Every Usopp lie in One Piece, listed

One Piece fans have always looked forward to the Elbaph Arc as the perfect setting for Usopp to take center stage. In a world full of battle-toughened powerhouses, Usopp is a normal human who seeks to overcome his own fear. It would be great to see him proving his worth in front of the Elbaf Giants, the people he looks up to the most.

There is no better environment than Elbaph for Usopp to finally prove his courage and shine as the brave sea warrior he has always dreamed of becoming. That said, a recurring trait of Usopp’s character is his tendency to tell resounding lies, whether it’s to cover up his own insecurities, intimidate his opponents, or impress his friends.

His long nose is a reference to the Italian novel Pinocchio, in which the protagonist’s nose grows longer whenever he lies. However, it is interesting to note that many of Usopp’s lies have “become true” as the story progressed. As One Piece author Eiichiro Oda wrote in chapter 796's color spread, “lie turns into reality”. However, Usopp himself seems to be unaware that some of his lies are unintended prophecies.

All of Usopp's lies that came true in One Piece

1) Pirates are coming

Kuro as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Several years before the present One Piece narration, Usopp’s father Yasopp set sail with the Red Hair Pirates, leaving his wife Banchina and his son to live alone in Syrup Village. Since then, Usopp started to pretend that he saw pirates coming to the village. It was an attempt to cheer up both himself and his mother, who had fallen ill.

After his mother’s death, Usopp— now completely alone— continued to tell this lie to the villagers. When Kuro and his pirates targeted Syrup Village, Usopp tried to warn the residents, but no one believed him, thinking that it was one of his usual jokes. He was saved by Luffy and Zoro, who stepped in to fight Kuro and his men.

2) The giant goldfish

The "Island Eater" as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Before joining the Straw Hat Pirates, Usopp spent a lot of time with Kaya. Usopp entertained the girl by telling her stories about phantasmagorical adventures, all of which were creations of his imagination. One of Usopp’s made-up stories involved him fighting a gigantic goldfish and eventually landing on his feces, which were so large they could be mistaken for islands.

When the Straw Hats left Little Garden, Dorry and Brogy saved them from the Island Eater, an enormous goldfish many times the size of a normal ship. After performing a formidable combined attack to slay the monster, the two Giants revealed that they had once landed on a certain continent, only to find that it was the excrement produced by the goldfish after eating an entire island.

3) Dwarves eating the giant goldfish

The dwarves of the Tontatta Tribe (Image via Toei Animation)

When Kaya asked Usopp what he had done with the giant goldfish, the long-nosed liar replied that he had chopped up the monster to bring it to a country of dwarves. He also claimed that, given the size of the beast, the dwarves eat its flesh to this day.

During the Dressrosa Arc, the dwarves of the Tontatta Tribe offered Usopp the meat of a fighting fish, while explaining that it would be like eating a giant goldfish. The dwarves also mentioned that, in their eyes, the fighting fish was so big that they could feed on its flesh for ages.

4) The giant mole

Miss Merry Christmas as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

As part of his plan to seize Kaya’s fortune, the pirate Kuro posed as the girl’s polite butler, under the alias of Klahadore. Annoyed by Usopp’s presence, Klahadore tried to make him look bad by questioning his reasons for coming to Kaya’s estate. Usopp answered that he was trying to save Kaya from a giant mole that had just entered her estate.

Sometime later, during the Arabasta Arc, Usopp actually faced a mole. Specifically, he had to deal with Miss Merry Christmas, a Baroque Works agent who could use a Zoan Devil Fruit to transform herself into a huge mole and dig underground.

5) Facing a cerberus and a dragon

The cerberus and the dragon as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Before leaving Syrup Village to travel with Luffy, Zoro, and Nami, Usopp took a moment to reminisce about his time with Ninjin, Piiman, and Tamanegi— three children who joined him in his daily antics.

While playing with the kids, Usopp pretended a puppy was a cerberus and a lizard was a dragon. Ironically, during his adventures with the Straw Hats, Usopp ran across a real cerberus in Thriller Bark and a real dragon in Punk Hazard.

6) Having a 30 million bounty

Usopp as Sogeking (Image via Toei Animation)

In an improbable effort to impress his new comrades, Usopp told them that Luffy’s first bounty— which amounted to 30 million berries— was mostly due to his presence in the crew. This was not the case, but later in the story Usopp’s first bounty— although under the alias of Sogeking— was indeed 30 million berries.

7) The 8000 followers

Usopp gained many followers as "God Usopp" (Image via Toei Animation)

Despite being a coward, Usopp is capable of overcoming his fears and acting heroically to protect others. When he saw Arlong about to kill a helpless Genzo, Usopp fired his Exploding Star at the Fish-Man to draw his attention. He then openly challenged Arlong, while claiming to be “Captain Usopp”, a “demon king” with 8000 hardened killers as his followers.

It may not have been 8000, but Usopp gained plenty of followers throughout his adventures. Between the Elbaph Giants Oimo and Kashii, the dwarves of the Tontatta Tribe, and all the countless people turned into toys— whom he indirectly saved by defeating Sugar, the person who had trapped them with her special ability— Usopp has gathered a number of individuals around him.

8) A beautiful swordswoman carrying lots of meat

Rebecca with Monkey D. Luffy (Image via Toei Animation)

After having their shadows stolen by Gecko Moria, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had fallen asleep. Every attempt to wake them up was fruitless, until Usopp yelled that a beautiful swordswoman was coming with a lot of meat. As soon as he said that, the three hilariously woke up in sync.

