Usopp

Usopp is a pirate and the sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates. When Usopp was first introduced, he was often (comically) labeled as the "Liar" of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Appearance
Usopp is a tanned, skinny teenager with black curly hair and a long nose, which is apparently an allusion to Pinocchio, a wooden boy from a story of the same name who possessed a nose that would stretch after he lied. He usually wears a dark yellow plaid bandanna, special sniper goggles, brown overalls with a white sash and no shirt underneath (although he wore a green striped shirt during the Skypeia Arc). Usopp inherited his famous nose from his mother, while the rest of his face closely resembles his father's.

Oda claims that Usopp is most represented by the armadillo. Oda has also said that he uses the color yellow to represent Usopp, and he smells of gunpowder.

Personality
Usopp is one of the more sentimental Straw Hat Pirates, and cries or loses his temper in moments of emotional stress. At the start of the series, Usopp was an easily frightened, anxious, insecure, compulsive liar. Unlike Nami (whose cowardice is linked to just wanting to stay alive), Usopp's cowardice is the result of his fear and insecurity, especially when faced with uncertainity. Though Usopp is a coward by nature, but is able to put aside his fear during more deseperate times: despite being afraid, he faces those fears for the sake of his friends and sometimes people he barely knows. Most of his lying was intened to make him feel better as Usopp is easily overwhelmed by his opponents, such as Aokiji, and usually ran from them. He is the first to come up with an excuse not to do something to avoid putting himself in danger. One of the most frequently used excuses is that he gets a disease named for example "Can't-get-on-this-island disease".

It is this which leads to his feud with Luffy- specifically his refusal to part with the ship he had come to love. This was the result of all his insecurities about his usefulness as a member of the crew culminating within him and finally exploding under the stress of having just been beaten near to death by the Franky Family and then losing his ship. Especially when compared to Luffy, Sanji and Zoro, Usopp is not very strong in the physical sense. Though he is very intelligent and a talented sniper, he had trouble seeing his better qualities and his strengths, until the fight at Enies Lobby opened his eyes.

After meeting the giants Dorry and Broggy in the Little Garden arc, Usopp wants to travel to Elbaf one day and meet the proud warriors there. Usopp gave his first glimpse of understanding the ways of the warrior and the pride of a duel during the giants' battle. As a result Usopp often sees the Elbaf warriors he has met in his travels as sources of inspiration in his journey to become "a brave warrior of the sea".

Throughout Thriller Bark, many members of the crew fell victim to the effects of Perona's negative powers, causing them to become incredibly depressed to the point where they can't move. However Usopp, though slightly effected by the power, got to his feet claiming he could not become negative, because he already is negative/depressed, even saying it in a brag-like way. Perona claimed he was the only person who was ever immune to her powers, so she fled from him in fear.

Alter-Ego
Sogeking is Usopp's alter-ego developed during the Water 7 and Enies Lobby arc. When he left the crew, later seeing the others trying to save Robin made him feel guilty for leaving. He stated to Sanji and Franky that he cannot help them fight for this reason. He hastily 'disguised' himself in a mask and cape and began calling himself "Sogeking, the king of the snipers". During this facade he sometimes dons a deeper voice which can be seen as the "true" Sogeking. Sogeking also refers to nearly everyone as "kun" (Luffy-kun, Zoro-kun, Chopper-kun etc.). Everyone except for Luffy and Chopper already knew that Sogeking was Usopp at the sight of Usopp's significantly long nose. Onion, Carrot, Pepper and Kaya were able to recognize him, though they claimed no one else in Syrup Village did.

As his alter-ego Sogeking, Usopp was able to fight alongside the others without having to deal with his departure. During his time spent acting as Sogeking, Usopp began to realize that while he was one of the weaker crew members, his role as the crew's sniper and a supporting crew member make him more valuable than he thought. Ultimately, he has been recorded as Sogeking on his bounty. The fact that Usopp himself is not technically wanted allows him to slip through enemy lines seemingly undetected. Oz originally let Usopp go because (being Luffy's shadow) Oz did not think Usopp was a target.

During his fight with Perona, Usopp showed signs of a split personality and even went so far as to argue inside his head with his alter ego over their situation. Although they are technically the same person, Sogeking in comparison to Usopp is much more confident and took over once Usopp adorned the mask again, only slipping back into Usopp once the mask came off. Whether or not Usopp is developing a multiple personality disorder is debatable and has yet to be confirmed by the author or within the story.

Crew
He will often goof off with Luffy and Chopper and shares a strong, brotherly relationship with them. He and Luffy share a common path towards an eventual meeting with the Red Haired Pirate Crew: Luffy to reunite with Shanks and Usopp with his father. Through this small connection and the fact that they are the same age and thus, at the same level of maturity (in their own special ways), Luffy and Usopp had a very special bond from the moment they met. Chopper loves Usopp's stories and often falls for his tall tales, and Usopp in turn loves Chopper's hero worship of him and makes a point to act cool in front of his "younger brother." Both Luffy and Chopper were very upset when Usopp left the crew.

