Hello everyone, some of you know and like me, some hate me, and some have no freaking idea of who I am. To all of you, I'm here today to talk a little about a character that sparks some....controversial opinions: Sanji, the cook from the Straw Hats!
"WHY DO I CARE ABOUT THIS VIRGIN SIMP PIECE OF GARBAGE?" some of you might wonder. Well, I'm not here to try and preach some "Sanjiism" BS or convince you that "Sanji is best boy" whatever. I'm here to talk about some of this traits that are subject of never ending discussions, and shed some light to a few who might, in the end, understand a little bit more about what Oda tries to accomplish with this character. There will be Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) references, there will be some other fiction references, there will be comparisons with Zoro (no it won't), so brace yourselves and come with me in this journey.
Before I delve into Sanji's character, I wanna talk a little about DnD. In DnD, there are many different classes to choose from and build your character. Some of them are very "stereotyped", like the "edgy" rogue that is a freaking cleptomaniac and a coward, the old wizard with a long beard, etc. One of them is the one I wanna talk about: the annoying ass Paladin.
Look at that smug as face. What makes the Paladin so "annoying"? Well, in earlier editions, the Paladin would draw his powers from his "God". They would also be required to act according to his God's beliefs. Normally, the Paladin would always be "Lawful Good" (lawful means the follows a strict set of rules, representing "order" as a counterpart to "chaos". I don't think I need to explain the "good" part). He would be the "Knight in shining armor" that protects the innocents, destroys demons and undeads, punishes criminals, etc. The bastion of virtue and morality. "What's wrong with that?" you ask. Well, imagine a guy like this working with a cleptomaniac Rogue. Or a demon worshipping Warlock. Or a Warrior that fights for anyone that pays him well enough. You see where I'm going? The Paladin would often find himself in situations of conflict with his own group members. Remember this?
(Ah, the blooming of a beautiful relationship).
In later iterations, the Paladin instead of "blindly" following some "God", now is more like a Knight that takes an "oath", or vows. This Oath can come with many forms. The description of these Oaths is: "Becoming a paladin involves taking vows that commit the paladin to the cause of righteousness, an active path of fighting wickedness. The final oath, taken when he or she reaches 3rd level, is the culmination of all the paladin’s training. Some characters with this class don’t consider themselves true paladins until they have reached 3rd level and made this oath. For others, the actual swearing of the oath is a formality, an official stamp on what has always been true in the paladin’s heart.".
So we can see that these make the CORE of that character. It's who they are. It's something that they will see through. A Paladin that breaks his oath loses his powers.
Some examples of Oaths are: Oath of Devotion (the more holy knight that fights evil and protects all that is good and virtuous and righteous in the world), the Oath of Vengeance (the more "I'm gonna do anything and pay any price to do what I must"), etc.
But what does it have to do with Sanji? Well, everything really.
Sanji took an "Oath". His tenets are:
- Never hit a woman. He learned this from Zeff.
- Don't let anyone starve. He faced starvation before, so he knows what kind of suffering in brings. So he shows empathy to whoever is in this situation.
- Never use his hands for fighting. As a cook, something he is truly passionate about since a kid, his hands are his most important tools, so he avoids using them in combat, relying on his kicks.
These tenets are like a Paladin's Oath to Sanji's character. They are the core of who he is. It limits him, but also gives him motivation. Same as the Paladin, people's reactions to Sanji usually are either "love him, or hate him". Despite that, also as a Paladin, he is one of the most beloved characters from the Straw Hats and One Piece in general.
The Straw Hats know who Sanji is, and know about all of these things. Yet, they would risk their lives for him, just as he would risk his for theirs. He is not a "one-man-army" that will solve any problem thrown at him. Often he will need help from his friends, and even more often he will jump into harm's way to shield them from danger. Like a true Paladin!
Let me hear your thoughts on this particular subject I brought. The "pervert" part is gonna be a whole new thread that I'm gonna write later down this week, so I want to ignore it for now.
