SPOILERS

So what do I think of Nami? In One Piece she is a bit like marmite. Some fans hate her and others love her. I think she is a vital part of the Strawhat crew and here is why. She looks after the money.

I know she’s portrayed as greedy and honestly I think Oda likes to exaggerate character tropes for humour purposes, like Sanji and his pervert nature. So yes she’s greedy and loves money but she’s responsible, a good saver and she always makes sure the crew has exactly what they need. I feel if they were left to their own devices they’d just buy random crap. You need at least one voice of reason amongst the crazy Strawhat crew.

And yes she can be really bossy but I think it’s needed. It works well for the crew and let’s face it physically she isn’t strong so she needs to assert herself in other ways. Nami is very good at being strong in the face of impossible circumstances.

Having said that I enjoy the fact that along with Usopp and Chopper she is the normal one in the crew. The three of them get scared like how a normal person would react. My favourite moment was when they were on that haunted ship and Nami, Usopp and Chopper went in first and were bricking it but then Sanji, Zoro, Robin, Franky and Luffy came in second and thought it was fun. The contrast was hilarious!

Another thing I like about her is how her brain is her skill. She uses her knowledge of weather and the sea to outsmart enemies. That’s a valuable skill when you live on the ocean.

Her back story was one of the saddest. In the beginning I didn’t think it could get sadder than that, unfortunately I was wrong (*sobs* Corazon!). To think that she rose from such adversity is amazing. She possesses immense strength as a character. What amazes me even more is that when we get to Fishman Island and we hear about the struggles the Fishmen faced and why Arlong was the way he was she actually forgives the Fishmen, namely Jimbei and lets it go. It’s hard to forgive y’all, especially after what Arlong did but Nami did. That scene alone shows what a good character she is and how much she’s grown.

One thing that annoys me though is how she’s drawn now. It’s a bit much. I don’t mind being sexily clad but it’s not even sexy. It’s a bit of an over exaggeration, her body, especially in the anime. I know I tend to focus on manga in this blog but man the anime did Nami and Robin wrong.

In terms of romance I don’t ship her with anyone. Seeing as Oda made it clear from the beginning that wasn’t going to happen I let go of such thoughts. As of now Luffy and Nami seem like best friends to me or brother and sister, they’re family at this point. I don’t even ship her with Sanji.

I think if Nami was to end up with anyone it would someone completely random or just not on the crew. I think she has the most potential to surprise the fans.

All in all, I love Nami. She’s loyal, fierce and caring. She has such a big heart for her crew  and for children as shown in the punk hazard arc. Honestly without Nami the Strawhats would just be floating around the East Blue lost.

Or they’d have found One Piece by accident.

What do y’all think of Nami?

Next up is Usopp.

 

If you’re wondering why I’m re-uploading. I had another blog and I’m deleting it and transferring posts here. As to not overwhelm you (and me) I’m releasing them one by one.