Nami is the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates. She joined the crew in the Orange Town arc, but she left during the Baratie arc. After Luffy defeated Arlong, Nami rejoined the crew, and ever since she has become an important character.
Nami has been involved in all the arcs in One Piece, making her one of the characters with the most screen time in the series. Over the years, Nami's popularity has increased a lot, and given the fact she is an integral part of the crew, it will only continue to increase. She's one of the most interesting characters in One Piece, as fans who are up to date with their Nami trivia will already know.
1 Early Designs
Oda worked extremely hard to find the right character design for Nami, which is evident from the different female characters that Oda drew in Romance Dawn. In Romance Dawn version 1, Oda made Silk, and she was followed by Ann in version 2.
Both of these characters had different personalities, which were amalgamated into Nami. Needless to say, it was only because of Oda's hard work that Nami managed to become one of the best-written characters in the series.
2 Entrusted With The Straw Hat
Luffy holds his straw hat very dear; after all, it was given to him by Shanks. Naturally, Luffy is very protective of it, and he never lets anyone else have it. On different occasions when someone has tried to damage it, Luffy has shown them no mercy and beaten them up.
However, there have been times when Luffy has given his straw hat to one of his crew members. So far, only Usopp and Nami have had the honor of holding on to the straw hat. In Nami's case, Luffy entrusted the straw hat to her before he left to defeat Arlong and destroy his base of operations.
3 Inviting Chopper
Nami might come off as rude, but she is actually one of the nicest characters in One Piece. Nami is very protective of her crew, and despite her cowardice, she will do everything in her power to help them out. Nami and Chopper share a special bond.
The two of them are members of what fans call the "Coward Trio." When Nami first met Chopper, she wasted no time in asking him to travel with the crew. This was a rare occurrence, as no other Straw Hat has ever asked someone to join them before Luffy.
4 Most Popular Female Character
Nami is an extremely well-written character. From her heartbreaking story to her style of dressing, everything about Nami is special. She was the first female character to join the crew, which didn't change until after the Alabasta arc.
Nami has been involved in many amazing fights, and she has had moments of her own. All these things resulted in her becoming one of the most popular characters in the series. In fact, she managed to come in third in the 7th popularity poll. She was one of the three characters who received over a million votes.
5 Ability To Beat Up Luffy
Currently, Luffy is among the strongest characters in the series. There are not many characters who can stand up to his might, but one character that he will never beat is Nami. She has always criticized Luffy for his mistakes and beaten him up whenever he does something stupid.
Most recently, Nami battered Luffy after he made the foolish decision of making the ship jump from a dangerously high place. This is obviously a gag, and most fans tend to enjoy it as it is not often they get an opportunity to see Luffy pummeled by someone else. According to Oda, Nami is able to beat up Luffy's spirit.
6 Fondness For Tangerines
Nami had a tragic past, which bothered her until she met Luffy and the others. She was rescued by Bell-mere, who later adopted her. Nami grew up with Bell-mere, and Nojiko, her adoptive sister. The three were extremely close, and they took care of each other. Bell-mere used to grow tangerines, and this affected both her daughters, and they also developed a fondness for tangerines.
Unfortunately, their lives were turned upside down when the Arlong Pirates took over Cocoyashi Village. They extorted money from everyone, including children, and whoever couldn't pay was killed. After Arlong Park was destroyed by Luffy, Nami could finally sail with the Straw Hats. As an homage to her late mother, Nami placed a tangerine tree on the Thousand Sunny.
7 Her Devil Fruit
Nami is not a devil fruit user, and chances are that she won't be eating one anytime soon. In an SBS, a fan questioned Oda about the possible devil fruits that the Straw Hats would have, and in response, Oda revealed all the devil fruits that he would have given them.
Oda picked Enel's Goro Goro no Mi for Nami. Considering most of Nami's clima-tact attacks are lightning based, it is easy to see why Oda chose this specific devil for her. If she did eat the Goro Goro no Mi, Nami would have become one of the strongest characters in the crew.
8 Answers From SBS
In every SBS, Oda answers questions from fans. While most of them are funny and unrelated to the story, some do provide the fans with information about their favorite characters. According to the SBS, Nami's favorite foods are tangerines and all other types of fruits.
Her specific color is orange, and her specific numbers are 03 and 73. If the Straw Hats were not pirates, then Nami would be a childcare worker. This makes sense, as she is very protective of kids, as seen during the Punk Hazard and Wano Country arcs.