Vent blog! It started out as a DC blog, but turned into the place I go to complain about various fandoms because I'm easily irritated but don't like to cause drama.
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"I don't care what you say, Luffy! I'm going to do this!" Chapter 729, Franky telling Luffy he is standing by the Tontatta and their plans no matter what Luffy says
Sometimes I see people say the Strawhats have to obey Luffy because the captain's word is law. That they're expected to blindly follow orders, and that questioning him is disobedience or mutiny. And I hate that, not only because it is dumb and goes against a lot of the themes of One Piece, but also because it provably false.
Jason in canon: I'm going to kill crime lords and drug dealers because I'm mad at my dad, so I can be a crime lord who controls crime. I view gotham as a place you have to beat into submission. I don't really think about victims of crimes one way or another. Also I refuse to kill the joker bc my dad has to do it, even tho he may survive and murder more people because this is textually about revenge and not protection
Jason fans: he's so feminist leftist and progressive! He's clearly doing so much more to help victims than batfam because clearly he is then only one who has ever suffered, and here's why his extrajudicial murder is the most progressive thing ever. I'm going to also act like he predominantly goes after supervillains who escape prison a lot rather than like. Crime boss lackies.
Tfw when you're reading a good meta post that makes a lot of great points, but then they say something you strongly disagree with and now you can't reblog it :/
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“Is it unpopular to ship the heteronormative ship that’s has been pushed down our throats since the very beginning because I lowkey hate the faggot that my boy has been forced to date instead of the straight girl he was meant to be with”
so many popular examples of fandom racism are barely actual fandom brand racism bcs white ppl (and honestly too many non black ppl) need outright in your face blatant stuff as proof to shocked and appalled by. most of it is the classic "I'm not touching you style" that's easier to gaslight around which is what a majority of racism is, gaslighting. slave fics a tortureporn of characters of color are awful but that's like individual weirdos who it's easy to mark off as obviously racist. The attention and outrage surrounding these little incidents allows everyone to feel better because of how exaggerated and one off they are, bad eggs in a good batch etc.
Real fandom racism is watching the darkest characters get boxed into the specific outsider pov trope over and over despite them being a core member of the cast. it's watching everyone have in depth headcanons for every character but them, denying them the complexity their counterparts get. It's them getting written out of their own plots, receiving little to no audience sympathy when they ARE complex, and, most importantly, watching them get cast in the same exact role when shipping comes in
but all this isn't loud, it's quiet and unnoticeable unless you've had to watch it play out with every favorite character you've had ever since you were ten and started engaging with fandom. it's repetitive, uncreative, infuriating and worst of all NOBODY WILL LISTEN WHEN YOU POINT IT OUT because you're just imagining it and they're not touching you. I've been making my own content and I've seen how people will go out of their way NOT to engage or engage specifically only to discredit a character of color.
it's not a one off thing or even a small pattern, it is what fandom culture is BUILT on, picking the palest skinniest most pathetic looking man in the cast, projecting onto him and ignoring literally everyone and everything else whether that be fanon over plot or the interesting female or darker skinned characters and masking racism behind fanon tropes
I know I'm biased as an Usopp fan and all, but does anyone else think Elbaf has been... really mediocre? Bad, even? Like yes, I am disappointed that Usopp isn't getting more importance and screentime (considering Oda has been connecting him to Elbaf and the giants for literal decades, wtf was it all for then, Oda??) but also just in general. Spoilers ahead.
Oda spent so many chapters setting up all these pieces and building tension and stakes with the Holy Knights and stuff, but then axed the story's whole momentum with a meandering, eighteen (18) chapter flashback. A flashback with multiple other flashbacks in it, some of which were important for lore purposes but also unrelated and kind of undercut the point and emotion behind the initial flashback. (Also doing the Kuja dirty, making them idols who never even have to fight because they're so beautiful men just give them what they want, and they won't rescue their own queen/captain unless it's to get a man's attention 😒🤢 hi I'm still pissed about this)
We get back to present, finally, and the Monster Trio solve everything in five seconds, because of course they do. The fight with the Domi Reversi giants is completely without tension bc turns out you just have to hit them really hard (nevermind that Imu gave them undying bodies, like that was a specific stipulation of the contract, that physical harm would not stop them -- but who cares about that, Zoro decided to get them to hit each other once and it worked bc Zoro is always right, so fuck the pre established rules of the game)
The other fights are also without tension bc Luffy and Sanji smash the bad guys up with ease. Neither of them have any skin in the game with either of their matchups nor were the fights the least bit interesting think what we could have had with Nami and Sanji against Sommers or Usopp against Killingham The Nightmares which were a big deal against hundreds of giants are not a big deal against one Loki think what we could have had with Usopp vs Killingham dreams versus nightmares the heroes of his stories versus the monsters of the kids' dreams!!!!
