It was originally intended to be a collection of some of Nami's character moments to guard against the tendency to hate her. But a friend of mine, due to recent manga developments, encouraged me to do a real review on her. It mainly deals with some aspects of Nami's growth throughout the series.
Let's start with a memorable Skype scene...
... when Nami continued to panic, Luffy told her not to stop behaving so pathetically because she was the partner of the future Pirate King.
Here, Luffy makes a connection between his success and the certainty of his dream. Just like Nami, there should be no fear because Luffy is the future King of the Pirates, which means they will always succeed in the end.
After Luffy gets BFR'd, Nami makes it her serious conviction. Rather than meekly submit or go along with his plan to ensure his survival, Enel musters up enough courage to take a stand...
... and competes only against Enel.
There is even subtle symbolism in both scenes. When Luffy gives Nami the reason why she shouldn't panic, he gives Nami his prized hat. And when Nami finally wants to challenge Enel, she takes Luffy's hat. (Oda is a great author!!!)
It's subtle, but you can see Nami drawing from Luffy's courage, his values, and his dream of challenging a monster he couldn't defeat.
Oda decided to continue Nami's character development in the movie he wrote, Strong World.
After realizing that Shiki (and his army of mutated animals) was heading towards the East Blue, which included the hometown where his sister and other loved ones lived, his first reaction was to look for Luffy...
...instead of panicking like she had on Skypiea, she sought out the one person who could assure her that everything would be all right. We move from symbolism to something simpler.
Even when Shiki defeated Team East Blue, Nami managed to keep her cool in order to thwart the plans of a legendary pirate who could easily crush her. Even when she was caught and left for dead, she didn't give up and showed that she was willing to die to protect her hometown.
Great displays of selflessness and genuine courage. However, it's interesting to see that, like character moments, they are based on his growing up in Skypiea and Arlong Park. Why can we say this?
In Arlong Park, she realized that there were burdens and even emotional baggage that she couldn't carry alone, so she had to rely on others to carry her on. On Skypiea, he gained strength to face Luffy's overwhelming odds.
Well, Luffy described Nami as his vanguard against Shiki, hinting that he knew Nami was trying to fight Shiki's army from the inside. But she never intended to carry that burden alone. Luffy instilled in her the belief that the future mate of the Pirate King means that no matter what setbacks they suffer, they will succeed. At the end of the movie, we find out that Nami doesn't just believe in Luffy...
...she is embarrassed by the recorded evidence of her trust in her captain when she realizes that Luffy didn't hear him. Arlong Park and Skypiea laid the foundation of her faith while Strong World solidified it.
It's also worth noting that her attitude towards Shiki is reminiscent of the spunky attitude displayed by Silk (Nami's first prototype) from the first pilot of One Piece: Romance Dawn V.1.
A girl who was more than willing to fight to protect her hometown and loved ones, regardless of the enemy. Was that Oda's intention? Who knows…
Well, how did Nami's character change after the time skip?
If we stick to the manga, everything they've experienced so far has strengthened their faith and trust in Luffy and his dream. We can see this in the Wholecake arc...
...facing Cracker, Nami declares with absolute confidence that Luffy being the future Pirate King practically guarantees her victory. Not everyone invokes an NLF when talking about Luffy.
So when Sanji went so far as to brutalize Luffy and slander his dream, Nami's response was...
... which makes a lot of sense, considering how his confidence in the future and part of his growth as a person is tied to Luffy's dream.
The disrespect that Sanji now had to show can be used as a foil due to recent developments; When Nami found herself in a life-or-death situation, scared and helpless against an enemy she couldn't defeat alone, she was given a way out: deny Luffy's dream of becoming the Pirate King...
…But even facing certain death and having no choice between fighting back or fleeing, Nami couldn't lie about Luffy becoming the Pirate King, she couldn't even tell his life story. In the Japanese version, she replies:"Luffy will be the Pirate King... definitely"
We've seen Nami lie to escape danger, but this time she's literally incapable of lying about Luffy's arrival. From her point of view, this is a truth that cannot in any way be denied or rejected.
