What USOPP is Missing | The Anatomy of One Piece

Usopp a one-time light-hearted liar now turned great warrior of the sea this character has provided me with some of the most nail-biting moments of the series reviewing this material and story has become my job and to this day out of the hundred volumes of one piece that I own volume 35 has remained my favorite and it is such because it features what I believe to be the very best fight in the entire series Usopp versus Luffy to say that I've read through this fight countless times does a disservice to counting and so since I first laid eyes upon him in syrup Village usup has been a character I've wanted to study and truly take a closer look at and I am delighted that I did because what I have found has made me fall in love with his character and this story all the more Usopp may be fearful deceitful insecure and very neurotic but he is also one of the most exciting characters in the entire series to follow both in action and in dialogue and that I assure you is no lie for Fore foree [Music] fore in comics and manga there are a variety of different ways to present dialogue speech bubbles are the most common for dialogue spoken out loud however I'd like to take a moment to talk about something called inner dialogue often depicted using thought bubbles these are our means of communicating to the reader visually that a particular person is thinking dialogue rather than speaking it out for all to hear and interestingly unlike the vast vast majority of characters in existence let alone one piece Luffy doesn't really have internal [Music] dialogue this observation speaks to the sort of character Luffy is as it outlined in the Luffy video action is what defines his character and Luffy embodies that principle and so his lack of thought bubbles is an extension of that very principle he does not hide anything within the context of the broader story this complement a number of elements perhaps none more so in Sy Village than the character of Usopp a character who perhaps projects more internal dialogue thought bubbles than every other Straw Hat combined across the series and I don't think that this is a coincidence much the same as Luffy this is a creative Choice which complement and highlights the sort of character Usopp is without someone explicitly telling us what He is Oda leverages everything from his choice of lies to how his dialogue is delivered to us in order to bathe each and every action he takes and word he says enrich Illuminating subtext for instance when in combat or direct dangerous conflict with someone this implementation of internal dialogue for Usopp is used as a means of demonstrating to us his defining character trait his inclination towards lying for this is dramatic irony and usup as a character depends on this narrative trick to achieve a sense of drama in his fights where Luffy through his adherence to always fight for what he believes in will find himself in deep water due to his honesty Usopp creates drama through his lies or rather our understanding of them unlike the characters in this story as audience members we are privy to his internal thoughts we can read them the same way we read his speech spoken out loud and can therefore check to see the validity of his claims ourselves this dissonance between what he is thinking versus what he says out loud creates tension for us reading because we know he's a total paper tiger totally full of it but the enemy doesn't know that necessarily similar to Hitchcock's famous bomb under the table metaphor when it comes to Usopp the drama we enjoy comes from knowing that at any moment the bomb under the table could go off at any time or in this case his lies will be found out at any moment earlier on in this series I touched on a writing principle often used whereby the author will actively Place their protagonists villains and Side characters into scenarios that highlight their defining traits best achieving this often times through contrast with other characters we've seen it with the likes of Luffy and pretty much every villain he faces off with we've seen it with Zoro and helppo in Shell Island and for a Time Nami and Luffy too during her various spurts of development in arlong park and skypia Usopp in syrup Village therefore is no different as the main antagonist of this Arc Captain Kuro is narratively tailored to contrast with Usopp exceptionally well he compliments Luffy during their fight yes but it's clear he's designed for Usopp specifically to be compared to and he is The Narrative of syrup Village establishes usopp's deceitful pattern of behavior right away with his very name being a punon on Uso meaning lie in Japanese and his nose an obvious visual reference to Pinocchio his design screams liar however soon we come to appreciate that his lies have an emotional core to them one nestled in the past with his late mother and his absentee father and through that we learned that that in the present day his lies offer a designed and tailored Comfort to one of the only people who like him on the island Kay we learned that she treats his stories as just that stories fascinating fictions to help her have fun and feel better when she's ill through understanding this we can see that Usopp is harmless and in some select cases righteous