Thursday 12 November 2009

Usopp


Appearance

Usopp is a tanned, skinny teenager with black curly hair and a long nose, which is apparently an allusion to Pinocchio, a wooden boy from a story of the same name who possessed a nose that would stretch after he lied. He usually wears a dark yellow plaid bandanna, special sniper goggles, brown overalls with a white sash and no shirt underneath (although he wore a green striped shirt during the Skypeia Arc). Usopp inherited his famous nose from his mother, while the rest of his face closely resembles his father's.

Oda claims that Usopp is most represented by the armadillo.Oda has also said that he uses the color yellow to represent Usopp, and he smells of gunpowder.

Personality

Usopp is one of the more sentimental Straw Hat Pirates, and cries or loses his temper in moments of emotional stress. At the start of the series, Usopp was an easily frightened, anxious, insecure, compulsive liar. Unlike Nami (whose cowardice is linked to just wanting to stay alive), Usopp's cowardice is the result of his fear and insecurity, especially when faced with uncertainity. Though Usopp is a coward by nature, he is able to put aside his fear during more deseperate times: despite being afraid, he faces those fears for the sake of his friends and sometimes people he barely knows. Most of his lying was intended to make him feel better as Usopp is easily overwhelmed by his opponents, such as Aokiji, and usually ran from them. He is the first to come up with an excuse not to do something to avoid putting himself in danger. One of the most frequently used excuses is that he gets a disease named for example "Can't-get-on-this-island disease".

It is this which leads to his feud with Luffy - specifically his refusal to part with the ship he had come to love. This was the result of all his insecurities about his usefulness as a member of the crew culminating within him finally exploding under the stress of having just been beaten near to death by the Franky Family and then losing his ship. Especially when compared to Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro, Usopp is not very strong in the physical sense. Though he is very intelligent and a talented sniper, he had trouble seeing his better qualities and his strengths, until the fight at Enies Lobby opened his eyes.

After meeting the giants Dorry and Broggy in the Little Garden arc, Usopp wants to travel to Elbaf one day and meet the proud warriors there. Usopp gave his first glimpse of understanding the ways of the warrior and the pride of a duel during the giants' battle.[7] As a result Usopp often sees the Elbaf warriors he has met in his travels as sources of inspiration in his journey to become "a brave warrior of the sea".

Throughout Thriller Bark, many members of the crew fell victim to the effects of Perona's negative powers, causing them to become incredibly depressed to the point where they can't move. However Usopp, though slightly effected by the power, got to his feet claiming he could not become negative, because he already is negative/depressed, even saying it in a brag-like way. Perona claimed he was the only person who was ever immune to her powers, so she fled from him in fear.

He also has a dislike for mushrooms, due to eating a poisonous one when he was younger.

Alter-Ego

Sogeking is Usopp's alter-ego developed during the Water 7 and Enies Lobby arc. When he left the crew, later seeing the others trying to save Robin made him feel guilty for leaving. He stated to Sanji and Franky that he cannot help them fight for this reason. He hastily 'disguised' himself in a mask and cape and began calling himself "Sogeking, the King of the Snipers". During this facade he sometimes dons a deeper voice which can be seen as the "true" Sogeking. Sogeking also refers to nearly everyone with a "kun" suffix (Luffy-kun, Zoro-kun, Chopper-kun etc.) and when asked of the whereabout of the 'Island of Snipers' he supposedly comes from, maintains that it exists "in your heart". Everyone except for Luffy and Chopper already knew that Sogeking was Usopp at the sight of Usopp's significantly long nose. Onion, Carrot, Pepper and Kaya were able to recognize him, though they claimed no one else in Syrup Village did.

As his alter-ego Sogeking, Usopp was able to fight alongside the others without having to deal with his departure. During his time spent acting as Sogeking, Usopp began to realize that while he was one of the weaker crew members, his role as the crew's sniper and a supporting crew member make him more valuable than he thought. Ultimately, he has been recorded as Sogeking on his bounty. The fact that Usopp himself is not technically wanted allows him to slip through enemy lines seemingly undetected. Oars originally let Usopp go because (being Luffy's shadow) Oars did not think Usopp was a target.

During his fight with Perona, Usopp showed signs of a split personality and even went so far as to argue inside his head with his alter ego over their situation. [8] Although they are technically the same person, Sogeking in comparison to Usopp is much more confident and took over once Usopp adorned the mask again, only slipping back into Usopp once the mask came off. [9] Whether or not Usopp is developing a multiple personality disorder is debatable and has yet to be confirmed by the author or within the story.

Crew

He will often goof off with Luffy and Chopper and shares a strong, brotherly relationship with them. He and Luffy share a common path towards an eventual meeting with the Red Haired Pirate Crew: Luffy to reunite with Shanks and Usopp with his father. Through this small connection and the fact that they are the same age and thus, at the same level of maturity (in their own special ways), Luffy and Usopp had a very special bond from the moment they met. Chopper loves Usopp's stories and often falls for his tall tales, and Usopp in turn loves Chopper's hero worship of him and makes a point to act cool in front of his "younger brother." Both Luffy and Chopper were very upset when Usopp left the crew.

He likes Nami as a sister, but (like Chopper) is often intimidated by her more ruthless behavior. Usopp and Nami have a special bond as the only "normal" crew members. At some point during the Arabasta arc, Nami approached Usopp and asked him to make a weapon for her, convincing him to do so by confessing her feelings of inadequacy when compared to the awesome strength of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and even young Chopper. She said that Usopp was the only one who could understand these feelings, and thus was the only one who could help her. Zoro and Sanji get on well with him, but often admonish him for his cowardice and sentimentality. During the Enies Lobby Arc Sanji sowed a special bond with Usopp as he helped him realize that he wasn't useless to the crew like he previously thought. Usopp was scared of Robin, as well as Brook when they appeared with the Straw Hats, however, he changed his views over time and see them as good friends. As for Franky, while he did beat up Usopp during the Water 7 arc, they began to understand each other once they talked about the Going Merry. Usopp is usually the one who tests Franky's cannon-type inventions. A running gag involving Usopp and the crew is whenever a topic of one of his personal traits (such as his lying habits or his nose) comes up, the crew always refers to him (like in Jaya with the tale of the King of Liars Norland, or when they first meet Kaku).

Friends

He shared a deep fondness for Kaya back in his village due to her losing her parents and often tried to keep her happy. Unfortunately, his lies backfired when he tried to protect her when Kuro put his 3 year plan into action and Kaya lost all respect for him. After Kuro's plan is stopped, she decided to try to remain happy for him while he was gone and Usopp is left happy that she is safe.

Back at the village also, his old pirate trio also await his return. When they last met they parted ways with him to led off on their own dreams. They have been following the reports of him ever since via the newspapers and are proud to have called him captain, even if the other villagers don't know what has become of him. Kaya also states how proud she is, and that she eagerly awaits his return to her and the village.

"Sogeking" also made friends with Oimo and Kaashii after he revealed the truth to them concerning the World Governments lie about having their leaders.

Enemies

He has a deep anger at Kuro, whom he defeated to protect Kaya. While he himself is at ease with the Marines, his alter-ego carries a bounty. He also made an enemy of Perona during the Thriller Bark arc for being the first person to defeat her.

Yasopp

Yasopp

Yasopp is Usopp's father. While Usopp has yet to be shown interacting with his father, Usopp has remained proud of him even though he took the path of a pirate. It is also unclear as to how well he knows his father, as it was never said when exactly Yasopp left ( except for the flashback during the fight between Usopp and Daddy with Yasopp saying " I left when he was just a baby.") to sail with Shanks' crew. Usopp either knows about his father from stories told by his mother or from actual memories, which one it is remains a mystery. Yasopp also seems to care deeply about his son despite being absent for the majority of his life.

Banchina

Banchina was Usopp's mother. He deeply cared about her well being, to the point of creating his original set of lies about his father returning in order to keep her alive. When she died, he suffered a deep loneliness that led him to keep on lying even though he no longer had a reason to do so.

Abilities and Powers

Usopp's role in the crew is Gunner and marksman/sniper, just like his father, Yasopp. For a long while, Usopp's sharpshooting skills were downplayed and somewhat overlooked. This is due to the fact that he is so high-strung and jumpy, that he often gives into his baser instincts of survival: fight or flight (usually choosing flight). However, with the birth of Sogeking and during the battle at Enies Lobby he displayed just how skilled he is at sniping when he saved Robin from an incredible distance, shooting down the marines and Spandam. One marine was so shocked that a sniper was taking them down so accurately from such a great distance and with the wind blowing against Usopp's favor, that he asked, "What the hell IS he?!" Proving that Usopp certainly isn't just your average guy. He also may have unusually sharp eyes not only in sniping but in observation. When Moria appeared in Oars' stomach, Usopp immediately noticed while the others had no idea where he was.

Prior to the introduction of Franky (as well as the creation of the Clima-Tact), Usopp served as the Straw Hat's sole unofficial gadgets specialist. His creative engineering has resulted in both the Clima-tact and Kabuto. Though he is creative, his engineering skills are limited beyond this level of inventiveness. For other more complex activities, such as acting as the shipwright for the Going Merry, he is largely inexperienced, as he was barely able to keep the Going Merry going using patchwork repairs. As Franky pointed out, his skills are amateur and he barely knows how to use a hammer correctly for such jobs.

One of Usopp's useful attributes is that he is an extremely fast runner, even faster than Luffy and Sanji. Though it is shown that his stamina when it comes to running is practically limitless (after running for miles he isn't exhausted in the least while Chew, a Fishman, is tired). In the Little Garden Arc, Usopp was seen running from one side of the prehistoric island and reaching the other side in a matter of seconds. His lightning speed was enough to even surprise Admiral Aokiji, when Usopp saved Robin from being crushed. He uses hit and run tactics, and works best as part of a team where there are more physical fighters to watch his back and vice-versa. Although, like Chopper, he sometimes has trouble thinking on his feet, his tactical skills have proved instrumental in more than one battle. Usopp, like Nami, has been able to use his intelligence and inventive tactics to defeat enemies far stronger than himself. However, though he has survived every fight so far this way, his fight against Luffy only served to prove what separated him from other crew members in terms of overall combat strength.

