Summary
Only a handful of anime have managed to cross the 1,000-episode mark, andOne Pieceis one of them. It is considered to beone of the greatest Shonen anime of all time, and after more than two decades, its popularity is still growing. Eiichiro Oda created a series with a vast world and an incredibly detailed story, but what makesOne Piecereally stand out is its characters, who for the most part, are all very well-written.
Fans have met hundreds of characters throughout the Straw Hats' journey, and many of them have interesting backstories.One Pieceis known for its emotional moments, and most of the time, the best moments come when a character’s backstory is explored. Not every character has a sad backstory, but those that do stand out.
Updated June 04, 2025 by George Voutiritsas:Like most stories, One Piece has its share of issues, but no one can say that the series suffers when it comes to character development. One Piece is unique in a sense, as no other anime delves into character backstories with such care and detail. Many of the heroes had terrible and/or traumatic upbringings, but several villains have also had tear-inducing backstories.
Fans can debate who has thesaddest backstory in One Piece, but each option has merit to be in the top spot. Some of One Piece’s saddest backstories have already been mentioned, but others deserve recognition as well.
1Onimaru
Spent Years Alone After Losing His Closest Friends
Onimaruis a fox with a flame-like mane and tail. He ate the Human-Human Fruit Model Onyudo -a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruitthat allows him to transform into a large Yokai-like monk. In the past, he was the companion of Shimotsuki Ushimaru - the former Daimyo of Wano’s Ringo region. The two were practically inseparable, but their time together ended when Ushimaru rebelled against Orochi and Kaido.
Ushimaru died in the rebellion, and the Ringo Region was turned into a wasteland. Onimaru spent the next five years protecting his friend’s grave and Ringo’s main cemetery from robbers. He later met Kawamatsu of the Red Scabbards, and the two eventually became friends. Unfortunately, Kawamatsu was captured by the Beast Pirates. Onimaru spent the next thirteen years guarding Oihagi Bridge and stealing weapons. Overall, Onimaru spent nearly twenty years alone, mourning his friends, but he continued to store weapons in hopes that the Beast Pirates would be defeated.
2Ace
Spent His Life Questioning Whether He Deserved To Live
Acewas part ofthe D. Clan, and he was Luffy’s older adopted brother. More importantly, he was the son of Gol D. Roger, the man who sailed the entire Grand Line and became known as the Pirate King. Roger turned himself in and was executed in Loguetown, and Ace’s mother died after giving birth to him.
Ace knew who his father was, and he hated him. In fact, he denounced him and accepted Whitebeard as his true father. He lived in his father’s shadow and contemplated his right to even exist. He knew that virtually no one in the world would have wanted Roger’s son to live, and he held onto that belief until his death.
3Pound
Was Not Allowed To See His Children For Decades
Poundis part of a currently unknown race, and he is the father ofCharlotte Chiffon and Charlotte Lola. Roughly twenty-six years ago, Pound was forced to marryBig Mom - the Yonko who ruled Totto Land. At the time, he was her 25th husband. When his twin daughters were born, Big Mom immediately discarded Pound. This came as a shock to Pound - who begged to hold Chiffon and Lola at least once.
Big Mom denied his request and effectively exiled him. Pound then walked into the Seducing Woods and buried himself up to his neck. He spent twenty-six years alone in the woods, believing that no one cared about him. Pound did not see either of his daughters until the Straw Hats came to Totto Land. Both Chiffon and Lola had no idea that he was even alive, but Pound still loved them more than anything.
4Charlotte Pudding
Bullied Throughout Her Childhood Because Of Her Physical Appearance
Charlotte Puddingis Big Mom’s 35th daughter, and her 76th child overall. Pudding has the power of the Memo-Memo Fruit - which allows her to extract and manipulate other people’s memories. She was originally one of the antagonists ofthe Whole Cake Island arc. She intended to kill Sanji on their wedding day, but she ended up falling in love with him during the ceremony instead. These feelings emerged when he called her third eye beautiful.
Pudding’s father was part of the Three-Eye Tribe, and she inherited his extra eye - which is located in the middle of her forehead. As a child, Pudding was regularly bullied and ridiculed by the other children because she looked different. Even her mother was disgusted by her third eye. These experiences caused Pudding to develop a twisted personality.
