This is a place for me to rant about my thoughts on the characters in the crew. I love them all very very much. (expect updates to this page as I watch more of the show and get to see the characters develop more)
I really do think that Luffy may be one of the greatest fictional characters of all time. He is so incredibly selfish and always kicks up a fuss to get what he wants no matter how much collateral damage it causes, but, it just so happens that what he wants is freedom and happiness and to help his friends. And so him being so selfish often appears as acts of extreme selflessness to others, because he's always giving everything he does 100%, he's always putting his life on the line for the things he believes in.
His character devlopment is pretty static compared to the rest of the crew which is essential for the plot. He's already exactly who he needs to be and that's what inspires so many of the other crew members to join and develop themselves.
The blinding faith that he has in all of his crew but specifically Zoro is something that I will never grow tired of seeing, the way that whenever someone asks if he's worried about his crew, he responds with "No? Why would I be? Zoro is there with them.". The knowledge that Zoro would never fail him is simply a fact of life, the ocean is blue, Zoro would never let him down, and he is going to become the king of the pirates.
Zoro's unwavering devotion to his captain is something that I will always be in awe of. It's incredible to watch him stand by Luffy through everything, even when it may go against his own gut instincts (such as the scene in Jaya arc where Bellamy was beating them up in the bar and Luffy told Zoro not to fight back). His devotion to his dream is of a similar strength, but its so moving to watch as it gradually shifts from "wanting to be the world's greatest swordsman" to "wanting to be the world's greatest swordsman WHILST Luffy is the king of the pirates".
The scene in Little Garden where he attempts to cut off his ankles is such a perfect display of his character it drives me insane how stupidly Zoro that scene was. His sheer determination to follow his dream is so strong that it blocks out all rational thinking. He cannot become the world's greatest swordsman if he dies here as a wax figure, so he has to do something about that, and if cutting off his feet is the only way for him to get free enough to properly swing his swords then the feet will have to go. But then him stopping when Luffy arrives, deciding instead that maybe he should listen to Nami and Vivi and keep his feet attached, because it's okay, because Luffy is here now, and Luffy understands more than anyone how important it is that Zoro achieves his dream.
Something I really love about Nami is the way that she subverts the damsel in distress trope. Because yes Arlong Park is about Luffy and the others saving her from Arlong, but its not actually about that at all. Instead its about her learning to depend on others and place her full trust in her crew. Its about her learning to overcome her gut instinct to run away and pull back before she gets too involved, and showing her that forming meaningful connections with others isn't always going to end in her getting hurt.
Skypiea is such a big arc for Nami it blows my mind how much people who skip it are missing out on. Her experience with Eneru being set up to parallel that which she had with Arlong, only for her to turn around and declare that friendship is more important to her than treasure, and that she doesn't want any of the treasure if she can't have her friends to share it with. And then her turning around and deciding to fight Eneru, saying that she has no regrets, ackowledging that she would rather die fighting for what she believes in than let someone control her life again. It shows just how far her character has developed since she first joined the crew. The poor girl from Cocoyashi village to whom money means survival, who we have seen countless times be bought over and swayed by promises of riches and gold, standing up and saying that it all means nothing without her friends, that she would rather die standing than live kneeling ever again and her friends are the ones that help her to do that.
Usopp is such an interesting character to me because the way he's treated by the narrative is something that's extremely rare to see in works of fiction, especially in shonen anime. He is praised for being dishonest, Luffy stating several times that his role in the crew is 'liar' as opposed to 'sniper'. His lies even go so far as to be treated as noble at times, especially during Syrup Village arc, because its established very early on that deception is his way of coping with the things going on around him. That he lies to gain back what little control he can over a life full of dead mothers, terrifying enemies, and a ship thats falling apart under his own feet. He lies to make himself appear brave, so that he can recieve praise from others, because being the hero is all that he's ever wanted to be. And he is, to so many people, but he just fails to see this himself, and he fails to recognise how brave he already is, but his friends don't and so they don't mind his lies because they can see how important they are to him.
Something I love about Sanji is how kind he is. He shows kindness to others countless times when others would argue that they do not deserve it, such as him feeding Don Creig's entire fleet despite knowing they would attack the Baratie afterwards. His relationship with food is very interesting, obviously it stems from him starving on the rock with Zeff, but I like how it has become entwined with his character and personality rather than just left in the past. His need to feed anyone who is hungry, his willingess to cook anything that moves, and his refusal to waste food even when it has gone bad are part of what sets his character aside from the others and makes him so good at his job.
What I find interesting about Chopper is that the strawhat pirates are his first ever friends and it does show. He's scared and will cry for help but when it really comes down to it, he will always do his very best to feel as though he deserves his place in the crew. He admires the others so much, almost to the point where he idolizes them, which makes him constantly feel as though he has to prove that he is worthy of travelling beside them all and calling them his friends.
Robin was the first crew member to ask to join the crew, rather than being chosen by Luffy. She blames Luffy for keeping ehr alive after her dream had died, and expects him to make up for that. Because of this, and the whole Miss All Sunday thing, it takes her a while to settle into the crew which is an interesting change as all the other members instantly slotted into their roles like they'd know each other for a lifetime. Her passion for archeology is inspiring, and its incredible how much she can tell about the past from ancient ruins.
coming soon (I'm currently watching Water 7)