One Piece Creator Reveals Why the Straw Hats Don't Have Nicknames

Monkey D. Luffy is a smart guy with a rather odd brain. Time and again, One Piece fans have seen the hero put his noggin to work with strategies, but Luffy's thoughts tend to fizzle with more mundane tasks. That is why the hero has given so many nicknames he uses to remember them by, so fans have long wondered why Luffy never gave such names to his crew members.

And as it turns out, the answer is plenty darn cute. Luffy might have trouble remembering the names of even his. Closest allies, but there is no way Luffy would ever forget the name of one of his nakama.

Recently, the answer surfaced online thanks to an answer given by Eiichiro Oda himself. The beloved author answered the question when a fan submitted it for his SBS question-and-answer session. It was there Oda confirmed Luffy can remember the name of those closest to him.

Oda on why Luffy doesn't use nicknames for his nakama (Vol 96 SBS) from r/OnePiece

"Well, Luffy is the kind of guy who doesn't want to remember any names because he doesn't care, so he makes up a name based on the respective person's look. But when someone joins his crew, he makes sure to remember their name properly," Oda said.

Of course, there are a few others whom Luffy does his best to get right. For the most part, Luffy does call all of the Yonkou by their actual name, and that is more a sign of respect towards their strength. But for the most part, Luffy is fine with calling people whatever he likes until they join his crew... so long as they do not butcher his name in kind!

Do you love this explanation? Or do you wish Luffy would treat everyone - even his crew members - the same? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!