hyper aware of his own shortcomings when set alongside others his mouth and mind have always been his first Port of Call and yet despite this certainty of his own lack of ability he always tries to intervene on behalf of those he cares about no matter how scared he might justifiably be this is all to say that usab generally lies for good or neutral reasons he's passionate about his dreams despite his fears and he protects his friends despite his weaknesses and when you look at Captain Kuru then as a figure of contrast to Usopp suddenly the intelligent design of Oda starts to become a parent Kuro much like Usopp is a liar in this story though import importantly different he lies for selfish reasons to gain power and control over those that trust him unlike usab Kaa and those who work for her deeply Trust and Believe In kuro's lies as he assumes this Alter Ego as someone who serves her family and unlike Usopp is actively making Kaa feel worse through the use of manipulation and poison furthermore unlike Usopp who clings unto his dream of becoming one day a great warrior of the sea despite his present circumstances Kuro has already already given up on his life once before starting a new and in the process openly demonstrating that he'd never step in to fight for anyone other than himself explicitly killing a number of his own subordinates with his own signature ability he is the perfect foil for a character like Usopp and yet Usopp doesn't defeat Kuro or really save his village he doesn't even get to fight Kuro because he isn't strong enough at best you could say Usopp helps Luffy and his crew achieve victory in a supporting role he has a long way to [Music] go [Music] a def finding feature of one piece of story from romance Dawn all the way through to SAI has been the misfit nature of the crew despite finding great success thus far growing in number and capability with a clear ambition the straw head Pirates are still very much a small fish in the enormously dangerous Pond that is the grand line and the story of Usopp explores this very element the element or rather fear of not feeling like one truly belongs there upon my first readr of the manga this was a scene that quite literally left me guess as to what its significance was to the story I had literally no idea what to make of it since leaving serup Village I thought the going Mary had been an analog of some description for the crew it carried a friendly looking vessel that's trying its best to navigate these turbulent Seas but I was only half right and by the time we arrived in water 7 now barely afloat on a struggling going Mary the truth is actually revealed Mary isn't an analog for the crew she's an analog for USA and that crucial difference is what defines not only this entire conflict but the entire character of Usopp himself the crew naturally seeks solutions to the going Mary's problem and in the process ends up in the ship building capital of the world water 7 the conclusion that's reached however shocks Usopp to his very core leading to a battle between himself and Luffy the likes of which I feel haven't been surpassed emotionally in the entire story and this shock he feels isn't coming about because the ship was a gift from Kaa he's this shook because if Mary can't make it well in usopp's mind maybe neither can he if Mary can be given up on then maybe he's next and so for the first time in the series instead of avoiding direct physical confrontation with someone clearly stronger than he is Usopp extends a challenge to the authority of his own Captain issuing a jewel for the fate of their crew and Mary itself the fight demonstrates an Usopp unlike any we've seen seen before one armed with extremely clever strategy and fail safes what helps this fight and Usopp feel both threatening and imposing is that the entire fight is told from the point of view of Luffy normally In the Heat of a battle we are privy to usopp's inner thoughts his insecurities and his doubts but because he's an enemy of Luffy we don't see that selft talk those thought bubbles we only see what outwardly shows on the surface and that's an incredibly effective warrior with conviction misdirecting Luffy's straightforward approach with blindsiding attacks with the future of the crew hanging in the balance we know that usab is only motivated to act out this way due to his insecurities and sense of inadequacy but the Brilliance of Oda framing this scene in this way through the point of Luffy is that it frees us from what's going on in usopp's mind we can see for ourselves how utterly wrong Usopp is how capable he can be and how he must have appeared to the majority of those he faced Up Against All Along The Journey proving that usopp's greatest enemy has always been his own mind imp like Mary Usopp is a hold over from serup Village struggling to stay afloat in the real world of the grand line in the back of usopp's mind he feels like there's a burning truth that no matter how hard he tries he doesn't belong with the straw hats this is partially why he feels such a powerful attachment to Mary and why he himself acts as the ship's hand when it takes damage despite not knowing anything about ship building or carpentry really Usopp assumes this responsibility because if he can make the going marry last then maybe he