Then the biggest (?) bad of the entire series rocks up to fight. He makes everything worse for our heroes, by putting them back in the same situation they just got sorted (needing to save the hostage kids, which has been going on for how many chapters now?) and nowww... we're going into another flashback. Shorter this time, thankfully, but we're barely even ten chapters out from the last one. Yeesh. Good for Brook (I genuinely am glad for him, even with the meh timing of this flashback). Another dead mom for the list, because motherhood is the deadliest thing in One Piece. Yay. Back to the present, "Oh no, the children!" is said for the fiftieth time.
Outside of the plot, sometimes the characters just say the dumbest, most nonsensical things. Like Nami saying not even the worst villains in the world take children hostage. Nami. Nami, who herself was a hostage and basically a slave and experienced horrific violence as a child. Who has seen so many other children hurt or stolen. Then Lilith saying Bonney needs permission to fight, which???????? She's been a supernova pirate captain for years, I think Bonney can fight if she wants to regardless of what the adults say. A few others have said weird things too, but I don't feel like hunting down every example right this second.
Like I said in another post, there are some very good moments that I like. The giant kids falling with their guardians, Usopp standing up for Brook against Imu. But these moments are far outweighed by the frustration and disappointment I have with the arc as a whole.
Also Sanji vs Killingham is a stupid matchup and I don't care whether or not Sanji has haki. Everyone has this allegedly rare haki why are we surprised
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You know, there’s always been that debate about who would make the best vice captain of the Straw Hats. And while I do like that the crew doesn’t really operate on strict titles beyond Luffy being captain, I honestly think Usopp being his VC would have added a completely different kind of flavor to the story.
Not because Usopp is the obvious choice 👀.
That’s exactly why it would have worked.
Zoro makes sense as the powerhouse right hand. Nami makes sense as the one who keeps the ship functioning. But Usopp? Ha. Puh-leez.
Usopp would have made people stop and ask what Luffy actually values in a 2nd-in-command. Because Luffy choosing Usopp would not be about rank, strength, intimidation, or clean leadership optics. It would be about trust. It would be about Luffy picking the one person who understands fear, morale, survival, performance, and hope in a way the others don’t.
And I think that’s where the human and monster thing comes in.
Luffy is bright, loving, ridiculous, and freeing, but he is also dangerous. He’s a monster of willpower. He throws himself at the impossible like normal limits don’t apply to him and half the time, they don’t. That’s inspiring, but it’s also terrifying if you really sit with it and think about it. Usopp on the other hand, is painfully human. He’s scared. He bleeds. He panics. He lies. He knows exactly what it feels like to be small in front of something bigger than him.
So if Usopp were vice captain his role wouldn’t be to match Luffy’s monster. It would be to balance it.
Not by controlling Luffy. Not by being stronger than him. But by being one of the few people who can still reach him when everyone else only sees the captain, the miracle, the future Pirate King, or the monster. Usopp would be the one who can look at Luffy and still see his best friend underneath all that power.
And that’s what would make it interesting.
Usopp’s job wouldn’t have to be “win until Luffy gets there.” It would be “hold the world together until Luffy gets there.” Keep the crew from breaking. Keep civilians alive. Stall the enemy. Lie well enough to preserve hope. Stay standing long enough for the miracle to arrive. And sometimes, when Luffy himself becomes too much, Usopp would be the one who reminds him where home is inside himself.
