But even select families have their favourites. And having loved the Straw Hat crew in both its manga, anime, and Netflix live-action series, the tierlist for which member of the crew is my favorite has become tight, with very little room for my favorite members of the crew to slide up or down in the ranks.
So before the release of the second season on Netflix a pieceIntroducing some crew members we don’t even know yet that will be lifelong friends, I’m ranking my favorite members of Luffy’s merry crew from my least to my most favorite. Honorable mention to Vivi Nefertani, The Thousand Sunny and Yamato. Without further ado, judge me gently, fellow Nakama.
Just for live-action fans who don’t want to know who is joining the Straw Hats in the manga and anime, here’s one of them:
frankie
As the closest thing to an American representation in the Straw Hat Crew, “Iron Man” fits the Frankie name. For starters, he’s a macho man who transformed his body into a cyborg. His favorite foods are hamburgers, fries and cola, and well…that’s it. If he and Nico Robin weren’t doing anything in the manga’s color spreads, I’d have a hard time getting excited about Franky gracing the pages of a manga or anime, unless he’s inspiring the crew with their unbridled love for robots.
But don’t let his habit of exclusively wearing Speedos and Hawaiian shirts fool you; He’s a lovable guy who more than earns his keep as the crew’s shipwright and as a hype fighter in his feud with Senor Pink (trust me, it’s extreme). But beyond that, he’s a character I mostly say, “Oh, yes, he’s here” whenever he comes up.
brook
Now listen, when “Soul King” Brooks was first introduced in Thriller Bark I cried just like anyone else. But Buddy Boy falls a very short distance away from Master Roshi, the kind of twisted character that makes you roll your eyes. She’s basically one of Sanji’s worst impulses, drinking his respectable women’s juice without straight up asking if he could see some panties.
My mom always told me to never fall in love with a musician, so I keep my affection for Brooke at a distance and regularly remind myself of her Thriller Bark intro — the way Kanye West fans remind themselves to be a Nazi over and over again in “Graduation” — whenever the Straw Hats’ African skeleton starts looking a little too cheesy for my liking. Although my feelings for the Straw Hat bard are similar to the time Tywin Lannister spoke to Arya Stark: Be careful, girl. I enjoy you, but be careful.
joro
I’m sorry, I don’t really like “Pirate Hunter” Zorro. I understand, he is the first mate; He fights with three swords; Losing it just like that is something that never gets old; He is voiced by Christopher By God Sabat. But I’ve never really dealt with him beyond his surface level cool factor. My affinity for Zoro, or lack thereof, doesn’t help the feeling that the exploration of his character peaked too early in the series. We got close to something in Wano, but not close enough for my liking! He’s still a good boy who aims to be strong. Tony is cute being Tony Chopper’s tough-loving dad. His rivalry with Sanji, who serves as the always-on-point wing of Luffy’s crew (where they can even kiss and get it over with), is endearing.
Unfortunately, aside from his generational cool guy moments, The Dude is a little too one-note for me. Of course, his live-action counterpart, Mechanu, is doing a great job of reminding me how much I liked Zoro in the early stages of the manga. If he is lucky his ranking there will increase. but also with OPLA Crew, he’s my least favorite. Granted, it’s like liking ice cream and saying that matcha is your least favorite flavor. But yeah, sorry about that, Zoro fans.
jinbe
It may have taken him a minute to officially join the crew, but Jinbe “The Sea King” has always been a solid, likable guy. He was there when Luffy was at his lowest; He’s basically the second closest thing to black representation in the crew (according to Piccolo’s rules); And being one of a handful of adults on the squad whenever they’re all apart makes the crew dynamics pretty cool. Scooby Doo No matter which island they are on, they will inevitably provide freedom from oppression.
I like Jinbe because she has that good old school cousin energy. He is mild-mannered but goes about his business, not wanting to offend anyone, yet always has something witty to add, commenting on the crew’s bad manners. If you don’t like the Straw Hat captain, we’ll have to leave.
