One of the most common ways of indicating strength in the manga are bounties. The bigger the bounty, the stronger the character. It’s a pretty simple tool that’s very useful for a story with hundreds of characters. How do you know if this terrifying fish guy that looks like a shark is actually weaker than this combed businessman with a hook for a hand? Well, just look at their bounties and everything becomes clear.
Bounties also add a bit of humor. When people are promised huge amounts of money for your head it’s supposed to be a nightmare: everyone is going to chase you and try to hunt you down. But for Luffy and his friends it’s actually a badge of honor. With bigger numbers in the bounties comes a greater respect for them as pirates.
Titles
Remember the moment in Baratie when Mihawk walks out of the restaurant and we hear his title — Shichibukai? Instantly, the gap between him and our crew becomes immense. We heard before that the Shichibukai are warlords of the sea, a crazy strong group of pirates not to be messed with. And here we are. With just one word the tension is everywhere. And how cool is Zoro that he still tries beating him?
But you know, who is even scarier? The Emperors of the Sea. They have even greater power and there are only four of them. Well, you get the point. One Piece has a very robust title system that clearly indicates the amount of strength a character possesses. Again, a very simple, but effective tool.
Ranks in the crew
A less obvious one. Here’s a question. Who is number two in the Straw Hats? Is it Zoro? Is it Sanji? Or maybe Jinbe? And why does it matter at all? Well, it matters because only a very powerful character can stand next to Luffy. The rank clearly indicates that. If a number two from Shank’s crew fights someone of the same rank from Buggy’s crew, we know the outcome. The figure of the captain and crew’s rank system is what makes it very easy to tell how strong a character is.
We would still go for Sanji though. At least he’s able to tell if he’s boarding the right ship.
How to tell apart one strong pirate from another.
Bounties
One of the most common ways of indicating strength in the manga are bounties. The bigger the bounty, the stronger the character. It’s a pretty simple tool that’s very useful for a story with hundreds of characters. How do you know if this terrifying fish guy that looks like a shark is actually weaker than this combed businessman with a hook for a hand? Well, just look at their bounties and everything becomes clear.
Bounties also add a bit of humor. When people are promised huge amounts of money for your head it’s supposed to be a nightmare: everyone is going to chase you and try to hunt you down. But for Luffy and his friends it’s actually a badge of honor. With bigger numbers in the bounties comes a greater respect for them as pirates.
Titles
Remember the moment in Baratie when Mihawk walks out of the restaurant and we hear his title — Shichibukai? Instantly, the gap between him and our crew becomes immense. We heard before that the Shichibukai are warlords of the sea, a crazy strong group of pirates not to be messed with. And here we are. With just one word the tension is everywhere. And how cool is Zoro that he still tries beating him?
But you know, who is even scarier? The Emperors of the Sea. They have even greater power and there are only four of them. Well, you get the point. One Piece has a very robust title system that clearly indicates the amount of strength a character possesses. Again, a very simple, but effective tool.
Ranks in the crew
A less obvious one. Here’s a question. Who is number two in the Straw Hats? Is it Zoro? Is it Sanji? Or maybe Jinbe? And why does it matter at all? Well, it matters because only a very powerful character can stand next to Luffy. The rank clearly indicates that. If a number two from Shank’s crew fights someone of the same rank from Buggy’s crew, we know the outcome. The figure of the captain and crew’s rank system is what makes it very easy to tell how strong a character is.
We would still go for Sanji though. At least he’s able to tell if he’s boarding the right ship.
