The Straw Hat Pirates are some of the greatest heroes in anime, and while they are great characters in their own right, it is their relationships with each other that set them apart. Almost every couple among the ten crew members has an easily recognizable and enjoyable dynamic, with some being played more for comedy than drama, and vice versa. Other relationships between crew members get more attention and development than others, leading to some unforgettable dynamics and scenes.
The friendships between Luffy, Zoro, and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates are some of the best aspects of One Piece. Since there are no romances within the crew, every bond is either casual, familial, or conflicted. This just goes to show that romance isn’t always necessary to create powerful bonds between characters. In fact, platonic bonds are sometimes even more lasting, making them one of the best relationships to explore.
10 Usopp and Sanji always believed in each other
Sanji respects Usopp more than anyone else
Usopp and Sanji don’t interact often, but it’s always a joy when they do. While he can be easily frustrated by Usopp’s cowardly ways, like everyone else in the crew, Sanji has always been kinder and more respectful towards Usopp than any other Straw Hat. Sanji has a level of confidence in Usopp’s abilities that no other Straw Hat possesses, and an interest in him that goes deeper than he would ever say out loud.
Some of the most memorable scenes that really cement their bond occur during the Water 7 and Enies Lobby arcs, where Sanji kicks Luffy before he can tell Usopp to leave the crew, immediately embracing Usopp’s Sogeking persona, and giving Usopp the encouragement he needs to save Robin from Spandam. In return, Usopp respects and enjoys spending time with Sanji, often willing to join him in mocking Zoro as they both enjoy getting under the swordsman’s skin.
9 Zoro and Chopper are like brothers
Chopper turns to Zoro for advice
While Chopper enjoys spending most of his time having fun with Luffy, Usopp, and Brook, Zoro is the Straw Hat he admires the most. As the youngest and most immature member of the crew, Chopper sees the crew’s stoic tough guy as a role model. In turn, Zoro is happy to teach his boyfriend how to become a man.
When Chopper is scared, the cute character of the franchise’s mascot can often be found clinging adorably to Zoro. Zoro, meanwhile, is the Straw Hat most often injured to the point of needing medical attention, meaning it often falls to Chopper to keep the man he holds so dear alive. Chopper has seen Zoro at his best and his worst, watching him rise from each injury to jump right back into the fray, and for him, it’s admirable.
8 Robin is fiercely protective of Chopper
Robin treats Chopper like his own child
When Robin joined the Straw Hats, Chopper was wary of her and feared her due to her status as the former Vice President of Baroque Works. Today, Chopper still fears Robin, but only when her macabre sense of humor comes out. Otherwise, Chopper loves Robin as much as she loves him.
Robin is one of the oldest Straw Hats, as well as the most mature member of the crew. Her love of all things cute leads her to take on a motherly role towards the young and childish Chopper. She did not grow up with a mother of her own, leading her to give him a lot of attention and be incredibly protective of him. The latter role is usually played for comedy, but there is no doubt that she would crush anyone who tried to hurt her in her presence.
7 Nami and Robin are best friends
Nami and Robin form a bond as Straw Hat women
Sailing the seas while living with eight men, It’s no surprise that the only two women in the Straw Hats formed a close friendship.As the two most responsible Straw Hats, they don’t have any running gags between them, but those are unnecessary when their brotherly bond is strong on its own.
Nami and Robin don’t have much in common on the surface, they have very different interests and a ten-year age difference between them. This doesn’t stop the two from getting along well, they are often seen relaxing or shopping together, nor do they swoon over Robin’s cool side, or are probably the most dedicated to protecting Robin from the World Government.
6 Nami and Usopp are the funniest couple on the team
Usopp and Name share the same determination to overcome their fears.
Nami and Usopp are the two weakest members of the Straw Hat Pirates.and their mutual limitations have brought them together on several occasions. When faced with great danger, the two are just as likely to outdo each other, striving to improve themselves to aid their more powerful teammates, as they are to flee together in hilariously terrified fashion.
Usopp and Nami, two of the crew’s biggest extroverts, sometimes have strong personalities that can clash, but they also wear their love and affection for each other on their sleeves. Usopp is also responsible for helping Nami develop her weather-based abilities, as he invented the original Clima-Tact specifically for her.