He likes Nami as a sister, but (like Chopper) is often intimidated by her more ruthless behavior. Usopp and Nami have a special bond as the only "normal" crew members. At some point during the Arabasta arc, Nami approached Usopp and asked him to make a weapon for her, convincing him to do so by confessing her feelings of inadequacy when compared to the awesome strength of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and even young Chopper. She said that Usopp was the only one who could understand these feelings, and thus was the only one who could help her. Zoro and Sanji get on well with him, but often admonish him for his cowardice and sentimentality. During the Enies Lobby Arc Sanji sowed a special bond with Usopp as he helped him realize that he wasn't useless to the crew like he previously thought. Usopp was scared of Robin, as well as Brook when they appeared with the Straw Hats, however, he changed his views over time and see them as good friends. As for Franky, while he did beat up Usopp during the Water 7 arc, they began to understand each other once they talked about the Going Merry. Usopp is usually the one who tests Franky's cannon-type inventions.

Friends
He shared a deep fondness for Kaya back in his village due to her losing her parents and often tried to keep her happy. Unfortunately, his lies backfired when he tried to protect her when Kuro put his 3 year plan into action and Kaya lost all respect for him. After Kuro's plan is stopped, she decided to try to remain happy for him while he was gone and Usopp is left happy that she is safe.

Back at the village also, his old pirate trio also await his return. When they last met they parted ways with him to led off on their own dreams. They have been following the reports of him ever since via the newspapers and are proud to have called him captain, even if the other villagers don't know what has become of him. Kaya also states how proud she is, and that she eagerly awaits his return to her and the village.

"Sogeking" also made friends with Oimo and Kaashii after he revealed the truth to them concerning the World Governments lie about having their leaders.

Enemies
He has a deep anger at Kuro, whom he defeated to protect Kaya. While he himself is at ease with the Marines, his alter-ego carries a bounty. He also made an enemy of Perona during the Thriller Bark arc for being the first person to defeat her.

Yasopp
Yasopp is Usopp's father. While Usopp has yet to be shown interacting with his father, Usopp has remained proud of him even though he took the path of a pirate. It is also unclear as to how well he knows his father, as it was never said when exactly Yasopp left ( except for the flashback during the fight between Usopp and Daddy with Yasopp saying " I left when he was just a baby.") to sail with Shanks' crew. Usopp either knows about his father from stories told by his mother or from actual memories, which one it is remains a mystery. Yasopp also seems to care deeply about his son despite being absent for the majority of his life.

Banchina
Banchina was Usopp's mother. He deeply cared about her well being, to the point of creating his original set of lies about his father returning in order to keep her alive. When she died, he suffered a deep loneliness that led him to keep on lying even though he no longer had a reason to do so.

Abilities and Powers
Usopp's role in the crew is Gunner and marksman/sniper, just like his father, Yasopp. For a long while, Usopp's sharpshooting skills were downplayed and somewhat overlooked. This is due to the fact that he is so high-strung and jumpy, that he often gives into his baser instincts of survival: fight or flight (usually choosing flight). However, with the birth of Sogeking and during the battle at Enies Lobby he displayed just how skilled he is at sniping when he saved Robin from an incredible distance, shooting down the marines and Spandam. One marine was so shocked that a sniper was taking them down so accurately from such a great distance and with the wind blowing against Usopp's favor, that he asked, "What the hell IS he?!" Proving that Usopp certainly isn't just your average guy.

Prior to the introduction of Franky (as well as the creation of the Clima-Tact), Usopp served as the Straw Hat's sole unofficial gadgets specialist. His creative engineering has resulted in both the Clima-tact and Kabuto. Though he is creative, his engineering skills are limited beyond this level of inventiveness. For other more complex activities, such as acting as the shipwright for the Going Merry, he is largely inexperienced, as he was barely able to keep the Going Merry going using patchwork repairs. As Franky pointed out, his skills are amateur and he barely knows how to use a hammer correctly for such jobs.

One of Usopp's useful attributes is that he is an extremely fast runner, even faster than Luffy and Sanji. Though it is shown that his stamina when it comes to running is practically limitless (after running for miles he isn't exhausted in the least while Chew, a Fishman, is tired). In the Little Garden Arc, Usopp was seen running from one side of the prehistoric island and reaching the other side in a matter of seconds. His lightning speed was enough to even surprise Admiral Aokiji, when Usopp saved Robin from being crushed. He uses hit and run tactics, and works best as part of a team where there are more physical fighters to watch his back and vice-versa. Although, like Chopper, he sometimes has trouble thinking on his feet, his tactical skills have proved instrumental in more than one battle. Usopp, like Nami, has been able to use his intelligence and inventive tactics to defeat enemies far stronger than himself. However, though he has survived every fight so far this way, his fight against Luffy only served to prove what separated him from other crew members in terms of overall combat strength.

