Highlights

• Luffy's consistent victories in battles raise eyebrows among some One Piece fans, questioning the plot armor.
• Instances such as Luffy's survival against Crocodile and victory over Katakuri highlight potential plot armor.
• While the plot device is common, it is crucial to criticize the inconsistencies in the narrative, despite loving the series.

Since the beginning of One pieceLuffy has gained fame as one of the most formidable and legendary pirates to sail the Grand Line since Gol D. Roger himself. Every battle he's fought since the beginning of his journey has made him one of the strongest characters in the franchise's history, defeating nearly every major villain he's encountered.

However, therein lies the problem for some One piece Fans have a problem with Luffy's journey. One problem they have with Luffy's journey is that he somehow always manages to defeat his enemy, which is true for 90% of the battles he's fought. While this in itself may not be a cause for complaint, judging by how almost every other piece of fiction does it, the method of victory sometimes feels rushed and out of pocket.

Does Luffy really have plot armor?

Those who tend to think so usually refer to some of the earlier arcs in the series, when Luffy's power system and abilities weren't as developed as they are now. For example, the first example of Luffy wearing some sort of plot armor can be seen in his fight against Sir Crocodile in the final moments of the Alabasta arc.

The reasoning here is that the fights against Crocodile showed Luffy only surviving by sheer luck, which shouldn't have been the case, as it cheapens the story. However, the characters fought three times, and Crocodile won twice, leaving Luffy for dead. First of all, it doesn't make much sense for someone as intelligent and ruthless as Crocodile to deliver Luffy to his fate, especially considering how meticulous he is with his other plans.

Secondly, the first time Luffy survived was also by pure chance, as he was stabbed and swallowed by the desert with a huge hole in his chest, and in the second fight, he was saved from death by dehydration by some water he happened to shoot into the sky earlier. In the masterfully and skillfully crafted story of One pieceCases like this stand out because of how rushed they seem compared to the rest of the story.

The same thing happened in Enies Lobby, where Luffy was incredibly weakened after his battles, yet somehow managed to get back up and defeat the villain. After using Gear 2 and Gear 3 multiple times in his fight against Rob Lucci, Luffy was completely exhausted and at his enemy's mercy, prompting Lucci to unleash extremely powerful attacks that instantly defeated Luffy. However, simply because the plot demanded it, Luffy got back up and defeated his enemy.

You came without fear. Don't regret it, no matter what happens.

Furthermore, Luffy's time at Marineford saw a blatant plot, specifically for him. On the execution platform, he came face to face with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, one of the most powerful characters of all time. One piece. While this was reflected in the way Sengoku defeated Luffy, the plot armor appeared when Luffy got up from all that damage, or even when he survived Akainu.

Luffy's fight against Charlotte Katakurri is another prime example of this, where fans witnessed an extremely one-sided defeat. For hours, Katakurri destroyed Luffy, and there was no reason he shouldn't have won. However, Luffy managed to level up in the fight and defeat his opponent in a way that many considered absurd.

Why doesn't this take away from the story?

The term "plot armor" has come to carry some negative connotations. The fact is, almost every main character in any franchise has some degree of plot armor, as they are the central aspect upon which the plot is based and, therefore, are necessary to move it forward. The real problem arises when plot armor isn't utilized well enough.

Seeing the scope and size of the One piece, the use cases of plot armor are relatively low. Because the nature of the series is such that many details are revealed later, the argument about plot armor becomes less valid, especially when it comes to Luffy. This is due to his nature as a holder of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and also one of the few users of Conqueror's Haki in the Grand Line. Looking back, much of his "luck" can be attributed to these powers.

I don't want to conquer anything. I just think the guy with the most freedom in the entire ocean is the Pirate King.

Verdict:

However, this doesn't excuse the moments when his plot didn't make sense, like some of his aforementioned fights. When writing is bad or nonsensical, it should be called out and loved as much as possible. One piece and Luffy are, Eiichiro Oda isn't infallible and may make some decisions that don't work out. This doesn't diminish the unparalleled storytelling and world-building that Oda does so well, but it should also tell die-hard fans that, as good as this series is, it's still not perfect, and that a few minor flaws don't tarnish the whole.

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