He also seems to be naturally adept at absorbing massive punishment, as he often comes from which either brutally injured, or left at a near-death state (or close to passing out), but can be seen shrugging it all off like they never even happen in the next scene. This was particularly evident when he fought Perona, where after using an Impact Dial on one of her zombies (which likely dislocated or broke his arm) he immediately used that same arm to aim another of his pellets at Perona. He also managed to use an impact dial in the middle of his fight with Luffy without seeming that affected by it, and he was already gravely injured from being beaten up by the Franky Family. Another example is that Usopp survived being hit in the face by Mr.4's 4 ton bat (Ms. Merry Christmas said that most people should be instantly dead when hit by that attack). Not only did he survive, but he was still able to fight. He also stated, just like Luffy and Sanji that he has never been ill during his life (which impressed Vivi). [12]

Usopp is also a great artist, he proved that in the beginning of the series when he made "his" and the straw hat Jolly Roger. (Seeing that Luffy's art lacks talent.) Also when Luffy and chopper make snowmen or sand castles it usually shows Usopp after wards with a snow statue or a more detailed castle.

Weapons


Usopp has outstanding marksmanship abilities with a slingshot, and is probably on his way of becoming one of the best marksmen in the One Piece world, which is the primary reason why he serves as the Straw Hat's Sniper; and often tasked with the managing of artillery weapons like cannons of their vessels, most notably the Thousand Sunny's Gaon Cannon, which is dangerous on its own, but with Usopp's long-range skills, it is deadly. His slingshot is his primary form of combat, and he has many different types of ammunition which he carries in a large purse-like shoulder bag. He uses eggs to blind opponents and rocks in the slingshot when out of ammunition. He is also extremely durable, able to absorb unbearable amounts of damage (he once got struck by a four ton, metal baseball bat to the head only to continue fighting minutes later) and sometimes uses his hammer for close combat in an unskilled, frenzied but effective attack.

His ammunition, called "stars", has great range, from rotten eggs and hot sauce to shuriken and powerful explosives. Usopp has other attacks unrelated to projectiles, though they are mainly jokes. These include the 5 Ton Hammer (which is actually only about 5 kilograms) and Usopp Noise, where he plugs his ears and scratches a chalkboard. Also, recently his "5 ton hammer" has become a "10 Ton hammer," possibly to symbolize a certain increase in strength as time goes on, though he's still considered physically weak when compared to the rest of the crew, except for Nami. He has also recently started using Skypiean dials for attacks (and had steadily shown growing aptitude with each battle in which he utilized them), such as using the Breath Dial to house explosive gas, using the Flash Dial to blind his foes, and using the Impact Dial to absorb and reflect blows.

Usopp improves his sight with special goggles. He purchased an upgraded pair in Loguetown, but the actual scene of him purchasing them was cut out in the 4Kids Entertainment dub. The scene was also absent in the original manga due to lack of room

Roronoa Zoro


Appearance

Zoro is a muscular man. He is almost always seen carrying around his three swords, usually bundled up with his green sash (or haramaki) over his right hip, which is favorable so he could easily draw any one of them with his left hand; his right hand is usually seen resting over the swords. This may indicate that he is left-handed or even ambidextrous, for most sword wielding characters in the One Piece Universe wear their swords on the left. On his left ear he wears three earrings and he normally has a bandanna tied around his left arm that he ties around his head when he is fighting seriously. The rest of his clothes vary from time to time; however, he usually wears a white shirt, dark green trousers, black shoes and the green haramaki sash around his waist.

His body is covered with scars from his many battles- during the Baratie Arc he lost a duel with the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk, and was left with a massive scar across his torso. In the Little Garden Arc he tried to free himself from a wax prison by cutting off his feet. Although he did not entirely succeed, he gave himself a scar around each ankle. These scars are marked by black stitches

His other remarkable feature is his green hair, which Sanji often teases him about, calling him 'marimo' (moss-ball, moss-head in the Viz Manga and FUNimation dub).

According to Oda, Zoro resembles a shark.[5] Oda uses the color green to represent Zoro, and he smells of steel.

Personality

Zoro usually maintains a stern, serious and distanced personality, but often loses his temper in a goofy and exaggerated comic style. He has a strong sense of reason when it comes to actual leadership of the crew and will often point out the seriousness of situations (such as Usopp's leaving the crew). And while technically not a samurai, Zoro maintains Bushido to a certain degree (i.e. he consistently refuses to attack an adversary whose back is turned on him, and neither does he tolerate getting assaulted from behind himself except when his crew mate is really in dire situation of dying of from an enemy threat, such as Kuma trying to take Luffy away, Zoro silently attacked him with Shishi Sonson) and is constantly mistaken for one. Whether he agrees with them or not, he will stand by Luffy's decisions, stepping in only to voice an opinion when the others have failed to see the true reality of a situation (again, such as Usopp rejoining the crew). He, like Luffy, has a lousy sense of direction (possibly even worse than Luffy's, since he usually assumes the others have gotten lost, and not the other way around). He is teased often because of it.

When the crew sails from one island to another, he normally either trains with weights or just sleeps and is normally awakened in a rather violent way by either Nami, Sanji and (accidentally) Luffy. His only apparent job on-board the Going Merry was using his enormous strength to haul up the anchor. Aboard the Thousand Sunny, however, he has been shown to seemingly spend most his time in the Crow's Nest (which is also a gym), so it is possible that he was designated as the ship's lookout. He also likes sake, almost to the degree that Luffy likes meat, but like Nami, he mostly never gets drunk due to his inhumanly-high tolerance for alcohol. He is sometimes prone to using serious methods for solving simple problems such as separating him and Usopp from cuffs by suggesting to cut off a hand, and cutting off his feet to get himself unstuck from some wax.

Zoro can also be very vigorous and won't back down when he is determined to achieve a goal or defeat an enemy. The risks that Zoro will often take to reach his dream of becoming the best swordsman often leaves others wondering if he is crazy. As far as Zoro is concerned though, only he has the right to call himself "Crazy". [7] However, he is not one who stubbornly refuses utter defeat, especially if it all seems so inevitable. When Zoro has the intention to fight seriously, he normally ties his black bandanna[8] (which is usually tied around his left upper arm) over his head. Furthermore, like any great warrior, Zoro is one who lives for the thrill of combat; in fact, he has a habit of showing a joyful smile whenever he faces a particularly skilled opponent, which often unnerves both ally and foe alike.

Also, Zoro can provide important and logical decisions at critical times by evaluating the situation, as he did when the crew wanted to bring back Usopp in the Enies Lobby arc. Zoro is the one who mentioned that Usopp is at fault for leaving the crew on his own accord, and Luffy shouldn't take him back unless he apologizes for his mistake.

He also is one of the first Straw Hat members to suggest killing someone or threatening to kill someone.

Crew

Zoro trusts Luffy implicitly, and always goes for his decisions whatever the consequences, acknowledging it as a captain's decision, which a crew must carry out without questioning. Zoro likes to compete with Sanji and they often get into fights over petty matters, often at inopportune moments. However, when the pair fight together against a common foe, they're a nearly unstoppable team. Despite their comical fights and rivalry, they have a brotherly trust and care between them they`d never admit to. Both Usopp and Chopper are in total awe of his strength and 'tough-guy' attitude. He also appears to have a close relationship with Chopper, seeing as the youngest crew member runs to him when he is scared or in danger, and the swordsmen is the first one to jump into action whenever Chopper falls in the water. Owing to his simple, direct nature, he is often exploited by the more cunning Nami, particularly in financial matters.[10] After Arabasta, when Robin joins the crew, Zoro didn't trust her, but later grows to trust her. Since Brook's entrance into the crew, he and Zoro have a sort of respect towards one another perhaps for both being swordsmen.

Friends

Before the storyline, Zoro had traveled around with two training partners, Johnny and Yosaku whom called him "Aniki" (older brother). He seemed to share a good relationship with them as a group of traveling bounty hunters. When they last saw each other, Zoro parted with them on good terms; however, they acknowledge that as a criminal they cannot be seen with him.

He was also child-hood friends with Kuina. He never beat her but, after they made a promise, she died. He holds his vow to Kuina dearly and whenever he comes close to defeat (such as the events with Morgan and Mihawk), he recalls her memory and his promise to spur him on.

Enemies

He lacks Luffy's trust in others, thus he is often overly cautious when dealing with certain people. But usually, he will resort to intimidation when it comes to most situations, causing others (usually people much weaker than him) to react with complete fear. Zoro has a habit of making many more enemies wherever the crew ventures when compared to any other Straw Hat.

Zoro has a unique relationship with Ensign Tashigi of the Marines. Tashigi and Zoro met in Loguetown, where she helped him search for a new katana. Zoro defeated her once when she attacked him after finding out that he was a pirate, but refused to fight her again in later confrontations due to her uncanny resemblance to his childhood friend, Kuina. So far, whenever he has seen her, he has run away claiming that she is the one person he cannot fight.

During his journey, Zoro has also made or met many rival swordsmen such as Mihawk, Hatchan, Mr. 1, Priest Ohm, Kaku and Samurai Ryuuma.

Abilities and Powers

Zoro is considered to be one of the Straw Hat crew's top three fighters; so much that people occasionally mistake him as the captain of the Straw Hat Crew after witnessing his fighting skills in battle. Mainly, while Luffy always fights the most powerful enemy, Zoro always fights the second strongest. Even without his swords, he has monstrous strength. He is able to toss an entire building at an opponent and even able to deflect Oars' punch singlehandedly. He can use some sword techniques without his swords. Zoro has shown to pack powerful punches. He even developed the ability to pump his arms up with pure muscle.

Zoro is unarguably one of the strongest characters revealed thus far. While most super powered pirates and villains gain power from eating one of the Devil Fruits, Zoro has gained his powers through hard work and training. Zoro has enough power in his lower body to allow him to keep up at a running pace with Sanji, who is a master of his own Leg-based style. He can also move at near-inconceivable speeds and jump astonishing heights. He can even dodge bullets with ease. He has been known to effectively knock out much larger creatures with unarmed strikes. Zoro also defeats opponents with massive punches and kicks. Also, during his fight with Kaku, he used an ability that gave him seemingly god-like powers. What this ability was, and how he attained it, are still unclear, but it was powerful enough to make numerous holes in the ground, as well as defeating Kaku. In Enies Lobby Arc, the Franky Family and Galley-La carpenters noted twice that Zoro was strong enough to be the captain of the group.

