Key Takeaways
- Fish-men are prevalent in One Piece, with various crews featuring them.
- The Sun Pirates and Arlong Pirates are notable fish-men crews with complex backstories and relationships with other crews.
- Fish-men serve different roles in other pirate crews, like the Whitebeard Pirates, Foxy Pirates, and Beasts Pirates, showcasing diversity.
Fish-Men are a fairly prevalent race in the series of One Piece. They have superior physical strength to humans and are even capable of swimming. This makes them a natural fit for the pirate world, and they have appeared in numerous places throughout it.
While many fish-men pirate crews have been documented across the series, they are also present in human society, with many deciding to join largely human crews. There are many pirate crews that have fish-men as members in One Piece, but keeping track of them all in such a vast story can be quite challenging.
This list will document any pirate crew that has been confirmed to (at least at one point or another) have had fish-men among their ranks. It will be restricted to canonical appearances.
14 Sun Pirates
Captains: Fisher Tiger, Jimbei
- Debut: Chapter 620 (Manga), Episode 540 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Wadatsumi and other unnamed members.
- Fish-Men formerly in the crew: Fisher Tiger, Jimbei, Arlong, Hatchan, Kuroobi, Chew, Macro, Gyaro, Tansui, Pisaro, and Kaneshiro.
The Sun Pirates are arguably the seminal fish-men pirate crew. Many fish-men pirate crews have had some form of connection to the crew, and it largely attempts to operate with its kind’s best interests in mind. It was founded by Fisher Tiger, a sea bream fish-man and a former slave, whose crewmates were also largely ex-slaves. Each member received a brand meant to disguise the one slaves were given by World Nobles. This was an act of solidarity, meant to make the ex-slaves and those who were never slaves indistinguishable.
Unlike most other fish-men crews, this crew also contained merfolk, most prominently the ship’s doctor, Aladine, and his wife, Charlotte Praline, who is half-mermaid. Although this makes sense once one considers that fish-men and merfolk have virtually the same genetics.
Although Fisher Tiger wished not to have his hatred inherited, the cruelty he suffered at the hands of humans made him fairly prejudiced against them. His death was the result of being betrayed after sending a human slave to her family (although this itself was the result of the family attempting to broker a deal to keep their child). Regardless, Tiger refused the blood transplant from a human that would keep him alive out of a hatred for their kind.
Tiger’s eventual death resulted in Jimbei taking over the crew. In an effort to pardon his crewmates, Jimbei became a Warlord, and managed to free Arlong from imprisonment. However, Arlong was ungrateful and left the crew because he only respected Tiger, not his ideals. He formed the Arlong Pirates as one of the two splinter crews made after Jimbei gained his title. The other resulting crew was the Macro Pirates.
Due to an effort to maintain some form of protection, the Sun Pirates have found themselves aligned with a variety of powers. They were previously aligned with the government via Jimbei, although Whitebeard protected Fish-Man Island during this time. After his passing and Jimbei’s exit from the warlords, they became a subordinate crew under Big Mom, who previously acted as the protector of Fish-Men Island in exchange for a fee. Currently, the Straw Hats are charged with protecting the island, although Jimbei left his spot as the Sun Pirates’ captain to join their crew instead.
13 Arlong Pirates
Captain: Arlong
- Debut: Chapter 69 (Manga), Episode 31 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Arlong, Kyoobi, Chew, Pisaro, Kaneshiro, Take, Shikoyaki, and other unnamed members.
- Fish-Men formerly in the crew: Hatchan.
Taking up residence in Arlong Park on the East Blue, this pirate crew was primarily composed of fish-men, although Nami was once an officer, albeit unwillingly. Their most prominent members were four ex-Sun Pirates who left the crew upon Jimbei’s ascension to Warlord. Captained by Arlong, a sawshark fish-man, they are largely racist against humans and have no problem with shaking down nearby villages and killing their people. However, the exact ideals are not shared by every member of the crew, as Hatchan was proud of his friendship with Silvers Rayleigh.
Despite his anti-human prejudice, Arlong has no issue dealing with corrupt navy officers in order to maintain his power. He wished to use Nami’s skills to create a map with which he would take over the world, but this failed to come to fruition. Ultimately, the crew was effectively disbanded after their fight with the Straw Hats, with most of its major officers, save for Hatchan, ending up arrested.
12 Macro Pirates
Captain: Macro
- Debut: Chapter 197 (Manga; Cover Story), Episode 386 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Macro, Gyaro, and Tansui.
One of the smallest crews in the One Piece series, the Macro Pirates are fairly unremarkable compared to other fish-men crews. This three-member crew runs counter to the ideals of their parent crew, having no problems sending other fish-men and merfolk into slavery or even working alongside other humans to do so.
They are infamous for attempting to apprehend Camie, a mermaid, over 30 times, and they even once tried to capture their former friend, Hatchan. That said, they are shown to be largely ineffective compared to most of their former crewmates, as Hatchan was able to defeat them with relatively little effort.
11 New Fish-Man Pirates
Captain: Hody Jones
- Debut: Chapter 607 (Manga), Episode 527 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Hody Jones, Dosun, Zeo, Ikaros Much, Hyouzou, Hammond, Kasagoba, Harisenbon, and other unnamed Fish-Men.
