Excuse Do you have any advice on writing Kid ?
Hello dear,
Technically, I can, but a short disclaimer:
I do not own this character. Only Oda, the author, has a full understanding of Eustass Kid and can write for Eustass Kid with 100% accuracy.
My advice is based on: my knowledge of punk culture, my personal analysis of Eustass Kid, and writing tips I've learned over the years, from publishing houses, published or not published authors, editors, professional readers, friends and by myself. So all the facts and tips you are going to read are only my vision and my understanding. Also, all the things I'm going to say are, as I said, my own analysis and interpretation. Feel free to reuse it, but please credit me, it’s my analysis, I wrote it all by myself.
Eustass Kid is portrayed as a punk. It’s not hidden, it’s everywhere: the name of his ship, of his attacks, his character design, and his attitude. So the first thing important is to know what punk means, because otherwise, you will totally miss the whole point of Kid's character.
☆ 1. A brief resume of what punk means
Punk is a counterculture - it has become through the years a sign of resistance and rebellion against mainstream society. Sex Pistols, Ramones and The Clash are really important in punk culture, not only because of their music, but also because their influence turned worldwide and spread the punk ideology: activism, will of being totally free. Punk emerged as a scream of anger, an angry answer to society, its codes and norms. I really insist on the idea of a scream of rage, because punk is also born from UK and US council estates.
I will spare you a long info-dump about punk and I’ll stick to the basics. So keywords: anti-conformism, rebellion, anti-authoritarianism, anti-government. Pro freedom and founder of the DIY (do it yourself) ideology. Punk is politics. Punk means creativity, need for freedom, non-conformism. It’s the middle finger to society, the government, a middle finger from the youth, and abandoned kids from council estates, a middle finger thrown to the face of the elite. Punk is about attitude, honesty, the right of being yourself and being different; they value authenticity, even if it sounds sometimes aggressive or tough. Authenticity is everything for them. Punk means revolution. Affirmation of your identity; both your spirit and your look.
You can notice that Kid’s attacks are always references to punk culture - punk/slam gibson = brand of electric guitars, punk pistols = sex pistols, damned punk = ref to the UK punk band The Damned and so go on.
☆ 2. Why understanding punk is important to understanding Kid (and why Kid is often misunderstood because punks are often misunderstood)
Kid is loud and rebellious. Luffy and him share the same goal, but they don’t see freedom the same way. Luffy is an elastic–man. Not just because it’s fun, it also shows his ideology of freedom: kind - by kind, I mean, willing to try different things, to understand others, be flexible. It’s not the topic of the post so I shut up, but Kid and Luffy are written as rivals sharing the same goal but not the same vision of achieving it and are built on parallels and kind of chiaroscuro construction.
Why punks are misunderstood: it’s the same for all alternative cultures, they are misunderstood. Being a punk is associated with something negative, almost an insult in some countries. Societies have always been against people that don't stick to the norms. Reducing Kid to a mean, angry, dumb, weak, and stubborn character is missing the whole purpose of his character. He's a punk. He’s misunderstood because of his differences. He’s not flexible - because punks are as I said a scream of rage born from the council estates. He’s not just “angry”, he wants freedom. He’s not “mean”, he’s fighting and following his rules, that’s punk spirit. He’s not “weak”, he refuses to step back, punks are rebellious, they won’t bend, they won’t submit, they never did, they are rebels, they want to fight for their causes and values, even if it’s useless, even if it sounds like fighting for a lost cause. They will never shut up until they achieve their goals, or die.
Kid is morally gray. He’s following his own code. He has his own moral code - he cares about his friends, his crew, because again, punks are rejected. They tend to form a found family. It is shown in the manga Kid cares about his best friend and his crew. It is shown in the manga Kid can side with rivals. If he thinks it serves his purpose and his goal, he will side with other people than his punk folks. He can think, he’s not stupid, he’s following his code. He’s distrustful because punks are misunderstood and hated, like a lot of people with alternative esthetics or ways of viewing the world. He doesn't see the point of having allies because in his mind, they aren’t trustful - they do not share his punk spirit.
