Summary
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One Piece, more than most other battle Shōnen out there, is extremely goofy. More often than not, rather than taking a serious tone in any given situation,One Pieceprefers to make jokes and to keep things light-hearted. While this style doesn’t resonate well with everyone, for the fans ofOne Piece, this is one of the main things that makes the series so special. Without the joyous smiles ofOne Piececharacters, as they struggle in life-or-death situations, the series wouldn’t be the same.
It’s these smiles, and the concept of joy itself, that are one of the most important aspects ofOne Piece. More than anything else, smiles and laughter are symbols that representthe core values ofOne Piecebetter than anything else. Dreams, freedom, and family are all values that hide behind eachOne Piecesmile, acting as a perfect visualization for every major concept in One Piece.
Smiles Are All Throughout One Piece
Characters Throughout One Piece’s History Are Prone To Smiles
One Piececharacters tend to smile a lot, especially compared to other anime. Overall, the characters tend to have big, toothy grins that stretch abnormally large across their faces. This is doubly true forthe protagonist ofOne Piece, Luffy, who has one of the biggest and most genuine smiles in the entire series. With Gear 5 as well, no matter how dire a situation gets, Luffy can’t help but laugh and have a good time.
Of the many living things in the world, only a human being has the ability to smile! - Tonoyasu
Joy has always been a huge component ofOne Pieceas well, with characters like Joy Boy and Roger making smiling and laughter part of their identity. On top of this, the final island of the Grand Line was named Laugh Tale by Roger, sincethe treasure that Joy Boy leftthere made his entire crew burst into laughter. Finally, the Sun God Nika, the basis of Luffy’s Devil Fruit and Gear 5, is the pure embodiment of laughter and smiles. This entity has been worshiped by those through things like joyful dancing, something that is incomplete without a smile.
Smiles Represent Freedom And Joy In One Piece
Only The Freest People Truly Smile Throughout One Piece
It’s easy to tell that smiles are saturated throughoutOne Piece’spast and present, but what do these smiles actually mean? The most important aspect of these smiles is that they seem to represent characters when they are at their most joyful and living life to the fullest. Whether smiling through the exhilaration of battle, or during a hilarious joke told by a crew mate, these smiles represent the peak emotional enjoyment that can come from a character.
At the same time, losing a smile can represent the exact opposite, showinga strongOne Piececharacterat their lowest or most desperate. These situations, where a smile is taken away, almost feel like an animal being backed into a corner. For example, at the end of Luffy’s fight with Rob Lucci, the lack of a smile shows that he is no longer enjoying their fight, and is simply desperate to defeat the extremely strong opponent.
Taking Away A One Piece Smile Is The Ultimate Form Of Oppression
The SMILE Fruits Are One Of The Biggest Evils In One Piece
Since the smile is seen as the ultimateexpression of freedom inOne Piece, taking away someone’s ability to smile when they’re happy could be seen as one of the worst evils in all ofOne Piece. The SMILE Fruits, which have the chance to force the consumer to smile no matter what emotion they feel, is the perfect example of this. Being forced to smile at all times removes the true meaning behind the expression. In a way, the SMILE Fruits steal the one thing that could be considered the ultimate form of freedom.
Due to the incomplete formula… As a side effect, they also lose the ability to become sad or angry. They can then only smile and laugh… !!
In the end,smiles inOne Piecemay be just as important of a symbol as things like the straw hat or a Jolly Roger. Smiles seem to represent everything that the series considers good, whether it is joy, laughter, or freedom. While many entities, such asOne Piece’sWorld Government or Orochi, have tried to control smiles, there is almost nothing any of them can do against the hopeful optimism that each smile brings.
