Unveiling the Straw Hats’ Shocking Weaknesses in One Piece!

by

Summary

  • The Straw Hats make up for each other’s weaknesses to ensure a strong crew that can face any challenge.
  • Individual weaknesses such as Luffy’s vulnerability to water and Sanji’s chivalrous code make the crew more believable and interesting.
  • Each member like Nami, Usopp, and Zoro have unique weaknesses like physical capabilities, lack of bravery, and sense of direction.

Back in the Enies Lobby arc of One Piece, as a way to try and reassure Usopp, Sanji said a memorable quote: “I’ll do what you can’t do, and you do what I can’t do.” This essentially sums up how the Straw Hats, despite all having their own personal weaknesses, are able to make up for one another by filling in these gaps, ensuring they are always a strong and reliable crew who can take down anything the Marines throw at them.

Still, there have been many points throughout One Piece‘s long-running story where the Straw Hats’ weaknesses have gotten in the way of a mission, or ended up losing them a crucial fight. As many fans will agree though, it would be boring if all of Luffy’s crewmates were all perfect and had no faults to speak of, since it would make them a lot less believable and, frankly, pretty overpowered. As a result, these weaknesses aren’t inherently a bad thing from a character with perspective, but they can be a little annoying for the pirates themselves to deal with.

1. Luffy – Water/Sea Stone

As A Devil Fruit User, Being Dunked In A Pool Of Water Would Spell Disaster For Luffy

Luffy’s Gomu Gomu Fruit, which is later revealed to be a fruit related to the Sun-God Nika, has been an incredibly useful tool for the Straw Hat captain during his grand adventure. Being able to stretch his limbs as far as they can go has allowed Luffy to conjure up all kinds of powerful attacks and transformations, though since this all comes from a Devil Fruit, it does mean Luffy isn’t able to swim. As seen in the Water 7 arc, staying in water drastically nerfs Luffy’s power, so remaining on land at all costs is a necessity.

However, he can also be weakened if he is forced to wear a pair of Sea Stone shackles. In Udon Prison, for example, these shackles prevented Luffy from using Haki, and though he was still able to hold his own, it would be much easier for someone to take him out when he’s in this state.

2. Usopp – Lack Of Bravery

Usopp’s Goal Is To Become A Brave Warrior Of The Sea, But He’s Not Quite There Yet

Any time the Straw Hats approach a new island, Usopp will always claim that he can’t step foot off the Sunny because of some made-up disease that prevents him from entering a new area. While this is said by him for comedic effect, it does also feed into Usopp’s biggest personal flaw; his lack of confidence or bravery. There have been numerous points in the story where Usopp’s cowardice has almost jeopardized the mission, such as when he came close to abandoning the Tontattas, for example, when they were in danger during the Dressrosa arc.

The good news is, Usopp recognizes that this is his biggest weakness, which is why he made a vow to one day become recognized as a brave warrior of the seas to overcome it. While he’s gained more confidence as the story has gone on, Usopp still has a long way to go before he can fulfill his dream.

3. Nami – Physical Strength

Nami Often Needs to Rely On Others To Help Her When In Combat

Nami’s not shy about giving Luffy or Sanji a knock over the head whenever she catches them misbehaving, but she’s certainly not a fighter. As someone who doesn’t possess a Devil Fruit, and also wasn’t trained in any kind of combat before joining the crew, Nami can often struggle in one-to-one encounters. Luckily, she does have her trusty Clima-Tact and Zeus to help her out, but if she loses these tools, Nami doesn’t have any other aces up her sleeve.

Admittedly, this does make sense considering Nami is supposed to be the navigator, so she wouldn’t be spending all her free time training and trying out new weapons. It does, however, mean that she usually needs someone to accompany her when entering a new island to ensure she doesn’t get ambushed by the enemy.

4. Robin – Transferred Limb Damage

Being Able To Sprout Gigantic Limbs Is A Powerful Ability, But It Comes At A Cost

Nico Robin’s Devil Fruit, the Hana Hana no Mi, allows the user to sprout giant limbs anywhere that they please. Robin has used this on a few occasions to stomp down on a group of enemies, or to protect her crew with a giant set of hands, but the drawback to this powerful ability is any damage inflicted on these limbs will also transfer to Robin’s real body.

This is why she can’t simply run rampant and cause as much chaos as possible, since it could end extremely badly if she goes up against an opponent with significant strength or firepower. Thankfully, Robin’s calm and composed personality means she only uses her ability when necessary to avoid this weakness being too big of an issue.

5. Jinbe – Loyalty

Jinbe Stands Firmly Behind His Beliefs, Even When It Puts Him In Extreme Danger

Admittedly, finding a weakness for Jinbe is pretty tricky considering the courageous Fishman is probably the most well-rounded of the crew. One aspect of his character which has become somewhat of a drawback, though, is his unwavering loyalty to his beliefs. An example of this can be seen near the end of Whole Cake Island, where Jinbe leaves the Straw Hats to help his fellow Sun Pirates, despite this putting him in imminent danger being so close to Big Mom.

