Anyone else just overwhelmingly disappointed with Hawkins or just me
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Media One Piece (spoilers!)
- Thread starter some hero
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Was never really shown any of his true capabilities or why he was deemed that powerful. Sure, he could effectively cheat death a bunch but stuff like his Tarot cards or strawman forms could've been explored more before getting brought down. Coupled with another rookie realizing that not staying under a Yonkou is not worth it and not really having any other motives just lead to a big meh.
I feel okay with how Hawkins turned out, though it definitely could have been better. It's frankly shocking how he didn't know Kidd had no left arm by this point. I guess you could rationalize that Kidd has kept it hidden underneath metal all this time but it's still a bit strange, you've already met the guy before and after he lost his arm and you didn't realize anything was different??
But aside from that I feel like he ended up doing a lot / was used more or less to his narrative potential by Oda:
-pretty wide range of abilities (tarot reading, reaper summon, straw sword AND voodoo dolls? honestly kind of a smorgasbord of abilities already)
-his ability to play crew members and captains against each other played a huge role in separating the Heart and Kidd pirates pre-raid at crucial moments. I do wish we saw exactly how Hawkins obtains specific dolls, as it would have given a nice bit of strategic flavor into the intrigues of the arc...but I think his role and battles would have ended up playing out more or less the same way.
-And finally, his arc as a side villain got tied up nicely by showing how being overly risk-averse and going with the majority every time ended with him on the wrong side of history. The Worst Generation aren't all destined to become huge players...they are all super ROOKIES for a reason, and characters like Hawkins are a good example of that (along with Apoo and maybe Urouge who I'm assuming will be captaining for Blackbeard or something). In spite of all his bragging about seeing the future, his will pales in comparison to that of D / those who charge forward without caring about the odds. Basically, anyone who lived by those principles could never have had a major future in the world of One Piece, and that played out fittingly in Hawkins' case (frankly, I think this is something that's been lingering in the background of his character since Sabaody). His reliance on the numbers game could also point to how he missed crucial details like Kidd's missing arm or even X Drake's initial betrayal.
Honestly, Hawkins' treatment highlights just how much Apoo got shafted (who i love lol). They have similar roles but we get way less of a showcase of Apoo's powers / character...hopefully the resolution of his fight with X Drake does him some justice, if only as a foil a la Hawkins (since it's not as if drake is very fleshed out at this point either).
tl;dr never rly had insane expectations for the character since it felt like the end of his arc was mapped out from the start as someone who was too cautious and would never move forward because of that.
But aside from that I feel like he ended up doing a lot / was used more or less to his narrative potential by Oda:
-pretty wide range of abilities (tarot reading, reaper summon, straw sword AND voodoo dolls? honestly kind of a smorgasbord of abilities already)
-his ability to play crew members and captains against each other played a huge role in separating the Heart and Kidd pirates pre-raid at crucial moments. I do wish we saw exactly how Hawkins obtains specific dolls, as it would have given a nice bit of strategic flavor into the intrigues of the arc...but I think his role and battles would have ended up playing out more or less the same way.
-And finally, his arc as a side villain got tied up nicely by showing how being overly risk-averse and going with the majority every time ended with him on the wrong side of history. The Worst Generation aren't all destined to become huge players...they are all super ROOKIES for a reason, and characters like Hawkins are a good example of that (along with Apoo and maybe Urouge who I'm assuming will be captaining for Blackbeard or something). In spite of all his bragging about seeing the future, his will pales in comparison to that of D / those who charge forward without caring about the odds. Basically, anyone who lived by those principles could never have had a major future in the world of One Piece, and that played out fittingly in Hawkins' case (frankly, I think this is something that's been lingering in the background of his character since Sabaody). His reliance on the numbers game could also point to how he missed crucial details like Kidd's missing arm or even X Drake's initial betrayal.
Honestly, Hawkins' treatment highlights just how much Apoo got shafted (who i love lol). They have similar roles but we get way less of a showcase of Apoo's powers / character...hopefully the resolution of his fight with X Drake does him some justice, if only as a foil a la Hawkins (since it's not as if drake is very fleshed out at this point either).
tl;dr never rly had insane expectations for the character since it felt like the end of his arc was mapped out from the start as someone who was too cautious and would never move forward because of that.
