If One Piece is a testament to anything, it’s that you can’t choose your family, but you can for damn sure choose your chosen family. Speaking anecdotally, after reading 100 chapters of the manga a week during the pandemic, I quickly came around to the fandom’s refrain that detractors who are scared off by its length need to get over it, because Eiichiro Oda’s long-running series is a masterpiece. But, more importantly, his colorful bunch of freedom fighters is Shonen Jump’s definitive found family, with readers feeling just as much a part of the crew.
But even chosen families have their favorites. And having loved the Straw Hat crew across both its manga, anime, and Netflix live-action series, the tierlist for which member of the crew is my favorite has become iron-clad, with little wiggle room for sliding up or down the ranks of my favorite members of the crew.
So ahead of the release of the second season of Netflix’s One Piece, which will be introducing some crew members who don’t even know they’re gonna be lifelong friends yet, I’m ranking my favorite members of Luffy’s merry crew from my least to my most favorites. Honorable mentions to Vivi Neferatani, the Thousand Sunny, and Yamato. Without further ado, judge me gently, fellow nakama.
For live-action only fans who don’t want to know who’s joining the Straw Hats in the manga and anime, here’s one of these:
Franky
© Toei Animation
As the closest thing to American representation in the Straw Hat crew, “Iron Man” Franky lives up to the name. For starters, he’s a manly man who turned his body into a cyborg. His favorite foods are hamburgers, fries, and cola, and well… that’s kinda it. If it weren’t for whatever he and Nico Robin have got going on in the manga’s color spreads, I’d be pretty hard pressed to get excited about Franky gracing the pages of the manga or anime unless he was egging the men of the crew on with their unbridled love of robots.
But don’t let his knack for exclusively wearing a speedo and a Hawaiian shirt fool you; he’s a lovable oaf of a man who more than earns his keep both as the crew’s shipwright and as a hype fighter in his fisticuffs with Senor Pink (trust me, it’s peak). But beyond that, he’s a character I mostly go, “Oh, yeah, he’s here” whenever he pops up.
Brook
© Toei Animation
Now listen, I cried just as hard as anyone when “Soul King” Brook was first introduced in Thriller Bark. But buddy boy is a very short walk away from Master Roshi from being the type of perverted character that makes you roll your eyes all the way out of your skull. He’s basically the worst impulses of Sanji dialed way up without drinking his respect women juice by asking flat out if he can see some panties.
My mom always told me never fall in love with a musician, so I keep my affection for Brook at arm’s length and have to routinely remind myself about his Thriller Bark introduction—like Kanye West fans reminding themselves that on-again-off-again Nazi made “Graduation”—whenever the Straw Hats’ afro’d skeleton starts to get a bit too cute for my liking. Though my feelings for the Straw Hat’s bard are more akin to that time Tywin Lannister talked to Arya Stark: careful, girl. I enjoy you, but be careful.
Zoro
© Toei Animation
I’m sorry, I just don’t really like “Pirate Hunter” Zoro. I get it, he’s the first mate; he fights with three swords; his getting lost without fail is a bit that never gets old; he’s voiced by Christoper By God Sabat. But I’ve just never really vibed with him beyond his surface-level cool factor. My affinity for Zoro, or lack thereof, isn’t helped by the feeling that the exploration of his character peaks pretty early in the series. We got close to something in Wano, but not close enough for my liking! He’s still a cool guy with a neat goal of getting stronger. His being the tough-love dad to Tony Tony Chopper is cute. His rivalry with Sanji (where they might as well kiss and get it over with) serving as the always-on-point wings of Luffy’s crew is endearing.
Unfortunately, outside of his generationally cool guy moments, dude is a bit too one-note for me. Of course, his live-action counterpart, Mackenyu, is doing a great job of reminding me of how much I liked Zoro in the early goings of the manga. With any luck, his ranking there will increase. But even with the OPLA crew, he’s my least favorite. Granted, that’s the same as liking ice cream and saying matcha is your least favorite flavor. But yeah, sorry about it, Zoro fans.
Jinbe
© Toei Animation
It might’ve taken a minute for him to officially join the crew, but Jinbe “The Sea King” has always been a solid, likeable dude. He was there when Luffy was at his lowest; he’s basically the second-closest thing we’ve got to Black representation on the crew (by Piccolo’s rules); and his being one of the small handful of adults on the squad makes for great crew dynamics whenever they all split up Scooby-Doo style on whatever island they’ll inevitably liberate from tyranny.
I like Jinbe because he’s got cool older-play cousin energy. He’s mild-mannered but about his business, doesn’t want to offend anyone, yet always has something funny to add, commenting on the crew crashing out. If you dislike the Straw Hat’s helmsman, we’re gonna have to throw hands.
