Monkey D. Luffy
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, also known as , is a
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...
and the main
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the ''
One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chap ...
'' manga series, created by
Eiichiro Oda is a Japanese manga artist and the creator of the series ''One Piece'' (1997–present). With more than 516.5 million ''tankōbon'' copies in circulation worldwide, ''One Piece'' is both the best-selling manga in history and the best-se ...
. Luffy made his debut as a young boy who acquires the properties of rubber after accidentally eating one of the devil fruits the Gum Gum Fruit, originally known as the ''Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika''. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, and dreamt of being a pirate since childhood from the influence of his idol Red-Haired Shanks. At the age of 17, Luffy sets sail from the East Blue Sea to the Grand Line in search of the legendary treasure, One Piece, to succeed Gol D. Roger as "King of the Pirates". He fights antagonists, and aids and befriends the inhabitants of several islands on his journey. Usually cheerful, he becomes serious and even aggressive when he fights. Luffy uses his elasticity to concentrate his power, executing a range of attacks. In his
signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...
attack, Gum-Gum Pistol, he slingshots punches at opponents from a distance. Luffy also grows stronger over the course of the story, as reflected in his "bounty", which is used to measure the threat he poses to the World Government. He is the grandson of Monkey D. Garp, who is a vice-admiral; the son of
Monkey D. Dragon The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
, who is the leader of the Revolutionary Army;, and sworn brother of Portgas D. Ace and Sabo. Luffy appears in most of the episodes, films, television specials, and OVAs of the manga's anime adaptations and several of the franchise's
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...
s. Due to the series' international popularity, Luffy is one of the world's most recognizable manga and anime characters. In addition to the ''One Piece'' franchise, the character appears in a number of manga and anime series and collaborative video games. His critical reception is largely positive.


Creation and conception


Development

When
Eiichiro Oda is a Japanese manga artist and the creator of the series ''One Piece'' (1997–present). With more than 516.5 million ''tankōbon'' copies in circulation worldwide, ''One Piece'' is both the best-selling manga in history and the best-se ...
created Luffy, he strove for a "manliness" similar to that of
Akira Toriyama is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for his highly successful manga series '' Dr. Slump'', before going on to create '' Dragon Ball'' (his best-known work) and acting as a character des ...
's ''
Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...
'' series. Oda said that he named his main character "Luffy" because he felt that the name suited him. When he later learned about the sailing term, "
luffing {{About, , the forward edge of a sail, Parts of a sail, other uses, Luff (disambiguation){{!Luff In sailing, luffing refers to when a sailing vessel is steered far enough toward the direction of the wind (" windward"), or the sheet controlling a ...
", he was delighted by the coincidence. In his prototype one-shots, "Romance Dawn", Oda refined the artistic style and story elements before publishing the final product a year later as the first chapter of ''One Piece''. In the second version of "Romance Dawn", Luffy resembled his design at the beginning of the series. After the one-shot of ''One Piece'' was made, Oda contacted his former mentor,
Nobuhiro Watsuki , better known by his pen name , is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his samurai-themed series '' Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story'' (1994–1999), which has over 70 million copies in circulation and a sequel he is cur ...
, whom he assisted in making the manga ''
Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his wor ...
''. Watsuki was pleased with Luffy's characterization and advised Oda to briefly change him for the main series to make it look like Luffy is always acting on his own free will. To please his readers, Oda added rubberization to Luffy for comic effect and tries to make the character straightforward. In retrospect, Watsuki feels like Luffy and Naruto Uzumaki are in a trend of heroes who do not kill their enemies similar to his character
Himura Kenshin , known as Kenshin Himura in the English-language anime dubs, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga '' Rurouni Kenshin'' created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Kenshin's story is set in a fictional version of Japan during the Meiji p ...
, and felt that later works like ''
Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to as ...
'' or ''
Jujutsu Kaisen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since March 2018, with its chapters collected and published in 21 ''tankōbon'' vo ...
'' explored more the concept of death.


