Vinsmoke Reiju

Vinsmoke Reiju
Statistics
Japanese Name:	ヴィンスモーク・レイジュ
Romanized Name:	Vinsumōku Reiju
Official English Name:	Vinsmoke Reiju
Debut:	Chapter 826; Episode 783
Affiliations:	Vinsmoke Family; Germa Kingdom; Germa 66
Occupations:	Princess; Mercenary
Epithet:	"Poison Pink" (ポイズンピンク, Poizun Pinku?)
Status:	Alive
Age:	24
Height:	173 cm (5'8")
Japanese VA:	Michiko Neya

"Poison Pink" Vinsmoke Reiju is the eldest child and only daughter of the Vinsmoke Family, making her both the princess of the Germa Kingdom and a commander in its military arm, Germa 66.

Appearance

Reiju is a slim young woman with shoulder-length pink hair that covers her right eye and curls upwards at the tips, and purple eyes (blue in the anime). Like all the Vinsmoke siblings, she has distinctive curly eyebrows that form a spiral that resemble the numeral 6. Reiju's overall facial features strongly resemble those of her deceased mother, but she also resembles her brother Sanji enough that Luffy initially mistook her for him, until Chopper pointed out that she is female. Both of her thighs are tattooed with a number '6'.

When commanding the forces of Germa 66, Reiju wears a light pink dress with a split in the center going down to her stomach, and covered by gold target-shaped symbols - references to the number '0' (Rei) in her name. She wears dark pink gloves, a pair of black headphones with the number '66' on them, and a patterned purple and black cloak shaped like the wings of a moth. When not dressed in her Germa 66 gear, Reiju has been shown wearing a skinny headband in her hair, and a short, satiny dress with a frilled neckline and a cravat. For formal functions, she also wears a dark, thigh-length royal cape that is clasped in front of her neck.

During the tea party, Reiju changed into a short, sleeveless dress with a frilled V-neckline, as well as dark tights that reach halfway up her thighs. She wore a royal cape similar to the one she had previously worn, but light colored and draped over a single shoulder.

As a child, Reiju had shorter hair, but wore a similar dark headband. She has been shown wearing a light dress with the letter "Z" on the right side, as well as other light dresses featuring the number "0" in various forms. She also occasionally wore a dark ascot.

Gallery

Reiju's color scheme in the manga.

Reiju concept art from the anime.

File:Reiju as a Child.png

Reiju as a child.

Reiju as a child with her numbered outfit.

Reiju at the time of Sanji's departure.

Reiju outside of her Germa 66 outfit.

Personality

Unlike her cruel and abusive brothers, Reiju can be kind and empathetic, although this is frequently masked by a cool, callous demeanor. Furthermore, she seems to only extend kindness if it will not endanger her own comfort or safety. As a child, Reiju would openly laugh at Sanji's misery as he was enduring his brothers' vicious acts of cruelty; however, she confided to Sanji that she only laughed with their brothers to avoid being subjected to similar cruel bullying herself, as she would treat him with care and sympathy when they were not around. Reiju also expressed concern for Sanji when it was said that he had died (but, as usual, she hid her concern behind a smile). She even cried in secret as she listened to their father cast Sanji out of the family, before helping Sanji escape onto the Orbit and encouraging him to find friends on the sea. Her instinct for self-preservation resurfaced when she could not understand why Sanji would return to a home that abuses him, just for the sake of protecting his mentor. However, to this day, Sanji remembers Reiju and his mother as the only members of his family to treat him with any degree of compassion. 

Reiju has been shown to possess great intelligence and intuition, as she was the only person (among both her family, and the Straw Hats) to suspect that Pudding may not be what she seemed. She has also exhibited a calculating side; for example, she appears to be aware of Sanji's weakness for attractive women, showing him ten beautiful chambermaids that would be at his beck and call in order to convince him to accept his arranged marriage. She also easily charmed the Sanji retrieval team in their first meeting, humiliating Yonji and apologizing for his behavior in order to prevent a confrontation with the Straw Hats.

