Eiichiro Oda is a master at creating complex characters, and Luffy is a prime example of one. The protagonist is iconic because of his ‘not a care in the world’ attitude as well as his outspokenness. However, in an interview with Kohei Horikoshi, Oda revealed that Luffy’s personality would have been the complete opposite if the times were different.
Luffy is beloved by all, and his rambunctious and easy-going nature has become natural to fans. After all, One Piece would have been too dark if Luffy was a brooding hero.
Eiichiro Oda Made One Piece‘s Luffy the Complete Opposite of His Peer Protagonists
In an interview, Kohei Horikoshi admitted that he was extremely influenced by how the characters in One Piece say whatever is on their minds. This trait felt very natural to him. Eiichiro Oda, on the other hand, had a completely unexpected explanation for it.
But in the era when I was first serialized, things were different. Characters who said whatever they were thinking, like Luffy, were seen as disgraceful.
It is true that outspoken protagonists are a recent phenomenon. If you observe other protagonists from the 1990s, you will find characters keep their thoughts to themselves and rarely act flippant. Luffy is a standout character in such an era and was one of the protagonists who influenced the next generation of Shonen characters.
Kohei Horikoshi was surprised by this detail as he claimed:
Really? But every author from my generation writes characters that way.
Oda then explained that the reason Luffy is the complete opposite of his era is because he was obsessed with counterculture when he was younger. Counterculture meant to go beyond the established norms of society, and Oda used it in his favor. In fact, the obsession with counterculture was so intense in the author that he went as far as to draw the curls of his female characters outward if the trend was to curl them inwards.
Luffy Could Have Been Different from the One You Know
Luffy has become a comfort character for uncountable otakus. His outspokenness makes people relate to him, and his hidden feelings don’t create unnecessary complications. Yes, he is naive enough not to recognize Usopp if he just wears a mask, but that’s what makes him so endearing.
If Oda was not fond of going against the norms, Luffy might have been the complete opposite of what you perceive him as. Like characters from other series, he could have received a reserved personality, but it might not have suited One Piece at all.
On careful observation, One Piece is an extremely dark series, with innocents losing their lives, incessant corruption in the government, and manipulative villains all around. However, Luffy and his crew are the beacon of light in this hellhole as they go around solving problems merrily. If Luffy had a calm personality, it would have been hard to portray him as Joy Boy, who was a rebel back in his days.
You can read One Piece on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