That's a stellar display of loyalty, but the overarching theme that ties this moment to previous performances is "faith."
Skypiea told him that his partner, the Pirate King, assured him of success, in Strong World he was too embarrassed to admit how strong his faith and trust in Luffy was. After the time jump, we now see her confidently shouting at the enemy, and she now believes in Luffy so much that not even death can make her say otherwise. How to develop a character!
I know I left out Drum-Arc, Water 7, Shabaody, Fishman Island, Punk Hazard (Bellemere would be proud), Dressrosa and Zou... but it would take months and a mile to cover hundreds of development chapters. I only tried what was necessary.
If you want more, take a look at the author's works; the manga and the film series (SW, Z and GOLD).
The point is, Nami is a great character who really deserves to be called "real", not just because Oda said so, but also for her advances in this long story.
PRIMA:
Finally, I'll touch on an ugly trend in the West. Nami has received a lot of hate over the last few years. Even very influential figures within the fandom tend to look down on Nami. Many look down on her character and even compare her to characters on other shows who are treated as "chew toys" by their respective fandoms.
Why so much hate for Nami's character?
Short answer: You've been dealt a bad hand.
First, her role in the story and on the team puts her at odds with fans of the characters who normally consider her a higher authority and power figure within the Straw Hat group. She wields a lot of authority and that makes fans pretty insecure about where their favorite character stands.
Coupled with this factor is the fact that she is the most "human" in a team (and world) full of superhumans. Haters probably feel that someone so normal shouldn't have so much agency. Especially compared to other women.
Speaking of which, this is another reason why Nami gets so much hate. Her role as a heroine and her superior navigation skills make her an incredibly important character in this story. And that makes fans who promote other women see them as a threat to the position of their favorites, as a kind of competition.
Which brings me to the other point where people hate her: Nami's relationship with Luffy. She is closer to Luffy than many other females which includes more over the top power girls and yes I said girls because there is more than one female power character that gets this hype.
The last factor I'll mention is the cruelest of all: the way he reacts to other characters. You may have noticed that he responded very well to Inuarashi and Tonoyasu's compliments, right? Well, many fans would like her to react to her favorite characters in a similar way. The problem is that no...
She is a fiery woman with a lot of agency, not letting flirting or physical aesthetics fool her by challenging the main characters' decisions and/or questioning their idiocy. Now there are physically stronger women who are much more submissive and/or submissive...
In general, it's bad in the west.
Regardless of what the haters feel or think, Nami is an amazing character who deserves as much love as she gets in Japan (probably even more). So to hell with the idiots who try to put them down and/or don't understand their value. She is the "Queen" and people must bow down.
FAQs
Does Luffy want to be king of the world? ›
Luffy's dream is to become the Pirate King in One Piece, yet it all started back in his early childhood. Even the most casual fans know that Luffy wants to follow in the footsteps of Gold D. Roger. Right before the latter's execution, the Pirate King said there was a great treasure out there for anybody to find.
Will Luffy be the king of pirates? ›One Piece Finally Confirms Luffy is Destined to be the Pirate King. Since Gol D. Roger's death, pirates have been fighting to replace him as the Pirate King. The World Government now has its own idea on who it will be.
What is Luffy's current title? ›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".
What episode does Luffy become Joyboy? ›One Piece Chapter 1043 spoilers: Luffy may be a chosen one, yet it doesn't take away his hard work. Some fans will inevitably be disappointed with One Piece Chapter 1043. It ends with the sudden revelation that Luffy is Joy Boy, according to Zunesha himself.
What is Luffy's true goal? ›Monkey D. Luffy is the protagonist of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece. Luffy set out on a journey to become the Pirate King in the Great Pirate Era to claim the treasure known as the One Piece left behind by Gol D. Roger.
Who respects Luffy most? ›1/10 Shanks Saw Luffy's Potential From The Beginning
The biggest indicator that Shanks respects Luffy was his challenge to the Straw Hat captain. If he believes that Luffy can meet him on the sea once more and give him a real challenge, then it's clear he respects Luffy's skills and potential.
