Oda Officially Confirms a God Level Female Character

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is a masterpiece, but it has received quite a bit of criticism over the years, especially when it comes to the female characters of the show. While most of them are amazingly well written, there’s a clear lack of strong female characters. After 28 years into One Piece, only three female characters have been confirmed to possess Conqueror’s Haki, and one of them, Big Mom, is out of the game now, which is certainly not great. That said, Oda might be redeeming himself in the Final Saga as he unveils a god-level female character. This new mighty female character is none other than Saint Gunko, the main antagonist of the Elbaf arc and God’s Blade. Gunko might be one of the most dangerous people in the World Government, and will play a pivotal role in Elbaf.

Gunko is a God-Level Female Character Possibly The Strongest In The Story So Far

Gunko was shown to be powerful ever since her introduction, early on in Elbaf. However, fans didn’t expect her to be as dangerous as she currently is. She arrived with Shamrock on Elbaf, and the latter was quickly able to hype up her power. Shamrock stated that Loki, a 2.6 billion bounty pirate, could be taken down by her. That alone is huge, but fans quickly learned how special she is. Gunko might very well be Imu’s right hand and their closest pawn. Imu is able to channel their powers through Gunko, and only Gunko, for whatever reason.

Gunko was even stated in One Piece chapter 1160 to be God’s Blade, which is quite a curious title. On God Valley, people were even betting on her in single combat, when insane legends were present on the same battlefield, like Garling Figarland. Gunko clearly seems to stand out even among the Holy Knights, and she might even be stronger, or at least on the same level, as characters among the likes of Garling and Shamrock.

One Piece’s Other Powerful Female Characters in the Final Saga

• Big Mom’s Era is Over
• Boa Hancock, Yamato, and Shirahoshi Will Show Their True Power

Gunko is, of course, very strong, but she isn’t the only female character fans should keep an eye on in One Piece’s final saga. A character Oda is guaranteed to do a lot with is none other than Boa Hancock. Oda hyped up the Kuja a lot in the Elbaf flashback, and Hancock’s generation is far superior to the likes of Gloriosa and Shakky. Hancock will have a huge role to play. Aside from Hancock, Yamato is sure to join the final battle and show her power.

Yamato and Hancock are the only two female characters left with Conqueror’s Haki after the fall of Charlotte Linlin. Finally, Shirahoshi is a character often overlooked but could possibly become the most overpowered female character. After all, she is Poseidon, an ancient weapon, and will learn to fully control the Sea Kings by the end of One Piece.

When I was a kid, I thought to myself: man I would love to draw a manga with the most hyped final stage! I wonder if I’m up to it! Now, we have only a tiny bit of Wano arc left, the preparations are almost done. Took me 25 years lol. That said, it’s fine if you start reading from this point on. Because from this point on…it’ll be… The ONE PIECE!! The mysteries of this world, I’ll be drawing all of them! It’ll be super interesting! Fasten your seatbelt! And please stay with me for a bit longer! — Eiichiro Oda, Author of One Piece, 2022

One Piece Chapter 1161 will be out next week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on September 28. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1161 is September 28, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.