Key Takeaways
- Chopper from ‘One Piece’ has evolved drastically in design due to the Human-Human Fruit powers.
- Initial concept art for Chopper was far more mature and less cute, with smoking reindeer doctor designs.
- Post-time skip redesign of Chopper led to a significant shift, with many fans viewing it as a design de-evolution.
Being such an old franchise, the characters of One Piece have changed and developed over the years. From concept art to the modern character, designs are bound to change drastically. What could be an iconic and memorable One Piece Straw Hat design nowadays, would most likely look extremely different when looking back at their initial introduction to the series.
No other character in One Piece quite exemplifies this concept, quite like the doctor of the Straw Hat crew, Tony Tony Chopper. While Franky may be a close second, Chopper has had one of the strangest evolutions in all of One Piece, going from a strange initial concept to a lovable mascot. However, the evolution of Chopper may have gone a bit too far, taking the character way too far in the “lovable” mascot direction.
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The Human-Human Fruit Effects Chopper’s Apperence in One Piece
Easy Design Changes
Chopper in One Piece is a strange creature. Functionally, Chopper is a reindeer who consumed the Human-Human Devil Fruit, giving him the ability to transform himself into a human-reindeer hybrid. Although this may sound like a strange amalgamation of creatures, in the end, Chopper is mostly a cute and lovable little reindeer that walks on two legs. Despite this, with Chopper’s mastery of the Human-Human Fruit, his form is far more amorphous than many other characters, meaning he can manipulate his appearance and body through proper training.
I realized that back then, the reason I wanted to become human, was that I really just wanted to have friends. Now, I just want to be a monster that can help Luffy. – Chopper
The powers of Chopper’s Human-Human Fruit in One Piece have allowed the character to change in size and shape over the years, namely from pre- to post-time skip. In his initial introduction to the series, Chopper was much rounder, with a smaller head proportional to his body. While many thought this design, dubbed Chubby Chopper, was adorable, it also felt a bit more grounded and not too cutesy.
Chopper Went From Chubby Reindeer to Cute Stuffed Animal
Design De-Evolution
As Chopper progressed through pre-time skip One Piece, while his design didn’t change drastically, he did start to thin out a bit. His head became a bit larger, and his body was far skinnier than his initial introduction during the Drum Island Arc. While many loved chubby Chopper, for most, this was Chopper in peak form.
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However, post-time skip One Piece took Chopper in a completely new direction, using the gimmick of the Human-Human Fruit to rework Chopper’s design from the ground up. Now, Chopper has lost his more realistic reindeer-like qualities, looking more akin to a stuffed animal. His head is extremely large for his body, his eyes are massive, and his body is tiny compared to the rest of him. Of course, although the design change was permanent, many fans disliked this new Chopper, thinking of it as a design de-evolution and not an evolution.
Chopper’s Initial Concept Art Was Amazing
Smoking Reindeer Doctor
Funnily enough, even before Chopper’s introduction to the Straw Hat Crew, the character went through some amazing designs in Oda’s initial concept art. Originally, Chopper was going to look far more mature and reindeer-like with no cuteness at all. In these designs, Chopper was grizzled, with large shadows under his eyes and covered with stripes. Although it would be interesting to see this concept brought to the series, imagining this reindeer in place of Chopper is a difficult task.
I want to be the sort of man people can rely on! – Chopper
After this, the concept art of One Piece’s Tony Tony Chopper took another interesting turn. In the later initial designs, Chopper is shown to be a bit less grizzled, and more friendly, though still much more of a humanoid reindeer than modern Chopper. This Chopper is shown in full doctor regalia, though he’s also smoking a cigarette. Seeing Chopper smoking is a funny enough concept on its own, but imagining the cute Straw Hat constantly with a cigarette like Sanji is a hilarious inversion of his cute self.
From his initial design, Chopper has changed drastically from what he is in modern One Piece. Out of any other character, Chopper looks the most different from concept to paper, showing just how flexible the design of the reindeer doctor can be. Hopefully, Chopper’s design will remain the same throughout the final saga of One Piece, just so it won’t evolve into anything worse.
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates’ ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.