Kozuki Oden is arguably one of the most inspirational characters in One Piece. Despite being the true Shogun of Wano, Oden rejects the position in order to keep his people safe. Although he later perishes, he ensures that all nine members of his retinue live to tell the tale. The Nine Red Scabbards is a title given to Wano Country’s nine samurai who served Kozuki Oden. After the death of Kozuki Oden, they made it their goal to see to it that his dream was fulfilled.

All the Scabbards, also known as the Akazaya, are said to be exceptionally powerful, some even strong enough to fight on equal footing against the All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates. Led by Foxfire Kin’emon, the Scabbards aimed to take down Yonko Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi as members of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance. Here are all the Nine Red Scabbards ranked according to their strength.

Updated by Ajay Aravind on June 7, 2024: Kaido initially mocked the Nine Red Scabbards of Oden, but he quickly changed his tune when he realized just how powerful they were. In fact, these nine warriors were considered to be some of the greatest threats to Onigashima and Kaido’s ultimate plans. As such, we’ve updated this list with some more relevant information.

8Raizo Is A Ninja Master With A Bizarre Devil Fruit

Age
Debut
Japanese VA
English VA

35
Episode 768 “The Third One! Raizo of the Mist, the Ninja, Appears”
Masashi Ebara
Andrew Kishino

Raizo of the Mist is a ninja from the Land of Wano and he’s just as skilled as a Wano warrior would be. A master at Ninja arts, Raizo has consumed a Devil Fruit that grants him the ability to manipulate and control various scrolls, altering their size and storing items within. He can also employ these scrolls as barriers that absorb and later unleash an enemy’s attack. That said, he’s one of the few Akazaya Nine with a Devil Fruit power.

Much of Raizo’s fighting capabilities remain unknown, although he appears to be exceptionally skilled at espionage. Using his Ninja arts, Raizo helped Luffy conquer Udon days before the Fire Festival began, which just goes to show that he’s just as skilled as is expected of a Scabbard of Oden. While Raizo has been considered a true prodigy in the art of ninjutsu, his Scabbard peers are a shade more talented than him. As such, he has the lowest rank on this list.

7Kanjuro Is Powerful But Turned Out To Be A Traitor

Age
Debut
Japanese VA
English VA

34
Episode 629 “Startling! The Big News Shakes Up the New World”
Takumi Yamazaki
Ben Bryant

Kanjuro is a Samurai from Wano Country who was introduced during the Dressrosa arc in One Piece. Having traveled 20 years forward in time, Kanjuro’s skills haven’t enhanced as much as the other Scabbards. Despite that, Kanjuro is one of the strongest Samurai in the series so far, which is part of the reason why he’s Kin’emon’s close aide.

Kanjuro possesses a Devil Fruit ability that lets him breathe life into anything he draws for a certain amount of time. Although it was previously believed that he could only produce terrible drawings, Kanjuro was actually capable of producing near-flawless images. Unfortunately, this was only revealed after everyone learned that he was a traitor. Despite his fighting and Haki skills, however, Kikunojo managed to defeat Kanjuro during the Wano Country Arc.

6Kikunojo Is One Of The Best Swordsmen In One Piece

Age
Debut
Japanese VA
English VA

22
Episode 899 “Defeat is Inevitable – The Strawman’s Fierce Attack!”
Mariya Ise
Kayleigh McKee

Also known as Kiku of the Lingering Snow, Kikunojo is a proud Samurai of Wano Country, and the only female member of Kozuki Oden’s Nine Scabbards. Along with Raizo, Kanjuro, and Kin’emon, Kiku also jumped 20 years ahead in time to the current Wano, where she planned to take down Kaido along with the alliance. Kiku is extremely tall and equally strong, allowing her to deliver overwhelming attacks with a single strike.

Her strength further fuels her swordsmanship, making her a devastatingly formidable opponent. Kiku’s main sword fighting technique is known as Zansetsugama, which spawns numerous “flying slashes.” In addition, Kiku’s durability is top-notch, explaining how she was able to undergo literal amputation before entering the battlefield soon after her crudely performed surgery.

5Kin’emon Is The De Facto Leader Of The Nine Scabbards

Age
Debut
Japanese VA
English VA

36
Episode 580 “A Scorching Battle! Luffy vs. the Giant Dragon!”
Kenyu Horiuchi
Chris Ryan

Famously known as ‘Foxfire’ for being able to cut through flames, Kin’emon is the Captain of the Nine Red Scabbards. He was the first Scabbard, along with Denjiro, to join Oden on his journey. Although his full strength remains unknown, Kin’emon has also previously lost against the likes of Trafalgar Law, meaning he isn’t the strongest of Samurai out there.