Voice actors

In the original Japanese version of the ''One Piece '' anime series and later spin-offs of the franchise, Luffy is voiced by
Mayumi Tanaka (born January 15, 1955) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. She voiced Monkey D. Luffy in ''One Piece'', Ryunosuke Fujinami in '' Urusei Yatsura'', Koenma in '' Yu Yu Hakusho'', Pazu in '' Laputa: Castle in the Sky'', Krillin, ...
. Tanaka said jokingly that she regrets providing Luffy's voice because she is a mother in real life and Luffy is much younger. Asked about her voicing, Tanaka said that she "strives for reality" in scenes where Luffy speaks when he is eating or touching his nose. In the OVA ''Defeat the Pirate Ganzack!'', Luffy was voiced by
Urara Takano , known by her stage name is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator from Togane, Chiba. She is currently affiliated with and representative of REMAX. Her most prominent role has been in the '' Sakura Wars'' video game franchise, where s ...
. The character was voiced by
Erica Schroeder Erica Schroeder (born April 27, 1975),https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=828626443878803&id=164914246916696 sometimes credited as Bella Hudson, is an American voice actress, best known for her role as Ilvira in the Netflix animate ...
in
4kids Entertainment 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production company that produced English- dub ...
's English-language dubs of the franchise, starting in 2004, until
Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
acquired the franchise in 2007. The character is voiced by
Colleen Clinkenbeard Colleen Smith Clinkenbeard (born April 13, 1980) is an American voice actress, ADR director, line producer, and writer working for the anime-dubbing company Funimation. One of her major starts was as the English voice provider for Rachel Moor ...
in
Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
's English-language dubs of the ''One Piece'' franchise.


Description

Luffy is usually recognizable by his
straw hat A straw hat is a wide-brimmed hat woven out of straw or straw-like synthetic materials. Straw hats are a type of sun hat designed to shade the head and face from direct sunlight, but are also used in fashion as a decorative element or a ...
, a gift from "Red-Haired" Shanks. In his early childhood, he wears a white shirt and blue shorts. The character has a scar under his left eye from stabbing himself to demonstrate his courage to Shanks and his crew. He later wears a red vest,
denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. While a denim predecessor known as dungaree has been p ...
shorts, and sandals, before replacing his vest with a red, unbuttoned sea captain's coat (revealing the X-shaped scar on his chest he received from Akainu), and a yellow sash tied around his waist. Luffy's real-world nationality analogue is Brazilian — Luffy is from the Goa Kingdom, named after an
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
n city colonized by the
Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...
. In the ''Netflix'' adaptation, Luffy will be portrayed by Iñaki Godoy, a
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
actor.


Personality

Luffy is portrayed as a carefree, fun loving, happy-go-lucky character with great ambition and a huge appetite, often thinking with his stomach and comically gorging himself. Optimistic and generally good-hearted, he is not as dimwitted as many believe him to be, and he often demonstrates more understanding than the other characters expect. Knowing the danger ahead, Luffy is willing to risk his life to become King of the Pirates and protect his crew. A capable and reliable captain, he never puts his crew or himself at risk out of incompetence. During the Loguetown story arc, Smoker (a navy captain at the time) says that Luffy "enjoys playing stupid"; Luffy responds with a mysterious smile. He enlists Chopper and Brook for his crew not just for their personality or appearance, but also because of his instinctive ability to read people. Luffy needs key jobs filled by his crew (cook, navigator, medic, musician, and quartermaster, filled by Sanji, Nami, Chopper, Brook, and Franky, respectively). At the beginning of the series, he said that he wanted at least ten crew members with abilities he felt necessary for his goal. Despite his carefree personality, each crew member respects him in their own way. Luffy is rarely concerned about the consequences of his actions, doing what he feels is right in the moment, even if it leads to retaliation by a powerful force. He is an extremely loyal captain, who has demonstrated throughout the series that he is willing to risk his life for the well-being of his crew.