can convince himself that he belongs with this Crew He cherishes so much since leaving romance Dawn Luffy and everyone else sort of has their roles totally nailed down but Usopp doesn't he's not really a fighter despite being dragged into them very often he's not a chef Navigator doctor musician or strategist he's not even a Visionary he's helped with the Armament sure sort of though I'm not sure if that defines him really he's taken it upon himself to be the ship's Carpenter and repair man in the absence of someone who actually knows what they're doing this is all to say that while Usopp is certainly contributing greatly in his own way he's not the best in any of these areas like the others are in their respective fields of interest and the problem is USO up recognizes that and because Mary isn't the best ship and Mary's best isn't enough to stay in the crew then he fears the same is true for him and he just [Music] snaps the fight itself is a spectacle to behold completed with this wonderful shot of Mary crying the fight has met a conclusion one that could have been avoided if the characters involved weren't so flawed but they are Luffy knows it Zoro knows it Nami definitely knows it and most of all Usopp knows it there's a beautifully revealing scene shared between Usopp and Frankie later where Usopp admits that he already knew the going Mary was done for and left the crew anyway it was never really about the ship just what it represented a crushing sense of inferiority and this can be seen long before War 7 you see it in the first encounter Usopp has with the group in serup village and every other time he boasts or Puffs out his chest after then but if this was all there was to Usopp then he wouldn't be one of the most inspirational characters in the story there is in fact more to him much more while a deep and personal part of his character the insecurities are about a result of his deep love and appreciation for his friends and crew and with that as a foundation there's no wonder why a certain Persona made himself known to the world [Music] this is one of the best Explorations into usopp's character because it explicitly serves no other function than to tell us where usopp's mental state is and where his priorities truly lie while reading or watching everyone at home knows that this is Usopp and the same can be said for the crew much of them at least really the only individual who seems to not know it's him is Luffy the only person he really needs to apologize to but he can't do that not yet Usopp finds himself at a Crossroads admitting that he was in the wrong to the crew comes with facing reality a requirement that forces him to expose his insecurities and contend with some emotionally complicated baggage alternatively the other path means he needs to Desert his friends and family neither of these options seem viable but and this is important because the root motivation for Usopp is to love be with and protect his crew the compromise he comes to SOA King serves the function of protecting his crew while shielding his insecurities from harm as a secondary function a person who runs and turns away from his friends is not who Usopp wants to be it's why he left syrup Village in the first place and thus this is why sooka King exists in the form that he does he represents USA pushing past his insecurities to do the right thing when he isn't strong enough to do so himself it is quite literally an alter ego the mask is not only a way for for him to hide his own insecurities but also an embodiment of everything Usopp wants to be a legendary hero pushing his fears and regrets to one side he valiantly fights alongside his crew once again and man does he accomplish that in great fashion this is how Usopp decides to fight in any's lobby as a vital support player during the several fights that make up this Rescue Mission but perhaps the most revealing comes about during this quiet moment where he's left behind and just like dozens of times before his inner thoughts bubble to the surface once again unlike the Luffy fight earlier where once again granted permission to view his internal struggle as a reader a fight for control between his fear and his virtue should he run away now the crews already after moving on without him his mind is giving him every chance he has to leave but he doesn't instead he corrects himself and says you hid your identity so you could come along I must fight no matter what this is who Usopp truly is characters like him are defined not by their skills but by their ability to face the terror of their own minds and still press forward to do the right thing anyway the conversation with oo one of the defeated Giants it serves as a tiny demonstration of how Usopp just by being himself with everything he has seen and experienced on this journey brings hope to this world inspiring others to stand up and fight alongside like a true warrior of the Seas alongside these demigod likee Warriors in his crew Usopp brings a modest Humanity to the picture that people can really appreciate and reach a Humanity that def finds them and one that shines through the mask eventually for all to [Music] see visually the cracking of su King's mask is a rather clear metaphor for usopp's proverbial mask slipping on his face A visual representation of