SPOILERS WITHIN

So I’ve done this for Naruto characters and I thought I should do it for One Piece characters as One Piece is my favourite anime/manga to date. I love it, it has everything I like. It has battles, humour and real heartfelt moments. It taps into that desire to be a pirate that I had as a kid whilst also showing the realities of it.

There is no romance in One Piece though, at least not for the main characters. Oda said he doesn’t know how to write romance, or something like that, but for supporting characters he’s written some good romances. But I support his decision anyway, it makes One Piece unique. It’s nice to take a break from romance and the drama it can bring.

Today I shall be talking about my man Luffy. He’s the captain and the protagonist of the series. Fun fact number one: Oda was asked where the characters would be from if One Piece was based in the real world and he said Luffy would be Brazilian.

I recently bought volume one of One Piece as I’ve never owned a One Piece manga. I used to watch it on TV and then online and then I read the whole thing online. I wanted to have at least one volume and I was able to get the first one. It’s so good and it really took me back.

Let’s talk about his… 

Character and Personality

The one thing I like about Luffy is that he is not one dimensional and he doesn’t stay the same throughout the series. When you read volume one and see him as a kid you can see he had a lot of pride and spirit. He believed in fighting for honour and he really hated bandits. It was just so interesting to see as when he’s older he is much more humble and doesn’t fall into the pitfalls of manly pride.

Another thing I like about him is that he is not stupid. When looking at a character like Luffy that is what people can tend to think. But he’s smart, aware and kind. I mean he does have his moments when he acts stupid but I think that’s fine. He’s like what, a teenager when the series began? Let’s be honest we all act stupid in our teens.

Even though he’s aware of what’s going on around him he reacts to situations differently than anyone else. I personally think it’s because he’s 100% confident in his abilities and the abilities of his crew. Also he doesn’t see the point in getting worked up over little things.

He’s also stubborn and very loyal. It’s known that with most of the One Piece crew they have a sad back story and Luffy is not exempt from that. Because he’s known loneliness and suffering I feel that’s what makes him so willing to help random people and to fight for justice, at least what he views as justice. Through Luffy you see that not all criminals are bad and not all law officials are good.

Romance

When it comes to this like I’ve said Oda doesn’t want to go there and so Luffy comes off a bit clueless in that area. However I don’t think he’s like Goku in the sense that he’s pure of mind and heart and only thinks about fighting. Rather I think he gets that Boa likes him but he’s not interested so he chooses to ignore her advances till she gets her shit together and realises it’s not happening.

I also think he’s asexual. I know people quote the time he perved on Nami but Oda already answered a fans question (he does that in his SBS corner in the manga) that he sometimes just goes along with what Usopp is doing.

My Likes

He’s strong, fair and a true friend.

I value friendship and whilst Luffy may never get a girlfriend he would die for his friends. He is so loyal and I like that. I admire that in a person and in a character.

He tends to do more good than the actual Navy personnel in the manga and that cracks me up. There are good Navy people sure but the people like Akainu outnumber them (*glares at Akainu*). Maybe that sense of moral justice is what his grandfather instilled in him. In a way Luffy became the man Garp wanted him to be.

This may be the girl in me talking but I love how physically strong he is. I don’t just mean when he wins an epic battle. For me the best moments are when Luffy wins a fight with just a punch. It’s so satisfying, if you haven’t read One Piece read it and you’ll see what I mean. Also when they destroyed House Franky because of what they did to Usopp. It was the best episode/chapter ever! Chills man, it gave me chills.

Relationships

Luffy and Usopp

They are pretty close. They’re like brothers. Luffy is a badass and everything but he’s also a goofball. He likes to have fun and to laugh and Usopp vibes with him. They’re on the same wavelength. So for me I feel like no matter where they met they would have become best friends. People always talk about soul mates in a romantic way but I believe we all have that one friend who’s like your soul mate. The ride or die friend.

So it was sad when Usopp left and I can imagine how much it hurt Luffy. But they needed to go through that because Usopp never doubted Luffy again. If you notice before the incident Usopp would always question Luffy’s authority subtly and Luffy would always laugh it off. But after their fight they never had that problem again. Sometimes you need to fight with a friend to get closer.

