Monkey D. "Strawhat" Luffy of One Piece is an enigma. At first glance, he appears to be just another simpleton Shonen protagonist who racked up most of his achievements due to lucky encounters. But when taking a closer look at his character, viewers will realize that there is more than meets the eye.
A complex set of components make the Luffy we all know today. Yes, he might be a tad generic at times, but that genericness does not overshadow his uniqueness. Here are 5 traits that are generic about Luffy, and 5 that separates him from other Shonen protagonists.
10 Generic: Loves Food
Don't get us wrong, everyone loves food. But the amount of love Luffy has for food is simply unheard of. The love of food is not exactly a new premise in the Shonen genre. Many Shonen protagonists like Naruto Uzumaki and Natsu Dragneel share the trait of loving food and delicacies, just like Luffy.
Sometimes we wonder what would it be like if Luffy hadn't eaten the Gomu Gomu no mi, would he die of food implosion?
9 Unique: Didn't Start With An Overpowered Ability
Most Shonen protagonists tend to have a head start when it comes to their respective power systems. Naruto had the nine-tailed fox sealed inside of him, which is simply a hack regarding the chakra reserve. Asta started with a super rare 5 clovers grimoire that grants him anti-magic properties.
And what did Luffy start with? A trash devil fruit. Any One Piece fan can easily name at least 20 devil fruits that are better than the Gomu Gomu no mi.
8 Generic: Goofy
Shonen ingredients mixed with bits of comedy spiciness make the golden recipe. When not busy challenging Yonkos and boosting up his bounty to the 10 figures number, Luffy is just another goofball. Genericness is not always equivalent to boring. The Shonen genre has been repeating the same gags for decades, and the fans never complain.
And if one day it came to sacrificing that goofiness for uniqueness, then most fans would certainly object.
7 Unique: Self-Aware
One thing we love about Luffy is that he is self-aware of his own situation. He knows that he is a pirate, and he certainly knows that being a pirate comes with a lot of consequences. But he still doesn't shy away from it, in fact, he embraces it. Luffy's ultimate goal is to become the king of pirates, a title that represents infamy.
Unlike most Shonen protagonists who yearn to become a Hokage or maybe the number one hero, Luffy aspires to become an outlaw, which is certainly unique.
6 Generic: Zero Interest In Romance
In most cases, romance is not a major component in Shonen anime. This also applies to One Piece. The author of the series, Eiichiro Oda, personally stated that the series will stay romance-free until he decides otherwise.
Luffy's character isn't as oblivious as he seems to be. For example, he is well aware that Hancock likes him, but he is merely uninterested. He is too busy grinding to become the next pirate king.
5 Unique: Cool-Headed
Having a rash and an impulsive personality is a common trait among Shonen protagonists. Some might argue that Luffy is rash and hotheaded, and they are not necessarily wrong.
However, during critical situations, Luffy has shown a terrifying amount of cool-headedness. When Pedro sacrificed his own life to buy more time for the Strawhats to flee, Luffy did not hesitate to do what any competent Captain would do. He ordered a full-sail and left the mourning for later.
4 Generic: Loyal To His Comrades
The power of friendship isn't a new concept to the anime meta. Most of the well-known Shonen protagonists would go to extremes in the name of friendship.
Luffy is definitely one of those protagonists. A lot of his achievements thus far were accomplished in order to assist a comrade. He defeated Arlong to help Nami, challenged the world government to free Robin, and intruded onto the Yonko's territory for Sanji's sake.
3 Unique: Minds His Own Business
Another characteristic that is fairly common amongst Shonen protagonists is their possession of an overwhelming self-righteousness. Having a kind personality is a plus, but most of the time it comes with drawbacks.
Though Luffy is a kind soul, he does not needlessly butt in on other people's business. He knows that he is a pirate, and pirates are the bad guys.
2 Generic: A Terrifying Lineage
Luffy's grandfather is Monkey D. Garp, a marine hero, and one of the series' strongest characters. His father is Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the revolutionary army, and the world's most wanted man.
When it comes to having a terrifying lineage, Luffy easily owns the competition. But the concept is not necessarily unique. We have seen other Shonen protagonists with even scarier backgrounds.
1 Unique: A Genius
Some typical Shonen protagonists would start out as mediocre, but their whole fate would change due to one random chance encounter. Luffy is not one of these protagonists.
Luffy was destined to have a successful life since birth. He is a member of the elite "D" clan and no member of the "D" clan lives a mediocre life. His potential is almost unlimited, and as far as we are concerned, calling him the future pirate king is not an overstatement.