Discussion Jinbei doesn’t really fit as a Straw Hat

[Aki1991]

Hot take: Jinbei doesn’t really fit as a Straw Hat. He would’ve been way better as a Grand Fleet member.

Don’t get me wrong, Jinbei is one of my absolute favorite characters and a straight-up legend in the One Piece world. But that’s exactly the problem, he is a living legend. He’s seen too much, done too much, and stood alongside too many other big names to feel like just another crew member.

It kinda feels like 11 friends start an amateur soccer team… and then a retired pro player shows up and joins them. Cool? Absolutely. But it just feels different.

That said, I still hype up every single Jinbei scene.

 

[DeadlyBeast]

Yes and no.

Completely agree that he is currently distinctly different compared to everyone who is a SH. Everyone else regardless of when they joined the crew was an amateur (relative to now) and we got to see them grow to where they are in the current story. Oda hasn't always done this well but end result is we got to see some weak East Blue pirates become a Yonko, commanders and execs.

At this point in the story this cannot be said for Jinbei who has a long history and was already very reputed and powerful. He has not really grown with the crew and is as strong and developed as he came in to the crew. This definitely does feel very different.

Now I don't think this is not all there is - Jinbei is not out of place because the story is not over yet. I don't think Jinbei has reached his peak both in strength and potential character growth. So the way he feels out of place may be a temporary state based on where we are in the story.

For example when Robin joined the crew at that point in the story she had a long and infamous past. Her strength was high relative to the world of OP we had been introduced to etc. However, since the story was much earlier on and we knew there was still much more left for everyone she fit in a bit better because we readers gave it more of chance.

I think with Jinbei we have to do the same and think about where he will be in the context of the story as a whole. Give him another 1-2 arc with the SHs and he won't seem so out of place. In fact once we get a new member to the crew this feeling will transfer over to them (I think it will be Yamato). It's just much harder to do with Jinbei now because we already feel like we are at the end of the story.

So at the core I think the issue is that Oda is having new members join too late into the story vs the characters themselves not inherently fitting.

 

[TitaniumOxide]

Yep, Oda feels it too which is why he is heavily inserting Jinbe into scenes with other SHs but sometimes it just kind of seems "off" like when Jinbe got trapped with everyone else by the God Knights and he basically is clueless as to what to do. Him being helpless was comedic but it really nerfed him in my opinion. Any other ex shichibukai would try to do more to escape. Jinbe is a Strawhat now so he gets more group screentime but it makes it seem like Jinbe is weaker than he is so he can "fit" in when he is also trapped like this.

The good news is we got Oda in the driver seat and bro has always done right and done good so Jinbe will get his spotlights and it'd change our way of seeing this.

 

[kkck]

To me jinbe appeared too late as a strawhat. If he had joined by the fishman island arc and stuck through punk hazard and dressrosa then odds are that by now I'd be ok with but he simply suddenly showed up at wano to duke it out with kaido's forces... It just doesn't sit right me with. Jinbe also makes me think of characters from previous arcs we didn't get as nakama. Most importantly margaret from kuja island, I was quite invested in that 3000 years ago, and more recently kinemon for whom I got quite excited with the confirmation that he wasn't momonosuke's dad.

 

[catagon87]

Jinbei makes sense to me from the angle that he’s joining the crew he feels most likely to achieve his dream of ending the racism against fishmen. He joined a bit late, but Oden didn’t even join Roger until the last leg of his journey. I also like it from the Arlong reaction angle.

Where I don’t see it fitting is that he doesn’t have nearly as much room to grow. I feel like he was primarily added to balance some of the more hot headed personalities in the crew.

 

[Core D. Roy]

Hot take: Jinbei doesn’t really fit as a Straw Hat. He would’ve been way better as a Grand Fleet member.

Don’t get me wrong, Jinbei is one of my absolute favorite characters and a straight-up legend in the One Piece world. But that’s exactly the problem, he is a living legend. He’s seen too much, done too much, and stood alongside too many other big names to feel like just another crew member.

It kinda feels like 11 friends start an amateur soccer team… and then a retired pro player shows up and joins them. Cool? Absolutely. But it just feels different.

That said, I still hype up every single Jinbei scene.

That's why he had to be conveniently sidelined by the Hand of God until Onigashima. By that point, Luffy is about to become an Emperor (by deed and not just propaganda like after WCI), and he's officially earned having somebody like Jinbe fight under him. If he'd joined at Fishman Island I'd agree wholeheartedly with your point because at that point the Strawhats were just like... The Best Amateurs (quite literally as Supernovae/Worst Generation). Even after WCI it was still too early.