Sanji
© Toei Animation
When “Black Leg” Sanji was first introduced, he was right next to his bosom buddy Zoro as one of my least favorite members of the OG Straw Hat crew. Still, as the crew’s chef, he earned a cool factor for me with his neat insistence on never fighting with his hands, but instead with his feet. But the thing that held him back, ironically enough, was how his chivalry for women came off a bit more grating and leering than endearing. Though, to his credit, I, too, have eyes and understand why he is acting crazy around Nami and Nico Robin. But more often than not, Sanji always had me saying, “Buddy needs to chill out,” when I first started my One Piece journey.
Thankfully, after his whole Disney Princess arc in Whole Cake Island, I’ve warmed up to him more after understanding why the boy is acting the way that he does. More miraculously, though, OPLA‘s portrayal of Sanji by actor Taz Skylar is my favorite rendition of the character. He’s leagues more affable and charming than either the manga or anime versions of the character. Good stuff, that.
Chopper
© Toei Animation
Cuteness aggression be damned, Tony Tony Chopper easily cracks the top five of my favorite members of the Straw Hat crew. While we’re not gonna talk about the Pikachu-ification of him, morphing from an anthropomorphized reindeer to a little teddy-bear-looking guy who’s three apples tall, Chopper’s one of my favs because he’s the best example of a quasi tsundere character. Basically, he loves getting compliments but can’t bear looking bashful, so he’ll hurl an insult your way. I see through you, doctor.
His backstory is up there in the rafters as one of the saddest and most endearing, with tons of follow-through. He’s far from a static character. Witnessing Chopper go from a meek doctor to a hypercompetent one on par with the whole lot from The Pitt is one of the most rewarding experiences following the series.
Luffy
© Toei Animation
It’d be pretty sacrilegious to make a ranking list of Straw Hats and not have the series’ main character slap the top of the leaderboard. Despite quite literally being a static character, Monkey D. Luffy‘s placement is less out of obligation and more to his credit for being the driving force behind the series that makes everyone around him better. While fans often meme about Luffy being willing to help anyone so long as they feed him, he’s actually got more going on with him than that. Essentially, he sees the world as a place where folks shouldn’t walk around under duress, be it personal or due to oppressive outside forces. Likewise, he’ll do everything within his power to help folks because that’s what a pirate is to him. It’s truly inspiring stuff, and no wonder his flag has become the symbol of real-life revolutions.
While fans often talk up his big moments with Nami and Nico Robin as the ones that made them fall in love with the character, my big moment actually came on Whole Cake Island. There, he essentially made a path for his crew to escape while taking on Katakuri in one of the best fights in the series. It’s very easy for a shonen hero to become a flanderized version of themselves later on in a series (cough cough, Goku), but witnessing that sequence irrevocably had me love the Straw Hats pirate bad.
Nami
© Toei Animation
Don’t let crew roles fool you. While Luffy might be the captain of the Straw Hats, “Cat Burglar” Nami is the actual leader. She runs the Straw Hat crew like the navy, keeping its group of outcasts in line. Every time she all but face-palms at how she’ll have to get them out of another jam involuntarily had me sighing in agreement with her. What’s more, in contrast to how the girl in a shonen trio typically gets sidelined, Nami routinely holds her own on the battlefield, commanding respect from enemies turned allies as well as the rest of the crew as someone they don’t have to worry about needing rescuing. She’ll have already figured out a way to kite the rest of the Straw Hats together and give them shorthand commands for what needs doing next without getting any lip or second guessing remarks in return.
Plus, even when she’s on the back foot with anyone else considered among the “least powerful members of the crew,” whoever the Straw Hats’ navigator winds up paired up with on an island excursion gets a stimulus package of becoming the most enjoyable parts of their adventure because of their close proximity to her and her true neutral brand of freedom fighting.
Nico Robin
© Toei Animation
Nico Robin has, without question, the coldest introduction in all of One Piece. Even if I think her post–time skip redesign is a huge downgrade, the “devil child” still sits near the top of my favorites. Her backstory genuinely moved me to tears. The Straw Hats archaeologist’s deadpan, vaguely irritated expression, hiding a soft, goofy love of cute things, feels almost uncomfortably relatable.
Her being one of the few actual adults in the crew—someone whose entire struggle is learning to be accepted, to be vulnerable, and to let this chaotic family hold her—hits incredibly hard. She’s simply one of the best Straw Hats around, and if there are no Nico Robin fans left, it means I’m passed on, too.
Usopp
© Toei Animation
“God” Usopp is my favorite character in all of One Piece. What’s not to like about him? He’s funny, brave, and did I mention that he’s funny? Of the entire Straw Hat crew, witnessing Usopp’s journey from a coward who cried wolf to their reliable sniper is the gift that keeps on giving. That said, it does suck that our melanated king keeps getting lighter and lighter the more the series progresses. Regardless, Usopp is one of the most rewarding characters to watch in One Piece, whether he’s cracking wise about how unwinnable the crew’s odds are, shooting down the world government’s flag, or weaponizing depression to eke out a victory. He’s the moment, and he’ll forever be number one in my heart.
Be sure to sound off in the comments with your own personal ranking of the Straw Hat crew (or go a step further and vote for them in the second world popularity poll). And remember, there’s no better time to get into One Piece than right now.
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