One Piece is not exactly a romance anime, but fans are always looking for chances to ship the beloved captain of the Straw Hat Pirates to his potential love interests. So, who does Luffy end up with in One Piece?
The adventure anime features several female characters, but Luffy is especially close to Nami, Robin, and Boa Hancock.
Fans have even chosen which ship to support, but the prospect of Luffy dating someone by the end of One Piece appears hazy for the time being.
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Is There Romance in One Piece?
Usually, a shounen series' plot is mainly composed of action-packed adventures—but sometimes there’s also a little bit of romance on the side.
Many stories include two characters ending up together, ranging from Naruto and Hinata of the Naruto series to Edward and Winry of Fullmetal Alchemist.
A good number of fans love shipping characters, based on their history and dynamics. So for some of them, there’s always going to be the hope that their favorites eventually end up together.
One Piece isn’t excluded from all the romance and shipping. There are bits and pieces of romance shown throughout the story.
Plus, a simple search on the web can show you a few characters that many people ship together, along with a lot of fan fiction and fan art.
Let’s take our main character, Luffy, for example—his interactions and dynamic with numerous characters give the shippers a lot of content to work with.
However, three of the most popular ships are Luffy and Nami, Luffy and Uta, and Luffy and Hancock. So who does he really end up with?
Looking at all the events that happened up until the current arc, it’s not hard to believe that some people think that Luffy is going to end up with one of these characters.
Will Luffy and Nami End Up Together?
Nami was one of the earliest Straw Hats members, and these two definitely have a special bond. However, it doesn’t necessarily cross a romantic line.
In fact, Nami doesn't see Luffy as a romantic partner. She only sees Luffy as a close friend, or perhaps a part of her family that she has gotten close to throughout the time they have been together.
The anime and manga series don't build their relationship romantically, as we'd rather see Sanji going for Nami whenever there's a chance for him to proclaim his love.
The same can be said of Luffy and Nami's relationship in the One Piece live-action series on Netflix. They are just two crewmates going on adventures in the vast sea of One Piece!
Luffy is a simpleton, and he's not clearly aware of human nature's tendency to fall in love with the opposite sex.
He would rather treat the other person as a friend, a family member, and/or an enemy and nothing more.
In 2004, Oda said in Volume 34 of the manga’s SBS (a question and answer section where fans can submit questions and Oda will answer them) that romance will not be a priority, especially for the Straw Hat Crew.
He did say that the crew is in love though—with adventure.
Will Luffy End Up With Boa Hancock?
So far, Luffy does not end up with Boa Hancock either.
Boa Hancock is absolutely head-over-heels for Luffy, although, we’ve seen throughout the series that Luffy doesn’t reciprocate her feelings.
It’s possible that Hancock’s feelings for Luffy are simply an addition to the comedic aspect, and not really to push a romantic agenda between the two in the series.
Will Luffy End Up With Uta?
Unfortunately, Luffy did not end up with Uta in One Piece either. They were childhood friends, and they shared a close history, but that's all between the two of them.
Like Nami, Luffy treats Uta as his family and nothing more. He also thinks of Uta as a rival due to the number of contests they had against each other.
Of course, this doesn't stop fans from shipping him with various characters.
They’re free to do as they please (as long as these ships aren’t problematic), and it doesn’t really matter to them if their ship isn’t canon.
Will Luffy End Up With Robin?
Similar to Nami, Robin has a special bond with Luffy. Their relationship started after the Alabasta arc, where Robin decided to join Luffy's crew in exchange for saving her life.
In Robin's eyes, Luffy gave her a chance to move on despite initially giving up on life. She found a new direction with Luffy, and her time with him, along with the rest of the crew, will always be precious.
Despite the contrast in personalities, Luffy and Robin always have each other's backs. Luffy was even willing to do anything to keep Robin on his crew.
But in terms of romantic tension, Luffy and Robin have the least chance of ending up together in One Piece.
Will Luffy End Up With Anyone in One Piece?
At this rate, I don’t think Luffy is going to end up with anyone in One Piece. As much as adding a hint of romance in the shounen series is occasionally adorable, this doesn’t seem to be necessary with Luffy’s character.
Romantic relationships wouldn’t concern him. After all, Luffy just wants to be Pirate King—and that means he wants to be the freest person in the world.
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