Summary
- Strange tree zombie MocDonald on Thriller Bark became a legendary gag character in One Piece community.
- MocDonald’s potential as a Straw Hat member led to fan art and jokes despite his brief appearance in the series.
- The popularity of goofy side characters like MocDonald highlights what makes One Piece unique among anime.
One Piece, being a silly and unserious series most of the time, has a fair number of goofy characters. This includes a wide variety of gag characters that are used for one-off scenes, make a brief appearance, and then are never seen again. However, when it comes to these bizarre characters in One Piece, the community tends to latch onto them, making them active parts of One Piece discussion.
Whether it be Condoriano or Gaimon, smaller gag characters have an extremely important place in the One Piece world. For some reason, whether due to the comedic nature of the characters, or the infinite potential for jokes, the community never seems to forget characters like these, even if their time in the series is less than a whole episode. However, one of the strangest examples of this phenomenon is the tree zombie in One Piece’s Thriller Bark, which seems to gain more recognition than his screen time would suggest.
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Luffy And The Crew Met Some Interesting Zombies On Thriller Bark
This Includes A Strange Tree Zombie Named MocDonald
During the Thriller Bark Arc in One Piece, Luffy and his crew were forced to explore the mysterious floating island of Thriller Bark. Owned by Gecko Moria, this island is completely invested with zombies of the Warlord’s own creation, using the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. These zombies come in all shapes and sizes, including a large pig lady, a literal spider monkey, and a three-headed dog.
You may have gathered a strong crew, but you’ll lose them all! – Gecko Moria
However, Luffy, being the curious and jolly figure he is, seems undeterred by these horrific zombies, and actually finds them fascinating. This includes one strange tree zombie and one unicorn zombie that he even invited to join One Piece’s Straw Hat Crew, while the two were sharing a drink with one another. However, the tree declined the offer and was seen only briefly throughout the rest of the arc.
The Gag Surrounding MacDonald Was Quickly Adopted By Fans
- A Tree From Thriller Bark Was Part Of A Hilarious Gag
- The Community Latched Onto The Tree As A Source Of Jokes And Memes
From this moment, this tree, named MocDonald, reached an almost legendary status among the One Piece community, going from a random gag character to what could have been the strongest Straw Hat in the future of the series. Many fans like to joke about how strong the tree MocDonald would have been if he accepted Luffy’s offer of joining the crew and journeying the seas with the pirates. Although Luffy does flippantly ask many people to join the crew, MocDonald is one of the weirdest examples of this trope thus far.
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However, this hasn’t stopped fans from creating fan art of what MocDonald would look like as a member of the Straw Hat Crew or making jokes about his future role in the series. Sadly though, as many fans already know, in the actual story of One Piece, MocDonald’s time on the Straw Hat Crew would have been short-lived, with Gecko Moria stealing all the shadows to make himself more powerful, ultimately killing all the zombies that were created. Still, for those brief episodes that MocDonald would have been on the crew, his contributions to the Straw Hat legacy would have been amazing to see.
Funny Side Characters Are What Makes One Piece Special
The popularity of characters like MocDonald and Condoriano shows why One Piece is special to so many people. Even the smallest of side characters, who barely play a role in a series that is well over 1,000 episodes long, still have an important part in the community. It’s characters like these that help set One Piece apart from other anime, with this show featuring the goofiest and most memorable gag characters.
For the One Piece fanbase, all it took was one gag about a tree zombie joining the Straw Hat Crew in order to make what should have been a forgettable background character into a legendary part of the series. Although his time in the series was brief, fans fell in love with a goofy, and admittedly creepy, tree-shaped zombie. In the end, while MocDonald never was a true part of One Piece’s Straw Hat Crew during his brief time on Thriller Bark, in the hearts of fans, he will always be a true member.