During the Marineford War, Jinbe was also locked up for not participating on the side of the Marines, when he could have potentially put his pride aside and infiltrated their ranks to commit some espionage instead, considering he would be stripped of his Shichibukai status either way. While this is a good trait to have, being so adamantly loyal to his beliefs can cause issues for Jinbe from time to time.

6. Brook – Fragile Body

Brook Uses His Impressive Speed To Counteract This Minor Flaw

As a Devil Fruit user, Brook is very weak to sea water, but since he is also a skeleton with not an inch of flesh covering his body, it also means he’s a lot more fragile than his fellow nakama. Throughout the story, though, Brook has been able to evade life-threatening attacks from the likes of Black Maria thanks to his incredible mobility and ice powers, allowing him to keep his foes at a distance.

While Big Mom could have undoubtedly put a few more cracks into the gentlemanly skeleton’s bones during their fight, her love for his quirky appearance and unique ability made her take him as a toy instead. Brook may harbor a weakness, but he has ensured it never becomes a problem for the rest of the crew by staying light on his feet.

7. Chopper – Monster Point Exhaustion

Ironically, Chopper’s Strongest Form Is Also One That Leaves Him Vulnerable After It’s Been Used

Chopper may not exactly be the most formidable fighter out there, but he can still dish out some damage by taking on different forms with the use of his Rumble Ball. The most ferocious of these forms is his Monster Point, which sees Chopper turn into a violent behemoth capable of crushing even the most durable of enemies. Initially. Chopper would enter a violent frenzy when assuming this form, but after the timeskip, he learns to control it, though there is still a big drawback.

Using Monster Point will leave Chopper exhausted and in an infant-like state, meaning if he fails to take an enemy down in the thirty-minute time limit, he’s essentially a sitting duck. Considering how rarely Chopper participates in fights, this isn’t too much of a problem, but it’s still a significant combat weakness for everyone’s favorite reindeer doctor.

8. Franky – Cola Reserve

For Franky To Be At Full Strength, He Always Needs A Plentiful Stock Of His Favorite Beverage

Franky’s incredible attack power comes from his stockpile of cola. By saving some bottles and drinking them periodically, Franky maintains his strength during fights. However, as the cola supply dwindles, so does his ability, making him less effective over time.

Franky is also capable of slurping up multiple bottles in one go to unleash a devastating attack on a foe, though doing so obviously comes with a very big risk of leaving him in a weakened state afterwards. Admittedly, this hasn’t been as much of an issue for Franky post-timeskip, but as seen in his fight with Senor Pink, it’s still something he needs to keep in mind at all times. So long as Franky has something to keep him refreshed though, he’ll always be more than willing to help out his crew.

9. Sanji – Women

Sanji’s Chivalrous Code Has Prevented Him From Defeating Any Female Opponents

Zeff, Sanji’s mentor during his time at Baratie, taught the pirate almost everything he knows, not just about cooking, but also chivalry. More specifically, Zeff taught Sanji to never harm a woman, no matter the circumstances, and while this is certainly a very respectable rule to follow, it has gotten Sanji into trouble numerous times. One major example of this is when he goes up against Kalifa in Enies Lobby, though since Sanji can’t harm her, he essentially dances around the CP-9 member before being defeated.

This happens again a little later down the road in Wano, where Sanji struggles to bring himself to lay a finger on Black Maria, despite knowing she is an extremely dangerous member of the Tobi Roppo who could harm the other Straw Hats. Though this character trait wouldn’t usually be seen as a weakness, in the world of One Piece, where fighting is a very common occurrence, it’s the Straw Hat cook’s biggest fault.

10. Zoro – Sense Of Direction

Even If He’s Being Physically Carried To A Destination, Zoro Just Can’t Help Himself From Getting Completely Lost

In all honesty, Zoro doesn’t really have any weaknesses in combat, considering he’s one of the strongest swordsmen on the planet who has been honing his skills for years on end. One area which he does need to improve on though is his sense of direction, since Zoro is completely useless at going from point A to B in a straight line. Very often, this causes the deadly swordsman to run into all kinds of random opponents, such as in Wano when he makes a detour and is forced to take on Gyukimaru and Killer.

Though Zoro is more than capable of holding his own in a fight, getting lost so easily does mean he often isn’t there to lend his support to the rest of the crew when they need it most. What’s remarkable is Zoro’s weakness seems to only be getting worse with time, as even when he was being physically carried by a large creature in Wano, he still, miraculously, managed to lose his way.

Read More

2025-03-17 12:38