Monkey D. Luffy is not only one of the most beloved characters within One Piece, but one of the most beloved Shonen characters in anime history. He's a goofy, innocent guy who will do anything to protect his friends and their dreams. Furthermore, Luffy also has cool stretching powers that are less Mr. Fantastic and more 1920s cartoons.
Eiichiro Oda has created a winning personality for fans to attach to, making Luffy likable, reliable as a hero, and ever fawned over as a someone who can get hurt.
However, out of all the elements working for him, there are a few logic issues that may make it hard to fully appreciate Luffy. While the series and writer may revel in some of the more comedic elements, they can be a bit distracting. As such, this list will be looking at the confusing character elements of "Straw Hat" Luffy, as it will run down 10 things about him that make absolutely no sense.
10 Can Be Beaten By Nami
One thing that One Piece kind of pushes during its early years is the fact that, due to being a rubber man, Luffy generally feels no pain, even though his body can still be damaged. Unless, however, you're an opposing elemental, use sharp blades, have Haki, or, worst of all, are Nami.
Out of any character in the series, it seems that the Straw Hat's reliable navigator is the most dangerous one to its captain. Despite having none of the previously mentioned traits, Nami is able to bloody and bruise Luffy. Shouldn't they be concerned that someone is able to actually make a rubber man feel pain? Shouldn't that be impossible? Oh. It's funny? Never mind logic, you can go home.
9 Thinking He Didn't Have a Dad
One of Luffy's most consistent character traits is the fact that he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. As someone raised by a survival-heady grandfather and a group of mountain bandits, it's safe to presume that there will be gaps in his education.
However, as with most fictional characters or, well, any living being in existence, one should have this innate feeling to connect with one's parents or, at least, understand that their existence came from somewhere. Not Luffy, though. When confronted by the fact that his own father is an infamous revolutionary, Luffy was just surprised that he existed at all.
8 Snakeman
During the Whole Cake Island Arc, Luffy needs something especially powerful and surprising up his sleeve to have any hope of surpassing the insurmountable might of Charlotte Katakuri. Luckily, he did, as Luffy brought about a new form to his arsenal, Gear Fourth: Snake Man. As opposed to the brawny might of Boundman, Snakeman is speed-focused, lashing out moves too fast for even the sharpest eyes to see.
What's confusing though is the fact that, while this is the first time this form is used, it seems like Luffy knew about Snakeman for some time. Wasn't there, like, a lot of other instances where a super-fast form would've come in handy? Such as fighting Doflamingo or even getting anywhere on Punk Hazard?
7 Regrowing His Own Tooth
Kudos to One Piece for encouraging good habits within its young viewers. For most of Brook's own screen time, he has shown to be able to heal himself by drinking milk, claiming that the substance is good for one's bones and hair.
This would later come up during the Whole Cake Island Arc. Luffy, being the rough houser that he is, gets in a kerfuffle or two and ends up seriously injured in more than one occasion, with his most glaring injury being the loss of one of his teeth. How does he fix this? By drinking milk, of course! That's how the body works!
6 Metabolism
On the note of should-be-impossible dietary facts, Luffy's appetite and capacity to eat are also on the strange side. Taking full advantage of the cartoonish nature of his Devil Fruit power, Luffy is shown throughout the series packing his cheeks with a variety of food, creating a litany of interesting eating expressions and, of course, a bulbous stomach straight out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon.
Luffy states that he needs to eat so much food to energize himself; nevertheless, how many calories does a rubber man need? Even then, where does it all go? Not to ruin anyone's day, but the Thousand Sunny's bathroom must be a mess with Luffy on board.
5 Learning Gear Second & Third
During the Water Seven/Ennies Lobby Arc, the Straw Hats come face to face with the secret government task force, Cipher Pol 9. This military group introduces the Straw Hats to a form of martial arts and superhuman feats unbeknownst to the pirate crew, who are outclassed in both skill and strength. Inspired by the loss, Luffy inevitably becomes stronger and creates new forms and moves.
Kind of.
One Piece never actually shows any training arcs, so it's not actually clear how seeing CP9 gave Luffy the idea to blow air into his bones or even pump adrenaline throughout his body.
4 Needing to Think to be Cold
Continuing Luffy's trend of stupidity leading to ignoring normal elements of life, Luffy is apparently an individual who needs to think or be reminded that he has an actual, functioning body. Case in point, when the Straw Hats were exploring the cold depths of the Drum Kingdom, Luffy ventures through most of it without an actual coat, and he's maintains his cavalier attitude.
It isn't until he's reminded that he's in the blinding, unforgiving snow that he actually remembers that he's cold. As a result, he starts to freeze. If anything, the logic issue here would be even reminding him in the first place.
3 Medical Needs Of a Rubber Man
As expressed in #1, Luffy doesn't feel normal pain due to being a rubber man, as his biology is able to handle significantly more stress and doesn't have any nerves as is the case with a regular, human body. As a rubber man, he's able to stretch his arms, pump blood through his body, and even expand his bones. With all of this in mind, how does one exactly operate or fulfill the medical needs of a rubber man?
Does Chopper and Trafalgar Law operate on Luffy normally or do they need basketball pumps or something? How is Luffy able to be poisoned or feel cold if he can't feel fatigued or pain? This isn't so much a jab at One Piece as it is a genuine concern over whether Luffy needs health insurance or a tire warranty.
2 Pirate King Plan
Luffy's plan to become the freest persona in the world, the Pirate King, is to gather a crew and find the elusive One Piece treasure. The plan here...is a little simple. While the Straw Hats may go on a variety of interesting adventures, they never really try to research or investigate where the One Piece might be.
The series posits that the treasure is towards the end of the Grande Line, but they never really try and back this up by asking other pirates, villagers, or looking for an old book or something. The Straw Hats more or less just luckily stumble upon the actual ways to get to the One Piece, but they don't actually try. They just move forward, which is a bit of a stupid plan given what they're looking for is more about location and mystery rather than strength.
1 Red Hawk
"Red Hawk" is Luffy's cool, new power move directly inspired by his brother, "Fire Fist" Ace. It works with Luffy using Gear Second and Haki to make his punches light on fire, the idea being that it's moving so fast that it burns. What's burning? That's not exactly known or explained. It could be the air getting hotter or Luffy's arm genuinely burning; in either case, shouldn't Luffy also be burnt?
Haki is more of a physical armor and hasn't exactly been stated to be heat resistant. If it is, why don't other parts of Luffy's clothes or body burn as the punch flies by? Given how Haki works, there is a lot to theorize about Luffy's fiery move. Overall, Red Hawk literally came out of nowhere and Luffy just accepted it.