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Luffy is the perfect protagonist for the story ofOne Piece. Being the goofy free spirit that he is, Luffy perfectly captures the tone and style thatOne Pieceis going for. Overall, Luffy makesOne Piecean even better experience, accenting the things that make it special.
However, out of all the characters inOne Piece, Luffy isn’t the only one who makes an excellent protagonist. Plenty of characters, like Ace or Law, would make excellent stars of their very ownOne Pieceadventure. However, more than any other, Katakuri would make a great replacement forLuffy as the protagonist ofOne Piece, bringing his complex and interesting personality to the role of the main character.
Katakuri Is The First Commander Of The Big Mom Pirates
A Strong Foe To Luffy
Katakuri is the First Commander of the Big Mom Pirates and one of Big Mom’s older children. Bestowedwith the powerof the Mochi-Mochi Fruit, as well as all three forms of Haki, including Advanced Observation Haki, in terms of power, Katakuri is an extremely strong character. Additionally, Katakuri’s interesting views on honor and family make him an extremely sympathetic character, despite being the main antagonist ofthe Whole Cake Island Arc.
If you want to laugh at that fool, then laugh at me. - Katakuri
On top of this, Katakuri also has an interesting supporting cast of characters and quirks that make his individual story so interesting. The Big Mom family is chock-full of unique individuals, ranging from helpful to Katakuri and his honor, to downright evil, praying for his downfall. In many ways, Katakuri feels like one of the few morally good pirates inthe Big Mom Piratesfighting to protect both his family and their honor.
Katkuri Has The Personality Of A One Piece Protagonist
Strong And Honorable
Firstly, Katakuri’s strong and honorable personality would make him an amazing protagonist. Mirroring Luffy and his love for his crew, Katakuri would fight nearly as hard as Luffy would if it meant protecting his family. Additionally, his calm and calculated demeanor would be an interesting change of pace compared tothe Straw Hat Captainand his usual antics.
At the same time, however, Katakuri isn’t just the serious persona that he puts on for his family. Katakuri has a softer, relaxed side that loves nothing more than to lounge around and eat sweets. Although this is a source of worry for Katkuri, as he never wants his siblings to see his stern persona fall, ifthe Big Mom Pirate, Katakuri, were the protagonist, this would make an excellent gag, similar to Luffy’s endless appetite.
Additionally, a good protagonist needs a strong cast of supporting characters to help them along their journey as well. Of course, due to the interesting nature of the Big Mom Pirates, Katakuri has that and more. With characters like Brûlée providing both utility and emotional support or characters likethe eldest son, Perospero, acting as a potential rival, there are plenty of interesting dynamics in Big Mom Pirates that need to be explored.
Katakuri Just Needs A Stronger Goal
Then He’ll Be The Perfect Protagonist
Finally, Katakuri would make the perfect alternate protagonist forOne Piecedue to his drive and his goal. Katakuri wants nothing more than to protect his family and see them succeed and will stop at virtually nothing for this to happen. While he has no direct drive forthe role of Pirate King, if it meant putting his family on top of the world, Katakuri would stop at nothing to achieve it. Although he doesn’t have that drive now, if Katakuri were to join the running for the role of Pirate King, he would definitely become the protagonist of his own story.
You’re looking… pretty far into the future. - Katakuri regarding Luffy becoming the Pirate King
In the end, while Katakuri would make an amazing alternate protagonist to Luffy, the Straw Hat Captain isn’t going to be replaced anytime soon. However, seeingthe story ofOne Pieceif Katakuri and Luffy were to switch roles would always be interesting. Seeing their confrontation on Whole Cake Island with their roles reversed may create one of the most interesting fight scenes thatOne Piececould have. Despite how cool it could be, nothing could beat Luffy and the excellent job he does as the protagonist ofOne Piece.