He also seems to be naturally adept at absorbing massive punishment, as he often comes from which either brutally injured, or left at a near-death state (or close to passing out), but can be seen shrugging it all off like they never even happen in the next scene. This was particularly evident when he fought Perona, where after using an Impact Dial on one of her zombies (which likely dislocated or broke his arm) he immediately used that same arm to aim another of his pellets at Perona. He also managed to use an impact dial in the middle of his fight with Luffy without seeming that affected by it, and he was already gravely injured from being beaten up by the Franky Family. Another example is that Usopp survived being hit in the face by Mr.4's 4 ton bat (Ms. Merry Christmas said that most people should be instantly dead when hit by that attack). Not only did he survive, but he was still able to fight.

Usopp is also a great artist, he proved that in the beginning of the series when he made "his" and the straw hat Jolly Roger. (Seeing that Luffy's art lacks talent.) Also when Luffy and chopper make snowmen or sand castles it usually shows Usopp after wards with a snow statue or a more detailed castle.

Weapons


Usopp has outstanding marksmanship abilities with a slingshot, and is probably on his way of becoming one of the best marksmen in the One Piece world, which is the primary reason why he serves as the Straw Hat's Sniper; and often tasked with the managing of artillery weapons like cannons of their vessels, most notably the Thousand Sunny's Gaon Cannon, which is dangerous on its own, but with Usopp's long-range skills, it is deadly. His slingshot is his primary form of combat, and he has many different types of ammunition which he carries in a large purse-like shoulder bag. He uses eggs to blind opponents and rocks in the slingshot when out of ammunition. He is also extremely durable, able to absorb unbearable amounts of damage (he once got struck by a four ton, metal baseball bat to the head only to continue fighting minutes later) and sometimes uses his hammer for close combat in an unskilled, frenzied but effective attack.

His ammunition, called "stars", has great range, from rotten eggs and hot sauce to shuriken and powerful explosives. Usopp has other attacks unrelated to projectiles, though they are mainly jokes. These include the 5 Ton Hammer (which is actually only about 5 kilograms) and Usopp Noise, where he plugs his ears and scratches a chalkboard. Also, recently his "5 ton hammer" has become a "10 Ton hammer," possibly to symbolize a certain increase in strength as time goes on, though he's still considered physically weak when compared to the rest of the crew, except for Nami. He has also recently started using Skypiean dials for attacks (and had steadily shown growing aptitude with each battle in which he utilized them), such as using the Breath Dial to house explosive gas, using the Flash Dial to blind his foes, and using the Impact Dial to absorb and reflect blows.

Usopp improves his sight with special goggles. He purchased an upgraded pair in Loguetown, but the actual scene of him purchasing them was cut out in the 4Kids Entertainment dub. The scene was also absent in the original manga due to lack of room.

Kabuto
In the Enies Lobby arc, Usopp introduced a new weapon - the "Kabuto" - a slingshot with five bands connected to a long staff. It seems to have much greater power than his normal slingshot, powered as it is by Skypiean Dials. Its range is enormous, and Usopp can use it to strike individual targets accurately from impossible distances.

The exact workings of the Kabuto are unknown, except that the five bands increase stability (and thus range), and the Dials in the instrument add spin to the ammunition similar to rifling to increase damage and accuracy, as well as allowing Usopp to choose a variety of different dial effects to add to each shot. The weapon was named "Kabuto" probably because of the shape of the head of the staff resembles the trunk of a kabuto beetle.

Hope Born From a Lie
Usopp is the son of Yasopp, a pirate who joined Red-Haired Shanks' crew and sailed away, leaving behind his wife and son. Usopp began to lie that pirates were coming. He first began this practice when he started yelling to his mother that pirates were coming in the hopes that it would strengthen her spirits enough to keep her alive. After he started doing so, he just continued to do so because of the pain of having lost both parents one way or another, leaving himself alone.

Many of the villagers made a show of chasing him and throwing things at him for running through the town, but they were used to his antics. Some villagers even use his daily run through town as a sort of alarm clock. Aside from his cries of pirates attacking, he also made up stories about adventures to entertain Kaya a young girl he met who was sick and had to stay in bed all day.

Usopp called himself a pirate and took in three younger kids, Ninjin, Tamanegi and Piiman, as his "crew"; he dubs the group "Usopp's Pirates", or in the American version by 4kids, the "Veggie Pirates".

Fight with the Felines, Becoming a Straw Hat
When the Black Cat pirates came to town, Usopp, along with Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro and Nami, fought the pirates and their leader, Captain Kuro. Kuro had been spending three years posing as a caretaker for Kaya so he could set himself up to inherit her fortune. He plotted to kill her without anyone suspecting he was behind it.

After Luffy defeated Kuro and the Black Cat Pirates, Usopp disbands "Usopp's Pirates" and leaves them find their own dreams. He decided to stop lying and go on his own way, but Luffy invited him to travel on the Going Merry with him and the rest of his crew. Luffy named him sniper for the crew as he has inherited his father's sharp shooting skills. After joining, he created the flag for the Straw Hat Pirate Crew after Luffy proves unable to draw, and he also paints it on the sail of Going Merry.