Abilities


Devil Fruit

Luffy's rubberiness is a result of eating a devil fruit called the Gum-Gum Fruit. It makes him immune to electric attacks and most blunt forces, also giving him the ability to stretch his body at will. He uses his elasticity to accelerate part or all of his body to deliver punches, kicks, head butts, and body checks or for propulsion. Like others exposed to Devil Fruit, Luffy cannot swim; when he is submerged in water or contacts the Sea-Prism Stone, he loses his strength and cannot move on his own. In addition to his Devil Fruit powers, he has immense strength, durability, speed, reflexes, agility, endurance and stamina. Luffy's signature attack is the , a punch which he learned during years of training. Another technique developed later in the series is , which increases his strength and speed for a short time but strains his body and can shorten his lifespan if used too long. Observing CP9's technique, Luffy adapts the move to his rubber body and matches the assassins' speed. , another technique, uses air in his bones to attack but makes him shrink afterward. Luffy can use both techniques simultaneously; after two years, he gains better control of the techniques and is no longer affected by their drawbacks. Luffy develops another technique, (similar to Third Gear), inflating his muscles to increase the size of his limbs (except for his legs). He can make destructive moves by compressing and releasing his limbs, and can fly in a similar fashion to CP9's technique. Later, it is revealed that the Gum-Gum Fruit's real name is the "Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika". It is a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit that its "awakening" grants the user's rubber-like body increased strength and freedom, limited only by the user's imagination. It is for this reason that the user is said to become the "embodiment of freedom", able to bring joy to the people around them and making it "the most ridiculous power in the world". He also takes a completely white appearance. The World Government renamed it to erase the fruit's original name from history and reclassified it as a Paramecia in order to conceal its true nature. The fruit was originally a treasure sought by the World Government for over 800 years, until it was stolen by Red-haired Shanks. According to the Five Elders, the fruit had not been awakened for centuries prior to Luffy's having done so.


Haki

Luffy has the ability to use . This ability has three types: , an armor-like force, which can amplify defense and the force of attacks and negate a Devil Fruit user's defense, allow physical contact and damage; , a sixth sense, which can read a person's moves and detect their presence; and , which can render weak-willed people or animals near him unconscious. Luffy learns all those types of Haki and uses them with his improved attacks. As a result of his encounter with
Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the East ...
, he has also developed an immunity to poison (although it is shown that a strong poison may affect him, albeit very slowly). During his fight against Charlotte Katakuri, Luffy gains an advanced form of Observation Haki (Called Future Sight) to see several seconds into the future. During his time at Udon prison in Wano, Luffy gains two new advanced forms of Armament Haki. The first one is called Emission to shoot a short blast of Haki from a distance while the second one is called Internal Destruction which can also go inside his target's body or objects and destroy it from within. During his fight with Kaido at the top of Onigashima, Luffy unlocks an advanced form of Conquerors Haki. It is the ability to coat his entire body with it, similar to Armament Haki, which could further enhance his attacks.


Bounty

Luffy's first bounty is 30,000,000 Berries, which he receives after defeating Buggy, Don Krieg, and
Arlong The '' One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using v ...
of East Blue. His second bounty is significantly higher, at 100,000,000 Berries, after defeating
Crocodile Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant me ...
of the
Seven Warlords of the Sea The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
. Luffy receives his third bounty of 300,000,000 Berries, after rampaging the Enies Lobby and retaking
Nico Robin is a fictional character in the ''One Piece'' franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. The character made her first appearance in the 114th chapter of the series, which was first published in Japan in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine on No ...
. His subsequent bounty of 400,000,000 Berries, is mainly given to him because of his defeat of another Warlord of the Sea, Gecko Moria, and his participation in the Summit War of Marineford. After the time-skip, Luffy grows more powerful and receives a bounty of 500,000,000 Berries, after defeating a third Warlord,
Donquixote Doflamingo The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
. After defeating Charlotte Cracker and Charlotte Katakuri, two of the Big Mom Pirate's top ranking members, with bounties of 800,000,000 and 1,057,000,000 Berries respectively, and having gone against
Big Mom The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
, one of the Four Emperors, he received his current bounty of 1,500,000,000 Berries, one of the highest known bounties in the ''One Piece'' world. After Luffy defeated Kaido and
Big Mom The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
together with Kidd and Law, his bounty had increased to 3,000,000,000 berries and became one of the Four Emperors in the New World.


