What USOPP is Missing | The Anatomy of One Piece

The subtle and ingenius design of Usopp's character has been one of the main driving forces behind my enthusism for One Piece. He's one of the most explicitly flawed and human characters in the entire series and for that reason has become arguably one of the three most popular characters across the entire series. Join me today as I dive deep into Usopp's character and try to reveal some hidden gems from the one and only Eiichiro Oda!

MUSIC USED

Escape The City (Pirate Warriors 3)
Final Battle (Cover by Rozenreven)
Unused Track (GAA)
Last Step (Hotel Dusk)
City (Limbo)
Rosary - Intro (Ender Lillies)
Burned to Ashes (Unlimited RED)
Luffy VS Usopp (Cover by SLSMusic)
Menu (Limbo)
Sogeking's Theme (Cover by GuessTheThemeSongs)
The Great Secret Trial (GAA)
Luffy VS Ratchet (Cover by Paul Owen)
Dear Friends (Commissioned Cover to nestorglass)
Lavender Town (Remix by Qumu)
Ghoul Boss (FF7 Remake)
The True Last Battle (Unlimited RED)
After Eating, To The Grand Line! (Cover by Nick Kaltouroumidis)
WE ARE (Cover by Pokemixr92)

[joseudaetalara]

Him actually seeming menacing while not having thought bubbles was such a big thing for you to point out to me

[EvilTomba]

I appreciate that Sanji is the one in Water 7 that tells Usopp to do what only he can do; I feel like Sanji more than any of the others understands what it is to be compared to others and thought to be weak, worse to feel that you are yourself.

[jamesveronese]

What works about Usopp for me is how much of his stuff comes from failing upwards/ working smarter and not harder. He is 9/10 times well in over his head, but he’s been this since the start and has always carried his weight in his own unique way. A strategic fighter amongst people like Luffy, Zoro and Franky is such an interesting concept and I just wish Oda used him more in the ladder half of the story

[kingQ]

Ussop is literally all of us. We’d all like to think we’d be Luffy or Zoro and act fearless. But if you saw a 9ft fishman you’d be scared then you get told “hey you have to fight that” 99% of people would rightly turn and run because we fear death. We should all strive to be more like Ussop. Scared yes, but he’s no coward. If his family is in danger he will stand up and fight!

[solidskullz]

One of the reasons why I love ussop so much is because of adaptability. He doesn’t have a devil fruit power nor does he have insane martial prowess, but he’s creative and always makes use of what he has stay on equal footing. His courage and ingenuity make him a standout among the straw hats even if he lacks some do the abilities that the others have

[trevorgrover]

Usopp's name might also pull from the greek fable writer Aesop. Usopp using fibs, fables, and fantasy to escape tough situations, only to then embody those fables and become a warrior of the sea, something of legend, is great character writing. You very much nailed his character.

[UsoppOP]

I love usopps friendship with everyone on the crew. The man is kinda like luffy as he has a unique friendship with each member. I especially love his relationship with Luffy, Nami and Chopper.

[illuminoeye_gaming]

it's a cliche quote, but
"Bravery is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to act despite it."

[Prince_Cheddar]

Usopp is my favorite Strawhat. I've always got a soft spot for sneaky, rogue fighting styles. The thing I always think about with Usopp choosing to leave the crew over Merry is that Usopp relied on his ability to keep the Merry afloat as thing that made him feel he deserved to belong on the crew. A lot of Usopp's self-worth was tied to his keeping Merry repaired. Even if he wasn't a properly trained shipwright, his efforts always meant they could reach the next island, similar to Nami's navigator skills meaning she's a valid crewmember despite not being a major combatant.


The mugging brought his insecurities of weakness to the forefront. He was unreliable, a liability, his weakness had cost them millions. And when he's at his lowest, he finds out the Merry couldn't be fixed. That he had been failing at the only thing that made him feel a valid part of the crew. Because of his incompetence, the Merry, their friend, was unfixable.

Thus he had two choices. He can accept the Merry can't be fixed. Since he cannot fight and fundamentally failed the one thing that made he feel like a valid crewmate, that would mean he has no purpose on the crew. How can he allow himself to be on the crew if he's only going to be a liability? He'd only be on the crew because the crew liked him, not because he actually deserved it, because he was a valid and valuable member of the crew. It would be in the crew's best interest to get rid of someone are unreliable as him.