Loguetown
It is in Loguetown that Usopp acquires his new sniper goggles (after which he stops wearing the goggles he wore in combat during the Captain Kuro and Arlong Park arcs) These goggles stick with him throughout the series, as he adjusts them to every hat he wears and his Sogeking mask.

Reverse Mountain/Laboon
The Straws Hats arriving at Reverse Mountain through the storm after fleeing Loguetown. They are nearly blown off course and into the Calm Belt but eventually reach the entrance of Reverse Mountain and manage to climb its uphill rapids despite some tricky close calls thanks to Nami's navigation. As they come down they hear a noise and notice something is blocking their path. They identify the blockage as a huge whale which is threatening to crush the Going Merry. Luffy manages to keep the ship from crashing into it, but seeing the bow broken off enrages Luffy and he attacks the whale. The whale swallows the Going Merry and her crew, except for Luffy who manages to escape onto the whale's back. Inside, the remaining Straw Hats suddenly find themselves in what looks like an outside setting with a house in the middle of the water where they meet an old man named Crocus. They later reunite with Luffy and two people inside known only as Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday who apparently are plotting to kill the whale. and it is revealed that the strange setting is in fact the whale's stomach. Crocus reveals that the whale's name is Laboon and that he is trying to ram into the mountain. Crocus begins to explain to the Straw Hats why the whale is covered with scars continually rams the mountain.

Crocus explains to the Straw Hats about how a regular compass will not work past Reverse Mountain and that they need a Log Pose if they want to travel the Grand Line. Crocus explains how the Log Pose works and mentions the final destination of the Grand Line, Raftel, where One Piece may lay as the only person to reach there was Gold Roger. Luffy reveals a Log Pose he found after they dumped the Mr. 9 pair but it is broken so Crocus loans them his. The Mr. 9 pair spies on the group from afar until they are knocked into the ocean by The Unluckies for failing their mission to kill Laboon. They reacquaint themselves with the Straw Hats again and beg them to take the two to their hometown, Whiskey Peak, to which Luffy agrees. With that they bid Crocus and Laboon farewell and set off.

The Honor of Elbaf
Reaching their second island on the Grand Line, Little Garden, meant a somewhat of a change for Usopp. The island's inhabitants, the giants Dorry and Broggy, fought in never-ending battle of pride and honor, which are more important than their own lives - a battle of men, as Usopp defined it, which amazed him. According to him, they are exactly what he wanted to be, the greatest warrior of the seas; to a point where he says that one day he will die with pride, and his last words will be "I am Usopp, the great warrior of the sea!". Usopp was moved to rage when he had discovered that the sake which came from their ship, which they gave to Dorry and Broggy, exploded and interrupted the battle, and even attempted to attack Mr. 5, knowing the risk. He still wishes to visit Elbaf, the island the giants came from.

The Sickening Truth
After the battle with Aokiji, Usopp watched his comrades easily beaten which scared him and made him question his belonging in a crew of such strength. He was afraid that the crew would continue encountering stronger adversaries and since he was one of the weaker crew members he started to lose confidence and began believing he's more of a liability than an actual member. A series of conflicts, particularly Luffy's choice to get a new ship, resulted in Usopp leaving the crew.

You could just cut off those members that are useless. There's no way I could catch up to you monsters, you don't need any weak members, right?

-Usopp expressing his fears of being abandoned like Merry.

Usopp, determined not to lose Merry, challenges Luffy to a duel in which the winner shall have Merry. After a battle with Luffy, where Usopp displayed an uncharacteristically vicious fighting style, he lost, but gained the now terminally-damaged Going Merry at the cost of his membership to his former crew when Luffy bitterly gives Usopp permission to leave. After becoming friends with Franky, who had previously robbed him, Usopp was detained by CP9, and the Going Merry was supposedly destroyed.

Birth of Sogeking
After being freed from CP9 captivity by Sanji during the Sea train chase, Usopp announced that he has no business with the Straw Hat Pirates and disappears. Yet Usopp came back a minute later in a disguise. He was wearing a mask and a cape, using the alias "Sogeking" (sogeki means sniper, so Sogeking ("そげキング" Sogekingu) is a portmanteau meaning "Sniper King"). According to his stories, Sogeking is from an island of snipers, Sharpshooter Island, that can be found in your heart, and Usopp has even written a theme song for this identity.

He helped Franky and Sanji in order to rescue Nico Robin but they fail to do so. After being in the detached cart 4 and 3 with Sanji, they were found by the Franky Family and finally reunited with Luffy. When they confronted CP9, Sogeking unveiled a new weapon, a long staff with a more powerful slingshot attached called "Kabuto".

All of the Straw Hats (including Galley-La and Franky Family) realize who he really is except for Luffy and Chopper. He also saves Robin (and buys time for Franky to recover) by shooting all the marines including Spandam all the way from the Tower of Justice. Later on, when Luffy is nearly knocked unconscious by Lucci, Usopp takes off his mask and calls on for Luffy to keep on fighting, which encourages him enough to place a final blow. The Going Merry returned to carry everyone away from Enies Lobby.

