Luffy is one of the most charismatic anime protagonists. While you'll find plenty of seasoned protagonists with the same positive outlook and cheerful demeanor who love Captain Straw Hat, there's something about Luffy that draws people to him, both in the world and the readers.
For better or worse, Luffy rarely takes no for an answer when it comes to recruiting people for his crew. This led to some interesting characters joining One Piece's the main cast. But as good a recruit as Luffy is, some fans may have been disappointed to see that these characters never officially joined the crew.
One Piece: 6 characters to shine in the Elbaf Arc
All of these characters will play big roles in the Elbaf arc before it's over.
Bartolomeo
With how much he admires Luffy, you'd think Bartolomeo would join the Straw Hat crew. He deeply admires Luffy and has shown that he is willing to go to extremes to uphold his reputation.
Bartolomeo is already a close ally of the Straw Hat crew, serving as the captain of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. But that doesn't count as part of the actual crew. He'd be a great addition to the gang, but as it stands, we don't know if he'll ever get that chance again.
Marco
Marco, the former commander of the 1st Division of the legendary Whitebeard Pirates, would basically improve any pirate crew he joined. He has years of experience, incredible Devil Fruits, and is a smart, level-headed guy who is good to have in a pinch.
It would be poetic if one of Ace's old crew members joined his brother on his journey. Marco would be a great asset to the crew and could share Ace's stories with Luffy. Even though he's helped them from afar, it doesn't look like he'll be joining their ranks anytime soon.
Carrot
A lot One piece fans assumed Carrot would join the crew, but unfortunately that never happened. Carrot's unique abilities and cheerful naivety made her an interesting potential crew member, a key ally for Straw Hat during the Whole Cake Island Saga.
We know Carrot would definitely get along with the rest of the crew and her Sulong form would come in handy in many future battles. For whatever reason, Oda thought it best not to join, and fans will always wonder why.
Platform
In terms of design and personality, the Perona would be a fun addition to the crew. He is much more immature and dramatic than the rest of the crew, which would be fun to watch. Her interactions with Zoro are great, but seeing her interact more with characters like Franky or Brook would be great.
Her Devil Fruit, Horo Horo no Mi, is one of the most interesting in the series, and combining it with Luffy's Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and Robin's Hana Hana no Mi could make the crew even scarier to deal with/ She has a connection to Zoro, so she will always be associated with the Straw Hats, but like many other characters in the series, she helps.
Trafalgar Law
Due to his personality, Law never joined Luffy's crew, even though Luffy would definitely like him to join. While it was never going to be long-term, the interactions we saw between Luffy and the other Straw Hats were a fun look at what could have been.
Outside of his amazing chemistry with the crew, Law would bring incredible leadership and medical skills to match Chopper's. That said, you can see why it was never meant to be. With the roles of captain and medic already filled, Law was always meant to be a temporary ally.
Bon Clay
Bon Clay has always been a fan favorite and a lot of fans would love to see him reunite with Luffy and the rest of the gang for good. Like Robin, he worked for the Crocodile and like her, he would be a great addition to the crew. He had great chemistry with Luffy and we've already seen how well he fits in with most of the Straw Hats.
While we know he's a loyal ally to Luffy and having his Mane Mane no Mi at the crew's disposal would make for some interesting situations later in the series, things just weren't that balanced. A reunion between him and the Straw Hats would be great, even if he doesn't end up joining them.
Yamato
That's the one that still burns someone. Much One piece fans expected that Yamato was destined to become a new addition to the Straw Hat crew, but unfortunately that never happened. Playing a key role during the Wano Country Saga, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Yamato would join the Straw Hats, given their strength and desire to see the world as their idol Oden did.
But Yamato's decision to stay back in Wano and watch over the Momonoskue definitely makes sense for the character, even if it's a little disappointing. Yamato will always be a strong ally to the Straw Hats and with any luck will play a major role in the series finale. Adding a new fan favorite (like Loki) might soften the sting of this one, but Yamato will always feel like the best potential Straw Hat that never was.
One piece
- Release date
-
October 20, 1999
- Network
-
Fuji TV
- directors
-
Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imayomura, Yashiôhiro Mayuū Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
- Writers
-
Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
-
Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
-
Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