To match his strength, Zoro also has ridiculous amounts of stamina and endurance. Some of the things Zoro has endured include Mr.1's two buzzsaws jamming into his chest during the Arabasta arc, Arlong's saw-like nose stabbing into his face, Mihawk's Black Sword slashing his chest, CP9's Kaku's many Rankyaku attacks, and Kuma's Ursus Shock. Zoro managed to stay conscious while everyone else was incapacitated. Zoro then convinced the Shichibukai to transfer all of Luffy's pain and fatigue into him. Kuma was confident Zoro wouldn't live. However, the swordsman was seen standing blood-drenched at the end of the chapter/episode, claiming that nothing happened.

During almost all of his major battles, Zoro is usually seen covered with blood at the end (Oda has stated that Zoro lost 5 liters of blood fighting Hachi and Arlong at Arlong Park [It should also be noted that the human body holds about 8 liters of blood]). Zoro's agility, speed, and overall reflexes are also extraordinary. In numerous occasions, Zoro has shown being able to evade (or block) high-speed attacks and projectiles. These high-speed attacks and projectiles move so fast that it would normally be impossible for an average human to even notice them, much less evade them.

A running gag throughout the series is that while he is very perceptive during battle (as well as out), his sense of direction is extremely poor, to the point of getting lost on a straight path. This is often the result of Zoro not understanding directions. In the Arabasta Arc, he mistakes going north for going up. In the Drum Island Arc, he believes that he can keep the ship on course by heading toward a large cloud (which can move and change shape). He is unaware of his lack of direction. Everytime he gets lost, he mutters "the others are lost again". This is further made fun of with Jigoro in Thriller Bark. Jigoro had Zoro's shadow implanted in him. While the Zombie Generals were heading to help, he goes in the opposite direction. However, Zoro has other strong senses and is often one of the first members of the crew to hear an enemy approaching or sense danger.

Unlike some of the members of the crew, Zoro does not shrink from the idea of using deadly force against dangerous enemies.

Weapons

Zoro is a master swordsman, being able to use one, two, and three swords in varying attack styles, going from melee-type all the way to artillery. Although he is most comfortable with his Santōryū (literally: three sword style), his skills with a single sword are very good, being able to hold off the Nyaban brothers, having bested several of the lower-ranked members of Arlong's crew (his two other swords were destroyed by Mihawk, leaving him only with the Wado Ichimonji), defeating Mr. 1, and most recently the zombie, Ryuuma. Lacking a third hand for a third sword, Zoro holds his third sword in his mouth. Some of his sword techniques use the air itself to hurt the enemy. Zoro often speaks with his sword held in his mouth, though it's unknown how he manages to do so. The creator of the series, Eiichiro Oda, has said that it is his heart that allows him to speak, though Oda is known for giving joke answers to fans' questions, as well as just making up answers on the spot to avoid leaving a fan's question unanswered.

Since no one else has been seen using anything similar, it can be assumed that Zoro invented not only Santōryū but most, if not all, of his sword techniques. He is even seen perfecting a new technique in his fight with Braham.

If he is fighting weaker enemies (or innocent bystanders that he has no desire injuring in the first place), like the Galley-La employees in Water 7, he uses only the blunt sides of his swords. Although, as Nami pointed out, due to his strength, even that could cause fatal wounds. A long standing problem with Zoro was his inability to cut steel. The anime incorrectly shows him instinctively cut steel during some of his encounters before learning how to control this ability during his battle with Daz Bones.

Zoro has shown a new ability called "Asura",[11]
which gives him the appearance of having six arms and three heads, like the deity of the same name. The exact nature of this attack is currently unclear, but Kaku suggested it was an illusion created by Zoro's spirit. He cut through Kaku's attack, and was able to deliver the finishing blow.
Zoro using "Asura",with 6 arms,3 heads and 9 katanas

Though Brook became the crew's 2nd swordsman, the level of mastery and power between the two is significantly different, made obvious when both swordsmen have attempted to take on the same foe. While Brook had been unable to defeat Ryuuma (no matter how hard he fought) while Ryuuma only used a fraction of his power, Zoro was able to defeat him at full power with only two of his swords.[12] At the Sabaody Archipelago, Brook struck a Pacifista with a high speed sword attack, yet failed to do much damage to it and had to be rescued from this result afterwards. However, when Zoro attacked the same Pacifista, the results were very different.

Zoro's Swords

During his adventures, Zoro has acquired many swords. The three he currently uses are:

1. Meitou; Wadō Ichimonji (formerly belonged to Kuina)
2. Sandai Kitetsu (formerly belonged to Ippon-Matsu)
3. Meitou; Shuusui (formerly belonged to Ryuuma)

Former Swords

For one reason or another, Zoro has one or more of his swords destroyed or incapacitated in some way:

1. Katana x2 (destroyed by Juracule Mihawk)
2. Johnny and Yosaku's swords (returned to them after battle)
3. Meitou; Hana Arashi (Sogeking handcuffed to Yubashiri, stopped using when Sogeking was unlocked from Zoro)
4. Meitou; Yubashiri (formerly belonged to Ippon-Matsu, destroyed on Enies Lobby by Shuu, now resting on Thriller Bark)
5. Marine cutlass (destroyed by Shuu)

Monkey D. Luffy


Personality

Luffy is portrayed as a carefree character with great ambitions and a huge appetite. He often thinks with his stomach and eats to the point of becoming comically fat. He is caring and generally good hearted. However, he is not naive and understands most situations more than he shows. He was inspired to become a pirate by his friend "Red-Haired" Shanks who entrusted him with his strawhat, which he holds as one of his most precious objects. Knowing the dangers ahead, he is willing to risk his life to reach his goal, and protect his crew.

He invites several people, such as Chopper or Brook, onto his crew generally for their personality but also because of his instinctual ability to be able to read people. His main reason has been stated a few times in the story. He needs several key jobs filled in his crew (ie: cook, navigator, doctor, musician, shipwright, and so on). Only one member of the crew invited herself on, Nico Robin. She actually has no place on the ship, having no true abilities that Luffy requires. She is just a historian who Luffy accepted. Luffy stated in the beginning of the series that he wants about ten crew members, each with abilities that he feels necessary for his goal.[6][7] He is rarely concerned with the consequences of his actions, doing what he feels even if it leads to retaliation by a powerful force.[8] However, he is an extremely loyal captain, who has demonstrated at many points throughout the series that he is willing to risk his life for the well-being of his crew.

Abilities


Eating the Gum-Gum Fruit gave his whole body the properties of rubber,[10] which makes him virtually immune to all blunt force attacks (including the round flintlock bullets used in the One Piece universe). The fruit also gave him the ability to stretch at will. Combined with the elasticity of his body, he uses that ability to accelerate parts or the whole of his body as if shot by a slingshot to deliver punches, kicks, headbutts, body checks, or simply for propulsion. But like everyone who consumed a Devil Fruit, Luffy is unable to swim and when drenched in sea-water or in contact with an artifact blessed by the sea quickly loses his strength. He also has great physical strength as he was able to knock over 2 large apartment buildings at the same time (Water 7 arc).

After being effortlessly beaten by Admiral Aokiji, later in the series, Luffy develops two techniques to improve on his rubber abilities. The first of these he calls Gear Second. He activates it by accelerating the flow of his blood by using his legs as pumps. When this happens, the blood flowing rapidly through his body creates friction, heating up his body and makes his skin glow and produce steam. This increases his attack power and overall speed, but drains his stamina and if overused makes him temporarily unable to move afterward, as well as shortening his life span. The second is Gear Third, which is activated by biting a hole into his thumb and blowing air into his bones.[1] He is then able to move the air around his bone structure and strike with limbs comparable in size to those of giants. The side effect to using Gear Third is that Luffy temporarily shrinks to a fraction of his normal size after releasing the air for a length that corresponds to the amount of time he was using Gear Third. He is capable of using both techniques simultaneously.

Even further into the series, Luffy demonstrates the still innate ability to use Haki (覇気?, lit. ambition) to make people or animals in his proximity faint.[11] He has a very rare variation of Haki, which he shares with Boa Hancock.[12] He first used it on Motobaro without realizing what he did.

Plot overview


In the start of the series Luffy sets out to sea in search of One Piece, the treasure supposedly left behind at the end of the Grand Line by the deceased King of the Pirates, Gold Roger. During the first leg of this journey, crossing his home sea, called East Blue, he acquires his first ship, the Going Merry and a basic crew, consisting of the swordsman Roronoa Zoro, expert navigator and thief Nami, the liar Usopp and the first-class chef Sanji, together known as the Straw Hat Pirates. But he also meets opposition. After defeating the most notorious pirates of East Blue, Buggy the Clown, Captain Kuro, Commodore Don Krieg, and the Fish-man Arlong, he is placed on top of that sea's wanted list with a bounty of thirty million in the fictional world's currency, Berry.

After entering the Grand Line, he agrees to bring the princess of Arabasta, Nefertari Vivi, safely into her homeland to stop a rebellion, incited by a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Sir Crocodile. On the way there, Luffy defeats member of the world government, King Wapol of the Drum Empire, and finds his crew a doctor in the person of Tony Tony Chopper. In Arabasta, Luffy defeats Crocodile and ends the civil war. The world government, to whom the Warlord's betrayal and defeat is equally embarrassing, covers up the involvement of the Straw Hats and raises Luffy's bounty to 100 million Berry. And upon leaving the country, Luffy allows Robin to join his crew.

Leaving Arabasta kingdom, the crew encounter a gigantic ship falling out of the sky, and eventually find out about, and then journey to, the cloud island Skypea. There, Luffy and the crew encounter two races of people with wings who have been engaged in a unceasing war for 500 years, and who are ruled by a man known as "god". Breaking the law almost immediately upon entering, everyone eventually fight back against the corrupt "god" Enel and over throw his rule, bringing an end to the war, and acquiring many friends and gold. As this adventure was not reported to the marines, the crew's respective bounties remained unchanged.

After returning to the surface, Luffy defeats the pirate trickster Foxy the Silver Fox and encounters one of the navy's top fighters in Admiral Aokiji, who has a personal interest in Robin. Aokiji single handedly defeats the crew's top fighters but lets them escape to honor a promise and to repay a debt. But the lost fight has other consequences as it demonstrates the crew's vulnerability and Robin's danger to them.