5 Luffy declared war on the world for Robin
Luffy convinced Robin that she deserved to live
Robin saved Luffy’s life not only before she was a Straw Hat, but also since she was his enemy. While she was still the villain Miss All Sunday, Robin saved Luffy several times after his first fights with Crocodile.and she continues to be one of his greatest allies to this day. Her ability to read the Poneglyphs makes her the only person capable of guiding Luffy to One Piece, and her high intelligence makes her Luffy’s go-to woman when he needs something explained to him.
Even if Robin had no value to Luffy outside of herself, he would still care about her just as much. Shortly after Robin joined the crew, she was captured by CP9 and sentenced to death. Despite barely knowing her, Luffy didn’t hesitate to risk everything and declare war on the World Government for her. Luffy’s love and devotion to Robin is what convinces her that her life has value, and she reciprocates that loyalty at every turn.
4 The rivalry between Zoro and Sanji will never end
Zoro and Sanji are unable to admit that they care for each other.
Neither Straw Hat Pirate shares as much vitriol towards each other as Zoro and Sanji. The second and third strongest members of the crew, respectivelythe two are in constant competition over everything, be it strength, generosity, or something particularly trivial, and fight each other at every opportunity.
Beneath their apparent hatred, the Wings of the Pirate King care for each other more than they will ever admit. They both understand that the other is equally necessary in helping Luffy achieve his dreams, they are willing to die for each other, and in the Wano Country Saga, when Sanji fears he is turning into a heartless monster, it is Zoro he trusts enough to ask to kill him, if that happens.
3 Luffy likes Usopp as much as any other crew member.
Usopp is the closest friend of the future pirate king
Luffy loves every member of his crew, considering them all as his family, but The future pirate king only has one best friend, and that’s UsoppLuffy and Usopp, especially in the pre-timeskip era, are a perfect duo of idiotic teenagers who share the dream of becoming great pirates and who constantly engage in hysterical antics together.
Luffy and Usopp’s relationship isn’t always rosy, and their conflict during the Water 7 and Enies Lobby arcs is one of the best in the series. Luffy’s lack of experience as a captain, Usopp’s insecurities, and their mutual immaturity lead them both to make horrible mistakes, but they enjoy a tearful reconciliation at the end.
2 Luffy and Nami have absolute trust in each other
Name and Luffy would do anything for each other
Luffy and Nami both have immense respect for each other. Ever since Luffy met Nami, he has trusted her completely, to the point of refusing to let her abandon the Straw Hats after she betrayed them and stole their ship, and giving her his most prized possession, his Straw Hat. as soon as she breaks down and asks him for help to stop ArlongEver since Luffy defeated Nami’s childhood tormentor, she never doubted that Luffy would become the Pirate King and that he could beat anyone.
At the same time, Luffy and Nami have one of the most violent dynamics among the Straw Hats, with the latter frequently hitting him when he acts like an idiot, and the former expressing his fear of her. Sure, it’s a running gag and Luffy is infinitely more powerful than Nami, but it also serves as another example of how much weight Luffy places on Nami’s judgment; if Nami hits him, he knows he did something wrong and deserves it.
1 Luffy and Zoro complement each other
Zoro always supported his captain
Luffy may not spend much time with Zoro as the Straw Hats sail from island to island, but there’s no one he’d rather have by his side when he’s in the thick of things. The first crew member Luffy ever recruited, Zoro is Luffy’s unofficial right-hand man. He is the only Straw Hat capable of keeping up with Luffy, and having the cool head that allows him to take control of the crew, or call Luffy when needed, makes his role essential to their overall success.
Neither Luffy nor Zoro are particularly intelligent outside of combat, and they share a mutual love for fighting. Luffy’s exuberance bounces off Zoro’s stoicism, even bringing out the latter’s more energetic side at times. The two complement each other perfectly and have had countless good times together. Their relationship has also changed over time, with Zoro going from being willing to cut Luffy off if he got in the way of his own goals, to being willing to sacrifice his life for Luffy during the climax of the Thriller Bark arc.