That wouldn’t take anything from Zoro or Sanji. They’d still be monsters in their own right. They’d still be Luffy’s wings and pillars. But Usopp as VC would give the narrative a different edge. Edgy. It would make the crew feel less like it’s built around obvious power structure and more like it’s built around belief.
Two 17 year olds. Captain and vice captain. Best friends. Both ridiculous. Both underestimated in different ways. One a Devil Fruit user, one painfully mortal. One the monster who can bend the world. One the human who survives long enough to keep believing in him. Front line and support. Sun and shadow. Dream and doubt. Two sides of the same freakin’ coin.
That’s why I wish Oda had kept the Usopp-as-VC idea, because it could have made One Piece wrestle more openly with what Luffy is becoming and why Usopp matters to him. Especially now, knowing what Luffy’s power really is, it adds a whole other layer. Luffy’s power in the wrong hands would be terrifying. But Usopp beside him would say something important: that Luffy is not just dangerous because he’s powerful, and he’s not safe just because he’s good. He’s safe because he has people who love him enough to reach him.
And Usopp being one of those people, officially, would have hit.
Water 7 would have been devastating in a completely different way too. Because then it wouldn’t just be Usopp leaving the crew. It would be Luffy’s human tether snapping. The person he trusted to hold the line would be the one saying, “I can’t stand beside you anymore.”
Human versus monster, huh?
That’s the part I can’t stop thinking about. Not just Usopp as vice captain for the title, but Usopp as the proof that Luffy’s crew was never supposed to be built on power alone. It was built on trust. And Usopp, of all people, being chosen for that role would have made that impossible to ignore.
We really did get robbed of cool edgy one piece, like this on top of cyborg Nami I would dieeeeee. But this is also so important to me, because the second most human on the crew is probably the nonhuman ones, like chopper and brook. I would maybe say Nami but I feel not as much, especially with her natural leadership. Chopper isn't even really a human but I feel so much more like him than Sanji or Nami or Zoro, who are technically Just Normal People.
Their flaws seem tangible, a big one for all three being loneliness. Brook on the boat for 50 years, Chopper is neither human nor reindeer AND has a blue nose, and Usopp's mom died and Dad left.
It's the opposite of Luffy, who has never really been alone. He's always had family. He was in that barrell for like a day until he met Koby, it's not in his blood to be alone. It's part of his godliness, his natural draw to people. It would make Usopp's loneliness so important as Luffy would do anything for strangers because he's got so much love in his heart and willpower, but Usopp would do anything for strangers because he relates to the struggles of humans. Luffy doesn't let go, neither does Usopp, but Luffy loves easier, and I think having a vice captain like Usopp who is kind to strangers YET suspicious makes a better fit than Zoro, who intimidates others and putting him second in command makes it seem, again like you said op, like the pirate crew is about power rather than family.
#i do like that the crew canonically does not have a first mate or vice captain#The Strawhats are not a typical pirate crew and part of that includes not having a strict hierarchy/chain of command#but YES having Usopp as vice captain (or co captain ;p) would add such an interesting layer to the story and their characters
#I 100% agree with what you said about Usopp and Luffy+Usopp's relationship#Usopp has always seen Luffy as his friend before his captain#Luffy is not his savior and Usopp knows better than anyone that Luffy isn't perfect or invincible#Usopp has never put rules or pride or anyone's authority above his friends' lives and that includes Luffy#I'm pretty sure Usopp is the only person to express worry about what Luffy does to himself w his powers#they balance each other and adding this dimension to their relationship would make that balance even more prominent and tasty#'He’s safe because he has people who love him enough to reach him'#'Usopp as the proof that Luffy’s crew was never supposed to be built on power alone. It was built on trust. And Usopp of all#people being chosen for that role would have made that impossible to ignore'#excellent post big agree (tags via usoppssketchbook)
Water 7 Is Not a Trophy. It’s a Battleground. | TL;DR
(Elbaf spoilers 🚨)
I saw a take recently that basically used Water 7 as a reason why Usopp fans should not expect Elbaf to be especially meaningful for him. The general idea was that Usopp already had his big emotional arc, so if Elbaf ends up giving more focus to someone else, then Usopp fans should not act like he was deprived. 💀
and to be clear, this is not about attacking Brook fans or anyone who is excited for another character. People can think Brook has stronger relevance in Elbaf. People can be excited for Brook. People can prefer whatever character they prefer. That is not the issue.