While Usopp knew what he was saying, it was also a lie he made up on the spot. However, it eventually became a reality during the Dressrosa Arc, when Rebecca— a beautiful young woman wielding a sword— brought Luffy a meat-based meal.

Every Usopp lie that may become a self-fulfilling prophecy in One Piece

1) The medicine that can cure every disease

Usopp with his mother Banchina (Image via Toei Animation)

For Usopp, who never met his father, his mother Banchina was all he had. When Banchina’s health condition deteriorated drastically, a heartbroken Usopp tried to keep his dying mother’s spirits up. He told her that in a land across the ocean, they could find a magical medicine capable of curing all diseases.

This was one of his lies. However, Usopp's words can come true in the future, thanks to his comrade Tony Tony Chopper, whose lifetime ambition is to become a doctor who can cure every disease.

2) Being a descendant of Mont Blanc Noland

Mont Blanc Noland as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

During the Straw Hat crew’s adventure in Dressrosa, Usopp and Nico Robin were captured by the dwarves of the Tontatta Tribe. To win their hearts, Usopp presented himself as Usoland, a descendant of Mont Blanc Noland. This proved to be a rather lucky move as the dwarves venerated Noland for helping their ancestors win a war in the past.

Usopp’s lies have often come true in One Piece, so this may not be any different. While nothing confirms that Usopp and Noland are related, nothing openly denies it either. There are interesting parallels between them, such as the fact that one is the opposite of the other. Usopp is a coward whose lies turn real, while Noland is a brave and powerful individual who told the truth but was considered a liar.

Usopp’s signature armband— a garment that the sniper never stopped wearing, even after the timeskip— has the same color pattern as that of Noland’s trousers. This may mean nothing, but could potentially further foreshadow a connection between the two. Perhaps Usopp is a distant but direct descendant of Noland, just as Roronoa Zoro is of “Sword God” Ryuma.

3) The brave warrior of the sea

Usopp in one of his toughest moments in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

In his fabricated tales, Usopp paints himself as a powerful individual famous for his brave deeds. This is a reflection of what he would like to be. Despite his cowardly nature and relatively poor fighting skills, Usopp’s greatest dream is to become “a brave warrior of the sea”. This is also his most recurring lie.

One Piece shows Usopp doing his best to become both a stronger fighter and a better person. Lacking the physical prowess to fight head-on, he relies on his cunning and trickery. He also tries his best to overcome his insecurities in order to help his crewmates.

Usopp’s yearning is rather metaphorical, making it difficult to understand what concrete achievement would correspond to its fulfillment. Even now, he is capable of acknowledging his fear and yet, setting it aside to do what needs to be done. Arguably, he is already a brave warrior of the sea.

Perhaps, when Usopp speaks of the brave warrior of the sea, he thinks of his father, Yasopp, who is a renowned and powerful pirate. So far, Usopp has been lacking in the strength department, especially if compared to his father or fighters of similar caliber. However, this may change during the Elbaph Arc, in which Usopp is expected to play a major role.

Usopp lies that didn't come true in One Piece

1) The Sea Kings killer

Some Sea Kings as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

On the route to Arabasta, Usopp claimed that he had once fought and defeated a sea monster in the Calm Belt. This is another of Usopp’s lies that has yet to come true. It will potentially not, given that the Straw Hat Pirates mostly travel inside the Grand Line.

The Calm Belt consists of the currentless waters located to the north and south of the Grand Line. The Straw Hats only entered the Calm Belt once in the entire One Piece story, at the beginning of their journey, and it wasn’t even on purpose.

2) Having Conqueror’s Haki

Usopp in Onigashima (Image via Toei Animation)

After Usopp convinced them that he was a descendant of Mont Blanc Noland, the dwarves of the Tontatta Tribe started to see him as the second coming of the legendary hero. This only encouraged him Usopp tell more lies. Among other things, he told them that he once used Conqueror’s Haki to defeat 50,000 enemies on Fish-Man Island.

This was a reference to Luffy’s actual feat, which Usopp hilariously misappropriated The long-nosed sniper repeated the same “misappropriation” during the Onigashima Raid. When Big Mom’s Conqueror’s Haki knocked several pirates unconscious, Usopp appeared out of nowhere claiming to be the one responsible.

Just to keep a low profile, he also declared himself to be the man who just defeated two of the Flying Six. Despite his bombastic claims, however, Usopp has never shown the potential to be a Conqueror’s Haki user in One Piece. To this day, he has only been shown using, on rare occasions, the Color of Observation.

3) Defeating ten huge monsters

The Numbers as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Before reaching Skypiea, the Straw Hat Pirates saw ten giant silhouettes in the distance. As the shadowy figures disappeared, Usopp claimed that if he wanted he could beat ten of those monsters all by himself if he wanted to, and that he had already done so before.

In truth, the silhouettes were no monsters, but simply the shadows of the inhabitants of Skypiea. With the island being so high up in the sky, the shadows would be cast over a large distance, as well as reflected onto the clouds, making them appear as towering monsters.

Anyway, many One Piece fans assumed that this particular lie would foreshadow Usopp single-handedly confronting and defeating the Numbers, a group of artificially created Ancient Giants in the service of Kaido. The group consisted of ten Numbers, making it the perfect opportunity for the callback, but none of this happened.