One Piece: Why Usopp’s Journey Matters

The Straw Hat Pirates of One Piece have always been a colorful group of pirates, even if not all of them started off the pirate gig quite seriously. One especially colorful member of the crew, serving as its sniper as well as resident comic relief at times, has been through a long journey of self-reflection and improvement. Usopp started off relatively simple, if albeit cowardly and a liar with his tall-tales, and that’s by design of Eichiro Oda. The journey Usopp has been through doesn’t just relate to the other characters, but also to his own beginnings in One Piece.

Why would Usopp’s journey be of importance, if it’s a tiny part of the story? His journey lasts for almost all of One Piece, and it shows in various moments, old and new. However, if one were to understand how far he has come and why it matters, then we must start at the beginning.

Usopp The Liar

Uopp’s Humble Beginnings Helped Him Become The Pirate He Is Today

Considering all the memes and how popular Usopp is as a character today, many wouldn’t expect his beginnings to have painted him in a curiously cowardly light, and especially as a liar to the island he called home. However, he also started off with a simple desire that stems from his admiration of his long-gone father. Usopp wants to be a great warrior of the sea like his father, and this desire is something that pushes him to commit to helping his island, and eventually the Straw Hat Pirates on many occasions, despite having fear. The clear determination Usopp has to go through a life of being looked down on, to fear danger like a coward, and still maintain a level of determination and using his bluffs in the best way he can, shows how his beginnings have shaped him into being a Straw Hat Pirate.

However, even after many arcs where Usopp has proven himself a member, the Water 7 Arc in particular revealed his insecurities as well as a breaking point in his character. To many fans, this seemed like a natural boiling point because of how built up Usopp’s separation from the Straw Hat Pirates was. In fact, all this proved is that Usopp’s journey isn’t going to end in the slightest, and it won’t just be affecting him but also every member he now calls his friends. The Straw Hat Pirates in particular aren’t the only ones to be affected thanks to Usopp’s unrelenting determination to face his fears in later arcs, and even during life-or-death scenarios, he fights off his cowardly urges to stick by his crew. To note, this was all during the first half of the story, and before the timeskip of One Piece.

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Usopp The Sea Warrior

The Changes in His Character

Post-timeskip, Usopp has changed considerably from his insecurities as well as his cowardly urges. Almost all the old Usopp’s flaws have been repurposed or outgrown, and Usopp has become more confident in his sniping skills. As a result, he makes really great saves and puts a huge amount of emotional investment in the crew and Luffy’s dream. Not just that, but later on in the timeskip, Usopp even develops immense willpower to allow himself to use Observation Haki with his sniping. As a result, not only does he become much more useful in his role, but his confidence skyrockets more as a result.

Considering everything being told, Usopp has come a long way from his beginnings. The journey matters because not only does it allow the audience to relate with a more grounded character, but also because it shows an immense amount of growth that anybody can achieve. Even the entire Straw Hat Pirate crew can feel, as well as other people, influenced and inspired by Usopp’s courage, which makes the entire story come together when One Piece dedicates time to the characters and their personal connections.

One Piece (1999)

One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates’ ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.