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Warning: Contains spoilers for One Piece chapter #1152.One of the most common sources of theory crafting inOne Piecealways centers around who may or may not join the Straw Hat Pirates. Between Luffy’s old statement of wanting ten people in his crew and how generally fun it is to think about new characters joining, it’s a discussion most fans have been involved with at some point, and it’s something that comes up in almost every arc.
Potential new Straw Hats have always been a hot topic of discussion, and it’s gotten bigger than ever in recent years.One Piece’s most recent arcs have set up a multitude of characters to become potential Straw Hats for one reason or another, and that reached its peak in chapter #1152 when Luffy flat-out asked a major character to join the crew. Something like that would be a long time coming, but even so,One Piece’s latest potential Straw Hat might not be the best fit for the crew, and there are a few reasons as to why that is.
One Piece Is Finally Giving Fans A New Straw Hat Pirate, And They’d Be Great
One Piece’s Potential New Straw Hat Explained
One Piecechapter #1152 followed up on chapter #1151’s cliffhanger ending with Luffy’s group getting ready to leave the Underworld to confront Imu. Loki wanted to join everyone in the fight for Elbaph, but Hajrudin hadn’t forgiven Loki for his crimes and refused to release him from his chains. Luffy, however, had what he believed to be a simple solution:Loki could join the Straw Hat Pirates, and that would make it okay to free him. Everyone was quick to point out how that didn’t make any sense, but it’s the exact sort of reasoning someone like Luffy would use.
As much as Luffy’s offer to Loki was played as a joke, it would make sense for Loki to join the crew. Not only is Loki an incredibly powerful fighter close to Shanks’ level of strength, but his gimmick of being a rebellious trickster and his admiration ofthe Rocks Piratesdraws a clear parallel to Luffy’s personality and admiration of Shanks, as does Loki’s desire to become the next Nika.Loki has an incredible amount of synergy with Luffy’s character, and that would make him a truly ideal fit for the Straw Hats.
Why Loki Might Not Be As Great For The Straw Hat Pirates As People Think
Is Loki Truly Fit To Be A Straw Hat Pirate?
There are plenty of reasons why Loki would be a good fit forthe Straw Hat Pirates, but it might not work as well as people think. For starters, with Loki being even larger than the average giant, he’s far too big to fit on the Thousand Sunny, so it wouldn’t make sense for him to join from a purely logistical standpoint. There are ways to work around that, possibly through the power of Loki’s mysterious Devil Fruit, but as it stands,Loki wouldn’t work as a Straw Hat because he literally couldn’t fit in with the crew.
Another point against him is, ironically, his power level. If Loki is someone with strength comparable to Shanks, that would make him stronger than Zoro and Sanji to an absurd degree, and that would go against the story’s consistent portrayal of Zoro and Sanji as the strongest members of the crew after Luffy. Zoro and Sanji could, and probably will, reach that level in due time, but as for right now,it wouldn’t make sense for Loki to become a Straw Hat when doing so would upstage Zoro and Sanji.
The biggest point against Loki becoming a Straw Hat, however, is the way he clashes with Luffy. As much as Loki exists as a foil to Luffy, their relationship has been largely antagonistic from day one, and even chapter #1152 has Loki violently rejecting the idea of, in his words, becoming Luffy’s henchman. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had to be convinced to join the Straw Hats, and Loki’s arc is far from finished, but at least right now,Luffy and Loki’s relationship is too toxic for it to make sense for Loki to become a Straw Hat.
There Are Far Too Many Characters Who Should Become Straw Hats Before Loki
Loki’s Not The First Character Who Deserves To Be A Straw Hat
Above all else, the biggest reason why Loki wouldn’t work as a Straw Hat is because of how many characters deserve the spot before him. For almost 30 years now,One Piecehas been teasinga multitude of potential Straw Hat Piratesamong the characters Luffy and others have bonded with, with characters like Vivi and Momonosuke still being treated as honorary members after so many years, as well.There have been numerous characters poised to become Straw Hats well before Loki showed up, so it would be weird for him to get the spot right off the bat.
Loki could join in addition to someone like Vivi or Bonney, but even that wouldn’t work because of one key detail. Decades ago, Luffy said that he wanted his crew to have at least ten people, and considering how greatOne Pieceis at providing payoff to even the most innocuous of details, that’s always been treated as a definitive fact as opposed to a random comment Luffy made. As such,if there’s only room for one more Straw Hat Pirate, then there are characters far more deserving of it than Loki, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
How Loki Could Be Involved In One Piece’s Final Saga, Even If He’s Not A Straw Hat
What Does One Piece Have In Store For Loki?
Loki might not be the best fit for the Straw Hat Pirates, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a part to play inOne Piece’s final saga. Loki’s hatred of the World Government already gives him motivation to fight Imu, and ifthe Harley textis to be believed, ancient giants like Loki are already set to be involved in the final war with Imu, as well. Add in how Loki has been set up to have a connection to Nika, andOne Piecehas already laid the groundwork for Loki’s role in the story for years to come.
None of that precludes the idea of Loki becoming a Straw Hat, of course, as there are plenty of reasons why it would work, but at the same time, there are also plenty of reasons why it wouldn’t work. Whatever the case, with how great a character he’s turned out to be so far,One Piececan do a lot with Loki’s character, regardless of whether or not he becomes a Straw Hat Pirate, but hopefully,One Piecewill make it clear what to expect from his character sooner, rather than later.
