One Piece Nami gag leaves fans conflicted

For as long as One Piece has been airing, Nami has been beating up Luffy. But some fans have finally had enough.

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, and the antics of Monkey D. Luffy’s crew have been loved by fans for over two decades. However, that could change with some fans voicing concerns over the tried and tested Nami gag.

Nami, the navigator of the Straw Hats Pirates, first appeared in Episode 5 of the anime, joining Luffy’s crew in an attempt to rob them. Twenty years later, she’s a highly-valued member of the group, known for her intelligence, love of treasure, and her propensity for violence.

The Nami gag, as its known by fans, often sees Nami losing her temper and beating Luffy into a bloody pulp. It was once seen as a slapstick humorous occurrence. After all, how can a small girl take on some of the most powerful pirates in the world? But, times are changing and so are fans’ opinions. Let’s take a look.

One Piece fans’ opinions have changed on Nami vs Luffy

The Nami gag is often featured as a form of comic relief throughout One Piece, and sees Nami (and the rest of the crew) resorting to physical violence as a way to discipline Luffy.

It was generally well-received by viewers. However, as times change, so do our sensibilities and in recent years fans have begun to raise concerns over the implications of the potentially problematic gag.

Back in 2022, we first saw serious signs that fans were beginning to question how Nami interacted with Luffy. For example, the question “Does anyone think Nami is too abusive? (1058 spoiler)” was posted on Reddit.

Although back then, many of the fans defended Nami’s behavior towards Luffy.

However, fast forward to 2023 and the tone is already very different. Following the release of One Piece Episode 1086, on December 2, where we see Nami repeatedly slap Luffy and put him in a cage, some fans have decided to draw the line on violence.

Let’s take a closer look.

The Nami controversy

On December 3, a discussion about Nami and her tendency towards physical violence erupted.

In the episode we see Nami repeatedly striking Luffy, placing him in a cage and pulling his cheeks. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for their relationship, but the scene led to fans criticizing Nami’s actions and the problematic message they send about acceptable behavior in relationships, particularly in the context of friendship and also between genders.

In one X/Twitter post, a user expressed how much they disliked the Nami gag, emphasizing that it’s “not even fun anymore.”

And this wasn’t the only post expressing sympathy for Luffy and disdain for her violent actions.

Another user took to Twitter to argue that “the Nami gag ain’t funny … at all,” and received a series of replies, with some in agreement, while others argued that Luffy deserved to get beaten up. After all, it’s a comedy and an anime, it’s not actually depicting real people.

Now we’ve had a look at Twitter. What about Reddit? Shortly after the episode aired, with one fan posted that “there is a limit” to the way Nami can treat Luffy for it to be a gag.

However, other fans in the post replies jumped to Nami’s defence, arguing that she is a multifaceted character and claiming that any dislike of her taking action against Luffy was due to sexism.

Luffy vs Nami: Out-dated or just a bit of fun?

As seen in the recent social media discourse, the way fans of a huge franchise like One Piece perceive certain types of humor will always vary. After all, not everyone enjoys slapstick.

However, the recent conflicting views among fans over Nami’s actions towards Luffy also highlight evolving perspectives about violence in the media and violence towards men, even within the context of comedy.

Social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter enable fans to discuss their opinions about the episodes, both good and bad. But as the discourse surrounding the Nami gag continues to grow and criticism about the portrayal of comedic violence in anime increases, it’s likely that we’ll see significantly more uproar over similar tropes in the future.

How to watch Crunchyroll from outside your location in 2023

Crunchyroll is the world’s best hub for streaming anime, whether it’s One Piece, Attack on Titan, or Jujutsu Kaisen – and thanks to ExpressVPN, you can access the platform’s full library even if you’re outside the US.

If you’re abroad, here’s what you need to do to access Crunchyroll’s full selection – and it really is this simple:

1. Sign up for ExpressVPN, which has ultra-fast servers and offers a secure, private connection wherever you are in the world
2.  Connect to a location anywhere in the US; Express VPN allows you to choose from 24 different spots, from New Jersey to Santa Monica
3.  Visit Crunchyroll online and start streaming all of your favorite animes – and perhaps some you’ve never watched

Accessing Crunchyroll’s US roster makes a difference; for example, Hong Kong users only have access to less than 100 titles, while the US has nearly 1,000 movies and TV shows.

You can also stream anime on Crunchyroll for free with an ad-supported plan, or you can pay for a subscription – there’s even a 14-day free trial if you can’t quite make up your mind.

You can check out our other anime coverage here.

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