The doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates, Tony Tony Chopper, is one of the cutest and funniest characters in the entire One Piece. He joined the crew at the end of the Drum Island arc, and ever since then, he has been a part of their adventures, their battles, and their journey to find the One Piece treasure.
As One Piece fans know, Chopper is part of the comedic trio of the Straw Hat Pirates, also containing Luffy and Usopp. While they have fun quite a lot, it’s mostly at the expense of Chopper. Luffy unintentionally jokes about Chopper being emergency food, and it is one of the funniest things in the entire series.
However, there is one more recurring joke in One Piece about Chopper’s identity. Almost every character in One Piece, including Luffy, fails to recognize Chopper as a reindeer. This joke has been going on since he joined the crew, and what many fans don’t know is that Eiichiro Oda got this idea for Chopper’s reindeer joke from his parents.
The One Piece Gag About Chopper Being a Reindeer
Chopper is a reindeer that ate the Hito Hito no Mi. This Devil Fruit allows him to transform into a human and a hybrid between a human and a reindeer at will. And because of these transformations, most of the One Piece characters are unable to recognize Chopper’s real species.
Thus, the World Government in One Piece has labeled him as a raccoon dog, which is known to other characters as well. But whenever he is called a raccoon dog by other characters, Chopper gets extremely angry. He has tried to clear it multiple times, but it has just become a joke.
However, this is not the worst part of it. Chopper has also been deemed a pet of the Straw Hat Pirates, which is why his bounty is in triple digits. Not only that, even Luffy once unintentionally made a joke about Chopper being a reindeer.
Eiichiro Oda Got The Idea About the Chopper’s Gag From His Parents
During the Long Ring Long Land arc, when Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were exploring the island, they came across a stretched deer. Luffy, being the goofy character he is, excitedly called him Chopper’s cousin, which triggered Chopper as he was his captain.
Oda in 2002 revealed in the author’s note of Volume 24 that he got the idea from his parents.
The mangaka stated:
When I visited my family recently, my parents expressed an opinion about ONE PIECE for the very first time. “That story about the deer was really good.”
At first, Eiichiro Oda was confused about who they were talking about, but when he realized, he got the idea that this would be a great comedic gag for Chopper’s character.
This joke got so much hype from One Piece fans that Oda expanded it and is using it to this date. However, after the time skip, the comedic aspect of One Piece has faded away as the series has entered the most crucial narrative.
As of 19th August 2024, you can watch One Piece on Crunchyroll.
