Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the One Piece franchise, often holds a special column in his manga volumes dedicated to answering questions from the fans of the series. Called “`Shitsumon o Boshū Suru?`” or SBS, this column is where Eiichiro Oda takes up questions sent in by readers, and one such question answered by Oda revealed what nationalities the Straw Hats be from if they were to exist in real life.
Upon being asked in SBS Volume 56 and Volume 99 VIA Screenrant if One Piece was to be set in the real world, what nationalities would the 9 Straw Hat crew members be from, Eiichiro Oda gave the following answer, without providing a reason for why he chose a particular nationality for a character, making it anyone’s best guess.
Franky – USA
Franky is the shipwright of the Straw Hats crew and the creator of The Thousand Sunny ship on which the Straw Hats sail. It was easy to see it coming from a distance that Franky would be an American in real life, as made obvious by his character design which is flashy and consists of stars which resonate with the American flag, as well as his buff body build and personality.
Jinbe – India
The reveal of Jinbe to be an Indian in real life is nothing short but shocking to many as while his character mainly does not have any qualities that depict a nationality in the manga or the anime, he is majorly shown in traditional Japanese clothes and attire. As mentioned before, it is anyone’s best guess as to what would be the reasoning Eiichiro Oda had in mind when deciding nationalities for these characters.
Brook – Austria
While it is at the time not known why Oda might have wanted Brook from One Piece to be from the country of Austria, it is very much possible to believe Brook might be Austrian due to the existence of the country’s wealthy musical heritage, something which Brook as a character seems to resonate with for his love of music.
Nico Robin – Russia
While we do not have any logical reasoning given by Eiichiro Oda as to why Nico Robin has been given the nationality of a Russian, it just might be heavily influenced by the fact that her character in the series is depicted as heavily skilled in the matters of spying and intelligence, which can be compared with Russian spies in the real life.
Tony Tony Chopper – Canada
This is another character whose nationality could have been seen coming from a far away. Tony Tony Chopper, the doctor of the Straw Hats crew as a character has been based off on the real-life animal of Reindeer, an animal found majorly in Canada and similar Northern American areas. This could have easily influenced Eiichiro Oda’s decision to have Tony Tony Chopper’s nationality as Canadian if he were to exist in real life.
Sanji – France
It is very easy to notice how easily Sanji fits the character of someone from the French nationality, so much so it makes it easy to guess what part of the world where he would be from if he were to exist in real life. His culinary skills as a chef easily resonate with the culinary traits for which the French are known for.
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Usopp – Africa
This is another entry in the list that is effortless to guess. Considering factors such as his depiction as a character with a darker skin tone, it makes it easy to guess Usopp’s nationality would be that of an African, as answered by Oda in the SBS.
Nami – Sweden
It remains a mystery how Eiichiro Oda considers Nami to be of Swedish Nationality, however, some cues can be picked up from the Swedish nationality that might have influenced his decision, one of them being how Nami has ginger hair as well as light skin, which is stereotypically associated with Nordic countries, such as Sweden.
Roronoa Zoro – Japan
Another character entry list that does not manage to shock any fan with their nationality is Roronoa Zoro, who is called a Japanese by the author. The series of One Piece showcases often how the character of Zoro is heavily influenced by Japan, depicted by his love of Sake as well as the mention of Sushi and Buddhism on various occasions.
Monkey D. Luffy – Brazil
While there is nothing specific that ties the hero of One Piece to the country of Brazil particularly, his attire as well as his usual depiction with a dark skin tone hints at a Brazilian influence on his character, which might have led Eiichiro Oda to call Luffy someone of Brazilian nationality in real life.
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The nationalities of all these characters have been mentioned by the author of One Piece himself in the SBS Volume 56 and 99. These nationalities have helped fans understand the characters of the Straw Hats crew, while also leaving a lot of questions as to why some of these characters have been assigned their particular nationalities.
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