Highlights
- Luffy’s scar under his eye was self-inflicted to prove his toughness to Shanks and his crew, symbolizing his desire to become a pirate.
- Luffy’s chest scar was obtained during the Marineford War when Admiral Akainu injured Jinbe and inadvertently hit Luffy’s chest, representing his near-fatal encounter and the support of his friends.
- Luffy’s scars tell stories and symbolize his determination to pursue his dreams and live without regrets in the world of One Piece.
The captain of the Straw Hat crew, Monkey D. Luffy, is one of the most recognizable anime designs alongside Goku and Naruto. Besides his straw hat, shaggy black hair, and toothy grin, many fans will recognize Luffy from his scars alone. Notably, Luffy has two scars: one under his left eye and an “X” across his chest. Luffy didn’t, however, always have these scars, and many people wonder where these trademark characteristics came from.
From the earliest chapters of One Piece, Luffy was an energetic and daring child. He knew from an early age that he wanted to become not only a pirate but the very Pirate King feared and admired alike across all the seas. Taking on such an ambitious dream, Luffy no doubt would be heading into a threshold of danger. While his rubber body, empowered by the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit, protects Luffy from a considerable amount of danger, it can only do so much. How Luffy got his scars shows just how much he’s willing to go through to achieve his dream.
Where Did Luffy’s Scar Under His Eye Come From?
Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates, would often anchor on Luffy’s home island, Dawn Island. Still, only a child, Luffy saw just how great it was to be a pirate and wanted to join Shanks and his crew. Despite repeated attempts, Shanks turned him down. Luffy saw a chance to sail the high seas and, in an attempt to show just how tough he was to Shanks and his crew, he stabbed himself under his left eye leaving behind a stitch.
The attempt to persuade Shanks didn’t work, unfortunately for Luffy. The scar he bears on his face stays with him for the years to come, not only giving him his signature look but also leaving a reminder of what Luffy desires most. Luffy eventually grows up and leaves Dawn Island in an attempt to build a pirate crew of his own. But, the scar across Luffy’s chest is a whole other, much darker story.
Luffy’s Chest Scar
Unofficially, Luffy got his scar during a filler episode, “Ocean’s Dream.” In this episode, the Straw Hat crew loses their memories, all except Robin. The crew doesn’t recognize each other, each having memories starting about sometime before they met Luffy, and chaos ensues, Zoro confronts Luffy and, as a result, he slices Luffy across his chest, leaving behind an x-shaped cut. Many fans who remember this episode may believe this is where Luffy gets his signature chest scar, but this happens a little too early and this episode, being just filler, is wiped from the annals.
Luffy would eventually get his famous scar just before the 2-year time jump, but it wasn’t until after the time skip that fans got a glimpse at his new design. During the Marineford War arc, Luffy blacks out after witnessing Ace, his brother, die at the hands of Admiral Akainu. It was only with the support of his friends did Luffy make it out of the war alive, just barely. Jinbe was able to grab hold of Luffy and dive into the sea to get to safety only moments after Admiral Akainu punctured Jinbe’s side with a magma-infused arm, hitting Luffy’s chest. The two were able to get away with the help of Whitebeard’s crew, Buggy, Crocodile, and Trafalgar Law and his crew, giving Luffy time to escape and seek medical help for his near-fatal encounter with the infamous marine admiral.
The battle left Luffy nearly on the verge of giving up his dream. Jimbe was able to remind Luffy to not live with regrets and to remember that he still had his crew to think of. Luffy would go on to train for two years, with the help of Silver Rayleigh and Boa Handcock, without his crew, stranded on an island full of large, wild beasts. By the end of the two years, Luffy was a new man, or pirate, and sporting his newly revealed x-shaped chest scar.
Scars don’t necessarily make people who they are, but they can tell stories, especially for characters in the world of One Piece. Luffy’s eye scar, it’s symbolic of his desire to become a pirate. For Luffy’s chest scar, it’s a reminder to continue living without regrets and sailing after his dreams.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be found on the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps.
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