Return of Usopp
As soon as the crew escaped from Enies Lobby, Usopp put back on his Sogeking mask and neither Luffy nor Chopper have realized that they are one and the same.

In Chapter 430, with the Going Merry, everyone has managed to escape Enies Lobby safely. However, after escaping, Iceburg arrives in a Galley-La just in time to pick up the Straw Hat Pirates as the Merry suddenly breaks apart. Luffy then gives the Going Merry a viking funeral by burning it as the crew tearfully says goodbye. Usopp then finally accepted that the ship was beyond salvation.

Back in Water 7, Usopp sat on Kashii's shoulders bummed out. Kashii offered to take Usopp to Elbaf but Usopp seems to reject it because later Usopp was seen peeking through the window of the temporary HQ with Yokozuna watching the whole Luffy and Garp situation. Usopp tried to find a way to re-enter the crew, Sanji caught him rehearsing but did nothing.

In Chapter 438, Sanji informed Luffy about Usopp's rehearsal, and a delighted Luffy wanted to go get him. Zoro, however, believed that Usopp's behavior was disrespectful to Luffy's rank as captain and threatened to leave the crew if Luffy allowed himself to be pushed around. Eventually the crew agreed with Zoro, and decided to only allow Usopp back if he acknowledged his wrongdoing and apologized. After waiting for the Thousand Sunny to be completed, the Straw Hats (with the newly added Franky) were forced into a hasty departure without Usopp.

Usopp was, however, already on his way through town to the Scrapyard Island with the intent of rejoining the crew. He spots the Straw Hats making a fast getaway from Garp and his marine ship. Usopp tried to communicate with his crew but all except Chopper ignored him. Eventually, the sight of his friends sailing away drives him into a heartfelt apology yelled to the ship. With this, Luffy tearfully pulls him to the ship and proclaims his crew is again complete.

Usopp has now officially rejoined the crew after 106 chapters of absence. He escaped the marines along with the rest of the crew thanks to the Thousand Sunny's Coup de Burst.

Adventure on Ghost Island
After sailing for some time on the Thousand Sunny, Usopp and the rest of the crew came across a mysterious barrel floating on the ocean. Upon opening it, a flash shot up from it. After braving a storm that mysteriously came after wards thanks to Nami and Franky, Usopp and the rest the crew found themselves in the Florian Triangle. Usopp, having not heard from Kokoro about the ghosts within the area, became very frightened. He and the rest then came in the presence of a ghost ship.

This ship apparently belonged to a skeleton named Brook who through by chance initially accepted Luffy's offer to join the crew. Usopp was especially frightened by Brook and by this time, he had donned all sorts of equipment used for exorcism such as garlic and crosses due to the circumstances. Just as Brook was about to perform before Usopp and the rest of the crew after dinner, a ghost appeared and some clanking sounds were heard These sounds were caused by the gates of the island that suddenly appeared, Thriller Bark, closing. These events prompted Brook to head to the island before Usopp and the rest of the Straw Hats' eyes.

With Luffy's resolve to go to the island, Usopp couldn't do anything about it. At that moment, Franky then decided to show the crew a little present, the Mini Merry II. This pleased the crew very much that Usopp decided to join Nami and Chopper for a test drive. However while sailing on the little boat, Usopp and his companions accidentally bumped into the moat of Thriller Bark and fell from the Mini Merry II into it. There, the three met the Cerberus which chased them until they hid in a tree. In the tree, the three met Hildon who decided to take them to meet Dr. Hogback. After riding a carriage with Hildon through some woods filled with all sorts of stitched-up creatures, Usopp and his companions were left in the middle of a cemetery. There, they were attacked by some Zombies. Usopp was luckily able to drive these creatures away with flame star so he and his companions can escape. In response however, the Zombies called Usopp a pyromaniac. Usopp and his companions then came across Hogback's mansion and met with the good doctor and his maid, Cindry.

After dinner with the good doctor in which the three asked about Brook, Nami decided to take a bath. For this, Usopp and Chopper were put in charge of guarding her from intruders from the outside. In the middle of the bath however, Nami was attacked by an invisible thing. Luckily, Usopp came in the bathroom and drove it away. Later after the incident in the bathroom, Usopp and his companions found out that the paintings and taxidermy in the dining room were all Zombies. Fortunately, the three escaped through a secret door before the Zombies could catch them.

Beyond the secret door, Usopp and his companions found themselves in a room filled with Cindry's pictures. Through a newspaper article that Nami found, the three learned that Cindry was an actress that died ten years ago. Just as they were about to leave, the three stumbled across a treasure chest. Inside however, was a horrific Jack in a box that frightened the three out of the room.

As the three were running through the hallways of the mansion from more painting Zombies, a mysterious bodyguard decided to chase them. They discover Hogback's lab, while he's doing a new zombie named Mario. But the Bodyguard, who talk exactly like Brook, catch them. The Bodyguard is named Ryuuma and, while he can talk like Brook, he has the body of a Legendary Swordsman. He proves that stopping Usopp's team with an odd technique.

