The Straw Hat Pirates are central to the world of One Piece, as the protagonist of the series, Monkey D. Luffy, leads this group created in the East Blue. The Straw Hat Pirates have come a long way, having now been established as one of the strongest crews in the whole world. It goes without saying that Oda will continue to give the Straw Hat Pirates special attention in the final saga of the story as well, and each Straw Hat will have their personal character arcs fulfilled.
Some characters, like Luffy, Robin, and Sanji, have their dreams directly tied to the history of the world and the Void Century. Others have dreams related to strength, such as Zoro, who aims to become the world's strongest swordsman. There is one character whose dream actually might require him to die. It is possible that before the end of One Piece, one Straw Hat could end up dying to fulfill their dream properly, and this character is everyone's beloved sharpshooter, Usopp.
Fans Believed Oda Planned To Kill A Straw Hat In One Piece
The Going Merry Was Killed In The End
Around two decades ago, a very popular idea was spread which stated that Oda initially planned on killing a Straw Hat. This wasn't entirely wrong because Oda did want to kill a member of the Straw Hat crew. He just didn't specify which member of the crew he wanted to kill later down the line. After the events of the Enies Lobby arc, it was revealed that this member of the crew was none other than the Going Merry. The Merry was a family member of the Straw Hats, and for the fans to say goodbye to her was certainly very difficult.
Following the death of the Merry, it was apparent to the fans to see that no more Straw Hats would die. However, just taking one look at the personal character arc of Usopp, it is quite clear to see that he could very well end up falling in the final saga of One Piece. Usopp's death wouldn't serve the purpose of shock value or just subvert the expectations of the fans. It is imperative for him to die because it will allow him to fulfill his dream and be fully realized as a Brave Warrior of the Sea.
Usopp Could Die Before The End Of One Piece
Usopp's Dream Is Connected To Death
When Usopp reached Little Garden with the Straw Hat Pirates, it became clear to the fans that his dream was directly connected to the pride of the Giants of Elbaf and to becoming a brave warrior. Usopp has always claimed that he wants to be one of the bravest on the seas, but the truth is that he is actually already brave. When push comes to shove, Usopp always steps up and shows that he is truly reliable. In fact, it is only when one is afraid that they can truly be brave, and Usopp epitomizes that through his character.
One Piece fans can feel close to Usopp because the characters around him are too strong. Hopefully, he'll continue to be the weakest Straw Hat whoever joins the crew in the future. And I hope that Chopper will forever be fooled by his lies. — Eiichiro Oda
In many ways, Usopp has already fulfilled a portion of his dream, but that doesn't mean that there is no progression for his character to undergo still. Usopp's pride means that he has to die a death that he considers worthy of immortalization. Usopp doesn't want to fade into nothingness upon his death. Just as the Giants fight to the death and are immortalized in history forever, Usopp wants his end to be something similar. This is something Usopp has claimed previously, and according to him, he wants to die as a brave warrior of the sea.
Usually, whatever Usopp says ends up coming true in One Piece. Oda even highlights his lies specifically and then makes them into a reality in some rather humorous ways. Similarly, Oda could very well surprise the fans by making Usopp's dream of dying as a brave warrior of the sea a reality. That doesn't mean Usopp is going to fall in the final saga immediately.
It could simply happen at the end of his journey and after he has fulfilled his real dream, or possibly even after the disbandment of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Usopp's Death Will Fix His Character Forever
Usopp Needs More Attention From Oda
In a way, Usopp's death could actually go on to fix his character forever. So far, in the post-timeskip of the story, Usopp is one of the most underwhelming members of the Straw Hat Pirates. He certainly did have his moment in Dressrosa, where he tapped into the power of Observation Haki and, more than that, saved Luffy and Law from being turned into toys by Sugar. Since then, however, he has been largely underwhelming. Even Elbaf, which is supposed to be his arc, has been underwhelming for him, and he hasn't contributed to it in any significant manner whatsoever.
I want to die an honorable death and become a Brave Warrior of the Sea! — Usopp
Fans are growing frustrated with Usopp's character arc, but if he actually goes on to die, that would elevate his overall character to a whole new level. This isn't simply because Usopp will be cut out of the story. It is because Usopp's death will actually make him a hero and see to it that his dream of becoming a Brave Warrior of the Sea is fulfilled. It will give Usopp a moment of immortalization and make sure that his name reverberates across the annals of history. Usopp will get the conclusion that he very much desired, and the fans will get a certain sense of satisfaction to know that he isn't being ignored in the story anymore.
Of course, Usopp's death doesn't necessarily have to come before Luffy's journey ends. It could simply happen at the very end of One Piece, many years into the future. Fans could simply be shown that Usopp successfully ended up fulfilling his dream of becoming a brave warrior of the sea and dying a death that would make him proud. He could then go on to be remembered in history as one of the bravest warriors to ever exist, as well as one of the strongest.
Fans certainly can't wait to see Usopp's character being elevated even further in the final saga and for him to be useful to Luffy on his journey to becoming the Pirate King. So far, he has been disappointing, but it is only a matter of time before Oda starts paying attention to him once again and completes his character 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
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