The crew then travels to an island called Water 7, which is an island floating on water. There they meet shipwrights from all over the world. However, Robin leaves the crew to assassinate the president of the shipwright company. The Straw Hat Crew is framed, and Robin is then taken by CP9. The Straw Hat Crew then chase after CP9 and end up at Enies Lobby, the World Government Center. The shipwright, Franky, also decides to join the fight. After many battles with members of CP9 and World Government, the Straw Hat Crew ends up beating the CP9 and claims Robin as an official crew member. They then travel back to Water 7, where they get a new ship called Thousand Sunny made by Franky. Franky joins the crew, and becomes the crew's shipwright. After the final battle, in Enies Lobby, all of the crew members receive their own bounty; Luffy´s bounty having been increased to 300 million Berry.

The Straw Hat Crew then decide to enter the New World by passing the Red Line. Before entering it, they must pass through the Florian triangle on their way to Fishman Island. After entering a dense fog, the crew come across a ghost ship inhabited by a living skeleton called Brook. The Straw Hat Crew then find an island ship called Thriller Bark. The captain of this ship is Gecko Moria, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, whose crew consists of hundreds of zombies. The crew assist Brook in defeating Gecko Moria and returning his shadow to him. After freeing the rest of the islands prisoners, Brook agrees to join Luffy and his crew.

The crew then went to Sabaody Archipelago to find a coating engineer to coat their ship so that they would be able to proceed to Mermaid Island. However, one of their guides, a mermaid, gets captured and is to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The crew find the venue for the auction and attempt to buy the mermaid back only to have it backfire when one of the Celestial Dragons bids an unbeatable amount. This then helps cause an incident in which an enraged Luffy sends one of the Celestial Dragons flying, causing chaos to fall upon the Sabody Archipelago. As the crew attempts to escape, they encountered Kizaru, another Marine admiral and Bartholomew Kuma, a Warlord. Bartholomew Kuma then uses his ability to send all the crew members to different islands. The island that Luffy lands on is ruled by Boa Hancock, the only female Warlord. Boa Hancock eventually falls in love with Luffy and helps bring Luffy to Impel Down, a marine prison, to save his brother, Portgas D. Ace who is imprisoned there after having been defeated by Blackbeard.

Luffy, breaks into the prison, and fights his way down all five of the levels of impel down (each of which is characterized by a different type of punishment), acquiring allies as he progresses. Impel Down's guards and warden hear of his actions, and move to stop him, which results in Luffy being defeated by the Warden. Luffy, failing to break Ace out of prison in time, fights his way back out of the prison, creating a massive breakout from Impel Down, the first one in its history, in order to follow Ace to the Holy Land Mariejois to stop his execution. Backed by Jimbei (a former Warlord), Emporio Ivankov (former ruler of Kamabakka Kingdom), Crocodile, Buggy, and a large amount of the now free prisoners of the Down, Luffy arrives at the site of Ace's execution and starts participating in an epic engagement between Whitebeard's forces and the Marines.

Appearances in other media

Luffy has made several appearances outside of the One Piece anime and manga. He is featured in all the One Piece movies, as well as the One Piece original video animation. He appears in every One Piece video game and is playable in most. Along with many Shonen Jump characters, Luffy appears in a Shonen Jump special, where Eneru attacks Tokyo and Odaiba.[citation needed] Luffy appeared in Cross Epoch, a collaboration of Oda and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, which crossovered both One Piece and Dragon Ball's universes. But even before One Piece had taken its final shape, Luffy had already appeared in Oda's two short stories, entitled Romance Dawn.

In popular culture

Luffy has made cameos and has been mentioned in other TV shows, such as Yakitate!! Japan. It parodies One Piece, Kuroyanagi turns into a "Tenobi Man" as a reaction from trying Azuma's Ja-pan dumpling. To this effect, he dons a straw hat and starts stretching his arms like rubber to great lengths ("tenobi" means "stretching arms"). Luffy's face can be seen on a Weekly Shonen Jump binding in an episode of To Love-Ru. Luffy's Devil Fruit was referenced in the Japanese TV Drama show Trick.Luffy has also appeared in the popular web comic VG Cats.[14] And in an online RPG called Dragonfable there was an enemy pirate monkey dressed up like Luffy, and was called L.D.MONKEE which is both backwards spelling of and a pun on, Monkey.D.LUFFY.In 2008, Toei Animation sponsored the Pallavolo Modena Italian volleyball team. To represent their sponsorship, Pietro Rinaldi's and Edoardo Ciabattini's traditional black uniforms were emblazoned with a large image one Luffy on the front.

Nico Robin




Appearance

Nico Robin is a tall, attractive woman with shoulder length black hair. She frequently wears somewhat revealing clothing that is either dark in color or consisting of leather, sometimes both. Robin sometimes wears a gold arm band with white strings attached to it and the letter N on it, which stands for her family name; she has also worn a cowgirl hat on numerous occasions. Robin also resembles her mother greatly, with the exception of her hair color and style. In the anime, her skin tone is also slightly darker than her mother's.

The author has also replied to a fan's question to saying that right now Robin's measurements are as follows:

* Height: 188cm (6'2"), making her the third tallest member of the Straw Hat Pirates.
* Her 3 measurements are (according to Sanji and series creator Oda in supplemental material) B99 W59 H89 (38"-23"-35"). [2]

According to Oda, Robin most resembles a crane, is represented by the color purple, and she smells of flowers

Personality


Through her heritage on the island of scholars, Nico Robin is an archaeologist and historian, who joins the Straw Hat pirates. She seeks the comfort and freedom to study the mysteries of the world. She is the quiet, reserved crew member, rarely showing emotions or having outburst of emotions (occasional exceptions being sweat drops, and when she cried out to Luffy and the Straw Hats from the Tower of Justice during the Enies Lobby arc). Robin even appears calm at times towards her crew mates, often speaking ominously around them. In addition, she has a somewhat macabre side to her. She often points out facts that are gross or morbid, which usually creeps out Nami or Usopp.

Examples include:

* When Nami asks if Zoro was eaten by the shark, she says that that clouds would be turning red if he was.
* Zoro and Nami return to the Going Merry in Skypiea but they cannot find Chopper, who was guarding the ship. Robin remarks that he may have been "shredded to pieces".
* When Chopper is taken by the Foxy Pirates during a Davy Back Fight, Nami asks if Foxy is a collector of rare pets. Robin says, "Hopefully not a collector of rare pelts."
* When the crew decide on the name "Thousand Sunny" for their new ship, Robin says that she was going to suggest the "Being of Darkness".
* On Thriller Bark, she voluntarily investigates the Ghost Island with Luffy and Franky. She told that Nami that she "likes thrills",
* When they are attacked by the Cerberus, she finds it "cute".

She speaks only if something noteworthy happens. When she does, she has been shown to possess an outstanding knowledge, especially in history. Her calmness is likely a result of the childhood that led to her life of hardship. The calamity that befell Ohara had a profound and traumatizing effect on the child Robin that she has only just begun to recover from. This is why she barely smiles and is rarely demonstrative towards her crew mates at this point.

She will not understand why people regard history as meaningless. To her, there is nothing worse than destroying objects of historical significance. She approaches life and the world at large in an calm manner. She studies the world for its history. She shows little interest in the Ancient Weapons that others such as Crocodile and Spandam seek. However, she might be the only one who is able to awaken them.

Perhaps as a result of her violent past, she is very unmerciful during combat. She will break the necks or spines of her enemies without hesitation, even when they cry for forgiveness. At one point, she even attempted to break the spine of one of her fellow crew members (Usopp as Sogeking on the sea train). Despite her tendency to remain calm and collected, she can be quite intimidating and forceful when she wishes. This is exhibited when she essentially forces Brook to stop fooling around and continue his explanation.


“ Robin: The ruins you destroyed are priceless, and even though history is always being created... Men cannot return to the past. Do you understand!?

Yama:I... I understand, I won't... Do that again... Forgive me...

Robin: No.

- Robin punishes Yama for destroying Skypiea's ruins



She also has a strong sense of personal pride. She refused to participate in Franky's "Tactics 15" docking procedure during the battle against Oars. The reason was that she found it too embarrassing. She flatly added that they should never try it again.

Crew

Until after the Enies Lobby arc, Robin often tried to distance herself from other people, even her allies, as she knew that she was bound to leave them sooner or later. Upon first joining the Straw Hat crew she stated simply she had no where else to go, declaring that Luffy was responsible for her being alive and so he had to take responsibility for his own actions when she had decided to die. She rarely called her comrades by name, and instead referred to them using their ship-hand titles, such as Miss Navigator (Kōkaishi-san, i.e. Nami), Mr. Swordsman (Kenshi-san, i.e. Zoro), Mr. Long Nose (Nagahana-kun, i.e. Usopp), etc. She at first only called Luffy and Crocodile by their names, although in a professional manner as an agent. She does, on occasion, call Luffy "Sencho-san" (meaning Captain). She has a sort of older sister or maternal relationship within the crew.

Over time, however, Robin becomes closer with her crewmates, and begins to get a sense of belonging to them, and has stated that she cares more about their well-being than that of the rest of the world. After seeing how far they will go in order to save her, she begins calling them by name in recent arcs, doing so with Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Chopper and Franky, so far. She is grateful to Luffy for taking her in, and is significantly more patient with his impulsive personality than many of her fellow crewmates, even laughing when he impulsively allows members to join, while the others are shocked. (after all, it is through this she became a Straw Hat member). She is also far more tolerant of Luffy's behavior, and at times even makes her laugh, this going back as far as they were enemies in the Arabasta arc when he fought Crocodile as "Water Luffy", drinking an entire barrel of water and spraying it at Crocodile from his mouth to make him more solid. Luffy was the one person to be able to convince her, that she should live even if the world doesn't wa nt her to, and if so, they are his and his crewmates' enemies as well. In many ways, Luffy reminds Robin of the other D. carrier she befriended.

