One Piece Characters Whose Reputation Has Changed Drastically Over The Years

Summary

• One Piece characters are slowly recontextualized across decades, with reveals that repeatedly flipped fan perceptions.
• Some prominent characters gained heroism (like Roger, Usopp or Franky), which made them significantly more popular.
• Bartholomew Kuma and Rocks D. Xebec were initially introduced as antagonists, but their reputation changed drastically after their backstories were revealed.

With 1159 manga chapters and 1142 anime episodes, it’s safe to say that One Piece is one of the longest fictional stories ever created. Of course, since this series has been running for more than twenty-eight years, the reputation of some of its most iconic named characters has changed drastically over time.

Eiichiro Oda likes to write characters in a brilliantly deceptive way: sometimes he introduces them as mysterious, intimidating or evil figures, only to reveal something important about them and/or make them do something impressive hundreds of chapters later, which completely shifts the fan base’s perception of said person. Naturally, this has happened many times throughout the course of the series, with the following eight One Piece characters being the most notorious examples of this phenomenon.

Gol D. Roger

From Mysterious Historic Figure To Heroic Pirate Captain

• Debut:Chapter 1 (Manga) Episode 1 (Anime)

Gol D. Roger, the original Pirate King and the person who single-handedly kick-started the plot of One Piece, is a perfect example of a prominent character whose reputation shifted drastically throughout the years. When he was introduced in the first chapter/episode of the series, he was depicted as a mysterious and (literally) faceless figure with little-to-no information about his backstory or personality.

This slowly changed as some tidbits about his past and his relationships with other prominent pirates (like Shiki or Whitebeard) were revealed around the Marineford Arc. But Roger’s reputation changed more than ever in the middle of the Wano Country Arc, when he was heavily featured in Kouzuki Oden’s flashback. This long and fascinating sequence revealed that he was actually a goofy, lighthearted but incredibly powerful pirate captain who got along very well with his crewmates, very similarly to Monkey D. Luffy.

Usopp

From Lying Coward To Courageous Sniper

• Debut:Chapter 23 (Manga) Episode 8 (Anime)

Most seasoned One Piece fans will admit that they didn’t really like Usopp when he was originally introduced. Not only is his introductory arc, the Syrup Village Arc, infamous for being one of the weakest ones in the entire series, but his entire gimmick of being a goofy coward who lies all the time got very old very quickly to many fans.

Usopp was still a relatively fun and enjoyable character for most of the story, but fan perception of him changed drastically during the Water 7 Arc and the Enies Lobby Arc. In these two arcs, audiences finally got to see a more serious, courageous and confident side of Usopp, with his fight against Luffy and the moment he burned down the World Government flag being two of his most memorable and impressive moments. Even Usopp’s harshest critics have to admit that he became a really cool character during both of those arcs and, fortunately, he had a few other remarkable moments after in subsequent arcs, like when he defeated Sugar in Dressrosa.

Smoker

From Respected Marine Captain To Someone Who Can’t Keep Up With The New World

• Debut:Chapter 97 (Manga) Episode 48 (Anime)

Unfortunately, not every character’s reputation shifted positively, because Smoker is a solid example of someone who was much more popular back when he was first introduced. In the Loguetown Arc and the Arabasta Arc, Smoker was depicted as this stern and serious marine captain with a heart of gold who was aware of the World Government’s corruption and was actively trying to change it from the inside. On top of that, as the first Logia Devil Fruit user ever introduced in the series, he could put up a fight and was able to confront powerful fighters like Ace, Luffy or Boa Hancock.

All of this sadly changed after the time-skip: even though he was promoted to Vice-Admiral, and he learned to use Haki, Smoker began losing fight after fight, especially during the Punk Hazard Arc. After his humiliating defeats against Law, Caesar Clown, Vergo and Doflamingo, most One Piece fans saw him as a weakling who should have never gone to the New World. Nevertheless, it seems like Smoker will have a prominent role in the near future, so it’s possible he’ll get stronger and regain his popularity very soon.

Nico Robin

From Murderous Femme Fatale To Beloved Member Of The Straw Hats

• Debut:Chapter 114 (Manga) Episode 67 (Anime)

Like many other beloved One Piece characters, Nico Robin was originally introduced as a villain, which obviously means that her reputation changed greatly throughout the years. Back when she was only known as Miss All Sunday, she was a high-ranking member of Baroque Works who apparently murdered Igaram in cold blood shortly after her debut. So, naturally, most fans saw her as the malicious femme fatale she was initially depicted as.

