One Piece: 10 most controversial decisions taken by Luffy

Not every choice made by Luffy has been a good one (Image via Toei Animation)
Not every choice made by Luffy has been a good one (Image via Toei Animation)

As Luffy is the protagonist of One Piece, it makes sense that the series primarily revolves around him and his adventures. The Straw hat captain began his quest to become the King of Pirates with nothing more than his hat, a simple boat, and a dream. Throughout the series, he has learned many things about the world he inhabits and how to be a good leader.

Still, Luffy is not the brightest character in the franchise, which also explains his questionable decisions. This list will go through ten polemical choices taken by Luffy in One Piece.

Disclaimer: This list reflects the author's opinion and contains spoilers for One Piece's manga.


Attacking Kaido, declaring war, and 8 other questionable choices made by Luffy in One Piece

1) Stealing from Skypiea

One Piece has proven that the Straw Hats love gold (Image via Shueisha)
One Piece has proven that the Straw Hats love gold (Image via Shueisha)

The Skypiea arc in One Piece saw Luffy fight Enel, a powerful and dangerous Logia-type Devil Fruit user who thought of himself as a god. Enel used copious amounts of gold from the people of Skypiea to build himself a rocket to get to the moon to become its ruler. Despite Luffy’s best efforts, Enel achieved his goals, yet his departure was a relief for the citizens of Skypiea.

Due to Luffy's fight, he was seen as a hero by the people of Sky Island. However, this did not prevent him and his crew from stealing gold from the people they had just saved from Enel. In the end, Luffy did not need to steal from them, as they would have been glad to give him and his crew even more than they took.


2) Fighting Magellan alone

Luffy and Magellan as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)
Luffy and Magellan as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Magellan used to be the warden of the once thought impenetrable prison Impel Down. It is fair to believe that he was outstandingly strong, seeing that he needed to keep the worst criminals in the world in check. When Luffy infiltrated the prison to save his brother Ace, he came face-to-face with this imposing enemy, whom he decided to fight without help.

From the start of the fight, Luffy was at a disadvantage, as Magellan had the power to secrete poison from his body, which started to burn Luffy. Moments after their encounter began, Luffy lay covered in poison on the ground, seconds away from dying. The Straw Hat captain is known for being reckless, but he took this too far with Magellan.


3) Davy Back Fight

Luffy during One Piece's Davy Back Fight arc (Image via Toei Animation)
Luffy during One Piece's Davy Back Fight arc (Image via Toei Animation)

The Davy Back Fight is an ancient tradition amongst pirate crews to obtain new and powerful members for their ships. The competition consists of several games where the captains bet their men, with the competition's winner taking the crew members.

Luffy agreed to compete in a Davy Back Fight against Foxy, the captain of the Foxy Pirates, who was famous for obtaining crew members in this game. While Luffy and his friends were victorious and stayed together after the competition, Luffy could have lost all of his friends to Foxy during this time. This was an unnecessary risk that Luffy could have easily avoided.


4) Impel Down prison break

The prison break that happened in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)
The prison break that happened in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Once Luffy learned that Ace was no longer being held in Impel Down, he decided to team up with some of the worst criminals in prison to escape. This was the right choice at the time, as Luffy needed all the help possible to save Ace. He liberated many of the most dangerous villains in the world of One Piece.

Looking back at this decision, fans started realizing that Luffy ended up causing more trouble than he solved. Not only did he increase the hatred the World Government felt for him, but he also put innocent people at risk by letting out the vilest people.


5) Attacking Kaido

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At one point during the Wano arc, Luffy and his friends encountered the Yonko Kaido for the first time. The villain took this opportunity to show his fire beam to obliterate the members of Luffy's Crew. The attack seemingly killed all the Straw Hat members, only leaving Luffy alive.

The young boy became enraged by Kaido's actions and decided to attack the Emperor without realizing that his friends were still alive. Kaido beat Luffy in seconds and took him as his prisoner, sending him to one of the many prisons he had installed in the Land of Wano. If Luffy had taken a few moments to ensure his friends were okay, he could have prevented his capture.


6) Attacking Saint Charlos

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The Celestial Dragons are the heartless and cruel leaders of One Piece's world. They constantly abuse their power to prove their superiority, making them one of the most hated groups in the series.

When Saint Charlos shot Hachi for being a Fishman, Luffy did not hesitate for a second before punching the noble right in the face. As incredible as this moment was, Luffy caused nothing but trouble for himself and his friends by attacking Charlos, as his actions enabled the Marines to know his location. He put every Pirate in the Sabaody Archipelago at risk due to his anger.


7) Arguing with Usopp

Luffy and Usopp as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)
Luffy and Usopp as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

For many years, the Going Merry served as the home for the Straw Hat crew. Sadly, after all their adventures, the ship started to break down, and by the time they tried to fix their vessel, it was too late. Luffy decided to give the Going Merry a final goodbye and get another ship, even though this choice broke him inside.

Usopp, unconscious at the time, was not aware of the fate of their ship until he woke up. The sniper was angry about Luffy's choice and started criticizing his captain. Luffy attacked Usopp as well, causing the argument to escalate quickly. By the end of their fight, Luffy told Usopp to leave the crew if he was against the captain's choices, which was the worst thing to say at the time.


8) Facing three Admirals

Luffy and the three Marines Admirals as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)
Luffy and the three Marines Admirals as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

For Luffy, his family and friends are extremely important, maybe even more than meat. That is why, when Ace was about to be executed by the Marine, the Straw Hat captain did everything he could to save his brother. Luffy fought valiantly, defeating many powerful Marines in the process.

Unfortunately for him, Ace was guarded by three Admirals, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokoji. This did not stop Luffy, who faced the three of them without thinking about it. The Straw hat captain learned that the Admirals' power far exceeded his at the time.


9) Underestimating Cesar Clown

Luffy and Cesar as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)
Luffy and Cesar as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Cesar Clown is a brilliant but ruthless and cruel scientist who served as the main antagonist of the Punk Hazard arc. The man is cunning as he develops multiple experiments to beat his opponents in seconds. Nonetheless, he is not the most powerful physical fighter, something that caused Luffy to underestimate Cesar's abilities.

Instead of ending the fight quickly and preventing Clown from hurting others, the Straw Hat captain decided to toy with him. It was a grave mistake, as Clow took this opportunity to remove the oxygen from the room he and Luffy were fighting in. Our hero fell unconscious, allowing Cesar to take him as his prisoner.


10) Attacking Zoro

Luffy and Zoro as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)
Luffy and Zoro as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Luffy is one of the most loyal and caring Shonen protagonists. There is little that the Straw Hat captain would not do to keep his friends safe. Yet, this same loyalty can sometimes be counterproductive, especially when combined with the lack of common sense Luffy seems to have.

The perfect example of this occurred in Whiskey Peak, where Luffy fought Zoro. The swordsman realized that the supposed friends his crew made during this time were nothing more than bounty hunters.

To keep his friends safe, Zoro attacked and defeated each one of them. Unaware of their true nature, Luffy thought the green-haired man had betrayed them and attempted to kill him, despite Zoro asking him to calm down.


Final thoughts

Luffy may not be the smartest, but he is one of the best pirates (Image via Toei Animation)
Luffy may not be the smartest, but he is one of the best pirates (Image via Toei Animation)

Luffy is one of the most charming pirate captains in One Piece. Regardless of the boy not considering himself a hero, countless individuals in the world of the series would think otherwise. He is courageous and loyal, always fighting for what he believes is right.

Nevertheless, he is still human and can act in irrational and dangerous ways. Not all of his decisions will be brilliant or well thought out.

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Edited by Sayati Das
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