Warning: Contains spoilers for One Piece chapter #1189.If there’s one constant criticism people have had about One Piece over the past decade, it’s the perceived mismanagement of the Straw Hat Pirates; not only do many of the Straw Hats still not have Haki, despite that having long become a defining feature of the manga, but nowadays, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji tend to get the lion’s share of the action and development, and because of that, it often feels like the rest of the cast never get anything to do, or at least not anything worth mentioning.
The way One Piece has handled the Straw Hat Pirates in recent years has been incredibly contentious, and the biggest victim has arguably been Usopp, as not only does he fight the least out of everyone in the cast, but he also has the most inconsistent character development among them, as the story never really lets him grow from being a complete coward. That might be changing, though, as One Piece chapter #1189 brought back a major Usopp power that was all but forgotten by the manga, and the implications of it are truly massive.
One Piece Revives Usopp’s Best Power After Over A Decade
In 2014, a major moment in One Piece’s Dressrosa arc was when Usopp unlocked Observation Haki, making him the only member of the Straw Hat Pirates outside of the Monster Trio at the time to have Haki. As big of a moment as that was, though, for some reason, Usopp has never been shown using his Observation Haki in the years to follow; the complete lack of attention given to Usopp’s Observation Haki has been baffling to many, and the fact that Usopp had more Haki feats in non-canon material like One Piece: Heart of Gold and One Piece Film: Red was even worse.
The way One Piece has handled Usopp’s Observation Haki has been utterly bizarre, but that’s finally about to change. In One Piece chapter #1189, after Imu brutally wounded Luffy, Usopp reacted to the damage being dealt to Luffy, marking the first time Usopp has canonically used Observation Haki in 12 years. Interestingly, the scene is framed like Usopp doesn’t know why he sensed something, so he might not have control of his Haki, so that could be why he hasn’t been using it, but the fact that Usopp is using it at all is still worth celebrating on its own.
Why Usopp Using Observation Haki Is Such A Big Deal
One Piece has finally brought back Usopp’s Observation Haki, and it’s pretty easy to see why that’s important. While Usopp has rarely ever used his Observation Haki, it’s implied to be very powerful, with 2022’s One Piece Film: Red even making it the key to how everyone saved the world from Tot Musica. That could lead to Usopp getting a major power boost, and with how much things have escalated in the Elbaph arc, that would be great to see.
More than that, though, is what this can do for Usopp’s reputation. As previously discussed, Usopp is arguably the Straw Hat Pirate with the worst handling over the past decade, but if he’s finally going to master his Observation Haki, then that could lend itself to some substantial character development for Usopp, which, in turn, could make it easier for people to appreciate the good parts about Usopp’s character instead of honing in on the bad. That’s more than warranted at this point in the story, and hopefully, One Piece will find a way to capitalize on that.
With One Piece firmly in its final saga, the series needs to find a way to make better use of the Straw Hat Pirates as a whole, and finally bringing back Usopp’s Observation Haki after over a decade is a perfect way of kicking that off. It was a very small moment in chapter #1189, but that didn’t make it any less impactful, and overall, it will be great to see where Usopp’s story in One Piece goes from here.
- First Film
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One Piece: The Movie
- Cast
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Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi
- Created by
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Eiichiro Oda
- Character(s)
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Monkey D. Luffy, Roronora Zoro, Nami (One Piece), Nico Robin, Usopp (One Piece), Vinsmoke Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky (One Piece), Jimbei (One Piece)