Highlights
- One Piece is a heartwarming story about found family, showing that blood ties aren't everything for affection and loyalty.
- The One Piece SBS segment provides details and background information on the world and characters, often answering fan questions about the Straw Hats.
- Oda outlines family roles for the Straw Hats, with Robin as the mother, Chopper as the youngest son, and Brook as the grandfather.
One Piece is a heartwarming story about friendship and found family, proving that blood ties aren’t everything when it comes to affection and loyalty. Though they aren’t a family in the traditional sense, it is evident that precise family roles emerge in their interactions and dynamics, so in a One Piece SBS, a curious fan asked Oda to outline precisely what these roles are.
The One Piece SBS segment is a Q&A segment in which Oda answers questions from fans, and often provides more details and background information on the One Piece world and characters. These details enrich the world and can be related to both serious or gag topics, to which Oda generally replies with jokes and funny sketches. Of course, Oda receives a lot of questions from fans about the Straw Hats, such as their favorite foods and colors, or information on alternate versions of them. The answers to these questions generally provide insights into who they are as people, and contribute to making them feel more realistic as characters.
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What Roles Would The Straw Hats Have If They Were A Family?
In the One Piece SBS answer on the Straw Hat’s family roles, Oda outlines a six children family with five sons and a daughter. Of course, Robin is the mother, a role which is quite fitting given her intelligence, maturity, and supporting role in the narrative. She is also frequently seen to be in sync with the more childish members of the crew, a characteristic that is often seen in mothers of small children, capable of understanding their thought processes even when they seem illogical.
Chopper is the youngest son, something which is evident given Robin’s nurturing relationship towards him and his status as the youngest Straw Hat in the canon material. Luffy, who is also quite immature, follows suit as the second youngest, with Usopp behind him as middle child. Sanji is the second oldest, which makes sense as he is more mature than the more childish trio, and Zoro is the firstborn. This is fitting and easily explains the sibling rivalry seen between these two as, given they are the two oldest siblings, it is quite normal for them to constantly compete against each other. Of the children, this leaves Nami who is clearly the daughter, as she does tend to act much like a cheeky teenager on many occasions.
What Are The Roles Of The Rest Of The Straw Hats?
The remaining Straw Hats all have roles that fit them quite well. Brook's age and mannerisms make him the grandfather, as a running gag in the One Piece series consists is how living in isolation for 50 years has left him out of touch with his times. This gag was more used when he was first introduced, but his ever-present "Can I see you panties?" catchphrase is a remnant of this character trait. On the other hand, Franky was originally given the role of father, though Oda rectified this when Jinbei joined the crew. In fact, in a more recent SBS, Oda explains that Franky has now become the pervy uncle, a role that suits him more despite him having had some instances of maturity in the past. This leaves the ever-responsible Jinbei as the new father, and given his tendency to take care of and lecture Luffy, the role fits him perfectly.
Though in this One Piece SBS Oda elaborates on the hypothetical of if the Straw Hats were a family, it is important to remember that to all intents and purposes, they already are. Fans have seen they are willing to go to extreme degrees to protect and foster each other's dreams, and in the spirit of the series, it is this that counts more than blood ties. Fans now eagerly await the continuation of Kuma and Bonney’s story in One Piece chapter 1100, where Kuma will likely sacrifice his mind for Bonney’s well-being. Even this current narrative serves as a reminder that found family is what truly counts, as it would be ridiculous to not consider Kuma Bonney’s father regardless of the truth behind her birth.
One Piece is available to stream on Prime Video.
