Donquixote Doflamingo was one of the most challenging villains in the One Piece universe. Although his devil fruit might seem harmless, it afforded him power on such a vast and destructive scale that he almost massacred an entire country single-handedly. He was also the strongest member of the Seven Warlords by a significant margin.
Therefore, it may come as a surprise that Doflamingo's powers still have limits. While he could undoubtedly best many other characters in the One Piece universe, there are also many characters that could definitely take Doflamingo down.
10 Could Beat: Ace Doesn't Have The Durability To Survive Doflamingo's Attacks
Ace's greatest asset is his unstoppable offensive prowess. His Devil Fruit could engulf an entire island in flames and even rival Blackbeard. However, considering that Doflamingo was able to survive Luffy's first usage of Fourth Gear, he'd also endure the brunt of Ace's attack.
By capitalizing on the young man's low durability with a targeted string barrage, he could pierce his body just as easily and brutally as Akainu did. Unfortunately for Ace, his low resilience would be his undoing.
9 Would Lose To: Akainu Could Overwhelm Doflamingo In An Inferno
Akainu has the durability necessary to survive Doflamingo's attacks. Considering that he tanked several direct hits from Whitebeard without getting knocked unconscious, Doflamingo's strings have little to offer by comparison.
Doflamingo may have been powerful enough to suppress Dressrosa in a birdcage, but Akainu's actions permanently terraformed the island of Punk Hazard. It follows that his offensive toolkit is greater in scope and potency than his warlord opponent could ever hope to match. Considering that Doflamingo fled from Aokiji — who lost to Akainu — the latter's victory is assured.
8 Could Beat: Franky Doesn't Have The Means Of Avoiding Doflamingo's Puppetry
Franky's resilient frontal body may allow him to endure Doflamingo's basic attacks, but he has nothing to stop the villain from puppeteering his body. Durable as the cyborg may be, he lacks the speed of the monster trio, and that would pose a serious problem.
After wrangling Franky into submission, Doflamingo could simply force him to turn around so that he would be able to pierce his vulnerable back. He might even force him to turn against the other Straw Hats, similar to what he did with the King of Dressrosa.
7 Would Lose To: Zoro Is More Than Capable Of Ripping Doflamingo Apart
Doflamingo may have superhuman durability even without armament haki, but Zoro possesses the means of breaking him. During the Dressrosa campaign, Zoro proved deadly enough to slice through a mountain-sized Pica in a single motion.
Considering that he was fast enough to leave after images of himself and that Doflamingo lacks observation haki, Zoro would only need a single concentrated swing in order to take his adversary's head off. Should he strike efficiently, the warlord wouldn't have time to awaken his Devil Fruit and compromise the ground he stands on.
6 Could Beat: Doflamingo Would Only Need To Immobilize Cracker In Order To Stop Him
Cracker was a Sweet General who could create durable golems. This afforded him a bulwark of defense and his hardened biscuits were so sturdy that even Luffy struggled to break them.
Doflamingo wouldn't need to destroy Cracker's minions in order to win. Instead, he'd only need to attach a thread to his hand and prevent him from clapping. From there, he could use the pirate's body as a human shield in order to call off his creations.
5 Would Lose To: Whitebeard Could Obliterate Any Obstacle Doflamingo Puts In His Way
Even in his old age, Whitebeard could demolish Doflamingo with relatively little effort. His Tremor-Tremor Fruit was potent enough to injure Aokiji and even destroy Marineford itself. Additionally, Whitebeard was durable enough to survive being stabbed hundreds of times and having molten lava pumped directly into his chest.
It suggests that Doflamingo's basic string attacks would struggle to break his skin, let alone cause enough harm to slow his adversary down. Whitebeard's ability to destroy the earth around him would also render Doflamingo's awakened Devil Fruit obsolete.
4 Could Beat: Doflamingo Wouldn't Succumb To Hancock's Wiles
Boa Hancock's Devil Fruit allowed her to petrify most opponents. As long as they felt lust for her, they would immediately turn to stone. Such tactics were efficient against the marines, allowing her to defend Amazon Lily from those who would challenge its solidarity.
As a fellow warlord, Doflamingo would know of her Devil Fruit and how to counter it. Should he simply allow his hatred to overcome his lust, he'd have no issue with binding Hancock's limbs and killing her.
3 Would Lose To: Rayleigh Was A Legend On Par With Admirals
As the right-hand man of Roger himself, Rayleigh was a living legend. He had the reflexes and strength to hold Kizaru at bay while the Straw Hats fought against Kuma, a feat that even most of Whitebeard's crew could not match.
Considering that Doflamingo cows before admirals (as proven through his interactions with Aokiji and, to a lesser degree, Fujitora), he has no chance of winning in a fair fight. Rayleigh's reflexes and armament haki alone are enough to ensure that the villain's strings would never find their intended target.
2 Could Beat: Doflamingo's Awakened Devil Fruit Counters Pica Perfectly
Should Pica attempt to defy his captain, the resulting fight would not go well for him. Although he has a staggering advantage in both size and physical strength, Doflamingo's awakened Devil Fruit would turn the odds back in his favor.
It allows him to convert the nearby ground into strings that he can use for offense and defense. Considering that Pica's stature is fueled by the stone around him, he would effectively get cut off from his primary power source. As a result, Doflamingo would only need to rip him apart once in order to win.
1 Would Lose To: Luffy Is Now Well Beyond Doflamingo's Ability
In their first battle, it seemed as if Doflamingo had a slight advantage over Luffy. The Straw Hat captain relied on both Law and the citizens of Dressrosa in order to injure and defeat him.
Since then, Luffy has faced and overcome villains in Whole Cake Island and Wano. Meanwhile, Doflamingo's powers have remained stagnant — and arguably even decreased — from the deepest reaches of Impel Down. It follows that should the two have a rematch, Luffy would win with much greater ease.