Appearances


''One Piece''

Luffy first appears as a young boy in Windmill Village located in the Goa kingdom, who befriends the pirate "Red-Haired" Shanks and intends to become one himself. He accidentally eats the Human Human fruit, model: "Nika" fruit and acquires rubber powers at the cost of being unable to swim. Luffy is later saved at sea by Shanks from being devoured by a Sea King, a large sea beast, but costs Shanks his left arm due to it being eaten by the beast in the encounter. Ten years later, Luffy leaves the village in a small fishing boat in search of the legendary treasure 'One Piece' and to become King of the Pirates, while doing so he encounters the same Sea King that almost ate him 10 years ago, Luffy knocks it out in a single punch to avenge Shanks. He meets swordsman
Roronoa Zoro , also known as , is a fictional character in the ''One Piece'' franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. In the story, Zoro is the first crewmate to join Monkey D. Luffy's crew after he is saved (by Luffy and Koby) from being executed at the Marine ...
, ocean
navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's prima ...
and thief Nami, cowardly marksman and liar
Usopp is a fictional character in the ''One Piece'' franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. He serves as the sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates. He was the fourth member to join Luffy's crew and the third officially after the confrontation they had with Capt ...
, and chivalrous chef Sanji and invites them to join his crew. Luffy also encounters and defeats the East Blue pirate
Buggy the Clown The '' One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using v ...
and the Fishman
Arlong The '' One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using v ...
, becoming known to the general populace and the pirate-hating Marines, such as Captain Smoker. The crew leaves the peaceful East Blue and enters the dangerous Grand Line on their ship, the ''Going Merry''. He later accepts an offer to return Princess Nefertari Vivi of Alabasta to her homeland to stop a rebellion incited by
Seven Warlords of the Sea The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
member and Baroque Works crime syndicate leader Sir Crocodile. On the way, Nami nearly dies of an illness and the crew goes to find a doctor on the winter Drum Island, which was recently devastated by the Blackbeard Pirates. After Nami is healed, the reindeer doctor Tony Tony Chopper joins the Straw Hat crew. Upon arriving in Alabasta, Luffy briefly reunites with his brother Portgas D. Ace, a commander in the Whitebeard Pirates, who is hunting his former subordinate Blackbeard. After defeating Crocodile, the World Government hides the fact that pirates saved the kingdom. Luffy accepts Crocodile’s mysterious subordinate
Nico Robin is a fictional character in the ''One Piece'' franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. The character made her first appearance in the 114th chapter of the series, which was first published in Japan in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine on No ...
as the archeologist of his crew. Robin's knowledge comes in handy as the crew ventures towards an island in the sky. Though the existence of Sky Islands is widely ridiculed, Luffy meets the pirate Blackbeard — but does not find out his name. Blackbeard encourages Luffy that Sky Islands do exist, and dreams of pirates never die. While visiting Skypiea, the crew is drawn into a four-hundred-year war over land. Luffy ends the war by defeating the god
Eneru The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
. Upon landing back in the Blue Seas, the ''Going Merry'' is heavily damaged and Luffy seeks a shipwright to repair it. He meets Admiral
Aokiji The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
, who easily defeats him. Luffy learns about Robin's background and faces enemies connected to her on Water 7, the island with the best shipwrights in the world. Luffy's crew aligns with the cyborg shipwright Franky, initially an enemy, against the World Government intelligence agency Cipher Pol No. 9. Luffy and his crew save Robin and Franky from the government at Enies Lobby. After their fight with CP9, Luffy encounters his grandfather, Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp. Garp tells him Shanks and Whitebeard are two of the Four Emperors, the most powerful pirates in the second half of the Grand Line. Luffy is surprised to learn from Garp that the leader of the Revolutionary Army which seeks to topple the World Government is Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy's father. On the way to Fishman Island in their new ship, the ''Thousand Sunny'', which Franky built, Luffy encounters the skeletal musician
Brook A brook is a small river or natural stream of fresh water. It may also refer to: Computing *Brook, a programming language for GPU programming based on C *Brook+, an explicit data-parallel C compiler * BrookGPU, a framework for GPGPU programmin ...
. Brook accepts Luffy's offer to join the crew before declining since his shadow has been stolen. To return Brook's shadow, they defeat Warlord Gecko Moria, and Brook becomes Luffy's long-sought musician of the crew. To enter Fishman Island, the crew takes a detour to the Sabaody Archipelago. Roger Pirates' First Mate,
Silvers Rayleigh The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
, is enlisted to coat the ''Thousand Sunny'' to enter the ocean depths under the Red Line, which marks the beginning of the second half of the Grand Line, known as the New World. By this time, Luffy has gained worldwide fame as a notorious rookie with bounties of over 100 million Berries; these rookies are known as Supernovas and include Zoro, Trafalgar Law, Eustass Kidd, and Capone "Gang" Bege. Yet Luffy, Zoro, and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates are easily defeated by Admiral
Kizaru The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
after Luffy punches a World Noble, and Warlord
Bartholomew Kuma The ''One Piece'' manga features an extensive cast of characters created by Eiichiro Oda. The series takes place in a fictional universe where vast numbers of pirates, soldiers, revolutionaries, and other adventurers fight each other, using var ...
