Known to be one of the most dangerous countries in the One Piece world, Wano is located in the New World and is protected by mysterious barriers. It is home to several samurai who are considered to be incredibly powerful.
Over the years, Wano Country has earned the reputation of being a place that not even the Navy has the manpower to take down. That is due to its incredible samurai, all of which have earned quite a name for themselves over the years.
Updated April 15, 2022, by Rei Penber:The land of Wano has seen the rise of some of the most skilled samurai in the world of One Piece over the years. Despite Kaido’s tyrannical rule and Wano’s broken spirits, the land has still managed to produce some excellent fighters who have gone on to make a great name for themselves. While this list already includes some of the strongest One Piece samurai, there are certainly others who are worth a mention as well.
14 Tenguyama Hitetsu
Tenguyama Hitetsu is a famous swordsmith from Wano Country and the man who forged the Sandai Kitetsu, wielded by Roronoa Zoro. He’s a descendant of the legendary Kotetsu, who forged the Shodai Kitetsu, and has inherited his ancestor’s skills.
Hitetsu might not be as strong as the rest of the samurai in One Piece; however, he certainly does carry a Meito and appears to have a decent grasp of the way of the sword. So far, he hasn’t been seen in any combat, so it’s unclear how he’d hold up in battle.
13 Kanjuro
Born into the Kurozumi family, Kanjuro spend quite a lot of time posing as one of Kozuki Oden’s retainers. Under his tutelage, he learned quite a lot.
Kanjuro is quite skilled as a samurai. He also has a Devil Fruit called the Fude Fude no Mi, which allows him to animate anything he draws for a certain while. Although Kanjuro is certainly powerful, he isn’t the strongest of the One Piece samurai, as he lost to Kiku in combat when the two fought.
12 Shimotsuki Ushimaru
Shimotsuki Ushimaru was one of the strongest samurai of his time in Wano. According to Hyougoro, Ushimaru was quite similar to Zoro in terms of his fighting style. At some point, he challenged Kaido and lost, but was strong enough for Kaido to want to recruit him.
Ushimaru was also a user of Haki, and even with extremely dull blades, he was able to slice a giant boulder apart. Without a doubt, Ushimaru was among the most skilled One Piece samurai. Unfortunately, he lost his life fighting Kaido, but his spirit never broke until his dying breath.
11 Hyougoro
Hyougoro of the Flower was once among the strongest samurai in the land of Wano. He led the Underworld of the Flower Capital at one point, and his strength was such that Kaido tried to recruit him on several occasions. During the Onigashima Raid, Hyougoro was able to access his real power for a short while due to the effects of the Ice Oni virus.
Evidently, his strength in his prime was monstrous, and he was able to wipe out most of his enemies without much trouble. Hyougoro is also a great user of Ryuo, and his skill with a sword was considered legendary back in the day.
10 Raizo
Raizo was a member of the Oniwabanshu at one point, however, he later left the group and became a retainer of the Kozuki clan. He is the strongest ninja in One Piece who wields the power of the Maki Maki no Mi; a fruit that allows him to create scrolls that store things such as drawings and even techniques such as Kaido’s Borobreath. Raizo is known to be a user of Ryuo, just like the other samurai.
9 Izo
Kiku’s elder brother, Izo was taken in by Oden at quite a young age and he went on to become a very respectable samurai under him. When Whitebeard arrived on Wano, Izo left with Oden and ended up staying on his crew for the years to come. As the 16th Division Commander, Izo was incredibly powerful and he still ranks among the very best sharpshooters in the story. His usage of Ryuo is great and the fact that he survived two wars just goes to show how tough he truly is.
8 Kawamatsu
Renowned as the Kappa, Kawamatsu is an incredibly skilled warrior who excels in both swordplay and sumo fighting. Although he was caged in Udon for 13 years, Kawamatsu is still as strong as ever. He is a capable user of Ryuo and with his famed blade Soto Musou, he is quite difficult to take down in battle. Kawamatsu can combine his swordplay and sumo skills with each other, making him quite dangerous.
7 Kiku
Also known as the Lingering Snow, Kiku was once an orphan but was taken in by none other than Kozuki Oden, who taught her to be a swordswoman. Kiku is extremely powerful and just like Kawamatsu, is a user of Ryuo.
She was able to hurt Kaido in combat on the rooftop and, more importantly, even take down someone as skilled as Kanjuro without even breaking a sweat. Kiku’s swordplay is exceptional and this certainly makes her one of Wano’s strongest.
6 Ashura Doji
The leader of Kuri who also went by the name of Shutenmaru, Ashura Doji is an immensely powerful samurai. Among the retainers of Kozuki Oden, Ashura was certainly one of the very strongest. He was powerful enough to fight against Jack the Drought and give him some lethal wounds.
What’s more, Ashura even injured Kaido and played a huge role in the war of Wano. In terms of strength, he could match Inuarashi in battle, although this was after the latter had lost a leg.
5 Denjiro
Also known as Kyoshiro, Denjiro is one of the very first retainers of Kozuki Oden. Under Oden, he refined his swordplay incredibly well and became an excellent user of Ryuo. Denjiro is far stronger than an average samurai and was able to match Zoro in the Flower Capital without even being serious. He played a huge role on the rooftop and delivered a powerful blow to Kaido in an attempt to defeat him.
4 Kin’emon
The leader of the Akazaya Nine, Kin’emon is certainly among the strongest samurai in Wano Country. Although he didn’t appear to be all that strong at first, Kin’emon’s true power was shown in the fight against Kaido. His swordplay was refined enough to cut through Kaido’s Borobreath with ease and his usage of Ryuo allowed him to wound Kaido as well.
Kin’emon is exceptionally skilled as he could even perform Paradise Totsuka, although not with nearly as much intensity as Oden. He could also survive Kaido’s Conqueror’s Haki-infused attacks.
3 Inuarashi & Nekomamushi
The two Mink leaders, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi are known to be equally strong. Long ago, they drifted to Wano Country where Oden found them and took them in. Under him, both Inuarashi and Nekomamushi became refined samurai. They were both strong enough to take on Jack in battle, showing how skilled they truly are.
In their Sulong form, their power multiplies several times and they can even take down some of the mightiest of warriors, such as Perospero and Jack the Drought, despite being beaten close to death moments before.
2 Shimotsuki Ryuma
A legend of Wano Country, Shimotsuki Ryuma was a famous samurai who is renowned as the Sword God in the story. Long ago, he slew a dragon in the Flower Capital and earned praise as one of the greatest samurai to ever live. Ryuma’s legend remains a mystery, unfortunately. He was able to blacken his blade, Shusui, at some point in life, showing excellent usage of Armament Haki.
1 Kozuki Oden
Kozuki Oden is easily the strongest samurai in Wano Country’s history. Born 58 years ago, Oden was a menace before he even learned how to walk. As he grew up, he fulfilled his potential and became an extremely powerful samurai.
Oden wielded two of the most amazing swords in the form of Ame no Habakiri and Enma, both of which were completely tamed by him before the age of 10. In his prime, he was strong enough to mortally wound Kaido and almost kill him in battle, showing how skilled he truly was.