For the moment, Usopp, Chopper and Nami are unconscious inside Hogback's Lab. Eventually, they manage to escape and overhear Moria's plan. However, they are caught and make a run for it but eventually run into a bunch of zombie bodyguards. Nami is captured during this battle and soon Franky and Robin show up to help Chopper and Usopp to defeat the zombies. They eventually get back to the ship where they find Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sleeping. Usopp tells a lie to wake them up and the rest of the crew explains the situation to them. Luffy then tells the Straw Hats to prepare for the counterattack.

Sogeking's Return and The End of Thriller Bark
As the crew ventures back onto Thriller Bark, Usopp eventually ends up facing Perona and her personal zombies, being the only one able to resist her powers and, therefore, defeat her. Usopp defeats the majority of his opponents and the fight soon boils down to Perona, apparently invincible, bombarding Usopp with attacks with him only able to flee. With her only remaining zombie Kumacy about to land the killing blow, a terrified Usopp, knowing that if he loses to Perona, all hope of survival for himself and his friends will be lost, is about to give in to despair and cries out to Sogeking to save him. In a split second, Usopp dons Sogeking's mask and defeats Kumacy. Sogeking then proceeds to converse with Usopp as "they" run from Perona, helping him to figure out how to defeat her. Sogeking disappears at this point, but Usopp uses the hints he gave him to uncover Perona's weakness and defeat her.

It seems that perhaps as Usopp was backed into a corner, the stress became too much for him to handle and his psyche actually fractured and caused Sogeking to manifest himself as a complete personality within Usopp's mind. This is only speculation, especially considering that not since then in the story has the issue of Usopp's psychological well being arose and the fact that attempting to apply real-world psychology to characters in the One Piece world is foolish. However, considering that Usopp did not only have a conversation with Sogeking but was only able to discover Perona's weakness due to Sogeking's help suggests that Usopp really could have a variation of dissociative identity disorder and that this may become an important issue in the future.

After finishing the battle with Perona, Usopp then joined up with the rest of the crew to combat the rampaging giant Zombie, Oz. After recovering from the initial assault, Usopp scored several hits on the monster, but to little effect. After Oz incapacitated Zoro, he attempted to crush Nami and Usopp but they were saved by Luffy in his nightmare mode.

Luffy, so empowered, was able to knock down Moria, who then got back up and used his most power attack- Shadow Asgard, in an attempt to kill everyone once and for all. Luffy, using his Gears, finally finishes off Moria, freeing all the captured shadows. Nami then remembers Kuma is on this island and tells everyone. Meanwhile, Kuma reports that Moria has failed to kill Luffy and is badly wounded, he is ordered to kill everyone on Thriller Bark and evacuate the wounded Moria. However, instead of outright killing everyone as his orders said he offers everyone a deal- let him kill Luffy (who cannot fight back now) and he'll leave everyone alone. The Straw Hats and everyone else on the island tell Kuma no way and he sets off a bomb made out of air that badly wounds everyone. However, before he can finish off Luffy, Zoro rises again and vows he won't let Kuma touch him, Kuma offers to just kill Zoro then and attacks him, though Zoro survives. Kuma then leaves, praising Luffy for having such good friends. Soon after, Usopp joins everyone in a celebratory party at Thriller Bark (save for Zoro, who is still recovering from his wounds) lead by Brook and his piano. Luffy finally reveals to Brook that he is friends with his Nakama, Laboon. Brook stops partying, cries, and reveals a Tone Dial which has the last song the Rumba Pirates ever performed together on it for Laboon. Brook states that since he has new friends in Luffy and the others, he will follow them around the world and get back to Laboon that way, where he will give the Dial to Laboon. Brook then asks if the Straw Hat crew invite is still good and Luffy says it is, Usopp joins the others in a shocked response. Brook later asks him and Franky to build a memorial for the Rumbar Pirates to finally put their souls at peace. Usopp and Franky, working together are not only able to finish this memorial, but it is also beautifully done, they then help Brook bury his Rumba Pirate friends and hold a small ceremony, in which a recovered Zoro also lays to rest his broken sword.

The Man in the Iron Mask
Leaving Thriller Bark, the crew meet up with a mermaid named Keimi, and a talking starfish called Pappug, after Luffy attacked the Sea King in the belly. Keimi offers to sell them Takoyaki for their gratitude, but Pappug tells her she should instead give it for free. Keimi requests that they save a friend of hers named "Hachin". He was kidnapped by the Macro Fishman Pirates, with the help of the Flying Fish Riders in Grove 44 of Sabaody Archipelago. To receive some Takoyaki, The Straw Hats oblige to save her friend.

Unfortunately, Keimi didn't seem to notice the possibility it could be a trap, and they came under attack from the Flying Fish Riders, they then retreated under the orders of their boss, Duval, upon recognizing a certain person in their crew. They then continue into the base. Reaching a floating town of sorts, they find a prison in which "Hachin" is prisoner. After several pathetic attempts to prove otherwise, "Hachin" was revealed to be really Hatchan formerly of the Arlong Pirates, making the Straw Hats even more reluctant to save him. Knowing that Hatchan was a past enemy of her new allies, Keimi, with Pappug decide to rescue him themselves and end up captured by Macro, the leader of the Fishman Pirates. The Straw Hats decide to rescue Keimi as well as Hatchan, and Zoro frees his old enemy.

