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Based on initial leaks and raw scans, One Piece 1077 features amazing clashes, thrilling plot developments, and fun moments. However, there's something that has left fans disappointed.
Usopp was never meant to be the strongest member of the Straw Hat Pirates. However, during the last arcs, he has been very underwhelming when it comes to both power and narrative focus.
Chapter 1077 seems to continue Usopp's poor streak in One Piece with another lackluster performance.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1077. It also reflects the writer's personal views.
One Piece 1077 marks another poor showing for Usopp
Usopp was never meant to be strong, but he should be able to perform better
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Usopp is a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. Despite being relatively weak and having a rather cowardly nature, he dreams of becoming a "brave warrior of the sea" like Yasopp, his father.
After Luffy, Zoro, and Nami helped him protect his friend, Kaya, and his homeland, the Syrup Village, from the threat of the Black Cat Pirates, Usopp decided to go out to the sea with them. He especially bonded with Luffy, and they became great friends from the start.
Luffy and Usopp often goof around, resulting in funny gags. Moreover, they share a connection with the Red Hair Pirates, having two members of the crew, Shanks and Yasopp, as their role models.
Due to the contrast between Usopp's cowardly nature and Luffy's carefree thirst for adventure, they had some moments of friction.
Usopp is very sentimental, being prone to crying or losing his temper in moments of emotional stress. His cowardice is the result of his fear and insecurity.
After being badly beaten by the Franky Family and getting confronted with the danger of losing the Going Merry, the ship he had come to love, Usopp felt himself a burden to the crew. This caused him to turn against Luffy.
Zoro later imposed on Luffy to not accept Usopp in the crew anymore until he apologized to the captain. After Usopp finally made amends for his behavior, Luffy was happy to reinstate him in the group.
Usopp is a coward but can put aside his fear during desperate times, facing it for the sake of his friends and people he barely knows. Despite still being afraid, he tries to break through.
This is the spirit that guides Usopp into becoming a prideful warrior. One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has declared that Usopp is the weakest member of the Straw Hat Pirates, but that doesn't mean he is powerless.
Throughout the series, Usopp has often proven to be a good tactician. He can use deception and strategies to defeat enemies who are physically stronger than him. At times, even his innate ingenuity turned out to be helpful in battle.
Despite his relatively low level of overall power, Usopp has a good affinity for Observation Haki. Like his marksmanship skills, this may be a heritage of his father, who possesses these abilities but has a far superior level of mastery.
Usopp is also known to be a compulsive liar, to the point where he enjoys telling fabricated tales to friends and strangers alike, resulting in comic relief scenes. Despite his cowardly attitude, Usopp is unselfish and compassionate. He does his best to become a stronger fighter and a better himself.
How will Usopp reach the level of his father?
The parallel between Yasopp and Usopp is obvious since they are father and son. Not only do they have a blood tie, but they also share the same inclinations. Both are great snipers and are talented Observation Haki users.
While Yasopp is one of the strongest members of the Red Hair Pirates, Usopp is one of the weakest Straw Hats, if not the weakest of them all. This marks a big difference between them. Yasopp's projectiles are far stronger, and his Observation Haki prowess is on a whole different level.
The Straw Hat Pirates and Red Hair Pirates are competing for the same goal, which is to find the legendary treasure of One Piece. However, Usopp seems to have a long way to go before being able to confront his father on equal grounds.
Yasopp is a Commander-level fighter and a prominent representative of such a tier. Usopp is not even remotely comparable to fighters of such caliber. Even his most recent showings are nothing to be happy with.
In Wano, Usopp could not defeat Page One, the weakest member of the Flying Six of the Beasts Pirates and a character who doesn't measure up to even the weakest Commander-level individual.
Admittedly, Usopp showed great endurance, surviving some hits from Page One and her elder sister, Ulti. However, to this day, he is yet to win a true 1v1 fight in the New World. This is far from being enough to reach Yasopp's level.
Usopp absolutely needs to step up his game
Obviously, Usopp could never measure up with powerhouses like the members of Monster Trio. Luffy and Zoro are fearsome Haki users who aim to become the Pirate King and the World's Strongest Swordsman, respectively, while Sanji has genetic enhancements from his family.