The issue is that when people bring up Water 7 like it somehow settles the entire Usopp conversation forever. 🙄
like, “Usopp already had Water 7, so what are his fans complaining about?
And that is where I have to pause, because that is such a shallow way to talk about what Usopp fans have actually been dealing with.
Water 7 gave Usopp incredible material. I’m not denying that. But Water 7 also became one of the biggest weapons fandom uses against him. That arc did not just become “Usopp’s big emotional arc” in fandom memory. It became the place people return to whenever they want to call him disloyal, useless, replaceable, weak, selfish or undeserving of his place on the crew.
So, no, Water 7 is not some clean trophy Usopp fans get to hold up forever while everyone respects it. For a lot of us, Water 7 is a battleground.
That is why it feels dismissive when someone uses it like a reason Usopp fans should stop expecting payoff. Because it ignores the actual burden we have been carrying in fandom spaces for years.
And, Wano only made that worse.
Yes, I can argue Wano all day long. I can talk about what Usopp did what he represented, what moments mattered, and what people overlook. But even then, Wano left Usopp fans in debt. It gave us things we can argue from, but not always things that are undeniable enough to shut down bad-faith dismissal.
That is the problem.
Usopp fans are constantly having to perform narrative CPR (my fave term rn) just to keep his contributions alive in fandom conversation. We are always explaining why his moments count why his fear does not erase his bravery why his victories are still victories why his role matters even when the story frames it messily or comedicaly.
So when elbaf comes around, an arc that has been emotionally tied to Usopp since Little Garden, of course Usopp fans are watching closely. Of course expectations are high. Of course people are anxious. This is not random. This is not us pulling an arc out of thin air and demanding ownership of it.
Elbaf is tied to Usopp’s dream. His idea of warriorhood. His admiration for giants. His insecurity. His bravery. His lies becoming true. His relationship with fear. His desire to become someone he can be proud of.
So when someone says, “well, Water 7 already happened,” it feels like they are skipping over the actual dilemma.
Because the question is not, “has Usopp ever had a good arc?”
– the question is, “why does Usopp keep getting setup that the story and fandom do not always protect?”
– the question is, “why are Usopp fans expected to be satisfied with moments that are constantly minimized mocked or treated like accidents?”
– the question is, “why is his fandom burden dismissed by people who have not actually cared to understand what we have been fighting since Wano, and honestly long before that?”
u can have an opinion. You can disagree. You can think Brook deserves focus. You can think Elbaf is doing exactly what it needs to do. fine.
But you cannot speak for Usopp fans like you have witnessed our dilemma if you have not even bothered to understand it.
Because for us Water 7 is not just payoff. Wano is not just “he did some stuff.” Dressrosa is not just “he got a gag win.” Elbaf is not just “Usopp likes giants.”
This is years of emotional setup, fandom dismissal, narrative debt, and waiting for the story to finally give Usopp something so clear that people cannot strip it from him the second the chapter drops.
And maybe that payoff is still coming.
i hope it is.
But if Elbaf skips over Usopp after all this build up, then I am not going to pretend the setup was never there just because other people did not care about it.
Usopp’s importance is not invalid just because fandom keeps treating his moments like they need a lawyer present to count.
I know I probably sound like I’m in a dark mood, but honestly I’m trying to keep morale. This is not about attacking Brook fans or any one excited for Brook. This is about naming the weird uncomfortable position Usopp fans are in right now, especially when peopl are already using brook’s focus to rub salt in the wound. Sometimes saying the quiet part out loud is the only way to keep from feeling crazy.
“Ace died from ragebait/yo daddy joke”, Ace slander in general
“Who betrayed/disrespected Luffy more? Nami, Robin, Usopp, or Sanji?”
“Zoro would kill a Straw Hat without hesitation if Luffy ordered him to”
Usopp hate, calling him disloyal for his actions in Water 7, “Usopp is a useless bum”
“Nami is a vain, greedy bitch who values money and nice clothes over her friends”, Nami hate in general
“Usopp shouldn’t have been allowed back on the crew after Water 7”
“The Straw Hat Pirates blindly obey Luffy without question and should never criticize him!”
