Monkey D. Luffy
Introduction
Monkey D. Luffy is the adventurous teenager that puts together the Straw Hat Pirates in his quest to become the king of the pirates. He is stubborn, bull headed and emotional, but he also shows fierce loyalty to his friends and anyone in need of help. Using his Gum-gum fruit powers that turn him into a rubber man, he can take down any foe that gets in his way. With his trademark straw hat and his usual big smile, Luffy has become an icon of not only the show One Piece but of anime and Japan as well.
About Monkey D. Luffy
Before Timeskip | After Timeskip | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Age | 17 years old | 19 years old | |||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 171.45 cm / 5'7 1/2" | 173.99 cm / 5'8 1/2" |
Birthday | May 5 | Hometown | Foocsha Village | |||||||||||||||||
Affiliation | Straw Hat Pirates | Position | Captain | |||||||||||||||||
Devil Fruit | Gum-Gum Fruit | Fighting Style | Freestyle |
Nicknames | "Straw Hat Luffy" | "Straw Hat" | "Lucy" |
Luffy's Appearance
At less than 6 feet tall Luffy is shorter than most of the human characters in the series. While he is more toned in his core, his arms and legs are thin and long (even without the use of his stretchy powers). He has a mop of black unkempt hair that is usually covered by his trademark straw hat. Since he is not the type to hide his emotions, his face usually has a big smile on it or a sneer that suggests a confidence that he is about to kick your butt.
Wardrobe
Luffy's usual wardrobe consists of a red vest that he kept buttoned early in his adventures but leaves it open in later journeys. He wears denim pants that are rolled up all the time, along with flip flops. His most notable article of clothing is a straw hat he received from Shanks the pirate when he was younger that he cherishes very much.
Following the time skip, Luffy's wardrobe doesn't change that much. He wears a long sleeved red shirt for some of his adventures. The most notable addition is a yellow sash he wears around his waist.
Scars
Being an adventurous person, even as a kid, Luffy has received quite a few scars that he carries with him. He purposefully gave himself the scar under his eye as a kid because he wanted to show Shanks and the pirate's crew how tough he was. The pirates laughed at him and didn't take him seriously until Luffy went through with his promise with a knife. He gained a little more of their respect that day.
He acquires several scars on his body after battles with Crocodile, Arlong, Kreig, and Kuro during his travels.
He gains a chest scar in the shape of an X during the battle with the Marines in Marineford. As the fight roared on, Luffy was knocked out. Jinbei tried to escape while carrying Luffy but was attacked by Admiral Akainu. Akainu used his powers of fire to shoot Jinbei through the chest, burning Luffy as well.
Luffy's Personality
Luffy is an easygoing captain who spends most of his days sleeping on his ship. He is a simple young man who wants most of all to have good meal, and become king of the pirates. He doesn't overthink things and always goes with what he feels is right, even if someone has to explain to him why he may be wrong sometimes. Once he figures out what is right and wrong in his situation, he will see to it that the right thing is done no matter what. He is fiercely loyal to his friends and will do anything to protect and defend them. Even if one of his friends decides to leave his crew, he will do whatever it takes to get them back. He will walk through hell and stare down the devil himself if he feels he has to. He is a bit thick in the head sometimes as he lets his determination block what his friends tell him.
Luffy's Stubborness
Luffy can be very goal oriented and single-minded. When a challenge comes his way, he sees it through to the end. This determination serves him well when he is in combat as he never gives up on defeating a foe, even if he is near death. This can also be a detriment to himself or the Straw Hat pirate crew as he sometimes gets so tunnel-visioned he stubbornly refuses to listen to what anyone else is telling him, getting in shouting matches with his own crew when they raise any kind of hesitation over his decisions.
Luffy's Loyalty
Luffy is extremely loyal to his friends. Anyone that shows him kindness will get a big smile from Luffy and he will make you his friend. He has shown he will do anything to protect his friends no matter what comes his way. When Nami, Robin, or when Usopp left his crew under different circumstances, he not only wanted them back but in the cases of Nami and Robin, he faced down some seriously dangerous enemies to make sure they were back and safe. He also makes sure to repay his debts. Anyone who does something for him will get something in return. He may need a little help with thinking up what to do to repay them, but once he's set on something he will see it through to the end. Luffy's loyalty also sees him defending people who otherwise can't stand up for themselves. Luffy can't stand bullies and nothing sets him off quicker than seeing someone being bullied, even if he doesn't know who they are.
Luffy's simplicity
Luffy is by no means a stupid man, but he doesn't think about things too deeply either. Simple is the best solution for Luffy and will do what he feels is right without thinking much beyond that. Sometimes this mentality gets him in trouble, and a lot of times his friends like Nami or Sanji have to explain things out for him. He isn't the most forward-thinking person in the One Piece world, but that also keeps him from feeling things like regrets and worries.
Luffy's sense of adventure
Growing up in the company of Shanks and his crew, Luffy has developed a well-defined sense of adventure. He hates to do anything boring and will get reprimanded by some of his crew if he slacks off from his duties as the captain on his own ship. He can be a thrill seeker at times. If the ship encounters rough weather or strong waters, such as the mountainous entrance to the Grand Line, he will be smiling and laughing while the others are hanging on for their lives grabbing whatever they can. Luffy is not scared of the unknown, in fact, he welcomes it with a hearty grin, no matter what is coming (unless it's boring).