Gear 5 ("Gear Fifth") is a transformation resulting from the awakening of the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Luffy achieved this ability during his final battle with Kaidou on Onigashima.
Who is Luffy's final boss? ›Luffy definitely has a score to settle with Akainu, to the point that most of the One Piece video games include Akainu as the final boss, but with how unpredictable One Piece tends to be, just because this is an obvious match up doesn't mean much.
Who is the next King of the Pirates? ›Kaidou. Kaidou is the man who will be King of the Pirates!!
Who will be the 11th Straw Hat? ›Yamato needs Luffy's approval to join the crew and, once he gets it, he's officially going to be the 11th member of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Is Luffy The 5th Emperor? ›
Luffy is also aghast at what his new bounty is as well. It is revealed that due to Luffy's newfound command over the Straw Hat Grand Fleet as well as his perceived masterminding of the invasion of Totto Land, he is now considered to be the Fifth Emperor of the Sea.
What is Luffy's true Devil Fruit name? ›More importantly, the fruit's real name was hidden by the Government to hide its significance. In a shocking turn of events, it was revealed that the Gomu Gomu no Mi is actually a Zoan type of Devil Fruit and its real name is the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
Is Luffy confirmed Joy Boy? ›After Luffy won their match, Kaidou recalled an earlier conversation he had with King where he said that Joy Boy would be the one to defeat him, implying that in his final moments, he recognized that Luffy was Joy Boy after all.
Is Luffy a reincarnation of Joyboy? ›Though some fans appeared worried that Luffy would turn out to be the reincarnation of Joyboy, this has turned out not to be the case.
Does Robin know Luffy is Joyboy? ›It wasn't until Nico Robin found this Poneglyph in the Sea Forest that as got to know who the man known as Joy Boy was.
What is Luffy's weakness? ›One Piece's Luffy has one famous weakness, he can't swim, but his new power might just make that weakness completely irrelevant. In chapter 1045 of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy has begun to finally show off the true extent of his powers as an Awakened Mythical Zoan user.
What is Luffy's max power? ›Luffy's greatest power-up to date is, undoubtedly, Conqueror's Haki coating. During his fight against Kaido, Luffy observed Kaido coating his weapon in Conqueror's Haki. After this realization hit him, he was able to use a crude version of this technique himself and could coat his fists in Conqueror's Haki.
What is Luffy's biggest victory? ›- #8: Luffy vs. Arlong. ...
- #7: Luffy vs. Enel. ...
- #6: Luffy vs. Blueno. ...
- #5: Luffy vs. Gecko Moria. ...
- #4: Luffy vs. Crocodile. ...
- #3: Luffy vs. Rob Lucci. ...
- #2: Luffy vs. Doflamingo. ...
- #1: Luffy vs. Katakuri.
Out of all the Straw Hats, Usopp is easily the least loyal. Not only did he nearly abandon the heroes amidst their darkest hour at Dressrosa, but he also fought Luffy directly for the rights to the Going Merry.
Who is the second most loyal to Luffy? ›Many of you will think that it's of course obviously Zoro but to me he is only the 2nd most loyal. The most loyal of them all is Brook and I'll tell you why I think this. From the time Brook joined the crew he had only been with them about a week before they all got separated at Saboady.
What was the hardest fight for Luffy? ›
Crocodile is easily one of the most difficult fights that Luffy has ever fought as he lost to him twice. In fact, Luffy would've died both the times had luck not been on his side.
How many Haki can Luffy use? ›It's no surprise that Luffy possesses the power to use all three types of Haki, being someone who aims to become the Pirate King.
What is Zoro's Devil Fruit? › Is gear 5 Luffy stronger than Zoro? ›In summation. Eclipsing Zoro in both mastery of Armament and Conqueror's Haki, Luffy proves himself stronger than Zoro overall.
