Usopp

Template:Infobox OPchara/Header Template:Infobox OPchara/Footer Usopp (ウソップ, Usoppu) is a fictional character from the anime and manga One Piece.

Usopp the Pirate

Usopp's name is probably based on "Isoppu", which is the Japanese pronunciation of Aesop, the ancient Greek fabulist. Considering that "uso" means "lie" in Japanese, the name Usopp can (and is most likely meant to) be taken as a portmanteau name between uso and Isopp, both defining a liar or teller of tall tales (for example, when introducing himself, Usopp is known to say "Ore wa Usopp!" which can mean either "I am Usopp!" or "I am a liar!"). Usopp's long nose is an allusion to Pinocchio, a wooden boy who possessed a nose that would stretch after he lied. His nose is nine inches long, and according to Mr. 2 Bon Clay's standards, Usopp possesses the world's weirdest/funniest nose. Oda claims that Usopp is most represented by the armadillo. Oda has also said that he uses the color yellow to represent Usopp, and he smells of gunpowder.

The other aspect of Usopp besides his lying is his cowardice; he is a very timid person, or so he thinks. In extremely stressful situations, Usopp has proven to be far more courageous than he believes himself to be. He shows great resolve when his friends are threatened or mocked by outsiders. Even though he is a complete coward in battle (except as his alter ego, Sogeking), he is a useful part to the Straw Hat Pirates. He is extremely handy and can fix almost anything. He is also a talented artist, a skill he claimed he got drawing on walls as a kid.

Despite his lack of physical strength compared to other members of the crew, Usopp seems to be just as resilient as his comrades. He suffers injuries in almost every fight he participates in, but shrugs them off after a very short period of time. Part of this is the result of care by the Straw Hats' very capable doctor, yet some of this appears to be a natural ability to absorb punishment, for the sake of comedy relief. (Indeed, he once was hit in the head by Mr 4's 4-ton baseball bat, only to stand up seconds later. Miss Merry Christmas commented that he should not be even alive.)

His goal in life is to become a proud and strong pirate like his father Yasopp of the Red Haired Pirate Crew.

According to a recent Japanese fan poll, Usopp is the 6th most popular character, he has the same rank in 4Kids polls.

Personality and Relationships

Usopp is a liar and likes to play pranks on his crew members or just goof off with Luffy and Chopper. He also likes to tell tall tales with Chopper (or Kaya when he started with it) as thankful listeners. He sometimes sees a role model in Zoro who never seems afraid but always proud. Usopp lacks a bit of self esteem and is often taken advantage of by Nami to make her weapons or repair and improve them - something he is very adept at, having constructed the ingenious weapon, the Clima Tact (Weather Forcer in the 4Kids Dub).

Usopp is easily scared and always tries to make up excuses so he does not have to go on an island, which are simply ignored by his teammates. Despite his timid nature, he realizes when his friends need him and will do anything to help them, even if it means to stand up to a disproportionately more powerful enemy and be severely pummeled. Usopp will also stand up and fight for not only the well-being of people, but also the ideals of them - and the ideals of a pirate, which he hold very high. In battle he normally tries to trick his enemy by telling tales or deceiving the enemy. His ability to bear loads and loads of damage is one of his best traits, in addition to his cunning and intelligence, saving the Straw Hats on many occasions. Also he proved to be very brave during the Enies Lobby arc; he stood up to Jabura, and later Lucci after he had seemingly beaten Luffy, proving that he was not afraid to die for his crewmates, and it was he who destroyed the World Governments flag.

After meeting the giants Dorry and Broggy in the Little Garden arc, Usopp wants to travel to Elbaf one day and meet the proud warriors there. Usopp often sees the Elbaf warriors he has met in his travels as sources of inspiration in his journey to become a brave warrior of the sea; A dream spurred on by his cowardly nature, and his recent feelings of inferiority compared to the other crewmembers.

History

The Liar Usopp

Usopp calls himself a pirate and takes in three younger kids, Ninjin (meaning "Carrot" in Japanese. Renamed Carrot in the dub), Tamanegi (meaning Onion in Japanese, Renamed Onion in the dub), and Piiman (meaning Pepper in Japanese. Renamed Pepper in the dub), as his "crew"; he dubs the groups "Usopp's Pirates", or in the American version by 4Kids, the "Veggie Pirates".

Usopp is the son of Yasopp, a pirate who is part of Red-Haired Shanks' crew. Yasopp left Usopp and his mother to become a pirate when Usopp still were very young, something that created a deep fascination with pirates for Usopp.

The origin of Usopp's lies were revealed very late by the butler Merry. A couple of years after that his father had left for sea, Usopp's mother became severely sick, and was dying. At his mother's death bed, Usopp begun to lie to keep his dying mother's spirit up, with tales that Yasopp had come back to get take them with him on his journey, and everything would become better again. Even after she died Usopp continued to run around yelling that the pirates were coming. Merry thought that Usopp's lies were rather his dreams than actually wanting to trick the villagers.