If this reading helped you see the character under a new perspective, and maybe not hating him so much, that will already be an absolute win for me. If nothing changed for you...well, sucks to be you who wasted your time reading all this. LMAO.
Anyway, peace.
"WHY DO I CARE ABOUT THIS VIRGIN SIMP PIECE OF GARBAGE?" some of you might wonder. Well, I'm not here to try and preach some "Sanjiism" BS or convince you that "Sanji is best boy" whatever. I'm here to talk about some of this traits that are subject of never ending discussions, and shed some light to a few who might, in the end, understand a little bit more about what Oda tries to accomplish with this character. There will be Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) references, there will be some other fiction references, there will be comparisons with Zoro (no it won't), so brace yourselves and come with me in this journey.
Before I delve into Sanji's character, I wanna talk a little about DnD. In DnD, there are many different classes to choose from and build your character. Some of them are very "stereotyped", like the "edgy" rogue that is a freaking cleptomaniac and a coward, the old wizard with a long beard, etc. One of them is the one I wanna talk about: the annoying ass Paladin.
Look at that smug as face. What makes the Paladin so "annoying"? Well, in earlier editions, the Paladin would draw his powers from his "God". They would also be required to act according to his God's beliefs. Normally, the Paladin would always be "Lawful Good" (lawful means the follows a strict set of rules, representing "order" as a counterpart to "chaos". I don't think I need to explain the "good" part). He would be the "Knight in shining armor" that protects the innocents, destroys demons and undeads, punishes criminals, etc. The bastion of virtue and morality. "What's wrong with that?" you ask. Well, imagine a guy like this working with a cleptomaniac Rogue. Or a demon worshipping Warlock. Or a Warrior that fights for anyone that pays him well enough. You see where I'm going? The Paladin would often find himself in situations of conflict with his own group members. Remember this?
In later iterations, the Paladin instead of "blindly" following some "God", now is more like a Knight that takes an "oath", or vows. This Oath can come with many forms. The description of these Oaths is: "Becoming a paladin involves taking vows that commit the paladin to the cause of righteousness, an active path of fighting wickedness. The final oath, taken when he or she reaches 3rd level, is the culmination of all the paladin’s training. Some characters with this class don’t consider themselves true paladins until they have reached 3rd level and made this oath. For others, the actual swearing of the oath is a formality, an official stamp on what has always been true in the paladin’s heart.".
So we can see that these make the CORE of that character. It's who they are. It's something that they will see through. A Paladin that breaks his oath loses his powers.
Some examples of Oaths are: Oath of Devotion (the more holy knight that fights evil and protects all that is good and virtuous and righteous in the world), the Oath of Vengeance (the more "I'm gonna do anything and pay any price to do what I must"), etc.
But what does it have to do with Sanji? Well, everything really.
Sanji took an "Oath". His tenets are:
- Never hit a woman. He learned this from Zeff.
- Don't let anyone starve. He faced starvation before, so he knows what kind of suffering in brings. So he shows empathy to whoever is in this situation.
- Never use his hands for fighting. As a cook, something he is truly passionate about since a kid, his hands are his most important tools, so he avoids using them in combat, relying on his kicks.
These tenets are like a Paladin's Oath to Sanji's character. They are the core of who he is. It limits him, but also gives him motivation. Same as the Paladin, people's reactions to Sanji usually are either "love him, or hate him". Despite that, also as a Paladin, he is one of the most beloved characters from the Straw Hats and One Piece in general.
The Straw Hats know who Sanji is, and know about all of these things. Yet, they would risk their lives for him, just as he would risk his for theirs. He is not a "one-man-army" that will solve any problem thrown at him. Often he will need help from his friends, and even more often he will jump into harm's way to shield them from danger. Like a true Paladin!
Let me hear your thoughts on this particular subject I brought. The "pervert" part is gonna be a whole new thread that I'm gonna write later down this week, so I want to ignore it for now.
If this reading helped you see the character under a new perspective, and maybe not hating him so much, that will already be an absolute win for me. If nothing changed for you...well, sucks to be you who wasted your time reading all this. LMAO.
Anyway, peace.