Who is Luffy's main villain? ›Im is the overarching antagonist of the anime and manga franchise One Piece. Im is a mysterious individual who secretly rules the World Government from the shadows, with the Gorosei being the public face of the organization.
Who is Luffy's next enemy? ›Based on the ongoing saga, called the Four Emperors Saga, it is highly likely that Oda will include either Shanks or Blackbeard as the next opponents for Luffy. Given that Blackbeard is likely to challenge Luffy for the title of the Pirate King, fighting Shanks next is also a strong possibility.
Who beat God in One Piece? ›Conis and the rest of Skypiea witnessed Luffy completely destabilize Enel's attack. She then witnessed Luffy finally defeat Enel by punching the god straight into the golden bell.
Who hasn't said Luffy will be King of the Pirates? ›Robin is the only crew member who hasn't said Luffy will become Pirate King. Welcome to r/OnePiece, the community for Eiichiro Oda's manga and anime series One Piece.
Does Luffy have a kid? ›Overview: Luffy and Hancock's child, Monkey D. Flora, is now 8 years old, but is still training to be a Kuja warrior. In this episode, Luffy visits Amazon Lily and Flora meets him for the first time.
Why Shanks didn t become Pirate King? ›In short, why didn't Shanks attempt to become the Pirate King? He's not interested in the PK stuff. He just likes to settle on islands and drink. He also thinks that he's not the right person to take on that role.
Who are the 5 strongest Straw Hats? ›
- 8/9 Nami.
- 7/9 Brook.
- 6/9 Chopper.
- 5/9 Nico Robin.
- 4/9 Franky.
- 3/9 Jinbe.
- 2/9 Sanji.
- 1/9 Roronoa Zoro.
12/12 Usopp, The Sniper
Usopp is the sniper of the crew, who joined Luffy on his journey during the Syrup Village arc. Usopp is known to be a coward at times, and by his own admission, he often can't keep up with the rest of the crew.
In the beginning of the manga, Luffy claimed that he wanted at least ten people to join his crew before entering the Grand Line (not counting himself).
Is Zoro blind in one eye? ›Prior to One Piece's timeskip, Zoro's left eye was fully functioning and completely uninjured. Yet when the Straw Hats reunited after their respective adventures, Zoro's left eye was mysteriously scarred shut. Prior to the timeskip, his left eye had been seen glowing when using certain attacks.
Does Luffy become a Four Emperors? ›After the events of Totto Land, the World Economic News considered Monkey D. Luffy to be the "Fifth Emperor of the sea" among the emperors. After Luffy, Kid and Law defeated both Kaido and Big Mom, Luffy and Buggy were officially declared as the new emperors alongside Blackbeard and Shanks in the news.
Who is the 8th person to join Luffy? ›Franky was the eighth person to join the Straw Hats, and this happened during the Water 7 Arc. This cyborg is the crew's shipwright, and he actually started off as "villain" who stole all of the Straw Hats' gold.
Who is the first Gomu Gomu user? ›We know for a fact Shanks had it and it was stolen from the world Government.
What is the rarest Devil Fruit? ›Logia. The rarest and most powerful of the three Devil Fruit types, Logia-type Devil Fruits allow their users to create, control, and transform their body into a natural element, such as smoke, sand, fire, lightning, ice, light, magma, mud, snow, plants and even darkness.
What is the true power of Gomu Gomu no Mi? ›The fruit's major strength, as demonstrated by Luffy, is that the user's body permanently adopts the properties of rubber: their body can stretch, bend, bounce, inflate, and twist like said substance, even when the user himself is nullified.
Will Joyboy be revealed? ›At the end of chapter 1043, readers finally discover the true identity of the enigmatic figure known as Joy Boy. Joy Boy is an important figure from the Void Century, a period of history 900 years before current events in the manga whose events are kept secret by the World Government.
Is Joyboy the sun god Nika? ›
In doing so, he has now become the next Nika and the successor to Joy Boy himself. Nika, the Sun God, holds tremendous importance in the story and will end up being extremely important moving forward as well, with Luffy being the one who has inherited his will.