However, as she kept appearing throughout the Arabasta Arc, Robin kept proving that she was not as evil as it may have seemed, as not only did she save Luffy after Crocodile defeated him, but it was also revealed that she had not actually killed Igaram. She kept her mysterious and distant attitude even after she joined the Straw Hat Pirates, but her eventual role during the emotional Enies Lobby Arc finally, combined with her tragic backstory, cemented her as a major fan favorite, and nowadays, she’s one of the most popular characters in all of One Piece.

Bartholomew Kuma

From Terrifying Warlord Of The Sea To The Best Father In The Series

• Debut:Chapter 233 (Manga) Episode 151 (Anime)

Bartholomew Kuma is arguably the One Piece character whose reputation has changed the most over the years. After all, he was initially introduced as one of the Warlords of the Sea (in the same vein as characters like Crocodile or Doflamingo), he was known as the “Tyrant of Sorbet Kingdom” and the combination of his cybernetic enhancements and his bizarre Devil Fruit made him almost invincible. However, audiences began seeing Kuma in a different light when he saved the Straw Hat Pirates from Kizaru in the Sabaody Archipelago Arc.

Kuma’s past, personality and motivations remained shrouded in mystery for a few more decades, until him and his daughter, Jewelry Bonney, became the stars of their own flashback sequence in the middle of the Egghead Arc. This heartbreaking part of the story revealed that Kuma is actually a really kind and noble person who, despite everything he went through, was still willing to help others and that he eventually chose to sacrifice his humanity to save Bonney’s life. In just a few chapters/episodes, Kuma went from being a mysterious and intimidating pirate to becoming one of the most beloved, tragic and admired characters in the entire series.

Franky

From Despicable Gangster To Lovable Cyborg

• Debut:Chapter 329 (Manga) Episode 233 (Anime)

Very similarly to Nico Robin, Franky was originally introduced into the story as an antagonist, except his debut was even more controversial. After all, he was the leader of the Franky Family, the gang of ship dismantlers and Bounty Hunters who had beaten up Usopp and stole all of his gold. Despite his admittedly bizarre appearance, he acted like a hard-boiled criminal throughout most of the Water 7 Arc and the Enies Lobby Arc, even after he decided to ally himself with the Straw Hats in order to defeat the agents of CP9.

Franky slowly warmed to the Straw Hats as he spent more and more time with them, and he ended up dropping his “tough guy” facade almost entirely around the time skip. Nowadays, he almost exclusively acts like his true self: a goofy, funny, charming and intelligent cyborg shipwright who’s good with kids but will still act tenaciously around his enemies. This change in personality has made Franky extremely popular among fans and he has undoubtedly become one of the most beloved members of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Doctor Vegapunk

From Mad Scientist To Goofy Genius Who Wants To Change The World

• Debut:Chapter 1061 (Manga) Episode 1090 (Anime)

For many decades, many people (both in-universe and in the real world) kept hearing about a mysterious scientist called Doctor Vegapunk who worked for the World Government. While not much was known about him, it was said that he’s the mastermind behind some of the most important technological advances in the One Piece world, like inanimate objects who “ate” Devil Fruits, the Pacifista program, the Seastone hulls on the Marines’ ships, etc.

Most fans perceived Doctor Vegapunk as a ruthless, evil scientist who enjoyed working for the World Government, until he finally made his on-screen debut in the Egghead Arc. It turns out that he’s actually quite silly and friendly, not to mention that he actually wants to give free energy to the entire world: he just keeps working for the World Government because they’re the only ones who can fund his ambitious research. In just one story arc, Vegapunk gained a lot of fans and definitely earned his place as one of the most interesting One Piece characters.

Rocks D. Xebec

From The Most Evil Pirate In History To Ambitious Freedom Fighter

• Debut:Chapter 957 (Manga) Episode 958 (Anime)

Rocks D. Xebecwas originally introduced as the evil captain of the Rocks Pirates — the violent and ruthless pirate crew that infamous figures like Big Mom, Kaido and Whitebeard were once part of – and someone so powerful that it took the combined efforts of both Roger and Garp to take him down during the God Valley Incident. Naturally, most fans took this at face value and considered Rocks to be one of the most malicious characters in the history of the series for many years.

Nevertheless, manga readers finally got the chance to draw their own conclusions about Rocks in the recent Elbaf Arc, since he’s the star of an extensive flashback sequence that, at the time of writing, is still being published. Much to the surprise of fans, this flashback has revealed that, despite his violent tendencies and ruthless personality, Rocks actually cared for and respected his friends and his family, not to mention that he was aware of Imu’s existence, and he sought to take down the World Government. Of course, it’s still possible that he actually did something at some point that made him gain his in-universe infamy, but it’s safe to say that One Piece fans see Rocks D. Xebec in an entirely different light now.