Reiju's general manner is mild and reserved. Unlike Yonji, she opted to be civil when Germa 66 first encountered the "enemy" Sanji retrieval team. Reiju is also frequently shown musing silently to herself as she watches certain developments unfold, hiding or disguising her true thoughts and feelings behind an enigmatic smile. She also appears to be naturally introspective, pondering the merits of war against a protracted failed peace. However, her occasional actions and manner of speech can be slightly flirtatious. Even before she was properly introduced to Luffy, she unabashedly placed her mouth over his in order to suck out the poison which was festering throughout his body.

As the princess of a wealthy kingdom, Reiju enjoys her luxurious lifestyle and is somewhat dismissive about the possible pleasures of living as a non-royal. Like the rest of her family, she has high regard for strength, pointing to the strength of the Vinsmoke Family throughout the generations, and all the achievements and privileges that they have obtained as a result of exercising that strength. However, in spite of their strength and wealth, and in spite of her own actions as a mercenary, Reiju's innate sense of morality leads her to believe that her kingdom is nothing but a war machine that the world would be better off without. This view applies especially to her father, brothers (excluding Sanji), as well as herself.

Relationships

Family

Vinsmoke Judge

Reiju displays respect for her father. Unlike Sanji, who was put off by Judge's display of a portrait of himself standing above four defeated kings, Reiju defended their father's actions as an admirable demonstration of his power and strength. Furthermore, Reiju's pride in her own royal status most probably derives from her father.

Despite this respect, Reiju has stated that her loyalty to him, including obeying his instructions in order to achieve the family's ambitions, might on occasion have been forced by certain modifications made on her. Additionally, after Sanji revealed Big Mom's plot to Reiju, she replied that she was content to see their father and his organization crumble.

Sora

Reiju loved her now-deceased mother, visiting her regularly while the latter was bedridden in the final years of her life. While Reiju knows the reason for Sora's early death, which was the result of taking a dangerous drug designed to counteract the effects of the surgery on Reiju's four then-unborn brothers, Reiju does not allow Sanji to blame himself for their mother's death. Instead, Reiju cherishes Sanji and his kind personality, which Sora had given her own life to protect. As an adult, Reiju continues to recall memories of her mother with great fondness. 

Vinsmoke Ichiji

Reiju appears to get along with her first younger brother, as she seemed happy to see his and Niji's safe arrival at Whole Cake Island for Sanji's arranged wedding. However, after finding out that Big Mom wants to kill the entire Vinsmoke family, Reiju confessed to Sanji that she views her family as nothing but murderers who deserve to die.

Vinsmoke Niji

Reiju appears to get along with her second younger brother, as she seemed happy to see his and Ichiji's safe arrival at Whole Cake Island for Sanji's arranged wedding. However, after finding out that Big Mom wants to kill the entire Vinsmoke family, Reiju confessed to Sanji that she views her family as nothing but murderers who deserve to die.

Vinsmoke Sanji

As a child, Reiju did not bully her third younger brother like Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji, but she did laugh along whenever she saw him get attacked or put down. However, she explained to Sanji that her behavior was the result of her fear of being similarly bullied by her brothers, and that deep down she secretly hated their vicious and brutal natures. Sanji, in return, confided in Reiju that he wanted to grow up to be a cook. Reiju also treated Sanji's injuries from incidents of bullying, and showed some concern when it was stated that Sanji had "died" in an accident. Due to her sympathy for Sanji, she freed him from the dungeon he was locked in and helped him escape the Germa Kingdom, tearfully telling him that he would meet kind people out in the world.

After 13 years of estrangement, Reiju's behavior towards Sanji was initially equivocal. At first, she sided with her family in viewing Sanji primarily as a means to achieve their ambitions. She appeared to cuff him with exploding wristlets when he was distracted, in order to prevent him from escaping the wedding. Also, while she thanked the Straw Hats for everything they had done for Sanji, this care seems to only extend as far as required to serve her family's best interests, as she completely disregards Sanji's own personal attachments and estrangement from his biological family. Sanji, in turn, treats her coldly in their first reunion since their childhood and rejected her attempts to re-establish their family ties.

