All One Piece mothers Oda has killed so far

In the world of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda is infamously known to kill off any character who is introduced as the mother of a character. This has become such a recurring theme that when someone is given the role of a mother, the fandom ends up mentally preparing themselves to become emotionally strong enough to cope with the fact that the creator would end up killing them off after making everyone feel empathetic towards the mother.

---

List of all the mothers who have died so far in One Piece

Bell-mere

Bell-mere in One Piece might not have been a biological mother, but she has given love and care as she truly was. She was a former Marine who made a difficult choice to wanting to be with her family over duty. And that is what she did. Nami and Nojiko were raised with extreme warmth and pride, even if they did not have enough money to have proper meals.

That is why when she was executed by Arlong in One Piece, fans were shocked beyond any explanation because it was undoubtedly one of the most brutal emotional moments. There was a chance for her to lie and live, but she was not like that. She refused to deny her daughters. That choice cost her life, and Nami her childhood. From that moment on, Nami’s obsession with money, freedom, and survival was not greed; it was trauma.

---

Nico Olvia

Nico Robin’s mother was also killed off during the unfortunate Ohara Buster Call. She was an archaeologist who believed that knowledge is worth dying for. And above everything else, she truly believed that Robin had to be saved even if it meant putting her life on the line. In many ways, Robin’s lifelong search for history is also a search for her mother for proof that Olivia’s sacrifice meant something.

---

Portgas D. Rouge

Few sacrifices in One Piece are as quietly devastating as Portgas D. Rouge’s. To ensure that no one from the World Government would find out about his existence, she held out on giving birth and carried Ace in her womb for twenty months. But by the time Ace was born, her body could not take it anymore. As a mother, she did not get time to spend with her son, but this level of sacrifice can never be taken lightly or forgotten. Her death is a reminder that in One Piece, some battles are fought long before a child ever picks up a weapon.

---

Vinsmoke Sora

Sanji’s mother, Vinsmoke Sora, stood alone against the cruelty of Germa 66. While her husband was obsessed with making his children living weapons, she wanted to preserve humanity. She was a literal saint in the form of a human, as she fought desperately for her children; the only one who took after his mom was Sanji.

For which he had to suffer a lot and go through several traumatic events because his father could not tolerate kind people, as it reminded him of his wife. His compassion, respect for women, and refusal to abandon kindness in a violent world all trace back to her. In the end, Sora’s death in One Piece leaves Sanji as the only living proof that love once existed there.

---

Nefertari Titi

Unlike other mothers on this list, Nefertari Titi’s death happens off-screen. She is the mother of Vivi and was seen as a beloved, gentle, and wise person. Vivi had to grow up with loads of responsibilities while also managing her emotional loss of not having a mother. Titi may not be present in the story, but her death quietly shapes Vivi into one of One Piece’s most selfless characters.

---

Queen Otohime

Queen Otohime believed in peace between humans and fish-men, even when hatred surrounded her. She believed words could heal wounds centuries of oppression had carved deep. Her assassination shatters that dream. Murdered during a peace rally, Otohime leaves behind children too young to understand why kindness was punished. Shirahoshi’s gentle heart, overwhelming empathy, and inability to hate reflect Otohime’s ideals, a living legacy born from loss.

---

Scarlett

Scarlett’s death during Dressrosa’s fall is swift, cruel, and unforgettable. Trying to protect Rebecca amid chaos, she is stabbed and left to die alone. Kyros arrives too late, holding her as life slips away. Rebecca’s refusal to kill, her trembling compassion in the colosseum, and her deep emotional scars all stem from this moment. Scarlett dies so her daughter can live without blood on her hands, a promise Rebecca spends her life trying to honor.

---

Kozuki Toki

Kozuki Toki’s death carries prophecy, sacrifice, and hope. Knowing she cannot save Wano herself, Toki sends her children twenty years into the future, trusting strangers and time itself to finish the fight. She dies immediately after, shot by Kaido’s forces as she declares Wano’s eventual liberation. Toki doesn’t just die as a mother; she dies as a promise that the next generation will succeed where she could not.

---

Banchina

Usopp’s mother, Banchina, doesn’t die in battle or rebellion. She dies slowly, from illness, waiting for a pirate husband who never returns. Her death leaves Usopp alone with lies, stories he tells himself to survive grief. Those lies eventually become bravery. Banchina’s absence plants the seed for Usopp’s dream of becoming a brave warrior of the sea, chasing the father who left and the mother he lost.

---

Russian

Even minor characters are not spared. Russian, Senor Pink’s wife and the mother of Gimlet, loses everything: her child, her consciousness, and eventually her life. Her quiet death, after years in a coma, is one of One Piece’s most heartbreaking side stories. It reminds us that this world is cruel not just to heroes, but to ordinary families too.

---

Final thoughts

Oda’s explanation is simple but heavy: mothers represent safety. They are home, warmth, and protection, things that adventure stories must remove. In One Piece, growth comes from loss. Dreams are born where comfort ends. By removing mothers, Oda forces his characters into the world. And in doing so, he makes found family, crews, comrades, and bonds to be more powerful than blood.