I said Luffy was flexible; Kid is rigid. It is shown through his DF, metal is rigid but still able to take many forms - DIY. And the fact he can control metal is not a coincidence, it’s associated with garage punk. Why garages? Because a lot of punk bands were poor, it was a scream of anger from the abandoned kids. They founded their band and started to repeat in their garage; garage is associated with what? DIY.
Kid is literally the allegory of: do it yourself. He’s creative with his DF, he’s good at crafting, he learns by himself, he’s doing things by himself, he’s not waiting for permission, he’s here to slam the door and eat the dessert without waiting for the guests to come in and take a seat.
☆ 3. Writing for Kid - a few things to keep in mind
He’s from South Blue. He was born on Kutsukku Island, an island located in the South Blue and unaffiliated with the World Government.
In the past, Kid, Killer, Heat, and Wire were bosses of gangs ruling the island's four towns. After his childhood friend Victoria was murdered by another rival gang, Kid unified the four groups and took down the rival gang. Since his childhood, he has learned the hard way; he learned to do things by himself. He’s violent and tough because he had no choice. He witnessed murders and violences for years, that's all he knows, that how he survives. Keep in mind all the things I said about punk: an angry answer, a scream from the abandoned kids. His name is not a coincidence in my opinion, and it’s also another parallel between him and Luffy, because Oda stated Luffy was associated with childhood + his birthday is child day.
☆ 4. Characterization of Kid through your writing
He’s short-tempered, loud, aggressive, and tough - but he’s morally gray. Don’t fall in the trap of making him a total asshole without layers. Kid showed various emotions through the manga, especially for his crew and his best friend, Killer. Life made him tough, but he’s not the cliché of “mean guy without reasons”.
He’s punk-spirited, which means he’s against conformism, orders, and all. Just take a look at his crew: Wire is wearing fishnets, micro shorts, fishnet top and harness. Some of his dudes are wearing skirts. So in my opinion, it's total nonsense to describe Kid as being closed-minded and to write him as a man who wants to be a real man - by that, I mean, fitting to society and its patriarchy norms. The truth is: he doesn’t give a fuck. He’s proud to wear lipstick, kohl and to paint his nails. Makeup aren't only for women, skirts and fishnets as well. He’s proud of his crew. Because they show their identity. I won’t repeat why it’s important, I already explained why it is in my brief explanation of punks.
He’s creative. Try to show his creativity; it doesn't matter if you’re writing smut, fluff, or angst. DIY is the essence of punk.
He cares about his people - but he is conflicted with his will to pick the short way. Try to work with it and always think of contrasts and nuances.
He’s proud - yes, he has a massive ego. Because punk affirms their identity and capacities. It’s not just “bragging”, it’s also a part of punk culture.
He’s loyal and ambitious - remember: he has been betrayed many times by his allies. But when he fought with Law, he didn’t turn his back. He managed to work with him and Luffy. He’s perfectly able to think, he’s loyal, and he hates betraying. Which means he’s distrustful and always looking for the truth. Again, it fits into punk culture: punks being betrayed because they are perceived as weirdos.
We can assume he’s an orphan, but it’s just a take based on what we know about his past: so yes, he’s tough and won’t talk with elaborate vocabulary. It’s important to characterize a character by the way they talk and think, it speaks volumes. Don’t be afraid to be rude when writing for Kid. An advice I love is that you need to keep your DNA (your writing style) when writing, but blending it to the DNA (the energy of the character) of the character you’re writing for. This is why in my way of writing for Kid, I use a lot of vulgarities and when he speaks, I use contracted English.
Sometimes, he’s lacking maturity - sometimes he’s able to be mature: he did the dumb challenge with Law & Luffy against Big Mom, but he followed the news about Cesar Clown, he’s listening to Killer who knows more about the New World than him. Again, nuance is the key for Kid.
