Most Pessimistic Characters in One Piece

Summary

• Characters like Nico Robin and Trafalgar Law in One Piece show unique depth through their pessimistic outlooks.
• Pessimism in characters like Doflamingo and Kaido stems from tragic pasts, influencing their actions in the series.
• Usopp’s persistent doubt and negativity contrast with his luck and growth, showcasing complex character development.

Not everyone in the world of One Piece can be as chipper and optimistic as Monkey D. Luffy himself. However, there’s not being optimstic, and then there’s just being straight-up pessimistic and seeing the bad in almost every situation, which certainly applies to a fair few characters in this immensely popular long-running series.

While most people will see pessimism as being a rather bad character trait, it has been used to create some pretty unique characters in One Piece who still manage to come across as intriguing and even funny to the audience. Therefore, while these characters aren’t as happy-go-lucky as some of the fan favorites, their more negative outlook on things can actually end up making them quite interesting to learn more about as the story goes on.

8 Nico Robin

Robin’s Tragic Upbringing And Past Hatred For The World Is Highlighted Through Her Unexpected Dark Humor

• First Appearance: Episode 67

While Robin has admittedly become a much more hopeful character after Luffy and the gang saved her in Enies Lobby, there are still some lingering hints of pessimism that shine through every now and again, though this is usually played off as a joke. For example, any time the Straw Hats find themselves in a difficult situation, Robin will often start pondering the worst case scenario, such as how the gang could fall to their deaths when climbing a mountain or how much blood would be spilled if the Straw Hats were eaten by a sea creature.

Though her dark humor does come out of nowhere, it has also become synonymous with her character and is a subtle indication of how much Robin hated the world around her due to her harsh upbringing. Then again, though, her unique personality does help to balance out the endless bundles of joy that Luffy, Chopper, and several others bring to the crew.

7 Trafalgar Law

Law Never Has Confidence In His Plans Working Out When The Straw Hats Are Involved

• First Appearance: Episode 392

It seems as though Law’s time hanging around with the Straw Hats has turned him into somewhat of a pessimist, considering any time he tries to put a plan into action, he always expresses doubt that it will go accordingly. Admittedly, it’s easy to see where Law is coming from, especially since Luffy and Zoro do tend to completely disregard Law’s advice, causing the fellow Worst Generation member to expect the worst whenever he and his temporary crew make an assault.

Law is also much more of a realist than Luffy, creating a hilarious contrast that has seen the two engage in bickering matches on more than a few occasions. Law might not always believe that his plans will work out, but more often than not, he surprises himself with how much he and his team manage to achieve throughout the story.

6 Shirahoshi

Before Luffy Brings Her Out Of Her Shell, Shirahoshi Only Sees The Worst Of Every Situation

• First Appearance: Episode 531

As a royal princess who has been sheltered ever since she was a child, Shirahoshi was never good at socializing. This eventually developed into her becoming a huge crybaby who would let the waterworks flow any time something unexpected happened, rather than ever seeing these events in a positive light.

For example, rather than viewing Luffy as a fun and intriguing new companion who suddenly arrived on Fishman Island, she instead cried her eyes out, believing he was only there to cause her trouble. After she began coming out of her shell, Shirahoshi did start possessing a bit more of a positive outlook, which eventually saw her even muster the courage to attend the Reverie. Still, for much of her life, she had a mostly pessimistic view, which made her timid and isolated.

5 Donquixote Doflamingo

Doflamingo’s Treatment As A Child Caused Him To Lose Any Faith In Humanity That He May Have Had

• First Appearance: Episode 151

Growing up as a child, Doflamingo was forced by his father to live with the common folk, only for them to string up his family and torture them out of hatred for the Celestial Dragons. At the same time, the Celestial Dragons themselves also refuse to offer support for Doffy’s family, causing him to see first-hand the worst aspects of the people that occupied the world of One Piece.

This prompted Doflamingo to hate the world and everyone in it, creating a psychopath who became hell-bent on causing as much chaos as possible due to losing any hope he once had in humanity. Additionally, Doflamingo has also given several speeches predicting that the world will be thrown into another large and destructive war, which is something he invites due to his pessimistic personality, almost as if he’s begging for its destruction.

4 Kaido

Kaido’s Lack Of Ambition And Drinking Problems Paint Him As A Pretty Cynical And Pessimistic Yonko

• First Appearance: Episode 739

From the moment Kaido first appears in the story, it’s made very clear he is someone who has lost all hope in the world, as evident by the fact that he tries to hurl himself off a sky island to end his own life. Despite being one of the strongest and most formidable pirates on the planet, Kaido doesn’t use his powers for the sake of good or as part of his own great aspirations. Instead, he seems to view his power as a curse, causing him to drink away his sorrows while he rules over Wano with an iron fist.

Kaido sees the world as little more than a rock that can be destroyed and conquered, and it seems as though he has no extravagant goals that he aims to strive towards. Instead, he’s a hulking behemoth who gets little enjoyment out of life, and he is therefore willing to crush anyone who tries to get in his way or criticize him.

3 Smoker

Smoker’s Suspicions Of Both The Pirates And Marines Cause Him To View The World In A Dire Light

• First Appearance: Episode 48

Smoker is just one of those characters who can never see the good side of a situation. When he’s hunting down Luffy and other pirates, he always has a look of irritation on his face rather than being overjoyed at finding a new target, but when the pirates manage to do something good, like taking down Crocodile, he similarly expresses pessimism towards the Marines and their insidious actions.

He’s therefore stuck in a peculiar situation where he can see the drawbacks of both sides, but since he’s still a marine, it results in him being a pretty moody and doubt-filled character. Still, he at least has Tashigi to try and perk him up whenever he gets too down in the dumps, but it’s doubtful Smoker will ever be able to shake off this personality trait.

2 Perona

Perona Seeps Out Her Opponent’s Confidence To Become As Pessimistic As She Is

• First Appearance: Episode 338

Perona is essentially the embodiment of negativity and pessimism. Perona’s fruit, the Horo Horo No Mi, allows Gecko Moria’s former crewmate to control ghosts who can then drain self-confidence from anyone they come into contact with, as she attempted to do with Usopp during the Thriller Bark arc.

As with most Devil Fruits, the ability feeds into Perona’s own personality, since she is largely presented as being a cynical character who rarely ever looks at the world in a positive light. She can also often be seen carrying around toys from her childhood, even after the two-year time skip, implying that she would rather go back to being a child due to having such a sour view of the world as an adult.

1 Usopp

Usopp Never Believes Things Will Go His Way, Despite Having A Lot Of Luck On His Side

• First Appearance: Episode 8

It doesn’t matter how much Usopp grows and matures as a character, he’s always going to have that underlying doubt and fear whenever he visits a new area. As a result, Usopp, on numerous occasions, has expressed extreme doubt and pessimism. This is evident whenever the crew lands on a new island, and Usopp tries to claim that he has a “Disease” that won’t let him leave the Sunny.

Even when he did battle with Perona, the only way he was able to win was by proving he harbored so much negativity that her ghosts couldn’t affect him. Another example is his duel with Sugar where, believing he had no chance of winning the fight, Usopp decides to pull a terrifying face, which somehow won him the battle. Usopp has never had much hope that things would go his way, but he luckily has plenty of friends around him who are there to cheer him on whenever he begins doubting himself.