Sanji is a crucial member of the Straw Hat crew in One Piece, and has been since the very beginning in East Blue. While his first intro gave an already tragic backstory about his history with Zeff, more was revealed in Whole Cake Island. So, what is the whole, chronological timeline of Sanji’s family, and childhood, and how does it help him make Luffy into the Pirate King?
Who is Sanji’s Dad?
Sanji’s father is a famous figure in the North Blue and around other areas of the Grand Line. Vinsmoke Judge, king of the nation of Germa, is the patriarch of Sanji’s family and the creator of his siblings’ powers. Judge is a cold, cruel man who only cares about those that are useful to him. He shuns Sanji thanks to his differences from his brothers, and sees him as nothing but a failed experiment. Safe to say their relationship was never great.
Judge is renowned as a brilliant military scientist who only works for himself. He develops weapons that focus on destructive power over all, and has no mercy for any as long as he gets his results. The man rents out his kids as superpowered mercenaries to whoever will pay, and it’s just one of the many things he and Sanji clash over when they meet up later. Judge also has a history of working alongside other dangerous scientists like Queen, Caesar Clown, and Vegapunk.
Judge despises his son Sanji, and goes to the length of locking him away with an iron mask on. Despite all this, he does let his son escape, but more out of pity than mercy.
Why Was Sanji Different from Germa?
He’s not different from his Germa 66 brothers now necessarily, other than his personality and compassion. When he was a child, however, he didn’t manifest any of the latent abilities that his brothers or sister did. Poor Sanji has the hell beaten out of him by his brothers, his dad, a passerby, and really just whoever is in need of a punching bag when he was around. The kid had a miserable childhood all because he was born with emotions instead of a steel exoskeleton. He was a normal human, but Sanji’s family treat him like a freak of nature.
He was a failure in his father’s eyes, but he was exactly what his mother wanted. She had originally taken special drugs while pregnant with Sanji and his three brothers that would negate the emotion removal. The medicine didn’t take for his brothers, but Sanji was his mother’s greatest success. Unfortunately, her pregnancy permanently changed her and Sanji’s mother was ill from then on.
Who Are Sanji’s Siblings?
Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji are the three brothers of Sanji’s family. Together with their sister Reiju, they make the foremost soldiers of Germa 66 and command the militarized mobile nation. He has distinctly different relationships with his brothers than he does with his sister though, and it’s all related to how they treat him. The three Germa soldiers successfully had their emotions eliminated, so they would mercilessly beat on Sanji with no care. The worst part is that Reiju couldn’t interfere, unable to stand up to her brothers’ powers. Then Judge didn’t give enough of a damn to help. He even encouraged it.
Reiju meanwhile was only a prototype for Judge’s experiments, and managed to retain her emotions. Though hers are not as prominent, she does have feelings of love and attachment for Sanji, and even her family. She knows that he didn’t ask to be born different, and that he only wants to be happy and cook. Even the cooks for Germa are afraid of Judge, but still manage to let Sanji use the kitchen from time to time and nurture his love of cooking. She’s even the one that eventually helps him escape the Germa Fleet, by unlocking his cell and mask.
Sanji and Zeff
Sanji ended up on a passenger ship that let him work for room in the kitchen. That ship was quickly overrun by the crew of Red Shoes Zeff, but unfortunately, both were sunk in the exchange. Once the ship sinks Sanji starts to go with it, and Zeff faces a split-second decision to save the kid. He does, and they survive for weeks on a small deserted island while Zeff gives Sanji all the food. Although he tells Sanji he split it between them, he actually ate his own broken leg to survive so Sanji could live.
When Sanji finally realizes what happened, rescue comes along and he takes to Zeff as his adopted son. Zeff is more of a father to Sanji than Judge ever was, and he trained Sanji in everything he knows as a chef and fighter. Sanji picks up his kick-based fighting style, and believes a chef’s hands are their most valuable asset, not for battle. When Sanji is taken by Germa in Zou, he only stops fighting when told that they have Zeff in their crosshairs.
Baratie!
Sanji has been at Baratie since Zeff started the restaurant years ago. He’s a famous member of the staff, both for his cooking ability, womanizing tendencies, and tenacity as one of the famous fighting cooks. Many of the brawls that happen in the floating restaurant are thanks to Sanji arguing with other sous chefs. Other times hell beat the hell out of diners for disrespecting the food. He takes great pride in the restaurant though, just as much as Zeff does, maybe more. Before he meets Luffy he wants to make Baratie a legendary restaurant alongside his adopted father.
Sanji’s Straw Hat Family
Since joining Luffy, Sanji has made a name for himself as a fighter, womanizer, and pirate. A crucial part of the Straw Hat Pirates as both their chef and third strongest fighter. He’s one of the Wings of the Pirate King, and knows that Luffy is the one. He has the determination to do anything possible. That is, as long as it helps his captain become the King of the Pirates. If it lets him be a perv, he considers it a bonus.
Now, Sanji has his family in the Straw Hat Pirates, and he cares for (almost) one of them.
His dream to see the All-Blue interweaves with Luffy’s fate as Joyboy. Theories currently are that the All-Blue, a place where all four seas meet along with the Grand Line, will happen with the destruction of Marijoa. Fans theorize that the Red Wall will be demolished entirely, which will allow all the seas to merge. Sanji’s interest in the All-Blue is the ability to catch and cook fish from every region. He wants to create an ultimate menu for everyone to enjoy!
More About Sanji
This is only a brief dive into Sanji’s childhood, not to mention what he’s been through on his journeys with Luffy. Check out Sanji’s adventures with the Straw Hat Crew in One Piece, streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix in the United States.