Powerscaling
“Chopper only exists to be the cute mascot of the crew! He’s weak and useless!”
Using the crimes committed by pirates to justify/excuse the atrocities committed by the Marines/World Government
“Garp was the real victim of Marineford!”
“Sanji is a pedophile for thinking that Pudding is beautiful!” despite being only 5 years older and is nothing but a considerate gentleman towards her despite the way she initially treated him.
“Dragon is a deadbeat dad”
Pitting Ace and Sabo against each other and arguing that one brother is smarter/stronger/cooler/a better brother to Luffy than the other
“Ace should’ve asked Garp for help during Marineford”
“Nami, Robin, Chopper, and the others don’t need to learn Haki because they’ll become OP”
“Zoro was 100% right in his speech in Post-Ennies Lobby and he’s a great vice captain even tho he made no effort to mediate or deescalate the argument between Luffy and Usopp before it could result in Usopp leaving the crew”
I fucking hate how the ending of W7 is treated like some triumphant, wonderful moment. I can't stand those panels, and I hate how fandom uses them in collages or web weaves as an example of Luffy supporting his nakama. Leaving your friend and ignoring him until he's screaming and sobbing on the ground, yeah, sure, what a great friendship moment.
Everybody be so quick to call Usopp weak and useless like he didn't immediately empty his shit on Kizaru when luffy yelled for him to do something when Zoro was down
In a world full of ridiculously strong niggas, and in the face of a 10ft tall ADMIRAL, all Usopp has is a sling shot and he still took a shot and kept shooting even though it wasn't going to work but he did it cause his captain called for him to do it
I hate ppl that keep theorizing that he's gonna die and that he's the most useless Strawhats, AS IF Luffy would let him die, the Strawhats wouldn't be the Strawhats without Usopp.
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I always roll my eyes at those posts that go "Steph of course deserves to beat up Tim for what he did to her" bc like. What did he do to her. Seriously, what, exactly, did he do to her? Tell her no a few times? Not base personal decisions around her feelings? Get upset when she hurt him? I don't think any of those are bad enough to warrant violent punishment. They're certainly not proportional to what Steph has done to Tim.
With everything happening in Elbaf lately, both in the anime and manga, my strongest hope for Usopp payoff is Yasopp. And no, before anyone starts, I am not saying Usopp only matters if his dad enters the picture. That is not what I mean. Usopp is valuable on his own. Usopp deserves the world on his own.
But I need some return on investment here.
I know some people feel like the Imu stuff is enough, and I respect that. Truly. But at this point, after years of Elbaf being tied to Usopp, after OPLA season 2 also pushed that emotional connection, after all the giants, all the setup, all the carrots being dangled in front of us, I cannot be okay if all Usopp gets is a speech
I can compromise. I can accept trade-offs. I can be patient. But I cannot accept this being all there is.
If Oda didn’t intend for Elbaf to give Usopp meaningful payoff then I do think it feels insulting and unfair to keep reminding us that Usopp has this connection to Elbaf and the giants, only for it to amount to crumbs. That’s where my frustration is coming from.
So right now, I’m holding onto Yasopp. It’s risky. I know I might end up hurt all over again. Since if Yasopp started this arc off with a bang then I need his son to end it with one too. That is the hope I can cling to right now.
I got really stressed over Oda’s recent message and had to go to my family. They told me to keep hoping, so I will.
My mom said, “Don’t mind that. He probably wrote that in the middle of the night half asleep. Old people problems.”
My sister said, “You know how in fanfiction when an author posts an update, but it’s not an actual chapter? Just one big author’s note? That’s all it is. Chill.”
So, yeah I’m trying to chill.
It’s Oda’s story. I know that. I know he’s aging. I know, yada yada. But I’m frustrated. I’m hurt. I’m human. I will never give up on Usopp, and I will never “drop him,” but I can absolutely complain about the process.
The arc isn’t over Not even close. But right now? Oda is being cruel.
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