We know what you’re thinking. “A dark side to one of the most wholesome protagonists of all time? That’s nonsense”. Just wait till you see what we have to say. In the realm of shonen anime, One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach stand as titans. They are known as the big 3, and are each driven by protagonists with distinct moral compasses.
Naruto from Naruto (awkward) is full of empathy and seeks to redeem his opponents. Ichigo from Bleach is all about protecting his friends. What about Luffy? Luffy has a darker side to him that sets One Piece apart from the others.
While Naruto and Ichigo often spare their foes, Luffy shatters the dreams of his opponents, leaving his enemies broken in ways far deeper than physical defeat. Don’t let his carefree grin fool you, because when you look at Luffy this way, it will change your entire understanding of his character in One Piece.
Luffy from One Piece ruthlessly shatters his opponent’s dreams
Oda has made it clear that dreams are One Piece’s lifelines. Dreams fuel strength, haki, and the very essence of a character’s soul. As such, when the dreams of a character are crushed or when a character loses sight of their dreams, they experience severe changes in their strength and personality.
Just look at Gecko Moria. He was once a pirate who was able to go toe-to-toe with Kaido, and several fans theorize that he could use Haki. His defeat against Kaido, however, caused him to lose sight of his dream. He soon restrained himself to Thriller Bark, and got weaker until he was weak enough to be taken out by Pre-Time Skip Luffy.
Gecko Moria really had it worse than Captain Kidd…
byu/SunGodLuffy6 inPiratefolk
This should be enough to prove to you that dreams play a major role in One Piece. This understanding will show you just how dark Luffy can get. Luffy, the Straw Hat captain, doesn’t just defeat opponents. He dismantles their ambitions and crushes their dreams, leaving them hollow (he’s worse than Imu).
Just take a look at all his opponents. In Alabasta, he crushed Crocodile’s vision of ruling a nation. In Skypiea, he obliterated Enel’s godlike aspirations. He dismantled Doflamingo’s tyrannical reign in Dressrosa, and most recently, he kicked Kaido’s ass in Wano, and dismantled his reign in that region (Mr. Writer, these aren’t exactly noble dreams).
Don’t let his funny attitude fool you. Luffy doesn’t stop at hurting his opponents. He goes a step further and crushes their dreams right in front of their eyes. He extinguishes the core of his enemies’ identities. This tendency (the dreams are evil, by the way, but we don’t care about that for now) reveals a side to Luffy that prioritizes his freedom and dreams above all else.
Naruto and Bleach choose mercy over malice
When you compare Luffy with Naruto and Ichigo, his darker side only becomes more unignorable. Ichigo and Naruto are two protagonists whose approaches lean toward redemption and restraint. They might brutally injure their opponents or trap them, but they do not subject them to the torture that Luffy subjects his opponents to.
Naruto is a person who wields empathy as his greatest weapon. He seeks to understand his enemies and draws parallels between their pain and his. We may joke about the “talk no jutsu”, but isn’t that better than crushing their dreams? Naruto replaces violence with redemption, and this is why a few of his enemies, like Gaara, end up joining him and turning over a new leaf.
Ichigo is the same. His role as a Substitute Soul Reaper is all about protecting friends and maintaining balance. Ichigo tries his best to spare his opponents, unless they severely hurt his friends. Unless you’re a hollow or a catastrophic threat like Aizen or Yhwach, you can rest assured that Ichigo will leave your spirit intact. Just look at Grimmjow, for instance.
Both Naruto and Ichigo operate with a moral clarity that Luffy lacks in One Piece. They rarely leave lasting devastation, unlike One Piece’s protagonist. Whether including such a dark side to Luffy is a deliberate choice by Oda is not known, it gives us an interesting look at Luffy, who, most of the time, just seems like the guy who wants to have a fun time and stuff himself with food.
One Piece is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
