Usopp 🤥
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Please don't read this yet 🙏.
Usopp is a very complicated character.
When I say that, I mean that the idea that Eiichiiro Oda wants to transmit through Usopp is very complicated.
Remember that One Piece is like a dream, so the images you are seeing, and specially the characters you meet, represent patterns of behavior. Usopp's character is a representation of a pattern of behavior. And the this pattern in particular is quite complex.
But however complex it may be, the pattern is valid. And I know that because I understand Usopp. I know Usopp. I can almost guess how he would react on a specific situation. And the only way that is possible is if the patten was coherent, so much so that I can predict how the pattern would manifest itself in new situations.
This is what I believe Usopp represents:
The strenght and the weakness that comes from vision
I'm going to break that down by explaining how I came to that conclussion, and most importantly, how is that useful for you.
I am trying not to make the interesting look important, so I'm really making an effort to not over share details that are fascinating, but not important or useful to you.
If I would ask any of you to tell me something about Usopp, most of you would tell me that he is a liar. Usopp lies. He lies all the time. But some of you may also point out that he is a pretty good inventor: he is able to create things, like weapons or gadgets. He is also a very skilled shooter: he can shoot a cannon, a slingshot... really anything, and hit the target from very large distances.
The other aspect that is clear about Usopp is that he is a coward. He gets scared very easily. But he ends up getting over his fear quite often, and in fact, becoming brave is his dream. Above all, he wants to become a brave hero.
Let me give you some examples:
Usopp's character is comprised of three main elements: inventing, shooting and cowardice.
Lying 🤥
Usopp is a liar. He lies so blatantly that it is uncanny. His lying gets to a point where its absurd, and quite funny. But it's never surprising: everybody expects Usopp to lie.
To begin with, Uso 嘘 is the Japanese word for lie. So the name of the character has the word lie contained in it; that is quite obvious.
We are introduced to Usopp through the classic fable of Peter and the Wolf. This is a very old story, about a boy who lies to his village. How many of you know the story? Yeah, it's very popular. That story is very useful to explain to children why lying is bad, so I guess parents keep using it as a tool. Some people believe that the story is around 3000 years old, because it was invented by a greek fabulist. The original name was The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
In the classic fable, Peter routinely comes running to the village alarming people, claiming that the wolf is coming. But it's always a lie, so people get tired of him. What ends up happening is that one day the wolf does come to the village, and no one believes Peter. So it's a tragedy.
In One Piece, the first time we see Usopp he is running like crazy towards the village screaming that the pirates are coming. And we can see that the villagers are already beyond the point were he has lost all credibility. So the facts that Usopp is a liar is introduced from the very benining, way before we know his name.
There is also the issue of the nose. Usopp has a very long nose that reminds us of Pinocchio. Pinocchio is the story of a boy who's nose grows when he lies. So again, it's all pointing at the fact that Usopp is a liar.
The next thing we know about Usopp is that he is friends with three little kids, who follow him and endorse his fantasies. Usopp and his little buddies play pretend, in a very vivid manner. Their games consist on pretending that they are a crew of pirates who go out on missions. Of course, it's all a lie, or a fantasy. So once again, he is sort of lying, although this time it looks less harmful. He is simply making up stories to encourage play with his little friends. However, these fantasies always consist on him being the captain, something that his little minions seem happy about, so there is no harm done.
And the third thing we know about Usopp is that he is friends with a girl named Kaya カヤ. She is a pretty girl of around his age, that lives secluded in her mansion. Although she is rich, this girl has a sad life: she is an orphan and she suffers some disease that disables her from playing and even leaving her house.
Usopp visits this girl by climbing a tree and meeting her at the window to his room. There, Usopp tells her amazing stories about the fake adventures that he pretends to have. Usopp is obviously lying. But it's clear that Kaya really enjoys these stories: they are entertaining a very funny. And we later learn that Usopp's stories may have been the only source of joy in Kaya's life.
So this is already interesting. Because we are seeing they lying is not simply bad. Or that lying is not simply lying. Usopp can be understood as either a liar, or as a kid with a very vivid imagination and a very creative mind, who gets caught up in his own fantasies.
The feature of Usopp as a storyteller is also something that is there by design. In fact, I will prove that this feature is the one that Oda had most in mind while he created Usopp.
If you look up the name Usopp in a search engine, you may end up finding a person called Aesop that lived circa 620-564 BCE. Aesop was a Greek fabulist and storyteller, credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's Fables. One of these fables, by the way, is The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
Aesop's Fables became transcendant in culture across time. They were transmitted by a series of authors, in both Greek and Latin. And Aesop's Fables continued to be revised and translated through the ensuing centuries, with the addition of material from other cultures.
The original Aesop was born almost 3000 years ago, so obviously there are no images of what he looked like. Except for a coin that is believed to portray Aesop. It's a coing from ancient Delphi, that antiquarians believe to represent the famous storytellet Aesop. There are several such coin specimens from Delphi, dated as early as 520 BC.
Here is the coin:
If you have seen the series, it should be ovious that Usopp is based on Aesop, not only because of the clear similitude between the names, but also the looks:
| Aesop | Usopp | Usopp |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient coin from Delphi | One Piece, episode 40 | One Piece, episode 400 |
So Usopp is named after a storyteller, and he tells stories to Kaja. The problem with Usopp is that he is both: a liar and a storyteller. He is a liar, yes, and he is also a fantastic storyteller. And both things are very deliberate. Both things were clearly in Oda's mind when he created One Piece.
And actually, Usopp is a third thing as well, he is an inventor. This is also very similar to lying. In fact, in many languages, to invent is a synonym of to lie. Indeed, an inventor is someone who makes up things, first in their mind, and later in the world.
Usopp is all of those things: a liar, a storyteller and an inventor; and most times he is doing two of those things at once. I will give us an example os Usopp lying and inventing, at the same time:
So here's three things that seem intertwined:
- Lying, as in deceiving people.
- Fantasizing, as in telling stories.
- Inventing, as in creating innovations.
Usopp is those three things, and they may very well be the same thing. It's definitely not easy to diferentiate the difference between lying and telling a story, or between lying and inventing.
Usopp is a liar. And he is also an inventor. He is also a storyteller. And one has to wonder how different those three things are.
At their base, lies the art of coming up with things that are not real.
Cowardice 🐔
The second thing that Usopp embodies is cowardice.
Aiming 🎯
Finally, Usopp embodies aiming. He is a sharp shooter. That's his superpower.
Can you lie without lying to yourself?
No. That's not possible.
Can you lie without lying to yourself? It's a very important question you guys it's all about if you can maintain your sanity while not acting morally. The evidence suggests that you cannot lie without lying to yourself.