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| Wednesday, December 06, 2006 |
| Usopp |
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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 "lie" in Japanese is pronounced "uso", 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 Bon Clay's standards, Usopp possesses the world's weirdest/funniest nose. Oda claims that Usopp is most represented by the armadillo.[1] Oda has also said that he uses the color yellow to represent Usopp, and he smells of gunpowder. [2]
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.
Despite his lack of physical strength compared to other members of the crew, with the exception of Nami, Usopp seems to be much more resilient than 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.
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 5th 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. Usopp is also very artistic, and drew the Straw Hat Pirates Jolly Roger.
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.
Crew roles
Also, Usopp possesses a genius for invention, practical engineering, and strategy. Amongst his many contraptions is the Clima-Tact, a staff that can generate rain and lightning storms, which he built for Nami and the Kabuto, a combination staff and slingshot type weapon, which he built for his alter-ego, Sogeking.
Several times throughout One Piece, Usopp's courage is put to the test as he is forced to fight to help out his crewmates. He manages a lot more than he would ever believe of himself, defeating Chu, a fishman; and with Chopper's help the team of Mr. 4 & Miss Merry Christmas.
Though all the Straw Hat Pirates were very fond of their ship, the Going Merry, Usopp felt the most for it, as it was given to them by Kaya. Because of this he did much of the repairs on it until Luffy decided they needed a professional shipwright.
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 hs mother to become a pirate when Usopp still were very young, something that created a deep facination 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-procalimed 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
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 is encountering stronger adversaries and since he was the weakest crewmember he started to lose confidence. 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 themesong for this identity.
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".
All of the Straw Hats (including Galley-La and Franky Family) realize who he really is except for Luffy and Chopper. It is unknown if Usopp is 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)
Recent Chapters
Sogeking (Usopp), Zoro, and Sanji re-united with Nami and Chopper in the tunnel underneath the Bridge of Hesitation, along with the sea train conductor Kokoro and her grand-daughter Chimney, but the tunnel was flooding with water and they were in danger of drowning, until Kokoro transformed into a mermaid and saved all of them. After arriving on the escape ship, in a rare display of courage, Sogeking (Usopp) suggested they go help Luffy defeat Lucci, but Zoro stopped him. However, several Buster Call ships arrived where they were and attacked the group with several Marine lieutenants and captains. Through a large hole in the tower Luffy and Lucci are fighting in, Usopp saw Luffy lying face down in a pool of blood. He took off his mask and called out Luffy's name, provoking him with insults and encouraging to get up and finish off Lucci, which he does. Following Lucci's defeat, the marines then proceed to destroy the strawhat's escape ship. Luckily, Sanji manages to rescue Chopper and the others at the last minute. The marines' next target is Luffy, who is too battered to move. The Strawhats, feeling cornered, suddenly hear an unknown voice calling them out to the sea. Usopp then tells Robin to toss Luffy into the sea, as the rest of the crew soon follow to land on a mysteriously restored Going Merry. After all the Straw Hats are back on the ship, Usopp uses Kabuto to fire Smoke Stars at the BC ships, preventing them from getting a clear shot on the retreating Merry. Just before the Merry began to fall apart and Luffy and the crew gave her a viking funeral, Usopp donned his Sogeking mask once again to hide his tears. When first seen on his return to Water 7, Ussop 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 Yukozuna. 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. Last time he was seen he was practicing different scenarios of rejoining the crew.
Powers and abilities
Usopp is Luffy's First Mate and has outstanding marksmanship abilities with his slingshot and is probably on his way of becoming one of the best snipers in the One Piece world. His slingshot being his prime form of combat, he has a few different types of ammunition. He is also not averse to using anything around him as a weapon. He uses eggs to blind opponents and rocks in the slingshot when out of ammunition. He is also able to absorb unbearable amounts of damage (he once got struck by a four ton, metal baseball bat to the head only to continue fighting minutes later) and sometimes uses his hammer for close combat. (At least twice he rapidly hit someone with it, along with an 'Usopp Rubberband' to make the opponent flinch - a running gag is when he attacks in a frenzy with the Usopp Hammer, he will at least once use the Usopp Wagomu.)
Usopp's greatest ability is his penchant to outrun just about anybody and anything. He utilizes hit and run tactics, provoking an enemy while his teammates attack or waiting for a sufficient opportunity himself. This most likely will continue until he runs out of ammunition or he tires out.
His ammunition has great range, from rotten eggs and hot sauce to shurikens and powerful explosives. His attacks are named Stars, e.g. Powder Star. Usopp has other attacks unrelated to projectiles, though they are mainly jokes. These include the 5 Ton Hammer (which is actually only about 2 kilograms) and Usopp Noise, where he plugs his ears and scratches a chalkboard. He has also recently started using Skypiean dials for attacks, such as using the Breath Dial to house explosive gas, using the Lamp Dial to blind his foes, and using the Impact Dial to absorb and reflect blows.
Usopp improves his sight with special goggles. He purchased an upgraded pair in Loguetown, but the actual scene of him purchasing them was cut out in the 4Kids Entertainment dub. The scene was also absent in the original manga due to lack of room.
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 rubberbands, 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. |
posted by Fredz @ 12:06 AM  |
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