Even other Straw Hats, such as the Fishman Karate master and former Warlord Jinbe, the cyborg Franky, and the Devil Fruit users Nico Robin and Brook, have superior potential compared to Usopp.
One Piece fans expected Usopp to at least compete with Nami and Chopper. While Nami was gifted with Zeus, and Chopper improved his mastery over Monster Point, Usopp didn't really improve his capabilities.
As such, Usopp notably pales not only in comparison to his father, who is an experienced pirate in his own right, but even to the weakest members of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Back in the day, Usopp was lacking in the strength department, but his portrayal was much better nonetheless. Relying on his cunning and trickery, he was even able to give a decent performance against Luffy of all people.
Granted, Luffy wasn't going all-out in the fight, but Usopp's showing was commendable nonetheless. The sniper was able to exploit his resourcefulness to give as much trouble as possible to an enemy with far superior fighting capabilities.
Several hundred chapters later, Usopp seems to have almost regressed. Despite the Straw Hats now being a Yonko crew for all intents and purposes, Usopp barely seems to have improved.
The Observation Haki that Usopp unlocked in Dressrosa was never highlighted again in the manga. It was only emphasized in the movie One Piece: Red, but that was more of a collaboration moment with his father than an actual combative feat.
To this day, Usopp is yet to use his Observation Haki since the Dressrosa Arc, despite such power being a valuable asset to improve his effectiveness as a sniper. Hopefully, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda is waiting for the right moment to give Usopp some spotlight again.
Usopp can't be expected to replicate the same feats that Luffy, Zoro, and the others can perform. However, even with all his limits, at this point in the One Piece series, he needs to step up his game at least a bit.
Usopp hasn't even had a serious 1v1 battle since the fight with Perona in the Thriller Bark Arc. In the New World, he mostly fights very weak characters or gets beaten up off-screen by anyone who is at least a bit above average.
The Wano Arc would have been a great chance for Usopp to gain some spotlight. The arc has allowed every member of the Straw Hat Pirates to shine and accomplish something notable; every member, bar Usopp, whose contribution was negligible.
Usopp in One Piece chapter 1077
The latest installment of the series didn't exactly help Usopp's cause. Instead, it may have marked another bad situation for him, depriving his character of any active involvement in the events that are taking place on Egghead.
Based on leaks and raw scans, One Piece 1077 continues to show the struggle between the Straw Hat Pirates, who are searching for Dr Vegapunk, and the cyborgs of the Seraphim Unit, who are wreaking havoc on Egghead.
Usopp was grouped with Franky as well as Lilith and York, two of the six satellite bodies of Dr Vegapunk. Upon stumbling across S-Snake, the Seraphim based on Boa Hancock, the group had already lost York, who ended up petrified.
Franky, Usopp, and Lilith ended the same briefly after. Unfortunately, before falling to S-Snake's power, Usopp wasn't able to make any contribution to the battle. Franky and Lilith at least tried to fend off the enemy, although unsuccessfully.
Admittedly, Seraphims are immensely strong. They are cyborgs built with the Lineage Factor of former members of the Seven Warlords and further empowered by the peculiar powers of the Lunarian tribe.
It's not like Usopp could measure up to such opponents, and no one expected him to. Still, he could have at least tried to do something. They had already met Seraphims, so he could have used his previous experience to set up a plan.
While falling to an overwhelmingly powerful foe is nothing to be ashamed of, not even attempting to fight back is just disappointing. Fans weren't expecting Usopp to give concrete trouble to a Seraphim, but slowing the enemy down a bit may have been a good accomplishment.
Final Thoughts
Admittedly, Usopp's dream of becoming a brave warrior of the sea is more of a metaphorical thing rather than a concrete achievement. Usopp was never meant to become godly and powerful but to overcome his fear.
Usopp represents a normal human who partakes in an extraordinary adventure with superhuman people. Still, Nami, despite being rather human and physically weak in her own right, has managed to bloom into a decent fighter regardless.
As such, some fans may be legitimately upset at the way One Piece author Eiichiro Oda handles Usopp. With the latter's father being depicted as a powerful pirate, it's only natural for readers to expect Usopp to at least reach that level someday.
Instead, Usopp is completely lacking in the strength department. Moreover, he received far less narrative focus than any other member of the Straw Hat Pirates. One Piece 1077 made things worse, seemingly putting an end to Usopp's active role on Egghead.
