This post contains spoilers for One Piece.
Summary
The Straw Hat Pirates are the main heroes ofOne Piece, which is why Eiichiro Oda has put so much time and effort into creating them. All Straw Hats are special in their own ways, and they bring different things to the table.
Aside from their interesting personas, the Straw Hats also possess various abilities that help them overcome enemies. Throughout the course of the story,the Straw Hats have received manynew power-ups. Most of them have successfully demonstrated the improvement. Everyone, except for Usopp.
The Straw Hat Sniper Showed Promise After The Timeskip
Usopp joined the crew as their sniper, which is one of the core jobs. Despite his cowardice, Usopp tried his best to beat his opponents for the sake of the crew. Sometimes he would outsmart them, and on other occasions, he would use his weapons to subdue them.
Usopp looked more buff after returning from his two-year training with Heracles. So, many fans presumed that he would no longer be a weakling and he would help Luffy achieve his goal of becoming the Pirate King. Usopp showed a lot of growth in the first few arcs, and fans were elated to see him doing well.
Usopp kept the momentum goingin the Dressrosa arc, where he unintentionally served as a beacon of hope for the warriors of the Corrida Colosseum. He even received the moniker ‘God Usopp’ from the fighters. His biggest moment in the arc was saving Trafalgar Law and Luffy from Sugar. The two Supernovas had never seen Sugar, so they had no idea who she was and what she was capable of. Sugar took this opportunity to sneak behind and attempt to touch them.
However, Usopp awakened his Observation Haki at the right time and managed to stop Sugar before she could turn the two pirates into toys. It was a massive moment for Usopp as he not only saved his captain but also awakened his Haki. Considering his involvement in Dressrosa, fans were certain that Usopp’s strength would only improve in the subsequent arcs. However, they were wrong.
Usopp’s Development Has Stagnated Since Dressrosa
After Dressrosa, Usopp has been involved in the following arcs:
Since the Zou arc was terse, Usopp understandably didn’t get too much attention, but the Wano arc was different. Eiichiro Odaspent a lot of time on the Wano arc, and it spanned over 130 chapters. Everyone was expecting the Straw Hats to get their next big break, but that wasn’t the case. Usopp was more or less a spectator in Wano, and in terms of combat, he hardly accomplished anything meaningful in the arc.
His Observation Haki did not improve, nor did he awaken Armament Haki, which is necessary for any fighter. The fact that Usopp is the sniper of the Straw Hats and still can’t use Armament Haki is truly shocking. Usopp also failed to beat anyone noteworthy in Wano, which was disappointing to say the least.
You Think I Don’t Know An Emperor Could Obliterate Every One Of Us!? —Usopp
Following their departure from Wano,the Straw Hats arrived on Egghead Island, the home of Dr. Vegapunk. Considering Usopp’s expertise in making new gadgets, this was the perfect arc to give him a major power-up. However, Oda didn’t do it for reasons unknown.
Despite the lack of feats involving his strength, Usopp has made valuable contributions in other fields. For instance, he played a key role in saving the Thousand Sunny from Admiral Kizaru on Egghead Island. Just to reiterate, Usopp has stagnated in terms of strength. He’s not useless, but just weak in comparison to the others.
Will Usopp Get A New Power-up In Elbaf?
For years, fans have believed that Elbaf will be Usopp’s arc, meaning he will be the MVP. The arc has only just started, so time is on Usopp’s side. Hopefully, the Straw Hat improves his Haki or gains a new ability altogether. Considering his final opponent is likely Van Augur, Usopp needs to grow a lot stronger before he can challenge the Titanic Captain from Blackbeard’s crew.