Robin is quite close to Nami, affectionately referring to her as "Nami-chan," and often spends time with her, particularly shopping when they have free time, and talking with each other. Robin sympathizes with Nami's frustrations at the male crewmember's silly antics, but doesn't get upset by them. Sanji constantly flirts with Robin, as he does with Nami, however due to the fact she often doesn't respond to him he tends to flirt with Nami more over her. Sanji was the first member (excluding Luffy) to accept her as one of the crew. Sanji describes her as 'a distant, more mature beauty than Nami,' yet calls her "Robin-chan" (vs. "Nami-san"), which has a "cuter" and more childish aspect. He also tries to make her suffix cuter by changing it to "Robin-chwan" at times, but Robin, unlike Nami, typically ignores his advances. Zoro initially distrusts Robin, but ultimately is willing to fight for her if she is in danger, catching her when she was nearly killed by Eneru. He was also the first one to jump to her aid when she was threatened by Aokiji. Robin gets along well with Franky, and she appreciates him risking his life to save her, thou gh this doesn't mean she won't exploit him for self-preservation. Her relationship with Chopper exists on two levels. First on a somewhat maternal level, as she finds him "cute," and second on an intellectual level, where she treats Chopper somewhat like an equal due to their mutual intellectual pursuits and love of books (despite the difference in disciplines). It is unknown why Usopp is the only one she addressed with -kun attached to a nickname, Nagahana-kun, instead of calling him Marksman-san simillar to how she addressed others by their profession, i.e. Cook-san.

Friends

Professor Clover allowed her to become an archaeologist, [5] it was his research on Poneglyphs that sparked her interest in True History. Clover allowed her to read books in his library which sparked her interest in them. She was supported by the other archaeologists in the Tree of Knowledge. They were her only friends and they cared for her more then anything. Even when they threatened to ban her from the Tree of Knowledge if she continued to spy on the efforts to uncover the True History, they did so in order to prevent her from being branded a criminal. [6]

Aside from this, Jaguar D. Saul also held a special place in her heart for befriending her during her periods of loneliness, recognizing her pain and encouraging her to laugh in hard times, in addition to sacrificing himself to save her life.

Enemies

During her time in Baroque Works, Robin was the enemy of those trying to save the kingdom from Crocodile's conspiracy, especially Nefertari Vivi, who believes that she killed Igaram, and the Straw Hats. As a result, most of the Straw Hats were suspicious about her joining, until she won them over. Vivi currently understands that Luffy has some reason for having her in his crew.

Robin's greatest threat is always from the World Government, since, from the age of eight, they have ruthlessly hunted her. Aside from the World Government, Robin has made many enemies in the past through her constant betrayal, the most dangerous of which is Crocodile.[7] Where ever she went she was unable to find happiness and was constantly thrown out. And when the people she stayed with found out they were now the targets of the World Government, the group would turn on her, with the exception of Crocodile who agreed to protect her. To this end, Robin's claim is that her greatest enemy is the world itself. [8]

Several other civilians hate her, fearing her ability to awaken Pluton. Iceburg is one such example, as he states that while he would prefer to burn Pluton's blueprints, he must guard them in case the World Government uses her to revive the weapon. However, his opinion of her changes after he realizes that she is willing to turn herself in to save her friends, finally admitting that she is a good person. Franky feels similarly about her at first, but after learning of her being forced to turn herself in to save her friends, he immediatel y sympathizes with her due to his sentimental nature.

While Robin fears the three Admirals for their reputation of being the most powerful fighters of the Marines, she fears Aokiji the most, for they had a personal encounter 20 years ago. Aokiji stated that he was not her friend, and he would hunt her down if she became a problem. However, he had let her live due to the wish of his good friend, Jaguar D. Saul, who also happened to be Robin's friend. After the war within Enies Lobby, Aokiji had seemed to form a somewhat benign relationship with Robin, stating "Ohara still lives."

Two of Robin's greatest enemies are former CP9 director, Spandine, and his son, Spandam, both of whom considered her a "devil." They activated the Buster Call in attempts to kill those dear to Robin (the citizens of Ohara and the Straw Hat Pirates, respectively). Robin herself, was the victim of their abuse of authority, suffering physical, verbal and emotional abuse from Spandam, until Franky freed her. Consequently, Robin took her revenge by brutally injuring Spandam when the opportunity arose.

Nico Olvia

Nico Olvia was Robin's mother [9] and although the two went for many years without seeing each other, her mother still loved her deeply. She was proud of her daughter and considered her amazing for being able to read Poneglyphs at an extremely young age. Her only regret was she was unable to spend time with her daughter and all Robin ever wanted was to see her again and be with her.

Roji

Roji was Robin's aunt, she married Olvia's brother. She disliked Robin and mistreated her from the very moment she walked in to her house and treated her like a slave. [10][11] As the boat she boarded was hit and sunk, she is believed to be dead.

Other

Although they were related to her, Robin is never shown interacting with her uncle and cousin. Robin's uncle was seen defending her against his wife, but otherwise did little to help her or acknowledge her as a member of the family. Robin also had a father, however Robin never knew her father and his name remains unknown. All family members (except Robin's father who died many years beforehand) are believed to have died at Ohara.

Abilities and Powers

Robin is also a skilled archaeologist with a vast knowledge of history and cultures. She is one of the few alive (if not the only one) who can read the language scripted on Poneglyph tablets, which contain records of ancient history. She taught most of these skills herself through the research in the library of Ohara during her childhood. Outside of historic knowledge, she has a considerable knowledge of most of the major figures in the world and has at least heard of figures such as Red-Haired Shanks, Dragon and Gecko Moria.

Robin has no superhuman abilities beyond her Devil Fruit powers and is only an above average athlete in terms of bodily ability. Nevertheless, she is agile enough to ev ade gracefully (while maintaining her arms "X" formation) to maneuver her way from a group of captain and commander-level marines before using her powers in retaliation, and her abilities make her particularly well suited to taking on large numbers of foes. Her strongest aspect is her will power; she managed to recover in mere minutes after her shadow was stolen by Moria (when it usually takes a few days for most humans). She is not afraid to use violence as a solution to a problem or for defense and often incapacitates her enemies by breaking their necks or backs (even when they cry out for mercy).


Devil Fruit

Robin ate the Hana Hana no Mi at a very young age as she is seen using its powers at the age of eight. She can spread her body parts on any surface including her own body, other bodies, and other objects. Usually, when she uses her powers she crosses her arms and makes an "X" shape across her chest. Her attacks hinder the enemy, stopping all movement with the ever multiplying hands. Although she is very powerful, her sprouted body parts can be hit and stretched, causing damage to her real body; this is her weak point. Her powers are also very useful in dangerous situations. She can carry her friends by using feet and hands. So far, hands, feet, ears and eyes are the only body parts she has used in either attacks or other applications. She tends to use her ability to place her foes in painful submission holds.

Her most common attacks are Seis Fleur Twist (Robin twists the foe's upper body around) and Ocho Fleur Flip (Robin uses a pair of arms that knock over the foe backwards, forms a pair of arms on the ground below them, and when the foe lands on it, two more pairs appear at their legs and head and pull them to the ground) and Clutch (her hands grow out of her opponents back , these hands clasp the targets chin simultaneously pulling the head back and breaking the targets neck, for stronger opponents, she uses more hands and has been seen breaking a person in half)

Her attacks are a combination of the Spanish, French, and English languages. Ex. "Cinco Fleur." Cinco (five in Spanish) refers to the number of arms she blossoms, and fleur is the French word for flower. Some attacks are followed by an English word that further describes the attack's purpose. [13] In the 4Kids English dub, the attacks are mostly English, using the word "Floret" instead of Fleur, such as "Eight Floret" or "One Hundred Floret".

No limit has been given for Robin's powers, but the author, Oda, has jokingly stated that she can only sprout limbs a distance of "200 Hana Hanas" away. Fans often misinterpret this as meaning she can only sprout 200 limbs, but this is false.

Weapons

She carried a dagger at her belt, but did not use it in combat, as she fights unarmed using only her powers. She has only ever used it once in an attempt to kill Crocodile in self defense.

Tony Tony Chopper

Appearance

Most of the time, Chopper is a toddler-sized human/reindeer hybrid, his devil fruit abilities allow him to change his appearance depending on the situation. Chopper's left antler has a metal plate wrapped around it at all times, from being broken in a fight when he was younger. The usual clothing he wears include a pink, fuzzy top hat with a sideways medical cross (given to him by Hiluluk) and a purple pair of shorts. Chopper also has a remarkable feature that no other reindeer have, and that is a blue nose, while normal reindeers have black ones. As Oda's style evolved, Chopper has been given a more "chibi" appearance. This means that when in his Brain Point, Chopper has a larger head and eyes.

A running gag is that various characters in One Piece think Chopper is a tanuki (raccoon-dog, often simply translated as "raccoon") whilst in his Brain Point form. This is a play on the similar word "tonakai," the Japanese word for reindeer, from which the "Tony" in Chopper's name is derived. His heavy point form likewise is mistaken for a gorilla or an abominable snowman.

Lots of female characters find Chopper very cute such as Porche .

Oda has stated that he uses the color pink to represent Chopper, and (Oda was answering the questions as Chopper) for his smell, "how am I supposed to know?".

Personality

Chopper is naive and highly timid, often acting like a child because he doesn't know any better. In particular he is a coward at times like Usopp and Nami, his cowardice is mostly due to his childishness and overall lack of trust in his own fighting skills against the bigger foes (a contrast to Nami's self-survival based cowardice and Usopp's fear based cowardice). Chopper is more or less on a journey to define himself, seeing almost anyone on his team as a role model and in some cases, imitate their behavior, especially Usopp. He is an upright friend and companion who will try anything to overcome a task given by his team. He still has a feeling of distrust for humans for his youth and will often outright insult and claim that compliments don't make him happy to a human who compliments him while obviously being happy about it (he starts to smile and also dances a little). Chopper seems to be very forgiving of those close to him, for when Usopp wanted to rejoin the crew at the end of the CP9 arc, he called out to Luffy and Zoro, although they were ignoring him completely. As a running gag, Chopper will often believe almost anything he is told, and easily becomes victim to Usopp's lies. For some odd reason, he also believed Nami after she lied that she was a man, even after the truth was obvious.
When Chopper recognizes someone needs medical attention he often will start to panic and scream for a doctor, just to realize that he is one. He would rather run and hide than fight, but becomes more courageous when others are there to support him. He also has very high regards for his own profession of doctor. His dream is to become a doctor that can cure any illness, and he most respected Dr. Hogback for the huge amount of people he had saved. When Hogback informed him of his work with zombies in order to revive the deceased, Chopper still held him in very high esteem, believing that healing the hearts of those touched by tragedy was the highest possible calling for a doctor. When he discovered that Hogback wasn't actually reviving the dead, but merely using their bodies as puppets, Chopper became furious and refused to acknowledge Hogback as a doctor.