Many of the villagers make a show of chasing him and throwing things at him for running through the town, but they are used to his antics. Some villagers even use his daily run through town as a sort of alarm clock. He also makes up stories about adventures to entertain Kaya, who is sick and has to stay in bed all day.

Ironically, most of the tall tales he told Kaya have came true at some point during the Straw Hats' voyage. These include meeting a Giant Goldfish (as the crew was leaving Little Garden) and fighting against a giant mole (against Ms. Merry Christmas during the climax in the Alabasta arc). Perhaps one day he will actually get 8,000 followers and become a captain.

When the Black Cat pirates came to town, Usopp, along with Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro and Nami, fight the pirates and their leader, Captain Kuro, who has been spending three years posing as a caretaker for Kaya so he can inherit her fortune when they kill her.

Aftermath and Life on the seas

After Luffy defeats Kuro and the Black Cat Pirates, Usopp disbands "Usopp's Pirates" and leaves them to become the local liars. He was going on his own way, but Luffy invited him to travel on the Going Merry with him and the rest of his crew. Luffy named him sniper for the crew as he has inherited his father's sharp shooting skills. After joining, he creates the flag for the Straw Hat Pirate Crew after Luffy proves unable to draw, and he also paints it on the sail of Going Merry. Usopp also tried to claim the position of "Captain" several times, much to Luffy's objection, becoming the self-proclaimed lieutenant.

Little Garden

Reaching their second island on the Grand Line, Little Garden, meant a somewhat of a change for Usopp. The island's inhabitants, the giants Dorry and Brogi, fascinated Usopp. They have fought for a century; their never-ending battle for nothing, a battle of pride and honor which are more important than their own lives - a battle of men, as Usopp defined it, amazed him. According to him, they are exactly what he wanted to be, the greatest warrior of the seas; to a point where he says that one day he will die with pride, and his last words will be "I am Usopp, the great warrior of the sea!". Usopp was moved to rage when he had discovered that the sake which came from their ship, which they gave to Dorry and Brogi, exploded and interrupted the battle, and even attempted to attack Mr. 5, knowing the risk. He still wishes to visit Elbaf, the island the giants came from, and the scene of him saying that was constantly featured after Water 7's events.

Sogeking

File:Usopp2.jpg

Sogeking

After the battle with Aokiji, Usopp watched his friends easily beaten which scares him and makes him question his belonging in the crew. He was afraid that the crew had begun encountering stronger adversaries and as the Straw Hat's weakest fighter, he started to lose confidence in his abilities. A series of conflicts, particularly Luffy's choice to get a new ship, results in Usopp leaving the crew. After a battle with Luffy, where Usopp displayed an uncharacteristically vicious fighting style, he gained the now terminally-damaged Going Merry. Usopp was later detained by CP9.

After being freed from CP9 captivity by Sanji during the Sea train chase, Usopp announced that he has no business with the Straw Hat Pirates and disappears. Yet Usopp came back a minute later in a disguise. He was wearing a mask and a cape, using the alias "Sogeking" (sogeki means sniper, so Sogeking ("そげキング" Sogekingu) is a pun meaning "Sniper King", which is only pushed further when the World Gov. nicknames him "King of Snipers" Sogeking). According to his stories, Sogeking is from an island of snipers, Sharpshooter Island, that can be found in your heart, and Usopp has even written a theme song for this identity.

All of the Straw Hats (along with Galley-La, Franky Family, and CP9) immediately recognize his true identity except for Luffy and Chopper. For a long time, it was unknown if Usopp was going to rejoin the crew. His motive for concealing his identity is both so that he will not become a fugitive with an inflated bounty over his head, as attacking the Marine Base would cause this subsequent action and to keep his identity a secret towards the crew (even if it only worked on Chopper and Luffy)

He helped Franky and Sanji in order to rescue Nico Robin but they fail to do so. After being in the detached cart 4 and 3 with Sanji, they were found by the Franky Family and finally reunited with Luffy. When they confronted CP9, Sogeking unveiled a new weapon, a long staff with a more powerful slingshot attached called "Kabuto". Although he was the only Straw Hat unable to defeat a major CP9 agent, he did burn down the World Government flag on Luffy's command, signifying a declaration of war by the Straw Hats on the World Government. He also prevented the CP9 Chief Spandam from escaping with Nico Robin by sniping him from the Tower of Justice.

When first seen on his return to Water 7, Usopp was sitting on Oimo's shoulder, questioning whether or not to follow the giants to Elbaf. When Garp, Luffy's grandfather, paid a visit to his grandson, Usopp was peeking into the room along with Yokuzuna. Usopp is enjoying the large party in Water 7 along with everyone else, but as Sogeking. He now has a bounty of 30 million, however as his alter ego Sogeking, now known as "Sogeking, King of Snipers"". Interestingly, this is Usopp's second time appearing on a wanted poster with someone else's name on it, as he is also on Luffy's.