However, after Sanji revealed to Reiju about Big Mom's plot to assassinate the Vinsmoke Family during the wedding, Reiju confided to him that she never believed that Sanji was a failure, since he grew to be the caring and compassionate individual their mother had always wanted him to be. Reiju tearfully acknowledged his kindness and encouraged him to leave Whole Cake Island with the Straw Hats, even if it meant leaving her to die. Sanji, in turn, continually objected to the idea of allowing Reiju to die, revealing to a touched Reiju that he does care deeply for her. On the day of the ceremony, she expressed worry for him after finding out that he was still on the island wondering what he intends to do despite knowing what will occur.

Throughout their reunion, Reiju often expressed surprise and intrigue at Sanji's mannerisms. She complemented the durability and strength he had developed since their childhood, and quickly noted his gentlemanly manners towards the family's servants. While the rest of their family expressed outrage at Sanji's denouncements of their royal pride, Reiju simply smiled, fascinated.

Vinsmoke Yonji

Reiju and her youngest brother appear to have a typical sibling relationship, despite the royal setting. As his elder sister, she has no qualms with humiliating him in front of others when she perceives that his behavior is unbecoming. While this irritates Yonji, they are united in their efforts to realize their father's (and their family's) imperialist goals. However, Reiju has referred to her father and three brothers as murderers and she is willing to allow Yonji to die.

Subordinates

As a member of the Vinsmoke Family, Reiju commands the absolute loyalty and obedience of Germa 66's soldiers. They address her as "Lady Reiju", and expressed alarm and concern when she leaped from a Germa ship onto the Straw Hats' ship. Reiju is aware of this loyalty, telling Sanji that such loyalty was their duty.

Reiju, like the rest of her family, appears to have little care for servants. However, when Sanji defended their head chef Cosette, she stated Sanji was a gentleman for such an act. 

Enemies

Charlotte Pudding

Reiju once described Pudding as "sweet" and a fitting wife for Sanji, until Pudding revealed her true personality by attacking and holding her prisoner. Pudding revealed to Reiju that the political wedding was a setup designed to bring the whole Vinsmoke Family to Whole Cake Island, where Big Mom planned to have them all killed. While Pudding mocked her and her family, Reiju simply responded with a sarcastic remark about Pudding's "beautiful" personality. To ensure that Reiju would not ruin her family's plan, Pudding used her Devil Fruit ability to alter Reiju's memories, causing her to forget their encounter.

However, when Sanji later visited Reiju and explained the real reason of her being placed in the infirmary, Reiju believed him immediately. This was in part because Reiju had decided to investigate Pudding on her own, revealing that Reiju never entirely trusted Pudding's sweet personality.

Others

Straw Hat Pirates

When Reiju encountered the Sanji retrieval team on the edge of Totto Land, she made a significant impression on each of its members. All members were shocked at learning that Sanji had an elder sister. They become further shocked when they witnessed her sucking deadly poison out of Luffy's body, but this action incurred their gratitude and goodwill (especially Chopper's). Brook was also dazzled by Reiju's beauty, while Nami was astonished at both Reiju's actions and the information she divulged about Sanji's past. Luffy thanked Reiju for saving his life, but became agitated when he demanded she give back Sanji.

After reuniting with Sanji, Reiju commented that the Straw Hats were a "puny" and insignificant force. As a result, she stated that she could not understand why Sanji would prefer staying with them over returning to their family and resuming the privileges of royal status. However, when Sanji was forced to violently separate from Luffy and Nami, Reiju was visibly downcast and asked Sanji if he would like to stop the carriage. Furthermore, after learning about Big Mom's plot, Reiju encouraged Sanji to return to his crew, knowing that they are the most important people to him and even describing them as the most wonderful people Sanji would ever meet in his life.

After encountering Luffy a second time in Whole Cake Chateau, Reiju helped Luffy shake off his pursuers and informed Luffy about Sanji's situation. During the exchange, she admired Luffy's loyalty and commitment to her brother, especially when he refused her offer of food (she recalled Luffy's promise to only eat Sanji's food in the future).