Another one of Chopper's habits is his reverse cartoon peek, where he stands behind a wall or a doorway and peeks at people, trying not to be seen by them. Unfortunately he's not hiding his body behind the wall, as a result his body is visible and only one half of his face is hidden.

Crew


n the group, Chopper often fools around with Usopp and Luffy for laughs and is also a thankful listener to Usopp's lies, most of which he really believes, at least for a short time. Normally Chopper is one of the first to join in with Luffy's antics, as well as watching in glee for some of Usopp's stunts. Robin calls him "Doctor-San" which makes him dance in joy. Sanji originally wanted to cook Chopper and jokingly wants him to join as "emergency food supply". Throughout the series, Sanji continues to refer to him as "the emergency food supply" to tease him but considers him a friend. Chopper also seems to have a close relationship with Zoro, who he often runs to when he's scared, and it is seen that Zoro is the one to save him when he comically falls into any form of water when trying to escape Nami's wild mood swings. Chopper originally wasn't hired to be the ship's doctor by Luffy, but just for being a "cool reindeer that can transform". The other boys of the crew have often mentored Chopper on what it means to be a real man; He is the youngest crewman, not originally human, and has had a relatively sheltered life.

Friends

Back on Drum Island, the people have come to accept his help in defeating Wapol, even though originally they were afraid of him. Chopper has also gained Dalton's respect.

Enemies

One of Chopper's major enemies is Wapol, the spoiled king who insulted the death of Chopper's surrogate father, Dr. Hiluluk, among other things. Chopper initially idolized Dr. Hogback, but after learning of his disregard for human life and coming into conflict with him and the rest of Gecko Moria's forces, he declared that he no longer considers him a doctor. He is wanted by the Marines, albeit with an extremely low bounty of only fifty Beli.

The Herd

Chopper's real family is a herd of Reindeer, who abandoned him for being different. Initially estranged for being born with his blue nose, he is further abandoned after eating the Hito Hito no Mi, which gives him an "unreindeer-like" humanoid form. He eventually found his paths intertwined with them during his days with Hiriluk and was beaten up. However he was able to pass through them despite this and achieve his goal at the time.

Hiriluk

Hiriluk was Chopper's mentor who took him in and became his "father". They had a close relationship with each other, and had formed a deep bond despite their almost constant arguing with each other. Despite his time spent with the superior Doctor Kureha, Chopper refers to Hiriluk as "the greatest doctor in the world." Hiriluk also gave Chopper his name, claiming his antlers looked like they could chop down trees.

Kureha

Though neither family nor claiming to have adopted him, Doctor Kureha is his mentor. While she often hides her feelings towards him she considers him like a "son" to her. She is happy to know he is currently well.

Abilities and Powers

Basic Transformations: As previously mentioned, Chopper ate the "Human-Human Fruit". This is a "Zoan"-type fruit which gives the one who eats it three basic transformations:

* Walk Point: This is Chopper's true form, useful for general travel on foot. It is also in this form where his olfactory senses are at their highest. As a result, Chopper often make use of his default form for tracking purposes, though certain scents seem to dull his sense of smell. Chopper's reindeer appearance often comes in handy, as enemies will usually assume he is just a harmless pet when they haven't heard him speak. This was especially useful in Arabasta, when he played an instrumental role in Sanji breaking the others out of Rain Dinners. Called "Sprint Boost" in the English dub and "Limb Boost" in the English manga.

* Brain Point: With a small body and large head, this form is how Chopper is generally characterized in media. Different from humans who eat Zoan-type Devil Fruits, Chopper generally doesn't remain in his real form, and this can be explicated due to the advantages of having free arms, also needed for using his medical abilities. He is smarter in this form, and also inexplicably cute. In addition he can scope out an enemies weakness in this form while he is under the influence of a Rumble Ball. This is also the form where he does his best thinking because he can utilize both human intelligence and reindeer sensitivity at the same time. In the English version, Brain Point is called "Brain Boost".

* Heavy Point: Chopper's "human" form, which gives him the form of a tall, muscular ape-man. He uses this form to help steer the ship. This form imbues Chopper with super-human strength. In fact, when he first used this form against Luffy and Sanji (who were trying to catch him and eat him) Chopper was able to knock both Straw Hats out at the same time. In the 4Kids dub this form is called "Heavy Boost", and his voice becomes deeper, while in the Viz Manga and FUNimation dub it's called "Weight Boost" and his voice stays the same (such as in the Japanese version).

Rumble Ball Transformations: Additionally, Chopper has added on to these by use of the "Rumble Ball", which gives its user several more transformations for three minutes by 'distorting the wavelengths of transformation':[3]

* Jumping Point: Chopper keeps his reindeer legs in a human-like form, which allows him to jump long distances. "Jumping Boost" in the English version.

* Arm Point: Chopper's second most powerful form, his fore-hooves become extremely muscular in his human-esque form, allowing him to deliver devastating punches with his front hooves. In the English version, this is called "Arm Boost."

* Horn Point: Similar to Walk Point, but Chopper's forelegs get bulkier and his antlers become larger and sharp. In addition, Chopper has human fingers in this form. In the English version it is called "Horn Boost".

* Guard Point: Chopper's fur grows out and becomes an impenetrable shield against outside attacks. He looks like an overgrown Chia Pet in this form. In the English version it is named "Guard Boost".

It has recently been revealed that Chopper can't eat multiple Rumble Balls back to back within 6 hours or otherwise he'll lose control of his transformations.

Monster: It seems that the consumption of three Rumble Balls in under six hours created a new Point in which he is standing similar to Heavy Point, but possesses an oddly misshapen head and antlers, as well as an incredible (likely more than twenty feet, or about the size of an office building) increase in height and strength. Chopper's fur is lengthened in this form. Chopper also loses all consciousness and goes completely berserk in this form. Also, this form appears to be a combination of all of Chopper's transformations, not including Brain Point and Arm Point (Heavy Point stance, Walk Point speed, Horn Point horns, Jump Point legs, and Guard Point hair). Doctor Kureha told Chopper that after he consumed three Rumble Balls for the first time, he leveled an entire village on Drum Island while in this form. Kureha also commented on this form being that of a true monster; a danger to friend, foe, and even Chopper himself. According to Zoro's observation, this transformation appears to be lethal to Chopper, as the amount of energy needed to maintain the form is too much for his little body to handle. The only known way to end this form is by placing Chopper into the sea.

Other Abilities


Chopper being the doctor of the crew, has a large knowledge of medicine and medical drugs as well as the preparation of remedies and ointments from regular fruits, roots and vegetables found on most islands. Most of this he learned during his apprenticeship under Dr. Hiruluk and Dr. Kureha. In addition to the transformational advantages that Chopper's Zoan forms afford him in battle, he has also been known to employ wrestling-type moves (i.e.pinning down an opponent,or smashing them to the ground by means of a suplex) from time to time. His extensive knowledge of the bipedal anatomy also proved useful when the Straw Hats were trying to bring down Oars, during which time, Chopper formulated several theories on where it was best to target the colossal adversary. And while naive, he can be quite a capable strategist, as seen on his fights against the Mr. 4 pair and Gedatsu.

Chopper, who originally was an animal, is also capable of speaking to and understanding other animals, which has come in handy during points in the story.

Chopper also seems to have a technique called Tranquilizer (sometimes translated as Sedative, as is the case with the English manga), which involves Chopper injecting a substance into the opponent making them faint. This was first used on Luffy when he had a hallucination of a tsunami about to hit them while walking to Yuba in the Arabasta Desert.

Nami


Appearance

Nami is a young attractive woman with short, orange hair and a relatively slim build. She has a tattoo on her left shoulder which represents mikan and pinwheels (a homage to Bellemere and Genzo, respectively), where she used to have a tattoo for being a member of Arlong's Crew. Near the beginning of the series, Nami wore thick, low cut leather boots and a simple blouse. However, during the Arlong Park arc and thereafter, Nami wore open-toed shoes and more revealing outfits (With the tattoo no longer being a secret). She seemed to have abandoned the shoes for high-heeled boots as of Chapter 435. She usually pairs her tops with skirts with rings on them. Her overall physique matured suddenly (though this is, most likely, a simple change in style of artwork). Her fashion frequently changes as well as her hair style. Many of her shirts feature four-letter words, such as "MODE," "GOLD" or "EVIL," similar to a shirt that Bellemere once wore that had "MACE" on it.

In SBS Volume 6, Oda said, according to Sanji, her measurements were 86-57-86cm = 34-22-34". The author has also replied to a fan's question saying that right now Nami's measurements are as follows:

Height: 169cm = 5' 6½"

Measurements (B-W-H): 95-55-85cm = 37-21-33"

He later also specified that Nami has D-cup size breasts. However, her breasts seem to grow into and then "reset" throughout the arcs (this is much more obvious in the manga and in one of the movies).[5] He has also said that Nami resembles a cat, that he uses the color orange to represent her, and she smells of mikan and money.

Personality

Along with Nico Robin, Nami is one of the smartest of the Straw Hats and the third smartest character in East Blue according to Oda, the first being Ben Beckman of the Red-Haired pirates and the 2nd being Captain Kuro [8]. At the beginning of the series, Nami despised all pirates. She viewed them as nothing but bad people after losing someone close to her, only changing her mind after she met Luffy and Zoro. Before her view changed on pirates, she was perfectly fine with giving Luffy up captive to Buggy, as she could not bring herself to stoop to their level.
Nami's money eyes

Nami is greedy and will do anything for money, accepting any challenge that comes along. Her love of money stems from her childhood, where she lived a poor life and was often upset at having little wealth despite the love of her adopted mother. While she will send in Luffy, Zoro and the rest of the crew to meet the demand, the one thing she will not do is sell out a friend; no matter what the sum. She takes control of the amount of money the crew spends, ever aware of the crews spending habits (such as Luffy's desire to spend all they have on meat) and tries her hardest to avoid it getting spent all at once. To this end, she is in complete horror whenever the rest of the crew wastes money or passes up an opportunity to get it. She is loyal to her money, but no matter how much she denies it, she is loyal to her friends first.

