One Piece: Why did Luffy punch Saint Charlos? Straw Hat Captain's disastrous actions, explained

One Piece, despite its often cheerful tone, has explored several dark topics, and most of them include the Celestial Dragons, the elite protected by the World Government because of how the former helped with the rise of the latter several centuries ago.

The Celestial Dragons have committed a lot of atrocious acts throughout the years, which is something that led to Luffy punching one of them, Saint Charlos, during the events of the Sabaody arc.

Luffy punching Saint Charlos is one of the most celebrated moments in the entire franchise, and there were a lot of reasons why the Straw Hat captain decided to do that. It is also an interesting exploration of Luffy's character and the ramifications of that action moving forward.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

---

Explaining why Luffy punched Saint Charlos and the ramifications in the One Piece series

The animation of Luffy punching Saint Charlos in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

One of the main reasons Luffy punched the Celestial Dragon known as Saint Charlos during the Sabaody arc was because the latter had hurt and mocked the Fishman Hatchan, who had supported and helped the Straw Hats during this arc. That is the main reason Luffy did that, which is consistent with his character when he sees his friends being hurt by others.

Also, there have been other theories, which include the backstory author Eiichiro Oda added to Luffy's character later. It was revealed later in the story that one of Luffy's friends when he was a child, Sabo, whom he considered a brother, was seemingly murdered by a Celestial Dragon, which is why some fans have theorized that adds to the reasons the leader of the Straw Hats decided to punch Saint Charlos.

It had a lot of ramifications because the World Government summoned several members of the Marines to punish the Straw Hats, including one of the Admirals, Kizaru.

That moment was the first major defeat for Luffy and his crew, with Bartholomew Kuma separating them and taking them to different islands, which eventually revealed that it was the Warlord trying to save their lives because of his connections with the protagonist's father, Monkey D. Dragon.

---

The role of the Celestial Dragons

The Celestial Dragons in the anime during the Sabaody arc (Image via Toei Animation)

There is no denying that the Celestial Dragons are the most corrupt group in the One Piece series, which is why they are often some of the most hated characters in the franchise. That is because their ancestors helped the World Government gain power, and their descendants have become the privileged class, often having a lot of slaves and abusing them.

This running theme in the anime was highlighted in Bartholomew Kuma's backstory, which was shown during the Egghead. Furthermore, while there have been some positive examples among the Celestial Dragons, they are by and large heartless and ruthless people who want to please themselves and live by their heart's desire.

---

Final thoughts

Luffy punched Saint Charlos in the Sabaody arc in One Piece because the latter shot and mocked Hatchan due to him being a Fishman. There were also some fan theories that Luffy remembered when Sabo was seemingly killed by a Celestial Dragon when they were kids, although that was revealed later on.

---

Related articles

10 darkest One Piece moments as of chapter 1098

Are Celestial Dragons strong in One Piece? Abilities of the series' ruling class, explained

Are any of the Celestial Dragons in One Piece good? Morality of series' ruling class, explored

One Piece: Why did Roger and Garp help the Celestial Dragons in God Valley?