Later, while the whole group (including Sanji) discussed plans to ruin the tea party, Luffy mentioned the fact that Reiju had saved his life as a reason that he had to help save her (as well as the rest of her family).

At the wedding, Reiju decided to put her faith in Luffy to save Sanji.

Abilities and Powers

Due to being a member of the Vinsmoke Family, Reiju possesses political power over the Germa Kingdom, and over the World Government. Unlike the members of most royal families, she (as well as her father and siblings) is also a commander of their kingdom's military, directly leading their forces in combat and other activities.

It appears that she has great medical knowledge, as a child she would often treat Sanji's grevious wounds from his brothers' brutal beatings. Reiju has sharp intuition, as she did had some suspicion that Pudding is not the kind person she appears to be, a feat that Pudding herself commented. Reiju has an excellent memory as she is able to perfectly recall an intense argument between her parents when she was only three years old.

Physical Abilities

A young Reiju bending steel bars.

Due to genetic enhancements, Reiju possesses immense superhuman abilities that were additionally honed through a stringent training regimen from a young age. Like her brothers (excluding Sanji), she has an outer skeleton known as an Exoskeleton (外骨格, Kaikokkaku^?), which allows her to take more damage than a normal human. She is noted to possess an extraordinary recovery rate from injury.

At a young age, she was capable of bending metal bars. Additionally, like Sanji, Niji and Judge, Reiju also appears to be extremely proficient in using powerful kicks, as she kicked Yonji who is also a genetically enhanced human and a fellow Germa commander off their ship and into the sea despite his attempt to defend against her.

Poison Pink

Reiju sucks poison out of Luffy's body.

Reiju possesses an ability that has given her the epithet, "Poison Pink." She is capable of sucking poison out of people through mouth-to-mouth contact and consuming it, while suffering no ill effect from the poison. She even considers the poison from the skin of the Armored Stonefish to be a delicacy, going as far as sucking the poison out of Luffy just for the "treat". The quantity of poison she consumed, and which was killing Luffy (who possesses a heightened tolerance), would have been more than enough to kill a giant.

As part of her affinity for poisons, Reiju also possesses extensive knowledge of them. She was immediately able to match Luffy's symptoms with the poison which had caused them, and also knew how much of the poison he had consumed.

Equipment

Due to her family's technological prowess, Reiju possesses high-tech objects, one of which allows her to leap large distances.

History

Past

Reiju laughs as her brothers bully Sanji.

Reiju was born as the eldest of the Vinsmoke Family's five children. When she was three years old, just before her brothers were born, Reiju witnessed a huge argument between Judge and Sora about the genetic enhancements Judge wanted to perform on their sons; however, she did not understand what they had been discussing until much later. After her brothers' birth, her mother became bedridden, and during Sora's final years, Reiju occasionally visited her and listened as Sora recounted stories from Sanji's visits.

As a child, Reiju undertook the strict training that Judge had set for his children in order to allow them to take advantage of their genetic enhancements and develop superhuman abilities; this training was successful for everyone except Sanji. Due to this, Sanji was bullied by their three other brothers during their childhood, and Reiju laughed along. On one occasion, however, she tended to Sanji's injuries and confided in him that she only laughed alongside Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji to avoid being bullied as well. When Judge claimed that Sanji died in an accident, her brothers expressed amusement while Reiju was shown hiding her concern behind a smile.

Reiju frees Sanji from his captivity.

During the six months of Sanji's imprisonment, Reiju and her three other siblings made great progress with their training. Judge expressed how proud he was and gave them a hug. After their brothers discovered that Sanji was in fact still alive, Reiju occasionally visited Sanji in the dungeon to tend to his injuries after Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji bullied him some more. After the Germa Kingdom crossed the Red Line into the East Blue, Sanji declared to Reiju that he wanted to leave the kingdom and become a chef. Reiju then broke open the cell bars and allowed Sanji to flee. As their father cast Sanji out of their family, Reiju overheard and cried in secret. She then directed Sanji to a cruise ship docked on the coast of the country that Germa 66 was attacking, and told Sanji that he would find people who'll treat him the way he deserves to be treated. She told the fleeing Sanji to never return to the Germa Kingdom.

