Okay, God Usopp might not be the most accurate name for the Straw Hats’ resident cowardly liar, but he earned it. Usopp is a complex character in One Piece. He’s a compulsive liar who will do anything to weasel his way out of danger. Yet he’s one of the most stalwart Straw Hats, faithful to his friends and protective of them all. So, who is the legendary Captain God Usopp, and how did he become the greatest liar alive?
Reader beware! Spoilers lie ahead, so anyone not current on One Piece, especially after the end of the Wano arc. So, that’s the only warning, turn back now!
Who is Usopp’s Dad?
Usopp and Luffy have an interesting thing in common, and that’s their relationships with Shanks’’ crew. His father Yasopp is the sniper for the Red Hair Pirates. With his reputation, it’s no wonder Usopp is such a great shot. He hasn’t met back up with his father, but it won’t be long since both crews have set out for the One Piece.
Where Did Usopp Grow Up?
His home of Syrup Village took up the task of raising Usopp, as his mother is unknown and Yasopp left for sea. They put up with him, but lying came naturally to the kid and he quickly began to grate on the villagers’ nerves. Still, after he leaves they end up missing his early morning alarms about pirates approaching. Even though they were always lies, Usopp never failed to entertain everyone with a story.
Most of his childhood in the village was spent with Kaya. She’s a young girl that lives in Syrup Villages’’ massive mansion. Her parent were rich businesspeople, killed by Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates who poses as her butler. Despite his treachery and attempt to kill Kaya, Usopp stops him and saves her with the Straw Hats’ help.
The Straw Hat Pirates
When the Straw Hat Pirates first arrive at Syrup Village, Usopp tries to bluff them into believing he has much more power than he does. It goes well for a moment, until Luffy and Zoro. decide to call his bluff. Still, he impresses Luffy with his dedication to protecting his friend and asks Usopp to join the crew. They’ll soon find out he’s just as cowardly as he looks, though his lies can be useful.
Most of all he fills the early spot of engineer on the Straw Hat Pirates. That doesn’t mean he’s great at it, but he manages to carry the Merry Go all the way to Water 7 along with Chopper. When Franky eventually joins the crew Usopp moves into the spot on ballistics expert and sniper. An essential Straw Hat, Usopp has one of the most accurate eyes in the Grand Line, and his Observation of Haki only makes him more dangerous in battle.
Usopp’s Dream
When they initially set out from Syrup Village, Usopp only wants to bring great stories back for Kaya. After they land on the island of Little Garden and meet Dory and Broggy, he’s enamored with their creed. He vows to become a brave warrior of the sea like the Giant Pirates’ co-captains. They laugh, and promise to meet up with Usopp again one day on the island of Elbaph.
Usopp is well on his way to becoming that great warrior too, as he’s made a reputation throughout the Grand Line. He’s not a warrior in the traditional sense, charging in with swords like Zoro, but a tactical fighter on the back lines. He’s a fantastic tactician, and able to keep track of everyone on the battlefield thanks to his Observation Haki. Usopp is moving closer and closer to his title, and will soon be reunited with Dory and Broggy as well!
Usopp and the Merry Go
Throughout Usopp’s time with the Straw Hats, he was the main repairman for the Merry Go. While it wasn’t always the most well-done repair, he could be counted on to get Merry through another voyage. Usopp even saw an ancient legend emerge to fix the Merry on Skypiea, After all they’ve gone through together, both joining the crew in Syrup Village, Usopp just couldn’t bear to leave the Merry Go behind.
Usopp’s defiance of Luffy about what they need to do with Merry Go, along with the pressure of Robin’s disappearance, leads to a fight. They go at it, with Usopp declaring that if he wins they keep Merry. He doesn’t, despite a good fight, and stays with the Merry Go as the other Straw Hats wander off back to a hotel. This leads to a rift in the Straw Hat Pirates, and Usopp temporarily quits the crew.
Who is Sniper King?
Of course once the Enies Lobby incident starts, Usopp isn’t just going to stand around and wait. He also can’t face up to his friends though, and dons a ridiculous mask and cape, calling himself Sniper King. It’s one of the worst disguises ever, as his massively long nose is still visible poking through the mask. Even his voice is the same, yet somehow Luffy and Chopper are the only ones fooled by it. That makes sense, considering they make up the Idiot Trio, but it’s still so incredibly stupid, especially after they mistake Kaku for Usopp too.