He hates being mocked or when his friends are mocked because punks are misunderstood and always mocked for their looks, tastes, etc. Kid is sensitive to mockery - it stings his pride. It hurts his loved ones, for example, Killer’s laugh. Punks are often mocked. But they fight back. They won’t just ignore an offense. Kid’s reaction to mockery is brutal because it has always been his life: death, murders, cruelty, brutality.
He’s possessive – he never owned anything as a child. What belongs to him now must belong completely to him. He never has the chance to learn how to share. It was: be a predator or a prey. He decided to survive and became a predator. Predators don’t share their belongings.
He doesn’t know how to love like a normal person and he doesn’t want to learn. He loves with his punk heart: with brutal honesty, sense of honor, loyalty and ardent passion.
He’s a fashion designer and DIY to the bone - he turns his body into art. His scars are warpaint. The loss of his arm? He turns it into something better, a prosthesis arm with many abilities. His creativity is a part of his identity and of his sense of honor.
Kid is not dumb. He’s working on complex weapons. It demands creativity, of course, but also a sense of logic, an understanding of science, technology, anatomy and we know Kid can craft prothesis, weapons, but also animals, which means he's aware of human and animal anatomies. He's clearly not stupid. I’m not in the OP fandom because I always tend to think fandoms are toxic, and I want to preserve my mental health. But some of my friends are really into fandoms. And I know Kid and Kid fans are mocked because “Kid is dumb/weak/insufferable”. No, he’s not. For all the reasons I said above, and because what he’s crafting demands knowledge and skills. He knows how to use his brain - he’s just conflicted with his way of seeing things: always taking the short way.
His love language = ride or die, cross my heart, hope to die. Because that’s a punk spirit. Together. Until the end. He won’t say sweet nothings, he will show his affection through gifts, but mostly through actions: he kills people who mock Killer because of his laugh. He’s rude, but not mean. He’s not an antagonist, he’s a rival.
I think Kid is a misunderstood character on purpose: Punks are misunderstood. I think he’s loud on purpose. Punks aren’t afraid to show their anger and madness when they see the world they live in. He’s named Kid because he never had a chance to be one, but his anger is the anger of an angry child no one ever listened to. Just like punk. So I think that whenever Kid is called dumb, weak, weird or whatever, it just proves my point: punks (and countercultures in general) are misunderstood.
☆ 5. Conclusion
We, sadly, don’t know a lot about Kid and his past. But we know enough to think and figure out things, especially with the main key: he’s a punk. He won’t submit, he will fight to the end, he’s proud of his look, of himself. He’s not here to ask for permission. He cares about his people. His scars are warpaint. He’s creative and authentic. He’s misunderstood because he learned the hard way, because he’s not fitting into the social codes. He likes make-up and nail art. His crew is queer-coded. It’s a non-sense to describe him as being racist, queerphobic when punk is all about: be yourself and show your middle finger to the people who hate you.
And if they hate you, then be loud. Don't hide. You hate him? Fine, he loves the way you hate him. He won't be silent. Never.
Kid is loud.
Kid is not afraid of dying.
Kid knows what he wants.
Kid is brave.
Kid has a dream.
Kid never betrayed his allies but has been betrayed.
Kid isn’t here to please others, he’s here to please himself and stand up to his ideology.
Kid would rather fight and die than submit.
Because that’s the spirit: ride or die, fight for your values, don’t be afraid to die. Stand up, don’t complain without trying to change the world or your life - he’s a punk to the bones. According to Kaidou, Kid has the ability to develop the supreme king haki. He has the will of a king.
His will: they tried to bury us but they didn't know we were seeds*
Watch us burn the government, watch us earn our freedom. You don’t understand us, but we understand ourselves. Ride or die, cross my heart: so now, listen motherfuckers, we are the abandoned ones you never cared about, we are the kids from council estates and we will never be silent again. Punk never dies.
*mexican proverb
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗I received a non-request ask about writing tips if you want to start writing fic, so I think I will use this post as a base to develop my thoughts and examples; for example how to stay in character or how to use character DNA through your text. I just need to gather my thoughts and structure my explanations, idk yet when I'll publish my writing tips.