Reunited with Hatchan, Keimi was glad to have found such strong allies, but the leader of the Flying Fish Riders, Duval appears, as the crew prepare themselves. . He then reveals why he has a grudge against the Straw Hats: his face resembles Sanji's wanted poster. He tries to drown Sanji, but is instead rescued by Keimi. Duval then tries sinking the Thousand Sunny but Usopp and Franky activate its latest weapon, the "Roar Cannon", destroying much of the Flying Fish Rider's base. Sanji promptly rearranges his face with a barrage of kicks, which ironically turns him into a good-looking narcissist and grateful towards Sanji.

Sabaody Archipelago Arc
The crew reach the darker aspects of the Sabaody Archipelago, and witness an enslaved pirate being shot for trying to escape by the World Nobles. The crew meet Shakuyaku, who is an old friend of Hatchan, for help in search for a mechanic called Silvers Rayleigh. Although he is in the further parts of Sabaody, the crew is warned of nine pirates with bounties exceeding 100,000,000. Keimi is later kidnapped to be enslaved for the rest of her life, and the Straw Hat Pirates attempt to rescue her.

During the attack on the Auctioning House,Usopp is pushed off of a flying fish and lands on Saint Roswald's head, smashing his face into the floor and effectively knocking him out. Usopp along with the rest of the Straw Hats and the Kidd and Hearts pirates assault the incoming marines to make their escape. The Straw Hats with Silvers Rayleigh return to Shakky's Rip Off Bar in Grove 13, to rest and Rayleigh reveals he was First Mate in Gold Roger's crew to the surprise of the Straw Hats. He also explained that Roger was not captured by the Marines, but rather gave himself up. This was due to an incurable illness he caught, and spent the last four years of his life fighting the disease, taking Crocus as the crew's doctor. In three years, Roger and his crew conquered the Grand Line, and he became known as the "Pirate King". While he enjoyed the wealth and fame he amassed, he knew it all meant as he was to die anyway, so a year before his eventual death, he disbanded the Jolly Roger Pirates, with many members disappearing. On his last meeting with Rayleigh, he told him he isn't going die, and gave himself up to the Marines. The Marines claimed to have captured Gold Roger, and his execution in Loguetown was to make an example of him, but Roger gave his last words, and started the "Great Pirate Age". Usopp asked if Roger intended to start the Great Pirate Age, and Rayleigh replied because Roger is dead, he can't answer that question and the people who are alive create their own era.

Rayleigh later congratulated the Straw Hats for making it as far as they did, Soon Robin asked if Rayleigh knows the True History, Rayleigh confirmed but told her that the Jolly Roger Pirates may have misinterpreted the translation of the Poneglyphs, but asked if she still wanted to learn their conclusions, and Robin declined. However, Usopp not one to miss an opportunity to one to had finished the Grand Line, asked where the ultimate pirate treasure: One Piece is located. Furious, Luffy berated Usopp for asking such a question, believing it wouldn't be fair on the several numbers of pirates that risked their lives to find it. Luffy also threatened to quit being a pirate there and then, if his crew persisted in asking Rayleigh the location of One Piece, so that he doesn't go on a boring adventure. Usopp later apologized. After telling his tale, Rayleigh agreed to coat the Thousand Sunny free of charge, and gave the Straw Hats pieces of a Biblicard to locate him as he is moving the ship to a safe location due to the Admiral arrival on the archipelago. Unfortunately, it would take at least three days to coat the ship, so the Straw Hats have to survive the situation they caused. As the Straw Hats said their goodbyes to Shakuyaku, Keimi, Pappug and Hatchan they went on to find a good hideout, Usopp notes Franky was honored to have Rayleigh, and said he didn't know he was the "elder respecting" type. Soon after afterwards, a warrior which appeared to be Bartholomew Kuma confronted the Straw Hats. He was crucial in defeating it when he accidently hits its weak point, he (like the other Straw Hats) were later vanished by the real Bartholomew Kuma.

Straw Hat Separation Adventure- Greenstone
After he was sent flying by Bartholomew Kuma, Usopp landed several days later on one of the islands in the Boin Archipelago called Greenstone, the forest of thieves. Before being attacked by an oversized stag-beetle, he was saved by a local named Heracles. After a quick introduction, he was saved again by Heracles from a man-eating plant. He is now the fourth of the Straw Hats to be featured in a cover story and is seen fighting gluttony and "I'll-Die-If-I'm-On-My-Own disease" while hungrily watching Heracles eat ramen. Thanks to that, Usopp has become really fat.

