Despite their differences, Sanji and Nami are eerily similar in one major way (Image via Toei Animation)

8 One Piece characters who are more complex than they appear

Modified Sep 08, 2022 18:30 GMT

One of the most common tropes within author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece series is characters being much more complex than they may seem on the surface. Typically via flashbacks and backstories, fans learn much more about a character than they previously would’ve thought.

This has been a constant in One Piece from the start of the series, with Nami being one of the earliest examples. Conversely, the latter stages of the story still see Oda use this tactic on both new and old characters, with Vinsmoke Sanji receiving such treatment during the Whole Cake Island arc.

Here are eight One Piece characters who are more complex than they appear to be.

Sanji, Nami, and 6 other One Piece characters who are more than meets the eye

1) Vinsmoke Sanji

Sanji as seen in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

While Sanji’s actions may make him seem like the classic male pervert anime character, he has deep respect for women, and with good reason. Essentially, the only two true friends he had in his family were his mother Sora and sister Reiju, both of whom were instrumental in making Sanji into who fans know and love today.

His mother nurtured his compassionate, caring personality and love for cooking, while his sister was the one who gave Sanji the means and the courage to run away from his prison. While his young adult years have resulted in some less-than-appropriate tendencies, there is a human being at the core who truly and deeply values and respects the women around him.

2) Nami

Nami as seen in the series' anime (Image via Toei Animation)

“Cat Burglar” Nami is initially introduced as a petty thief who steals from pirates and keeps to herself. Her ways initially seem to have changed when she joins the Straw Hats, but she eventually betrays them as she has every other crew she’s been a part of. However, the Arlong Park arc provides a harrowing excuse for her behavior.

Fans learn that her hometown Cocoyashi Village has been held hostage since she was a child, forcing her younger self to join the crew and collect 100 million Beri for Arlong. In exchange, he promised to free her village and leave them. While Nami’s home has long since been freed from Arlong, her obsession with money remains due to how engraved it is within her.

3) Nico Robin

Robin as seen in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece’s contemporary Nico Robin appears on the surface to be someone who has always deeply valued her friends like they’ve known each other their whole lives. However, this is far from the case, with Robin’s past marred with instances of reasons to never trust anyone else again. This is how she spent her life before her introduction, which doesn’t change until One Piece’s Enies Lobby arc.

There, fans (and other Straw Hats) learn about Robin’s horrific past for the first time, which saw her 8-year-old self watch everyone and everything she ever knew burn to the ground. From there, she lived her life on the run, wanted by the World Government and constantly being betrayed, until finding the Straw Hats, who eventually helped her overcome her deep-rooted trauma.

4) Dracule Mihawk

Mihawk as seen in the series' anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The recently-dubbed “Marine Hunter” has proven to be more than meets the eye in the latest One Piece manga chapters. Fans can expect to learn more about him, but even what little recent chapters have divulged is enough to assess the complexity of his origins relative to his contemporary self.

Easily the biggest question fans have is just how deadly the “Marine Hunter” had to have been to be offered the Shichibukai position by the World Government. Similarly, his 3.59 billion Beri bounty valuation has fans questioning if he genuinely is stronger than some of the current Yonko. His strength relative to Shanks is also a major question and is the current topic of choice when fans discuss Hawk-Eye Mihawk.

5) Donquixote Doflamingo

Doflamingo as seen in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

This ex-Shichibukai serves as the antagonist to One Piece’s Dressrosa arc, where he proves his epithet of “Heavenly Demon” to be frighteningly accurate. However, he has good reason to desire the destruction of the entire world, which he calls both “Heaven” and “Hell.” His Heaven refers to Mariejois, the land of Celestial Dragons he was once a part of until his father relinquished the title.

Hell, meanwhile, is what he calls his existence since leaving the Holy Land, where he was nearly executed as a child, watched his mother die, and was forced to kill his father. While his sadistic tendencies are inexcusable, he certainly has good reason for being how he is once fans are treated to his engaging backstory.

6) Trafalgar Law

Law as seen in the series' anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Trafalgar Law’s past, as seen in One Piece’s Dressrosa arc, is heavily intertwined with Doflamingo’s. Law joined the Heavenly Demon’s crew as a young child, where he was afflicted with a terminal disease. Doflamingo’s brother, Rosinante, took Law on a journey to find a Devil Fruit that would cure him, also fulfilling his brother’s goals in the process.

However, it’s revealed that Rosinante is a Marine spy, and he tells Law to live his own life after eating the Fruit rather than returning to Doflamingo. It’s one of the most touching backstories in One Piece and is also one of many examples of a backstory taking a character to new heights.

7) Franky

Franky as seen in the One Piece anime series (Image via Toei Animation)

Franky’s initial introduction in One Piece’s Water 7 arc portrays him as a stereotypical, run-of-the-mill gang leader. However, his backstory quickly reveals how tragic his past truly is, seeing him become responsible for the execution of his father figure. His past ends with a futile attempt to stop the Sea Train with nothing more than his bare hands.

However, he turns himself into a cyborg, saving his life and inspiring reinvention in the process. Since then, he’s become the manly, always happy Straw Hat fans know and love today, remembering the lessons of his mentor in everything he does.

8) Charlotte Pudding

Pudding as seen in the series' anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Charlotte Pudding is initially introduced in One Piece’s Whole Cake Island arc, where she’s revealed to be Sanji’s bride from the Charlotte family. Pudding initially seems enamored with Sanji, and he’s more than happy to marry someone so beautiful. However, her true feelings are revealed alongside a plan which sees Sanji killed immediately after their first kiss.

While fans initially critiqued her for her double-sided nature and harsher true personality, this quickly gave way to mass sympathy upon the reveal of her backstory. She was constantly abused and shunned by her mother for having a trait that Big Mom herself desired. Nevertheless, she was still physically and verbally abused by her mother throughout her life.

Edited by
Shreya Das