the progress USAF is making in processing what the right thing to do is in this instance but it's in these closing emotional moments contrast once again shows up as oda's best tool in conveying and revealing character to [Music] us [Music] [Applause] [Music] a point I made towards the beginning of War 7 was that Usopp felt inferior to the rest of his crew and due to this felt a kinship with the going Mary as two entities trying their best to survive in these insanely dangerous Waters the going Mary came into their lives because of usopp's connection with Kaa sooka King came to their rescue because of his love for his crew but now with both the mask and the going Mary having shattered to Pieces Usopp the man responsible for both of these things is All That Remains and what we can appreciate is Usopp was never a character that needed to be great at one specific thing like all the others are his magic stems from his courage and desire to contribute in whatever way he can I mean he became zoro's sword in this fight for God's sake all throughout this journey Usopp has filled whatever Gap manifested in the crew that required filling they don't have a ship right well Usopp can handle it for now Nami needs a weapon Usopp can handle that for now Zoro needs a sword I guess that's a job for Usopp it seems no matter the circumstance Usopp is consistently the single greatest support player the series has ever seen and that my friends is an intentional design choice [Music] and with his friends now sailing away without him Usopp is left to wonder what more he has to do similar to The Reflex he has to sensation lies and embellish here Usopp blusters with his chest puffed out in the hopes that the crew will allow him to rejoin without so much as a hiccup this of course cannot happen at least not when Zoro is keeping a close eye on the choices being made by Luffy Usopp knows he's done wrong he's learned as much thanks to Frankie so when pushed with tears rolling down his face he finally explodes with an apology at the last possible moment slingshotting Luffy to his side once more Usopp is enough it's a beautiful story but it's not over [Music] yet as outlined at numerous points in this video Oda enjoys using contrast to highight what his character stand for be they on the side of good or bad in skypia he took this concept to its natural Extreme as a nail both figuratively and literally represented Luffy's natural opposite or rather Luffy was ael's natural counter or enemy with his rubber serving as a beautiful insulator to the electronic current and now use to gain power in the first place but in Thriller bark Usopp enjoys this natural counter position too against perona and it is brilliant [Applause] Thriller bar is an arc that makes clear to us that the straw hats are not ready to face the dangers of the new world Usopp versus perona is a fight between two idiots where Luffy's physiological makeup made him hyperresistant to anel's Powers usopp's natural ability to deceive and his mental state makes him the perfect weapon to get the better of the gullible and impressional able perona with that said despite this decisive Victory to add to usopp's modest collection what this fight also highlights is just how far away Usopp is from his [Music] ideal what makes USA perona's natural weakness here is his projected mood he is the most negative and pessimistic person she has ever met a crystal clear portrait of where his insecurities lie and how his lack of self-esteem shapes his actions making this the perfect occasion for a certain alter Eagle to take Center Stage once [Music] again as perona turns the tables in the fight before the Finish Usopp still feeling down uses the sooka King Persona to help himself become the person he wants to be He's a brave Warrior of the sea and one that vanquishes perona in the most hilarious of fashion but like I said if she hadn't been this particular opponent during this Arc the story would have been so so very different though through this light-hearted encounter that grants Usopp and epic W Oda tricks us not unlike Usopp would into thinking that the crew is ready to face stronger opponents like the cp9 Moria and Beyond but nothing could be further from the truth as I've said before for a lot of the original straw hats the second half of the story has offered them a chance to demonstrate how much they've grown and changed nami's character while far more understated following arlong Park does suffer from a clear character flaw as does zaro a character more stoic and confident than the vast majority particularly when set alongside someone like Usopp who still struggles with his treatment of female warriors in the series further echoing his Beginnings with kuina while this is all certainly true what sets usup hard in my mind from everyone else is how overtly explicit all of his flaws are they inform practically every single action he takes each one pushing him closer and closer to his ideal or goal to become a great warrior of the sea and while we're on the topic of his goals this is specifically why I believe his dream is more interesting than the others in the group not because it isn't a worthy ideal but because it's hard to identify when has achieved said goal or perhaps more specifically when one such as Usopp hasn't reached