These One Piece Characters Could Soon Make Their ONE PIECE Card Game Debuts

21st November 2024 EDT FEATURES

These One Piece Characters Could Soon Make Their ONE PIECE Card Game Debuts

These characters aren't in the TCG yet—but expect the buzz for them to be through the roof once they make it there.

One Piece is the biggest and most popular manga franchise of all time—and by a large margin. Its universe is utterly massive, including characters so numerous that it would be a near impossibility for even the most devoted One Piece fan to name them all in one sitting.

Thus, it should only be expected that even after nine main sets, 20 Starter Decks, and countless other cards, there are still some One Piece characters yet to be represented in the ONE PIECE Card Game. As such, many in the community have already begun to speculate when these characters will appear in the ONE PIECE Card Game and in what capacity.

Let’s now take a look at some of the most notable characters who could potentially be making their ONE PIECE Card Game debuts before too long.

Imu and the Five Elders

We’ll start things off with the most glaring omission to date. Introduced as the clandestine leader of the World Government in Chapter 906 of the manga—a chapter released all the way back in 2018—Imu is likely to be one of the last antagonists of the entire One Piece series, if not the final antagonist outright.

It’s likely that a card depicting Imu hasn’t yet been issued because very little is known about the character up to this point. This was a deliberate decision on the part of series creator Eiichiro Oda. Thus far, Oda has gone out of his way to reveal as little about Imu as possible.

In the manga, Imu still hasn’t been completely shown and is rendered as a dark, shadowy figure with just eyes revealed thus far—even after more than six years. Not even Imu’s recent partial voice reveal in the anime divulged information on the character—specifically, what Imu’s actual gender is.

The Five Elders, meanwhile, are the next-in-command after Imu and, in the One Piece universe, are ostensibly regarded as the World Government’s leaders. They were the main antagonists of the recently-concluded Egghead Arc. Considering that the 500 Years in the Future [OP-07] set is based on the events of the Egghead Arc, it’s somewhat surprising that no card depicting any of the Five Elders was included in the set.

Considering the fact that there are many card already depicting figures from the World Government, a card depicting Imu as well as cards for each of the Five Elders ought to be arriving at some point soon—especially because the manga is now in the Final Saga during which one would assume that the Straw Hat Pirates will come face-to-face with Imu during its climax.

Rocks D. Xebec

Xebec, a ruthless pirate bent on becoming the ruler of the world, was introduced during a flashback sequence in the manga as he had already died at the hands of Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp by the time the events of the manga chronologically began. However, “being alive” has not necessarily been a prerequisite for appearing in the ONE PIECE Card Game. So, what exactly is the hold-up with Xebec?

Well, for starters, just like Imu, Xebec hasn’t had a full body or face reveal yet. He also hasn’t even been voiced in the anime up to now. For these reasons, it would be almost impossible for Xebec to be displayed on a card as of right now.

That said, when the time comes for a Xebec card to be revealed, it’s likely to not only be one which will be coveted by collectors but also have a major gameplay impact. In the manga, some of the pirates who were part of Xebec’s crew became some of the most powerful forces in the One Piece Universe.

Among these were three of the characters formerly among the Four Emperors: Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and Edward Newgate. A Xebec Leader card would in theory work well with those Character cards and potentially set up a very solid deck indeed.

Nefertari D. Lili

The significance of Lili to the One Piece plot hasn’t yet been fully detailed—but it’s more than likely that the queen of Arabasta during the Void Century is, in fact, a vital piece within the final storyline despite having lived many centuries before the events of the manga. The earliest known bearer of the Will of D., Lili refused to side with the World Government and subsequently went missing shortly after choosing to head back to Arabasta.

While there hasn’t been as much buzz over the possibility of Lili being added to the ONE PIECE Card Game as there has been over other characters, she can’t be overlooked either. Being the first female character mentioned thus far, her first card is sure to be a major get—especially so if it’s particularly rare or has a Parallel Art illustration.

So far, Lili has only been depicted in the manga via a silhouette and a portrait in Mary Geoise, the headquarters of the World Government. However, Lili will likely receive a full face and body reveal during the Void Century flashback that’s almost a guarantee to take place before too long due to the importance of her role during that era shrouded in mystery.

Elbaph Giants

There’s not a whole lot to explain here—with only a few exceptions, the vast majority of the named residents of Elbaph, the island of giants, have hardly received any character development up to this point in the manga. This is understandable, however—the ongoing arc of the manga that’s recently started is taking place in Elbaph. During this arc, it’s certain that many of the giants who haven’t yet had much exposition will get their time in the spotlight. This in turn will make it much more likely that cards bearing their likenesses will be released before too long.

Joy Boy

We’ve saved the most significant of all of these for last. The original pirate, a key figure in the Void Century, the first bearer of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika, the first owner of the One Piece itself, the wielder of the most powerful Haki of all time, and so much more—though he died centuries before the events of the One Piece manga, Joy Boy’s impact looms large over the ongoing storyline and will likely grow as the plot goes deeper into the endgame.

As has been the case with some of the other characters already mentioned, Joy Boy has thus far only appeared in the manga in silhouette form. Additionally, given his sheer importance to the in-universe lore, Joy Boy’s debut in the ONE PIECE Card Game will almost certainly have to be similarly spectacular. It’s more than likely that BANDAI is saving the first Joy Boy card for an aptly climactic and memorable point not only in the One Piece manga, but in the ONE PIECE Card Game as well.

It’s relatively safe to say that the ONE PIECE Card Game’s first Joy Boy card, whenever it may appear, will be among the most prized cards of its set and garner absolutely incredible demand. Although it would surely pale in comparison to Joy Boy’s full reveal in the manga, that card will nevertheless likely end up being a highlight of the collection of anyone fortunate enough to get their hands on it.