5Jewelry Bonney
Her Father Sacrificed Himself To Save Her Life
Jewelry Bonneybelongs to the group of pirates who are referred to asthe Worst Generation, but she is actually the former princess of the Sorbet Kingdom. Her father is Bartholomew Kuma - the former Warlord who became the World Government’s first Pacifista. He was later turned into a slave for the World Nobles as punishment for helping the Straw Hats.
Bonney remembers how much her father loved her, and she hates the World Government for forcing him to become a cyborg. She cannot stand the fact that her father is considered a tyrant because she knows that he was a good ruler, and her heart broke when she saw how he was treated in Mary Geoise. Bonney later discovered her father’s memories onEgghead Island, and she learned that Kuma was not her real father. Kuma raised her and loved her like his own, and he agreed to become a cyborg to save her from the fatal Sapphire Scales disease.
6Yamato
Witnessed Their Hero’s Death & Was Treated Badly By His Father
Yamatodebuted in the later stages ofthe Wano Arc, and they quickly became a fan-favorite character. Yamato was born as Kaido’s daughter, and they were groomed to become his heir. They witnessed Oden’s execution and developed an admiration for him - to the point that they tried to save Oden’s family from Kaido’s wrath.
After finding Oden’s logbook, Yamato decides to become Oden and carry on his dream of a free Wano. Kaido was not a fan of this, so he would constantly punish Yamato. They would get attacked by Kaido and his men, and get chained to poles. At one point, Kaido imprisoned Yamato in a cave for one month, and it was clear that he was okay with them starving to death. If anyone tried to help Yamato, they would be executed.
7Usopp
Cared For His Sick Mother
Usopphas become one ofthe better-designed Straw Hatssince the time skip and he has come a long way since first joining the crew at the end of the Syrup Village Arc. His father is part of the Red Hair Pirates, but his mother is an ordinary woman who awaits her husband’s return.
Usopp is known for lying, but he only developed this habit because his mother became ill. She wanted to see Usopp’s father again and to strengthen her spirit, he lied to her every day. He would say that pirates were coming, but his actions could not stop his mother from dying. He continues to lie as a way of coping with the fact that both his parents left him behind.
8Zoro
Lost His Childhood Friend
Zorolost both his parents by the time he was 8, but he was able to join Shimotsuki Village’s dojo. This was the dojo where Zoro trained to become a swordsman. It is also the place where he methis friend Kuina.They started as rivals, as she was the only person Zoro could not defeat. After losing to her more than 2,000 times, Zoro learned that they both dreamt about becoming the world’s greatest swordsman.
Kuina was told that she would never be able to achieve her goal because she is a woman, but Zoro forced her to believe in herself. They both agreed to follow the same dream. Unfortunately, Kuina died the very next day after an accidental fall. Zoro was devastated, but he vowed to become the greatest swordsman to honor her memory.
9Gecko Moria
His Entire Crew Were Killed Fighting Kaido
Gecko Moriais a former Warlord who used the Shadow-Shadow Fruitto create an army of zombies. It makes sense that a pirate would try to create an obedient undead army for power, and Moria definitely wanted power, but he had another motive.
When Moria was younger, he faced Kaido and the Beast Pirates in Wano, and he was the only member of the crew that survived. Moria cared about his crew, and their deaths left him traumatized. He never wanted to feel such a painful and irreplaceable loss again, which is why he turned to zombies.
10Boa Hancock
She And Her Sisters Were Forced Into Slavery By The Celestial Dragons
Boa Hancockwas the only female member of the Shichibukai and is the empress of Amazon Lily. The argument can be made that Hancock isone of the strongest Haki specialists in the series, but her real power comes from her Devil Fruit, which allows her to petrify anyone who is attracted to her.
The Devil Fruit may be her greatest weapon, but she only obtained this power when she was a slave of the Celestial Dragons. Some of these World Nobles forced her to eat the Devil Fruit as a form of sick entertainment. They tortured Hancock and her sisters despite the fact they were children, and they branded her back with a slave mark.