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The thing with Hawkins is that he (like Apoo) is a contrast to Kidd / Law / Luffy. Hawkins betrayed his alliance and sided with Kaido, like typical pirates would. He is very risk-averse, whereas our protagonist(s) are risk-takers that form bonds with those their align with, those that buy into the idea of dreams (which is what One Piece is largely about). In fact, it's only right that Kidd's subordinate Killer is the one to defeat him, showing the contrast in relationships with their respective leaders. Hawkins is just another weapon for Kaido, whereas Killer is someone Kidd cares strongly about.
Ok but how many of you would headbutt a wall when you have the power of transferring all damage to one of your opponents.
And how many of you would exclaim "What do you mean??! You should know all my powers by know!!" ever in a fight, then repeat your powers after your opponent states their very obvious plan.
Hawkins in this raid has achieved this so far:
1. Gave Kidd a headache (by himself) and a cut (Killer's attack)
2. Stalled Killer
Killer fought two Yonkos at the roof before facing Hawkins, while Hawkins hadn't done anything throughout the raid and was fully rested. Killer then easily cuts off his arm, then the head of his big straw demon, then knocks him out. In that whole fight all Hawkins did was banging his head on a wall with the purpose of damaging Kidd, and even with that he barely achieved anything compared to what the potential was.
I'm really not bothered by "Why didn't he make a doll of Killer?" etc. cos we don't know how he actually does it. He probably made Kidd's doll when he was imprisoned instead of during the raid. This isn't about any clash of wills etc either. It doesn't matter that he relies on his cards and plays safe and betrayed others.
All my frustration is from this very fight, in which he was an absolute idiot who achieved nothing. He was super outclassed as a fighter and was very stupid in how he uses his devil fruit. Unless later we see some very long term thinking from Hawkins where this fight was all planned by him for something bigger, Hawkins will remain my one disappointment with this arc.
And how many of you would exclaim "What do you mean??! You should know all my powers by know!!" ever in a fight, then repeat your powers after your opponent states their very obvious plan.
Hawkins in this raid has achieved this so far:
1. Gave Kidd a headache (by himself) and a cut (Killer's attack)
2. Stalled Killer
Killer fought two Yonkos at the roof before facing Hawkins, while Hawkins hadn't done anything throughout the raid and was fully rested. Killer then easily cuts off his arm, then the head of his big straw demon, then knocks him out. In that whole fight all Hawkins did was banging his head on a wall with the purpose of damaging Kidd, and even with that he barely achieved anything compared to what the potential was.
I'm really not bothered by "Why didn't he make a doll of Killer?" etc. cos we don't know how he actually does it. He probably made Kidd's doll when he was imprisoned instead of during the raid. This isn't about any clash of wills etc either. It doesn't matter that he relies on his cards and plays safe and betrayed others.
All my frustration is from this very fight, in which he was an absolute idiot who achieved nothing. He was super outclassed as a fighter and was very stupid in how he uses his devil fruit. Unless later we see some very long term thinking from Hawkins where this fight was all planned by him for something bigger, Hawkins will remain my one disappointment with this arc.
i love how the WG has a bounty specifically on someone with black wings AND white hair AND brown skin as if there are thousands of ppl running around with black wings
There are still a few fights left like Kidd + Law vs Big Mom, Orochi is still about, Yamato and Kanjuro's monster, etc. We will prob not see Luffy vs Kaido properly until they are done.
I think the King vs Zoro fight was concise. We got a lot out of it, but maybe could have been stretched out by another chapter. I enjoyed seeing King's flashbacks with Kaido - it paralleled Luffy's first encounter with Zoro. Furthermore, it seems that Kaido initially thought that he was Joyboy. Him starting out like Luffy but being corrupted over time, or maybe having the wrong morals, leading him to end up as such a different character is real nice. "Looks like you are not Joyboy either" when beating Luffy hits a lot harder now because he could be referring to himself too.