While he is the leader, it must be noted that Kin’emon jumped 20 years ahead in time. Many of the other Scabbards had 20 years to prepare and get stronger, which is why they seem so much stronger than Kin’emon is right now. Nonetheless, he possesses incredible swordplay and he also has a decent command over two Haki types. Kin’emon has managed to turn the tides on multiple occasions with nothing more than pure luck, but that’s just not enough to give him a higher rank on this list.

4Denjiro Masterfully Disguises His True Identity And Power

Age
Debut
Japanese VA
English VA

47
Episode 909 “Mysterious Grave Markers – A Reunion at the Ruins of Oden Castle!”
Daisuke Kishio
Christopher Wehkamp

The mysterious Denjiro was described by Kin’emon as one of the three people who were pivotal to the alliance for the attack on Onigashima. Before he was revealed, fans had no idea that Denjiro had disguised himself as Napping Kyoshiro for twenty years. That said, they already knew he was powerful since Kin’emon had spoken highly of him.

Napping Kyoshiro possessed enough skill to push Zoro on the back foot during their short fight at the Flower Capital, which makes him a monster in terms of fighting prowess. However, Denjiro becomes much stronger when he sheds the mask and joins the Akazaya Nine once more. As such, it can be argued that he’s probably one of the greatest swordsmen in One Piece. Denjiro could even replicate the Oden Two Sword Style, proving that he wasn’t that far behind his master.

3Kawamatsu Is A Fish-Man With His Own Unique Combat Style

Age
Debut
Japanese VA
English VA

41
Episode 910 “A Legendary Samurai – The Man Who Roger Admired!”
Yu Mizushima
Anthony Bowling

Kawamatsu the Kappa is another Scabbard who Kin’emon hyped up to be of utmost importance for the Onigashima Raid. Although Kawamatsu spent 13 years in prison at Udon, his skills haven’t declined in the slightest. He also uses sumo-wrestling moves along with his sword, Soto Muso, to create the brand-new Kappa-ryu style of fighting.

Kawamatsu is a proficient user of Haki, as well. At the Udon prison, he was seen using Ryuu with awfully high proficiency, which surprised all the spectators around him. However, Kawamatu’s Fish-man genes grant him astonishing levels of physical prowess, so much so that he can kill opponents by spitting projectiles at them. Kawamatsu launches his attacks with such strength and speed that he can take down multiple opponents simultaneously.

2Ashura Doji Is Arguably The Greatest Samurai Still Alive

Age
Debut
Japanese VA
English VA

56
Episode 910 “A Legendary Samurai – The Man Who Roger Admired!”
Nobuo Tobita
Ricco Fajardo

Ashura Doji, also known as Shutenmaru of Atamayama, might well be the strongest of the Nine Red Scabbards in terms of raw power. He was once a bandit who ran amock the Kuri region of Wano — however, he joined Kozuki Oden’s retinue after being defeated by him. Although he initially refuses to lend his assistance to his comrades, Ashura eventually comes around.

Ashura Doji possesses magnificent fighting prowess as he was able to fight on par against Jack the Drought in Wano’s Kuri region. In fact, Ashura Doji gave Jack a nasty scar, which just goes to show that he’s no pushover. He’s also fought Kaido in the past, although he lost to him bitterly. Ashura’s incomparable durability is directly connected to his overall combat expertise, as he can take multiple stab wounds without even reacting.

1Inuarashi & Nekomamushi Are The Strongest Of The Akazaya Nine

Age
Debut
Japanese VA
English VA

Inuarashi
40
Episode 756 “Start to Counterattack – Great Moves by the Curly Hat Pirates!”
Takaya Hashi
Jeff Plunk

Nekomamushi
Masaru Ikeda
SungWon Cho

One of the leaders of the Mokomo Dukedom in Zou, Inuarashi is also a member of Oden’s Nine Red Scabbards, and one of the strongest ones at that. Being Oden’s subordinate, he’s capable of fighting some of the strongest people in the world of One Piece. Like Inuarashi, Nekomamushi also leads Mokomo Dukedom. As Inuarashi’s equal, Nekomamushi is capable of doing everything that the dog can do as well.

Inuarashi was strong enough to match Jack the Drought at Zou, which is a massive testament to his abilities. Similarly, Nekomamushi fought Jack at Wano Country for 5 nights consecutively, showing how strong he is in the process. What’s more, both of them can get several times more powerful on a full moon night, when all Minks have access to the Sulong form. In fact, it is the Sulong forms of Inuarashi and Nekomamushi that make them both equally robust — and the strongest of the Nine Red Scabbards.