#ch461

[opbackgrounds]

This is a perfect Franky gag, and I wish it showed up more outside this arc

[every-sanji]

[skyodaa]

[opbackgrounds]

More than any other story I've experienced, One Piece lets character traits simply be traits without pigeonholing them as being positive or negative. You see it most with Usopp and Sanji, but much like Sanji's chivalry, Usopp's negativity is presented as part of who he is. It's not something that must be overcome in order to become a better, more complete person. While it gets him into trouble during Water 7, without it the Straw Hats would have lost here at Thriller Bark.

It feels very much like a role reversal from when Sanji saved Usopp from Jabra back on Enies Lobby. Usopp's particular brand of negativity is something only he can do, and for once the rest of the crew has to depend on him to save the day. While there is character development for Usopp during this fight, the core of who he is as a person doesn't change, and that's a really interesting way to handle character development.

And just like the others can depend on Usopp to beat Perona because of his specific ability, Usopp has to depend on the others to defeat the "weaker" zombies surrounding the room, because he's not strong enough to fight them on his own. Even when Usopp gets his hero moment, he has to rely on others to cover his weaknesses.

[opbackgrounds]

I love how much faith Luffy has in his crew

[opbackgrounds]

The setup for Usopp being immune to Perona's ghosts is well set up. Usopp ends up falling over while attempting to run away, making it look like he's just as affected as the rest, and throughout the whole scene he's mostly in the background making it hard to tell on an initial read whether he actually got hit. It's just a nice little bit of misdirection.

[opbackgrounds]

I love that Luffy always has to wear a hat even when he's a zombie, and that thought bubble looks amazingly similar to Gold Roger. Maybe if Shanks had never given him the straw hat Luffy would have gone for the tricorn instead because that's what Pirate Kings wear

[opbackgrounds]

This is going to be a Moriah expression appreciation blog from now on. He looks like such a petulant asshole, I love it.