This crew was made of a number of fish-men who followed the anti-human philosophy of Arlong. However, the actual popularity these ideals enjoyed on their native Fish-Men Island was fairly minimal. The captain of the New Fish-Man Pirates, Hody Jones, was a great white shark fish-man who wished to effectively take over the island. Hody learned from his predecessor’s mistakes, courting allies Arlong previously could not. That said, he was much less familiar with humans overall, believing that he could kill his way to fish-man supremacy.
He assassinated Otohime in a botched effort to radicalize fish-men and merfolk against her ideals, showing a willingness to kill even his own kind as an extension of his anti-human hatred. They lost to an alliance of the Straw Hat Pirates and Jimbei, ironically making the island even more willing to accept human aid in the struggle for their freedom. Ultimately, the crew was put out of commission after its defeat, with an abuse of energy steroids prematurely aging the top members out of their prime.
10 Flying Pirates
Captain: Vander Decken IX
- Debut: Chapter 606 (Manga), Episode 525 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Vander Decken IX and other unnamed fish-men.
- Fish-Men formerly in the crew: Wadatsumi.
This crew was allied with the New Fish-Man Pirates, a combination said to be unstoppable. The crew were plunderers by nature, with their fish-man physiology making them suited to robberies at sea. Their captain, Vander Decken IX, a Japanese bullhead shark fish-man, consumed a Devil Fruit that made him an expert marksman at the cost of his ability to breathe underwater. Decken obsessively wishes to take Shirahoshi, the mermaid princess, as his bride.
The crew formerly had at least two gigantic beings, Ankoro, an anglerfish, and Wadatsumi, a tiger blowfish fish-man, who were large enough to cause mass destruction in their wake. Despite this, the crew was ultimately defeated, with Wadatsumi being knocked out by Sanji and Decken being betrayed by Hody and falling unconscious after failing to take revenge. Wadatsumi eventually defected to the Sun Pirates after being banished due to his size, making incarceration impossible, but the rest of the crew was presumably arrested.
9 Foxy Pirates (Formerly)
Captain: Foxy
- Debut: Chapter 304 (Manga), Episode 207 (Anime)
- Fish-Men formerly in the crew: Capote, Big Pan (Wotan), and possibly others.
Foxy previously built a massive crew, which consisted largely of pirates he won from Davy Back Fights, competitions where the loser is often forced to part with their crewmates. Foxy’s crew is notably the first largely human crew shown to have fish-men in its ranks. Capote is one such member, a billfish fish-man who is shown to have excellent athletic abilities, especially in the water.
The Foxy Pirates were also notable for having Big Pan, a loach wotan, a being who is half-fishman and half-giant. Big Pan is thus far the only canonical wotan shown in the series. Due to his giant ancestry, he appears slightly more human than most of his fish-man counterparts. However, the Final Saga displays that neither Capote nor Big Pan are members of the crew anymore. It is possible that the fish-men were lost in a Davy Back Fight, with the three remaining members of the Foxy Pirates being purely human.
8 Whitebeard Pirates
Captain: Whitebeard
- Debut: Chapter 154 (Manga), Episode 91 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Namur, Wallace, and possibly others.
Whitebeard was charged with defending fish-man island, with his flag signifying it as his territory to protect. His crew notably had at least two fish-men in its ranks. Namur, a fish-man appearing to take after a shark, served as the 8th division commander. Namur seemed to take the responsibility quite seriously, even having an “8” mark under his chin.
The exact extent of his strength is unclear, but considering that he is one of the most powerful crew’s top members, it is likely fairly high within the range of fish-men or pirates. Along with most of the crew, his current whereabouts are unknown, although he was likely involved in the Payback War, where the Whitebeard Pirates definitely lost to the Blackbeard Pirates. Their members are said to have gone into hiding after this outcome.
7 Spade Pirates (Absorbed Into The Whitebeard Pirates)
Captain: Ace
- Debut: Chapter 552 (Manga), Episode 461 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Wallace (later joined the Whitebeard Pirates).
The Spade Pirates was a crew formed by Portgas D. Ace. The crew had a somewhat diverse roster, including a longarm, a mermaid, and a fish-man among its members. The fish-man in question was Wallace, who took after a weedy stingfish. Due to Ace’s accepting nature, he added Wallace to the ranks of his crew. Because of the relative lack of prominence had by the Spade Pirates overall, Wallace is largely unseen outside an occasional background appearance.
The crew was ultimately absorbed into the Whitebeard Pirates after Edward “Whitebeard” Newgate defeated and captured Ace. Although Ace was unwilling at first, he eventually took to the crew and ended up becoming its second division commander. After the deaths of Ace and his captain, the former Spade Pirates have also likely gone into hiding.
6 Takotopus Pirates
Captain: Karma
- Debut: Chapter 553 (Manga), Episode 467 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Karma and possibly others.
This crew was led by Karma, an octopus fish-man. Its members were previously involved in human trafficking activites, attempting to sell Kozuki Toki and later Oden for a profit. However, the crew ultimately failed, being scared off by the likes of Oden and Whitebeard.
