Summary
- Luffy inspires many characters in One Piece to view life positively and take action when needed.
- Strong characters, like Bartolomeo and Momonosuke, step up to make the world better due to Luffy's influence.
- Meeting Luffy has empowered characters like Koby, Ivankov, and Shirahoshi to grow stronger and face their challenges.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why Luffy has inspired so many people while on his grand adventure to reach the One Piece. As someone who is always upbeat and full of hope, no matter how dire things may look, Luffy has been able to encourage many One Piece characters, who may have been down on their luck, to look at life from a more positive point of view, enabling them to step up and take action when they are most needed.
One Piece: Most Important Story Arc For Every Straw Hat
The Straw Hats have all grown and matured a lot throughout One Piece's story, but these arcs stand out for each of them on a personal basis.
This can be especially important for characters who possess a lot of underlying strength and power, considering that most people who follow in Luffy's footsteps will tend to use their talents to make the world a better place. The good news is, there are plenty of formidable individuals seen throughout One Piece who have decided to take more of a prominent role in the story thanks to Luffy's influence.
Warning! Spoilers Ahead!
Bartolomeo
Luffy's Number One Fan Can Defend Him And His Role Model From Even The Most Powerful Of Attacks
- First Appearance: Episode 636
By the time the Straw Hats arrived in Dressrosa, they had already amassed a pretty big fan base as a result of their actions, but by far their biggest admirer is an oddball by the name of Bartolomeo. Any time he catches even a glimpse of Luffy, Bartolomeo springs into action, being fully determined to protect him and his crew from any incoming danger with his powerful Barrier fruit abilities.
However, while he's admittedly more of a defensive fighter, Bartolemeo has shown that he's not afraid to get his hands dirty if anyone threatens his beloved role model. In fact, Bartolomeo has even earned a spot as a member of the Straw Hat fleet, proving that meeting your heroes may not always be such a bad thing after all.
Kouzuki Momonosuke
Momonosuke Only Started Believing In Himself After Meeting The Straw Hat Captain
- First Appearance: Episode 611
Momonosuke, the son of the legendary samurai Kouzuki Oden, was destined to become the next shogun of Wano, that is, until Kaido decided to rain terror across the nation. After being transported into the future along with Kin'emon, Momonosuke was still a child who could barely even hold a sword, let alone become a great ruler who could rid his home country of the vicious tyrant who had been controlling it for so many years.
One Piece: 8 Characters Who Gained Luffy's Respect
Luffy may not have been too fond of these characters initially, but over time, he came to greatly respect them.
Thankfully, Luffy arrived in Punk Hazard at just the right time to meet Momo, and after learning a bit about him, Luffy realized he would need to instill some confidence in the young boy for him to even dream ot one day becoming a true leader. Momonosuke here became so inspired by Luffy that he would courageously do his part in taking down Kaido and Orochi's alliance, even going as far as to turn into an adult so that he could become a more useful asset. While Momo comes across as a naive and sniveling coward when he first appears, by the end of the Wano arc, he had become a talented samurai who was also capable of turning into a pretty ferocious dragon.
Koby
When Luffy Set Off On His Adventure, It Inspired Koby To Follow His Dreams
- First Appearance: Episode 1
Koby may be a pretty powerful marine these days, but back in the first episode, it honestly seemed highly unlikely that this young, cowardly errand boy would amount to anything. What really drove Koby to pursue his passion was Luffy, a friend who seemed more than willing to go out of his comfort zone to chase his dream of reaching the One Piece. Not wanting to be left behind, Koby decided to undertake some training with Garp, allowing him to quickly rise up the ranks before eventually becoming a member of the undercover group known as SWORD.
Koby has proven himself to be much stronger than he was when he first met Luffy, to the point where he was even sent to apprehend Boa Hancock after the Warlords were disbanded, which is a mission only reserved for those who can handle it. It's a good thing that Luffy and Koby ended up on the same boat when they were younger, as if the Straw Hat captain hadn't turned up, one can only imagine whether Koby would have become a marine or not.
Emporio Ivankov
A Revolutionary Commander Who Followed Luffy In His Attempt To Save Ace
- First Appearance: Episode 438
For someone to become a member of the Revolutionary Army, they need to prove that they have the strength, willpower, and determination to fulfill the group's goals without being killed in action, and these traits certainly apply to Ivankov. First appearing in Impel Down, Ivankov was freed from his cell by Luffy, who was on his way to save Ace from being executed. Upon noticing the vigor and enthusiasm of the Straw Hat captain, Ivankov was inspired to help him achieve his goal, and to say he was a useful ally would be putting it mildly.