Also, Yamato is not guaranteed to join at all. Entirely possible that she could have an ironic twist and stay in Wano as its protector but not in the way Kaido wants - in her own way fulfilling Oden's will. On the other hand, she could still join however.
I think the King vs Zoro fight was concise. We got a lot out of it, but maybe could have been stretched out by another chapter. I enjoyed seeing King's flashbacks with Kaido - it paralleled Luffy's first encounter with Zoro. Furthermore, it seems that Kaido initially thought that he was Joyboy. Him starting out like Luffy but being corrupted over time, or maybe having the wrong morals, leading him to end up as such a different character is real nice. "Looks like you are not Joyboy either" when beating Luffy hits a lot harder now because he could be referring to himself too.
There aren't many arcs left lol. After Wano, the world is gonna be turned on its heard. All the other big powers will have to move, Shichibukai are being hunted, Blackbeard will surely capitalise, Shanks will likely move to prevent as much bloodshed as possible, etc. It's probably Wano -> some arc building up to Laugh Tale (I think most people think Elbaf, could also be Lodestar Island) -> Laugh Tale -> Mary Geoise.
Also, Yamato is not guaranteed to join at all. Entirely possible that she could have an ironic twist and stay in Wano as its protector but not in the way Kaido wants - in her own way fulfilling Oden's will. On the other hand, she could still join however.
I'm 50/50 between "Kidd and Law will have a decisive win vs Big Mom" and "Kidd and Law will hold off Big Mom, and then due to some intervention the fight will be disrupted". The source of intervention can be anything - the CP0, Apoo shouting something, news of the fleet coming to Wano, Big Mom's own crew with some other news etc.
The first outcome would keep the gap between Luffy and Law/Kidd small, but it would also be an upset vs a Yonko that is way less tired than Kaido vs two people who already tried their strongest attacks (that also tire them a lot). The second outcome would just flip that. Holding back a Yonko that's near full strength after going against 2 Yonko without the plot armor/advanced conqueror's haki is still impressive.
I really doubt Orochi gets much "fight time" but maybe his panel time gets drawn out a bit to have a cathartic end, but since he won't actually die it'll just be a waste imo.
For a while I've been trying to think wtf will be done with the explosives. I'm fairly certain that they'll actually go off cos Checkhov's gun, but I can't figure out how you do that without casualties on Onigashima at least. Everyone from both sides is running to the live floor to escape the burning castle which I feel is relevant but idk how. Maybe Momo pulls away the island to a decent distance from the capital, then just flies back inside the castle and everyone jumps on him? It's still a big ass island falling to earth from a considerable height, even if the explosives can lessen that impact by breaking the island into smaller chunks. I don't remember the Geography of Wano, but maybe Momo can pull the island to near the sea and the explosion+falling debris happen to be where the fleet was coming from?
Also just a reminder: Marco held off King+Queen by himself for a long ass time. King is obv strong and capable, and while Queen may have turned out to be a disappointment, he still counts for something. And I think he still has something left to do. Big ups for Marco.
i still think that the story has put far too much narrative importance on the weight of the big mom and luffy grudge. i think that despite the apparent set matchups, she'll be going down against him in the end. kid and law, regardless of the powerscaling circumstances of what people think their strength level "should" be, feels like an anticlimax due to the lack of a notable story connection between the conflicting parties.
i think the purpose of the explosives is essentially to put momo on a timer so that his failure to hold up the island can instead be framed as a success to at least hold it for long enough to save everyone from blowing up, based on the eventual circumstance that he's not going to be able to keep it up in the end. adding in an additional threat of how everyone can die, as well as a chance for the people on the wano mainland to escape being crushed by the island once they see it above them in the sky, can then make this an impressive moment rather than a disappointing one. if the story direction depends on the island dropping, then at least he'll come off as an important part of saving the alliance and wano rather than just being useless.
queen's broken, idk how anyone could have walked away from that showing seeing him as a disappointment. he and king have an absolutely ridiculous amount of powers to pull from compared to someone like jack just being a pure tank, even their bounties being nearly identical reflects how they've been portrayed as on nearly identical levels. marco's still the greatest though.