Yonko Saga

Whole Cake Island Arc

Reiju encounters the Sanji Retrieval Team on the Thousand Sunny.

Reiju first encountered Luffy's Sanji Retrieval Team right after they entered Big Mom's waters. When her brother, Yonji, taunted Luffy's group to try to take the antidote to Luffy's poisoning by force, Reiju kicked Yonji for his rudeness, boarded the Thousand Sunny, and introduced herself. Reiju cured Luffy of his condition by sucking the poison out of him. With Luffy's life saved, Reiju thanked the crew for taking care of Sanji. Reiju and Yonji then left the Sanji Retrieval Team alone without making a scene. They also decided to pretend that they never saw the Straw Hats to prevent Sanji's marriage from being called off.

After arriving at Whole Cake Island, Reiju conversed with Sanji in a castle on the ocean-going Germa Kingdom. Despite not having seen her in thirteen years, Sanji gave his sister the cold shoulder and stated once again that he cut ties with the rest of the Vinsmoke Family. Reiju attempted to convince Sanji to accept his royal heritage, saying that he would have power, wealth, luxury, and loyal soldiers at his disposal. When Sanji reiterated his refusal to go through with the marriage, Reiju commented that she likes his fiancée. When their father, Vinsmoke Judge, arrived, Reiju greeted him.

Reiju supposedly putting exploding wristlets on Sanji.

While observing Sanji's fight with Judge, Reiju was surprised and impressed with Sanji's strength. She tended to Sanji's wounds after the duel, but while Sanji was speaking to Judge, she allegedly cuffed Sanji with exploding wristlets on her father's orders to ensure Sanji's compliance with the upcoming wedding. Sanji then tried to remove the wristlets, only for Reiju to inform him that his efforts would be futile without the keys.

On the day before the wedding, Reiju was seen smiling as Vinsmoke Ichiji and Vinsmoke Niji arrived at the Germa Kingdom. The Vinsmoke Family then ate breakfast together and talked about the war on Broc Coli Island, with Reiju saying that their involvement helped decrease the number of casualties later. Sanji then got in an argument with Niji over the latter's behavior toward food and women, and Reiju remarked on Sanji being a gentleman as he defended the head chef from Niji. As Judge berated Sanji for his actions, Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji left the dining hall.

Reiju later entered the Germa Kingdom cloning chamber, after Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji had attacked Sanji and left. She told the doctors surrounding Sanji to leave and expressed annoyance at the fact that he had allowed himself to be beaten into such a state because of a restaurant owner. She wondered why Sanji cared so much, and why he would return to a place which had given him so few positive memories.

Reiju treats Sanji's face.

At a changing room, Reiju placed a gelatinous mask on Sanji, which returned his swollen face to normal. Reiju explained that his face was still injured, but his current state would still be better for his meeting with Pudding. Reiju also said that even though Pudding's surname would not change upon marriage, Sanji would still be able to live a happy life with her if she likes him. Sanji got angry, but Reiju reminded him that it was his choice to come back and that this was the extent of the help she would give him. Reiju then asked where Sanji got his chivalry from. After reminiscing of Zeff's teachings, Sanji answered that he was just following the old laws of the universe. The Vinsmoke Family later departed the Germa Kingdom and head for Big Mom's castle in their carriage.

On the way, they encountered Luffy and Nami. Reiju looked away and closed her eyes as Sanji kicked Luffy and coldly turned down his request to return with him. She then watched as Sanji further insulted Luffy before kicking him repeatedly. After Luffy collapsed, Sanji returned to the carriage and the Vinsmoke Family continued on to the Whole Cake Chateau. As Luffy yelled to Sanji, Reiju asked the latter if they should stop the carriage, but Sanji declined.

