Whether you have followed this from day one or just joined the One Piece fandom, one thing is clear that if there is one Straw Hat who constantly gets clowned on but somehow ends up being crucial to the plot every time, it’s Usopp. On the initial days when he got recruited by Luffy to join his crew, he looked like an everyday guy who somehow wandered onto the wrong ship.
He is the first one to have a panic attack along with Nami and Chopper, but give him a slingshot and five minutes of screen time, and Ussop makes sure to change the entire course of history like he did in Dressrosa. And given that the story is slowly proceeding towards Elbaf, the Giant’s island that he has been dying to visit since he met Brogy and Dorry, here are five reasons why Usopp quietly remains one of the most important characters in One Piece
5. The Most Human Straw Hat, and Proud of It
While everyone else is out here breaking physics, Usopp is the guy sweating in the background going, “Do we really have to fight THAT Luffy!?” He panics, he overthinks, and he doubts himself, which makes him incredibly relatable because no way in reality anyone is up to the mark to fight such huge beasts. But when it comes to helping others, he always steps up with shaky legs. Watching him push through fear to protect his friends hits harder because he is not a superhuman or possesses devil fruit power like most of his crewmates do.
4. His Dream Isn’t About Strength
Usopp always dreamed of becoming the “brave warrior of the sea” and is heavily inspired by his father, Yasopp who is also a sniper for the Shanks Red Hair Pirates. And unlike some dreams in the series, his isn’t about some destiny or prophecy. It’s simple, and it is about how to have courage. Every arc chips away at his insecurities and pushes him closer to that dream, proving his bravery, which keeps growing day by day. He will surely achieve his dream someday, along with Luffy and all of his Straw Hat mates.
3. His Lies Have a Weird Habit of Becoming True
This is one of the funniest long-running details in the entire series, so that every time Usopp lies about something in particular, the universe just rolls with it and makes it true. He claims he saw a giant goldfish once, and then boom, the entire crew later meets a huge goldfish the size of an island. He bragged about fighting huge beasts and then found himself doing exactly that. It’s equal parts foreshadowing, comedy, and maybe to some extent prophecy energy, and we love it.
2. He was the Shipwright for Going Merry
Before Franky rolled in with his “Super” cola-powered cyborg energy, Usopp was the unofficial shipwright as well as the engineer. Along with other odd jobs no one else thought of, making him the ultimate all-in-one guy. He patched up the Going Merry and invented half of the gadgets the crew used in the early days. But not just that, he even drew their iconic Jolly Roger. One of his biggest contributions? Nami’s Clima-Tact, which he created and upgraded using Skypiean dials. Without Usopp, Nami is basically stuck with a very angry stick.
1. He is definitely the “King of Snipers”
Usopp’s reputation as a marksman isn’t just some random hype. The guy can land a shot from distances so ridiculous even Hawkeye would probably squint (not even kidding). His alter ego Sogeking went from a running gag to a full-blown legend the moment he shot down the World Government flag at Enies Lobby while rescuing Nico Robin. Then in Dressrosa, Usopp unknowingly unlocked Observation Haki while sniping at Sugar from a location so far away it might as well have been a different zip code. And then after a few episodes, we see him as a courageous man fighting along with diverse gladiators and toys, which earned him the title “God Usopp,” making him have a bounty that he never wished for, and honestly? It’s fair.
Related Posts
Who Is Joy Boy In ‘One Piece,’ And What Do We Know About His Connections To The Void Century
5 Reasons Why Zoro Is Luffy’s Right-Hand Man
Why Didn’t Luffy Take Zoro To Rescue Sanji In Whole Cake Island