it unlike Nami Sanji Zoro and all the others who have clear markers for when they will achieve their dreams Usopp doesn't really have that and honestly that I think is the genius ingredient Oda added to usopp's design when writing for his character instead of giving Usopp a dream that can be measured like discovering the all blue mapping the world's oceans becoming the greatest swordsman Etc Oda gave him a dream dream only he Usopp can say when he has achieved it and what makes that interesting is that Usopp already has achieved his dream I mean look at his wins from before the time skip usopp's very first victory in a 1V one fight is an abject struggle from beginning to end one where he narrowly survived and did so while relying on the skills that helped him survive all this time his willingness to lie and deceive albeit humorous it's a clear sign that he is long long way to go and this pattern follows across the entire pre-time skip material much like in arlong park Usopp deceives Mr four and by proxy mole lady indirectly he deceives perona as I demonstrated earlier in hilarious fashion in Thriller bark oh and this might not have even been a win for Usopp necessarily but his altercation with Luffy in water 7 demonstrated an indirect approach that hinged on misdirection one that was designed to Blindside Luffy in order to get the drop on him all of these interactions share that same approach however if we look at the Post Time skip section of this story his first outing on Fishman Island sees him totally obliterate his opponent the same goes for sugar their first confrontation was a total accident admittedly but the second attempt through the Awakening of his own hockey he definitely secures the victory again thanks entirely to his own abilities it is an astounding moment for Usopp and one that shows just how far he's come as a great warrior of the sea I spoke openly earlier about how self-conscious and insecure Usopp was in water 7 which led to the actions he ultimately took but in truth this insecurity has been around since the very first Arc he was introduced every single time he does something semi-competent he looks for acknowledgement from somebody routinely lying to embellish the already impressiveness of his accomplishments simply because he doesn't feel worthy of Praise as he truly is but that element of his personality starts to change and at this moment it's [Music] explicit following this frankly incredible feat that literally no one else could have pulled off by the way Usopp utter a sentence he never would have uttered in the beginning of his [Music] story unbeknownst to Usopp In This Moment he has truly demonstrated a level of growth far greater than that which he demonstrated in fisherman Island this is what true Security in one's own skin looks like he doesn't feel the need to receive validation from anyone for his legitimately praiseworthy accomplishments do you think that if you were to ask Luffy or any of the straw hats if Usopp had become a great warrior of the sea any of them would say that he hasn't of course they wouldn't but here's the thing Usopp would and to highlight that misplaced value Usopp has you need look no further than one of usopp's very first real interactions with the crew it's an exchange following Luffy's decision to help Usopp fight against Captain Kuro in syrup Village check it out who would risk their life out of pity to Usopp appearances matter he has this misplaced vision of what he believes a great warrior of the sea to be and it's that immaturity that insecurity that blinds him to reality and the astounding growth he's enjoyed as a character to date Luffy and Zoro in this scene weren't looking on in pity instead they saw a young man that was truly terrified beyond belief and chose to fight anyway they were acknowledging How brave Usopp was and in that moment by choosing to fight he was far more courageous than either of them and they knew it that's the beauty of this character usopp's ultimate goal and dream of becoming a great warrior of the sea can really only be achieved once he accepts that he's a capable and valuable member of the crew himself in other words overcoming this flaw he has this sense of inferiority in finding comfort and contentment in his own achievements is the key to him successfully achieving his dream now he has the skills he has the adventures to talk about he has the accomplishments to boast about but ironically Usopp the sniper who could see the possible from Miles Away cannot see this about himself it's a fascinating design for a character narratively speaking and no doubt has aided him in becoming one of the most popular characters in the entire series and that's the video if you guys want sneak previews and early access to upcoming videos before they release on YouTube consider supporting us on patreon it helps a ton and the next one is Sanji so if you don't want to miss that consider subscribing and hitting the Bell icon down below once again thank you so much for watching and I'll catch you guys next [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] time

Channel: Totally Not Mark

Views: 150,020

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Id: 0xiVNfnGxto

Length: 30min 51sec (1851 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 16 2024