After arriving at Big Mom's castle, Reiju and her family had a meal with Big Mom and Pudding. Sometime after the lunch meeting, Big Mom took the Vinsmoke Family (except Sanji) to her library and showed them her collection of rare creatures stored in books.

Pudding extracts Reiju's memories after revealing her true nature and plans.

Sometime afterwards, Reiju left the company of her father and brothers. She was later shot by Pudding and taken captive in her room. As Reiju was bound in a chair by Nitro, Pudding revealed her true nature, as well as Big Mom's plans to have the entire Vinsmoke Family killed during the wedding ceremony. Reiju listened silently, speaking only to mock Pudding's real personality. As Pudding continued mocking Sanji and the Vinsmokes, she revealed the gun that she would use to kill Reiju and her family. Finally, Pudding extracted Reiju's memories with the Memo Memo no Mi and removed her memories of their encounter, replacing them with a soldier's memory of being hit with a stray bullet. Reiju was then taken to the infirmary by a guard.

After Reiju regained consciousness in the infirmary, she found Sanji sitting near her bed. After she noticed her leg injury, Sanji told her what happened between her and Pudding. Reiju accepted his explanation immediately, admitting that she had found Pudding suspicious and had begun investigating her. To Sanji's shock, she proceeded to tell him that they should act as if they knew nothing, and allow the assassination of their family (whom she referred to collectively as "murderers") to go ahead during the tea party. She then revealed to Sanji her memories of the circumstances behind the birth of her brothers, explaining that their mother had given her life to ensure that Sanji's capacity to feel emotions would not be corrupted by their father's plans. An upset Sanji nonetheless continued to resist, not wanting Reiju to be killed along with their father and brothers. Reiju then informed Sanji that she had switched out his exploding wristlets with fakes and urged him to leave Whole Cake Island with the other Straw Hats.

A short time after Sanji left the infirmary, Reiju heard Luffy wreaking havoc in the corridor outside searching for Sanji. As Luffy passed the infirmary, Reiju grabbed Luffy's wrist and hurled him into the medical room, closing the door behind her to hide Luffy from his pursuers. She then informed him that Sanji was already aware of Pudding's deception. Reiju also mentioned that she tried to convince Sanji to leave the island, but he was still worried about the chefs at the Baratie and the Straw Hats. Knowing that Sanji was not deceived, a grateful Luffy thanked Reiju before (much to Reiju's shock) jumping out of the infirmary window. Afterwards, Reiju stood by the same window and looked outside, pondering to herself. The night before the wedding, while everyone else inside the Chateau slept, Reiju remained awake by the window, still pondering to herself.

On the morning of the wedding, Reiju got dressed and accompanied her father and brothers as they made their way to the wedding venue on the rooftop. On the way, Yonji asked Reiju where she had been the previous night. In response, Reiju lied and said that she had requested a separate room in order to avoid the ruckus caused by their drinking. After one of Big Mom's subordinates confirmed that the bride and groom were both prepared, Reiju wondered what Sanji could be planning, given that he knew of Big Mom's intentions.

During the banquet, while the rest of her family were enjoying the festivities, Reiju sat calmly and tried to avoid the attention of Underworld Emperor Giberson. After Sanji and Pudding arrived at the venue, Reiju sat together with her family at the central table at the foot of the altar. As the exchange of vows began, she watched silently as Big Mom's children sat themselves at the surrounding tables. She then prepared herself for death while hoping that Sanji and Luffy had a plan to escape. A few minutes later, Reiju watched in shock as Sanji avoided an assassination attempt by Charlotte Katakuri.

Trivia

• In keeping with the Vinsmoke Family's naming convention, Rei (零) means "zero" in Japanese. This is a reference to Reiju's position as the family's first-born, but in a numbering system where "1" is assigned to the first-born son.
• Reiju's blood type is F. This is the same blood type as that of Monkey D. Luffy, Nefeltari Vivi, and Jinbe.
• Reiju is the fourth pink haired princess in the series, behind Shirahoshi, Scarlett, and Rebecca.