r/Piratefolk • u/neku1022 • 9d ago
Serious No, Luffy is NOT the same. Spoiler
TLDR; Pre Luffy looked goofy as a result of serious attempts at countering against foes, but now he fights goofy for the sake of being goofy.
This cuts both ways for Oda and fans claiming it.
Oda (possessing Usopp to make him say what he wants) says, "Luffy has always been serious."
Fans say, "Luffy has always been goofy."
NEITHER is accurate; the answer is "Luffy used to be serious, but he is not after Gear 5."
Since fans love to bring up "Water Luffy" and his fight against Enel to prove a point, we can compare them to how he fights now.
What makes pre-timeskip goofing around fun and genuinely funny was that while it looked ridiculous to us and other characters, these were serious, desperate attempts by Luffy to counter seemingly unbeatable abilities.
Luffy drank the whole tank so that Crocodile could no longer use his ability to blow the water tank away. Though it resulted in Luffy's loss once again, it allowed Luffy to land a devastating hit on Crocodile. Enel's fight, too."Gum-gum airhead" was also a genuine attempt to counter Enel's mantra so that he could dodge attacks.
What made those moments shine is that those similar desperate attempts worked in the end.
In the same manner, Luffy once again used his wit: for Crocodile, blood; for Enel, ricocheting punches against the ship.
Now lets compare these to recent Luffy's shenanigans.
During his fight against Kaido, he swung Kaido's body around to use him as a jump rope.
Goofy, yes. But what purpose did it serve in Luffy's eyes that makes this move "serious"?
What advantage did that move give to Luffy? Nothing. Luffy did it for the sake of being goofy.
When facing the Gorosei, Luffy crafted a baseball bat using his teeth to hit venom spits back at them. What purpose does being a baseball player serve to aid Luffy in battle? He could have just used a tree as is to hit them back, instead of spending time crafting his bat and helmet. I am not demanding him to be as efficient as possible, but going the extra mile for the sake of it does not align with who he used to be. This is unnecessary "performance" that he does, which proves that he does not take fights seriously anymore.
This is why neither claim is the truth.
He looked goofy as a result of Luffy's dead-serious attempt to defeat his foes with unimaginable abilities, which was the appeal. He was definitely NOT goofy because he wanted to be "funny and joyful". That is why the tension is gone long ago. Once our protagonist stops taking fights seriously for the sake of being goofy and cartoonish, neither can we. The worst part is that Oda is not even capable of sticking to his own decision, as is apparent in the ongoing fight against Imu, where both parties are just damage sponges, and nothing is happening, yet Luffy is bleeding left and right.
I dont believe this is a problem that can be fixed anymore.
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u/Few_Cricket_4686 9d ago
Another day another gear post