sends the Straw Hat crew to separate parts of the world. Stranded on Amazon Lily, an island ruled by the warlord Boa Hancock, Luffy impresses Hancock with his bravery and selflessness. Hancock falls in love with Luffy and brings him to the underground Impel Down prison to save his brother Ace, from execution after Ace was defeated by Blackbeard. Luffy breaks into the prison and meets previous foes and new allies, such as former Warlords Crocodile and Arlong's old captain
Jimbei A (alternately or ) is a traditional set of Japanese clothing worn by men, women and children during summer. Consisting of a side-tying, tube-sleeved kimono-style top and a pair of trousers, were originally menswear only, though in recent ...
. Along with Buggy and members of the Revolutionary Army, Luffy frees the prisoners, but Ace is transferred to Marineford for his execution. Luffy and Buggy lead the prisoners into the war in Marineford between the navy and Whitebeard's forces. Ace gives his life to save Luffy from Admiral Akainu. A broken Luffy is evacuated with Jimbei from Marineford by Trafalgar Law. Returning to Amazon Lily, Luffy remembers first meeting Ace; after Shanks left Windmill Village, Luffy's grandfather Garp left him in the care of his friend, the bandit Curly Dadan. Luffy befriends Ace and Sabo, who are like brothers to him, but Sabo is seemingly killed by a World Noble. After returning to Marineford to send a hidden message to his crew, Luffy trains with Rayleigh on Ruskaina Island to become stronger. Two years later, the Straw Hats reunite and finally make it to Fishman Island. Luffy and the others meet Jimbei and the island's princess, Shirahoshi, and are drawn into a battle for the island against the Fishman supremacist Hody Jones. He, the crew, and Jimbei conceive a plan to defeat Hody and his henchmen in a way that will alleviate racial tensions between humans and fish-men. After Hody's defeat, Jimbei promises to join the crew at a later date and Fishman Island seeks to join the Reverie summit of human kings, held every four years. Luffy learns Akainu was promoted to Fleet Admiral and Blackbeard replaced Whitebeard as one of the Four Emperors. Luffy begins a feud with Emperor Big Mom over control of Fishman Island. The crew leaves the ocean depths and enters the secret New World island Punk Hazard. Upon arriving at Punk Hazard, half of the crew is captured by Caesar Clown, a jealous rival of the scientist Vegapunk and a subordinate of the Warlord and underworld broker Donquixote Doflamingo. Luffy and his crew ally with Trafalgar Law, now a Warlord, who plans to kidnap Caesar as part of a plan to take down Emperor Kaido. Samurai from the Wano Country, Kinemon, and Momonosuke join the alliance to venture to Dressrosa, the kingdom ruled by Doflamingo. With Caesar hostage, the alliance lands on Dressrosa, where Luffy enters a tournament to win Ace's Devil Fruit. Here he finds out that Sabo is still alive and is part of the Revolutionary Army. Sabo wins the tournament, and with Luffy's blessing, Sabo consumes Ace's Devil Fruit. Due to the machinations of Doflamingo, some of the crew is forced to leave for the island of Zou. Luffy and the rest of the crew are forced to fight for their lives when they stumble on the truth of Doflamingo's operations, who attempts to kill everyone in Dressrosa to keep the truth of his rule hidden. With the aid of his fellow competitors in the tournament, Luffy defeats Doflamingo. In the aftermath, seven pirate crews pledge their loyalty to Luffy, despite his protests, marking the formation of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. Afterward, the remaining crew and their friends are transported by their new subordinates to Zou and learn it was devastated by the forces of Emperor Kaido. Luffy also learns that Sanji, who was part of the group that heads to Zou first, had been blackmailed by his family to agree to an arranged marriage to the daughter of Emperor Big Mom. The crew learns from the Mink Tribe about the Road Poneglyphs and their connection to the final island Laugh Tale, where the One Piece is. An alliance between the Samurai, Mink, Straw Hats and Law is made to defeat Kaido, who is revealed to rule over Wano via a puppet Shogun. Being forewarned going to Wano, Luffy, and half the crew, along with the Mink warriors Pedro and Carrot, infiltrate Big Mom's territory Tottoland both to retrieve Sanji and copy the writing on the Road Poneglyph that Big Mom has in her possession. Luffy and Sanji learn the wedding is a set-up to murder Sanji's family for their advanced technology, while Brook steals a printing of the Road Poneglyph. Big Mom's subordinates Jimbei and Bege betray her and Luffy and Sanji enact a failed assassination attempt on Big Mom at the wedding, in front of the press. Jimbei joins the crew but is temporarily left behind as the rest of the crew barely escapes from Big Mom's territory. Luffy defeats two of Big Mom's three generals and his bounty skyrockets. After the fight with Big Mom, Luffy becomes a hot topic at the Reverie, a global summit of rulers of fifty nations in Mary Geoise, the capital of the World Government above the Red Line. Most view him as a dangerous madman, but the kings of Sakura, Alabasta, Fishman Island, Dressrosa, and Prodence, secretly favor Luffy since he saved them from tyranny. Meanwhile, Luffy and the others are separated entering the Wano Country. Luffy reunites with Zoro before meeting with the rest of the crew and alliance. Luffy challenges Emperor Kaido but is defeated and thrown in prison alongside fellow Supernova Eustass Kidd. There, he meets Hyogoro of the flower and trains under him, learning a new form of armament Haki that will enable him to damage Kaido. They later escape the prison and plan to attack the Island of 'Onigashima' which Kaido and his crew currently occupy. Luffy along with his crew allied with Trafalgar Law, Eustass Kid and the 9 retainers of Kozuki Oden, charge for the Island to beat Kaido and free the country of Wano. During the battle, he faces Kaido, and after several rounds in which Luffy ends up at his limits, he ends up awakening the power of his Devil Fruit, thanks to which he can defeat the Emperor of the Sea. Because of this, a week later of the events Luffy happens to be considered one of the Four Emperors.


