Summary
Quick Links
One Piecehas always featured some of the most interesting relationships between heroes and villains in anime. At many points, although their means are much crueler than those of the Straw Hat Pirates, they share a similar goal withLuffyhimself and possess a desire to claim the One Piece treasure. Although there are some villains in the series who have their own objectives, it seems almost half the villains in the series are simply competitors for Luffy’s dream, who just happen to have the normal level of cruelty a pirate generally possesses.
No other villain in the series represents this phenomenon as well as Blackbeard. In many ways, Luffy and Blackbeard are opposite sides of the same coin, possessing similar goals, motivations, and ideals, as well as echoing each others’ personalities in certain aspects, yet featuring a few key differences. While this mainly comes down to what they’re willing to do to claimOne Piece’slegendary treasure, there is another difference in their ideals that may truly explain why Luffy and Blackbeard are perfect enemies to one another.
Blackbeard And Luffy Are Closer Than Most Fans Think
The Two Mirror Each OTher Very Well And Share Similar Ideals
During his first encounter with Luffy, Blackbeard was introduced as a fairly jolly, if not cruel individual, with an interesting crew. Additionally, he shared some sentiments about dreams that seemed to echo Luffy’s ideals in many ways, as well as believing in the Straw Hats' goal to find Sky Island. However, as many fans know, despite seeming so similar, duringtheir first meeting, Luffy and Blackbeardhad completely opposite opinions on every food they tried.
A man’s dream never dies. - Blackbeard
Due to this interaction, no matter how similar Luffy and Blackbeard can seem at times, they are completely the opposite in just as many ways. However, while they do have similar goals, the two have one large opinion that differs on a topic that many fans generally believe the two perfectly line up on: dreams. In fact, this may be the biggest difference, outside of morality and food preference, thatthe twoOne PieceEmperors have.
Luffy And Blackbeard’s Views On Dreams Differ
Despite The Fact They Share Similar Dreams
During Blackbeard’s introduction in Jaya, Blackbeard shares with Luffy an iconic quote from the series that many fans go back to: “a man’s dream never dies.” Although this sounds like something Luffy would happily agree to, at this point, Luffy is incredibly cautious, almost to the point of being angered by Blackbeard. For Luffy, hearing Blackbeard’s discussion on believing in dreams,like the One Piece treasure, should be right up Luffy’s alley. However, as fans will later learn, it’s the idea that dreams never die that may have given Luffy his initial mistrust of Blackbeard.
In Chapter 1060 ofOne Piece, Luffy reveals his true dream with the Straw Hat Crew, ending his sentiment with the phrase, “that’s what I want at the end of my dream.” In many ways, Luffy believes that his dreams, no matter how fantastical they are, are clear-cut goals that he can someday accomplish, especially through the power of hard work and by having powerful allies. For Luffy, claiming theOne Piece and becoming the Pirate King, as well as whatever Luffy’s true goal is, are all achievable and definitive things.
Blackbeard May Never Want To Achieve His Goals
He’s Always Going To Want More And More
It’s easy to see where the conflict between Luffy and Blackbeard’s ideals may arise. Firstly, for Blackbeard, dreams are amorphous and almost romantic concepts that never die, meaning they have no end. For Luffy, on the other hand, dreams are definitive, possessing a clear beginning and end, making them more realistic and achievable. For example, although they both believe in becoming the Pirate King, Blackbeard generally focuses on what comes after this goal, believing that he will lead a nation and becomea member of the World Nobles, while Luffy instead focuses simply on claiming the One Piece and becoming the King of Pirates, which is currently the known extent of his dreams.
That’s what I want at the end of my dream. - Luffy
From here, it may make more sense as to how Luffy was able to accuratelyassess Blackbeard’s true personalityso quickly. It all simply comes down to a major disagreement over the concept of dreams, something that Luffy takes very seriously. Hopefully, in the future ofOne Piece, Oda will explore these differing opinions on dreams during the climactic showdown between the two pirate captains.
One Piece
Cast
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
