If you have watched or read One Piece, you would know that Luffy’s full name is Monkey D. Luffy or that Zoro is also known as Roronoa Zoro. However, what do they mean? I’m not just talking about the D 😉 I am talking about their first and last name as well. Let’s find out the Straw Hats’ full names and what they mean.
Monkey D. Luffy – The King of The Pirates
Hilariously enough, Oda decided to name the main character of One Piece, Luffy, because he felt it was manly enough and it suited him. That’s the only reason why Oda gave Luffy his name. Interestingly, he found out later that the term “luffing” is a word that sailors use, one of many coincidences that Oda ends up writing. As for Monkey, it references Sun Goku from Dragon Ball, while Sun Wukong influences Goku. As for now, there isn’t a huge reason behind the name Monkey, but Luffy definitely does act like one with his rubber powers.
Finally, we have his middle initial, D. No one knows the true meaning behind his middle initial, but many have speculated it to be Devil. Could Luffy be the ultimate devil for the World Government? Only time will tell.
Zoro – The Demon King
Roronoa Zoro is based on a French pirate that roamed the Caribbean in the 1660s. His name was François l’Olonnais. l’Olonnais REALLY hated the Spanish and became known as the “Flail of the Spanish” because he ruthlessly preyed on them. This is a pretty cool find considering Mihawk’s design, the strongest swordsmen in One Piece, seems to draw influence from the Spanish. Anyways, Roronoa comes from the Japanese pronunciation of l’Olonnais.
As for Zoro, I am not sure. My best guess would be that it was from Zorro the Bandit. Both are noble fighters seen as evil by the government, but they truly side with the world’s citizens.
Nami – The Cat Burgler
We don’t know Nami’s full name just yet, and we might never know it unless Oda decides he feels like writing a full name for her. As for the meaning behind her name, Nami means “waves.” It’s a subtle nod to her being a navigator of ships and knowing the tides of the waves. Other than that, there isn’t much on her name.
Usopp – GOD
Like Nami, Usopp doesn’t have a full name; however, the meaning behind his name seems much more complicated. According to Japanese, “uso” means to lie which Usopp does all the time. Also, he could be connected to Aesop, the ancient Greek storyteller. On top of that, Aesop was the writer of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Usopp’s introduction was basically a spin on that story.
Vinsmoke Sanji – Blackleg
Before looking into Sanji’s name, the only thing I knew was that “san” means three in Japanese, and we learn that Sanji is the third child of Vinsmoke Judge. Also, he is the third strongest Straw Hat and consistently ranked number three on popularity polls. There isn’t much else to go off of his first name. Actually, his surname also doesn’t have much information besides “vin” meaning wine in French (which Sanji is influenced by).
Tony Tony Chopper
In Japanese, the word tonakai means reindeer. When shortened, you have tony. Half of Chopper’s name (Tony Tony) means reindeer reindeer. As for the Chopper part, I have no clue. He definitely isn’t a helicopter, but what do I know?
Nico Robin – The Devil Child
Unfortunately, Nico Robin’s full name meaning is left unfound. I tried my best and all I found was that ‘Nico’ is an Italian gender-neutral name. It means “Victory of the people.” Applying this to the One Piece Nico Robin, I could see how it fits. She is one of the last, if not the last, who can read Ponyglyphs. These texts tell the ancient history of the One Piece world, and Nico Robin may be the only person who can tell the people the truth of the Void Century. It could just be a coincidence.
Cyborg Franky
If the name Cutty Sark, a British ship, rings any bells, then damn you know your One Piece stuff. The name Cutty Flam, Franky’s real name, may have been inspired by this ship. Funny enough, the name Cutty Sark means “short night dress.” And if you know our boy, Franky, that man has the shortest pair of underpants on 24/7. Also, Cutty Sark has been set on fire and rebuilt several times, much like Franky had to rebuild himself and the Thousand Sunny.
As for ‘Franky’, that name could mean “free man” which Franky became when he changed his identity. This might be the coolest name of all the Straw Hats full names.
Soul King Brook
The more I research Oda’s characters, the more I realize he never really intended much meaning behind the origin of their names (as far as I can see). Similarly to Nico Robin, I couldn’t find much other than the word brook can mean “to stand for” or “tolerate.” There are several definitions, but I feel like these fit Brook the most. He had to tolerate decades of being alone on the seas until Luffy came by and rescued him. What do you think about this meaning?
Jinbe – Warrior of the Sea
At least we can end on a high note. Jinbe comes from the word “jinbei-zame” which means “whale shark” in Japanese. Interestingly, it also could mean a set of traditional clothes that men, women, and children wear called jinbei. Also, the clothing looks like something Jinbe wears in the manga/anime.
Until Next Time
That’s all for today folks. I hope you learned a bit more about the Straw Hats full names and where they come from. Let me know if you have any interesting finds about their names! Thank you for reading and stay sexy my friends.