But living legend Jinbe fighting underneath 'Nika' legitimizes Luffy in a broader narrative sense that's wholly necessary moving into the final saga.

Anyway I thought this was going to be a thread about how he doesn't have a trademark quirk yet. Which is what bothers me about him being on the crew. I don't mind him being the straight man to the crew's assorted wacksters, but like Robin I'd like to see him let his freak flag fly a little bit as he settles into the crew.

 

[kkck]

Hmm, I think it's defensible that luffy having someone like jinbe as a subordinate even post dressrosa makes sense. Though a less forced moment would be whole cake island since at that point luffy got victories against cracker and katakuri, both more powerful fighters than doflamingo.

 

[WILDCARD 1 7]

I agree, I think it would have been better if Oda just made up a new fisherman character with the same goals and similar skill set just weaker and have them join back on FI instead. Cuz I really don't feel like Jimbe is being used properly ever since you officially joined and he really hasn't contributed anything at all despite being such a legend in one piece.

 

[Hannibal Psyche]

In terms of goofiness, he doesn't fit.
In terms of politics, his role is like an Ambassador in a sense, he's the link between Humans and Fishman, from a political sense, he fits.
Because the story of One Piece ultimately is about pretty much ending racism and giving people freedom.
If Jimbei remained as a captain, I think he'd have been a great ally, but I think the FIshmen have such a huge role in the story, it's necessary for him to be in proximity of Luffy.
I do however see how he doesn't fit when you compare him to the rest of the crew.

I guess in that sense, Yamato/Momo don't fit either, but I think like Jimbei, she's an Ambassador from Wano linking the outside world and Wano together. Similar role to Fishman Island, to show Wano that they and the outside world can work together as they soon decide to open their borders.

 

[Core D. Roy]

cracker and katakuri, both more powerful fighters than doflamingo

Claiming Cracker is a more powerful fighter than Doffy is a dangerous thing to just throw into a conversation lmao xD

--- Double Post Merged, Sep 17, 2025, Original Post Date: Sep 17, 2025 ---

I agree, I think it would have been better if Oda just made up a new fisherman character with the same goals and similar skill set just weaker and have them join back on FI instead. Cuz I really don't feel like Jimbe is being used properly ever since you officially joined and he really hasn't contributed anything at all despite being such a legend in one piece.

I know it was before he officially joined but the Green Room scene is still one of the coolest crewmember-on-a-ship moments in the whole series. WCI kinda was when he contributed the most, but to be fair there hasn't been a whole lot of room in the narrative for him to shine yet. Egghead and Elbaf have just been way too stuffed- still salty Franky didn't do anything on Egghead.

 

[SnailBeast]

Luffy always makes someone with powerlevel similar to his join. (With cringe exceptions for NAMI, Usopp and Brook)
Zoro joined - he was probably stronger
Sanji - nearly same level (slightly inferior though)
Franky fought on par with Luffy b4 powerup.
Robin was toying with whole crew at her entrance.
Chopper goes for comedy part.
So Jinbe goes for serious part of fighters.

 

[WILDCARD 1 7]

I know it was before he officially joined but the Green Room scene is still one of the coolest crewmember-on-a-ship moments in the whole series. WCI kinda was when he contributed the most, but to be fair there hasn't been a whole lot of room in the narrative for him to shine yet. Egghead and Elbaf have just been way too stuffed- still salty Franky didn't do anything on Egghead.

Yes that was pretty cool. The time he really contributed was the fight with who's-who and that was back in summer 2021. Well Franky has done some stuff in Elbaph like finding the mural. Wish I could say the same for Ussop you know the guy that's wanted to come here for over two decades now.

 

[kkck]

Something else that hurts jinbe here is that while he is loyal to luffy he has no dynamic or meaningful interactions with the rest of the crew. He is sort of just there while the rest of the crew strawhats their way through life.

 

[Core D. Roy]

Yes that was pretty cool. The time he really contributed was the fight with who's-who and that was back in summer 2021. Well Franky has done some stuff in Elbaph like finding the mural. Wish I could say the same for Ussop you know the guy that's wanted to come here for over two decades now.

It's not like Franky was searching for information or anything, he just stumbled across it. I struggle to think of any meaning of Franky specifically finding it other than he was the one Strawhat without a task at the time and his silhouette looked the coolest in front of it.

