Summary
- Loki should join Straw Hats for his downplayed criminal past and the tragic fate he shares with other members of the Straw Hat crew.
- With a rare Devil Fruit power and ancient giant heritage, Loki would balance the crew and add even more diversity to its ranks.
- Luffy's persistence in trying to make Loki join his crew signals a potential new addition after a prolonged lack of new Straw Hat recruits.
In Chapter 1152 of One Piece, the unthinkable happened: Monkey D. Luffy asked Loki, a prince of Elbaf, to join his crew. Of course, he mainly did it so Hajrudin would let him help them out in the upcoming fight against the God’s Knights, but the idea of another person joining the Straw Hat Pirates has already caused a lot of excitement and intrigue among fans.
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It’s important to remember that Jinbe is the only character since the two-year time skip that Luffy has successfully recruited for his crew, so Loki would definitely be a unique and interesting addition, especially after many other popular figures (like Carrot, Yamato, or Bonney) failed to join. There are a lot of reasons why Loki should join the Straw Hats in the near future, but the following eight are the most important ones.
Spoiler Warning: Due to the nature of this list topic, each entry will delve into narrative spoilers from throughout the One Piece manga and anime.
8 He’s a Criminal
He Follows a Prominent Theme Among the Other Straw Hats
In Elbaf, Loki is infamous for being a violent criminal who allegedly killed his own father, King Harald, in cold blood. However, the manga is currently going through the process of revealing that he’s apparently innocent, and he was framed by someone else.
Curiously enough, he shares this tragic fate with some members of the Straw Hat Pirates, like Zoro, Robin, and Franky, who were also unfairly framed for crimes they didn’t commit. Regardless of whether Loki manages to prove his alleged innocence by the end of the Elbaf Arc or not, the Straw Hats are already technically criminals in the eyes of the World Government due to their actions as pirates, so joining the crew wouldn’t be a bad option for him at all.
7 He Has Devil Fruit Powers
There Are Way Too Few Devil Fruit Users in the Crew
Despite Devil Fruits being the main and most famous power system in One Piece, only four out of ten members of the Straw Hat Pirates have actually eaten one: Luffy, Chopper, Robin, and Brook, meaning that there are currently a higher number of non-Devil Fruit users in the crew.
Curiously enough, it was confirmed that Loki ate a legendary and forbidden Devil Fruit from Elbaf in the past (which is why he supposedly killed his father), although its name, type, and powers still haven’t been revealed. If his abilities are as powerful and unique as they’re said to be, Loki would be the perfect Devil Fruit user to even out that number among the Straw Hat Pirates.
6 He’s a Giant From Elbaf
He’s From a Race that Still Hasn't Been Represented in the Crew
One of the most appealing and interesting things about the Straw Hat Pirates is the diversity within the crew, since every single member looks and feels so different from one another. However, Chopper and Jinbe are technically the only two non-human Straw Hats, which is quite odd, considering how many fascinating fictional tribes and races exist in the world of One Piece.
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Loki is not only a giant, but he also has ancient giant heritage from his father’s bloodline, meaning that he’s quite different in appearance and design from the rest of the Straw Hats. Furthermore, he’s a prominent figure from Elbaf (one of the most important locations in One Piece lore) who worships the Sun God, so his dynamic with Luffy would definitely be quite fun and interesting.
5 He’s Very Different From the Other Straw Hats
He Would Bring Something New to the Table
Another thing that makes the Straw Hat Pirates such a lovable cast of main characters is the wide range of personalities and fighting styles within the crew, seeing that no member feels too similar to another. Because of this, it’s important that every potential new recruit also has their own personality type that wouldn’t clash with one of the existing crew members.
Loki wouldn’t have an issue in this regard, because he looks and feels very different from the other Straw Hats: he’s violent, egotistical, and confident, but he’s also a bit reckless and compassionate (similar to Luffy himself), so he has the potential to build interesting dynamics with the rest of the crew members. While his Devil Fruit powers haven’t been revealed yet, he fights by wielding a giant lighting-summoning hammer called Ragnir, which helps him stand out from the other Straw Hats in pretty explosive ways.
4 His Relationship with Rocks D. Xebec
He Has Ties to One of the Most Important and Mysterious Figures in the Series
At one point in the Elbaf Arc, Loki revealed that not only had he met the legendary Rocks D. Xebec when he was a kid, but that he also asked him to let him join his crew, the Rocks Pirates. Needless to say, Rocks denied his offer and even defeated him in battle to prove he was way too young and innocent to set sail with him.
Rocks D. Xebec is considered one of the most dangerous and evil pirates who ever lived in the One Piece world, so having someone who followed and idolized him in the crew would definitely be fascinating, especially if it allows Eiichiro Oda to show another side of this infamous historical figure, while also revealing more information about him in the process. Additionally, the relationship between Loki and Rocks is obviously very similar to the one between Luffy and Shanks, which is a fun and adorable parallel that can be explored more as the story winds on.
3 He’s a Pre-Established Character
Fans Have Known About His Existence for a Long Time
Curiously enough, Loki was first mentioned back in Chapter 858, when it was revealed that he had fallen in love with Charlotte Lola, one of Big Mom’s daughters, but she ended up rejecting him. Just like many other prominent figures in One Piece, Loki spent seven real-life years as a faceless silhouette, until his full appearance was finally unveiled in Chapter 1130.
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There’s no denying that the world building in One Piece is one of the best things about this series, and it's always a delight to meet new characters that have been previously established by the story, so seeing someone like Loki joining the Straw Hats would be really exciting for longtime fans. On top of that, Luffy is one of the Four Emperors now, so it wouldn’t feel out of place for him to recruit someone as infamous and powerful as the criminal Prince of Elbaf.
2 Luffy Wants to Recruit Him
It’s Really Hard to Make the Captain Change His Mind
When Monkey D. Luffy says he wants someone to join his pirate crew, it’s almost impossible to change his mind. Of course, there have been a few instances in which this was mostly used as a joke, and he actually failed to do it (like when he tried to recruit some random Thriller Bark zombies), but it’s evident that he’s 100% serious about Loki this time around.
Yes, he did ask him to join the Straw Hats just to give Hajrudin an excuse to free him so they can fight the God’s Knights together, but it really seems like Luffy and Loki actually like each other now. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise, however, seeing as they are very similar in many respects, and they even shared a meal together, which is something that always makes Luffy fonder of any new person he meets.
1 There Hasn’t Been a New Straw Hat in a While
Jinbe is the Only Character Luffy Recruited in the Post-Time Skip Era
The possibility of a new character potentially joining the Straw Hat Pirates has been a major source of discussion among One Piece fans for several years at this point. In the end, Luffy recruited eight out of his nine crew members before the time skip, with Jinbe being the only person who has joined the crew ever since they entered the New World.
The Straw Hat Pirates have been in dire need of a new member for years, and even though fans were sure that some prominent characters who befriended the Straw Hats (like Carrot, Momonosuke, Yamato, Bonney or Vegapunk) were going to join, they never ended up doing so. If Eiichiro Oda does want to add a new member to the main crew of the series, Loki is currently the best and most suitable potential recruit in the entire Elbaf Arc.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 21
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Number of Episodes
- 1122
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.72