Still, Usopp commits to the bit even though the other Straw Hats recognize him. It’s something he’s obviously been planning for a long time too. Usopp has a whole theme song and backstory for Sniper King, and will often sing it before going into battle. It’s just one of many goofy traits from the Straw Hat sniper, and it earns him his first bounty, though he’s in disguise.
Usopp’s Two-Year Time Skip
When the Straw Hats separate at Sabaody Archipelago, Usopp trains at the Boin Archipelago with Heracles, a knight dressed as a beetle. The Boin Archipelago itself is arranged in a large circle, with the creatures and wildlife more vicious further in. At the center lies a treasure though, and it’s here that Usopp is aiming for.
His time with Heracles brings Usopp into a whole new level of tactical fighting. While he was always great with making his own ammunition, he now has seeds from the Boin Archipelago. They offer various offensive and defensive capabilities, which Usopp uses to their full potential throughout the New World. Usopp even spends some time upgrading his slingshot Kabuto, improving it with Dial technology.
God Usopp: Hero of Dressrosa
It’s not that Usopp means to take on a part as a hero of the Tontatta people in Dressrosa. He just kind of fell into it like he does many other things, and the lie slowly spiraled out of control. Or quickly, really. It starts when he and Robin wake up, whisked off to the Tontatta Kingdom under Greenbit. Here, Usopp recognizes a statue of none other than Noland the Liar. He begins to regale Leo and the others with stories of his adventures. Like how he met Mont Blanc Cricket, Noland’s descendant.
The Tontatta love him already, then Usopp knocks out Sugar not once, but twice during the battle. The first was a total accident, to be fair, as Usopp scared Sugar into fainting. The second was thanks to his genius engineering. He constructs a ballistic missile that travels halfway across the country for a perfect hit, all on the fly. Usopp has since been able to hone his Observation Haki more, and fights from the backlines with deadly accuracy.
Wano Arc
Usopp is part of the advance party the Straw Hat Pirates send to Wano while the rest go to rescue Sanji. Kine’mon instructs everyone to stay incognito, so Usopp sticks to what he knows best- lying. He ends up as an oil salesman in the streets of the Flower Capitol, and actually makes a killing off his sales. In the meantime, he does what he’s good at and scopes things out for the future raid. It doesn’t take long for the Sanji rescue team to arrive, and with them begins the Wano revolution.
Usopp’s part in the raid on Onigashima is best described as frantic. He’s part of one of the vanguard squads, and ends up mostly helping Nami and Tama around the Onigashima Palace. He does get a few shining moments though, as he helps to extinguish the fire set by Kanjuro and distributes Tama’s dumplings. At one point as they’re running away through the Performance Floor, a burst of Luffy’s Conqueror Haki knocks out opponents near them. Usopp takes full advantage to claim it as his own, the mighty God Usopp, and a large amount of Beast Pirates are stupid enough to fall for it. He may be a compulsive liar, but he’s damn good at it when it counts.
What’s Next for Usopp?
The Sniper King and God himself currently barricaded inside Egghead Island with the other Straw Hats and Cipher Pol 0. Now, they sit while the Navy stands by, a massive force greater than any Buster Call ever seen. Usopp has found a way to take over York’s communications with the Navy. Now, the Straw Hat Pirates have an advantage to go on the offensive. With CP0 backing them up, anything could happen next.
Usopp is now closer than ever to his dream of reaching Elbaph though. The island of giants isn’t very far from their current position on the Grand Line, though it was a choice on the Log Pose after Wano. Unfortunately, Eustass Kid and his crew beat the Straw Hats to it, much to Usopp’s disappointment. Though it wasn’t a great trip for Kid, as the first person he found on Elbaph’s shores was Red-Haired Shanks. Kid made the classic mistake of f*cking around, and he found out in the hardest way. It looks like Usopp will have to wait a little longer to reach Elbaph, but he and his father Yasopp now have a common destination- Laughtale.
Only time will tell how the great story of God Usopp unfolds further, though he has an army of pirates at his back now. His lies all seem to eventually come true, so there are plenty more ridiculous things yet to happen with the Sniper King. Usopp is one of the core Straw Hat Pirates, and he’s here to make sure Luffy becomes the Pirate King!