While he wanted to rejoin the Straw Hats, he would prefer Luffy to beg him to rejoin. However, Zoro has already advised Luffy not to do so until Usopp apologized. Usopp believes the crew would still come and fetch him, but after Zoro's speech the crew did not seek for him. During the bombardment of Garp on the Straw Hats, Usopp rushed back and saw the ship was leaving him behind. As Usopp tries to call to the Straw Hats, they ignored and continued fighting Garp. Usopp finally realized his wrong, shouting out his apology and taking back his words of leaving his companions. At that note, Luffy heard him and tearfully stretched his arm to get him back on board.

Recent Chapters

He stayed on Thousand Sunny when Luffy, Sanji and Nami investigated the ghost ship. Upon seeing Brook, Usopp tried to exorcise him with a cross, until he learned that Brook wasn't really undead. Later, after becoming stranded on the island "Thriller Bark", Nami & Chopper and Usopp haphazardly land on the island after taking a trip on a miniature version of the Going Merry. After crash landing in a moat, they are chased after by a Cerberus-like creature, and meet a fellow by the name of Hildon. Hildon promises to take them to the mansion of Dr. Hogback, but strands them in the middle of a cemetery after Nami asks him to take them back to their ship. Zombies emerge from the ground, and after a short struggle, Usopp uses "Sure Kill: Flame Star" to try and take advantage of zombies weakness to fire. The attack proves too effective, and the zombies scold him for creating the blaze that follows. The three run from the remaining zombies (who prove surprisingly fast, yet are winded easily) and seek refuge in Dr. Hogback's mansion. They eat pudding with Hogback, and Usopp later saves Nami when she is attacked by an invisible creature in her bath. Now, the three of them are in the secret passageway to Dr. Hogback's secret lab.

Powers and abilities

Usopp has outstanding marksmanship abilities with his slingshot and is on his way to becoming one of the best snipers in the One Piece world. Usopp's ammunition has great range, from rotten eggs and hot sauce to shuriken and powerful explosives. His attacks are named Stars ("Boshi" in the original), e.g. Powder Star. His greatest ability is perhaps an ability to outrun just about anyone or anything, including Fishmen. He also can stand unbearable amounts of pain, as he was struck in the face with a 4-ton metal bat but resumed fighting minutes later. To compensate for his physical weakness, Usopp has developed tremendous tactical abilities, such as leading his opponent into explosive gas, and cleverly exploiting Mr. 4's slow intellect. Like Nami, Usopp has defeated enemies far stronger than himself.

Usopp's other weapons are usually only used for humor or bluffing, such as Usopp Noise (scratching a chalkboard) or Usopp 5 Ton Hammer (In truth, 2 kilograms), but makes good use of improvised weapons. He has also recently started using Skypiean dials for attacks, such as using the Lamp Dial to blind his foes and the Impact Dial to absorb and reflect blows. He also is a capable craftsman, as he used to be the crew's carpenter, and made Nami the Clima-Tact weapon.

Usopp, as Sogeking, has recently introduced a new weapon - "Kabuto" - a slingshot connected to a long staff. The exact properties of the "kabuto" are unknown, but he used it to launch a bird shaped flame at the World Government's flag, in a symbolic gesture of defiance after Luffy asked him to. It seems as if "Kabuto" uses several rubber bands, making the shots somewhat faster and stronger. It is also very likely that it's powered by dials; Usopp has used them often since Skypiea, and their presence is suggested by the weapon's extremely high power and range. The weapon was named "Kabuto" probably because of the shape of the head of the staff resembles the trunk of a kabuto beetle.

Usopp improves his sight with special goggles. He won an upgraded pair in Loguetown (by winning a duel against Daddy the Father), but the actual scene of him obtaining them was cut out in the 4Kids Entertainment dub. The scene was also absent in the original manga, as it was written for the anime as filler (in the manga, he simply purchases the goggles off-panel.)

Usopp also has one hidden talent - he seems to be a fairly competent artist. He painted the Strawhat's Jolly Roger (both the flag and the larger one on the Going Merry's sail) based on a crude design by Luffy which he greatly improved upon. He also designed a rejected Jolly Roger which was based on his likeness, as well as the emblem of the Usopp Pirates (Veggie Pirates in the English dub.) In the manga Usopp is often shown drawing or sketching in several title splash pages, though not in the context of the story.

In everyday life he is a jack-of-all-trades figure: He serves as an engineer and repairman aboard the ship until the arrival of Franky, he can cook, but not as well as Sanji, and along with Nami he looked after the crew's wounds until the arrival of Tony Tony Chopper

External links

• One Piece Encyclopedia - Usopp