One Piece: 7 Things Zoro Can Do That Luffy Can't
As the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, there's a lot that Luffy can do on his own, but wherever he stumbles, his right-hand man, Zoro, has his back.
Ivankov's fruit enabled him to bolster Luffy with a boost of strength, alongside healing him from poison after he was attacked by Magellan. Ivankov himself is also a pretty formidable hand-to-hand fighter, especially with those giant claws which can cut even the most durable of enemies to ribbons in no more than a few seconds.
Shirahoshi
The Royal Crybaby Found The Courage To Control The Sea Kings Thanks To Luffy
- First Appearance: Episode 531
She may be the royal princess of Fishman Island, but Shirahoshi isn't exactly much of a courageous leader for her people. In fact, when Luffy first meets her, all Shirahoshi is capable of doing is crying her eyes out at the slightest inconvenience, though thanks to a few pep talks from her new friend, she would eventually muster up the courage to become more proactive in defending Fishman Island from incoming threats.
Because Shirahoshi is actually the ultimate weapon known as Poseidon, she can control the menacing Sea Kings at will, as she displays by preventing the Noah ship from crashing into the island. Admittedly, though, she is still figuring out how to use this power to full effect, so while she's already immensely powerful, she still has a long way to go. Luffy's influence would even encourage Shirahoshi to travel to the surface as part of the Reverie, which she never would have even dreamed of if he hadn't made his quick pit stop along his journey.
Jinbei
Luffy Encouraged Jinbei To Keep Fighting When He Was At His Lowest
- First Appearance: Episode 430
Jinbei is an experienced pirate who has already been on his fair share of adventures before the main story even kicks off, but when he's formally introduced, he's at a pretty low point in his life. After becoming a Warlord in an attempt to represent his people, the powerful Fishman was thrown in prison after he refused to take part in the Marineford War. This all changed, however, once he met Luffy, who was more than willing to put his own life on the line just for the sake of saving a single person, that being his brother Ace.
Jinbei was already ordered to protect Luffy at all costs, but after training with him, he came to greatly admire the captain and even became inspired to join his crew. This was certainly a good thing for the Straw Hats, considering Jinbei is immensely powerful, being able to use his Fishman Karate to take down a myriad of tough opponents. He was even able to push Big Mom off the Thousand Sunny to protect the ship and its crew from being obliterated, which is just one of the many impressive feats he has demonstrated throughout the series.
Yamato
Yamato Mustered Up The Courage To Face Her Father Once She Met Luffy
- First Appearance: Episode 972
To say Yamato had a pretty rough upbringing would be putting it lightly. As the child of the ferocious Yonko known as Kaido, Yamato was thrown into a cave and forced to fend for herself, but it was the legend of Oden that encouraged her to keep moving forward. While she already had a role model, the reason Yamato was able to confront her father once and for all was due to Luffy, who was aiming to achieve the same thing. Since Luffy was able to break Yamato's explosive chains, he granted her the freedom to challenge her abusive father in combat, and it's fair to say she put up a pretty formidable fight.
Yamato's Zoan Devil Fruit allows her to turn into a mythical wolf deity who can dish out tons of damage with her specialized ice attacks. She may not possess the brute strength of Kaido, but Yamato is still more than capable of holding her own against anyone who dares to stand up to her, especially now that she's free to act the way she wants after being liberated by Luffy.
Boa Hancock
Nobody Can Inspire Hancock Quite As Effortlessly As Her Beloved Luffy
- First Appearance: Episode 409
As a former Warlord of the sea, it was easy to assume that Hancock would be ready to eliminate Luffy the moment she laid eyes on him, but this isn't exactly how things turned out. It doesn't take long until Hancock falls head over heels for the Straw Hat captain, to the point where she even decides to escort him to Impel Down so that he can make his way to Marineford. Before she met Luffy, Hancock was simply acting as one of the Marines' lapdogs who would serve their every command, though it was clear she still had a rebellious attitude that didn't always align with the higher-ups.
Thanks to Luffy and his known no-nonsense attitude, Hancock was inspired to fight alongside him during the Marineford conflict, even attacking Marine soldiers to help the Straw Hat out in his rescue mission. Considering she can turn people into stone in the blink of an eye, alongside having one of the deadliest kicks in the series, Hancock is not someone to be messed with, and has acted as a huge ally to Luffy at multiple points in this story.
- 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(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
- Number of Episodes
- 1122