Who is Joyboy exactly? ›Joy Boy (of which there may be more than one, we'll get to that) is a messianic figure in the One Piece universe. He's basically Pirate Jesus.
Why is Luffy called Joyboy? ›Hence, it was made clear that after 800 years it wasn't Joy Boy's reincarnation who will come to life. Instead, Joy Boy is a title given to individuals who have world-changing aspirations as its next bearer. To note, Monkey D Luffy acquires the title after his devil fruit awakening.
What did Joyboy leave behind? ›Joy Boy was the first person to reach the Final Island, or Laugh Tale, and the treasure that he left behind was essentially the One Piece.
How many Joyboy are in One Piece? ›Subsequently, players can find only four JoyToys throughout the entire game, who charge money for their services. Two of these JoyToys can be found on Jig-Jig Street in Westbrook.
Is Luffy a threat to the world government? ›Luffy is a natural enemy of Cipher Pol, being a pirate, but also because the World Government views Luffy as a serious threat. The two clashed in Water 7 and Enies Lobby, when CP9 attempted to apprehend Nico Robin, and would cross paths again on Wano Country.
What does Luffy want to become? ›What Luffy really wants is to be the most free man in the world. To do whatever it is he wants, go where he wants, see what he wants, be friends with who he wants. He believes the way in which to do this is by becoming Pirate King.
Does Luffy want to change the world? ›He has no goal of wanting to change the world. He just wants to live his life. Luffy may have never thought of Gol D. Roger as a man with amass power.
What does Luffy want at the end of his dream? ›As much as Luffy desires to be Pirate King, it appears to be a means to an end for whatever his dream is. Both times he's told others about his dream, the dream itself is never explained, but the audience does get to see the reactions of the people around him.
Who is the biggest threat in One Piece? ›Dragon is the son of the legendary Marine, Monkey D. Garp. Unlike his father, Dragon is the biggest enemy of the World Government. He founded the Revolutionary Army, and he plans to bring down the World Government.
Who is the most feared character in One Piece? ›
Deemed by many to be the final villain in the series, Blackbeard is without a doubt one of the strongest characters in One Piece.
What countries does Luffy protect? ›Fandom. Luffy's territory. Can we say that Alabasta, skypeia (which is mostly unknown by the world government), water 7, and Dressrosa are under the protection of the the straw hats They're all countries that Luffy has saved, and definitely would save again.
Who did Luffy marry? ›| Love Interest | |
|---|---|
| Hobby | Eating meat, looking for adventure |
| Goals | To find the One Piece, become the King of the Pirates, protect his friends and loved ones |
| Love interest | Boa Hancock (Self-proclaimed wife) |
| Type of Love interest | Comical, Superpowered, Loveable Idiot |
Luffy first met Shanks in his hometown of Foosha Village when he was seven years old. The two get on extremely well and have equal intrigue and admiration for one another. They both made a promise to each other that they would meet again once Luffy has formed a crew and become a great pirate that has surpassed Shanks.
Why is Luffy so loved? ›Luffy deeply cares about the people around him and is willing to do anything to make them safe and happy. While Luffy's general life choices are questionable, his tendency to always choose the right thing are almost a supernatural power in their own right.
Is Luffy decreasing his lifespan? ›One of the first big things Luffy has done to shorten his lifespan is used Second Gear. The technique involved him pumping blood through his body at an accelerated rate in order to give himself a boost in speed and power.
Who's reincarnation is Luffy? ›Luffy reincarnation (Theory) | Fandom. Is it possible that Luffy is the reincarnation of both gold roger and joyboy. if so that might explain how luffy and roger both can talk to sea kings and that they are both destined to become king of the pirates.
What is Luffy's famous line? ›“I've set myself to become the King of the Pirates… and if I die trying… then at least I tried.”
What will Luffy's awakened power be? ›Luffy has the powers of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, a Paramecia type of Devil Fruit that has turned his body into rubber. He's mastered the powers of the fruit to quite a high degree and is just moments away from awakening its powers.