In other media

Luffy has appeared in every ''One Piece'' licensed electronic video game to date, including ''
Jump Super Stars ''Jump Super Stars'' is a 2D crossover fighting game for the Nintendo DS, based on ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' characters. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005, in Japan and accompanied t ...
'' and ''
Jump Ultimate Stars Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...
'', and is featured in the 2006 ''
Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 '' Dragon Ball'' anime series and adapts the latter 325 chapters of the original ...
''-''One Piece''-''
Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
'' crossover game ''
Battle Stadium D.O.N is a 2006 Japanese crossover fighting game for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. The "D.O.N." in the game's title is derived from ''Dragon Ball Z'', ''One Piece'', and ''Naruto'', the three manga series published by ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' upon wh ...
''. Luffy, Son Goku and Naruto Uzumaki were avatars in the
MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...
''
Second Life ''Second Life'' is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user created content within a multi player online virtual world. Developed and owned by the San Fr ...
'' for a Jump Festa promotion, "Jumpland@Second Life". Luffy has also been mentioned in songs. He sings about being a wanted pirate in "Wanted!" and about ''One Piece'' in "Every-One Piece!" Luffy is a major playable character in the crossover game, ''
J-Stars Victory VS is a crossover fighting video game that combines the universes of several ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' manga series, including former series and some that have been transferred to other magazines. It was released in Japan by Bandai Namco Entertainme ...
''. Luffy and several other characters joined the cast of ''Dragon Ball'' in a spinoff entitled ''Cross Epoch''. On April 3, 2011, Luffy and the other ''One Piece'' protagonists appeared in the first episode of the ''
Toriko is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro. It follows the adventures of Toriko, a Gourmet Hunter, as he searches for rare, diverse foods to complete a full-course meal. On his journey, he is accompanied b ...
'' anime series and the crossover manga chapter. Luffy made a cameo appearance in a ''Weekly Shonen Jump'' episode of ''
To Love-Ru is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 ''tan ...
'', and the Gum-Gum was mentioned in the 50th episode of the ''
Gin Tama is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in ''Jump Giga'' from December 2 ...
'' anime series. Luffy will be portrayed by Iñaki Godoy in Netflix’s live action adaptation of ''One Piece''.