Yeah Ussop in Elbaf is shaping up to be like Franky in Egghead. Missed opportunities that I know Oda could have content for if the story wasn't so densely packed elsewise. It's a monster of his own making and there's just little room for Strawhat development outside of their designated Final Confrontations, I guess.

 

[WILDCARD 1 7]

It's not like Franky was searching for information or anything, he just stumbled across it. I struggle to think of any meaning of Franky specifically finding it other than he was the one Strawhat without a task at the time and his silhouette looked the coolest in front of it.

Yeah Ussop in Elbaf is shaping up to be like Franky in Egghead. Missed opportunities that I know Oda could have content for if the story wasn't so densely packed elsewise. It's a monster of his own making and there's just little room for Strawhat development outside of their designated Final Confrontations, I guess.

Well like I said about this another in other post Franky wasn't specifically looking for Vagpunk, Ussop on the other hand one of his dreams was going to Elbaph. And Oda easy written Ussop to be more proactive in this story like having him be the on to find that mural instead.

Ironically Brook has been getting a lot of movements to shine lately despite being dead lol.

 

[electricmastro]

More arguments trying to segregate Jinbe away from his rightful place in the crew. Reminds me of Yamato. Tsk tsk.

Just about every Straw Hat has have life experience joining up with Luffy. Zoro has been a bounty hunter. Nami has been an officer with Arlong while running and stealing from pirates. Sanji has been a cook alongside a Grand Line chef. Franky was the leader of a gang. Brook was Captain on the Grand Line and looked over one of Imu's minions too back in the day.

You also can't really be "amateur" since Luffy and co. had challenged multiple Warlords, defeated a false god, declared war with the Government, and challenged Big Mom all before Jinbe officially joined. So Jinbe didn't join a bunch of amateurs, but people who are arguably legends in of themselves. Considering that, I don't know wha that the issue is. lol

--- Double Post Merged, Sep 18, 2025, Original Post Date: Sep 18, 2025 ---

To me jinbe appeared too late as a strawhat. If he had joined by the fishman island arc and stuck through punk hazard and dressrosa then odds are that by now I'd be ok with but he simply suddenly showed up at wano to duke it out with kaido's forces... It just doesn't sit right me with. Jinbe also makes me think of characters from previous arcs we didn't get as nakama. Most importantly margaret from kuja island, I was quite invested in that 3000 years ago, and more recently kinemon for whom I got quite excited with the confirmation that he wasn't momonosuke's dad.

Oda is def playing the long game. Vivi hasn't even reunited, so I'm sure many will be saying she'll have popped back up with them too late despite the previous adventures she had with them, and that many more people will be eating the manga up all the same.

--- Double Post Merged, Sep 18, 2025 ---

Something else that hurts jinbe here is that while he is loyal to luffy he has no dynamic or meaningful interactions with the rest of the crew. He is sort of just there while the rest of the crew strawhats their way through life.

That's funny, because I felt the same way about Robin for the longest time. lol

 

[traf]

Gonna be honest, I assumed all the lead up for his joining was a fake out, like no way he's gonna be an actual Strawhat crew member. Still I can easily forget him if I'm asked to list all Strawhats.

 

[electricmastro]

Gonna be honest, I assumed all the lead up for his joining was a fake out, like no way he's gonna be an actual Strawhat crew member. Still I can easily forget him if I'm asked to list all Strawhats.

Jinbe showed interest in joining and it was fulfilled. Why fake that?

 

[Core D. Roy]

It's not like Franky was searching for information or anything, he just stumbled across it. I struggle to think of any meaning of Franky specifically finding it other than he was the one Strawhat without a task at the time and his silhouette looked the coolest in front of it.

Yeah Ussop in Elbaf is shaping up to be like Franky in Egghead. Missed opportunities that I know Oda could have content for if the story wasn't so densely packed elsewise. It's a monster of his own making and there's just little room for Strawhat development outside of their designated Final Confrontations, I guess.

Now I want Ussop and Robin to see the mural. Ussop making up a bunch of childish theories about what the mural means, and Robin getting increasingly exasperated trying to explain what it probably really means, getting cut off every time. Before just being like "You know what, I'm just going to let you believe that one"

--- Double Post Merged, Sep 20, 2025, Original Post Date: Sep 20, 2025 ---

Ironically Brook has been getting a lot of movements to shine lately despite being dead lol.

Brook is the dark horse MVP of the whole post-TS crew. His insane feats that come out of nowhere like in WCI, the slow build up to music itself being tied to the core of the story, and a new flashback on the horizon for Brook/Gunko, it feels like Brook is Oda's favorite sometimes lol