Nami is very bossy and is usually ordering everyone around, including Luffy, despite not even being the captain herself. Nami's main concern when she is in trouble is herself first and usually has other members do her fighting, resulting in her fighting in fewer fights. She is a coward, though not on the same level as Usopp, her cowardice has more to do with survival. She is aware of dangers they face every day and has a much better understanding of the world and its more dangerous individuals(ex. the Shichibukai) than most of her crew, though lacks Robin's knowledge on some of its other powerful figures (ex. the marine Admirals). She can be devilish at times and won't think twice about ditching the others to save her own life. [9] She has been known to stand her ground against anyone hurting her friends, abandoning her otherwise normal routine of trying to stay out of harm's way. [10][11][12][13]

Nami also has an obsession with fashion, as she is never seen wearing the same clothes. This was not present in the early chapters and started after the Captain Kuro arc. [14] When Nami goes shopping, she sometimes goes to exquisite boutiques and tries on stuff, just to leave stating that she is searching for something more casual. She doesn't seem to have much modesty as she sometimes wears rather skimpy clothing and allows people to take photos of her in a swimsuit (as long as they pay). She even doesn't have any problems with men seeing her naked as she showed her body to the crew so they would stop watching Vivi and her. Also, she changed her clothes in full view on a sea train. However, if someone does see her naked, she charges image:bsymbol.gif100,000 per view. She also doesn't like people insulting her navigating skills.

Crew

Nami at first was excited to join the crew but grew more reluctant when she learned that Luffy is a pirate because of her disgust at pirates. She betrayed Luffy and even wished him dead before he formed a crew[15]. Her original membership into the crew was just as an "alliance" with Luffy which she later ended to return to her home village, however by then she had become fond of the crew and found it was not so easy to just leave. [16]. After Arlong's defeat she officially joined the crew, by then she had completely changed her mind on her fellow crewmates.

She soon came to respect Luffy's qualities as a leader, but often gets angry at his irrational thinking and short attention span. In such situations, she sometimes tends to get into violent outbreaks. Her sudden violent outbreaks may also be caused by traits of other crew members such as Roronoa Zoro's sleeping. Despite this, she trusts Luffy very much as her captain.

She also often takes advantage of Sanji with his devotion to her, ordering him to do her bidding. She also uses Usopp to maintain her weapons (and wriggling out of paying him for his service). Zoro tries not to fall for her manipulative schemes, but ends up a victim like the rest, usually due to debt, after Nami tricks him into accepting a image:bsymbol.gif100,000 loan and forces him to pay it back three times over despite him not spending it and giving it back. The two also tend to get into arguments due to their somewhat similar personalities. She is still shown to care for him, as she does the rest of the crew. Nami occasionally gets irritated with Franky (such as when he calls her "girlie"), but still trusts him.

Nami gets along best with Robin, who is the only one she does not attempt to boss around. She often refers to her as "onee-sama" or "Robin-nee-san," both commonly used for elder sisters, and often spends time with her. When Nami goes shopping, she is often accompanied by a smiling Robin.

Friends

Back home, Genzo acted as a father figure to both Nami and Nojiko. He was shown very concerned about Nami's pose on her bounty attracting more perverts than bounty hunters[17], although he had an enlarged picture of it himself. Amusing considering the fact that he is more concerned about her picture than Nami being arrested. The rest of the village still adores her.

Nami also shared a close relationship with Vivi, to the point of an almost sisterly bond. Like the rest of the crew, she was deeply upset about her leaving.

She also made a good friend of Lola the zombie warthog, to the point where she even help set Lola and Absalom up for marriage. Their friendship transcended over into the real Lola when Thriller Bark was taken down. Lola had a strange feeling she already knew Nami from somewhere else despite never meeting her before, Nami was just happy to see her friend. To date, Lola has been the only person Nami has willingly handed some of her treasure over to. [18] Lola now regards Nami as a sister, to ensure her and her friends were safe she gave Nami half of her Biblicard for her mother.

Enemies

Nami is an enemy to the Marines, as she carries a bounty on her head. Arlong and his pirates were her enemies for a long time; despite Arlong taking her into his crew she showed no love for them due to what they did to her village and for killing Bellemere. Arlong had fought Luffy claiming that she was his crewmate in his fight, even admitting she was 'cute' for a human and admitted he had no respect for humans yet she was one of about 2 humans he was seen to show respect for, the other being Nezumi. She has stated that she has not forgiven Hatchan for what he did as part of the Arlong Pirates, but after seeing him get shot trying to hold Luffy back and hearing him say that he had hoped to do what he could to make up for what he had done, becomes concerned about his well-being.

Bellemere

She has comes to terms with the idea Bellemere was her mother. In life she never saw eye to eye with her adoptive mother at times, in death Nami deeply missed her due to the fact she knew Bellemere deeply loved her despite everything. Nami is seen drawing a picture of her after being forced into Arlong's crew, and sadly calling out her name in a moment of misery. She regularly visited her grave on the cliff top where she was buried and often thought about her.

Nojiko

Nami values Nojiko as the only person who loved and supported her through her years of stealing to buy the village. Though not related by blood, she supports Nami like a real sister.[19] When Nami received her tattoo for being on Arlong's crew, Nojiko responded by getting her own tattoo to match Nami. When Nami removed Arlong's tattoo, she replaced it with her current one so she still matched her sister.

Other

As an orphan, Nami may have other family. However considering the circumstances behind her origins with Bellemere and Nojiko and the fact Bellemere found both girls in a war zone, it seems unlikely this will ever be touched upon.

Abilities and Powers

Nami is a highly skilled navigator as well as a talented cartographer. She is capable of formulating advanced equations in mere minutes to predict a precise course of action, although she usually needs to write the equations down on a physical medium when formulating them. She has the innate ability to sense changes in the weather, and can even predict the appearance of supposedly unpredictable cyclones in the Grand Line despite running a high fever. This attribute proved useful during Nami's one-on-one "fight" with Eneru, where she managed to deflect several of the Goro Goro No Mi user's lightning-based attacks using only Thunder Balls from her Clima-Tact. She's also an excellent thief and pickpocket. Small items, keys, without the victim noticing (she is shown stealing even as a little girl). It was shown before she left her village at the harbor, stealing almost all wallets from the people saying goodbye to her while running without anyone noticing before she reveals it.

Throughout most of the series up to the Water 7 arc, Nami was not as skilled in combat as most of her crew; she is not especially strong, nor does she have formal training in any fighting style, although she was shown in the Water 7 arc to have decent agility, being able to jump over a gate and between rooftops. As a result, she remained a supporting member of the crew rather than a main fighter. Before acquiring the Clima-Tact and its upgrades, she possessed moderate skill with a Bo staff she used for self-defense. However, she was often outmatched by the monstrous foes they met at sea, and typically manipulated one of her crewmates to fight in her place or fled when the situation turned dangerous. With the Clima-Tact, this habit slowly began to disappear.

Weapons

Nami relied on a standard wooden staff throughout the East Blue saga and kept it until the Arabasta arc. During that arc, Usopp invented her a weapon called the "Clima-Tact." Although the Clima-Tact initially seemed like a useless tool, Nami managed to unlock its potential and fight a major battle in a nonsupporting role, earning her first victory by defeating Miss Doublefinger. However, despite her improved fighting potential, she still stuck to the old tactics she employed before the Arabasta arc, sending in her crewmates when she sensed danger and/or running away.

Some time before or during the the Water 7 arc, Usopp improved the Clima-Tact with Dials, creating the "Perfect Clima-Tact". This new weapon was powerful enough to wipe out an entire group of Marines, and was effective enough to help Nami defeat CP9's Kalifa. Following the Straw Hat's battle with CP9 at Enies Lobby, Nami has been engaging in combat more actively, and is shown confidently brandishing her Perfect Clima-Tact at any sign of confrontation. By earning a bounty, Nami has proven herself to be more than a navigator, and with her Perfect Clima-Tact, she has grown to become a legitimate fighting pirate in the Straw Hat crew.

Other Techniques

Though infrequent, Nami has a couple of other moves that she can use to incapacitate (in more ways than one) her opponents.

* Shiawase Punch (幸せパンチ(しあわせ), Happiness Punch): A "technique" that Nami uses to dispatch Peeping Toms while she bathes; she simply drops her towel, causing any male in the vicinity to collapse from a massive nosebleed. She also uses this as a get-rich-quick scheme, as she charges image:bsymbol.gif100,000 to anyone who sees her doing this.

* Impact (衝撃貝 (インパクト)): Nami uses an Impact Dial to absorb attacks and then send them back at her opponents. This was shown only when she finished off Hotori with Gan Fall. Sadly though, she is not yet strong enough to do this technique without causing serious damage to her arm and great pain, which is perhaps why she hasn't used it more often.

Sanji

Appearance

Sanji is a tall, slim young man with blond hair, often well-dressed, and keeps his hair brushed over his left eye. Sanji's left eye is so rarely seen that many fans have questioned the assumption that he has one at all. In the Manga it is never seen, but is seen in the anime (episodes 21, 27, 82, 128 and Movie 6 although usually very briefly and most likely due to animation errors). [5] He almost always wears a black, double-breasted suit with tie and long-sleeved, buttoned shirts of varying colors, with or without pinstripes. His fashion changes at times, like in the Water 7 Arc where he had no suit jacket, but a black vest over an orange, pinstriped shirt. He also wears dress shoes, mostly for his Red Leg martial arts. These shoes are extremely durable, and were designed to increase the power of his attacks, though he can very well attack without them as he did against Kuroobi. Sanji is also a chain-smoker and is rarely seen without a cigarette.

According to Oda, Sanji most resembles a duck[6], is identified by the color blue, and smells of seafood and cigarette smoke.[7]

Sanji's right eyebrow forms a spiral, and he gets very upset if somebody (usually Zoro) chooses to point it out.

