One Piece: Why Chopper’s Backstory is The Saddest in the Series

One Piece is a series that is no stranger to tragic backstories. Out of the over 1000 characters introduced since the publication of the series began, quite a few of them have had pasts that are real tear-jerkers, as these characters have faced adversity from a very young age, and often, some characters don’t even get a peaceful resolution towards the end of their journey.

However, no backstory in One Piece has the same emotional impact as that of the resident doctor of the Straw Hat crew, Tony Tony Chopper. Born as a reindeer with some notable defects, his entire life was spent being ostracized by most people he tried to befriend. Though his tale is one of tragedy, the ending to it is quite beautiful, so let’s break down Chopper’s backstory and see how he got to where he is now.

Who Is Tony Tony Chopper?

Born on the freezing biomes of Drum Island on the Grand Line, this adorable little reindeer was born into a herd of quite a few of his species. However, due to the blue nose he was born with, he was always treated like an outcast, forced to travel alone at the back of the herd ever since he was a child, making it so that not a single other member of his herd ever cared for him in any way.

On top of this, the rest of the reindeer would also call him names and mock him to his face, which led to Chopper always spending his time alone. At some unspecified point, Chopper eventually ate the Hito Hito no Mi Devil Fruit – also known as the Human Human fruit. This fruit had the power to make those who ate it more human-like and increase their intelligence to human levels. Essentially, this would barely do anything for regular people.

After eating the fruit, Chopper’s appearance changed, and he also gained the ability to shapeshift into other forms. Because of this, he was completely driven out of his herd, so he planned to go to the human villages where he felt he would be accepted. In his human form, Chopper got excited to finally meet new people and finally be accepted for who he was, as he wanted to know the warmth of friendship over anything else.

However, due to his strange appearance, even in his human form, he was quickly labeled a pariah and a monster. People on Drum Island came to hate and fear someone who only wanted to be their friend, hurling stones and weapons at him in an attempt to kill him or drive him away. All this time, Chopper did not know what he had done wrong to deserve this sort of treatment from everyone, but would wallow in loneliness for a while longer.

Enter Dr. Hiriluk

Just as Chopper was down on his luck more than ever before, he came across the whacky and eccentric Dr. Hiriluk. Hiriluk was much like Chopper, in the sense that he had been ostracized by everyone, being cast out because of trying to heal people with his unorthodox medicinal procedures, which rarely worked, and made him a target for Wapol and his men.

Though the initial part of their encounter was shaky as Chopper believed Hiriluk to be just another person out to hurt him, the air was cleared funnily as Hiriluk took off all of his clothes in a freezing blizzard to tell the reindeer that he just wanted to heal his injuries. From there, the arc went on to show how Hiriluk managed to heal Chopper. For the first time in his life, Chopper had someone he could call a friend.

For the next year, the two were inseparable as they lived and went on many adventures together. However, Hiriluk is revealed to be terminally ill, so he kicks Chopper out in the hopes of saving him from the sadness of watching his only friend die. However, Chopper would eventually make his way back into Hiriluk’s life by fighting tooth and nail to get a mushroom that was rumored to be the missing ingredient for Hiriluk’s cure-all medicine.

Hiriluk would thank Chopper for his efforts, but would later go on to sacrifice himself in an attempt to rid Drum Island from the evil influence of King Wapol. However, his sacrifice was in vain, as Chopper would witness the death of his best friend not achieving what he set out to do. From here, the reindeer would promise to keep Hiriluk’s memory alive by becoming a doctor under the tutelage of Dr. Kureha.

A Happy Ending For Chopper

The final battle against Wapol and his henchmen at the end of the Drum Island arc remains one of the most heartwarming conclusions in all of One Piece. As the Straw Hats come to the island and get rid of Wapol’s influence, they eventually come to a final battle against the King outside his castle. As the villains mock Chopper, the reindeer exclaims that although he may not have any friends, he can still fight them on his own.

Here, Luffy proclaims loudly to all those who can hear that he is and always will be Chopper’s friend. Not only does this compound the best of Luffy’s character traits of wanting to help anyone out who needs it, but it also confirms to Chopper that despite Hiriluk being gone, he has shortage of friends.

From here, Chopper officially joins the Straw Hat pirates as their doctor, going on many different adventures with his new family, who always make it known that he will never be alone again. Becoming a pirate brings Chopper’s arc on Drum Island full circle, as a previous conversation with Hiriluk revealed how it had always been a dream of Chopper to be a pirate. So, his dreams come true as he becomes a member of the greatest crew on the Grand Line and is always with his best friends.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.