It is no secret that the majority of the Straw Hat Crew have absentee biological parents in One Piece. In regard to fathers, there are none who have performed their paternal duties for any of their children on the Straw Hat Crew. In fact, it is a running trope that parents are generally absent, unnamed or have died before the series began.
When looking at the numerous relationships between children and fathers, it is clear that there is a continual trope of how biological fathers are portrayed in comparison to adoptive parental figures. There may be a variety of reasons of why the father may be absent, and not always by their own choice, but it is a running theme throughout the Straw Hat Crew’s childhood, and a number of other characters who may not have had as deeper exploration into their backstories.
The Most Prominent Adoptive Fathers
The first father figure introduced in the series is Red-Haired Shanks. The Yonko influenced Monkey D. Luffy’s dream of being a pirate from childhood, imparting his values and structuring the future he believed would be best for Luffy. The purpose of this is yet to be fully explored, but with the unveiling of Luffy’s true Devil Fruit, there could be more to this than meets the eye. Another strong male figure came in the form of Zeff. He took Sanji under his wing, taught him the wonders of cooking and the values he held most dear. These lessons shaped Sanji into an honorable, hard-working, and good man -- the complete opposite of what he could have become.
However, the most recognizable adoptive father is Edward Newgate, or Whitebeard, as he is more commonly known. He was not satisfied raising a single adopted child, but wanted to create an entire family with him as the father of all. The entirety of the Whitebeard Pirates look to Whitebeard as their leader, parental figure, and the foundation of their entire crew structure. There is quite a stark comparison with his pirate crew structure of adopted sons compared to Big Mon’s crew of biological children, who do not look to Big Mom with the same love and respect, but more with fear of her immense power. This contrast, even if not intentional on Echiiro Oda’s part, is the epitome of the question of parenthood in One Piece.
History of Biological Parents In One Piece
When considering the poor quality of biological parents throughout One Piece, there is a vast collection to pick from. There is Monkey D. Dragons lack of influence on Luffy’s life, Judge Vinsmoke scientifically altering his children into super soldiers, Outlook III abusing his son Sabo, Franky being tossed overboard by his unnamed pirate parents, Kaidou putting Yamato in chains due to her love of Oden, and the complete lack of Nico Robin, Nami, and Zoro’s fathers. They have shown to either be uninterested, abusive, or not around to help shape their child’s lives. Sometimes this effects a characters' behavior, like Sanji or Yamato, whilst others do not even have the concept of what a father is, like Luffy.
While this is the case for most biological parents, there are exceptions. The story of Kozuki Oden in complicated one. He was shown to be a loving father, yet he was killed by Kaidou and unable to remain in his children’s lives. This may have occurred twenty years before the start of the series, but Kozuki Momonosuke would have felt the reality of the situation only weeks or months apart from the narrative, making the horror far more fresh. It could even be argued that after Oden's death, Yamato inherited his values as a father figure above that of Kaidou.Oden is not the only father shown to be a positive influence in their children’s life, but their place in the story is few and far between, and their fates are seemingly always a dangerous prospect.
Why Is This Trope So Common?
A major factor that can be observed for the lack of biological fathers is the struggle the characters are forced to experience during their early years. Their childhood trauma has shaped many of the Straw Hats into the powerful and resilient characters they are, and allows them to respect the importance of chosen family over the standardized blood-related family, making their crew’s bond even tighter. As Oda once stated, the lack of mothers offered characters the opportunity to be unrestricted in their adventures due to the overwhelming love a mother holds for her child; perhaps the lack of fathers strengthened their independence and allowed them to grow with a worlds view of values, rather than traditional fatherly values.
One Piece is full of different characters from all walks of life, some with biological fathers, some with adoptive father figures, and some who have been adopted into a crew of sons. However, it is clear that the Straw Hats in particular are a crew of a friend-family structure, and their lack of parental figures expresses the importance of caring for those who one chooses to be in a family in, as much as those with blood-relations.