Tashigi

Ensign Tashigi (たしぎ少尉 Tashigi Shōi) is a Marine officer serving under Commodore Smoker. Her name comes from a bird.

Appearance
Tashigi looks remarkably like Zoro's deceased friend Kuina.

Chapter 439 marks the full debut (after a single image on the cover of chapter 432) of a markedly different "look" for her; however, it is not clear whether this is an intentional redesign, or simply a result of the author's continually evolving art style and the length of time she had been out of the spotlight.

Personality
She was first introduced when the Straw Hat Pirates docked in Loguetown, where she was stationed. Smoker, her superior officer, seems to regard her as a protégé; the two work very well together. While adept at sword fighting, she is unusually clumsy, which tends to get on Smoker's nerves. She is also very well-versed in katana, knowing their names and origins.

Like Smoker, Tashigi has her own view of "Justice" which differs from the Marines' own definition, and will fight for what she sees as the right thing to do. Tashigi's stated goal is to remove all Meitō from the hands of those who would use them for their own selfish ends.

Weapons
Tashigi uses her katana, the meitou Shigure. Not much is known about her fighting style other then she has a similar style to what Kuina used, which may have been the reason why Zoro easily defeated her, having known Kuina's fighting style. Though nothing special compared to the higher skills levels of many swordsmen in One Piece, she is a highly competent fighter, capable of taking down multiple opponents in seconds.

Present Story
When Zoro first saw Tashigi, he was instantly struck by how much Tashigi looks like his deceased childhood friend Kuina.

After meeting Roronoa Zoro in Logue Town (whom she had inadvertently helped pick new swords before she learned his name) she think nothing of him other then an extraordinary swordsman. Once she found out who he really was however, she confronted him as SH were making their escape from the town. Zoro initially beat her, disarming her of her swords before starting to leave she took this as an insult though which in turn sparked a childish argument between the two before Dragon's arrival separated them. Afterward she set out to sea with Smoker, chasing after Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hat crew eventually winding up in Alabasta. During their pursuit, they capture Mr. 11 and discover information about Baroque Works. She re-meets Zoro in Rainbase and demands a rematch but all it does is set off another argument before he manages to escape her.

During the battle for Arabasta, Tashigi is badly wounded while fighting against Nico Robin while trying to free King Cobra despite his pleas for her to back down. Crocodile come across her limp form afterward, insulting her sense of justice before he continues on. However she bears witness to the triumph of Luffy and his crew in beating him and stopping the war. Then personally (in fitting irony) arrests him after his defeat at the hands of someone else. She is then granted a promotion by the World Government despite Smoker's objections.

Current Events (Spoilers)
Tashigi's most recent appearance is in chapter 439, receiving word of the Straw Hats after their fight against the Buster Call. While trying to relay the news to Smoker, she ends up telling another sailor, since she wasn't wearing her glasses.

Major Battles

 * Vs Roronoa Zoro
 * Vs Miss All-Sunday

Other battles
 * Vs Koze & Packi

Translation and Dub Issues
Like Kuina, her name comes from a flightless bird. The fact she is named after a flightess bird is a reflection of herself. In reguards to the bird itself, Oda stated though a bird cannot fly, it doesn't mean it never will.

Mercandise
Tashigi has been the choice character in many forms of merchandise. She has been featured in the series of models Portrait of Pirates.

Trivia

 * In Japanese Fan Polls, Tashigi is currently the 20th most popular character.

Related Articles

 * Smoker