Personality

Like Zoro, he is more perceptive than he seems, and often tells people what they need to hear instead of what they want. Hence, he is seen as one of the more hardened members of the crew and can often be as scary as Zoro at times. Unlike Zoro, however, he is not afraid to show his emotions when the moment calls for it, and is entirely capable of crying or losing his temper. In fact, a running gag has appeared since Sanji's fight with Jyabura, during which he stated that when he gets angry, he 'heats up'. After this fight, when Sanji gets particularly angry at a villain, he appears to burst into flame. This occurs against both Absalom and Duval, though the latter example appears only in the anime.

He is very amorous, constantly flirting with any attractive woman he sees, earning him the nickname "ero-cook". He has sworn to never let women be insulted or injured while he can still stand, regardless of how attractive (or unattractive) they are. This is often problematic in his fighting as he can't attack female opponents; he would rather die than hurt them (though that doesn't mean he won't resort to blocking their attacks). All of this is apparently the result of a "strict upbringing". Also, while most cannot see it, he has a deep respect towards his mentor, Zeff, who selflessly gave all his food to the young Sanji back when they were stranded. As a result, during his time on the Baratie, he exhibits little to no hesitation in beating customers who spoke ill of Zeff's former status as a pirate.

Sanji considers himself handsome and charming, often comparing himself to a fairytale prince. So far, he has found nobody who agrees with him, and tends to be brought sharply back to earth by the more cynical people around him (such as being called the "prince of Retardia" by Zoro prompting Sanji to attack him).

Sanji also likes to swear a lot and is overall a bit of a trash talker, insulting his opponents while fighting - especially if they insult him or his friends first.

One of Sanji's most prominent characteristics is a strong respect towards food and preparation of food in the kitchen; since food and sustenance play a crucial role in maintaining life, he strongly believes that a chef's work must be treated as though it were sacred. Prior to being stranded on the rock with Zeff nine years ago, Sanji thought food was dispensable, and tossed out any that has gone bad. In fact, he was disgusted by how his fellow chefs would eat leftovers from customers. However, after being starved at the rock, he came to regret his maltreatment to food. As a result, he has a strong tendency to become hostile towards those who waste food, or regard it in any way that is less than the way he does. Thus, he has a habit of beating up anyone who steals food from the fridge (mainly Luffy). This is precisely why Sanji, in his first appearance, proceeded to make quick work of Fullbody.

Crew

Sanji respects Luffy as a captain, but often gets angry at him for eating too much and showing disrespect for the aesthetics of cooking; he also dislikes Luffy imitating him. However, he does care for Luffy as he is shown dragging his captain out of the water more often than any of the other crewmembers. He is constantly in physical and verbal fights with Zoro (who he refers to as 'marimo' (moss ball) because of his green hair) over their differences. Regardless, the two clearly respect each other for their fighting skills and they have developed a bit of a rivalry, almost like that of two brothers. However, though he spends a lot of time arguing or competing with Zoro, Sanji isn't beneath admitting Zoro is right during those rare occasions where Zoro has seen the bigger picture then everyone else (such as Usopp's rejoining).

He is rather protective of the female crewmembers and Nami likes to take advantage of him, exploiting his extreme servility. He's also good friends with Usopp; Sanji understands him quite well. Despite this, he occasionally beats him and Luffy up when they do something immature, like eat too much food or goof off in serious situations. Sanji originally wanted to cook Chopper, and continues to refer to him as their "emergency food supply" to tease him. However, he does consider Chopper a friend, and will give him or Usopp advice when they need it. In short, he cares as much for the crew as any Straw Hat should, even going as far as trying to sacrifice his own life to Bartholomew Kuma for the sake of his crewmembers despite mentioning that he meant to do so for the female members.

Friends

Sanji had a habit of getting on everyone's nerves while at the Baratie. However, he parted with everyone on good terms despite this and the entire cooking staff was upset by his departure. They have kept an eye on him ever since and used him to promote their restaurant when his bounty was released.

Despite being enemies, Gin also considered Sanji as a friend because he showed him the only act of kindness he ever experienced. Gin was unable to bring himself to finish Sanji off and left on the vow that the pair would try and meet again on the Grand Line if it was ever possible.

Duval initially hated Sanji for resembling his wanted poster. He was wounded in the back by someone who mistook him for Sanji. However after a defeat during a fight with him, Duval became friends with Sanji because Sanji reshaped his face to make him look handsome. However, Duval's love for his new handsome face gets on Sanji's nerves.

Enemies

Sanji supposedly has many people who bear grudges against him from his time at the Baratie. Essentially, Fullbody has a personal vendetta against him for what happened at the Baratie. However, this has never been taken seriously. Like all the Straw Hats, he is wanted by the Marines.

Abilities and Powers

Sanji is considered to be one of the crew's top three fighters (despite not having one of the top three bounties, which Robin takes). Sanji has mastered an unnamed martial art that the pirate Zeff apparently taught him. All of his maneuvers come from his legs and feet. His legs and feet are extremely powerful, able to smash boulders and defeat creatures much larger than himself (like Bananawani and Momoo). His legs also imbue him with superior speed and agility, able to leap and run much farther than most humans. He has stated that the reason he fights with his feet is that he doesn't want to risk damaging his hands as he needs them to cook, though handstands aren't prohibited. This fictional martial art seemingly takes some inspiration from the Brazilian martial art Capoeira and the Korean martial art Tae Kwon Do and may have took some from the Chinese art Tan Tui and bears an almost identical line, in name and in style, to the extremely powerful and dangerous (to both user and opponent) style Blood Leg. Inspirations may also point to a French fighting style now known as Savate. Originally developed by French sailors, Savate employs similar techniques that utilize the hands to support the body and give added power to kicks, and is especially useful on a swaying ship. And the French law at this time considered hands as lethal weapons, which could lead to death if hands were used to kill someone. Possibly for this reason, Sanji's main opponents throughout the series so far were all martial artists with their own unique type of kenpo (such as Bon Clays "Okama Kenpo", Wanze's "Ramen Kenpo" and Jyabura's "Tekkai Kenpo").

As for his actual "attacks", Sanji has a very large number of specific kicks and techniques he uses to fight with. It should be noted that he doesn't call out an attack name whenever he kicks someone or something, but for important events and fights he usually will. Most of his attacks are said in French and are usually cooking/food terms related in some way to the specific portion of the opponent's body that he's targeting or to the nature of the attack itself. In the 4Kids English anime, the attacks are changed to be funny sounding, non-existent food items that have something to do with the target area of the attack.

Common attacks are Muton Shot (Sanji jumps and flips, and kicks with all his might into the foe's mid-region or head) and Anti-Manner Kick Course (One of Sanji's most powerful kicks where he delivers a 180 degree vertical kick upward into a giant foe's torso or back, which is usually used on those he sees as having no manners, e.g. those that attack women; a typical finishing move).
Sanji using Diable Jambe

In the Enies Lobby arc, Sanji reveals a new ability - Diable Jambe, the power to heat his lower legs to a temperature so high that they glow bright red, by spinning rapidly in place. 'Diable' means "devil" in French and it's also a type of dish. 'Jambe' means "leg", but the kanji reads diable's wind. The aforementioned attacks also have the word Diable Jambe preceding it (ex. Diable Jambe: Flambage Shot). The heat of the attack is so high that contact for one second would set a person aflame. Sanji used this ability during his fight with Jyabura, in which his attacks weren't so effective due to his active usage of Tekkai. With the heat of his new ability, Sanji overcame his inability to smash through Tekkai by burning through it instead. Also revealed during the Crew's battle against the Kuma Clones, it appears that Diable Jambe puts extreme stress upon Sanji's legs. After several uses of the technique, Sanji himself comments that if he were to use the attack one more time, his legs would snap. It is unclear at this point in time whether it is Diable Jambe itself that puts stress on his legs, or the strain of kicking the extremely durable Pacifista cyborgs repeatedly. [8]

Although Sanji fights with his legs, his arms are nearly as strong, enabling him to use an array of handstands, making him more versatile in certain situations. He is also able to use one-handed handstands. During the Skypeia Arc, while riding the Going Merry, he lifted a large mallet that must have weighted several tons before using it to slam an Impact Dial that had been set on top of a barrel; needless to say, the impact would have busted a hole on the Going Merry's deck had it not been absorbed by the Dial. His upper body is also superhumanly durable, having been known to take head-on attacks like Kuroobi's fists and half of Jyabura's Jusshigan right before counter-attacking them with his kick. His tolerance against fire is also astonishing, which would make sense since he is a cook. This would explain why he is able to utilize Diable Jambe without showing any signs of getting burned himself while the opponent gets incinerated at the receiving end. However, Oda has said that it doesn't damage him because while the Diable Jambe burns hot, Sanji's heart burns hotter.

Though he's one of the physical powerhouses of the crew, Sanji can also be a brilliant tactician if need be. This was particularly evident in the Baroque Works saga, where he was responsible for both disguising himself as Mr. 3 and fooling Crocodile into believing that the Straw Hats were dead on Little Garden and posing as "Mr. Prince" to get the Straw Hats out of Rain Dinners at Arabasta. His skills in this area showed again during the Enies Lobby arc, where he first maneuvered Sogeking onto the roof, where his sniping could be used to full effect. Then appeared again when he shut the Gate of Justice, giving the crew the opportunity to escape the Buster Call.

Sanji also had a fondness for reading books when he was younger and knows of many legends, albeit they are mostly "fairy-tale" like in nature opposed to Robin's "historic" recollection of legends. He had already heard of the legendary ingredient the Blue-Finned elephant Tuna before he saw it. He had also been familiar with the tale of Montblanc Norland through the book King of Liars, Norland. Through a book on Devil Fruits he learnt of the Suke Suke no Mi, although since he had interest in only that particular fruit what else he knows on Devil Fruits is unclear.

Last but not least, Sanji is an expert cook, knowing and capable of preparing almost any kind of food with a strong sense to the aesthetics of cooking. He cooks with amazing speed and dexterity, particularly in his use of knives. Though lacking the power and technique of Roronoa Zoro with a bladed weapon, he is able to make very accurate cuts. He rarely uses them in battle, stating that kitchen knives are not meant for that purpose, but makes an exception when Wanze uses food as a weapon, something that he, as a chef, finds unforgivable, and sees a loophole in using his knives as weapons against food.

A comic side-effect of Sanji's kicks is that, when directed at the face, they can make the victim more handsome, as seen with Wanze and Duval.