Sometime after, the crew became one of Whitebeard’s many subordinate crews. Karma and his crew were involved in the Summit War, but little has been seen of them chronologically after this appearance.
5 Donquixote Pirates
Captain: Donquixote Doflamingo
- Debut: Chapter 223 (Manga), Episode 151 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Dellinger (Human Hybrid)
The World Nobles are noted for their diverse array of slaves and preferences for powerful or unique races, such as fish-men. This is compounded by a discriminatory attitude humans have towards fish-men in general. Despite this, there are recorded instances of humans crossbreeding with fish-men. Notably, serial crossbreeder, Charlotte Linlin, birthed a fish-man human hybrid named De-Chat, although he is not yet involved in the Big Mom Pirates’ activities, presumably due to being too young.
A fish-man hybrid who is an actual pirate is Dellinger. Dellinger was an orphan who was found by the Donquixote Pirates and raised by Giolla. Despite his origins, Donquixote Doflamingo seems to have no problem accepting Dellinger as one of his family. Dellinger is shown to have incredible physical strength, taking down a number of Corrida Colosseum participants until he was ultimately undone by Hakuba, Cavendish’s evil alter ego. He, along with his crewmates, have since been arrested by the marines and likely imprisoned.
4 Beasts Pirates
Captain: Kaido
- Debut: Chapter 595 (Manga), Episode 513 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Jack, Sasaki, and possibly others.
The Beasts Pirates were previously considered one of the four most threatening crews to the World Government. They took up residency in Wano, helping solidify shogun Kurozumi Orochi’s power. Although the crew has no particular relationship of note with the greater fish-man race, two of the top members of the crew are fish-men.
Jack ‘the Drought’ is a giant grouper fish-man and one of Kaido’s All-Stars, being considered his third most powerful subordinate. He is powerful enough to hold off a number of minks, a race of natural warriors, and is shown to be a devastating force. ‘Overflowing’ Sasaki is a bluespine unicornfish fish-man who is one of the Tobiroppo, six of the strongest officers of the Beasts Pirates (except the All-Stars). Likely due to Kaido’s dream of an all-Zoan pirate crew, the two have eaten ancient Zoan Devil Fruits, limiting their efficiency underwater but giving them powerful abilities on land.
It is unclear why exactly Kaido recruits fish-men, especially considering that he nullifies their most effective terrain with his Devil Fruit agenda. It is likely because their superior strength places them above the majority of their counterparts, regardless of what race they are.
3 Roger Pirates
Captain: Gol D. Roger
- Debut: Chapter 19 (Manga), Episode 8 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Sunbell.
The Roger Pirates were captained by Gol D. Roger, the only pirate ever known to have earned the title of ‘Pirate King.’ Roger’s known crewmates were largely human, but he did have at least one fish-man companion. Sunbell is a stout fish-man with webbed hands and a fin atop his head. The fish species he takes after is not yet explicitly identified.
The anime shows him to have been a powerful pirate, clashing against the likes of ‘Flower Sword’ Vista, one of the world’s strongest swordsmen, as well as one of Whitebeard’s division commanders. His whereabouts after Roger’s disbandment of the crew are currently unknown.
2 Rocks Pirates
Captain: Rocks D. Xebec
- Debut: Chapter 957 (Manga), Episode 958 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the Crew: One unnamed member shown at God Valley and possibly others.
This powerful pirate crew consisted of many future pirates of note. Rocks D. Xebec assembled the crew with the goal of becoming King of the World. Whitebeard notably disliked his time with the crew, as fights were frequent due to the large number of pirates who were not the type to take orders.
At God Valley, an unnamed, large-lipped individual appearing to be a fish-man served as one of the crew’s combatants. His exact physical strength is not yet known, but he is likely very powerful considering the crew’s overall strength. Although many of his crewmates went on to become noteworthy figures in their own right, anything else about this character is thus far unknown.
1 Straw Hat Pirates
Captain: Monkey D. Luffy
- Debut: Chapter 5 (Manga), Episode 3 (Anime)
- Fish-Men in the crew: Jimbei.
Jimbei was a whale-shark fish-man who wished to fulfill his former captain’s objective of fish-men liberation. To this end, he often brokered alliances with humans and even befriended a handful of them. Jimbei was notably friends with Ace, due to his ties to the Whitebeard Pirates. Jimbei eventually became incarcerated due to these ties and for refusing to fight against Whitebeard and his crew, despite being a warlord. He also became acquainted with Ace’s sworn brother, Monkey D. Luffy, in Impel Down and immediately took to the young pirate’s strength and ambition, despite concerns about meeting him beforehand.
After the Summit War, Jimbei and Luffy met on Fish-Man Island, with Luffy asking Jimbei to join his crew. Although the fish-man pirate wished he could accept, his own obligations led to him focusing on the Sun Pirates for a time. However, after seemingly succeeding in evacuating the crew from Whole Cake Island, he officially joined the Straw Hat Pirates, and has served as their helmsman since. Jimbei is an ardent believer in Luffy, firmly reiterating his belief that he is the man who will become King of the Pirates.