Reception


Critical reception

According to
Funimation Entertainment Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
's
Mike McFarland Michael McFarland is an American voice actor and ADR director who works on English dubs of Japanese anime at Funimation. He is known as the original English voice of Master Roshi and Yajirobe in Funimation's dubs of ''Dragon Ball'' and ''Dragon ...
and
Christopher Sabat Christopher Robin Sabat is an American voice actor, voice director, ADR engineer, and line producer working for Funimation, and OkraTron 5000. Some of his prominent roles in animations and anime include Vegeta and Piccolo in ''Dragon Ball'', Ro ...
, Luffy was more likable than ''Dragon Ball'' Son Goku. Joe McCulloch preferred Luffy to Naruto Uzumaki from ''
Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
'' because Luffy "work dhis ass off" to achieve his goals after accidentally acquiring his powers. Luffy has been praised in a number of publications. T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews called Luffy "likabl goofy" and an idealist with infectious optimism. In a review of '' One Piece The Movie: Dead End no Bōken'', the fourth ''One Piece'' film, ''
The Star Online ''The Star'' () is an English-language newspaper in Malaysia. Based in Petaling Jaya, it was established in 1971 as a regional newspaper in Penang. It is the largest paid English newspaper in terms of circulation in Malaysia, according to the Au ...
'' described him as "an airhead and brilliant fighter". Rika Takahashi of EX wrote that Luffy's stretching powers set ''One Piece'' apart from "the old stereotypical adventure manga" and the many other "combat-oriented ", making the series "something new and interesting".
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ...
(ANN) writer Zac Bertschy found Luffy reminiscent of ''
Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his wor ...
'' character
Himura Kenshin , known as Kenshin Himura in the English-language anime dubs, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga '' Rurouni Kenshin'' created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Kenshin's story is set in a fictional version of Japan during the Meiji p ...
in personality and attitude, but still thought him entertaining. Mania Entertainment's Bryce Coulter called Luffy a "great shonen hero". ANN's Carl Kimlinger wrote, "
Colleen Clinkenbeard Colleen Smith Clinkenbeard (born April 13, 1980) is an American voice actress, ADR director, line producer, and writer working for the anime-dubbing company Funimation. One of her major starts was as the English voice provider for Rachel Moor ...
's Luffy continues to grow on you".