Or he could refuse to accept Merry's condition. If the Merry was actually fixable, and he proved that by fixing it, then it would prove that he didn't fail his job and deserved to be on the crew. But because of Luffy's decision, the only way he could do that would be to leave the crew.

It's a catch 22. Either he doesn't deserve to be on the crew, and should leave, or he has to leave the crew to be able to prove that he deserved to be a part of it.

[viperizer]

Gotta say, it’s so nice to see so many other people love Usopp.

I was really scared that I was the only one who understood how masterfully written of a character he is.

Thank you so much for this video!

[kyuubinaruto]

Yeah this video explains why I love Usopp as a character so much. Amazing breakdown. To go along with what's stated, even during the Onigashima Raid he supported Nami by helping her take down Ulti, supported Otama multiple ways such as giving her an opening to deliver her orders along with shooting the kibi dangos at Gifters, even supported the Scabbards in changing their ideals with his speech. He's really that dude when it comes to this.

[onepiecefan]

Usopp is my favorite straw hat cause he’s a jack of all trades but master of none trying to figure what he can master

[stormaggeden]

Usopp is my all-time favorite character. Such a well written character, the perfect underdog, and represents us all. A normal man among gods and monsters. Whats braver than that?
Love you SogaKing ❤

[holligames]

I cried three times during this video. Usopp has the best character moments in the show not even close

[kingbushybeard]

To reinforce what you said about usopp's insecurity and him thinking he doesn't measure up to the others on the crew, his fight with luffy happens after usopp was robbed by the Franky family. Something that reinforced that insecurity in usopp because he demonstrably failed at something as simple as safeguarding the crews money. I think the confrontation was always going to happen, but this particular instance was the straw that broke the camels back.

[Zachracer]

Oda once said Usopp will always be he weakest member of the crew because he wanted him to be the most normal and relatable.

Usopp is my favorite character. Yeah, I have a soft spot for anyone who makes me laugh, the weak becoming strong, facing your fears when you’re alone, and the straight man character. I like Leorio in HxH for the same reasons. And I really like characters who have dramatic character development and growth. Almost every arc Usopp gains something new to his change. He slowly is becoming the warrior he wants to be. And I like that. Such a vague goal allowing him to tell stories to his friend (and possible love). One of his songs is called “Lies Become True” and that’s another theme I love about Usopp. It’s ironic that most of the stories he told Kaya have come true so she’s kinda heard them already. But I find that to be funny as well.

Overall, Usopp is a character people either love or hate. Many want him to die out of spire but some find his death to be appropriate for his character arc.
Usopp is one I’m always rooting for. He may not be as relatable as he once was, but he is still the straight man who calls out when things may be too far. And yet, he’s here, standing strong (standing through Rayleigh’s haki), doing strong things (carrying Luffy and Robin while swimming in Punk Hazard), and proving that while he may be the weakest in the end, he’ll be the weakest member of the strongest crew on the seas.

[roger_towny_jr]

Syrup Village is drastically underrated.
One small detail I like from the anime is how the entire town looks like its drawn in crayon like a children's storybook. The use of colors at sunset, and the crecent moon in particular are extremely stylized. Cause it is, as you very eloquently described, a tale of two liars: Usopp, who lies to bring joy and levity to this town and his friends, and Kuro, who uses lies to deceive the people who trust him for his personal gain.

And this is supposedly the weakest arc of the series.

[HEyZEus-tvet]

@8:17 That's the best one! You have won the internet today
A mix of perfectly 'was not expecting that at all' and I would totally believe the Mexican tv edits of One Piece would actually do that

[KinSmashClub]

I feel like this video needed to shout out to Sanji because in Enies Lobby, it was Sanji who told Usopp how he can find his spot on the crew. In Usopp's lowest point in Enies Lobby after being saved from certain death, Usopp is about to face his 'reality' of not being good enough again. Then Sanji (very fitting considering Sanji's past), says "Everyone has things they can and can't do. I'll do what you can't... You go do what I can't." One of my favorite quotes in the entire series and basically sums up exactly why they need Usopp and how Usopp was able to find his niche in the crew, leading to his highs of this arc, shooting down the marines taking Robin away. Looking back on this, it's really masterful how Oda tied in all these threads into Usopp's character arc from day 1 of introducing him and the pay off to be so well done as well. I one day wish I can make such an impactful scene

[jackd]

Mark, something about these videos has been speaking to my soul. You’re able to not only capture how I feel about these characters, but explain to me why I am feeling that way. Your grasp of literary analysis is intensely powerful and I will not cease to be awed by it.