was forced to go so far as to betray their crew.
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Once Pudding started laughing at Sanji’s desperate confessions of love, occurring during arguably the most difficult time of her life (not in a prison cell), it didn’t take long for fans to turn on her. And, just as quickly, they turned around as Sanji, with a look of sincere love that only he could pull off, changed the fickle girl’s heart once again.
Despite seeing the two meet under adverse circumstances, fans are now eager to see what could become a romance in the offing between the two.
7 Smoker x Hina
A bickering but endearing duo
Aside from the fact that both are Marines, there wasn’t much in the beginning for fans to ship Smoker and Hina. Aside from crossing paths on Alabasta, Smoker and Hina just emerged as two independent badasses meeting justice on their own terms.
Without Zoro, some people might have sent Smoker with Tashigi instead, and Hina would never be part of the equation. However, Oda really ignited fans’ minds when he posted a cover page of Smoker and Hina shopping together.
What were once just two hot-headed individuals have now become the bickering couple of the series. While it may be a toxic type of relationship in real life, the bickering couple dynamic is very popular with Shipping fans, meaning Smoker and Hina went from nothing to a beloved potential romance with just one cover.
6 Sai x Baby 5
A romance that blossomed on the battlefield
This one really came out of nowhere in the story, especially considering how little initial build up there was for Sai or Baby 5. The two met on the battlefields of Dressrosa during the Straw Hats’ altercation with Donquixote Doflamingo, and while they were both initially enemies of the Straw Hats, Sai and the Happo Marine eventually turned to his side.
This would lead her to fight Baby 5, but according to her gimmick, she quickly fell in love with him. Born into this loveless world, Baby 5 has always been quick to seek romance, even in the middle of a battlefield.
While most people would accept romance anywhere other than a battlefield, Sai oddly kept an open mind and went on to save Baby 5 from the Donquixote family and marry her into his own.
5 Rayleigh x Shakky
An unexpected but confirmed couple
For those who don’t follow the supplemental materials or have seen competing translations, the relationship between Rayleigh and Shakky probably came as a shock. Although the two appear to be only close acquaintances when the Straw Hats meet them, Oda has confirmed that they are a couple, with some translations and interpretations claiming that they are married.
There was initially controversy over Shakky and Rayligh’s relationship, as the Deep Blue Databook listed their relationship status as just friends.
However, there is direct confirmation of the relationship between the two in volume 2 of One pieceIt is Living Card Data Books. While it’s not exactly an exciting reveal, it’s interesting how close Rayleigh and Shakky actually are.
4 Sabo x Koala
Surprising chemistry in the revolutionary army
Long before the Dressrosa Arc, Sabo and Koala were simply seen as two different individuals whose paths would never cross in the story. Sabo was in a state of narrative hibernation after Luffy’s story was revealed, and Koala’s arc was seemingly over after the Sun Pirates brought her home.
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Not only was it exciting to see her return as part of the The Revolutionary Army and Sabo are not deadbut fans were also excited to see the two have a seemingly more-than-friendly relationship. Even though the pieces weren’t there to begin with, seeing Sabo and Koala interact on the page and screen clicks well with One piece fans.
3 Doflamingo x Viola
An implied affair that didn’t do the trick
As long and detailed as One piece As much as it might seem, it’s surprising to learn that there are still a lot of details that don’t actually make it into the final cut of the story. One of these details is the tumultuous history between Viola and the celestial demon himself, Don Quixote Doflamingo. ‘
Although Eiichiro Oda didn’t give any solid details using the word “romance”, he did hint at an “adult” relationship between Doflamingo and Viola in SBS Volume 83.
Unfortunately, Oda is likely not authorized by his supervisors to share the details of this particular relationship. Still, knowing that the two are connected is an interesting detail for shipping fans. One piece characters, especially given the popularity of the enemies-to-lovers trope.
2 Chopper x milky
Chopper finds the perfect partner on Zou
As the franchise’s mascot and one of the few anthropomorphic animals in history, few fans of One piece never sent Tony Tony Chopper with anyone. However, Oda took advantage of a huge opportunity to change this during the Zou Arc, when the Straw Hats landed on a kingdom filled with anthropomorphic animals.
While half of Luffy’s Straw Hats were on Dressrosa, Chopper’s team was busy saving Zou following Jack’s attack. Meanwhile, a sensual reindeer has been helping him as a nanny, and without any ambiguity, Chopper seems to be taken by her. Given that Chopper is a reindeer doctor and Milky is a reindeer nurse, their relationship just makes sense.
1 Luffy x Hancock
Luffy unintentionally charms the stone-hearted empress
It’s weird to think that at one point, no one was shipping Luffy with Amazon Empress Lily. When Bartholomew Kuma first sent Luffy to the Land of Strong Women, he immediately found himself at odds with the citizens, particularly Boa Hancock.
Not only did she have an undying hatred for all men, but Luffy walked into her bathroom and saw her greatest shame tattooed on her back. Villainous, Hancock immediately tried to have him killed, setting the bars very low for a potential romance. Despite this, it took Luffy’s ingenuity and kindness to not only convince her, but also for Boa to fall in love with him.
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One piece isn’t likely to turn into a romance manga anytime soon. While similar franchises like Naruto and even Dragon Ball I did not hesitate to show that relationships develop over time, this has been much less true for One piece.
That’s not to say that the world’s most famous pirate manga/anime franchise doesn’t have its share of romances. Love may not be at the center of One piece,m But that only makes the few hints of a real romance even more loyal to fans.
- Created by
- Eiichirō Oda
- First film
- One Piece: The Movie
- First TV show
- One piece
- Cast
- Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hir Oaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi
- Video games
- One Piece: World Unlimited Red, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, One Piece: World Seeker, One Piece Odyssey