Popularity

Luffy ranked first in all of ''
One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chap ...
Characters Official Popularity Poll''. The only main protagonists that achieved ranked first in all of their correspondent popularity polls are Luffy and Gintoki Sakata. On ''The 1st Global One Piece Characters Popularity Poll'', the latest official popularity poll of ''One Piece'' in which more than 12 million voted from all over the world, Luffy topped the list having total votes of 1,637,921. NTT customers chose Luffy as their second-favorite black-haired male anime character. The Gum-Gum Gatling technique topped the male category in a Japanese survey of the most popular moves in manga and anime. Luffy was even nominated in the Best Male Character category for the 2008 Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Awards. He ranked 22nd on Chris Mackenzie's IGN list of top-25 anime characters of all time. In a Japanese TV special from August 2017, Luffy was voted as the 8th "strongest hero" from the Showa Era as well as the 4th one from the Heisei Era. Luffy had appeared in magazines, Japanese television shows, manga etc. Luffy was the first manga character that had been on the cover in the ''Men's Non-No'' fashion magazine's 24-year history and his clothes were designed by Shinichi "Miter" Mita. He also appeared in the cover of a famous fashion magazine, ''
ELLE ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...
MEN'' together with Roronoa Zoro after the collaboration between
One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chap ...
and
Gucci Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragranc ...
. He had appeared in CGI in the semi-annual live-action television series Yo nimo Kimyō na Monogatari ( Tales of the Unusual) for the celebration of the series's 25th anniversary. He appeared together with the Japanese actor and model Hiroshi Abe. Costumed character version of Luffy together with
Goku Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is based on Sun Wukong (known as Son Goku in Japan and Monkey King in the West), a main character of the classic Chin ...
appeared at the 39th
International Emmy Awards The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and ...
Gala in New York and they stood on stage for presentation of the Children & Young People Award, won by the Chilean Children's program ¿Con Qué Sueñas? (What is your Dream?). In the final chapter of ''Naruto'',
Boruto Uzumaki is a fictional character created by Masashi Kishimoto who first appears in the finale of the manga series ''Naruto'' as the son of the protagonist Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Uzumaki. He later appears as the main protagonist in the 2015 anim ...
makes a drawing of Luffy as a legacy of him and the series. In a ''Weekly Shonen Jump'' manga, Tsugihagi Hyouryuu Sakka (a character resembling Luffy) says, "Instead of saying what you hate, say what you like!". In the ''One Piece'' manga, Luffy cited but changed it to "Instead of saying what you like, say what you hate!" The meme was acknowledged in the crossover
fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as blocking, grappling, counter-attacking, and chaining atta ...
, ''
J-Stars Victory VS is a crossover fighting video game that combines the universes of several ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' manga series, including former series and some that have been transferred to other magazines. It was released in Japan by Bandai Namco Entertainme ...
''.
Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
sponsored the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
Pallavolo Modena Modena Volley is a professional volleyball team based in Modena, Italy. It has played in the highest level of the Italian Volleyball League without interruption since 1968. It is the most successful Italian club, having won the national league tw ...
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
team in 2008; Pietro Rinaldi and Edoardo Ciabattini's black uniforms were decorated with an image of Luffy on the front. Takashi Kawamura, mayor of
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
City in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
, had cosplayed Luffy in the 10th
World Cosplay Summit is an annual international cosplay event, which promotes global interaction through Japanese pop culture. It developed from a cosplay exhibition held at the Aichi Expo in 2005. The WCS incorporated in 2012, by which time it had grown to include ...
in which 40 cosplayers from 20 countries and regions all over the world were competing. Also, the famous Japanese actress and model Kanna Hashimoto had cosplayed Luffy in the celebration of
One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chap ...
's manga 18th anniversary. She dressed up as Luffy (albeit in a feminine reinterpretation) for
Weekly Shonen Jump Weekly, The Weekly, or variations, may refer to: News media * ''Weekly'' (news magazine), an English-language national news magazine published in Mauritius *Weekly newspaper, any newspaper published on a weekly schedule *Alternative newspaper, als ...
's combined 37-38 issue.
Miltiadis Tentoglou Miltiadis "Miltos" Tentoglou ( el, Μιλτιάδης Τεντόγλου ; born 18 March 1998) is a Greek long jumper. He won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2022, Tentoglou became the World Indoor champion jumping the current Gr ...
of Greece posed Luffy's Gear Second during his entrance before the Long Jump finals on
Tokyo Olympics 2020 The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
and won Gold Medal. Another, Major League Soccer player
Nicolas Benezet Nicolas Benezet (born 24 February 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Nîmes. Club career France Born in Montpellier, Benezet played in the youth academy of Montpellier before signing with N ...
imitated Luffy's Gear Second pose after scoring a goal on Sunday night in his first match with Seattle Sounders FC. China's most popular actor
Xiao Zhan Xiao Zhan (, born 5 October 1991), also known as Sean Xiao, is a Chinese actor and singer. Xiao Zhan began his career in the entertainment industry when he participated in the idol survival show X-Fire and debuted as a member of the Chinese boy ...
stated on his interview that he wanted to be like Luffy. He admired Luffy because, "he had been working hard to realize his ideals and despite always facing difficulties he never give up".


Notes


References

{{Authority control Adoptee characters in anime and manga Anime and manga characters who can move at superhuman speeds Anime and manga characters with accelerated healing Anime and manga characters with superhuman strength Martial artist characters in anime and manga Comics characters introduced in 1997 Fictional characters who can stretch themselves Fictional characters with disfigurements Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Fictional sea pirates Fictional sea captains Fictional treasure hunters Fictional prison escapees Male characters in anime and manga One Piece characters Shapeshifter characters in comics Teenage characters in anime and manga Vigilante characters in comics