Luffy's hunger
Luffy's stomach is a nearly endless pit, so he gets hungry very often. This hunger will often block out everything around him as he searches for something to eat, preferably meat. When the ship stops at a town or port, the first thing he does is look for the closest restaurant, ignoring just about everything going on. Once his belly is full and he's had time to let it digest, he is back to his usual self.
Luffy's Relationships
Zoro
Nami
Usopp
Sanji
Chopper
Robin
Franky
Brook
Shanks
Garp
Dragon
Ace
Luffy's Bounties
First Bounty - 30,000,000 Beli
Luffy attains his first bounty after his battle with Arlong at the floating restaurant. As a result, he has the highest bounty of the East Blue.
Second Bounty - 100,000,000 Beli
Luffy's bounty is increased when he battles Crocodile in Alabasta
Third Bounty - 300,000,000 Beli
Luffy's bounty is raised to 300,000,000 after the fight with the Marines and Enis Lobby.
Fourth Bounty - 400,000,000 Beli
Luffy's bounty is raised to 400,000,000 Beli when he arrives at Fisherman Island
Fifth Bounty - 500,000,000 Beli
Luffy's bounty is raised to 500,000,000 Beli after the events at Dressrosa.
Luffy's Combat Style
Luffy's fighting style is completely self-taught. He follows no rules or code of honor so he will do things in a fight many other won't like hitting women or animals, hitting below the belt, attacking opponents from behind, even using enemies as human shields. He doesn't use weapons as often as Zoro or Usopp, preferring to fight hand to hand. His Gum-Gum fruit powers make him a very dangerous opponent as he is able to come up with attacks using his powers, seemingly out of nowhere.
Punch
When faced with someone he doesn't like, Luffy usually starts things with a plain old punch to the mouth. This can be used to judge the toughness of an opponent as if they can't handle a single punch, they won't be much of a fight.
Gum-Gum Strikes
Luffy's best weapons are his fists and throughout the series he uses his Gum-Gum fruit powers to deliver stronger punches. He can either strike with one mighty punch or use a Gatling attack of many rapid-fire punches to defeat his enemies.
Gum-Gum Kicks
Here Luffy stretches his leg out high in the air and using all of his might bring his foot down on top of an opponent. This is a very powerful attack that drove an opponent through all the floors of Arlong Palace. He can also use a rapid fire kick just as easily as a rapid punch attack.
Gum-Gum Slingshots
A move where Luffy will grab onto two anchored objects and stretches himself as far as he can before jumping and launching himself at high speed in any direction. He can travel a great distance in a short amount of time if he has to. The only problem is that his landings when he reaches his destination are not the best and it's more of a crash landing than a graceful dismount.
Gum-Gum Inflation
Luffy takes in a great inhale of air and holds his breath, making him inflate to several times his size. This can be used to make a giant rubber shield, or he can launch himself in the air and turn himself into a giant wrecking ball. He can do this move quickly and he can turn himself into a giant crash pad if he needs to catch someone falling from the sky.
Second Gear
A technique where Luffy is able to improve the blood flow to parts of his body to make him stronger and faster. This technique turns the affected area red and only has a short time to use. It is a very taxing technique on Luffy and can take him out for a while.
Gum-Gum Headbutt
A close encounter technique where Luffy literally uses his head as a weapon to konk opponents if he is trapped or restraining an opponent. Sometimes this knocks Luffy senseless as well but his hard head and Gum-Gum fruit powers work well together to surprise a foe with a mighty strike.
Evolution of Luffy's Techniques
Since Luffy makes up moves on the fly, every battle for him is a learning experience on new ways to be effective in a fight. The use of attacks is only limited by his imagination. As time goes on he gets better at using his attacks more effectively and becomes stronger all the time.
Trivia
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Luffy has had two different English voice actors. Bella Hudson under the 4Kids license who has also voiced numerous characters for Pokemon and Colleen Clinkenbeard for the Funimation license who has also done voices for Dragon Ball Z, GT , and Kai, Fullmetal Alchemist and FMA: Brotherhood.
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In Japan, Luffy is voiced by Mayumi Tanaka in the TV series. She has also done voices for Sailor Moon SuperS, Dr. Slump, and Urusei Yatsura. In the OAV specials, Luffy is voiced by Urara Takano, who has provided voices for Zatch Bell, Pokemon, and Yu Yu Hakusho.
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Ring of Honor wrestler ACH is a big fan of the series and has dressed as Luffy before wrestling matches.
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In 2016 Luffy starred in a commercial showing off his soccer skills alongside Japan national midfielder Shinji Kagawa.
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In 2009 Luffy was featured on the cover of Japanese men's fashion magazine Men's Non-No.
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In 2016 Luffy appeared as a limited edition gender swapped figure made by MegaHouse.
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In 2012, Luffy was featured in a TV ad selling life insurance.
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In 2015, Luffy along with Shanks, had their faces adorn facial beauty masks. Luffy's face featured him in kabuki style red face paint.
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Luffy Avatars have been featured in the online game of Second Life.
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In 2016 Luffy and the other Straw Hat Pirates teamed up for an ad campaign for Kai's Xfit razors.