ONE PIECE GOLD
I’ve seen a lot of complaints that Usopp has not developed/is rehashing his development, and I think it’s important to look at the broader context of things. Usopp has developed. It’s the mark of a master storyteller that Oda is not rushing his development just because of a single catharsis, or even multiple catharses. And just like real people, not every step was forward.
It all starts with what One Piece considers a hero. One Piece has shown us that heroes are not people who stand up and are willing to give their lives for their friends, their nakama. That is seen as an obligation; saving your friends and crew isexpected of anyone who is not a complete wretch. Whether it’s Zoro saving Luffy or Luffy trying to save Ace, these actions are not described as heroic. Heroism in One Piece, as far as I can tell, is the act of selfless, non-obligatory aid, which is why Luffy’s actions in Fishman Island are perceived as heroic (Shirahoshi is not a friend in the way Vivi is; Keimi and Pappug were not in direct danger).
Now, let’s examine Usopp’s character and progression. He starts out saving his hometown from Kuro, and while it’s a brave action, any “good” character in One Piece would have done the same. In the Arlong arc, he largely fought for Nami – for nakama, for crew that he is obligated to defend if he is to be a crewmember himself. We do see an emerging streak of heroism, though, as he defends Genzo from Arlong. This streak is actually a showing of his righteousness – of how he’ll actually step up and act the hero when he’s pressured by his morality.
In the Alabasta arc, he once again mostly fights to help a friend – Vivi – but this time, the friend is not officially nakama, which extends him a little farther out of his obligations. For Skypiea, he’s mostly carried along and defending his nakama, but throughout this time, he’s been slowly building up his self-esteem, becoming more confident…
Which culminates in Water 7, where he challenges Luffy over the ship, partially due to believing that he is in the right. His loss here is devastating, more than it seems to be on the surface. He had always thought himself the smallest man on a crew of figurative giants, but his self-esteem had been rising as he’d been more successful, and so he saw himself as David taking on Goliath, slingshot and all… only to fail, reinforcing even more that he is the little guy, the weakest link, and that no matter how much he fights and trains, he can’t be the “big guy”. Note that he doesn’t shy from his obligations, however, because he’s still a decent guy, which is why he still came back to help a friend (Robin).
At the end of Enies Lobby, he seems to have internalized one thing from challenging Luffy – that Luffy is might, and might makes right, compromising his own morality. We never really see him question Luffy’s orders again, aside from wondering if something is safe. That his self-esteem is shot is evidenced in Thriller Bark. Joking as it was, it’s worth noting that if Usopp had positive character development from Enies Lobby, it wouldn’t really make sense for him to be always depressed and not susceptible to Perona’s attacks. I think that that was a sign that Usopp had taken a step back, and was not as much of a man as he had been. Sure, he protected his nakama, but again, that’s something he is expected to do. Also of note is that heneeded Sogeking – Usopp is just a weak little guy, but Sogeking, his crutch, is brave.
So, as we come to the timeskip, Usopp the idealist has become Usopp the cynic, and the order of his thoughts are something like this:
- Golden rule: protect nakama and friends.
- Might makes right; generally, Luffy is might, so Luffy is right.
- Innate sense of right and wrong.
In Fishman Island, he was fighting with everyone else. Why? Because Luffy had given orders, and Luffy is always right, or so Usopp believes. Also, he is surrounded by his nakama, the most major of obligatory protection. In Punk Hazard, Usopp gives one of his patented rousing speeches – but unlike previous rousing speeches, this wasn’t about being the man he wants to be, but about how awesome Luffy is and how Luffy’s might will set this right.
And that brings us to Dressrosa, where he is juxtaposed with Franky. When the Tontatta implicate Usoland and company for their action, both Franky and Usopp realize just how morally wrong abandoning them would be… but the Tontatta are neither friend nor nakama, so they are not obliged to help them. Franky, having a strong sense of moral righteousness, demands of Luffy that he be allowed to help; Usopp simply follows Luffy’s orders to help after Franky gets permission, and seems to hold Franky accountable for it.
Putting it all together, here’s his rationale for not helping the Tontatta, as has built up through arcs-worth of character progression:
- The Tontattas are neither friends nor nakama. There is no obligation to help them. Note that he turns tail not when the Tontattas are initially beaten back, but when he forgets Robin.
- Might makes right, and might is far, far on the side of Sugar and Trebol, especially after Robin is gone. As mentioned, Usopp thinks of himself as the “little guy”, especially after Water 7/Enies Lobby. The Tontattas have more raw strength than he seems to. Even if Usopp is strong now, he doesn’t think so.
And yet, despite all of this, he does turn back, and that’s his continued character progression. That’s because his morality (previously subsumed by the two thoughts above) kicks back in hard. It’s not just being a liar – he swats off Trebol calling him one like nothing. It’s when the Tontattas put their faith in him, making it morally wrong for Usopp to abandon them – that’s when Usopp turns back, because moral idealism pierces right through his cynical defenses.
In a way, that shows us just how heroic he can be. If you’re a monstrously powerful person like Luffy, helping is like squishing bugs, because you really are the “big man”. But Usopp is the little guy, and the Tontattas asking him for help is like the little guy asking an even smaller guy against a giant. But Usopp went anyways, like the nerdiest kid in class going after a huge bully who punched down the new kid. And that’s development, because never has Usopp ever stepped up this far, this hard into responsibility and heroism, especially not after his step back in Water 7. He even ditched his crutch – he didn’t have to fake being Sogeking or Usoland, a “big guy” who’s already a hero. He was just Usopp, and it’s the little guy Usopp who’s finally trying to stand up for others.
tl;dr: Usopp took 3 steps forward in the first bit, a huge step back in Water 7, and a few huge strides forward just now.
*All rights go to the maker of this analysis