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Big Mom goin’ down.
"I am not the Namekian known as Piccolo."
"Ichigo? Nah that dumb ass got beat from his own power-- *I* don't got a fucking name!"
"Ichigo? Nah that dumb ass got beat from his own power-- *I* don't got a fucking name!"
yoooo guys Joyboy is finally here les goooo !!
btw establishing luffy as a rubber boy the whole series but then saying that he is actually not a rubber would seem stupid to me , hope oda doesn't disappoint like he never does !
btw establishing luffy as a rubber boy the whole series but then saying that he is actually not a rubber would seem stupid to me , hope oda doesn't disappoint like he never does !
Kaido flirting with Luffy is unforgettable
Super hyped for this. The way the ground itself is melting underneath him to me implies awakening...which fits well since law and kidd just revealed theirs. This also feels like it will end w a combo attack from all three!?? Which sounds great especially since kidd has been shafted so hard by kaido up to this point
I'm seeing a lot of talk this week about the role of destiny in One Piece. Some people are unhappy with the idea that Luffy is some kind of destined hero helpful guy who doesn't share meat, while others point out that the story has set this up for a while. Personally, I won't be mad if the "destined hero" thing does happen, but it doesn't really fit with the way I previously thought destiny worked in OP.
Basically I thought the idea was that someone would inevitably find One Piece, bring about the dawn of the world, etc, but that destiny wasn't personal to Luffy (or anyone else). There were obviously many signs that Luffy was a strong candidate to do it, and that's why other characters follow him with such dedication, but that didn't necessarily imply it couldn't be someone else. I thought it was more of a "they can't stop everyone forever" kind of destiny. But this chapter has definitely shaken that idea.
I don't know, I think I slightly preferred it when Luffy seemed to just be some strong-willed kid from East Blue, but that's been out since at least the Garp and Dragon reveals. Still a good story regardless.
Maybe this whole post is premature, though, since we know very little about whatever's just happened.
Basically I thought the idea was that someone would inevitably find One Piece, bring about the dawn of the world, etc, but that destiny wasn't personal to Luffy (or anyone else). There were obviously many signs that Luffy was a strong candidate to do it, and that's why other characters follow him with such dedication, but that didn't necessarily imply it couldn't be someone else. I thought it was more of a "they can't stop everyone forever" kind of destiny. But this chapter has definitely shaken that idea.
I don't know, I think I slightly preferred it when Luffy seemed to just be some strong-willed kid from East Blue, but that's been out since at least the Garp and Dragon reveals. Still a good story regardless.
Maybe this whole post is premature, though, since we know very little about whatever's just happened.
Joyboy Talking to Luffy's Soul right about now
(the analogy works until like 3:12 lmao)
i have no words and my thoughts are a fucking mess fuck you oda stop doing this to me
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Despite my earlier post, I'm good with this reveal. On top of the sheer chaotic fun of it, it definitely fits with the One Piece vibe of Luffy's adventure being surrounded by long-running global machinations that are only gradually revealed to us. I've seen people speculating that Shanks might have planned to give the fruit to Ace before Luffy ate it, and if that's true then it definitely feels like some pieces are nicely clicking into place.
Given that we got the reveal from the Gorosei, who aren't at Onigashima, it'll be interesting to see what the characters who are there make of this.
Given that we got the reveal from the Gorosei, who aren't at Onigashima, it'll be interesting to see what the characters who are there make of this.
doubt it cos iirc shanks had been in the village a few times and luffy knew him but ace only met shanks after he had become a pirate himself. if shanks knew about ace being there, he didn't try to meet him
The theory is that Shanks knew that Ace was there, but not exactly how to find him. But, yeah, it could easily end up either debunked or never addressed.
Admittedly a lot of this seems to come from people looking for a reason that one of the Yonkou would even be spending time in East Blue, which I don't think is an especially compelling starting point. Shanks seems like he could be the type to just go goof off in a weak sea for a while. Or maybe he was searching for the fruit in East Blue. And I don't think we know whether he even was one of the Yonkou yet at that time.
As always, Shanks is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
As always, Shanks is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
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