Luffy and Zoro

Zoro is his first mate and another ride or die, perhaps a true ride or die because he actually has never left Luffy’s side (I mean his crew). Although the only person who really left was Usopp. I know Robin and Sanji have left but they were both forced so I don’t count it.

Moving on…

They’re not on the same wavelength though in terms of silliness. However they do think in similar ways. They’re both confident, crazy when it comes to battles and not afraid of dying. They both want to be the best at what they do and they’re willing to die trying.

Luffy and Sanji

He’s Luffy’s left hand whilst Zoro is Luffy’s right hand. People always like to come for Sanji but even Oda said this so don’t @ me.

Sanji is also not on the same silliness wavelength. It might be because Sanji is older like Zoro or because of their personalities or both but either way they’re not as silly as Luffy and Usopp can be.

Sanji is kind of like the mother of the group but because he grew up around pirates he’s tsundere. He doesn’t show affection openly unless to a woman but I know that he cares for all of his crew.

The most touching moment for me between these two was when he went to get Sanji and Sanji told him to get lost and he’s not coming back and Luffy told him that he couldn’t become the pirate king without him. It really showed how much Luffy valued their friendship and it was beautiful.

Luffy and Chopper

These two are another silly pair. Chopper is young anyway and he gets carried away with Luffy and Usopp.

They’re quite entertaining and Luffy values him on his team. Luffy has no prejudices against anyone and you can see that in how he allows whoever he thinks is worthy to come on his crew.

Luffy and Nami

I don’t ship them. I see them as brother and sister. Even if there was romance in One Piece I still wouldn’t ship them. I still don’t know who I like Luffy or Nami with.

Anyway…

She’s a much needed person on his ship. She’s a compass and she takes care of their money. The fact that she does that with no supervision shows how much Luffy trusts her.

Fun fact number two: she was originally meant to be the first character Luffy met.

Luffy and Robin

Robin is older than most of the crew and she’s the only other female. She’s had a troubled past and is an old soul.

When others didn’t trust her Luffy trusted her. He’s able to see a person’s true character pretty well and he’s a person who can forgive and not judge. Because of those qualities Robin was able to find a home.

The only thing Robin didn’t have was the drive to fight for herself but Luffy fought for her. He does that for people and I think Robin will be loyal till the end because he really did a lot for her.

Luffy and Franky

Franky is a genius and good at what he does. Luffy doesn’t micro manage and so everyone is able to shine and do their own thing. He never doubts Franky because he knows he’s the best shipwright.

Franky is also older than them all and so he acts like the Uncle of the group. I think it’s cool how amazed Luffy is with him and also how their relationship developed from animosity to real comradeship.

Luffy and Brooke

Brooke was really lonely and had been alone for a long time. It’s a good thing Luffy was the one to come across him as his appearance didn’t bother him and he offered him a home and crew.

He seems to do that a lot *thinking emoji*

Luffy and Jimbei

Through this relationship we see again how Luffy has no prejudice against people. It was an interesting way to explore the issues of race that we have to deal with in the real world. The fishmen arc will always be one of the most interesting for me.

Jimbei is one of the oldest (Brooke is older) but he sees the value of Luffy and so intends to help him. It’s like having Uncle Iroh on your crew.

Luffy and Ace

This one broke my heart. When Ace died and we got all those flashbacks and we saw just how much they meant to each other, the tears did not stop flowing. I was also mad at Ace, why didn’t he run? But ah that’s another discussion.

Luffy needed Ace as a kid and Ace needed to be needed. When Sabo “died” they were all they had left.

They were true brothers and to this day it’s one of the most heart breaking things about One Piece. We haven’t had Luffy talk about him much since the time skip but that may change with the latest chapter I read with that little girl.

Another thing that shows me how important friendship is to Luffy is how remembering his crew was what brought him back from the brink. Just saying their names and realising he wasn’t alone stopped him from going catatonic. I don’t know about you but when I read that it touched me.

As for the future of One Piece I don’t know what’s coming but I know it’s going to be big. The stakes are higher and everything is coming together. I mean Oda is really starting to move things along which makes me both scared and excited.

One Piece may be ending soon.

Anyway until next time,

Happy reading.

 

Ps: I could talk about more relationships like with Shanks for example but then this post would be too long, longer than it is now.