Filler Battles

 * Usopp vs. Skunk One
 * Usopp and Nami vs. Horn Eaters
 * Usopp, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Chopper, and Robin vs. Governor
 * Usopp and Sanji vs. Salco and Arabelle

Translation and Dub Issues
Usopp's name is probably based on "Isoppu", which is the Japanese pronunciation of Aesop, the ancient Greek fabulist. Considering that "uso" means "lie" in Japanese, the name Usopp can be taken as a portmanteau name between uso and Isopp, since Usopp is both a liar and a storyteller. The name is also a Japanese pun in that "Ore wa Usopp!" can mean either "I am Usopp!" or "I am a liar!". In regards to his alter-ego, Sogeking is a play on words as the Japanese word for sniper is "Sogeki". Another example of such a play on words is the Bliking.

In order to avoid references to death, Usopp's "Sure Kill" part in his attacks' names are removed in the 4Kids dub. Both Usopp and Yasopp were voiced by Jason Anthony Griffith.

Crossovers

 * Usopp appeared in an Shonen Jump special, where Enel attacks Tokyo and Odaiba.
 * Usopp and other characters also appeared in Cross Epoch.
 * Usopp has appeared in the games Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars for the DS. He also appeared in Battle Stadium D.O.N on the GameCube and PlayStation 2.

Merchandise
As a main character, Usopp has been the choice character in many forms of merchandise. He has been featured alongside Chopper in the series of models Portrait of Pirates. He has featured in trading figure sets such as One-Piece Motion Figure box and the One Piece Styling Figures (alongside Chopper).

He also featured in the 5 piece One Piece VS Figure Gashapon set. Another Gashapon set he featured in was the One Piece Full Color R Gashapon series. He featured in the One Piece Monkey Island Mascot Keychain series alongside Chopper.

He was issued alongside his father Yasopp in a One Piece Block Figures set featuring the Straw Hats and their past mentors/loved ones.

Songs

 * Usopp*Drop
 * Usopp no Hanamichi
 * Fly, Merry, Fly
 * Doubidoubidandan Usodaba Dan
 * Sogeking's (Hero) Song
 * Akuma no Mi (Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji)
 * Hi! Ho! Ready Go! (Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji)
 * Family (with other crew members)
 * We Are! (with other crew members)
 * Utae! Jingle Bell (with other crew members)
 * You Are the One (with other crew members)
 * Jungle Fever (with other crew members)
 * A Thousand Dreamers (with other crew members)
 * Sekaiichi no Otoko to Yobareru Tame Ni (with Sanji and Zoro)
 * Friends (with Chopper)

Trivia

 * In addition to the Straw Hats' Jolly Roger, Usopp also has one of his own, like all the other members of the crew. The flag was first seen when Luffy asked him to paint the crews Jolly Roger on their flag, however Usopp originally painted his own instead. It has Usopp's nose, bandanna, a star, and a slingshot for a cross-bone which was rejected in a split second.
 * Usopp is described as being like the third son of a family.
 * Ironically, most of the tall tales he told Kaya have came true at some point during the Straw Hats' voyage. These include meeting a Giant Goldfish (as the crew was leaving Little Garden) and fighting against a giant mole (against Ms. Merry Christmas during the climax in the Arabasta arc).
 * In a filler episode, Usopp claimed Luffy's bounty of [[image:bsymbol.gif]]30,000,000 to be his own, and we would also go on to say Luffy's reward was mostly due to himself, presently, his bounty (as Sogeking) is that same amount.
 * Usopp's favourite food is pike from an autumn islands as well as other fish of the season. He hates mushrooms because when he was young he ate a poison mushroom.
 * According to Oda in a discussion with Tanaka Mayumi, Luffy's voice actress, regardless who joins the crew, Usopp will always be the weakest of the Straw Hats when it comes to strength since otherwise it might upset the balance of the story. Oda also states that this is because Usopp is the closest in strength to a regular human compared to the others and thus this portrayal can be easily related by the reader's own strength.
 * Usopp can be seen in the corner of Luffy's wanted poster and Zoro's wanted poster. In Luffy's he is simply viewed from behind. In Zoro's his silhouette is faintly seen through the smoke in the background of the poster doing a Crocodile impersonation. However, in the anime, the latter was cut out of Zoro's poster most likely due to the fact that it's not easily visible and was thus overlooked.
 * Usopp's birthday is April 1st, which is also known as April Fools, or sometimes Liar's Day.
 * Usopp used to make spiders fight when he was young and knows how to handle them without being bitten by their fangs thus being poisoned in the process.
 * After Sogeking appear, Nami usually call Usopp (in Sogeking) by different name, like Sogep, Hanaking, Hanapp ('hana' means 'nose')
 * Kappei Yamaguchi, Usopp's Japanese VA, came up with the notes to the Sogeking song. Oda-sensei provided the words and then asked him to develop the notes himself. Kappei also stated that the Sogeking song is the most requested song for him.
 * In the anime, when the Pacifista was locking onto to Usopp for it's next attack, its bounty detector labeled him as Sogeking, even though he was not wearing his Sogeking mask, even though Usopp's nose might have been a giveaway.

Related Articles

 * Straw Hat Pirates