Sanji
When “Black Leg” Sanji was first introduced, he ranked as one of my least favorite members of the OG Straw Hat crew, right next to his close friend Zoro. Still, as chef of the crew, he never earned a cool factor for me by his apparent insistence on fighting with his feet, not his hands. But ironically, what held him back was that his chivalry towards women was a little more judgmental and ostentatious than endearing. However, to his credit, I also have eyes and I understand why he is acting crazy towards Nami and Nico Robin. But often, when I first started, Sanji would always say to me, “Dude needs to rest.” a piece Travel
Thankfully, after her whole Disney Princess arc in Whole Cake Island, I’ve become more fond of her after understanding why the guy is behaving the way she does. However, more miraculously, OPLAActor Taz Skylar’s portrayal of Sanji is my favorite rendition of the character. He is more friendly and charming than the manga or anime versions of the character. Good point, that.
chopper
Cuteness be damned, Tony Tony Chopper easily makes the top five of my favorite members of the Straw Hat crew. Although we’re not going to talk about his Pikachu-ization, which changed from an anthropomorphic reindeer to a little teddy-bear-looking boy who is three apples tall, Chopper is one of my favorites because he is the best example of a semi-tsundere character. Basically, he loves getting compliments but can’t afford to look shy, so he’ll insult you. I see through you, doctor.
His backstory turns out to be one of the saddest and most endearing, with plenty of follow-through. He is far from a stable character. Witnessing Chopper grow from a humble doctor to an extremely capable doctor equal to everyone else. the pit Following the series is one of the most rewarding experiences.
luffy
It would be sacrilege to create a ranking list of the Straw Hats and not put the series’ main character at the top of the leaderboard. Despite being virtually a stable character, Monkey D. Luffy’s position is less of a liability and more to his credit as being the driving force behind the series that makes everyone around him better. While fans often talk about Luffy being willing to help anyone as long as they feed him, in reality he is doing much more than that. Essentially, he sees the world as a place where people should not roam around under duress, whether it be personal pressure or oppressive external forces. Likewise, he will do everything in his power to help people because that is what a pirate is to him. It’s truly inspiring stuff, and it’s no wonder that their flag has become a symbol of real-life revolutions.
While fans often talk about the big moments with Nami and Nico Robin that made them fall in love with the character, my big moment actually came on Whole Cake Island. There, he essentially made an escape route for his crew while facing off against Katakuri in one of the best battles of the series. It’s very easy for a shonen hero to become a flanderized version of himself later in a series (cough cough, Goku), but watching that sequence made me fall so in love with the Straw Hats Pirates.
famous
Don’t let the crew roles fool you. While Luffy may be the captain of the Straw Hats, the eponymous “Cat Burglar” is the de facto leader. She runs the Straw Hat Crew like the Navy, and keeps her group of outcasts in line. Every time she would just insist on how to get them out of another jam, I would sigh involuntarily agreeing with her. Additionally, in contrast to how the girl is usually sidelined in shonen trio, Nami regularly holds her own on the battlefield, gaining allies from enemies as well as respect from the rest of the crew, as they do not have to worry about needing rescue. She may have already figured out a way to link the rest of the Straw Hats together and give them shorthand commands for what they need to do next without receiving any terse or guessing comments in return.
Also, while she is on the back foot with one of the “least powerful members of the crew”, whichever Straw Hats’ sailor pairs up with her on an island excursion gets an incentive package to be the most enjoyable part of their adventure due to their proximity to her and her true neutral brand of fighting for freedom.
Nico Robin
Without a doubt, Nico Robin’s intro is the coolest of all a piece. Even though I think her post-time skip redesign is a big letdown, “Devil Child” still sits at the top of my favorites. Her backstory actually made me cry. The Straw Hats archaeologist’s dull, vaguely irritated expression, hiding a soft, goofy love of cute things, feels almost uncomfortably relatable.
Her being one of the few real adults on the crew – someone whose whole struggle is learning to accept, to be vulnerable, and to let this chaotic family possess her – is incredibly difficult. He’s simply one of the best Straw Hats, and if there aren’t any Nico Robin fans left, that means I’m gone too.
Usopp
“God” Usopp is my favorite character of all a piece. What’s not to like about that? She’s funny, brave, and did I mention she’s funny? For the entire Straw Hat crew, watching Usopp’s journey from coward to howling wolf to reliable sniper is a gift that keeps on giving. That said, it sucks that our Molten King gets lighter and lighter as the series goes on. Regardless, Usopp is one of the most rewarding characters worth watching a pieceWhether it’s being wise about how invincible the crew’s chances are, taking down the World Government’s flag, or weaponizing depression to achieve victory. That moment is there, and it will always be number one in my heart.
Be sure to have your say in the comments with your personal rankings of the Straw Hat Crew (or go one step further and vote for them in another world popularity poll). And remember, there’s no better time to get involved a piece From now.
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